Monday, July 29, 2013

FILM -- The Conjuring


In this review, we take a game a bit too far... Enjoy!

An old-fashioned ghost tale...if you want an original and entertaining film, I say give this flick a go!

I give it 4 out of 5 queen skulls!
Saturday, July 20, 2013

Interview -- Tyler Doupe´, film critic and journalist!

Hey everybody! I was lucky enough to get an interview with someone so awesome! He's making a huge impact in the horror community and I'm completely honored to share with you guys my interview with Tyler Doupe´! For those of you who are unfortunate to NOT know who Mr. Doupe´ is, he's a journalist for Fangoria Magazine, FEARnet, Shock Till You Drop and Fandango!


RQOH: Let's start with the basics, Mr. Doupe´ how did you get started in the horror genre?

TD: I started a website called Fun With Horror as a hobby. I was really impressed with Real Queen of Horror when I stumbled upon it one day and liked what you were doing. I wanted a place where I could share my thoughts on genre film. I didn’t really expect it to catch on. I did it more for myself, but it began to draw in readers and I started to take it more seriously.

A couple of months after starting my website, Ryan Turek at Shock Till You Drop sent out a tweet about needing interns. I jumped at the opportunity and submitted for the position. Lucky for me, he thought I was a fit for the site and I am still writing for Shock now as a contributing writer. Writing for Shock led to opportunities with FEARnet, Fandango, Fangoria, and more!


RQOH: You have become well known to horror fans; especially, the horror fans that look for honest, no non-sense reviews and views on the horror genre. You are someone who doesn't play favorites and honestly LOVES the genre. It's beyond obvious to me and to many others, that you absolutely adore the genre and have plenty of knowledge to share. How did you come to fall in love with the world of horror? And what inspired you to share your knowledge?

TD: I think I fell in love with horror when my parents tried to forbid me from watching it as a young kid. The horror genre became much more interesting when it was slightly out of reach. When I was a in high school, I worked in a video store and loved re-shelving the horror section as well as taking titles home to check out. My fascination with horror has steadily grown in to more of an obsession.


RQOH: What would you say is your hope for the horror genre?

TD: I would love to see some of the outstanding independent filmmakers get some mainstream exposure. I absolutely love filmmakers like Dave Parker, Todd E. Freeman, and Steven C. Miller, but they don’t always receive the recognition they deserve. It would be great if viewers were able to find their work by means other than word of mouth or viral marketing. It’s frustrating to see mainstream films that are not necessarily of superior quality granted marketing budgets larger than that of an entire indie production.


RQOH: I'm sure people ask you this questions thousands of times but, what is your favorite horror movie or book?

TD: I have so many that I’m not sure I can pick one. So, I’ll give you my top five. Granted, it’s always changing, but as of this moment, it is:

Suspiria, Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, April Fool’s Day, and Videodrome.


RQOH: I need to know! What type of horror do you find the most frightening? Is there a certain type you find the most disturbing? And! If you have one, what film scares you the most?

TD: Well, since you need to know… (Laughs). I probably find home invasion films the most terrifying. I think they really hits home because home invasion films are as realistic as horror films get. The perpetrator(s) are not superhuman or invincible, so it’s more believable. It’s also frightening because we think of our home as a sacred and safe place, so to have someone take that from you and hold your hostage in your own home is despicable and terrifying.

I don’t usually get particularly scared in films, but I found The Strangers pretty frightening. The ‘invaders’ were so relentless and there were ample jump scares and legitimate scares alike.


And there's Coco Letigra with Tyler...she's his hat. She's so fashionable!

RQOH: You should have seen this one coming but is there a movie that is your least favorite? As in, you absolutely disliked it and really do not want your eyes to suffer any more?

TD: I don’t know if you saw my review, but I really hated ATM. I thought that the acting, the script, the direction, and the dialogue were atrocious. I really thought casting that guy from Drake and Josh was idiotic and I seem to remember that there was a lot of frat boy humor that was offensive to a variety of minority groups.

RQOH: How does it feel that you're working for one of the oldest and top horror magazines, Fangoria? And how did it come about for you?

TD: I love writing for Fangoria. Being a contributing writer is such an outstanding experience. I would love to continue to write for them for as long as they will have me.

I wrote for a variety of online outlets before I approached Fangoria. They like to see writers build up an established work sample before they will look at your work. I’ve had three pieces featured in the mag and look forward to getting to work with them further.

I also have a piece in development with Rue Morgue that will be feature in an upcoming issue!


RQOH: I''m looking forward to checking out your feature in Rue Morgue! Was working at Fangoria always dream of yours?

TD: It has been a dream for a long time. Ever since I started to get serious about writing, I began setting my sites of Fang and Rue Morgue. I actually have my first piece for Fang framed above my desk in my office. 

It’s an interview with my friend Lori Lethin, who played the final girl in Bloody Birthday.

RQOH: I know that you also write for FEARnet! How exciting? How did that come about for you? What inspired you to work for FEARnet?

TD: FEARnet was the second outlet I began writing for. I had written for Shock for about a year and wasn’t able to make a living solely from freelancing for one outlet. I still had a day job at that point and wanted to try writing full time. I began to look for more opportunities. I contacted Lawrence, my current editor at FEARnet, and to my surprise, he was actually familiar with my work for Shock. It’s been a great time working with FEARnet. I love the team there and they have given me a lot of great opportunities.

Thanks to FEARnet, Shock, Fandango, and some of the other outlets I contribute to, I have had the extraordinary opportunity to write full time!

RQOH: You're truly living the dream! Before becoming a writer for in this awesome genre, what was your "job title"?

TD: I was a retail store manager for T-Mobile and then I went on to work in management at Starbucks.

RQOH: Was there ever a time that you had to balance perhaps your "day job" to "dream job" as a horror writer?

TD: Absolutely. I was working full time, running my blog, and writing for Shock – as an intern - when I first started out! It was absolutely crazy. I didn’t have a life. I barely saw daylight. But I wouldn’t change a thing. That time period was a little hectic, but it led to some phenomenal opportunities. 

It sounds obvious, but the more you put in, the more you get out of it.




RQOH: It's a dream of mine to visit New Zealand, so of course I'm curious! What was it like going to Auckland, New Zealand to visit the Evil Dead set?

TD: It was amazing. Oh my gosh. It was fantastic. Getting to meet the cast, the FX team, Fede Alvarez – the director, and tour the set was such an incredible experience. New Zealand is beautiful. 

I would love to go back with a little more free time to see the country and do some tourism activities. Watching the movie is really surreal because I was there while it was being made!


RQOH: What other sets have you visited?

TD: I have visited the set of the upcoming Child’s Play film (Curse of Chucky), the set of Dead in Tombstone, and the set of the NBC Television series Grimm. I also had the chance to go to Romania for the production of a film called Dead in Tombstone, which was awesome. 

One day, I woke up to an email from Ryan at Shock saying, “Hey, want to go to Romania?” Three weeks later, I was in Europe for the first time!


RQOH: Ever since you became a writer, who are some of the incredible people you’ve met?

TD: Wow! There have been a lot. I have had the opportunity to do phoners with Malcolm McDowell and Vincent D’Onofrio. Both have worked with Stanley Kubrick who was one of my most favorite directors. I have met Dina Meyer (Starship Troopers), Anthony Michael Hall (Steven King’s The Dead Zone TV Series), Reggie Lee (Drag Me to Hell), Lou Taylor Pucci (Evil Dead), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen), James Duvall (Donnie Darko), Adam Green (Holliston), Brad Dourif (Child’s Play), and more.

I feel so fortunate to get to chat with people that I have long admired and looked up to.

RQOH: Out of all the people you met, was there anyone you found the most inspiring or perhaps even your favorite? Your favorite as in you'd love to bake cookies with him/her or even go to Starbucks.

TD: I would love to bake cookies and go to Starbucks with Laura Ortiz. I ran in to her at a sushi bar at Comic-Con last year. She was there with a friend and I approached her to tell her how much I adore her. She was absolutely darling and the kind of person I would definitely gravitate towards. I am dying to interview her so I can gush some more. (Laughs).

RQOH: You're amazingly successful and such an influence to many people who are interested in or would love to ultimately become a part of the horror journalism community. What advice do you have for those people?

TD: Wow. Thank you! Flattery will get you everywhere. I think that the best thing people can do to succeed is to simply stay motivated. It sounds obvious, but a lot of people don’t necessarily want to buckle down and put in the time. Blogging and YouTube are great ways to get your name out there and build a work sample. I used to update my blog daily when I was first starting out. That type of discipline lets prospective employers know that you have a certain degree of determination. Then, when I first started with Shock, I would always turn in assignments early and ask for extra opportunities. I was fortunate in that Ryan trusted me and continued to give me more and more work.

It’s such a competitive industry that if you don’t market yourself and show that you can do the job better than the countless people that would love to be in your position, then you run the risk of being replaced.


RQOH: And lastly, what can we all look forward from you next, Mr. Doupe´?

TD: I mentioned it earlier, but I have piece coming out in Rue Morgue. I would also love to do some work for men’s lifestyle mags like GQ and Esquire. My heart will always be in horror and I will always stay true to that, but I would like to expand and increase my work sample.

RQOH: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. I'm thankful and completely honored. I wish you nothing but great success! Continue to be awesome!

TD: Thanks for talking with me. I certainly appreciate it!! You are a star, Zena.

RQOH: (Laughs). Well! You know, I try!




For more information on the talented very magical Tyler Doupe':
Wednesday, July 17, 2013

TWIXT Wesbite -- The most Twixted place on the web!





Hey all my horror fans! I have an awesome treat for you all! From Fox comes a brand new site that has some of the creepiest, most twisted images on the web! This website offers horror fans a place to come and let all their visually nightmares come true!

Who needs to wait for Halloween in the horror world? 

With this site, users will just need to hashtag #nightmare from Twitter, Instragram OR Tumblr account for their picture(s) to be apart of the site. It's that simple! Let's see who can be the creepiest!

What's the website you so desperately need to know? TWIXT Nightmares!


The film Twixt was written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and will be released on July 23rd, 2013 so keep your eyes peels! Anyone looking forward to this film?


SYNOPSIS: A writer with a declining career arrives in a small town as part of his book tour and gets caught up in a murder mystery involving a young girl. Later in a dream, he is approached by a mysterious young ghost. He's unsure of her connection to the murder in the town, but he is grateful for the story being handed to him. Ultimately, he is led to the truth of the story.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013

UPCOMING FILM -- Oldboy Trailer



This isn't necessarily a horror movie but I'm passionate about this!

Check out the trailer for the remake of Oldboy, of course it doesn't look horrible. My issue simply is why remake such a masterpiece? To avoid spoilers, I'll just say, those who haven't seen this movie just know that it has such an insanely STRONG story line that it's hard to remake something like it. More importantly, why even try? Can't you just like the movie and watch it everyday without ruining it for everyone else? Huh, Mr. Spike Lee?




Anyhow, the release date has been changed from the October 11th, 2013 to October 25th, 2013! So, who's going to check it out?

SYNOPSIS: Oldboy tells the story of a man who is kidnapped and imprisoned on his daughter’s birthday. For fifteen years, he is held captive, and, upon his release, must begin his journey to find the reason for his imprisonment. He soon finds out that his kidnapper has plans for him more tortuous than his solitary confinement.
Friday, July 12, 2013

V/H/S/2 Theater List and Release Dates

So, V/H/S/2, which is directed by multiple people (Simon Barrett, Adam Wingard, EdĂșardo Sanchez, Gregg Hale, Timo Tjahjanto, Gareth Huw Evans, and Jason Eisener.)  begins its limited theatrical release today! How awesome is that? I didn't love the first one but I thought it was creative and I'm looking forward to the sequel! I must go see it!

If you’re interested in checking out the movie in theaters just look at the list that shows which theater its currently screening along with future dates/locations! For people who live under a rock or in the middle of the jungle, have no worries, it's also available on VOD.



SYNOPSIS: Searching for a missing student, two private investigators break into his abandoned house and find another collection of mysterious VHS tapes. In viewing the horrific contents of each cassette, they realize there may be terrifying motives behind the student’s disappearance.



CURRENTLY PLAYING:

Brookline, MA: Coolidge Corner Theatre
Charlotte, NC: Movies @ CrownPoint 12
Denver, CO: Sie FilmCenter
Indianapolis, IN: Keystone Art Cinema 7
Miami, FL: O Cinema
Minneapolis, MN: Uptown Theatre
New York, NY: Sunshine Cinema 5
Philadelphia, PA: Ritz at the Bourse
Phoenix, AZ: FilmBar
Portland, OR: Hollywood Theatre
Seattle, WA: Grand Illusion Cinema
Tucson, AZ: The Loft Cinema
University City, MO: Tivoli Theatre
West Los Angeles, CA: Nuart Theatre


OPENING JULY 19th, 2013:

Austin, TX: Alamo Drafthouse Village 4
Cambridge, MA: Brattle Theater
Chicago, IL: Music Box
Columbus, OH: Gateway Film Center 8
Dallas, TX: Texas Theatre
Greensboro, NC: Geeksboro Coffeehouse Cinema
Hartford, CT: Real Art Ways Cinema
Houston, TX: River Oaks Theatre 3
Jacksonville, FL: Sun-Ray Cinema
San Francisco, CA: Clay Theatre
Washington, DC: E Street Cinema


OPENING JULY 24th, 2013::

Nashville, TN: Belcourt Theatre


OPENING JULY 26th, 2013::

Kansas City, MO: Tivoli @ Manor Square
Maitland, FL: Enzian Theatre


OPENING AUGUST 17th, 2013:

Ooltewah, TN: Barking Legs Theater


OPENING SEPTEMBER 8th, 2013:

Milwaukee, WI: University of WI – Union Theatre


OPENING SEPTEMBER 7th, 2013:

Santa Fe, NM: Jean Cocteau Cinema

You're welcome! 
Monday, July 1, 2013

Upcoming Horrors for July 2013

HAPPY JULY !!!

We're way past half the year, welcome to July!!! It's time to share the list of all the oh-so-delightful horrors that are coming out this month! In the world of horror, it doesn't matter if it's straight to DVD or theaters--horror is HORROR!

If you've already checked any of the movies out, please let me know; or if you plan on checking any out...let me know anyway! Or! If I'm missing any, LET ME KNOW! Duh!

Blood Runs Cold - RELEASE DATE: July 2nd, 2013
(VOD, Limited, DVD)
In the dead of winter, Winona, a successful musician, plans on relaxing and finding creative inspiration by returning to a cabin in her hometown. When she arrives, she runs into her a group of old friends that includes her boyfriend. They decide to continue their reunion back at the cabin until they quickly discover they aren't alone. There is something horrific that lurks underneath the floorboards!


Absence - RELEASE DATE: July 5th, 2013
(Limited theaters)
Doctors are baffled when a young expecting mother awakes to find her nearly-to-term pregnancy has disappeared overnight. The police are investigating the situation as a missing child case. This movie is told in found footage style. The once pregnant woman's brother is filming his sister's experience to try to find answers. They end up on a trip to the mountains to escape the attention of police officers and nosey neighbors. But once there, the trip begins to take a turn that will leave no one safe.


Jug Face - RELEASE DATE: July 8th, 2013
(Limited)
The pit has spoken! A potter whose apart of the backwoods community, has crafted a face on a ceramic jug of the person that the pit wants sacrificed. A woman pregnant with her brother’s child, has seen her face on the jug and hides it in the woods, determined to save the life of her unborn. If she does not sacrifice herself, the creature from the pit will kill everyone in the village until she does.


The Expelled - RELEASE DATE: July 9th, 2013
A group of teachers and students are locked inside a high school for hours trapped by a mysterious hooded gang. So, now they must defend themselves as the dangerous, deadly people hunt them down one by one.


Would you rather - RELEASE DATE: July 9th, 2013
(DVD/VOD)
In the wake of her parent's death, Iris struggles to make ends meet while caring for her terminally ill younger brother. When someone offers to her Iris and her brother they soon find themselves trapped in a mansion and forced to play a sadistic game of Would You Rather! The winner will be awarded A LOT money. As the game continues, Iris and others playing the game may have to face deadly things.


Pacific Rim - RELEASE DATE: July 12th, 2013
(Theaters)
Set in a future where malevolent creatures threaten the earth, the planet must band together and use highly advanced technology to eradicate the growing menace.


Beneath - RELEASE DATE: July 16th, 2013
In this film, we follow six kids stranded on a rowboat and attacked by a man-eating fish. This film takes Hitchcock literally. In order to survive, the kids one-by-one vote each other off the boat.


Saturday Morning Mystery - RELEASE DATE: July 17th, 2013
Four professional ghost hunters travel in a vintage van accompanied by their canine companion. (Yes, just like Scooby Doo!) Soon, theyget more then they bargained for when they investigate an abandoned schoolhouse with a mysterious past!


R.I.P.D. - RELEASE DATE: July 19th, 2013
(Theaters)
A recently slain cop joins a team of undead police officers working for the Rest in Peace Department and tries to find the man who murdered him.


Grabbers - RELEASE DATE: July 19th, 2013
A quaint Irish fishing village is tormented by an invasion of squid-like creatures.


Under the Bed - RELEASE DATE: July 19th, 2013
In this film, every child knows about the monster under the bed, but Neal Hausman's mistake was trying to fight it. Now, Neal has returned from a two-year exile following his tragic attempt to defeat the monster. He comes back to find his father closer to a breakdown, his new stepmother scared of him, and his little brother terrorized by the same monster. With no support from their parents, the brother decides to take desperate measures.


The Conjuring - RELEASE DATE: July 19th, 2013
The film tells a true story of Ed and Lorraine Warren, who are world renowned paranormal investigators. They are called to help a family who is being terrorized by a dark presence in their secluded farmhouse. So, upon confronting the demonic entity, the Warren family find themselves caught in a horrifying situation. The film is based on the novel House of Darkness House of Light.


Hell Baby - RELEASE DATE: July 25th, 2013
(VOD, Limited)
An expectant couple moves into the most haunted fixer-upper in New Orleans. It's a house with a demonic curse! Soon, things spiral out of control for the couple as we;; as their neighbor, psychiatrist, a sibling and the detectives assigned to look into the rising body count!


Frankenstein’s Army - RELEASE DATE: July 26th, 2013
The scientists have used the legendary Frankenstein’s work to assemble an army of supersoldiers stitched together from the body parts of their fallen comrades – a desperate Hitler’s last ghastly ploy to escape defeat.


Stranded - RELEASE DATE: July 26th, 2013
When the isolated U.S. military moonbase is bombarded by a rogue meteor storm, Colonel Gerard Brauchman and his small crew are cut off from Earth with their life support failing. Before long, the crew discovers meteors that are harboring and replicating aliens. And now, a vicious, shape-shifting predatory life form is loose inside the crippled facility, picking off victims one by one.


Twixt - RELEASE DATE: July 30th, 2013
A writer with a declining career arrives in a small town as part of his book tour and gets caught up in a murder mystery involving a young girl. Later in a dream, he is approached by a mysterious young ghost. He's unsure of her connection to the murder in the town, but he is grateful for the story being handed to him. Ultimately, he is led to the truth of the story.


The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh - RELEASE DATE: July 30th, 2013
This film will feature a strikingly original narrative technique that glimpses into the psychology of spirits.


The Demented - RELEASE DATE: July 30th, 2013
Six college friends meet up for a carefree weekend that turns deadly! There's a terrorist attack in a nearby town. It infects a lot of the townspeople with a deadly virus that induces rabies-like symptoms yet more intense. Can they survive?!


| Happy HORROR! 

FILM REVIEW -- Beware

MADHOUSE MONDAY'S





In this review...I'm scared. 


In this gritty gore-fest, five college students stumble into a nightmare when they come across the legend of Shane!

I give it 3 out of 5 queen skulls!