Halloween 9?

Ropeofsilicon.com is reporting that netflix has the synopsis for a potential ninth Halloween movie. The synopsis is as follows:

Since his psychiatrist father's death, David Loomis has been working at Smith's Grove Sanitarium. David inherited all his father's files, except for those of serial killer Michael A. Myers, which are nowhere to be found.

But when a horribly mutilated body is found, rumors fly that Michael has returned to Haddonfield. Eager to fulfill his father's obsessive quest, David travels to Haddonfield to wait for Michael. Like father, like son!

Hey, sounds good to me. I always like it when a new movie featuring an old friend comes out.

Book Review: Afterlife by Douglas Clegg

This book is one humdinger of a suspense yarn. The tension builds and builds and at only 261 pages, the end comes quickly. The story is very well crafted, as are all the characters. I've never read a bad Clegg novel and his reputation holds up here. The story deals with one woman's trauma of losing her husband. Turns out there's alot she didn't know about him. Clegg brings up some very interesting theories concerning the afterlife and what happens when we die. As I said before, the end comes a little too soon and leaves a few questions unanswered. I'm hoping it was done intentionally, like maybe a sequel is in the works. This book reminds me of a Dean Koontz novel without all the unnecessary words. Great story, great storytelling. I give it ***1/2 out of ****. Could have got ****1/2 if the questions were answered.

Saw 2 Update

Naomi Watts(Ring, Ring 2) is apparently signed on for the sequel. The expected release date is to be around late October of this year. The plot of the film is supposed to pick up where the first left off, the killings are supposed to be more brutal, sadistic and evil than the first one, and there's word the Jigsaw Killer may be pitting family members against each other as a test of how much they love each other. They really need to do a better job with this one because anyone who appreciates horror knows they flubbed the first Saw up big time, all promo and no meat.

Horror/SciFi DVD Releases for 3/8

Andromeda: Season 4, Volume 4.5
Chrono Crusade 4: Devil to Pay
Drive-In Collection
Drive-In Volumes 1, 2 and 3
Fear X
German Horror Collection
Horror
The Living Dead
Monsturd (yep, that's the real name of it.)
A Night to Dismember
Sherlock Holmes Collection
Sight Frights Tights Set
Star Wars Weapons & End Times Warfare
That Little Monster
Xena Warrior Princess: Season Six

Another poor week for us horrorphiles, however, how can you pass up a film called Monsturd? You can bet, if I can find it at my video store, I'll review it!

Desperation Gets Delayed

ABC has delayed the airing of Stephen King's Desperation. The mini-series, being directed by Mick Garris, was originally scheduled for May. The word from Garris is the film won't be finished until June, and "ABC has used up it's promotional budget for the season,...it's possibly going to be November. Or the following February...or May 2006." I was so looking forward to May because everything I read about this adaptation is that it rocks. I guess patience is a virtue as they say.

Movie of the Week: Storm of the Century

As a nor'easter howls outside my window I think there can be no more fitting a movie of the week than Stephen King's Storm of the Century. I didn't catch it when it originally aired but watching it nearly six years later on DVD did nothing to diminish it's place as not only one of the best King mini-series, but I think it's one of his best films. The acting is first rate, with Tim Daly putting in a great effort and Colm Feore really stealing the show as the evil Andre Linoge. All of the supporting players portray their characters perfectly as well. Two of the best supporting characters are the town and environment itself as they play huge in the film. This is a perfect movie to curl up on the couch to watch with the wind and snow blowing outside. Clocking in at 248 minutes, grab a comfortable blanket, some popcorn and check out some fantastic King goodness. I give it **** out of *****.

Book of the Week: Boy's Life by Robert McCammon

This is one of my all time favorite books. It's a coming of age story for a 12 year old boy, the strange and surreal summer he endures, and a very intriguing murder mystery on top of it all. The book opens with a bang as Corey Mackenson and his father witness a car driving into a lake. A desperate attempt to save the driver opens up a caseful of canned worms. Corey tries to solve the murder and along the way has to deal with numerous quirky characters that reside in his little hometown. This book stays with you long after you finish it, and it is always near the top of my favorites list. I highly recommend this book. ***** out of *****.

Cursed Opens Weak

Wes Craven's problem child Cursed opened this weekend to expected low results, taking in just 9.5 million and opening in fourth place. I know alot of bad things were surrounding this picture, but i just hoped Wes could pull it together and have another Scream on his hands. Unfortunately, it looks as if he doesn't and this thing will be on DVD before the snow melts here in Jersey.

DVD Review: The Last Horror Movie

This is a serial killer movie, plain and simple. It's made to look like you rented a movie and five minutes into watching the "movie", it looks as if someone taped over the movie with a home video. The home video is of a guy who shows you footage of him killing people, all the while waxing philosophic on the similarities between killers and regular people. I have to admit, he makes a strong case. There are some parts of the film that are suspenseful, but I can't really say it was scary. I think it works good as a character study on the modern serial killer. I did like how they tied the movie together at the end, I thought it was original and far more effective than just about any hollywood feature film. The acting is very good, every character is believable and the dialog is just right. Having said all that, I liked this movie, it wasn't as gory as I thought it was going to be, but it was better and more effective than Saw. I give it ***1/2 out of *****.