Our editor-in-chief Nate Yapp is proud to have contributed to the new book Hidden Horror: A Celebration of 101 Underrated and Overlooked Fright Flicks, edited by Aaron Christensen. Another contributors include Anthony Timpone, B.J. Colangelo, Dave Alexander, Classic-Horror.com's own Robert C. Ring and John W. Bowen. Pick up a copy today from Amazon.com!

Cold Reads: The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe

Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe
Submitted by Jose Cruz on Sat, 2010-08-28 00:40

Cold Reads celebrates Writer of the Month! Throughout August, we will be studying the works of Edgar Allan Poe and celebrating his massive contributions to the horror genre.

Perfect in every possible way, Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" remains to this reviewer a tour de force of horror and literature. In some ways it exceeds "The Tell-Tale Heart" in its greatness and beauty, making it the perfect tribute to end this month of appreciations to a master.

The hideous Red Death may be ravaging the land, but this mere trifle does not disturb Prince Prospero in the least. Gathering his closest of friends in his secure abbey, the prince holds a magnificent costumed ball to alleviate the minds of his guests from the bothersome reaper who knocks at the door. But as the music swells and the great ebony clock rings out its eerie chimes, a mysterious guest makes himself present amongst the crowd...(read more...)

The Terrorphile: Corman, Price, and Poe -- A Video Tribute

Fall of the House of Usher poster
Submitted by Nate Yapp on Tue, 2010-08-24 21:17

I grew up on two kinds of horror movies: Universal creature features and Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe films. I have very specific memories of watching Vincent Price going mad in Pit and the Pendulum and cheering on the magic duel in The Raven. These are formative experiences in my life as a film aficionado, so when Jose Cruz decided to devote a month of his Cold Reads column to celebrating Poe's short stories, I felt it was the right time to pay tribute to the cinematic triumvirate of Corman, Price, and Poe. 

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Review: It Conquered the World (1956)

It Conquered the World poster
Submitted by Nate Yapp on Sun, 2010-08-22 20:36

In the 1950s, the Cold War was steaming up and alien invasion movies were making big bucks at the box office. Combining the two was a natural pairing that emerged throughout the decade . One of the more intelligent efforts to come from that era is Roger Corman's It Conquered the World. Written by Corman's friend and frequent collaborator Charles B. Griffith, the film uses its alien antagonist to play on the fear of Communism as a external force bent on brainwashing and depersonalizing humanity, while simultaneously exploring a very human debate about the pros and cons of the "Red Menace." The result is a deeply satisfying, thought-provoking viewing experience. (read more...)

Cold Reads: The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe

Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe
Submitted by Jose Cruz on Sat, 2010-08-21 11:13

Cold Reads celebrates Writer of the Month! Throughout August, we will be studying the works of Edgar Allan Poe and celebrating his massive contributions to the horror genre.

Well, I didn't expect a kind of Spanish Inquisition! *Diabolical music* No one expects the Spanish Inquisition! This week's creepy classic is Poe's immortal "The Pit and the Pendulum," a devilish descent into the tortures of the Inquisition minus the soft pillows and comfy chair of Monty Python's hilarious skit. Poe drenches his short tale in a palpable sordidness that will instill a bad taste in the reader's mouth and a tangible shiver in the skin.(read more...)

Shout! Factory Announces More Gamera Goodness

Gamera Double Features
Submitted by Nate Yapp on Tue, 2010-08-17 12:49

Man, those folks at Shout! Factory really push the nostalgia buttons, don't they? After their releases of Gamera the Giant Monster and Gamera vs. Barugon in DVD special editions, they're returning to the giant turtle with a pair of double features -- Gamera Vs. Gyaos / Gamera Vs. Viras and Gamera Vs. Guiron / Gamera Vs. Jiger . All four films will be presented in their original Japanese versions. Both double feature DVDs will be released on September 21, 2010 and carry a suggested retail price of $19.93 (you can pre-order them from Amazon.com by clicking the set titles above). Below you'll find the film descriptions from the press release to further whet your appetite for kaiju carnage.(read more...)

Review: The Last Winter (2006)

Last Winter poster
Submitted by Chris Justice on Mon, 2010-08-16 11:30

The popularity of horror films set in polar settings is hard to ignore. In the 1950s, during one of horror's most misunderstood subgenres - the creature feature film - polar landscapes were a common setting that harbored dinosaurs, aliens, and mutant insects. However, those landscapes assumed roles subordinate to their narratives' focus because more pressing geopolitical issues related to the Cold War dominated the day. (read more...)

Cold Reads: The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe

The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe
Submitted by Jose Cruz on Sat, 2010-08-14 00:47

Cold Reads celebrates Writer of the Month! Throughout August, we will be studying the works of Edgar Allan Poe and celebrating his massive contributions to the horror genre.

Throughout the fiction of Edgar Allan Poe, there is a recurring theme of murder and the agonizing guilt that soon follows afterward. "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Black Cat" are the exemplary stories of this common theme. I chose "The Black Cat" because I think that almost everyone and their grandmothers have read "The Tell-Tale Heart." I felt that hardly any attention was given to the tale up for this week's review and, having never read it myself, I decided to give it a go. What I discovered was an excellent tale of the supernatural that, while not quite matching the intensity of "Tell-Tale," deserves to be read by any fan of the master.(read more...)

Shiverin' 6: Horror from 1960

Shiverin' 6 logo
Submitted by Nate Yapp on Thu, 2010-08-12 19:06

Another Shiverin' 6, folks, this time focusing on some of the best horror flicks released fifty years ago in 1960. They come from all around the globe and from all sorts of genres, but they're all highly recommended. As always, the Shiverin' 6 represents some of the best from a given category, not necessarily the best. As such, the entries aren't ranked but listed alphabetically. Be sure to let us know in the comments what some of your favorites from 1960 are!(read more...)

Review: Blood on Satan's Claw (1971)

Blood on Satan's Claw poster
Submitted by Bruce Jordan on Sun, 2010-08-08 20:55

In 1968, the British production company Tigon had found a measurable degree of success with the release of Michael Reeves' classic tale of greed and corruption, Witchfinder General. In a concerted effort to provide audiences with a film along the same lines a screenplay by Robert Wynne-Simmons was commissioned, Piers Haggard was brought on board to direct, and The Blood on Satan's Claw took root. In most cases, when a film is made by a studio hoping to cash in on a previous effort, the resulting film comes across as mere imitation. In this instance, however, a perfect combination of accurate period details, overwhelming atmosphere, and convincing central performances help provide the basis for one of the finest British horror films of the 1970s.(read more...)

Cold Reads: The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe

Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe
Submitted by Jose Cruz on Fri, 2010-08-06 21:03

Cold Reads celebrates Writer of the Month for August! For the next four weeks, we will be studying the works of Edgar Allan Poe and celebrating his massive contributions to the horror genre.

Edgar Allan Poe is known for many things, one of which is being one of the leading voices in American Gothic literature. But his work in creating detective fiction as we know it today (along with the likes of Voltaire and E.T.A. Hoffman) is usually overlooked in favor of his more macabre pieces. Without Poe's help, sleuths such as Sherlock Holmes and Sam Spade may never have come into existence. "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" marks the first appearance of Poe's famous detective C. Auguste Dupin in a tale of homicide gone completely wild.(read more...)

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