Venom offshoot Venom Inc. and death metal pioneers Necrophagia played New York City’s Webster Hall Jan. 9 as part of their first US circuit.
For the uninitiated, Venom Inc. is a new band that features ex-Venom members Mantas on guitar, Abaddon on drums and Demolition Man on vocals – making this band an unofficial reunion of Venom’s 1988 to 1992 lineup.
I was really excited for this as I had not been to a show since King Diamond and Necrophagia and Venom were bands I’ve wanted to see since high school. I was also confirmed for an interview with Necrophagia vocalist Killjoy. Although I took the bus to the city with my friend Jay to NYC, we split up as Jay didn’t want to be at the venue too early. I took the Subway to Union Square while Jay went to The Blue Ruin in Hell’s Kitchen. I got to the venue on East 11th street, ran into some friends and awaited the show.
Extinction A.D.
First up was Long Island’s Extinction A. D. The band played slightly melodic “tough guy” hardcore. This was not a style I was ever into, so their set bored me.Most of the crowd was bored as well as this band didn’t fit the bill.
Metalfier
After Exinction A. D. I interviewed Killjoy. Metalfier got on stage shortly after. The band was a traditional metal throwback and they were bad. Like the last band, everyone was bored and couldn’t wait for them to finish.
Necrophagia
After the bland local openers it was time for Necrophagia, which was also when Jay showed up. Their set was mostly focused on recent material, as no songs before 1998 were played. Necrophagia performed several fan favorites such as “Embalmed Yet I Breathe” and “Blood Freak” – all while vocalist Killjoy practiced his horror theatrics. They ended their set with their most well known song “Cannibal Holocaust” (based on the horror classic of the same name).
Venom Inc
After Necrophagia’s killer performance, we got ready for Venom Inc. Audiences were curious due to the fact that while this version of Venom does not include classic vocalist Cronos, they do have two of the original three members.
The band started their set with “Prime Evil,” the title track from the 1988 Venom album. This was the only song they played from the era they were a throwback to. From that point on, their setlist mostly consisted of songs from the first two Venom albums, “Welcome to Hell” and “Black Metal.” This included many classics such as “Black Metal,” “1,000 Days in Sodom,” “Countess Bathory,” “Don’t Burn the Witch” and “Schizo.” They also played some of the non-album singles from that era such as “Warhead” and “Bloodlust.”
Venom Inc. had good energy and looked like they were having a lot of fun. With the exception of the two openers, the show was a lot better then expected. After the show Jay and I went to the Blue Ruin, met some cool, hot chicks and took the bus home disappointed that we had to return to reality.
As we continue to open the can of worms that is 2016, there are an abundance of great hard rock/heavy metal concerts waiting in the wings.
Of course there are the big festivals such as Maryland Deathfest and Germany’s Keep it True and Wacken Open Air, but those aren’t always the best shows of the year for each individual person for one reason or another.
Sometimes, it’s the little local shows that make the most impact.
Join us as Bonesaw’s contirubuting writer Anthony Carioscia (Tonythechosen) and Editor in Chief Chris Butera put the final nails in 2015’s coffin by discussing their top five concert experiences of last year.
5: Electric Wizard (4/2/2015) and At The Gates (4/12/2015), Webster Hall, NYC
Anthony: Number five for me would be Electric Wizard at Webster hall. I’ve been wanting to see these guys live since high school and the car ride there was fun. It sucks that I missed the opener but their (Eletric Wizard’s) performance made it worth going for one band.
Chris: I wanted to go to that so bad. was so bummed to see it sell out so fast
Anthony: It’s crazy how fast it sold out. I remember when I first got into doom and how no one was into it. How that times changed.
Chris:Doom pretty much became the flavor of the month once Black Sabbath started up again. I remember barely any doom bands around and then all of a sudden you can’t find a show around here without one.
Anthony: Maryland Deathfest gets loaded with doom now.
Chris: The D is unofficially for doom at this point. My 5th is also at Webster hall. My number five goes to At the Gates on April 12.
Anthony: With Vallenfye Pallbearer and Converge right?
Chris: Yes they were. I got to see them on their reunion tour in 2008, when we thought it was one and done. Then they came back and put out a new album that I thought was decent, but impossible to live up to Slaughter of the Soul. In my opinion they should have just toured but maybe they were pressured into it and maybe they were jonesing for a new record anyway. This show was unbelievable knowing what At The Gates can do. I rank it at 5 because I’m not crazy about any of the openers minus Pallbearer.
Anthony: I caught At The Gates at Maryland Deathfest 2014. It was pretty killer. How did Pallbeaer do? I never caught them live.
Chris: They did very well. One of the best shows I’ve been to this year.
Anthony: I guess my number 4 would be Nuclear Assault at Gramercy theater.
Chris: Mine as well. If in fact this is Nuclear Assault’s last outing, it was a great send-off in their hometown
Anthony: I think after that one off show on Maryland Deathfest they are done.
Chris: Just the overall atmosphere was great. A bunch of hometown heroes and their friends. You couldn’t ask for a better ending.
Anthony: That was my second time seeing them. Both times they killed it. John Connelly’s voice sounds just as good it did in the 80’s. Having Whiplash open was a good choice too.
Chris: John always sounds awesome. I caught them at their semi-secret reunion in 2010 as well. Whiplash surprised me. I was not sure if they would be that good but they definitely still had their chops. It seems like they got better with age, and they were already good. Murphy’s law was a lot of fun too. Their energy was great and they were funny as hell.
Anthony: I was never a fan of Murphy’s Law but that set was fun as hell to watch.
Chris: They made if feel like a ceremony because they brought their whole crew with them onstage. It felt like a big house party.
3: Napalm Death,Voivod,Exhumed,Iron Regan and Ringworm (2/8/2015) The Chance Theater, Poughkeepsie, NY and Ghost (9/27/2015) Terminal 5, NYC
Anthony: I guess since this was 4 for both of us. I’ll go with my 3rd choice, 3 would be Napalm Death, Voivod, Exhumed, Iron Regan and Ringworm at the chance theater.
Chris: That sounds ridiculous. I forgot about that tour
Anthony: It was a crazy show both the line up itself and what happened that day. I got to interview Barney (Greenway) in person. Hes a great guy and I was starstruck. He gets extra points for bashing the Chance’s disgusting bathrooms. The best performances were them Exhumed and Iron Reagan. Voivod’s set could have been better and of course a shout out to the local opener Blast Furnace. Those dudes are always awesome.
Chris: The above three are always great. Haven’t seen them in awhile but looking forward to Napalm Death and The Melvins as well as Vektor and Voivod.
Anthony: Voivod were amazing at Maryland Deathfest 2011 and had a much better set. I plan on going to the Napalm Death/Melvins show as well.
Chris: My 3 would be Ghost at Terminal 5 . It was my first time seeing them and was blown away by their presence.
Anthony: They are a lot of fun live. I’ve seen them twice.
Chris: They’re unbelievable. The house was packed and it was the same week the Pope was in town so there was a very ominous vibe in the air.
Anthony: I wonder if that was scheduled on purpose.
Chris: Could be. Also the opener Purson was pretty good too. Their singer/guitarist was a breath of fresh air. She’s got a lot of charisma.
Anthony: Never heard of them. Last time I saw Ghost the opener was King Dude who was cool but didn’t fit the bill at all.
Chris: I heard mixed reactions about King Dude on that show, but their music is pretty decent. Purson is similar to Coven in that female-fronted psychadelic rock (which a lot of people mistake for doom).
Anthony: Coven-esque bands are pretty common nowadays.
Chris: Unfortunately, a lot of people are jumping on that but this one stood out.
2: Maryland Deathfest XIII (5/21/2015-5/24/2015) Baltimore, MD
Anthony: My 2nd place choice would be the Almighty Maryland Deathfest.
Chris: That would have been my first but I feel like because I didn’t go to it that puts in second for me as well. I have yet to go but i’m clamoring for one.
Anthony: It’s an experience. This was my third time going. This was the only year where I went all four days. I normally skip Thursday.
Chris: It sounds like the raddest party. I feel like the 10,000 Tons of Metal cruise is becoming the semi-mainstream version of this. Which band was your favorite at this year’s Maryland Deathfest?
Anthony: I’d say Agoraphobic Nosebleed had the best performance. Craziest pit ive ever seen. Demilich was a close second though.
Chris: Wasn’t that one of their (Agoraphobic Nosebleed) first shows or something?
Anthony: First official show. Also the Mobb Deep bonus show that was packaged with it was cool to0 though we left when it looked like fights were starting.
Chris: I could see that happening due to a mixed crowd.
Anthony: Yeah more metalheads were watching them than rap fans.
Chris: Groovy. I think our number one is the same band, possibly a different show each,
Anthony: King Diamond?
Chris: Yep.
1: King Diamond and Exodus (11/20 and 11/21/2015) Playstation Theater, NYC
Anthony: I caught King Diamond on the Abigail tour at the Playstation theater.
Chris: Me too, which night?
Anthony: The 21st, I also caught King Diamond at Mayhem Fest but this show throws it out of the water. Mainly because of King playing all of Abigail and not having to sit through Hellyeah and Devil Wears Prada. Slayer and Jungle Rot ruled though.
Chris: I saw the man himself on the 20th, night two for me.
Mayhem Fest shot themselves in the foot with that lineup.
Anthony: I can’t believe how much he (King Diamond) recovered.
Chris: Me too. I had tickets for King Diamond and Kreator in 2008 – just before he had the back surgery and then the triple bypass so when this was announced I was so psyched because that tour got cancelled for the above reasons. I would up having my friend go down to the venue the day the first night tickets went on sale and he got tickets for the second night about an hour before they were officially announced so it was a sweet score.
Anthony: It was sold out but thanks to Adrenaline PR I was able to get free last minute tickets. I do feel Exodus got screwed over on the tour though.
Chris: Exodus was great as usual, I liked how their merchandise played off of NWA’s imagery. It was nice seeing them with Zetro. How do you think they got screwed?
Anthony: Maybe it was just my show, but when I saw them they didn’t even play for half an hour and had no pit. They were much better when I caught them at the Chance with Testament last year.
Chris: I felt that their set could have been longer but “Impaler” was awesome to hear. I still can’t believe they played that. They had a decent set for me and their pit was ok. It could have been bigger but the crowds were mostly older fans. There were a few dads and their grown children in attendance.
Anthony: I was so glad King Diamond played “Melissa” and “Come to the Sabbath” back to back, especially since those songs were connected. The fact that they were right before the Abigail part of the set made it seem like a short film before the main one.
Chris: I agree. He also played “Curse of the Pharoahs” for me which was awesome. I just remember that this was the first show in a very long time where I was smiling and legitimately happy the entire time. Anthony: This might very well be the best live performance Iv’e ever seen.
Chris: It did a lot for me personally. It definitely has earned a spot in the top five of all time.
Twice a year in Poughkeepsie, NY the Hudson Horror Show is held. The Hudson Horror Show is a film festival where for 12 hours, classic horror and cult films are shown while vendors sell horror films on all formats as well as all kinds of other horror merch.
This year’s lineup of films were “The Warriors,” “Halloween 2,” “Friday the 13th Part 2,” “Demonoid,” “Stunt Rock” and a mystery movie. This showing was also going to have two theater rooms instead of one, making it not sell out as fast as others.
I drove to the South Hill mall, arriving about a half hour before the first film started and ran into some friends. We went over to the vendor tables where the merch was pretty cool; ranging from horror shirts, Blu-Rays and DVDs from Vinegar Syndrome, horror signs made by Rob Sinclair of the Orange Ulster Horror Club to metal and punk records. I ended up buying a VHS copy of “Demons” as well as a Blu-Ray of “Madman.”
12:15 rolled around and it was time to see “Demonoid.”
Demonoid (1981)
I went into this film knowing nothing other then it being considered “fun crap.” As a fan of “fun crap,” I was pretty eager to see this.
“Demonoid” is about a married couple who explore a mine in Mexico and find a mummified hand in a coffin. They take the hand home and while they are sleeping, the hand tries to possess the wife.The husband stops it from doing so but ends up getting his right hand possessed in the process. He eventually dies and the hand goes from person to person until the widow teams up with a priest to try to stop The Devils Hand.
The film is very poorly made, but in a way that makes it a hell of a good time to watch. The Nonsense story, poor acting, awkward dialogue, over the top scenes and unfitting pop songs that play at the most random parts all make up the films charm.
Stunt Rock (1980)
The Australian “Stunt Rock” is about real-life stunt man Grant Page (played by himself) who reunites with his cousin who plays Satan in the stage shows for a rock band called Sorcery (who also played themselves).
Their stage shows consists of special effects and magic tricks as Merlin and Satan fighting each other while the band plays.There was also a story with a female reporter falling in love with Page but was uninteresting and boring.
For the most part I found the film to be pretty boring. The stunts and the concert footage scenes were pretty fun to watch but everything else was uninteresting. Socery’s sound was pretty cool, reminding me a bit of older Alice Cooper with some Led Zepplin and Black Sabbath influences thrown it. I might want to pick up a Sorcery album when I have the chance.
Halloween 2-1981
After “Stunt Rock” came the mystery movie. I can’t tell what the film is but I will mention it was a film I had wanted to see for awhile and ended up being really good. Hint: the lead actor plays the President on a popular tv show now.
After that great mystery film it was time for “Halloween 2.” I hadn’t seen this installment to the saga in years so I was pretty excited.
“Halloween 2” is pretty much a continuation of the first movie with more violence, a more OP Micheal Myers, a more dedicated Dr. Loomis and Laurie Strode barley able to walk the whole film. “Halloween 2” is my third favorite in the franchise right behind the first and third films. After “Halloween 2” I headed home. As awesome as “Friday the 13th Part 2” and “The Warriors” are, I had stuff I needed to do at home. Maybe next time I will stay for the whole show as it was a great experience.
A party went on this Halloween at Montgomery, NY restaurant Brian’s Backyard BBQ. This (free) party included a costume contest, an outside haunted house and three tribute bands covering Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden classics.
Normally I don’t go out of my way to see cover bands but a free show with tributes to three of metal’s greats only five minutes away was something I just couldn’t pass up.
After a party with co-workers I picked up an older metalhead, my buddy Jay and his friend. After a short car ride consisting of jokes about Danzig making a Christmas album we got to the venue for some great music.
British Steel
First up was the Priest cover band British Steel. My friend Branden and I went close to the stage when it was their time to get on. We were joined by several people including a drunken old woman.
After the band started their set with one of Priests newer songs “Dragonaut,” they then went into classics such as “Nightcrawler,” “Painkiller,” “Breaking the Law” and “Metal Gods.”
What impressed me the most was when they played “Free Wheel Burning.” I’ve seen Priest twice and they didn’t play it either time.
While not as good as Priest (obviously), the band did a good job playing the songs and was able to get the crowd going.
Never Say Die
Next up were Never Say Die – an Ozzy era Black Sabbath tribute.
Though the band was called “Never Say Die,” they didn’t play any songs from that album (thankfully). Instead, they opted for a mix of deep cuts and hits.
I was glad I got to hear some of my Ozzy era favorites such as “Wicked World,” “Snowblind,” “N.I.B” and “Children of the Grave.” The crowd was pleased with “War Pigs” and “Paranoid” (yet no “Iron Man”).
The crowd was a little more drunk than at this point, with drunk old ladies grabbing Branden (not making this up).
The band sounded great and I was glad that the singer didn’t fully try to copy Ozzy. Since I’ll be seeing the real Sabbath in February, lets see which band has the better set list.
Sanctuary
The final band of the night was the Iron Maiden tribute Sanctuary.
They played “Caught Somewhere in Time,” “Flash of the Blade” and “Flight of Icarus” before the band took a break for the costume contest.
While I felt the hot girl dressed as a dragon ninja was the best, somehow an old lady dressed as a banana won. After the contest Sanctuary went back to playing.
They played many more greats such as “Powerslave,” the new single “Speed of Light,” “Phantom of the Opera” and “Wrathchild.”
Sanctuary did such an awesome job covering Maiden’s songs to the point where if you were blindfolded you’d think it was the real deal. The singer would even talk to the audience in a British accent and acted like Bruce Dickinson on stage.
It was starting to get late and I had work the next day so I didn’t stay for the whole thing. I did however, stay long enough for my favorite Maiden song “Hallowed Be Thy” name which sounded epic.
Classic bands such as Danzig, Overkill, Ripping Corpse, Whiplash and Symphony X have all come from there. The state still has its fair share of greats today including newcomers Exinfernum. In this interview, members James and Vinny talk about the band as well as some other fun topics.
How would you describe your band’s sound?
Vinny: The way I see it, we take inspiration from different forms of dark music. This includes black metal, darker death metal bands and old goth music – it all inspires us. The only term I think can describe our band is dark metal.
James: Essentially we just play really dark metal music and some of it verges on death or black metal. Metal-Archives.com even calls us blackened death metal. The sub-genre of metal we play isn’t as important to us as it would be for other bands. Really, we are just looking to make some dark, heavy music
Why did you choose the name Exinfernum and what does it mean?
Vinny: The name means “from Hell” in Latin. I was sitting in the dark one day, writing riffs and the name just hit me out of nowhere. It seemed to be a perfect fit for the music I was writing. It was also one of the few cool sounding names that wasn’t really taken.
I understand you used to be the old-school death metal band Gorematory. What made you decide to change to this new style and was it hard at first?
Vinny: Originally, Gorematory split up in November 2011 after opening for Entombed. We tried to bring the band back a few times but it didn’t work out. We decided to change the bands style. Since we went in such a new direction, the name (Gorematory) didn’t fit anymore. Our lyrics went from being gore and horror themed to more dark and spiritual. Due to these changes we put Gorematory to bed and Exinfernum was born.
James: We had alot of bad luck with the band. We started to feel the name Gorematory was cursed. This was around late 2014. We decided we were going to start 2015 with a clean slate. I also felt our style grew a little.
Vinny: To this day I am still a very big horror fan, but I needed to write about more things that are personal to me. At that point I started getting more into the left hand path.I started reading a lot more books and looking into different things. What I wanted to do was say these things but in a form of music. I guess you can say it’s something that feels more natural and personal to us. It’s more real then what Gorematory was.
Any new releases on the horizon? If so can you tell us about them.
Vinny: For the rest of this year we will continue to promote our album “The Gutting of God.” In the middle of next year we are going to start working on our second full length.
James: We have some rough song ideas (maybe around four). Cereberus, our drummer is also working on a few. Some might not make it to the next album but whenever we feel like writing we write stuff. Nothing we wrote is really concrete at the moment.
How do you feel about the state of black metal today? Do you feel the original idea of black metal is gone or do you think it just took other forms?
Vinny: I personally feel metal needs to evolve to survive, this includes black metal. As much as I like the classic bands such as Darkthrone, Carpathian Forest, Gorgoroth and Dissection; in order for the music to continue it needs to evolve. Don’t get me wrong, I love bands that are throwbacks to the old style but it still needs to evolve.
James: My opinion is a little similar to his. I feel black metal fans today take themselves and the music way too fucking seriously. I think a lot of black metal bands get too into the ideology and the image and forget it’s fucking music.
Cannibal Corpse and Cattle Decapitation are two bands I always make the effort to see when they come around. When a show was announced featuring both bands at a venue near me, I had no excuse not to go.
I went to pick up my buddy Jay (aka Keyboards) and we were off. After a ride that consisted of getting stuck in traffic and blasting Vomitory and early Samael, we arrived at “The Chance Theater” in Poughkeepsie, NY and bought our tickets from Will of Necroptic Engorgement. Many friends were at the show (including people I had no idea liked death metal) and Jason Keyser from Origin.
Necroptic Engorgement
First up were local favorites Necroptic Engorgment. I’ve seen these guys open for many bands including Macabre, Dying Fetus, the previous time seeing Cannibal Corpse as well as previous times seeing Cattle Decapitation. They’re always fun and this time was no exception. They played greats such as “Born in the Morgue” and “Blow Torch Castration” as well as a new song called “Sandpaper Masturbation” (which is now one of my new favorites).
Soreption
Out of the four bands, this was the only one I hadn’t seen before. I had never heard of this band before this tour was announced, but Jay’s friend Ralph told us they were “brutally good.”
Soreption is a Swedish technical death metal band. They were really heavy and had an awesome performance. Most modern tech-death bands tend to be forgettable song writers but this band was an exception as their songs tended to have more variety and didn’t sound too similar at all.
Cattle Decapitation
I had seen these death-grind legends at the buildings upper venue “The Loft” two months ago with tech-death greats Beyond Creation. I was worried of their set here not being as good as that one since they weren’t headlining. The band ended up topping that set due to better sound. As always, their set was very energetic mostly due to Travis Ryan’s incredible stage presence.
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse were the band that got me into death metal. Though I’ve explored the genre since then and found many hidden gems (such as Timeghoul), Cannibal is still a band I love.
What I noticed was their set was mostly later songs (except for “Stripped, Raped and Strangled”). I didn’t mind this as I enjoy all eras of the band, but there’s always the purists that only want the old material. Towards the end of the set they included more Chris Barnes era songs such as “I Cum Blood,” Skull Full of Maggots” and of course, “Hammer Smashed Face.”
The crowd was wild, the band had tons of energy with George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher twirling every chance he got as well as singing in a Broadway-esque voice between songs (not making this up). After the show, Jay and I got pics with his friends Ralph and Candy and we headed home after yet another kick-ass Cannibal Corpse show. This is my third time seeing both Corpse and Cattle but I know it wont be my last.
Halloween is just around the corner and you know what that means…everyone is in the mood for horror (you know something to watch while sipping your pumpkin spice coffee).
Here are some films that need to become staples of Halloween horror along with the classics (the ones that are public domain will have a link to watch instead of a trailer).
10. Avenged (2013)
The most recent film on this list is about a deaf mute woman who is killed by a gang of rednecks. Her boyfriend goes looking for her only to be kidnapped by the same group. Little do these onion-towners know that she has been brought back to life by Native American magic and is out for revenge.
The film feels like a throwback to movies such as “I Spit on Your Grave” and “Thriller: a Cruel Picture” but is nowhere near as explicit. “Avenged” is more like “Kill Bill” fused with supernatural horror and one of the more original recent horror films.
9. Anguish (1987)
The most bizarre film on this list is a Spanish film done in the style of Italian films. “Anguish” is about a man who is brainwashed to kill by his telepathic mother and is also actually a movie that two teenage girls are seeing in a theater. Events in the real world start mirroring whats going on in the movie. The film is full of symbolism and is very unpredictable in the best way.
8. I, Madman(1989)
Film critic Roger Ebert barely ever likes horror films but he loved this one. The movie is about a bookstore clerk who discovers a really good book called “I, Madman.” While she reads the book the murderer somehow comes into the real world. The film fuses slasher with weird Twilight Zone-ish horror and does it very well.
7. Mystics in Bali (1981)
Kathy travels to Indonesia in order to learn more about dark magic. She ends up meeting a witch who transforms her into a floating head that goes around drinking blood and eating unborn babies (not making this up).
This is just the tip of the iceberg as this film is one of a kind, managing to be weird and over the top yet pretty well made at the same time.
6. Vampyr (1932)
“Vampyr” is a French/German horror film directed by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. A traveler who is obsessed with the occult goes to a town to later find out it is under the curse of a vampire. Being a mixture of silent films and early sound silents,the film has very little dialogue and uses cue cards to help tell the story. Atmosphere is where this gem shines and it’s one any fan of classic horror films should give a watch.
5. Messiah of Evil (1973)
A horror film found in many cheap horror packs, “Messiah of Evil” is one that’s worth the bargain.
A young woman goes searching for her father – a former artist. She ends up in a seaside town that is governed by a mysterious cult. Like “Vampyr,” this film is heavy on atmosphere. The visuals are really well done. After making this film, husband and wife team Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck would go on to write screen plays for classic films such as “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
4. Martin (1977)
George A. Romero is mostly know for his zombie films, but has several others well worth checking out – including the vampire classic“Martin.”
The film is about a young man who thinks he’s a vampire who goes to live with his insane elderly cousin who believes he’s a result of a family curse.
The film plays on the old-world hysteria that created vampires, but sets them in modern day as well as showcases Romero’s love for social commentary.
3. In The Mouth Of Madness (1995)
You might have heard of this film as one of John Carpenter’s worst -you’ve heard wrong.
The film is about a horror writer who’s writing comes to life and is causing the apocalypse. With a good story, creepy special effects and tons of homage to H.P. Lovecraft this is actually one of Carpenter’s best.
2. LO (2009)
One of the many films Netflix seems to love recommending people, this is one that is well worth watching.
A man speaks to a demon named Lo in order to find the whereabouts of his girlfriend who was captured by demons. Unfortunately Lo has other plans.
The film is a low budget horror comedy – something that comes out a lot nowadays. Unlike the others it doesn’t fall into Troma worship territory and gets pretty emotional at times.
1. Spider Baby (1968)
We end this list with a film that’s not only underrated but also influential.
“Spider Baby” stars Lon Chaney Jr. as Bruno, the caretaker of three teenagers Virgin(Jill Banner), Elizabeth (Beverly Washburn) and Ralph (Sid Haig). These kids suffer from a disorder that makes them regress backwards, eventually devolving into cannibals.
“Spider Baby’s” style is a horror/black comedy fusion (a very rare thing at the time). It is also the first of its kind, inspiring many other crazy family horror films such as “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “The Hills Have Eyes.”
Haig would go on to become a horror icon and Hill would later direct other classics such as “Coffy.” This is not only one of the most underrated horror films of all time but one of the best.
Thrash legends Nuclear Assault have embarked on their final tour (dubbed as the “Final Assault” tour) which will commence with a one-off appearance at next year’s Maryland Death Fest where they will finally hang it up for good.
Last Saturday, the band played an awesome show to a packed hometown crowd with friends Murphy’s Law and Whiplash at New York City’s Gramercy Theater; which I was fortunate enough to have attended.
I had taken the day off from work for a local show in my area when the date of that show got moved. I figured I’d tag along with my friend Jay to go to this awesome looking show instead. We took the train to New York City, got slices of dollar pizza, then took the subway and walked to the Gramercy Theater. Once inside, I ran into some buddies of mine and we caught up until the show started.
Whiplash
Up first were thrash legends Whiplash. I was not too familiar with them outside of their 1986 debut “Power and Pain,” but my friends were excited to see them. The band was fucking killer. They had incredible incredible energy and sounded great.
Murphy’s Law
Next up was the hardcore punk band Murphy’s Law. While I am a big fan of 80’s hardcore, this band was never one I could get into. The band played a very long set and had a lot of energy. After watching them for a few minutes, I went down to the lower part of the venue to look at merch. Jay and I would then meet Tony Potaro, the vocalist and guitarist for Whiplash and get a picture.
Nuclear Assault
After Murphy’s Law finished it was time for Nuclear Assault.
I had seen them once four years ago at MDF 2011. While this fest had other greats like Voivod, Ghost, Acid Witch, Nunslaughter,and Exhumed; Nuclear Assault owned – and here they were no different. The band delivered classics such as “Brainwashed,” ”Hang the Pope” and “Critical Mass.”
Bassist Danny Liker is a legend. I’m also a fan of his other bands Brutal Truth, S.O.D and his time in Anthrax. S.O.D is scheduled to play the Black and Blue Bowl in Brooklyn next year and I will make sure I go.
It’s been two weeks since the Horror community lost one of its pillars in the iconic form of director Wes Craven to brain cancer at age 76.
Here is part two of our tribute to the legendary filmmaker (click here for part one).
Deadly Friend
Another film I’ve seen thanks to Guy and Angie. We found this on a now removed streaming site called AllUC. The site had many films on it including several cult horror films from the 70’s and 80’s. Knowing this was a more obscure Craven film we decided to watch it.
The movie is about a young child prodigy who’s best friend is a robot he built named BB. He has a crush on his neighbor Samantha who’s father abuses her. The two decide to play a prank on a crazy old lady from their neighborhood that goes wrong. BB ends up being destroyed and Samantha gets pushed down the stairs by her dad, leaving her brain dead. Doing what any normal teenager would do in this situation, he puts BB’s chip in Samantha’s brain to bring them both back. Although the experiment works, Samantha isn’t quite the way she used to be.
This movie is as cheesy as it sounds. When we first saw this the three of us thought this film was a great underrated work by the master. Looking back, the film is pretty bad – but in a fun way. The concept brings stupid to new levels and the kills are hilariously bad (including the infamous dodgeball scene). Originally the film was going to be more of a Sci-Fi film driven by its story. Hopefully one day that cut will show up.
The Serpent and The Rainbow
This was always a film I’ve heard of. Although I never knew anything about the plot, it was a title that stuck out. One day I saw that Chiller was showing it. Naturally, I decided to watch it.
The film is about a man named Bill Pulman (Dennis Alan) who goes to Haiti after hearing rumors of people coming back from the dead. This is very different from Craven’s normal work. The film is surreal, atmospheric and isn’t really based around gore. Nor does it have the amount of tongue-in-cheek humor Craven’s films tend to have.The film is also based on a true story which made it seem bizarre to me. I love learning about weird real-life stories so that aspect got me hooked. I admired that the film showcased a more intelligent style from this director. My mom recently bought a cheap copy of it for herself from Walmart as she remembered this was a film she really liked.
Shocker
Yet another film I watched with Guy and Angie. Being bigger Horror collectors then me, those two would always end up with new additions to their collections almost every week.
The film is about a psychotic TV repairman who is turned in to the police by a football player. He is then put on death row. Before he is killed in the electric chair he sells his soul to Satan. This causes him to become one with electricity and gives him the ability to travel through power lines, TVs and even people.
I found this film to be very silly but in a fun way. It doesn’t take itself seriously at all. The second half of the movie is where it really gets weird, but I won’t spoil anything.
The People Under the Stairs
My mom was searching through eBay for a film she remembered from childhood about little people coming from under stairs and taking people away. She mistakenly thought it was the film called “The People Under The Stairs.” Upon watching we find out she mixed the title up with a different movie.
The film is about a young kid in the ghetto named Fool. When attempting to rob the house of his family’s insane landlords, Fool, along with two others, get trapped in their house. They then face the horrors inside and learn some very dark secrets. The landlords themselves are an incestuous brother and sister who are really over the top.There are also themes of child abduction and abuse. One would think this is a throwback to Craven’s exploitation days, but this film has a more comical tone then his earlier works.
To this day this is one of my favorite Craven films and one I recommend it to those who want to explore him beyond his obvious works.
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare
After buying the “Nightmare on Elm Street“ collection I would watch one or two of them every day after school. I enjoyed part two even if it was little weird. Three was my favorite of the sequels. Four, five and six I found to be pretty weak. The only one left was “Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.”
I was a little worried since three of the films in a row were crap and the concept almost sounded like a spoof. Part of me was excited since it was Craven back in the director’s chair.
The film is about Craven (as himself) and the cast members of his films (also as themselves) having their dreams invaded by Freddy Kreuger from outside of the movie world. Though the concept may seem a little silly this is the darkest Freddy film to date. Unlike the other “Nightmare“ films, he is not portrayed comically at all.
I fucking love this film.
I found this darker updated version of Freddy to be pretty cool. It is my third favorite in the series.
Scream 1 and 2
While first getting big into Horror (collecting in 8th grade) I’d go on eBay and look up horror films I’d heard were supposed to be good.
I saw a lot that contained “The Howling,” the first two “Scream” movies, a film I hadn’t have heard of called “The Last Broadcast” and “Friday the 13th Part Seven.” I’d eventually watch all of these films. “The Howling“ would end up being my all-time favorite werewolf movie, I had seen “Friday” before and loved it and “The Last Broadcast“ was pretty cool and not what I expected at all.
Then there were the “Scream“ films. “Scream” is a pretty well known movie about a killer in a ghost face mask who goes around killing people – but before he kills them he gives them horror trivia.
The film is very meta and full of self references and jokes about the slasher genre. The film is kinda TOO meta especially considering it is set in reality.
If this was a weird surrealist film or a parody film like “The Naked Gun” trilogy this might have worked. To me it just came off as hipster shit.
The film’s influence was even worse as a good chunk of mid 90’s-early 2000 Horror was filmed to the brim with “Scream” clones. I had the same feelings about the sequel which had a similar plot. I never saw the remaining two and have no interest.This would be the point where Horror fans said Craven had sold out. While I don’t like most of his post “New Nightmare”stuff I don’t blame this franchise on him but on writer Kevin Williamson. I have yet to see a film with that name I like.
Cursed
Seeing previews for this I was little excited.
Having only known Craven for Freddy at the time and seeing his name in previews made me want to see said films.
My Dad would buy the bootleg of this from that same guy in the city who he bought “The Hills Have Eyes” of off.
The film stars Christinia Ricci and Jesse Eisenberg as two siblings who get attacked by a werewolf. They then start turning every full moon and try to find out who bit them to end this curse.
This movie absolutely sucks.
The writing (which no surprise is by Williamson), the acting , the plot, everything in this movie is horrible. There is no atmosphere. This couldn’t scare an agoraphobic five-year-old. All of the characters are annoying. To think this is the same guy who brought us many classics in the past is amazing.
Red Eye
The same year as “Cursed,” Craven would release another film called “Red Eye.”
I remember seeing previews for this that didn’t detail what it was about. All it showed was a woman talking to a man on a plane then one of his eyes would flicker red before the title appeared.
I didn’t see this in theaters but sometime after it went to DVD I rented it from Blockbuster (remember those?).
The film is about a woman who meets a mysterious man on a plane. She then ends up getting kidnapped and is forced into a plot to kill a politician. If she refuses her father will die.
This movie was surprisingly good. The style was different from Craven’s norm. More of a Hitchcock style Thriller than Horror, “Red Eye’s” moments were very intense and you worried for the girl the entire time.
Out of the post “New Nightmare“ Craven films, this is the only one I’ve seen that I enjoyed. I have not seen “My Soul To Take,”but have heard nothing but bad things about it and “Music of the Heart” does not look like my kind of film. All in all, Craven is someone who was important to me as a Horror fan and will be missed.
Last Sunday, Horror icon and director Wes Craven died of brain cancer at age 76. Like John Carpenter and George A Romero, Craven was one of the most important Horror directors of all time.
“The Last House on the Left,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Scream” (even though I don’t like the latter) all left their mark on the Horror genre and have influenced countless other films.
Here I will go into my experiences with his directorial work (take note I have not seen every film he’s ever done).
The Last House on the Left
Back when I was in High School my local mall had a Borders. It was an awesome book store with tons of books and a decent-sized movie section. I had always heard of this film from reading about Craven’s works and from my mom who is also a Horror fan. I had also always heard that this film was widely controversial and as a mid teenager, that made me want to see it more. I eventually saw a copy at this particular Borders and without hesitation, I picked it up and watched it as soon as I got home.
The film is about two girls on their way to a rock concert that are kidnapped by four thugs and are raped,tortured and eventually murdered.
The thug’s car later breaks down in front of the house of an old couple who let them stay the night. Little do they know that this couple happens to be the parents of the two girls.
I loved this film. I loved how fucked up and violent the way the girls are tortured and in the way the main villains die. David Hess was great as Krug – the head of the thugs and the characters were mostly very fun. The explicit content helped tell the story and wasn’t there for just shock value. The film is loosely Inspired by Ingmar Bergman’s “The Virgin Spring“ (a great film that’s more of a Drama than a Horror) in plot. The film spawned many rip-offs including ones that would have Hess in the same role (“Hitchhike” and “The House on the Edge of the Park”).
The Hills Have Eyes
In 2006 I was still in my early stages of becoming a full-fledged Horror fan. I remember seeing trailers for a movie called “The Hills Have Eyes”. It looked very cool to me.
My dad at the time was working in New York City and would buy bootleg movies off of a guy he knew. After his shift, he brought home a bootleg copy of the film and we watched it. We both found it to be very fun and pretty damn brutal.
Around that same time I used to hang out a lot with a brother and sister named Guy and Angie who were the biggest Horror fans I knew. They recommended I check out the original and that Craven had directed it. That next weekend I went over their place and watched the original with them. Eventually I picked it up at a local Rite Aid during a Halloween Season.
The film is about a family whose car breaks down in a desert in the middle of nowhere. They are then attacked by a family of inbred cannibals. The parents are killed and the child of the oldest daughter and her boyfriend is captured. The daughter and her brother stay behind while the boyfriend goes out to find the baby and fight these inbreds.
Like the previous film, this movie is very raw and violent as this was Craven’s exploitation era. Though most people I know liked the remake, I preferred this version. The remake was great but this just felt more like what I love from horror films. The two movies are very similar with the only major difference being the origins of the cannibals. In the remake they are a community of people mutated from nuclear testing instead of an inbred family. Not only do I recommend both versions, I also suggest you stay away from both sequels as well.
Swamp Thing
I have always known about the Swamp Thing character. My friend Isaac showed me some of the comics (which I thought were cool) as well as hearing from Guy and Angie that the comic series is the first appearance of Hellblazer’s John Constantine.
I always knew this movie existed but never took the time to check it out (mostly because I was a teenager with no job). Then one day Isaac got a copy and invited me over to watch it, claiming it was the best Craven film.
“Swamp Thing” is about a scientist named Alec Holland who is working on a chemical that can merge animal and plant life. He is sabotaged by the evil Anton Arcane who causes a freak accident that turns him into Swamp Thing. He ends up helping a woman named Alice Cable and uses his new found abilities to fight Arcane and his followers.
While I did disagree on this being Craven’s best, (and still do) I enjoyed it a lot and to this day consider it to be the most underrated DC movie out there.
This film appears in horror sections all the time but I wouldn’t call it a horror film. It’s more along the lines of a Sci-Fi/Action movie although the film still feels like it was made by Craven. I would later pick up a copy for myself last year when the store I work at added a movie shelf. It came in a pack with the other classics “Return of the Living Dead,” “A Bucket of Blood” and “Frogs”.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
My Horror journey started when I was in middle school. While I have always had an interest in Horror and have always had ones I’ve seen that I like (such as “Carrie” and “The Shining”), I was still more focused on playing video games and watching anime on Toonami.
Then around the seventh grade, my mom started buying Horror films she remembered loving. These includes such classics as “Pet Cemetery,” “Beyond the Door” and “Fright Night.” I fell in love with the Horror genre and felt the need to see all the classics.
Some time later Isaac and I were at an FYE looking at the VHS tapes (yeah, the good ol’ days). I picked up “Friday the 13th Part III,” “The Thing” and this film. After having a fun time watching some hockey masked massacres we put in “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”
For the two people that don’t already know, the film is about a killer named Freddy Kreuger (played by fellow Horror icon Robert Englund). Unlike your average serial killer, Kreuger is a demonic spirit that haunts people’s dreams. If he kills you in your dream, you die in real life. While trying to stop this from happening, the main protagonist Nancy finds out more about Krueger and his connection to the parents of her and her friends.
This film is a horror classic. Kreuger’s mix of sadistic insanity and silly one-liners made the character a Horror behemoth to this day and made England a star. Johnny Depp’s death scene remains a staple to the franchise and help project his career into the stratosphere. Seeing this movie made me want to check out the sequels and eventually I would get the Nightmare Boxed set with all the films except “Freddy vs Jason” (which I have no reason to own anyway).
The Hills Have Eyes Part 2
As a random gift, Isaac decided to buy this for me when he saw it for real cheap. I popped it in when I got home the next day (even though I knew this film was an infamously bad one).
“The Hills Have Eyes Part 2” is about a group of bikers which include the youngest son from the first film, the daughter of the cannibal family (who is now a regular person as well as a blind psychic because, why not?) and a black guy who gets kicked in the balls every other scene he’s in (because that’s funny, right?).The team decides to race where the events of the original film took place.They are then attacked by some of the cannibals from the first film.
This movie sucks.
The first part is made up of mostly flashbacks from the original, including a flash back from the dog (not making this up). While part one was awesome, part two is not scary at all. Part two is full of wooden acting, terribly unfunny jokes and scenes that make you wonder “what were they thinking?.” The remake had a sequel that was pretty bad too but not as bad as this. Craven would later admit he only made this film because he needed the money.
As is tradition with Horror, there’s always a sequel. Keep checking back for part 2 of this tribute to one of the masters of terror.
The Bonesaw 