Lifetime Achievement Award: Kane Hodder

To the hardcore horror fan, Kane Hodder needs no introduction. For many die hard fans of the Friday the 13th series, he is known as the REAL Jason Voorhees. After all, Kane has played the role of the slasher from Crystal Lake more than any other actor who has donned the famous hockey mask. He is one of the scariest men in horror, and we believe he is the only actor who portrays a slasher who has actually killed people in real life. Kane is also great to his fans. He often makes appearances at horror conventions, including the Monster Mania Convention held in Cherry Hill that we attend every year. He is a real nice guy in real life even though he looks like he just got done eating a baby. He was made a legend with his work as Jason Voorhees and various other movies including BTK, Ted Bundy, and Hatchet. We believe the first ever Blog of the Dead Lifetime Achievement Award should go to Kane Hodder for all the afforementioned reasons. He is truly a legend in the horror genre.

Selected Works:

Actor:

• Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) ... Jason Voorhees
• Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) ... Jason Voorhees
• Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) ... Jason Voorhees
• Pumpkin Head II: Blood Wings (1993) ... Keith Knox
• Wishmaster (1997) ... Merrit's Guard
• Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror (1998) ... Bartender
  
• Jason X (2001) ... Jason Voorhees/Uber-Jason
• Monster (2003) ... Undercover Cop
• The Devil's Rejects (2005) ... Cop with Gas Mask
• 2001 Maniacs (2005) ... Jason
• Hatchet (2006) ... Victor Crowley
• Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield (2007) ... Ed Gein
• Bundy: An American Icon (2008) ... Warden
• BTK (2008) ... Dennis Rader

Stunts:

• The Hills Have Eyes Part II (1985) ... (stunts)
• Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) ... (stunt coordinator) (stunts)
• Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990) ... (stunts)
• Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) ... (stunt coordinator)
  Spawn (1997) ... (stunts)
• A Night At the Roxbury (1998) ... (stunts)
• Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000) ... (stunts)
• The Devils Rejects (2005) ... (stunt coordinator)
• Hatchet (2006) ... (stunt coordinator)
  

In the news...

Hello all my fellow horror junkies. Chuck here bringing you some headlines in the world of HORROR! Every now and again I will post some exciting news about all different kinda stuff. Here's a few right now:

• The trailer for "Saw VI" is now available online. Will they ever stop making these movies?! The first one was OK but come on now we get it! Anyway, to view the trailer, click here
• We can now catch a glimpse of the new Freddy Krueger from the upcoming "Nightmare on Elm Street" remake. I admit that he doesnt look too bad, but its still a HUGE turn off to know that the legendary Robert Englund isnt behind the make up. The pic isnt great quality, but its all we got for now. To see the new Freddy, click here
• George Romero news everyone...George Romero has finally decided on a title for his upcoming flick about...you guessed it - ZOMBIES! The title of the new film, at the moment, is "Survival of the Dead." The movie reportedly takes place on a small island town. More details still to come!
• The Sci-Fi (now SyFy) channel produced remake of Children of the Corn finally has a television release date. September 26 fans will have the opportunity to see the movie updated.
• From Tromaville: Troma will be releasing the Spanish Zombie film "The Hanging Woman" on DVD September 29. The movie was made in 1973, and has yet to make its North American DVD debut. Premise:
  

  Paul Naschy plays a supporting role as a deranged gravedigger in this zombie movie, set in a small highland village in 19th-century Scotland, where a stranger's arrival to claim an inheritance is met with apocalyptic visions and other evil omens. The town unearths a crypt full of horrors, including a devil-worshipping coven and throngs of the living dead. -- taken from upcominghorrormovies.com
  

That's all I got for now...be sure and stay tuned to BLOG OF THE DEAD for some more news in the future!

Review: The Haunting in Connecticut

Let's start off by saying how excited we were to see this movie. Ever since the day of its release, we've tried to see it. From 5 trips to Hollywood Video, to coming up empty on XBOX Live and Comcast OnDemand, it finally arrived in the mail through Netflix. We were finally going to get to see this movie which had evaded us for weeks.

Quick Spoiler Free Summary:
The Haunting in Connecticut is based on the true story of a family who moved into an old mortuary in Southington Connecticut. They moved into the house because it was cheap and closer to the hospital where the eldest son, Matt, recieved treatment for cancer. Matt starts having visions of the mortuary in its earlier years. The family soon realizes that they aren't the only ones in the house.

Review
Plot- 3/5
There were no problems with the plot. It was easy to follow due to a lack of twists and plot holes. It was so easy to follow it became predictable. It wasn't terrible, it was just extremely average.

Acting- 3.5/5
The characters in the film were believable, except when they were supposed to be scared. They were almost nonchalant when it came to the insane paranormal activity happening right in front of their faces. Not to say that it was dead panned the whole time, but when the real balls to the wall paranormal phenomonena occured, they seemed to have an absence of emotion.

Special Effects- 4.5/5
This movie had no lack of special effects. The ghosts and poltergesit activity were believable. The special effects were well placed throughout the movie, having no instances of unnecessary effects, or extensive shortage.

Fear- 2.5/5
This movie wasn't as scary as it tried to be. There were a couple parts where certain things popped out, but nothing to put you on the edge of your seat. Toward the beginning it seemed as if things were "just there." They weren't emphasized enough, which could cause you to miss certain things if you were not attentive. The good effects made things a little more frightening, but not enough to warrant a higher rating.

In Conclusion- 3.5/5
We feel that this movie is not terrible, but is by no means great. If you are a hardcore horror fan, this movie will not entice you. As it truly lives up to its PG-13 rating. Its good for a weekend rental, but would be no special inclusion in your horror movie collection.

Welcome...

Welcome to Mike and Chuck's Blog of the Dead. This blog is designed to bring you movie reviews, discussion, and anything else that is horror related. We are a couple of friends from New Jersey who have a strong dedication to all things horror. We spend as much time as possible watching horror movies, documentaries on the paranormal, and anything else we can get our hands on. In this blog you will read reviews of movies, both past and present, as well as our own stories of the supernatural. We welcome any suggestions for posts and all user comments are welcome. Keep watch on this new site for upcoming posts including a review of "the Haunting in Connecticut" and a diatribe about what we thing is wrong with the horror genre.