sexiest woman maxim

When I put Naughty Dog's The Last of Us as one of the best MOVIES of 2013 on my Top 10 list, don't laugh at me OK? It really is a cinematic masterpiece when you separate the fact that it's a video game. The setting (post fungi apocalyptic America), the characters (Joel and Ellie are the video game version of Dad and Son from The Road) and the plot which is filled with twists and turns and just pure WTF.

It really is without a doubt one of the best stories to revolve around the survival horror genre.I've played the game and finished it and I was blown away by the emotional roller coaster it took me on. Video games in reality actually force you to put more of your emotions because YOU are actually playing that character.

In doing so, you actually start directing your action sequences to how you want, something a movie could never do. But we're not here to debate movies vs video games. What I will say is that when just the cinematic cut scenes are solid enough to warrant a YouTube full movie cut, it says a lot in that the cut scenes alone can make you care about the characters, intrigue you about the plot and have their fair share of scares.

With any horror movie, you need the BIG BAD> There are actually two enemies in The Last of Us. The last remnants of humanity who have turned into scavenging and stalker as well as The Fireflies, a group looking to stop the epidemic at all costs. Stalkers, Clickers  and Bloaters are dangerous as the infection evolves. The infected make zombies look like a walk in the park.

The performances (done via motion capture) are pretty superb starring Troy Baker as Joel and Ashley Johnson as Ellie. Motion capture is close to acting in a video game as acting in front of a green screen.

Of course this "movie" has only been experienced by only a few Playstation 3 gamers, so the level of exposure is limited than say a conventional movie. But the acclaim the game has gotten has been absurdly positive with making gamers "cry" and just having been gut punched into the stomach in some scenes.

The brutality of the kills by Joel and Ellie makes it pure survival horror and even if you die in the game, it wallops you with some serious game over carnage.

So here is a YouTube version "movie" with all the cutscenes. Sure it's 3 hours (I mean its scenes from a video game with over 10 hours of gameplay mind you) You may be able to get an idea of what it's about, the characters, the plot and some action. Some of the story and dialogue are told while you play so it can't capture that. But it is indeed a great cinematic masterpiece of 2013. A movie that could only been told in a game, rich in a landscape of nature reclaiming America and the morality humanity must hold on to in the most dire of circumstances.

The Last of Us is one of the best horror movies of 2013. And I'm not budging from that statement.



Have you played The Last of Us? Do you think it stacks up against even the best horror movies this year? Sound off and let me know!

  As I told you in  my last post, we bought a new house so I have been busy most every night with packing, moving, and now unpacking.  It is a slow process, but I was hoping I would get time to get back to my daily blog posts.  But, my computer had other plans for me and decided to die.   So, now I am without a computer, and being a blogger without a computer is not a good thing by any means.  I miss getting to talk a little bit about horror each night, but hopefully I will get a new computer in the next week or so and be back up and running.  Thanks to my wife for letting me borrow her laptop in order to do this post tonight.  I normally can't use laptops.  The built in mouse and weird keyboard makes me mad, but I hooked up my regular computer mouse and keyboard to the laptop and this works pretty good in a pinch!
  So, until I am back up and running full time, enjoy this awesome German fork-lift safety video!  I know, that seems really random, but watch it and you will see why it belongs on a horror blog for sure!  It is basically a short horror film, complete with some great gore effects!  I saw this on Facebook a while back and had been really wanting to share this with you all!  So, enjoy!!

You're Next

You're Next (2013)

Directed by Adam Wingard

I won't lie. I've been waiting to see this film for a while. The festival buzz was high and I've been a big fan of director of Adam Wingard for a while since his Home Sick, Pop Skull and his short film type days. After seeing VHS and VHS 2, I was a little worried Wingard's shorts were not up to par on what I knew he was capable of.

But with You're Next, Wingard steps up to the spotlight and shines brightly  like his other film making brethren. You're Next shakes up the home invasion genre with well timed quips, brutality & twisty goodness. It's what I've been waiting for in a horror film all year. A film that's refreshingly creative, viciously brutal and takes its audience for a helluva ride.

I don't know what to call the V/H/S horror troupe made up of Wingard, writer Simon Barret, filmmakers Ti West and Joe Swanberg. Most of You're Next is made of collaborators and actors who been in previous Wingard films. Should we call them Horror X?  Oddly this is an indie horror flick with Lion's Gate marketing. That's saying something.

You're Next does the opposite of what you think the generic home invasion movie will do. Though it introduces a goody two shoes family and a cadre of masked up bad guys it also will explain to us why this is all happening. It's because of this and not a "Because you were home" nonsensical answer that makes You're Next slickly executed and fun. Ill timed humor and some wicked kills also play a part in what is probably one of the best horror films of the year.

Boring Plot-O-Matic

When the Davison family comes under attack during their wedding anniversary getaway, the gang of mysterious killers soon learns that one of victims harbors a secret talent for fighting back. 

Awesome Review-O-Matic

I've watched a lot of home invasion movies. From Them (Ils), Funny Games, The Strangers, Martyrs, Inside to Kidnapped it's always been hit or miss with me. I like the nihilistic original Funny Games. I felt Haneke was saying something. I despised The Strangers and Kidnapped.

And I easily put them into two categories. One where the home invasion is deeply rooted in some sort of violent message. The other where brutality is not backed up by any iota of motive.

You're Next is in a 3rd mixing the two. So what were the ingredients to this masterpiece?
 
Instructions are below.

PREP TIME
15 Min (grab some popcorn and hold on tight)
COOK TIME
1 Hr 38Min
READY IN
30 Min (that's when the shit gets good)

INGREDIENTS

1 secluded house in a the middle of nowhere America
1 dysfunctional family dragging their SO's to a potential slaughter
3 demented, disturbed, twisted, fucked up killers in animal masks
1 Barbara Crampton
1 twist that makes you go WTF
1 other twist that makes you go WTF fuckity fuck...holy mother of fuck
30 gallons of blood and guts

Heaping, oozing, gloroficus blood soaked splatter spoonfuls of the following:

A few arrows in the head
1 sharp object through the head
1 sledgehammer to the the head
1 neck trauma
and more!
 
DIRECTIONS

Put all ingredients together. Stir continuously until house is soaked and dripping with blood. Throw in twizzler twisters. Bake at 350 degrees until movie makes you say "Oh shit, that's fucked up." Movie is done when you start cheering for the final girl.

Best served cold.

What makes You're Next a winner is the fact that it plays within the stereotypes of the home invasion genre. Got the super wealthy family? Check. Got the pacifist brother (AJ Bowen)? The over achieving brother (Joe Swanberg)? The ditzy sister? All check. Even Ti West makes an appearance that will make your head hurt.

But the standout performance is Sharni Vinson's Erin, an Australian who will make her impact known by showing she's a GIRL that can FINALly show what's what. It's weird getting an explanation of why Erin is the perfect adversary for the invaders but it works so well. She plays her heroine chic so well, I thought they were going to tell me she was a Hack/Slash professional F.G.

Then there's the why. Because we usually don't get why the home invaders do what they do. And in the midst of this chaos, we see who really is eviler when the Big Bad is ultimately revealed. Twisty goodness is great and in extreme doses it works better.

A few cliches are thrown in and as I watched with this predominant millennial generation I could hear the gasps of somebody checking underneath the bed, leaving somebody alone in a room and the sighs once somebody went hysterical. The Generation Y horror fan has been conditioned with these cliches and I could hear the groans and grumbles once these were executed.

But that's when Wingard's brilliance comes in. He slyly executes his "scares" by strategically placing them in moments of lull. The one that comes to mind is when one family member makes a Million Dollar man like sprint that ends with a death Jigsaw would be proud of. It's superbly executed that it borders on laughable. Later, cat and mouse games are in full Stratego mode and they all have brutal mayhem payoffs that make you giggle like a school girl.

All the performances are stereotypically cliched and over the top that only the well versed horror fan might get the satire on display. Wingard seems to play with this dynamic making sure the people we are suppose to hate will die horrible horrible deaths. But it's the ones we have a rooting interest for are where the applause meter is lit up and we oblige happily.

You're Next is the perfect mix of black humor, wicked kills and perfectly timed WTFs. It's a horror film for the generation that expects the horror cliches, archetypes and vicious mayhem but throws in curve balls, LOLs and memorable craziness morsels for them to tweet out.

I've been waiting for You're Next for a long time.

The wait is finally over.

It lives up to the hype and for me it's cemented itself in my Top 10 Horror Movies of 2013.

Now go eat up this fuckin tasty dish.

Nude-ipedia

Some opening steam boobies

Gore-ipedia

See the spoonfuls above

WTF moment

The twizzler twists

The Jaded Viewer's Final Prognosis


There is great horror coming from Horror X. If You're Next is your first taste, you won't be disappointed. It's got all the elements of Cabin in the Woods meets The Strangers. You're Next warrants repeat viewings, it warrants word of mouth praise and it warrants recognition that horror can always reinvent itself when talented filmmakers, writers and actors can collaborate and decide to create something new.

What's next?

 Rating:


Check out the trailer.


 

Straight after they announced they were joining forces with Blumhouse Productions to create a live interactive experience related to The Purge, Blackout Haunted House announced their fall/Halloween event with....



Blackout Elements.





Some of the trailer looks familiar to me, but Blackout usually saves their best for Halloween so who knows what to expect.


Preview tickets are now on sale at the official site. Check out the trailer below.

  

 
  Hi everyone, if you've noticed the lack of posts lately, I promise I have a good excuse!  I pride myself and my blog on having daily posts, trying to bring new daily content to my readers.  BUT....there are times when that is not possible and this is one of those times.  It's just temporary, though, so don't worry! 

  So what is the reason you ask?  Well, it is because we have recently purchased a new home!   We are moving next week, so this past week has been taken up with fixing up a few things at the new house at night after work and packing up things here at the "old" house for the move.  We hope to be all moved in by next Wednesday (8/14), so hopefully I can get back to daily posts right after that  (assuming everything goes ok with getting the Internet hooked up at the new house).

  So stick with me, and in a week or so I should be back up and running like normal with my regular daily posts!  Until then, check out some of these other great blogs.  These are ones I check on a daily basis:

Day Of The Woman
Dollar Bin Horror
Dr. Terror's Blog Of Horrors
Freddy In Space
Shattered Ravings


Thanks,

Zombie Hayes

*  I usually post this on Monday, so you will be prepared and know what to buy on Tuesday when the DVDs/Blu-ray's come out.  Somehow I totally forgot about it, so here are this week's new releases....better late than never!










Here are this week's horror related DVDs and Blu-rays coming out today, 8/6
(Click on a title to see a trailer for that film)

*  5 SOULS
*  ABSENCE  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  AFTERSHOCK  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  ANTIVIRAL  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  THE CLOTH
*  DO NOT DISTURB
*  EDDIE, THE SLEEPWALKING CANNIBAL  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  FEAR NOT
*  FRANKENSTEIN UNBOUND
*  GALLOWWALKERS
*  JACK THE REAPER
*  MAGIC MAGIC
*  PERFECT CREATURE
*  SISTERHOOD OF DEATH
*  SWAMP THING  [DVD/Blu-ray combo pack]
*  TOWER OF EVIL  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  ZOMBIE MASSACRE  [DVD & Blu-ray]

 

  A while back I posted about an upcoming documentary about the making of the film PET SEMATARY called UNEARTHED & UNTOLD: THE PATH TO PET SEMATARY.  You can see my original post here.   A trailer has now been released for the film for you to check out! I was super excited about this project before, but now after seeing the trailer I am even more excited to see this!

  Check out the film's official facebook page for news in and info on upcoming release dates!  Until then, check out the trailer and let me know what you think by posting a comment below!  

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
 

  I ran across the trailer for a film called JUG FACE while browsing some other horror trailers on youtube.  I hadn't heard anything about this film, but it looks pretty cool based on the trailer.  Here is the basic plot of the film from the film's official website:

  Jug Face tells the story of a pregnant teen trying to escape a backwoods community when she discovers that she may be sacrificed to a creature in a pit. The entity in the pit requires a life for keeping the community safe. The face of the person to be sacrificed is crafted onto a ceramic jug. When ignored, the entity unleashes an evil onto the community. Now no one is safe as tragedy befalls each member one by one and they soon realize that the pit wants what it wants.

  Pretty crazy plot synopsis, huh?  So I wonder who the person is that creates the jars, and what gives him the foresight on who's face to sculpt on the jug?  I guess we will just have to watch the movie to see!  The movie is available to watch now on Amazon Instant Video and will be released on DVD and Blu-ray October 15th of this year.


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to visit the official website
 

  Coming soon from Magnet Releasing is the horror/comedy film, BAD MILO.  This film looks like it could be a lot of fun!  Here is the basic plot for the film from the movie's official website:

  Duncan's (Ken Marino) life is a real pain in the ass. Tormented by a manipulative, crooked boss (Patrick Warburton), a nagging mother (Mary Kay Place), a deadbeat new age dad (Stephen Root), and a sweet, yet pressuring, wife (Gillian Jacobs), his mounting stress starts to trigger an insufferable gastrointestinal reaction.
  Out of ideas and at the end of his rope, Duncan seeks the help of a hypnotherapist (Peter Stormare), who helps him discover the root of his unusual stomach pain: a pintsized demon living in his intestine that, triggered by excessive anxiety, forces its way out and slaughters the people who have angered him. Out of fear that his intestinal gremlin may target its wrath on the wrong person, Duncan attempts to befriend it, naming it Milo and indulging it to keep its seemingly insatiable appetite at bay.

  BAD MILO will be available On Demand August 29th, and in select theaters on October 4th.  Check out the trailers below and let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.  Will you be watching BAD MILO?  Also, I just realized the initials of the movie title are BM!  Ha!

CLICK HERE to watch the green band trailer
CLICK HERE to watch the red band trailer

  
EVIL DEAD
Written & Directed by Fede Alvarez
Distributed by Sony Pictures

  I remember a lot of skeptical people discussing the EVIL DEAD remake online when it was first announced.  The original film is such a classic, that people didn't understand why it needed to be remade and also immediately wrote it off just because they didn't agree with touching a film as good as the original EVIL DEAD.   I have to admit, I was a little skeptical too, but after watching the remake, I am happy to say that I was very impressed with this film.  Here is the basic plot of the film from the film's imdb.com page:

  Five friends head to a remote cabin, where the discovery of a Book of the Dead leads them to unwittingly summon up demons living in the nearby woods. The evil presence possesses them until only one is left to fight for survival.

  If you haven't seen the original EVIL DEAD, stop reading this and go watch it right now!!  The original stars Bruce Campbell as the iconic character of Ash.  The film is a very gory, but full of dark humor and Bruce's own special style of slapstick.  This is even more true of the original's sequel, EVIL DEAD 2:  DEAD BY DAWN.   Bruce Campbell played this character to perfection.  So, how could you have someone step up and play this iconic character of Ash in a remake and have it compare and live up to the level of Bruce's performance?  The answer is you couldn't, and luckily the filmmakers of this remake realized this and didn't go that route.  That is what makes this remake work.

  The film uses the basic premise of the original film, but takes it in a much darker direction.  The film is more of a pure horror /terror film than the original.  They have replaced all the dark comedy with nothing but sheer terror and gore. There are some truly brutal scenes in this film, some of which are a nice nod to events that happened in the original.  The acting is very good in this film too.  Some of the actors look truly terrified during their scenes, and I'm sure they probably went through a lot in the filming of this movie.

  If you are a fan of the original film, you definitely need to check out this new version of the film.  It is a very well done remake and a nice companion piece to the original EVIL DEAD.   The DVD and Blu-ray is available now and contains the following special features:

*  Making Life Difficult - The Intense and Physically Exhausting Creation of the Film
*  Directing the Dead - Director Fede Alvarez Re-Imagines a Cult Horror Classic
*  Being Mia - The Physical and Psychological Transformation into "Evil Mia"


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD
CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray