Horror News: Critters A New Binge

Critters A New Binge Coming to Shudder!

My favorite horror streaming service on the web, Shudder, has just announced a brand new series coming to their platform in March! Critters: A New Binge! That's right, a brand new entry in the Critters franchise! It looks goofy, it looks gory, it looks like everything I'd want! Check out the trailer below. And just in case you need to catch up on all the little furry critter action, make sure to pick up Scream Factory's special Blu-Ray collection of the movies!

Mini Macabre Review #13

Todd and the Book of Pure Evil (Episode 2)

How to Make a Homunculus

Episode 2 of Todd and the Book of Pure Evil brings in my favorite character as a regular member of the "book hunting" team of teens. Hannah is the nerdy, smart, yet cute girl who wants nothing more than to be a great scientist like her parents. However, as this school is full of strange and horrible adult figures, the science teacher is a scuzzball who tells her she has no future in science. As luck would have it, the Book of Pure Evil passes to her and she uses it to make a Homunculus--a little demon who reminds me of a Ghoulie or Gremlin. 

The creature effects in this episode are fun and reminiscent of Full Moon Features, featuring a creepy looking puppet that looks a little like Todd himself. Of course, watching the Science Teacher get killed was a fun and bloody treat. I enjoy it when gross men in horror shows and movies her what's coming to them. The second episode isn't quite a fun, or as metal, as the first one--but it keeps with the same irreverent spirit that will be the staple of the entire show. 

Cthulhu Nights (FREE Role Playing Game)

A ChapBook RolePlaying Manual

I can hear it now, "What's this? Another Cthulhu and Lovecraft inspired role-playing game? Don't we already have, like, a thousand of those on the market?"

The answer is "Yes. Yes, we do."

So why another game in that same theme? Simply put, I love the genre. I recently was playing the new Arkham Horror 3rd edition but felt disappointed by it. It dragged on too long, was a little complicated for my game group (since there is no clear goal at the beginning of the game) and it got too muddled near the end.

My response? Make up my own ultra-simple rules that I can use to play with my friends and family--something I might even be able to teach to my younger nieces and nephews. The result is Cthulhu Nights, a ChapBook RolePlaying Manual. However, seeing as we have the internet and don't all live in isolation tanks, I also didn't see any trouble in sharing my game design with others outside my game group and family circle.

So, without further ado: Welcome to Cthulhu Nights, a ChapBook RolePlaying Game (CBRPG). What is a ChapBook game? It is a light pen and paper game where the rules take up no more than thirty pages total. It is intended to be fast to learn and easy to play.

What is Cthulhu Nights? It is a game of horror adventure and investigation set in the 1920s, loosely inspired by the works of Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

What do you need to play? You’ll need this ChapBook, a single six-sided die (known as a D6 in these rules), pencils, paper, one friend to act as Game Master (GM), and one to five friends to act as Investigators.

You can pick up the rules for free for a limited time at DriveThru RPG.

Thanks a million to anyone who decides to pick up a copy. If people seem to like it at all, I'll consider making a paperback version as well based on feedback.

Mini Macabre Review #12

Todd and the Book of Pure Evil (Episode 1)

Todd the Metal God

Rockus, raunchy, violent, gory, and overly vulgar are all terms I might use to describe Todd and the Book of Pure Evil. However, it may also be described as humorous, silly, over the top entertainment as well. If Buffy were a pot-smoking sex-focused idiot teen boy, she would be Todd. Todd is a loser who wants nothing more than to be a Metal God. However, when he finds The Books of Pure Evil, it seems his dream might just come true. What he doesn't realize is that his music will now cause people to hemorrhage from the inside, at least not until the school's Battle of the Bands. The opening episode to this Shudder exclusive series sets the stage for exactly what you can expect from the rest of the show. While it steers away from blatant nudity, it does not shy away from plenty of blood, practical effects, and sex jokes. The best way I can think to describe it is if Family Guy made a trip in the live-action high school of an 80s b-satanic horror flick. If goofy over the top gore and comedy is your cup of tea, you'll enjoy this show. Make sure to stay tuned to my website for mini-reviews of all the episodes in this series.

Mini Macabre Review #11

Crypt TV's Shelley: Season 1

When you're looking for short, bite-sized horror movies (to get your fix when you don't have time for a full-length film), there may be no better place to look than Crypt TV.

Shelley is one of their ongoing shows that is part of the larger Crypt Monster Universe. They recently started posting season 2 episodes, so I decided it was time to look back at season 1.

Shelley isn't anything new as far as story ideas go. It fits comfortably into the teen slasher genre. Some person was wronged, hurt, or killed in high school and returns during the class reunion for revenge. It is one of my favorite tropes of the genre, but Shelley manages to actually make the leap into the supernatural where many of the traditional slashers of the 80s and 90s didn't bother.

While a few of the blood splatters in the show do take on a CGI appearance once in a while, the overall production and special effects seem to be spot on for the genre. In each episode, we get one new revenge kill from the undead Shelley herself. The use of a bladed hockey stick is creative and fun.

Basically, if you enjoy traditional slashers, supernatural killers, or teen screams, you'll likely enjoy this offering. It may be one of Crypt TVs best productions yet, and the new season appears to offer plenty more lore and supernatural elements to keep people watching. 

Check out episode 1 below.

Mini Macabre Review #10

The Faculty

What if John Carpenter's THE THING paid a visit to a midwestern high school? If it did, you would get The Faculty.

Despite some relatively dated and goofy looking CGI work, The Faculty is one cult classic film that is definitely worth the watch. It is a bit in the vein of Scream but with 1950s style aliens instead of a killer. You have all the stereotypical high school tropes including the goth, jock, cheerleader, geek, etc. All are acted well be some big name actors from the time. In addition to the CGI, there are also some excellent practical creature feature effects for the alien queen. Overall, a fun and goofy sci-fi horror romp.

I'm a huge fan of "Teen Scream" horror and this movie is no exception. 

Mini Macabre Review #9

 Christmas Evil

Ho-Ho-Ho. How about one more mini holiday review before I begin my own vacation and celebration for the season? This will be my last update for the year, but I will be back in January for more horror reviews and releases of horror books. A truly magical Christmas horror flick. The first time I saw this film I was unimpressed. I was expecting something along the lines of Silent Night, Deadly Night. Now, revisiting it again with a fresh view and understanding of what I was getting into this year, I can say I truly adore this little movie. In my own opinion, it sums up all that is good about Christmas while not shying away from what makes the season so horrible for many families and individuals (like myself). It balances goodness, charity, community, togetherness, and belief with their harder counterparts of avarice, greed, family dysfunction, loneliness, bullying, and faithlessness. It is a psychological horror movie that takes a glance at serious mental illness (taken to the extreme) and the lack of support from those who may need it most. What happens to one man when he hopes for the best out of the Christmas season and is only dealt the absolute worst. He snaps and then ultimately has to try and make his own magic of the season--even if that means killing off a few unmentionables who were on the naughty list before joining in on the season of giving.