frightflicks

It’s true that, for the most part, these days I’m not watching horror flicks with my kiddoes around. I have to do it late at night after they’re asleep (which is sometimes very late) and frankly, I just don’t have the “grapes.”

It stinks … but there is a lot to parenting that kicks ass, so I’ll deal with it.

Most of the horror movies I know and love were made in the past, but not all of them were in the 90’s when I was hitting the theater as a teen - or after ‘77 when I was born. Many of them were tempered favorites of the ages … Alice Sweet Alice, Monkey Shines, the Beast Within. The Thing.

It seems that each decade has it’s own flavor of horror. I’m here so you can sample a taste, not just hear about the lastest remake blockbuster.

That’s why you should bookmark me, keep coming back for more, subscribe to my RSS feed, etc. That, and to find out what’s in store for the loyal, dedicated readers of a Frightfully fun blog with some mysterious twists all its own.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, the kids are outside playing. It’s time to put a movie on…

If you’re a fan of movies like Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town, or Killer Condom - the very worst of B-movie fare - you’ll be overjoyed to hear that the Xbox 360 downloadable movie database has expanded to include some time honored Troma favorites.

They aren’t carrying Teenage Cat Girls in Heat - yet - but you will find Toxic Avenger (and the TA cartoon) When Nature Calls, Surf Nazis Must Die, Killer Condom, The Fanatic, Decampitated, and Mothers Day. WIth, apparently, more to come.

I thoroughly enjoy the convenience of being able to download movies and watch them from the comfort of my own home, and the prize is justifiable. All you have to do is buy a $20 point card for Xbox Live and you’re set for 5 movies or more. Save buying for when you find a movie you actually like.

Sometimes I get caught up in other people’s interpretations of movies that I know … and still manage to love. This was one of the first horror movies that I because obsessed over, watching it again and again. Putting it on VHS and pulling the tab! This was, and in many ways still is, my all-time favorite vampire movie.

Why?

1 - It’s campy. Despite all the accolades it gets for shaking up two distinct genres - Westerns and vampire flicks - this has a gory, gooey, decidedly cheesey side. Many of these moments are propelled forward by Bill Paxton’s character, while Lance Hendrickson is quite convincing as the stodgy leader of this band of misfits.

2 - It’s romantic. Caleb and Mae’s chance meeting harkens back to love at first sight, and they offer up very real sacrifices for one another. They’re connection transcends that of family or friends. Young love.

3 - They’re fighting to survive. Jesse’s gang are rebels through and through, and they may lie, cheat and steal … but it’s all for a good cause as far as they’re concerned. The difference between Caleb and the rest of the gang, except possibly for Mae, is that they’ve come to enjoy their way of doing things.

Personally? I always feel like this movie ends halfway through, the bar scene, namely. It doesn’t seem like the rest of the movie was that developed. The resolution came too easily. They gave up without too much of a fight. It felt unrealistic and flat, at least to me, but you’ll still enjoy the hell out of it.

Love, sweet love. PIN is proof that what we’re feeling isn’t always natural … or healthy. It’s also creepy as all get out.

Pin - or rather, Pinnochio, is an anatomically-correct medical dummy Dr. Linden uses to explain body processes to his children. Through Pin’s clear skin, there are organs and muscles visible. I am telling you … wackadoo. Any kid would be scarred by interaction with this thing, but apparently Linden was smart enough to become a doctor without picking up any common sense. When tragedy claims the lives of Linden and his wife, his son - Leon - forms a special attachment to Pin that we follow alongside into his adulthood.

If the dummy wasn’t ooky enough, there are bits of incenstuous obsession here, murderous intent there. David Hewlitt (Stargate Atlantis) plays the adult Leon, while Cyndy Preston plays sister, Ursula Linden, and John Pyper-Ferguson (Brothers & Sisters) plays Ursula’s fated boyfriend, Stan.

It’s kind of like Willard in the way that it’s just a weird movie. Strange. If that’s your kind of thing, with a healthy dose of bad acting thrown in, definitely check out PIN.