Tags: Chiller TV, Netflix, Remains, Steve Niles, Zombie

I’m writing about an English TV show AGAIN. I’m sorry. I did establish in my last post that I’m an anglophile. So what can I say? I bleedin’ love ‘em Brits! My topic, however, differs dramatically from my previous ones; instead of writing about something that really scared or disturbed me, I’m writing about a quality horror spoof that really made me laugh. It captures all the clichés, tropes and atmosphere of eighties television and horror B-movies succinctly. It’s called Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace.

The show is supposedly an unaired horror TV show called Darkplace that was filmed in the eighties and has now been requested for airing by a television network. Darkplace was written by a horror author called Garth Marenghi, and the episodes are interrupted from time to time by comments from Mr Marenghi, his co-stars and his publisher/producer, Dean Learner. Marenghi and Learner are fictional characters wonderfully portrayed by Matthew Hollness and Richard Ayoade, respectively (these two also wrote the real series, and Richard directed). The show is set in a hospital (Darkplace), where the characters experience a series of supernatural events. In Darkplace the gates of Hell are opened, vengeful Scotsmen arrive in a mist, and Skipper the Eyechild is born.

Now, where to begin? This show parodies the eighties pseudo-dramatic B-movies and TV shows wonderfully. The overall visual style of the eighties shows very prominently as well; the opening credits immediately reminded me of MacGyver on the very first viewing. Bad acting, badly timed action, defective camera-angles, horrible dialogue, shoddy voice editing and nostalgic synth music are all mocked, in my opinion, rather tastefully in this melange of everything that was done badly a couple of decades ago. I just have to give you a taste of the dialogue that serves in itself as spoof:

Dr. Liz Asher: Hi, I've come to apply for the doctor's job. I can assure you my credentials are top-notch, I've just graduated from Harvard College Yale. I aced every semester, and I got an 'A'.

Receptionist: Well that sounds excellent. Our last doctor only just recently died in horrific circumstances. Can you start immediately?

Dr. Liz Asher: Sure, do I have time to go to the toilet?

Receptionist: Not really, I've just paged Dr. Sanchez to come and pick you up.

Dr. Lucien Sanchez: I'm Dr. Sanchez! You're a woman.

Dr. Liz Asher: Yes, I hope that's not a problem.

Dr. Lucien Sanchez: Not at all. There's plenty of skirt on the ward, this is the 20th century after all though some don't like to admit it. Welcome to Darkplace, Liz.

This excerpt is from the first episode. What an ingenious mixture of inaccurate storyline, occupational gender stereotyping, and overall unimaginative lines.

I’m a big fan of parody through exaggerated use of tropes and clichés, and leaving it at that. I’ve been very frustrated with a string of parodies that have emerged from Hollywood in the noughties, especially Scary Movie and its endless successors. The problem with the likes of Scary Movie is that the decent exaggerative gags are demeaned by idiotic jokes about bodily waste and sex, as if to make sure the audience has something to laugh at if they don’t get the actual parody gag. Give the audience a break, have some respect for the viewer. Geez. Therefore watching spoofs that rely on the audience getting the joke is something I cherish lovingly in this world of sub-par spoofs. Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace is exactly that and nothing more; all the humour is derived from magnifying the silliness of television drama and B-movies in the eighties, not adding anything unnecessary to it.

I have to admit that I was genuinely creeped out a couple of times while watching this show. Dr. Liz’s premonition of patient Renwick’s death in the very beginning of the first episode was one of these, and the actual death another. There’s something about really crappy effects and horrible sound effects that manages to give me a proper fright. I’m speculating that this might have something to do with the fact that I was a very small child in the late eighties and early nineties and these crappy effects actually did scare me genuinely when they were broadcast on television. The shoddy voice editing I mentioned earlier is also something that frightens me. The voice not correlating with the picture has interesting connotations with insanity in my head.

Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace creates its parody by using all the audio-visual media that are available in television, in addition to brilliantly bad writing and skilfully depicted bad acting. By incorporating voice editing and camera angles into the humour it takes spoofing to the next level. At least I had never seen the likes of it before, but I’m sure I’ve missed a whole bunch of wonderful parodies, feel free to correct me here. Nevertheless, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace is an all-around quality parody that doesn’t include one crude joke about genitalia or excrement. All jokes relate to B-movies, eighties television and over-inflated “artistic” egos, which is exactly how is should be. Plus, episode six contains the best eighties music video I’ve ever seen!

“I’m Garth Marenghi. Author. Dreamweaver. Visionary. Plus Actor. You’re about to enter the world of my imagination. You are entering my Darkplace.” - Garth Marenghi -

Tags: British horror, Garth Marenghi, horror spoof, Matthew Holness, Richard Ayoade

I am a huge fan of "what if" films. What if the alien from Alien went up against a rough and tumble group of Space Marines? What if Freddy actual fought Jason? What if a zombie was cognizant and if that zombie were you, what would you do? The Revenant, starring David Anders and Chris Wylde not only answers that question but does so in such a gleeful fashion that you might wonder why we have had to sit through so many uninventive zombie movies when offerings such as this are on the table. I'm not going to say that it reinvents the zombie film but it manages to be so much fun that you could care less what it reinvents as long as it keeps doing what it does and it pretty much manages to do that for the bulk of its running time.

"...it manages to be so much fun that you could care less what it reinvents as long as it keeps doing what it does"

Its the middle of the night in war ravaged Iraq and Bart and the rest of his platoon are driving their humvee to an undisclosed location when Bart hits, what he believes to be a child, standing in the middle of the road. Much to the displeasure of his men Bart leaves the safety of the vehicle to check on the child only to get gunned down, shot in the head, and subsequently shipped back to the states for burial, leaving his man-child best friend and pining girlriend mourning his untimely death.

We all have friends like Bart's best, Joey. Friends that while we were building our careers or fostering relationships or creating families were still spending their late nights playing Xbox, eating cold pizza and borrowing their rent money from their parents. Friends that allowed us to forget our stresses at work, the complications of our marriage or the doldrums of PTA meetings and slip back into those years where responsibilities took a back seat to having fun and plain old fucking off. These friends, while they may encourage us to call in sick to work or lie to our spouses about where we went drinking sometimes represent the last bastion of hope that our youth is still accessible, just within reach for us to pick up and try on for size when the pressures of the adult world become too much. sometimes, however, they are the proverbial bag of bricks that tumble across the ocean floor, pulling us down and slowing our progress now matter how hard we try to swim against their weight. Bart, for all of his good intentions and ambitions, just couldn't pull free of the gravity of Joey's lethargy, even in death, and that, is exactly where he winds up after clawing his way to thhe top of the fresh dirt covering his coffin.

Enter the smart divergence where The Revenant decides to play it loose and instead of Joey grappling with the horror of finding out that his dead best friend is back from the grave with a taste for fresh blood, he revels in it, seeing his new friend's apparent invulnerabilities as an opportunity to elevate his own status. Wylde tears the role open as the two do what any self respecting team of zombie and human would do: they take arms and become fly-by-night vigilantes.. Robbing the dreggs of society...of their blood. It is this portion of the film that will immediately win most detractors over as the duo hop from convenience store to urban locale, easily putting themselves in the middle of heist, robbery and drug deal, soon enjoying the monetary fringe benfits as they lift more than plasma from their victims. This horror send up of Robin Hood works so well that, in fact, the movie could have relied on this one device alone to propel it to cult status.

Early on however we get the inkling that nothing good lasts forever. Bart, although dead, is still trying to carry on as thou death is just a temporary setback. When not robbing petty crooks of the red stuff, Bart is, albeit reluctantly at first, still seeing his girlfriend and as his situation brings himself closer to the limits of just what his supernatural affliction is capable of, that relationship strains the bond between he and Joey.

I'm not going to highlight The Revenant as the viewer really needs to see the film with a fresh pair of eyes that allows them to experience the surprises firsthand. Luckily, that is the word that most will walk way with after seeing the film: SURPRISES. The Revenant manages to pull them off with a competence rarely seen and at no point does the film seem to struggle with its ambitions. If the film will have any fault with its audience, it will be its gradual change of tone in its third act. Remember when I hinted at the subtext that "the party can't go on forever"? Well when the lights go up and it's last call on The Revenant the morose turn is noticeable and might throw people a little off the rails of the preceding roller coaster of comedy and action. this is not to say that the third act is ungrounded, unnecessary, or even unfitting of the film. It's logical and sadly a little tragic, but it is framed in such an explosion of violence and weirdness that the climax takes this horror comedy and gives it a very real and disturbing resonance.In other words, even if you've come for the comedy, stay for the horror. The Revenant has already cemented it's place in my top 5 of 2012 and I expect that upon further viewings it will secure a place among my all time favorites. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

The Revenant hits dvd tomorrow September 18th, 2012.

Tags: Chris Wylde, David Anders, horror-comedy, Kerry Prior, Lionsgate Entertainment, zombie movies, The Revenant

For the right project, Kickstarter practically gives creators the license to print their own money. We've watched film projects and graphic novels alike see print and production through the service, so it was a pleasant surprise when we were contacted by FX Maestro Brian Hillard about his new campaign using the popular site. Hillard, whose credits include the uber-popular The Walking Dead and the upcoming Hobbit film dropped the folllowing press release our way to give us the rundown on Beyond DOOMSDAY: The Chronicles of Captain Z. Jump to the end of the release for some exclusive concept art from the series.

Los Angeles, CA. – PUSH Adventure Productions, LLC is proud to announce the Kickstarter campaign launch of Beyond DOOMSDAY: The Chronicles of Captain Z. A television/web series pilot episode created and directed by Brian K. Hillard. This Kickstarter Campaign will launch the morning of 07 September 2012.

Beyond DOOMSDAY: The Chronicles of Captain Z is the story of Ex-Army Captain L. Brandon Scott, better known by the moniker he has given his alter-ego self, Captain Z, is a Steve Irwin meets Bear Grylls-type for the UNDEAD. His mission, to teach others how to plan, prepare for, survive in, and become warriors against the UNDEAD insurgency that now infest our Post Apocalyptic planet.

There has been talk that the cause of the infestation was some kind of hyper- terrestrial contagion; an attack upon our planet by some type of unseen alien life form. But again, everything is speculation and guess work; and at this point, is it even relevant that the true cause of the epidemic be found?

The fact remains; it isn't just the UNDEAD that we have to worry about as we learn to survive on our world Beyond DOOMSDAY . . . there are things much more sinister and infinitely more malevolent that lurk in the shadows . . .

### David B. Johnson, Amy Johnston, and Dian Bachar star in this pilot episode of Beyond DOOMSDAY: The Chronicles of Captain Z. ###

What makes “Beyond DOOMSDAY: The Chronicles of Captain Z”, stand apart from the rest? A compelling story being told through richly defined characters.

Like Joseph Campbellʼs “Hero with a Thousand Faces”, great literature, and great films are steeped in classical world mythology – the telling of the Heroʼs Journey. And as it has been said many times prior to it being said here, the journey is indeed, the destination.

It is the concept of the journey that gives the main character of our story, “Beyond DOOMSDAY: The Chronicles of Captain Z”, Captain Z, his strength and will to press on! To get back in the fight!

Like Odysseus, Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter, and Rick Grimes, Captain Z must overcome any and all obstacles. And not unlike Aliceʼs journeys through the rabbit hole, falling headfirst into his own Wonderland, our hero must navigate through a strange new world, hoping, at first, just to come out on the other side in one piece. But like the cinematic heroes who came before him, Captain Z will be transformed, and forever changed – and our audience will come along for the ride! Having a front row seat to see just where this journey will take OUR HERO, Ex-Army Special Forces Captain Brandon Scott!

Tags: Beyong Doomsday Captain Z, Kickstarter horror campaign, Brian Hillard

Year: 2011

Genre: Action/Fantasy/Thriller

Runtime: 95mins

Rating: PG-13

IMDB Score: 4.5/10 (29,700+ Votes)

Director(s): Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor

Writer(s): Scott M. Gimple, Seth Hoffman and David S. Goyer

Plot/Synopsis:

As Johnny Blaze hides out in Eastern Europe, he is called upon to stop the devil, who is trying to take human form.

Forethought(s):

Going to be bad.

Fun Fact/Trivia:

Eva Mendes turned down the option to reprise her role.

Stars of the movie:

Nicolas Cage,Ciaran Hinds and Idris Elba.

The Breakdown:

Lots of bad reviews,lots of decent reviews and lots of in the middle thoughts. People just can’t seem to agree on this movie. So how do I find the movie? I find it to be decent with a shit ton of wasted potential. There were things I really thought were cool while other things never should have been in the movie the way it was in there.

Let’s get this out of the way right now,Nicolas Cage,you should not have been the Ghost Rider again. You’re good in many things and bad in many things,this was one of the things you were bad in. You, my master of inconsistency needed not to elongate every few words and did not need to enunciate every word as if they have a profound meaning to them. Ciaran Hinds, you were fine as hell in this movie but I didn’t buy you as the mother. It’s like the kid was more of a package than your son and that took a way from the movie(not a lot but some). Idris Elba, you’re the man,you rock almost all roles you get but sadly this was not one you rocked. You did a good job don’t get me wrong but man that French accent you used was laughable.

There’s not really a lot of action in this movie,maybe,just maybe,three real action sequences. They weren’t very long but two of them were neat to see while the third was anti-climatic.

This a true to the comic movie? I have no clue to be honest whit you. I never got into Ghost Rider but I have read some stuff about him on comic sites and this doesn’t really seem to stick with the history. I could be wrong since I don’t have any first hand knowledge on the Rider. I can tell you that if this was true to the comic then I have no fucking clue how the comic has had such a following.

 I learned something from this movie and that is if you ever told your better half that they don’t look fat in that outfit or if you ever used Napster back in the day than you going to lose your soul.

Best line/exchange in the movie:

Johnny Blaze: Yeah. Black, French, alcoholic priest, kind of a dick. Why, do you know him?

The Verdict:

No where near as bad as people make it out to be but by no means a real winner. If you want a mindless movie to watch give this one a try but just don’t expect much out of it.

Follow me on:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Justin_TheBuck

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuckOnStuff

Tags: Nicholas Cage, Ghost Rider 2

I always say, "If you're gonna do something, make sure you incorporate a man-eating club goer that sheds her clothes faster than a pedarast at a Toys R Us”, and in that respect, V/H/S delivers. In fact, its fair to say that V/H/S delivers more often than not, and when it does it doesn't pull back on the reigns. The film, which successfully expoits the OVERLY tired found footage approach, is an anthology in nature, giving us 5 vignettes and a wrap around story that, although short in length, have no lack of money shots to make up for their running time.

The stories range from serial killers to the aforementioned man-eater and the film accomplishes to use its format to hit upon many of the major notes prevalent in the industry. Variety is a definite strength of V/H/S and probably saves its weaker entries from dillutng the strength of the others. In fact, if V/H/S has a flaw that works to negate its intent it is its uneven volume of stories. While half of the tales here are not only well rounded and well executed, but are genuinely creepy and at times shocking, the other half limp along in tired convention and risk to threaten the impact of the others.

The fist installment, an exercise in keeping your late night revelling and the lack of morality that it keps company with in check, suggests a larger, more robust anthology and is a great way for the film to really kick open the starting gate and start the thrills of at a brisk cinemaic sprint. This first story is so strong (despite the similarities to a pre-existing franchise) that V/H/S immediately piques the viewers interest, especially after the introdction of a wrap-around story whose characters are so expendable that its difficult to dedicate yourself to the film in the beginning. Sure, wraparound stories are difficullt. They are the frames that hold the prettier pictures in place and although they might provide a necessary nuance, they rarely shine as bright as their centerpieces.

Moving along is a nice piece by Ti West that probably contains one of the more shocking and abrupt displays of gore and violence in the film. West, who has been a mixed bag for me as a director, shows some of the most adeptness behind the camer here and although his segment might not be the most traditional as far as horror goes, it is probably the most polished for the format.

"V/H/S does manage to be a hell of a lot of fun using a format that seems anything but in an industry glutted with Paranormal Activity rip-offs and sub-par "shake and bake" indie entries"

The other stories, which include ghosts, a webcam romance with a twist, and a tale of revenge and a supernatural psycho killer are interersting in their own respect and have enough surprises to keep our interest. Some feel more developed than others, but as far as shorts go, we could definitely do worse. Let's be honest. I'm not making excuses for V/H/S. It’s a strong enough film that it doesn't have to apologize for its weaknesses, which are definitely fewer than its strengths. V/H/S does manage to be a hell of a lot of fun using a format that seems anything but in an industry glutted with Paranormal Activity rip-offs and sub-par "shake and bake" indie entries. In fact, isn't having fun one of the reasons we love this industry so much? Well that and living vicariously through masked maniacs who manage to deftly thin the gene pool in just under two hours. So be kind, rewind and pop in V/H/S. Recommended.

V/H/S is currently available on demand. Check your local entertainment provider for details

​

Tags: found footage, V/H/S, V/H/S review, Ti West

Here at Horror-Fix we love us some The Cabin in the Woods. We love it so much we would be willing to name our firstborn son Cabin and hook him up with a girl whose last name is Woods, just so we could ask them with a smirk how many times there's been a Cabin in the Woods. THAT is how much we love this film. Though, don't take my word for it. See for yourself: The Cabin in the Woods Review.

With all of that said, you can only imagine how much childlike glee it gives us to announce that the woods will be coming to your cabin on Blu-ray and DVD in just a few short months!

The ingenius brainchild of Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard will be available for Blu-ray, DVD, On Demand and Pay-per-view on September 18th from Lionsgate Home Entertainment! If it wasn't awesome enough to have quite possibly the best horror film of the year for home viewing, the Blu-ray and DVD are pumped full of juicy bonus material!

Check out the full list of goodies after a quick synopsis:

“A rambunctious group of five college friends steal away for a weekend of debauchery in an isolated country cabin, only to be attacked by horrific supernatural creatures in a night of endless terror and bloodshed. Sound familiar? Just wait. As the teens begin to exhibit standard horror movie behavior, a group of technicians in a control room are scrutinizing, and sometimes even controlling, every move the terrified kids make. With their efforts continually thwarted by the all-powerful eye in the sky, do they have any chance of escape?”

Blu-ray/DVD Features

-Audio commentary with Writer/Director Drew Goddard and Writer/Producer Joss Whedon
-”We Are Not Who We Are: Making The Cabin in the Woods” – “making of” documentary
-”The Secret Secret Stash” featurette
-Marty’s Stash
-Hi, My name is Joss and I’ll be your guide
-Wonder-Con Q&A with Joss and Drew (Digital Download)
-”An Army of Nightmares: Make-Up & Animatronic Effects” featurette
-”Primal Terror: Visual Effects” featurette

Blu-ray Exclusive

-”It’s Not What You Think: The Cabin in the Woods” Bonus View Mode

Both the Blu-ray and DVD versions of the film are set to be accompanied with a digital copy of the film for when you're on the go or simply don't feel like losing the extra 5 calories it takes to get your BD/DVD disc.

The Cabin in the Woods stars: Kristen Connolly (The Happening), Chris Hemsworth (Thor, The Avengers), Anna Hutchison (Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior), Fran Kranz (The Village), Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy), Richard Jenkins (The Visitor) and Bradley Whitford (The West Wing).

Tags: Drew Goddard, Joss Whedon, The Cabin in the Woods

Film transports us. It is our magic ticket to escape the pressures, doldrums and existential crisis’ of life.  It is also a window to reflect on our humanity and at times that reflection further empowers us as we witness the plights of our favorite characters and how their struggles resonate with memories of our own hardships. It inspires us with heroes we aspire to be and villains for us to rise up against.

It is with a heavy heart then that I come to you with news that Snoop Dogg’s Hood of Horror falls horribly short of any of the aforementioned observations.

If there was an Olympic contest that involved a bungee cord and a catheter, it would still be less painful than digesting the cinematic shit sandwich that is Hood of Horror.

Let me elucidate my rather harsh criticisms by beginning with the fact that I am not now nor have I ever been a fan of “the hip-hop”. My Scot-irish ancestry simply has no room for it. My underwhelming middle-class upbringing does not allow me to directly empathize with those that fall pressure to the temptations of “the hood” and let’s not mince words…  my complexion falls somewhere between the shades of the Winter Brothers and Gollum. Let it not be said, however, that I am one to scoff at the cultural diversity of my misunderstood urban brothers. With renewed resolve then let us grab our favorite pack of menthols and ingest the silky smooth aged majesty of that near supernatural of elixirs Old English and begin our journey into Snoop Dogg’s Hood of Horror.

The anthology, Hood of Horror, gives us three stories to sink our gold capped incisors into, each introduced and segued by an animated wraparound story that involves Snoop himself. Each little parable is an exercise of Twilightzoneesque come-uppance but minus Serling’s sardonic sense of humor, social rhetoric or shocking twist.

The first paint-by-numbers little ditty tells us the tale of a girl on the streets who receives a mystical tattoo from a hygiene-challenged Danny Trejo that allows her to simply cross off the scum on her shit list by quite literally crossing out their graffitied names on the surrounding neighborhood buildings. Notorious pirate turned entrepreneur Lando Calrissian tries to use the glory of the gospel to turn her wayward attitude around, but it’s too late as she begins to abuse her power and soon finds herself on the other end of Trejo’s supernatural “street justice”.

Story two drives the point home that Texas, much to the chagrin of its millions of socially malaligned homophobes, IS home to steers, queers and the disembodied mustache of Freddy Mercury. The handlebar moustached son of a celebrated Vietnam Vet decides to tarnish the memory of his father by desecrating the tenement that pop’s old plattoon buddies now reside in, attempting to take back the property and sell it for his own selfish reasons. Heading up the cast due to what I can only guess was an elaborate extortion plot involving a stadium of heroin and a trunk full of dead underage hookers are veteran actors Ossie Davis and retired ghostbuster Ernie Hudson. Davis and Hudson spearhead a plot to take revenge on the son after he repeatedly exploits their kindness and kills their friends AND they do so in gory fashion involving small dogs, cavier, elaborate hood ornaments and excessive flatulence.

Story three brings us to the door of Snoop’s stomping grounds as an aspiring rap artist trades friendship and loyalty for fame. Diamond Dallas page incredibley raises the acting bar for this one as we are treated to a tour de force of such forgettable sequences as god actually using divine intervention to coerce a street thug into becoming a recording artist. Way to go, God! Who has time to stop tsunamis when you’re busy planting the bug in Flo-Rida’s ear for his next hit single?

Unlike a lot of his contemporaries, Snoop understands the entertainment industry enough to have successfully branded himself with enough mainstream appeal that even the whitest parts of suburbia knows who he is. Like a lot of entertainers he has made the jump from music to movies several times and has lent his name to many, and I’ll break down the fourth wall here to illustrate that the next word is encapsulated in quotes, “creative” projects. I get that. I get the idea of using your influence and sway to build a little empire around yourself, fulfilling your whims and exploring new territory. BUT, it appears as though Snoop’s influence actually undermined the talent of the people associated with the production. I actually enjoyed director Stacy Tittle’s sophomore effort The Last Supper and writer Tim Sullivan has been swimming the bloody waters of horror long enough to have known better as well.

I just can’t help but think that this is what happens when a group of people get together and “yes” their benefactor all the way to making a shitty movie when far more creative decisions could have been made. There are tonal choices that destroy any sense of lingering mood and camp that is so predictable that it just completely ceases to be any fun at all. Several special effects are used to a distracting degree (case in point being the excessive use of cgi blood, and a “shimmer” effect used on a pair of vampire vixens in the beginning of the film that would make even Stephanie Meyer cringe… if she were capable of doing anything but counting money)

Hood of Horror shows flashes of genuine self awareness at times as characters meet their fates in grisly fashion (living in a low-rent section of town made me appreciate the death by malt liquor sequence) but it is too little too late and often accompanied by a less than inspired one liner or poorly delivered dose of computer generated gore.

Hood of Horror fails not because of its own insipid approach to what it thinks makes horror a simple and easy money generating genre, but because it assembled a team of creators and actors that were far better than the fair they were presented with. Hood of Horror represents itself as a collection of urban cautionary tales against the backdrop of gore and horror, but it really serves as a cautionary tale of how NOT to invest 5 million dollars into a subpar picture aimed at an audience that it relentlessly stereotypes throughout the bulk of its running time.

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Tags: Danny Trejo, Ernie Hudson, Hood of Horror, Lando, Old English, Ossie Davis, Snoop Dogg

We were lucky enough to nail down a little time with Joe Maddelana and Brian Chanes at this year's Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo. For those who do not know, These guys have an awesome show on SyFy called Hollywood Treasure, which follows Joe and his team at Profiles in History as they dig up some of the coolest Hollywood memorabilia ever. Once they have compiled a good selection of rare items an auction takes place and the conclusion can be astounding.

I did meet with both of them at the same time, so the answers reflect a mixture of comments.

HF: We at horror-fix.com are huge fans of Gothic horror author Robert Chambers. We were thrilled to see the Chambers art that went to auction in season 1. If we remember correctly, it brought a lot more than expected. Do you see that often? These obscure pieces that you think might not have an audience bringing in significantly more than expected.

HT: Yeah, although I do not remember the specific piece you mention, we see a lot of items like the title credits/art RKO card from King Kong. That was a piece we had 600-800 in, and it went for $95,750.00 at auction.

HF: We are massive Walking Dead fans here, and it was exciting to see the relationship you have with KNB FX. Their studio has a enormous creep factor. Do you ever get any pieces that truly creep you out?

HT: There was this phallic sword type of thing similar to what was in the movie Seven. There was also the piece from Stan W. that was a female corpse cut in half from The Black Dahlia.

HF: We see there are pieces you actually have to push for and the owners still cannot surrender them. What has been the hardest item to walk away from?

HT: Bill Malone had Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet which we really wanted, but could not get. There was also the Lawgiver statue from The 1968 Planet of the apes movie.

HF: Will we be seeing any more pieces from the Stan Winston Studios next season?

HT: Yes, We will have the gorilla mask from the 1999 film Instinct.

HF: Obviously our focus at Horror-Fix is horror. Can the horror fans expect any surprises for season 2?

HT: You can expect to see items from AMC's American Horror Story TV show.

HF: Out of all the items you have sold what has surprised you the most?

HT: Walter "Matt" Jefferies had some carpeting that was originally used on the Starship Enterprise which was later torn out and repurposed. The 3 foot piece of this carpeting went for $11,000 to a gentleman who broke it down and made collectible Star Trek pieces from it.

HF: Out of all that has passed through your offices, what has made it into your personal collections?

HT: We have a number of Stan Winston items in the collection including, Terminator items like the Exo Skeleton from T2-T3 and a Small Soldiers diorama. There is also a Chef Boyardee Statue that was kept.

HF: If there is one thing you can leave us with in regard to the second season, what would that be?

HT: Season 2 is going up from a 30 minute program to an hour long. So expect more detail and time spent on specific items. Right now we probably spend 3 minutes, so you can expect  somewhere in the ballpark of 9 minutes per item this season.

HF: Ok, one final thing, can I touch the hammer from Thor?

HT: Sure, let us get someone to unlock the case.

Both of these guys were awesome, and they were answering fans questions all day at their booth.

Thanks to both Joe and Brian for a great Q&A session and also a damn good first season of Hollywood Treasure.

The second season will kick off May 22nd at 10/9c.

If you would like to catch up on the first season of Hollywood Treasure, Netflix is streaming all 24 episodes now.

Christopher Young

Tags: American Horror Story, Hollywood Treasures, horror props, Robert Chambers, Joe Madalena

The Corridor is an interesting film as horror films go. Even as a small film it is undeniable that it is a creature of ambitious efforts. Fortunately, these efforts pay off to the tune of delivering the audience a disturbing and rare portrayl of what happens when the extraordinary brings out the unusual and utltimately the worst in a group of friends whose circle is dangerously close to splintering from very real pressures of the earthly kind.

The Corridor follows 5 men whose boyhood friendships have persisted into adulthood and who individually are still struggling to find their places in the grown-up world. Their roles are further questioned when a member of the group, Tyler (Stephen Chambers), loses his mother under suspiscious circumstances that leaves Chris (David Patrick Fleming) injured and questioning the sanity of his life-long friend.

In an effort to reconnect and help Tyler in the emotionally grueling process of laying his mother's ashes to rest, the 5 men decide to plan a boys' retreat to the cabin they spent so much time in in their youths. Tyler, grappling with his dimentia (an aftershock of the ordeal with his mother) makes a discovery in the woods that will threaten the sanity and the lives of the rest of the group.

The real terror in The Corridor is more subversive than the obvious antagonist and the depth of the film's themes skirt on the edges of such cult favorites as Fight Club, Donnie Darko and some of Lynch's more surreal efforts. The threat isn't so much the enigmatic force in the woods as it is the enigma that is silently killing the group from the inside: Who are you when you lack purpose? How do we define ourselves in a world that denies us definition? It is the the corridor itself that empowers the group and seems only to magnify their own personal problems into full blown psychosis.

Although this might seem a little heady for the casual watcher, TC speaks to those of us who saw our role models revealed as villains, saw our fathers too humanized to remain out heroes and ultimately left us in a world without warrior poets looking forward to jobs we despise and positions in life that rarely treat us with any real moments of fulfillment. It is this alarmingly emotional character study of the grup that elevates the Corridor to a film that actually surpasses its intent. For the horror fan The Corridor delivers some truly disturbing scenes of torture and madness driven degradation that sticks with you long after the credits begin to roll. It is in these moments that we see a group of actors that have struck their rhythm and deliver on all levels of the script, from the intense loss and longing to the stark insanity that characterizes the latter half of the picture. Director Evan Kelly has hit the ground running and I for one am eagerly looking forward to his next effort.

Highly recommended.

The Corridor is currently paying in limited theatrical release and on VOD everywhere. Contact your local cable provider for details.

Tags: Evan Kelly, The Corridor