This year I give thanks to the nice person who uploaded this trashy fake movie trailer (from the movie Grindhouse) to Youtube. GOBBLE GOBBLE!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
FAREWELL COUNTESS DRACULA
I was just forwarded the email below that actress Ingrid Pitt has suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. I had the pleasure to meet her a few times and thought she was really down-to-earth and witty. As a young lad seeing House that Dripped Blood in the theater and Countess Dracula on tv she was one of the first sexy vampires that caught my eye. She once told me she lived for awhile in Silver Spring, Maryland - my home town! That blew my mind. I hadn't seen her in years. She will truly be missed by myself and the thousands of horror fans who've grown to love her from her film roles as well as her many convention appearances.
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From the BBC News 23 November 2010 Last updated at 17:55 :
Hammer horror actress Ingrid Pitt dies aged 73
Hammer horror actress Ingrid Pitt, best known for starring in cult classics such as Countess Dracula, has died at the age of 73. The Polish-born star passed away at a hospital in south London after collapsing a few days ago. She was regarded by many fans as the queen of Hammer Horror films. The star's death comes weeks after film-maker Roy Ward Baker, who directed Pitt in The Vampire Lovers, died at the age of 93. Pitt's daughter told the BBC News website that her mother's death had come as a "huge surprise". After the actress has collapsed recently, doctors told her was she suffering from heart failure. "She could be incredibly generous, loving, and she'll be sorely missed," Mrs Blake said. She added that she wanted her mother to be remembered as the Countess Dracula with the "wonderful teeth and the wonderful bosom".
'Gloriously uninhibited'
Official Hammer historian Marcus Hearn paid tribute to the star, calling her a "talented actress and fine writer".All fans of Hammer and of British horror are going to miss her terribly”. He added: "She was partly responsible for ushering in a bold and brazen era of sexually explicitly horror films in the 1970s, but that should not denigrate her abilities as an actress." A good friend of the actress, Mr Hearn said she was "gloriously uninhibited" and "great fun to be with". Although she was not the first female star of a Hammer film, Mr Hearn said she had always been "very proud" of becoming the first prominent female protagonist in a Hammer after her role in The Vampire Lovers. "All fans of Hammer and of British horror are going to miss her terribly," he said. She began her career with fairly minor roles in several Spanish films in the mid-1960s. But in 1968 she landed a supporting role in war movie Where Eagles Dare, appearing alongside Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton. The actress got her breakthrough role two years later in the horror thriller The Vampire Lovers, which was a box office success. Several Hammer movies followed, firmly establishing her as one of the key women of British horror of the 1970s. Her other film credits included The Wicker Man (1973), Who Dares Wins (1982), Smiley's People (1982) and Wild Geese II (1985). Pitt made regular appearances at horror conventions and penned several books about her career in the genre.
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From the BBC News 23 November 2010 Last updated at 17:55 :
Hammer horror actress Ingrid Pitt dies aged 73
Hammer horror actress Ingrid Pitt, best known for starring in cult classics such as Countess Dracula, has died at the age of 73. The Polish-born star passed away at a hospital in south London after collapsing a few days ago. She was regarded by many fans as the queen of Hammer Horror films. The star's death comes weeks after film-maker Roy Ward Baker, who directed Pitt in The Vampire Lovers, died at the age of 93. Pitt's daughter told the BBC News website that her mother's death had come as a "huge surprise". After the actress has collapsed recently, doctors told her was she suffering from heart failure. "She could be incredibly generous, loving, and she'll be sorely missed," Mrs Blake said. She added that she wanted her mother to be remembered as the Countess Dracula with the "wonderful teeth and the wonderful bosom".
'Gloriously uninhibited'
Official Hammer historian Marcus Hearn paid tribute to the star, calling her a "talented actress and fine writer".All fans of Hammer and of British horror are going to miss her terribly”. He added: "She was partly responsible for ushering in a bold and brazen era of sexually explicitly horror films in the 1970s, but that should not denigrate her abilities as an actress." A good friend of the actress, Mr Hearn said she was "gloriously uninhibited" and "great fun to be with". Although she was not the first female star of a Hammer film, Mr Hearn said she had always been "very proud" of becoming the first prominent female protagonist in a Hammer after her role in The Vampire Lovers. "All fans of Hammer and of British horror are going to miss her terribly," he said. She began her career with fairly minor roles in several Spanish films in the mid-1960s. But in 1968 she landed a supporting role in war movie Where Eagles Dare, appearing alongside Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton. The actress got her breakthrough role two years later in the horror thriller The Vampire Lovers, which was a box office success. Several Hammer movies followed, firmly establishing her as one of the key women of British horror of the 1970s. Her other film credits included The Wicker Man (1973), Who Dares Wins (1982), Smiley's People (1982) and Wild Geese II (1985). Pitt made regular appearances at horror conventions and penned several books about her career in the genre.
Ingrid bares her fangs in House That Dripped Blood (1971)
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
THE SOUND OF VIOLENCE
Recently I was re-watching William Peter Blatty's quirky movie The Ninth Configuration, an under rated thriller of sorts from 1980 that is rather hard to pin a label on. And there's this intense scene where lead Stacey Keach, as the seemingly pacified Col. Vincent Kane, gets badgered into a bar fight with a group of nasty bikers with bad eye liner. Kane is pushed and pushed to the very edge of tolerance and finally, when he snaps, he lets loose a "gut wrenching scream" that sounded strangely familiar to me. A sort of deja boo!, as it were. In fact I was quite sure I had heard it many times in other movies or tv shows. One for certain was the over-the-top comedy series Wonder Showzen which seemed to have use it several times. Later I was reading what comments people had made about Ninth Configuration on the imdb message board when, lo a behold, a discusion of said scream included a link to a website called Not The Wilhem Scream. Yes, an entire website that is a tribute to that same one scream. The scream which, incidentally (and thanks to them), can be heard here:
Once you visit this website and learn the history of the scream I know that you, like myself, will sleep better tonight. God bless.
Once you visit this website and learn the history of the scream I know that you, like myself, will sleep better tonight. God bless.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
EERIE PUBS MEETS JOHNSON SMITH: THE COOLEST MONSTER VIDEO EVER MADE?
Jason Willis of the legendary Scarstuff monster record blog has just posted the most amazing video on youtube and it is being re-posted here below with his permission.
Some of you might remember my blog last year about the Eerie Publications and how a copy of "Weird" magazine blew my little 8 year old mind out back in the Summer of 1973. Well Jason has taken a bunch of that great cover art and made an animation set to the sounds of the Johnson Smith horror sound effects record from the 1970s. I myself remember originally hearing this record in the '70s when my friend David Balaban ordered it from a comic book. The first side was your standard ghost and thunder type effects. But the second side really cuts loose with demons, banshees, space aliens and a torture chamber. Even as young kids we thought that it sounded so ultra-cheezy, with flubbed lines and effects that sounded like it was recorded by 2 drunk dudes in a large bathroom on their lunch break from the office. But that didn't keep us from playing it several times over! The record ends with Krishtor the alien threatening to destroy the Earth. I used to leave that as the my outgoing message of my answering machine. I later learned that much of the Johnson Smith 7" was lifted from a full length LP called "Spook Stuff" which I was later lucky enough to find on eBay. Anywho, I was thinking of posting the record on the Trash Palace blog when I stumbled across Jason's great video which I gratefully re-post here! (Thanx Jason!)
Some of you might remember my blog last year about the Eerie Publications and how a copy of "Weird" magazine blew my little 8 year old mind out back in the Summer of 1973. Well Jason has taken a bunch of that great cover art and made an animation set to the sounds of the Johnson Smith horror sound effects record from the 1970s. I myself remember originally hearing this record in the '70s when my friend David Balaban ordered it from a comic book. The first side was your standard ghost and thunder type effects. But the second side really cuts loose with demons, banshees, space aliens and a torture chamber. Even as young kids we thought that it sounded so ultra-cheezy, with flubbed lines and effects that sounded like it was recorded by 2 drunk dudes in a large bathroom on their lunch break from the office. But that didn't keep us from playing it several times over! The record ends with Krishtor the alien threatening to destroy the Earth. I used to leave that as the my outgoing message of my answering machine. I later learned that much of the Johnson Smith 7" was lifted from a full length LP called "Spook Stuff" which I was later lucky enough to find on eBay. Anywho, I was thinking of posting the record on the Trash Palace blog when I stumbled across Jason's great video which I gratefully re-post here! (Thanx Jason!)
Thursday, October 21, 2010
HALLOWEEN BURLESQUE SPOOKTACULAR!
This Sat. October 30th Trash Palace will be providing the monster wallpaper videos at this wild upcoming event which also features a live performance by our in-house cave-stompers The Ubangis! If you are anywhere in or near Washington, DC this Halloween weekend you could do worse then to attend...
Saturday, October 30th: It's the Voodoo Nights Halloween bash! Doors 8pm; Show 9pm Price: $15.00 . Mayhem, Music and Ghoulesque! Featuring: The Ubangis live in concert! Plus: Live Sideshow & Burlesque hosted by Jonny Porkpie with Rev. Valentine, DC's sideshow girl Mab Just Mab, Baltimore's Kay Sera and the High Priestess of Burlesque Jo Boooobs!! Don't miss the Costume Contest with cool Prizes! *Post show DJ & Band Dance Party with live Go-Go Dancing by Candy Del Rio! This show is for ages 21 and over. Advance tickets are available at www.redandblackbar.com .
Saturday, October 30th: It's the Voodoo Nights Halloween bash! Doors 8pm; Show 9pm Price: $15.00 . Mayhem, Music and Ghoulesque! Featuring: The Ubangis live in concert! Plus: Live Sideshow & Burlesque hosted by Jonny Porkpie with Rev. Valentine, DC's sideshow girl Mab Just Mab, Baltimore's Kay Sera and the High Priestess of Burlesque Jo Boooobs!! Don't miss the Costume Contest with cool Prizes! *Post show DJ & Band Dance Party with live Go-Go Dancing by Candy Del Rio! This show is for ages 21 and over. Advance tickets are available at www.redandblackbar.com .
Saturday, October 16, 2010
MONSTERS WE'VE KNOWN AND LOVED (1963)
Around 1970 I remember seeing a re-broadcast of this black & white 25 minute tv special when I was just a kid. I didn't realize it was an episode of a 1963 tv series called "Hollywood and the Stars". If I recall, it ran one Saturday afternoon on our local UHF station WDCA - Channel 20 - in Washington, DC, in between a few old horror movies. (Thank you Dick Dyzell!)
This fun collection of clips ranging from monsters of the silent movie era to classic Universal-type monsters to the z-budget zombies of Ray Dennis Steckler's "Incredibly Strange Creatures..." cult flick, from classic horror stars to giant monsters, is a long time fave of mine. And as I didn't see it posted online anywhere I thought I'd slap it up just in time for Halloween. And so, in the words of narrator Joseph Cotten, "Now, don't send the children to bed. We want all of you to meet... Monsters We've Known And Loved."!
WATCH PART 1 OF 2:
WATCH PART 2 OF 2:
LINKS:
Buy Monsters We've Known And Loved along with the 1944 feature film Cry of the Werewolf, both on 1 DVD-R, at Trash Palace here!
Hollywood And The Stars on the Internet Movie Database at www.imdb.com/title/tt0056765/
Thursday, September 16, 2010
THE HORROR, THE HORROR... REALM, THAT IS! (AGAIN!)
This year's Horror Realm convention (known as Zombiefest a few years back) has a TON of guests from the original Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead movies, plus John Amplas, star of George Romero's Martin, the lead actress from the recent scat-tastic cult film Human Centipede, and a Basket Case reunion! Plus other horror actors, artists, authors and... wrestlers! There will be film screenings and a costume ball dj'd by yours truly! And Trash Palace will have a dealer's table there Saturday afternoon and Sunday and, yes, Bella Buttons - the world famous Trash Palace pooch - will also be in attendance! Oh boy!! For more information on the 2010 Horror Realm convention check out the Horror Realm website at http://www.horrorrealmcon.com/
Speaking of Bella Buttons: Below you can check out a very brief 34 second excerpt of a video review from last year's 2009 Horror Realm convention shot by some blokes called Visions Magazine. If you look closely you'll catch a brief glimpse of me chatting with blogmeister Max Cheney aka The Drunken Severed Head. Or The Severed Drunken Head, depending on what angle you are looking at him. But more importantly it ends with Bella Buttons manning her own little doggie DVD store. For the full 4 minute video clip check out this Youtube link.
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