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Capt McNeely

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Horror Composer, Daniel Licht Passes Away

The musical vein of the horror world has lost a great composer. Daniel Licht (60) has passed away due to cancer. While Licht is most known for scoring the music for ‘Dexter’, he has been working steadily on film and TV, and video game music scores since the early ‘90s. Growing up in Detroit, Licht first found a love of jazz music and focused a great deal of time on the guitar. He received a composition degree in New Hampshire and travelled around Europe writing music and developing his craft. After moving to L.A., Licht was noticed by Clive Barker (of Hellraiser fame) and the two worked together on a number of projects. Licht was fond of using odd items in his music – especially for ‘Dexter’ – such as surgical tools, saws, bones and whatever else created his unique macabre sound. You will be missed.

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Capt McNeely

Aug 4, 2017

From the Crypt

Something Terrifying Is Coming Down The Chimney with ‘Red Christmas’

For the so called “happiest time of the year” Christmas sure contains a lot of misery. From racist Uncle Gary drinking one too many Eggnogs, to your sisters brat kids driving their RC cars into your heels, for anyone who doesn’t have the happiest relationship with their family, Saint Nicks Day can make you feel like putting an icepick through your eye. But even the Manson family probably doesn’t have as fucked up a holiday as the poor saps in Red Christmas. Starring Dee Wallace, perhaps best known as Elliot’s mother in E.T. (but at her best as the tough as nails canine killer Donna Trenton in Cujo) Red Christmas follows “Diane, a matriarch presiding over the gathering of her squabbling grown children on Christmas Day. Tensions give way to terror when a deformed stranger appears at the door with vengeance on his mind. Diane must protect her family as limbs are severed and secrets are brought into the light.”

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Capt McNeely

Aug 3, 2017

ClipsMoviesNews

Get An Eyeful Of The Artwork For, ‘SLAW’

As you Little Monsters may remember, a few months back I reviewed a crazy horror-comedy containing cabbage and carnage called SLAW…please forgive the lengthy alliteration. In advance of the film’s VOD release in October, the folks at Green Apple Entertainment have revealed the artwork for the film’s poster. Now, y’all know the drill, click on one or both of the pictures below to see it larger. Now that you’ve had a chance to take a gander at the poster art, you’ll no doubt see that it is very similar to that of the concept for James Wan and Leigh Whannell’s maniacal brainchild, Saw. Of course, as you can see, this concept features a severed hand holding a huge dollop of coleslaw garnished with an eyeball on top…mmmm, yummy. You have to admit it’s a very eye-catching poster design. See what I did there – huh – huh? Yeah…OK, that was…that was bad. Anyways, keep a weather eye out for any

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Capt McNeely

Aug 3, 2017

News

Woman (In Horror) Crush Wednesday: Christina Ricci

Welcome back, my Little Monsters! This week it’s Woman Crush Wednesday in more ways than one. It not only refers to the day of the week, but arguably this wonderful Woman of Horror’s most famous character – Wednesday Addams. That’s right it’s the spooky, tiny, lovely and talented Christina Ricci. Christina is the baby of the family, being the fourth out of four children born to Sara Murdoch and Ralph Ricci. You could say she’s a California girl, having been born in Santa Monica. But Christina actually grew up in Montclair, New Jersey, where she attended Edgemont Elementary School, Glenfield Middle School, Montclair High School, as well as the Morristown-Beard School and then the Children’s Professional School in New York City. Christina was discovered by a critic from a Bergen County paper, The Record, at the age of eight years old, while performing in a school production of The Twelve Days of Christmas at Edgemont Elementary. She wasn’t originally cast

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Capt McNeely

Aug 2, 2017

From the Crypt

Flowers Fight Back in ‘FLORA’

Plants haven’t been given a good wrap in horror movies in recent years, with high profile bombs like The Happening and The Ruins making audiences everywhere if shrubs can actually be scary. Well one upcoming film is looking to put the fear back in flowers. FLORA, set in 1929 and already racking up some impressive awards if its website is anything to judge by, follows a small expedition of botanists entering an uncharted forest system and having to fight back against the ancient and deadly plant life that surrounds them. How those plants actually go about the process of murder is yet to be seen, although I could do without yet another film featuring acidic vines. The trailer is certainly slick, and the early 20th century setting could potentially be a lot of fun. If this film is a sort of The Ruins meets King Kong, what with all the galavanting around desolate forests and Model T’s, it could certainly

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Capt McNeely

Aug 2, 2017

True Story

Canadian Nurse Of Death Is Finally Sentenced

“I am truly sorry for the people I injured and murdered. Sorry is much too small a word.” These words by former nurse Elizabeth Wettlaufer were spoken after she was sentenced to life in prison with no chance for parole for 25 years. I know, I know, Canada is known for hockey and apologizing, but unfortunately we breed monsters too. This 50 year old nurse plead guilty to eight counts of first degree murder with 4 counts of attempted murder and 2 counts of aggravated assault. All of which occurred at various nursing homes in Ontario, Canada. Wettlaufer believed that, after years of drug and alcohol abuse, she had not only found, but been chosen by God to be an instrument in his hands. She admitted to injecting her patients with insulin — which goes unnoticed in autopsies — and watched them fade way. This near-decade long crime spree has finally come to an end; however, the scariest thing is

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Capt McNeely

Aug 1, 2017

EventsNews

Long Beach, California’s Queen Mary To Serve Up A Full Course of Fear This Fall With ‘FEAST’

Southern California’s premier haunted Halloween event returns on September 28, and this time the Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor is serving up FEAST, a new maze, sure to satisfy even the most voracious horror appetite. According to a recent press release, this new maze will tell the tale of Chef, a legendary spirit of the historic R.M.S. Queen Mary. From the press release… “Chef and his long-forgotten legend have resurfaced and will be brought to life through FEAST, the new horrific maze onboard the ship venturing into previously unrevealed areas of the Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor. Chef and his carnivorous kitchen staff have resumed their deadly duties, collecting new victims for Chef’s latest recipes. All who dare will swelter with fear as they crawl their way out of Chef’s scorching oven to reach their final destination…Are YOU ready to be served?” For horror fans it doesn’t get much better than walking through a haunted maze on board an ACTUAL haunted vessel,

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Capt McNeely

Aug 1, 2017

Reviews

Movie Review: ‘Circus Kane’ Is Equal Parts Greasepaint And Gore

Circuses and carnivals, as well as the folks associated with them, are some of the oldest vessels of fear known to the modern population. Why? What’s so scary about circuses? For some it’s the atmosphere, with its hot, unnatural lights and brightly painted colors. It’s like living in a perpetual acid trip. For others, it’s the constant illusion–nothing is as it seems. For most folks that fear circuses, though, the fear stems from something far more specific. Clowns. On September 8th Uncork’d Entertainment and DeInstitutionalized, along with director Christopher Douglas-Olen Ray, will bring all of these fears together under one big top with Circus Kane. I had the chance to watch this greasepaint-smeared, cotton candy-smelling offering prior to its release next month and I’ll give you the lowdown below…. I generally go into an indie horror-flick with pretty mild expectations. I mean, let’s be honest–it’s a tough genre and for those of us that have been around the thrills, chills,

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Capt McNeely

Jul 31, 2017

MoviesReviews

Movie Review: ‘WTF!’…Yeah, That’s Kinda How I Felt.

Rachel is a young woman who has lived through an ordeal that would leave most people completely shattered. During a gathering with a group of friends, a brutal bloody massacre occurred, with Rachel emerging as the lone survivor. A few years have since passed, and some would say that time heals all wounds. It just so happens that Spring Break is almost upon her and her new group of friends. And if there are any of those old demons lurking in her subconscious, perhaps a getaway with said friends would be just what the doctor ordered. Even her brother is in tow, acting as sort of a security blanket. So the group packs up their party favors and other necessities, and hit the road to the swanky, secluded vacation home of the deceased uncle that belonged to one of Rachel’s friends, for a relaxing week away from the hustle and bustle and crowded beaches of the average spring break. I

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Capt McNeely

Jul 29, 2017

From the Crypt

No Giant Spider For ‘IT’ Remake

The original IT miniseries had some strong elements, but it also had some weaker ones, perhaps most memorably the animatronic abomination that was Pennywise’s final form. Taking the form of a giant spider that wouldn’t look out of place in an episode of Goosebumps, much of the horror and tension of the previous 3 hours is replaced with laughter and befuddlement. Yes, the spider was in the book, but not everything that works on the written page works on the screen. That’s certainly evident here. Thankfully Bloody-Disgusting has reported that there will in fact be no arachnid in the upcoming remake. “Muschietti’s version will show more of Pennywise adapting into various forms that are based on the children’s individual fears. However, it will not show Pennywise as a giant spider like it did in the 1990 miniseries adaptation.” As someone who loved the novel but hated the mini-series (with the exception of Tim Curry) this is good news. While the

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Capt McNeely

Jul 29, 2017

Capt McNeely

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