Tag Archive | "horror-movies"

Jason Thorson

Raimi Returns: Drag Me to Hell Review

Posted on June 5, 2009 by Jason Thorson

Not too long ago I would’ve decorated my kitchen with Evil Dead wallpaper had such a product been available. I was fully prepared to name my first born child Ash and the thought of having a chainsaw-enhanced appendage didn’t seem all that bad to me.

Then Sam Raimi made three underwhelming Spiderman movies and I managed to get married. These events ushered in a new, more restrained era in my life and I agreed to relinquish both the home decorating and child naming duties. I also grew bored with Sam Raimi as a filmmaker. I got through it mainly by buying approximately 17 versions of each Evil Dead movie on VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray. It’s obvious that those in the Home Video racket understand there are suckers out there like me, so why not release these movies incessantly and with slightly different packaging? I’ll buy them. But I digress.

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Flames

Drag Me To Hell Movie Review

Posted on May 29, 2009 by Flames

Always treat others how you like to be treated, or else you will get a sinister Gypsy curse placed upon you. Within 3 days your life turns to hell, and then you go to there.

The movie tells the story of Christine (Lohman), a young loan officer who is struggling to get a promotion at her bank. She faces stiff competition from Stu (Reggie Lee), a conniving trainee who wants the same assistant manager position Christine wants. When the opportunity comes to make a decision that will help her career, she decides to foreclose on Mrs. Ganush’s house. Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) believes Christine has shamed her by refusing to help her keep her home, and stalks Christine to her car. After an over the top fight scene involving car crashes, a fist fight involving office equipment, and a vicious gumming at the hands of Mrs. Ganush (you read that right), she places a curse upon Christine, calling on the Lamia to exact her revenge.

Review by John D. Kennedy

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Slasher Flick RPG Review

Posted on April 13, 2009 by davidahilljr

Slasher Flick is just over 100 pages, an RPG all about octopi. (That’s actually not true.) It’s written and designed by Cynthia Celeste Miller, produced by Spectrum Games. The game is called Slasher Flick. The pages are edged with blood. It’s not a game about serious exploration of the serial killer phenomenon, it’s not a strategy wargame. It’s a game about sitting around a table, having a night like one spent with an actual slasher movie, only in RPG form.

Slasher Flick is simple and focused in nature. Mechanics focus on the drama and tropes of the genre, instead of “killing the bad guy.” Characters are more likely to think the sound of the villain sneaking up is the wind, than a sign that they need to go monster hunting.

Review By David A Hill Jr

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Flames

Midnight Syndicate Films releases trailer to The Dead Matter

Posted on September 13, 2008 by Flames

The first trailer to the The Dead Matter movie is now online at www.T3nTh1rtyOne.com, a Halloween website hosted by Hot Topic. The site features the trailer, production stills from the movie, music from Midnight Syndicate’s new The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates CD, and a The Dead Matter Flyaway Contest sponsored by Midnight Syndicate Films and Hot Topic.

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Matt-M-McElroy

Jennifer Rodgers at Monster-Mania

Posted on August 10, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy

Jennifer Rodgers will be vending at Monster-Mania 11, August 22nd through 24th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill, NJ. Jenn will be selling her line of creepy greeting cards, including the new “Thank You” design. She’ll also have prints and original artwork of her many illustrations for horror and fantasy role-playing games. More [...]

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Matt-M-McElroy

The Samaritan - Hellboy II

Posted on July 13, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy

Sideshow is proud to bring you this 1:4 scale prop replica of ‘The Samaritan,’ Hellboy’s famous pistol used in the film Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
The display stand features an engraved B.P.R.D logo and four bullet display spaces. The round red portion of the base can be detached, and features a magnet imbedded on the [...]

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Flames

Chicago Horror Convention on June 27 - 29

Posted on March 9, 2008 by Flames

Flashback Weekend 2008
By Day - Flashback Weekend features Chicago’s most complete Horror/Movie Memorabilia convention featuring Celebrities, a stunning dealer’s room, costume contest, special events, and…
By Night- Horror Party Central featuring Charles Band, the New Millennium Theatre Company, the First Annual Flashback Weekend Zombie Pinup Beauty Pageant, and much more!
www.flashbackweekend.com

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Matt-M-McElroy

Midnight Syndicate’s The Rage Soundtrack

Posted on February 26, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy

For the past eleven years, Midnight Syndicate has been taking you on musical journeys into the darkest corners of your imagination with their soundtracks to imaginary films. Now, in 2008, they bring their music to the soundtrack of an actual horror film, Robert Kurtzman’s thriller, The Rage. The result is a CD containing menacing ambiance [...]

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Matt-M-McElroy

The Nominations are in…34th Annual Saturn Awards

Posted on February 21, 2008 by Matt-M-McElroy

The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films has announced the nominations for the 34th Annual Saturn Awards.
“300” battles “Harry Potter” and “Sweeney Todd” at the 34th Annual Saturn Awards
Leading the nominations this year is the groundbreaking film, “300” with 10 nominations. “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” follows close behind with [...]

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Flames

30 Days of Night Movie Review

Posted on November 6, 2007 by Flames

Review by: Jason Thorson

David Slade has provided us genre geeks something to get excited about. 30 Days of Night is quite simply a very solid horror flick. All the ingredients for success are here: good acting, beautiful photography, and great source material. It’s scary, fun, and dramatic, while also giving us a nice example of the potential this genre has to deliver engaging stories. And if a month in the dark shows us anything about modern horror, it’s that David Slade’s future is looking very bright.

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Flames

Devils Rejects Movie Review

Posted on October 9, 2007 by Flames

The Devil’s Rejects is Rob Zombie’s follow up to his House of 1,000 Corpses though most of it is so different to House of 1,000 Corpses, despite being a sequel, that you wonder if it really is a sequel in spirit. The Devil’s Rejects feels more like a remake than a sequel per se, a sequel made by someone who has come off the fun psychedelics and sobered up.

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Flames

Darkness Movie Review

Posted on June 18, 2007 by Flames

Upon watching the unrated DVD version of Jaume Balaguero’s Darkness (2002/2005), I experienced a first. It was the first time that I would rather have been watching a safely edited PG-13 version of a horror movie (U.S. 2004 theatrical release). It’s not because the unrated version of Darkness is too frightening, gory, or disturbing, but rather it’s longer and given this movie’s lack of originality or anything entertaining at all, length in this case is a negative attribute.

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Flames

Hitcher Movie Review

Posted on June 9, 2007 by Flames

Well, I’ll just start off by saying that the movie has a really good grabber with the two main characters going on vacation, but from there it only gets worse. Grace and Jim (the main characters) plan to go to Mexico on their spring break trip. But sadly, the first night they get stuck in a rainstorm, and then they see a guy on the road and almost hit him.

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Monica Valentinelli

Taking a Bite Out of Horror: A Guide to Reviewing Horror Films Like the Pros

Posted on January 7, 2007 by Monica Valentinelli

Horror-genre lovers (like you and me) can’t resist sharing our love of the macabre. If we tell our friends about a dog of a film, they probably won’t go to see it. How then do we write a film review that finds the happy medium between gushing over the latest hit and bashing that worthless dud?

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Monica Valentinelli

White as a Ghost: Flames Rising’s October Movie Guide

Posted on October 7, 2006 by Monica Valentinelli

Fresh from the grave, here are some horror movie releases that will be sure to check under your bed at night. Whether you’re traveling to the theatre or renting from your local video store, grab some popcorn and prepare to scream.

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Flames

Marriage of Virtue and Viciousness

Posted on June 5, 2006 by Flames

Available at Amazon.com
As the Mask of Humanity slips, the kindred of Chicago now have to deal with the inevitable Indulgence that is rumored to happen. Not only has that come up, but the infamous Solomon Birch, Bishop of the Lancea Sanctum, faced a possible coup from inside his own church because of his forced vinculum [...]

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Flames

Interview with author Greg Stolze

Posted on March 11, 2005 by Flames

How did you get into gaming?
Many years ago, before my voice changed, I got the green box D&D set from… man, somewhere. I think I was in fourth or fifth grade. I think it had an Errol Otis cover and the sample characters had names like Morgan Ironwolf and Gutboy Barrelhouse. I also recall that [...]

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Flames

28 Days Later Movie Review

Posted on December 15, 2004 by Flames

Public synopsis: A powerful virus escapes from a British research facility. Transmitted in a drop of blood and devastating within seconds, the virus locks those infected into a permanent state of murderous rage. Within 28 days the country is overwhelmed and a handful of survivors begin their attempts to salvage a future, little realizing that the deadly virus is not the only thing that threatens them.

Well that’s just the blurb that is given to the general audience via the back of the video box. But this movie amounts to so much more than most people could have anticipated. A very finely crafted movie with a cast that delivers some top-notch performances and a story that’s sure to keep you in your seat. I’ll try not to give away too much in the way of spoilers but I’m sure a few will leak their way in.

Review by Peter Amthor

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Flames

Aliens vs. Predator Movie Review

Posted on September 24, 2004 by Flames

This was one of the biggest let downs ever. The funny thing is that it starts off so well…interesting, new concept. Then half way through the movie it takes a turn for the worst and our “hero lady” (who’s acting leaves much to be desired with her foul one liners and fake conviction) runs beside the Predator…with an actual scene that looks like Batman and Robin. They made the Predator look so weak as he needs the help of this human. Another big Hollywood destruction of characters created by individuals with originality.

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Flames

Interview with Ron Edwards

Posted on July 20, 2004 by Flames

How did you get into gaming?
I’ll restrict “gaming” to mean role-playing in my case, because other activities under that label have meant very little to me. I like board games and card games as well as anyone who’s not a gamer likes them, and I regard wargaming with a kind of bemused shock.
In the middle [...]

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Meet some of the Flames Rising crew at these upcoming conventions:

Odyssey Con (April 24-26th)

WisCon (May 22-25th)

Madison Games Day (May 30th)

Wizard World Chicago (August 6-9th)

GenCon Indy (August 13-16)

Reviews Wanted!

The new Review Guidelines have been posted on the Flames Rising website. We are currently seeking a few good reviewers to help us expand our collection of horror and dark fantasy reviews. RPGs, fiction, movies, video games and more are all welcome on the site...

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Use the Contact Page to submit reviews or let us know if you have any questions.

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