Alex's Halloween (2008)

Though no masterpiece, director Daniel Persitz’ short family film entitled “Alex’s Halloween” is a touching and sweet slice of life about a boy with an over active imagination and his quest to get as much candy as possible on Halloween. Starring the hilarious Jane Lynch of “Glee,” she plays an over protective health obsessed mother who reduces her two sons to eating health food for dinner every night and even saves pumpkin guts for soups. Alex’s older brother Matt who openly expresses annoyance toward his little brother who is prone to dressing in costumes and concocting his very own fantastic fantasies, makes a deal with Alex. He’ll go trick or treating with him only if he can get enough candy to last them through the year to avoid eating their mother’s food.

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Best Worst Movie (2009)

best-worst-movie-originalThere is a certain undertone of sadness present in “Best Worst Movie,” as its mainly a testament to the dangers of filmmaking and the potential for either making a masterpiece or what is considered the worst movie of all time. “Best Worst Movie” is a charming and enthusiastic portrait of the lives of an array of actors, all of whom took part in the 1990 abomination entitled “Troll 2.” What we learn is that these people have been affected by it and its cult status whether they know it or not and we follow star Michael Stephens around as he re-connects with his co-stars and attempts to comprehend why this film has suddenly caught on. Perhaps it was ahead of its time, perhaps cynical horror fans just need some absurdity and innocence and are just bonded with its sense of innocence and incoherency. Regardless Stephens, who refused to touch the movie again after starring as protagonist Joshua, grabs the legacy of this film and discovers an underground of followers who treat “Troll 2” as an almost religious experience.

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Troll 2 (1990)

“Don’t let them eat, Joshua. For the love of God don’t let them eat.”

Making a really bad horror movie and linking it to a respectable movie for the hopes of financial returns and name recognition is not a new thing. Video companies have been doing it for decades, it’s a common practice in the direct to DVD market. Not to mention the cult classic “Zombie” alludes to being a sequel to “Dawn of the Dead,” even though it really isn’t. But somewhere down the line to avoid being thrown in to obscurity as it rightfully should have been, “Troll 2” is not a sequel at all, it is instead a really god awful movie about Goblins and… really bad acting. There isn’t a single decent performance in the entire film and it’s all so laughably embarrassing that it’s almost impossible to deem this as so bad it’s good.

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The Loved Ones (2009)

the-loved-onesIf John Waters and John Hughes ever conceived the idea for a modern day “Misery,” we’d essentially get this Australian horror gem known as “The Loved Ones,” a movie that’s centered around an impending prom and two rather demented love stories that concern fractured love and new relationships. After accidentally crashing in to a tree Brent kills his father and six months later is a train wreck committed to smoking pot and putting himself in as much danger as possible. He also makes a hobby out of cutting himself and inflicting pain.

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The Addams Family: The Complete Series (DVD)

There will always be a place for America’s ghoulish family The Addams and I assume in lieu of the proposed Tim Burton re-launch, the Hanna Barbera animated series from the early seventies is something of a necessary property to re-live the nostalgia for fans of the franchise and help them hunger for Burton’s new vision. Featuring the entire series in a four DVD set, “The Addams Family” is quite a departure from the normality of the creepy Addams Family this time venturing out beyond the series to offer up some Scooby Doo mystery solving.

One of the highlights of the series is the discovery that a young Jodie Foster (Yes, that Jodie Foster) voices Wednesday Addams. Beyond that this is a typical cash in from the Hanna Barbera legacy. Instead of leaving them in one place to cope with everyday life, instead the Addams take their show on the road driving around in a humongous Victorian Mansion/RV that brings aboard all of the Addams for the fun.

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Pie Tins & String: Celebrating "Plan Nine"

“My friend, can your heart stand the shocking facts of grave robbers from outer space?”

In some plane, I can see why Ed Wood would turn to Criswell for advice on the future. The man is so insane and incoherent and yet so stern in his predictions that he’d naturally be deemed something of a deity or messiah to someone as nutty and eccentric as Edward D. Wood Jr. In fact if I could meet someone alive or dead, I think I’d love to sit down with Criswell and pick his brain while munching on some acid, because I think my head is doomed to explode from the utter inanity and absurd circular logic this man will inevitably spew for hours on end if given the opportunity.

For many, the most infamous and most attractive aspect of “Plan Nine” is Criswell, an element of a science fiction movie so unnecessary it’s astounding to sit and watch. Criswell serves no purpose to the overall narrative of “Plan Nine” beyond narration, and even then there’s really no need to explain everything before our eyes.

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Our Top Ten "Treehouse of Horror" Episodes!

Treehouse_of_HorrorIn spite of what you may think of the current state of “The Simpsons,” the fact remains that the show is a dynasty and the annual “Treehouse of Horror” episodes however bland or mediocre they have become are a tradition and one that garners good ratings for FOX every year. “Treehouse of Horror” began as a little nod to Halloween with spoofs of The Twilight Zone and classic urban legends and soon rocketed in to something of an event for the entire crew of The Simpsons to satirize and poke fun at classic horror movies to great episodes of The Twilight Zone. Zombies, King Kong, Robots, Monkeys Paws, Aliens, Witches, Frankenstein, haunted houses, nothing was off the table, and this allowed the creators of the series to throw a party every year for us horror fans to show us what they can do when they rode off the rails of the storyline and allowed for some fun to be had and blood to be shed.

Though none of the new installments have actual tree houses, the origin of the yearly gimmick began with “Treehouse of Horror” where Homer, deciding to scare Bart and Lisa, begins listening in on separate horror stories told by Bart and Lisa in a treehouse, both of whom tell the scariest stories they can think of in an attempt to scare each other. What begins as mocking laughter soon transformed in to Homer going back to bed that night realizing he couldn’t quite go back to sleep thanks to the effectiveness of a good horror story, properly told by two little children with a lot of imagination. While none of them are at all really disturbed by one another, Homer has learned that a good horror story can do wonders for inducing insomnia. Horror is best when imagination is at play, and “Treehouse of Horror” took what was a one and done little nod to Halloween and turned it in to its very own gimmick going balls to the wall every year devising some of the best moments in the series barnone.

Here are ten of our favorite moments from “Treehouse of Horror,” episodes brilliant, hilarious, and just plain memorable.

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