The Big Toe Blog

Monday, May 12, 2008

Killer Klownz From Outer Space: Movie Review #14

KILLER KLOWNZ FROM OUTER SPACE (1988)

This is the movie that started it all. I remember watching it on cable over and over as a kid, and it still remains one of my favorite horror flicks of all time. Taking the common fear of clowns to a whole new level, The Chiodo Brothers used creepy clown puppets to craft a story that has become a classic in B movie horror. The storyline is ridiculous - a UFO-like circus tent lands in a field in the middle of nowhere, signalling the attack of balloon-twisting pyschos from another dimension. The clowns terrorize the town, turning their victims into cotton candy cocoons and drinking their blood through twisty straws. The Chiodo Brothers went on to create puppets for movies like Critters (1986) and Team America (2006), but Killer Klownz is, in my opinion, their best work. Many have tried to imitate the film, but none have succeeded in outdoing it. I give the film 5 toes and it still holds the number 1 spot in my top ten horror movies involving clowns.

http://www.chiodobros.com/

Cryptic Art by Unkle Pigors

CRYPTIC ART (2008)

The latest book of art from the sick and demented mind of Unkle Pigors is now available courtesy of Baby Tattoo Books. Filled with disturbing cartoon-like images in vivid color, every page is splattered with his signature style. Pigors himself encourages you to "pick your new tattoo from this book" and I must say, I'm tempted to do an entire sleeve of this guy's work. He's got a pretty neat website too, with all kinda of cool merchandise, my favorite being the Spookhouse DVD. Click here to view the trailer.

http://www.toxictoons.com/old_entire_site/index.html

Video Violence: Movie Review #13

VIDEO VIOLENCE 1 & 2 (1987)

When renting is not enough!

The 80's were wonderful! Not only did we get to see slasher films at their peak, but there is a wealth of really awful low budget films to dig up from this decade. Video Violence come to us from Little Zach Productions, a small film company responsible for only 1 other film. These are two of the worst movies I have ever seen, and I mean that in a good way (worth mentioning is that both films are on the same DVD, released in 2007 at the bargain price of only $13).

In the first film a couple open a video store in a small town, only to find that their customers exclusively rent horror and porn (what else is there really?). It all goes downhill when an unmarked tape gets returned to the store, showing the local postman being butchered on camera by two local murderers, Howard and Eli. Part 1 is rather boring, but the sequel comes through on all fronts.

In Part 2 Howard and Eli broadcast their own pirate TV show from an undisclosed location, gathering a cult following of splatter fans who submit their own homemade snuff films. It's like a twisted America's Funniest Home Videos, where the two killers introduce the video submissions all while slicing and dicing a naked woman on the set for the entire film. Videos are submitted by a husband and wife who electrocute a man in their basement, using a homemade electric chair. A trio of half naked college girls order a pizza and hack the delivery boy to pieces after getting him stoned and drunk. A hysterical commercial break about a pet named Wilbur, who parents can buy at the local pet shop to "do their dirty work" (aka kill their children). The movie is maniacal, the gore is low budget and over the top, the acting will make you cringe, and the music is completely ridiculous. I give Video Violence 4 toes.

http://www.amazon.com/Video-Violence-1-2/dp/B000MRNWFG

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Pigeons From Hell #1: New comic from Dark Horse

PIGEONS FROM HELL #1

Brought to us by the wonderful people over at Dark Horse comics, Pigeons from Hell is a new release of the classic Robert E. Howard story, written with a fresh new take by Joe R. Lansdale and illustrated by the young & talented Nathan Fox. Set in the deep south, a group of friends pay a visit to a house with a family history, and plenty of secrets. Neglected for years, an entire room of the house is filled with dead pigeons and has a frightening cold presence, even with the hot summer heat outside. Other than that, we are given very little information in this first issue, and I was left with an uneasy feeling after reading it. The dark & subtle tones brought forth by Fox and the mystery of the old house leave you both wanting more and feeling uneasy. I wouldn't necessarily call this a "horror" comic (issue 2 may prove me wrong), but there is definitely an aura of haunting. My only gripe is the comic was over before it started, so needless to say I can't wait for issue two to find out more . . .

Purchase a copy of Pigeons from Hell here. And make sure you pre-order the Uncle Creepy statue while you're at it. Thank you Dark Horse for two amazing items in 2008!

Twisted Tales Comics

TWISTED TALES (1982 - 1984)

Pictured left is the first issue of Twisted Tales, which only pushed out 8 issues and was published by Pacific Comics in the early 80's, with an additional 2 more by Eclipse when Pacific went bankrupt. The brains behind the operation was one man by the name of Bruce Jones, who wrote all but 3 of the stories and had also spent some time scripting Creepy and Eerie years prior. I remember grabbing 5 of the 8 issues at the same comic shop where I got my Tales From The Crypt fix, which coincidentally was the comic that inspired Jones to create Twisted.

The difference between the two is that Twisted Tales often had "twists" at the end of each story and the illustration was laced with nudity, which was basically non-existent in the EC comics. Take a look at the cover on the left - a half naked woman with huge tits having her dress pulled off by the walking dead. What more could a 10-year old boy ask for? I remember coming home from the comic shop with issues of Twisted Tales and the EC reprints tucked inside the latest Marvel release, so my Mom wouldn't see how I was spending my paper route money. Being too young to rent horror films, I relied on these comics to scratch my horror itch. Almost 20 years later, with the help of EBay, I was finally able to complete my Twisted Tales collection by snatching up the 3 issues I missed.

The fellas over at Deadlicious have great scans of all the covers over at:

http://deadlicious.blogspot.com/search?q=twisted+tales

Friday, May 9, 2008

The EC Archives: Tales From The Crypt Vol. 1

Tales From The Crypt Volume 1 (2006)

Issues #1-6

My favorite comic series ever published was re-released in a hardcover edition titled The EC Archives, spread across 2 full volumes. Volume 1 includes comics #1-6 in vibrant color, with over 200 pages hosted by our dear friends The Crypt Keeper, The Vault Keeper, and The Old Witch. Reading through the volume took me back to my younger days when I would ride my bike to Count Dracula's Comic Crypt for the latest issue of Tales - you can't put a pricetag on this kind of nostalgia, so the $35 I paid for this book was worth every penny. More importantly, the illustrations are the source of my inspiration as a fellow artist and horror fanatic.

In my favorite tale, The Maestro's Hand, a talented pianist loses his hand after an accident in the kitchen. The doctor amputates the limb in an attempt to gain the love of the maestro's wife, who then commits suicide after the maestro does the same, unable to cope with the fact that he will never play the same again. The doctor then exiles himself to a remote cabin, where a package arrives with the maestro's rotting hand inside. The hand comes to life, terrorizing the doctor and eventually strangling him to death. A classic revenge story illustrated by the one and only Al Feldstein, one of my favorite horror artists of all time.

This book comes highly recommended to any comic horror fan and will make a great addition to your bookshelf, along with Volume 2 and The Vault of Horror Archives that accompany it.

http://www.eccrypt.com/