Film Review: Rogue (2008)
Current mood: adventurous
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

Review by Fatally Yours

Despite my utter hatred for Greg Mclean's first feature film, Wolf Creek (review), I was highly anticipating his next film, Rogue. I may have had disdain for the terrible Wolf Creek, but I can't deny that Mclean certainly has an eye for stunning shots. When Rogue was denied a theatrical release by its studio, Dimension (thereby leaving legions of horror fans scratching their heads), I assumed it just wasn't worthy enough for theaters. Then, Lionsgate dumped Midnight Meat Train into a few second rate theaters (with rumors that this will also happen with Repo! The Genetic Opera). So apparently it's now become a fad for major studios to discard their actually good horror films and not give them a theatrical run! Way to go Dimension for starting the trend! Anyways, after watching Rogue I can honestly say that this film did indeed deserve a theatrical run and it's a pity that fans weren't able to experience it on the big screen.

In the stunningly rugged Northern Territory of Australia, a group of tourists board a river boat to see the spectacular sights and hopefully catch a glimpse of some killer crocodiles that the Territory is known for. The group consists of a wide range of people, including a family consisting of father, daughter and dying-of-cancer mother, a man who wants to scatter a loved one's ashes, a photographer, a middle-aged couple and even an American travel writer (Michael Vartan). Leading the river tour is experienced and spunky guide Kate (Radha Mitchell). After lazily drifting down the river and spotting more than a few crocs in action, the tour is nearly over…but after seeing some distress flares Kate decides to follow them. When they finally arrive to where the flare signal came from, there is no one around except for a half-sunken, overturned boat. Uh-oh…

Suddenly, the tour boat is rammed hard from something in the water and pretty soon everyone finds themselves stuck on a small island in the middle of the river. The group quickly figures out that they've trespassed on a giant crocodile's territory and it'll stop at nothing until all of its prey is dead. With the tide quickly coming in and night approaching fast, the group must figure out how to survive and out-wit the killer crocodile to make it off the rapidly-disappearing island.

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Currently watching : Rogue

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Film Review: Misery (1990)
Current mood: calm
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

Review by Noel

For every Mist (review),  you get Sleepwalkers.
For every 1408 (review), you get The Lawnmower Man.
For every Carrie, you get Cujo with that feeble ending.
For every 1980's Salem's Lot miniseries, you get 2004's Salem's Lot miniseries (with Rob Lowe no less).

You get the point. Stephen King adaptations are notoriously hit-and-miss. That's even taking into account the miniseries version of Tommyknockers with Jimmy Smits and ex porn starlet Traci Lords (probably not the only movie she appears in with the word 'knockers').

But I think most of you will agree that Rob Reiner's 1990 chiller Misery is one of the best King adaptations ever as well as one of the best horror movies of the 90's. You probably have a copy of it somewhere collecting dust from when you saw it all those times before the new century rolled around. If you do, why don't you put it in and revisit everyone's favorite kooky baby-killing nurse Annie Wilkes. It's like going to see your favorite homicidal denim-skirt sycophantic, kitchen knife-wielding, leg-hobbling, anti-swearing (except for a well-placed 'cocksucker') aunt. You know, the one with the piggy and the sketchy social skills.

You know you want to, and I'll even pour you some Dom, maybe even give you a couple of tabs of Novril…And let you take it all in…That's it…you're getting sleepy…Just let yourself go, Constant Reader…you'll wake up in a bed in the middle of Bumfucknowhere, strapped to a bed, but you're in good hands…MY Hands…I'll take care of you, even though my thinking does get a little muddy…I wouldn't hurt you, reader of Fatally-Yours…Why? You might ask in your drowsy and getting drowsier state? Why, you silly bird…don't you know why? Because I'm…your number one fan…In fact, I was following as you drove home from work…Following you while you were going to your computer and clicked on to this site…I do that often…Follow you…It's 'cause…I love you…Go on…read the review…It's not going to hurt a bit…God, I love you…

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Currently watching : Misery (Collector's Edition) Release date: 2007-10-02

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Film Review: Do You Wanna Know a Secret? (2001)
Current mood: annoyed
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

Review by The Wolf

Being a member of Netflix, I'm always greeted by a series of recommendations for films that are similar to the ones I have in my queue or have rated. Since my number one genre on Netflix is horror, I get tons of recommendations for films I have never heard of in my life. It's pretty awesome I think because I'm always looking for new stuff, but I usually don't bother researching these recommendations or even adding them to my queue.

The other day, however, I actually added one of these recommendations in my queue called Do You Wanna Know a Secret? What compelled me to add this film, I have no idea. It had so many things going against it that should have stopped me from doing so.

1.) It's a slasher flick from the early 2000s.

2.) It has Joey, I'm sorry, JOSEPH Lawrence from Blossom and Chad Allen from My Two Dads in it. Yeah…

3.) A sober Jeff Conaway is playing a cop. If he ain't going through withdrawal, he's not worth my time.

4.) The plot sounds eerily similar to another slasher flick from the late 1990s. This can't be good.

Still, I put it to the top of my queue and watched it last night, hoping that it would surprise me. Let me ask you a question: Do You Wanna Know a Secret?

Currently watching : I Know What You Did Last Summer/I Still Know What You Did Last Summer Release date: 2005-09-13

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Indie Film Review: RetarDEAD (2008)
Current mood: cooky/wacky
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

Review by Fatally Yours

RetarDEAD is a sequel of sorts to filmmakers Rick Popko and Dan West's Monsturd. Though I haven't seen Monsturd, I found myself easily engaged in the storyline of RetarDEAD, which takes most of the same characters from Monsturd and places them in another scenario where the evil Dr. Stern (Dan Burr) has survived from the last film and decides to try a different experiment. Instead of creating a giant poop monster, Dr. Stern turns to special education students and begins to inject them with a serum that accelerates their intelligence. Instead of making macaroni artwork, the kids are soon reading War and Peace and Dr. Stern is praised by parents and administrators alike. The only problem is that the serum has some nasty side effects…namely turning the students into zombies! When the zombies get loose and start infecting the entire town, the local screwball cops must take a break from trying to track down the town's "Weiner Wagger" and focus ..ping Dr. Stern and his flesh-eating zombies!

RetarDEAD is an enjoyable and completely silly low budget film that'll have you alternately laughing and puking! Think of RetarDEAD like a Troma film crossed with the riotously raunchy comedy of a Broken Lizard film (i.e. Supertroopers) drenched in copious amounts of gore! Writers/directors Rick Popko and Dan West (who also play the clueless cops) have created a gross-out horror comedy that even features funny faux trailers for films and a lobby commercial that happily advertises a "Cleveland Steamer" sandwich! They also managed to get some sweet cameos for the film. Jello Biafra, ex-lead singer of the band the Dead Kennedy's, makes an appearance as town mayor, the Living Dead Girlz put on a killer performance, and even the reclusive Herschell Gordon Lewis contributes a voice over for the film!

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Currently watching : Retardead Release date: 2008-07-29

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Indie Film Review: Dead Fury (2008)
Current mood: mischievous
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

Review by Jude Felton

In 2006 the one man movie making machine that is FSudol gave us City of Rott, which was a animated tale of a cranky old bastard searching for his shoes in a city that is overrun with zombies. It was a gore drenched spectacle, laced with great humor. Unfortunately there were issues with the pacing which let it down slightly.

Now he is back with Dead Fury, which once again features Pop, although not in the lead role, in another animated tale that follows a group of hunters that do battle with some possessed zombie-esque creature in the great outdoors. This time around we get a leaner, meaner movie that still keeps the gore quota sky high, the humor coming thick and fast, yet keeps the plot tighter and a lot more focused.

Currently listening : Evil Dead: The Musical (2006 Original Off-Broadway Cast) Release date: 2007-04-24

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Horror Host Dr. Gangrene Begins 10th Year on Air!
Current mood: fascinated
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

Nashville, TN (09.01.08) Nashville Horror Host Dr. Gangrene will celebrate ten years on the air with the new season of Creature Feature that begins airing Saturday September 6, 2008 on WNAB CW58 Nashville.

A staple of local programming in Nashville, TN, Dr. Gangrene (Larry Underwood) has reinvented his program from a 30 minute public access television show to a two hour network bonanza showcasing classic and not-so-classic films.

The new season of Dr. Gangrene's Creature Feature has some surprises in store. Movies will now be broadcast with FACT-O-RAMA, a technology that allows interesting factoids about the films to appear on screen during the movie. This running commentary will bring new life to films you may have seen dozens of times before, or add substance for first time viewers.

"In true B-movie director William Castle fashion, we are proud to present these films in FACT-O-RAMA," said Dr. Gangrene. "Our tenth season promises to be our best yet, with new features, films, and fun. Viewers are in for a real treat, and a few tricks, too!"

Currently listening : Gothic Party Time By Various Artists Release date: 2005-11-29

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Book Review: Bestial: Werewolf Apocalypse by William D. Carl
Current mood: satisfied
Category: Writing and Poetry

Review by Fatally Yours

Author William D. Carl (read interview) bursts upon the horror scene with his ferociously non-stop, action-packed debut novel, Bestial: Werewolf Apocalypse. Carl goes straight for the jugular by immersing the reader in a world overrun by werewolves, where a few remaining souls must fight tooth and nail (and fangs) for their very lives.

Currently reading : Bestial: Werewolf Apocalypse By William D. Carl

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Film Review: End of Days (1999)
Current mood: ashamed
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

Review by Noel

Well, it's just about the beginning of September. And you know what that means: In a couple of weeks, it'll New Year's Eve!!

And what better way to celebrate the New Year with a piece of 90's gratuitous trash like End of Days. I remember when it premiered back in Thanksgiving of '99 against Tim Burton's superior Sleepy Hollow. It opened weakly, the critics hated it (and deservedly so). But I had a good time because…it's Arnold vs. The Devil. Fuck the critics. I had a good time guilty pleasuring about, so I thought I'd revisit it…

Currently watching : End of Days Release date: 2000-04-18

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HorrorHound Weekend - Indianapolis 2008 Report
Current mood: ecstatic
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

By the Fiend of Grue

HorrorHound Weekend has quickly grown into one of the premier horror movie conventions of not only the Midwest, but all of America over just the past year. In July of 2007 the HorrorHound Weekend exploded onto the scene with their first show in Indianapolis (read last year's report) and was a huge success for the budding publication that received much praise and approval from adoring horror fans. Pulling in an attendance to rival some the tops in the industry, it was easy to see that HorrorHound had made a name for themselves by finding ways to bring in guests that have never done a convention in the states (Ruggero Deodato) or bring other extremely rare guests (Dick Miller and John Amplas). Having continued success with subsequent shows in Indianapolis, branching out to do a show in Pittsburgh this past June and another new show to be held in Detroit this coming October, HorrorHound is intent on making their fans happy. The fourth go-round in Indianapolis on August 29-31, 2008 was no exception.

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Interview with William D. Carl, Author of Bestial: Werewolf Apocalypse
Current mood: energetic
Category: Writing and Poetry

Good werewolf fiction is hard to come by, which is why we here at Fatally-Yours.com were ecstatic when we were given the opportunity to interview author William D. Carl, who has just had his explosive debut novel, Bestial: Werewolf Apocalypse published by Permuted Press.

With Bestial: Werewolf Apocalypse, Carl makes werewolves scary again (review)! We were eager to find out what makes Carl tick and how he tackled such the seemingly difficult and under-used werewolf genre. Read on to find out more about this Bestial writer!

Fatally Yours: William, you've crafted a thrilling adventure with Bestial: Werewolf Apocalypse. Where did the idea for the book come from?

William Carl: Lately, horror seems to have taken a turn inwards, becoming very psychological and introspective. There's nothing wrong with that, of course. Much of it is wonderful. I, alas, happen to love creature features, especially a good slam-bang horror tale - like Robert McCammon's Stinger or Brian Keene's The Rising. For a first novel, I wanted to write something I'd just plain enjoy reading, and Bestial is a real roller coaster ride of a book. I wanted something exciting, and I've always loved werewolves, so the two together, blended with a bit of fifties science fiction, seemed to mesh well.

Fatally Yours: What were your inspirations for the novel and why did you decide to write a werewolf story?

William Carl: Werewolf movies are the best - I can't get enough of them. Werewolf fiction, however, mostly seems to be going the way of vampire fiction - lots of 'woe is me, I'm cursed, blah blah blah' and even straight out romance. There are exceptions - Steve Wedel's books, George W.M. Reynolds' Wagner the Werewolf, McCammon's Wolf's Hour. The beasts in the movies never stopped for love. I wondered what certain authors would do with the werewolf theme to shake it up a bit. What would Brian Keene do? Or Michael Crichton? I wanted to translate the fury and savagry of the best werewolf movies into a book…times a couple thousand.

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Currently reading : Bestial: Werewolf Apocalypse By William D. Carl

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