Tuesday uEtsy: Blood Bath

[Etsy.com's tagline is "Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade." Coincidentally, there's a lot of spooky on Etsy, and each Tuesday, we highlight one of the sellers. If you're looking to spruce up your look, redecorate your tomb or get a gift for that special something in your afterlife, Etsy.com is a place for spooky econo.]

Bloodbath (http://Bloodbath.etsy.com)

'Your Flesh is Dying For It!" boasts Bloodbath, and to be honest, we think they're right. Word from Doc Killian down at Serene Pastures says that the Hernandez kid, what caught in a bad motorcycle accident, was seen clutching a bottle of BLOODBATH Morbid Moisture BODY LOTION in the autopsy photos, despite no internet access at the mortuary and Killian's practice of sending the orderlies out with oak table legs on any solicitors, lawyers or postal workers. Seems that the Hernandez kid's body was dying for a bottle of Morbid Moisture, literally and figuratively.

We don't really encourage you to go off and be that extreme, unless you've master the ability of post-mortem purchases. Last time we checked, VISA tends to frown on corpses buying stuff. So while you're alive, might as well take care of yourself in the best way possible. Why not try some of Bloodbath's fine products? Take, for example, these Sugar Scrub Cubes. Stripping away the stank of a job well done is vital if you want to make friends, influence people or not be pelted with rocks when you show up at the front office to clock in the next day. It's just an idea, because dang, if we don't have plenty of rocks.

One might think that the Vegan Perfume offered here might look like a tin of snuff or a car of sardines, we're thankfully glad that it isn't either and would encourage any of you (snuff, chaw and sardine fans alike) to put down those tins and pick one one of these. In according to the phrase, 'a little dab will do ya,' we'd like to see more dabbing of Bloodbath products and less salted fish smelling like tobacco.

People die every day, throughout the year. It's a fact we all know but it's one that we here at GdL don't like to admit, mainly because it means working in the winter. The ground's pretty hard. Sure, bodies smell less atrocious due to the forgiving cold weather but it takes Freakshow Bernie's backhoe to get a good six feet down into the ground. And he doesn't let anyone else drive it, it being his pride and joy. That means waiting out in the cold for him and 'Norma' to do the heavy lifting. And that means - chapped lips. Thanks to Bloodbath, there's some fashionable and flavorable relief waiting for us come the first freeze. Morgue-A-Rita- Margarita goodness, Gasberry Lemonade, Screamsicle and Candy Corn are some of the offered flavors that might save your lips or encourage you to eat them.

We're fans of soap, here at the Local. So it's great that Bloodbath also includes some coffin shaped products meant to keep you clean, whenever you're finally forced (by pitchfork) into a shower. Take care of yourself, peoples. You have plenty of time to stink when you're dead.

Wonderful products to be had by all, and we encourage you to go have some. Hit up Bloodbath at their Etsy store or their official blog. And come back here next week for another Tuesday uEtsy at Gravediggers Local 16.

Freaky Tiki Surf-ari: Strange But Surf

Strange But Surf
Official Site
Swimming in Reverb, Rancho Records 2007


Surf can be a strange genre at times. It can both exist independently and be connected to Tiki culture. Despite the name "surf," a surf song can have little or nothing to do with surfing (something that will be made very obvious over the course of the Freaky Tiki Surf-ari). What makes surf music "surf" is its distinct "wet" sound. Said sound is made by the spring reverberator in amplifiers for electric guitars, which can sound like waves. Hence the title of Strange But Surf's second album, Swimming in Reverb. Interestingly enough, the CD's cover shows the band in front of a Tiki bar called Otto's Shrunken Head. This is the essence of Freaky Tiki Surf-ari: the mixture of Tiki, surf music and horror.

According to their Facebook page, Strange But Surf came into existence in 2003. That page also has a great quote from the band themselves: "More than just Surf, we combine Blues, Oldies, Rockabilly and more into our own genre of music, known as Strange But Surf." Their online radio station also lists "Spy, Space, Horror, Tiki, and Lounge" as sources of inspiration. Although Swimming in Reverb is largely a surf album, some of these influences are present.

Click Here to Read More

Freaky Tiki Surf-ari: The Sound of Tiki

It all started when Strange Jason sent me a link to "Gateways to Geekery" article about exotica music from the Onion AV Club. Not only was it a great, highly informative read (although the author is laughably wrong about the quality of modern exotica groups), but it made me realize the connections between exotica/Tiki culture and horror.

My realization of this was sparked by noticing how menacing the idols depicted on the cover for Les Baxter's Ritual of the Savage looked. This got me to think of how masks play a big role in both fandoms and inspired me to do further research into the matter. I soon realized that exotica was not necessarily all tropical flowers and sunshine. There is a darker aspect focusing on the forbidden and taboo. There's the shrunken heads of Arthur Lyman's Taboo II, Robert Drasnin's Voodoo series and songs (and album covers) involve frenzied pagan rites, weird cries in the night or strange stone gods on forbidden islands. Is the intended goal of bringing customers into an artificial environment filled with spooky sounds sought by the designers of haunted attractions really all that far off from the goals of those who make Tiki bars and put the animal calls in many an exotica song? And let's not forget the popularity of "zombies" in both Tiki and horror cultures...

Some of you are bound to be asking yourselves questions like "What exactly is exotica," "what is 'tiki culture,'" and "how does the surf music fit in?"

It's tempting to take the easy way out by linking to some very informative websites on the matter and then move on to the next review. Instead I'll explain things by reviewing a CD/booklet combo by the renowned Tiki authority, Sven A. Kirsten.

Click Here to Read More

Tuesday uEtsy: Craftie Robot

[Etsy.com's tagline is "Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade." Coincidentally, there's a lot of spooky on Etsy, and each Tuesday, we highlight one of the sellers. If you're looking to spruce up your look, redecorate your tomb or get a gift for that special something in your afterlife, Etsy.com is a place for spooky econo.]

Craftie Robot (http://CraftieRobot.etsy.com) 

Probably wondering 'hey, GdL16. Why is today's Tuesday uEtsy going up so late? I have all this money and I need to spend it supporting home-made goods and independent artists." That's a very good statement-question-statement, anonymous reader we just made up. See, today was a very busy day. June is coming to an end and we're glad for that, since it's been muggy, disastrous and all around tough to handle. Busy work, busy bodies, busy work burying busy bodies. In other words, we've been carrying a heavy workload and it finally caught up with us.

Fortunately, this week's Tuesday uEtsy is great for us and for those of you who need to carry your own work, burden, crosses or tunes. Craftie Robot specializes in spooky, nifty and downright fashionable messenger bags.

Informational and functional, this Zombie Protection mask displays an often overlooked step in dealing with the un- or freshly dead. Plus, it's stylish in that 'gangreen rot' color that can always be used to an advantage when fitting in.

Perhaps you're not so much for protecting against as you are shooting at Zombies. This bag here displays which side of the dead v. alive side you choose. It's a simple and slightly elegant design about the oncoming apocalypse.

It's not all Zombies at Craftie Robot. Here, the classic symbol of death and pirates can be a way for you to tell people you are carrying poison, doubloons, radiation or that it's not a good idea to mess with you on the bus today. Plus, it, like all Craftie Robot bags, fits most laptops and allows you to carry enough oranges to stave off scurvy.

There have been many of times where we needed a cheat sheet when it came to first learning which muscles did what, where the whatis was and what exactly we shouldn't poke with the end of our shovels in case we needed to get a mop. Similarly, you can have your own method of quickly finding nerve points and the right muscles to sever with a prison shank with this lovely anatomic display on your own bag. Probably should avoid the prison and any other situation that involves the word "shank" or "shiv."

Like most on Etsy, Craftie Robot expands to more than just one product. One of their other offerings is this lovely display of the human heart on a wonderful desk lamp, forged from a glass box. Add some atmosphere and some anatomy to your workspace, sleep space or love space. Hearts. Love. Light. Glass. It all goes together.

The final bit is a great item. It's a belt whose buckle showcases a molecule of caffeine. Thank goodness for the stuff. Look, if you need to pick yourself up or pick your pants up, this is the belt for you. Walk into any store, point to your belt, say "THIS. NOW." If anyone doesn't know it, they don't deserve your business. And anyone who gives you a cup of coffee deserves every dime you have on your body.

And so does Craftie Robot, so head on over today. Buy something, carry your weight, light up your light and keep your pants off the ground. And keep coming back here every Tuesday for another Tuesday uEtsy. 

Defrosting The Minnesota Iceman

For the uninitiated, the Minnesota Iceman was sideshow exhibit featuring a hairy, manlike creature encased in a block of ice owned by a mister Frank Hansen. Hansen originally claimed to have bought the iceman in Hong Kong, which had been brought there by sailors who fished it out of cold Russian waters. Other tellings gave the location as Japan and Mr. Hansen later claimed to have shot it himself while deer hunting, adding that he could obtain another such specimen for the price of a stun gun. The final origin story was the most outlandish: the iceman was owned by a millionaire creationist who wanted to see how the public would react to it without alerting any scientists who might use it as further evidence of evolution. Naturally, he sought out Hansen, loaned him the iceman, and had him take it on tour.

In 1968 (two years after the iceman debuted), one Terry Cullen contacted a scientist with an interest in Bigfoot and other rumored beasts, Dr. Ivan Sanderson. Cullen has actually seen the exhibit in 1967 and was intrigued enough by it to contact numerous scientists in the hopes that they'd examine it. Sanderson contacted a like-minded scientist, Dr. Bernard Heuvelmans (the "father of cryptozoology") and they contacted Hansen to have a look at it. They were not allowed to thaw it out and could only look at it through the thick ice encasing it in a dark trailer. Both men left thinking that the iceman was the real deal. Not only that, but they felt that its popped-out, bloody eye and the shattered arm raised near the head indicated that the iceman had been gunned down recently and was not merely the frozen prehistoric being that was advertised! Could it really be the remains of some unknown hominid or could it have been real human corpse that had been altered for dramatic effect? After all, at least one real human corpse had traveled the sideshow circuit before, so the idea isn't technically unrealistic.

Convinced that what they had seen was real, Sanderson and Heuvelmans got to work on articles about the iceman. They also contacted Dr. John Napier in the hopes that he could get the Smithsonian Institute would look into the matter. Due to the "recently shot" theory, the FBI was even contacted about the matter (although they never looked into it)! Frank Hansen was less than pleased by this when word got back to him (presumably from seeing Sanderson talk about the iceman on The Tonight Show). The iceman was temporarily removed from view while Hansen debuted his "creationist millionaire owner" story in an announcement to the public in 1969 and explained the owner had taken it back and he was now only able to show a replica. Sanderson and Heuvelmans soon reported that the alleged replica was not what they had originally examined.

To make matters worse, the Smithsonian had found a special effects company that claimed to have made the iceman in 1967! Perhaps this is why Sanderson included an overly complex method of making an iceman-like figure in his article about the Minnesota Iceman, which contradicted the paper's earlier claims that it would be impossible to make a fake corpse, hinting at a last-minute insertion. In any case, both of the men who examined it continued to insist that no model could have fooled them and they had seen a real creature (although this contradicts Hansen's later story that he shot the iceman while hunting, stored it in a home freezer, and only displayed the model based on it).

Why would Hansen claim to exhibiting a model of a real creature after the people behind the Iceman model were found? Simple, it because would've killed his business in the long run for him to display something that was commonly known as a fake. But if it was advertised as a "recreation" of something, then there would still be some interest.

Now, despite the owner's constantly changing origin stories for the creature (a classic sign of a liar) and the fact that it was displayed in carnivals, a surprising amount of people cling to the idea of the iceman being a real Bigfoot! Why? When asked, said people often say that the iceman was found to be real by two trained biologists and that the creature bore a striking resemblance to the description of a Vietnamese "wildman." However, that actually doesn't mean a whole lot...

Click Here to Read More

More Cool Cover Art

While browsing through the recent "Gravedigger's Local 16 Flashback" entry, I couldn't help but find myself drawn to the "Cool cover art" entry. Although the website noted in it (Critical Condition Online) is the undisputed king of online VHS cover art collections, I was inspired to see if there were any other sites devoted to cover art scans out there. I was not disappointed:

Itsonlyamovie.co.uk has a nice selection of British VHS covers from before the infamous "Video Nasties" crackdown.

Retro Slashers has a wonderful collection of the sort of slasher film box art that used to thrill us back in the day.

Both the Uranium Cafe and Friday the 13th: The Website have some cool pages devoted to VHS covers.

The Lightning Bug's Lair has a cover gallery devoted solely to Christmas-themed horror movies.

Toho Kingdom has numerous pages devoted to both VHS and DVD covers.

Last but not least, the Horror Section offers a huge collection of covers from the best section of the video store, along with reviews and other goodies.

Gravedigger's Local 16 Flashback

After getting some good responses to linking to old GdL16 entries on Twitter, we here at Gravedigger's Local 16 have decided to start a new feature spotlighting our older material. Each "Flashback" entry will showcase a variety of vintage gravedigger goodness for you to enjoy.

Why? Because we've put a lot of time and effort into our work and we'd hate to think any of our older material will go unread. This is especially a problem for the material written after the site went on an unplanned hiatus and a lot of our early readers vanished. So, without further ado:

Art Appreciation:

Cool Cover Art
Bob Eggleton Rules
Pumpkin Awesomeness
BEST PICTURE EVER
Graphic Displays of Halloween

Musings:

Pumpk'n
Finally, it's Fall
Happy Halloween
AVOID AT ALL COSTS
Deep(ly Odd) Thoughts
Critters: Special Edition?
The Ghoulies are good enough
Throw back the coffin lid - and RISE!
If you want a job with guaranteed stability, learn to dig graves.

General Goodness:

Relics and Reptiles
The Gremlins Return
The "Ultimate Haunt"
Half a Pint of Snakebite
It Came From Wikipedia
Duane L. Jones (1936-1988)
The (Vincent) Price is Right
Vintage Halloween Insanity
The Gremlins Return...Again!
Grandpa and the Midnight Mutants
Oh May!George Takei and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Tuesday uEtsy: Jackie Hates You

[Etsy.com's tagline is "Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade." Coincidentally, there's a lot of spooky on Etsy, and each Tuesday, we highlight one of the sellers. If you're looking to spruce up your look, redecorate your tomb or get a gift for that special something in your afterlife, Etsy.com is a place for spooky econo.]

Jackie Hates You (jackiehatesyou.etsy.com)

Folks, it's alright to hate - if you hate the right things. We're not fond of moral relativism here at the Local since it opt to leads people to question reputable sources under the 'Who's to say?' Who's to say how deep a body should be buried? Who's to say when to engage in proper excavation rites? Who's to say if it's right or wrong to use the recently dead as extras in your community theatre's production of 'South Pacific?'

Moral mucking is something meant for filmmakers and philosophers. Here, it's okay to hate. It's good to hate fear, hate weakness and hate annoying people talking loudly on cellphones while you wait to order a burger during your lunch break.

That's where this week's Tuesday uEtsy, Jackie Hates, You comes in. There's plenty of inappropriately ways to display your hate and very few socially acceptable ways. As you can see from the woman's t-shirt below, you can proudly display your hate in a way that makes it attractive and sensible.

Granted, and we say this with little involvement, there's the term 'hater' out there. And, as such a phrase has come of it - "hater's gonna hate." And if you hate, or hate haters, you're pretty much establishing that it's okay to hate since there's little to be done about it. So be it the object or the source of the hate, hate goes and hate does.

Of course, there's plenty more than the HATE brand offered by Jackie Hates You. Notice the fine jewelry offered - as this large black skull poison ring. How better to display this hate than by slipping some liquid arsenic into the diet Pepsi of the office coworker who keeps forwarding you those email-chain letters warning you against the death of Christmas or how your elected official is secretly a lizard person? (Note: DON'T DO THIS ANY OF THIS: POISONING PEOPLE OR FORWARDING THOSE EMAILS! damn. really, people.)

Perhaps you hate all those dudes who think that some splattering of grease paint and some old clothes makes an "hip, edgy 'Dark Knight' Heath Ledger Joker costume." Or perhaps you really love bats. Hate or love, this is a really neat bat necklace offered by Jackie Hates You.

Perhaps it's Valentine's day or you've been dumped or perhaps you just hate all things good and lovely? Jackie's got you hooked up with this black anatomically correct heart. Deflate those helium-filled nitwits who keep talking about Cupid and chocolates and blah blah blah with this fantastic necklace. Or, use it as a method to cheat on a biology test and show your hate for both Mrs. Brown and THE MAN for holding you back.

If by now, you don't see how hate can be fun and somewhat profitable, we can't help you. I think it's been spelled out in big bold black letters so you might as well just send all your money to Jackie and hope that you somehow absorb a clue by the time it arrives. One of the finer things you can buy is this fashionable Skull and Crossbones pendant, which will at least make it look like you're one creature who knows where to direct some darkness and fury, even if you listen to nothing but Swedish Children's Techno while painting pink smiley faces on unused popsicle sticks.

Be sure to visit Jackie Hates You on Etsy and check out all the classy and demonstrative products that you can use in every functionable aspect of your life. And be sure to check back here next week for another Tuesday uEtsy.

Free RPG Day Is Here!

The Local has covered Record Store Day, Free Comic Book Day, and is now spotlighting Free RPG Day.

Free RPG Day was started in 2007 with the intention of promoting role-playing games to those with little-to-no experience in such matters. To do so, participating stores give out free adventures and "Quick Start Rules" to customers. Besides the fantasy monsters that appear in games like Dungeons & Dragons, horror fans might be interested in the following RPGs (which had free giveaways in prior Free RPG Days):

Call of Cthulhu
Geist: The Sin-Eaters
Hollow Earth Expedition

And to celebrate in our own special way, here are the first two installments of our "Free D&D" series:

Free D&D
Free D&D: Second Edition

For more information on Free RPG Day, the participating stores, and what freebies will be available, please visit the official website and Wikipedia entry.

Happy Free RPG Day!

Strange Trip: Friday the 13th - Part 3 (IN 3D!!)

Friday the 13th: Part III

Original Release: August 13, 1982

Pre-game Strangeness: Stick in 1.25 and get back 21.72. Multiply that equation by a million and we have the reason for PART III's existence. can't blame them, really. It was a movie that didn't central around a specific actor, so no star could hold out for more money. The set is disposable and so are the teens. The only memorable face for the first two movies is Betsy Palmer. 

Part II was a bit harder to handle because I think that Steve Miner, taking over for Chris Cunningham, tried too hard to follow in Cunningham's footsteps. Part I, now that I've had a while to get some distance from it, was nicely shot (albiet, slow for my sugar-soda-rattled brain.) Part II was excissive, with so much cast, drama and attempts to be everything at once. Bad jokes. Good gore. Nudity. You would think I'd be all for piling it on but restraint came be a virtue.


Not like that's going to really come into play here. Part III means "3 as in 3D." Remember to practice excessiveness in equal parts - for every bit that this movie gets dumb, take a drink. It's like a game, where nobody wins.  

With that said, let's get this trip started.

00:00:00 - Start

00:00:02 - The majestic Paramount, not to be confused with the majestic Parakeet.

00:00:06 - A Gulf-Western Company. Two places currently full of oil.

00:00:15 - 'Paramount Pictures Present' Positive Punks Pricing Pickled Pears.

00:00:20 - A Jason Inc./Frank Mancuso Jr. Production. Jason Inc.? Nice to know he went bus

00:00:26 - Part 3 - The Return of Steve Miner!

00:00:32 - Woah, woah -HEY! Wait. Pause.

Click Here to Read More

Free RPG Day Is Coming!

Don't forget, Free RPG Day is on June 19th this year! So whether you're a horror fan that already plays RPGs or are just interested in starting, mark your calendars and get ready for free role-playing game goodies!

Tuesday uEtsy

This week, we're taking a break while we continue to look around etsy.com for prime candidates for future Tuesday uEtsy spotlights. We want to thank those who we've spotlighted before, for each artists and creative person who takes the initiative to put his or her own products out for public sale are pretty cool in our book. Putting your handiwork up for sale, especially on the Internet, takes guts and we want to applaud and thank those who do it everyday.

If you want to nominate someone for a future Tuesday uEtsy, email us here with the subject 'Tuesday uEtsy Nom.' We here are the Local enjoy hearing from you. Have a good week and we'll be back next week with a new Tuesday uEtsy.

Strange Trip: Friday the 13th - Part 2

What happens when half a million dollars makes a TONNNEE of cash? ONE! MORE! TIME!

So here we are for this Strange Trip, going back to New Jersey for Camp Crystal Lake Redux or Friday the 13th - Part 2! 


This is a long one so let's get it going. Grab some beers, some bug juice, some strip monopoly and snacks. Because we never know what's around the bend (actually, we do. It's a dude with a BIG FREAKIN' KNIFE!)

00:00:00 - Start

00:00:03 - First movie was Time Warner/AOL. Second movie is Paramount.

00:00:05 - Only good joke from Animaniacs was as follows - "The mink is working for Fox; the par of legs is working for Paramount; and the fat guy who needs rehearsal is working for Universal."

00:00:11 - I should be more ashamed that I watched Animaniacs.

00:00:14 - A New Challenger Approaches! Steve Miner, taking over for Shawn Cunningham.

00:00:25 - Heavy Handed Horror Handguide: Use a kid reciting a nursery rhyme to emphasize innocence. Bonus: tie the kid to your killer by shooting it (in this case, a boy named Jesse) from the knees down right before your killer enters the frame, as you guessed it, shot only from the knees down.

Click Here to Read More

The Bandit That Wouldn't Give Up

If you've been looking up information on Jonah Hex in anticipation of the upcoming (as of this writing) movie, you might have noticed that (in the comic's continuity) his body was stuffed and displayed in various venues after he died. Sounds far-fetched or something that could only happen in a comic book, doesn't it?

Think again...

Click Here to Read More

Tuesday uEtsy: Monkey Minion Press

[Etsy.com's tagline is "Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade." Coincidentally, there's a lot of spooky on Etsy, and each Tuesday, we highlight one of the sellers. If you're looking to spruce up your look, redecorate your tomb or get a gift for that special something in your afterlife, Etsy.com is a place for spooky econo.]

Monkey Minion Press (http://monkeyminion.etsy.com)

What creeps up on you more unexpectedly than a zombie? Some damned occasion where you need to send out a card. Someone's birthday. Somebody's getting married. Hell, you need to say 'thanks' for getting Freakshow Bernie to bring his truck around and help you move a six-count of dead hikers from the mortuary to a nice plot over at Hillview.

Either way, the Local here encourages good etiquette and often times, it's better to send a card than to raise your voice. Plus, union rules dictate keeping a paper trail - keep it legal and legit, right. The work is rotten but the business is clean.

This is where Monkey Minion Press comes in, and they're the spotlight for this week's Tuesday uEtsy.

Never again be caught in a jam when you need to express a sentiment through the universal medium of the greeting card. Monkey Minion Press has all your needs, and in tasteful, artistic and undead representation of those emotions you may or may not like to express.

Romance in itself is hard enough, but to bring words into the equation? Killer. And kill you shall with this zombie heart valentine. Why wait for the 14th of February, when love, like zombies, smells strongly all year round.

Perhaps you wouldn't be caught dead at your Uncle Harry's wedding? ("Third time's the charm!" he says.) How better to convey that exact idea with this handsome wedding card. Go with something like 'Till Death Do You Part" or something off the beaten path, like 'Love Stinks!' The card comes blank to let your imagination, what's left of it, run wild.

Not all zombies eat brains. Most of them do, though. And look here at this gorgeous birthday card - brains! Look at that face. So happy, so joyous. Recreate that face of pure horror and delight with this card.

The brains behind Monkey Minion Press, Dane Ault and Ashlie Hammond, have put out a picture book called 'The Zombies Next Door.' We haven't read it but we can be sure it's pretty and gruesome and fun for all ages!

Monkey Minion Press doesn't just do zombies, though. They do zombies rather well, we must admit, but their talents do not stop at just the festering and the putrid. As you see with this, they can bust out the skills recreating prints of classic horror monsters. Classic and classy.

Their etsy site also has prints of various superheroes and science fiction stars that you might find worth putting up on your walls. And they're rather inexpensive so we could easily say it's a steal. You can also find Monkey Minion Press at their official website, their Facebook page and even follow them on Twitter. Go on, take a look, take a bite and have a zombastic time!

And join us next week for another Tuesday uEtsy spotlight!

Daikaiju! Giant Monster Tales

You can find horror anthologies devoted to just about every subject these days. Ghosts, vampires, werewolves, zombies, aliens, Frankenstein's monster, H.P. Lovecraft, slashers...the list goes on and on. But one subgenre was sadly neglected in the world of horror anthologies: good old fashioned giant monster attacks!

Thankfully, the fine folks at Agog! Press took notice and corrected this terrible oversight with a trilogy of books. Originally intended as a one-off release, the amount of submissions for Daikaiju! Giant Monster Tales was so great that the extra material was split off into two other books: Daikaiju!2 Revenge of the Giant Monsters and Daikaiju!3 Giant Monsters Vs. the World. Although the cover art and contributing authors change from book to book, the fact that they're edited by Robert Hood and Robin Pen remains the same throughout them all.

Thanks to Google Books, you can read lengthy previews of all three tomes. What awaits you? Complete stories and snippets, both serious and comical featuring original creations and, for all intents and purposes, famous daikaiju with their serial numbers scratched off (if you catch my drift). Some give their monstrous creations names and others opt to leave the creatures unnamed. I prefer stories that opt for the second method, as I feel it reflects the mysterious nature of the gigantic beasts that suddenly spring forth from the dark places of the Earth to trample cities while terrified citizens flee rather than concern themselves with naming something.

So please, give these books a try. I'll think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the sheer number of ways there are to tell a story about giant monsters (not unlike my surprise when I found that the first book had a story featuring Frank Wu's "Guidolon the Giant Space Chicken"). There's radiation, magic and even a zombified Paul Bunyan!

Daikaiju! Giant Monster Tales

Daikaiju!2 Revenge of the Giant Monsters

Daikaiju!3 Giant Monsters Vs. the World

If that isn't enough, there's Robert Hood's companion website and another story collection which I suspect was inspired by this series.

Strange Trip: Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th was released on May 9th, 1980 and with that, our boy Jason turned thirty this year. Three decades of Jason and a lot can be said about him, his mother and the whole franchise.

But really, I'm not the one to say it. Truth be told, I haven't seen every single movie. Butt his is the era of the Internet, where it takes an afternoon on Wikipedia or X-Entertainment and you can know all the important details about any major franchise of the last two decades.

But, I'll admit that is a bad excuse. If I was Catholic, I see it as admitting not knowing who the hell that Ratzinger fuck is, just feigning knowledge as "Oh yeah, the guy in the hat, right? Sure thing."

And this is the 30th Anniversary (the Pearl anniversary) and I feel that I owe it to the Voorhees clan to actually sit down and watch all these goddamn movies. For Jason, THE Jason.

Welcome to this Trip Report. A Strange Trip. A undead (not live) blog of our fond Summers away at Camp Crystal Lake, Manhattan, Hell and beyond. 2010 eyes here, and admittedly, without an extensive knowledge going into this. If this is a train wreck, then I promise as many casualties as possible. If you're reading this, you're probably a horror fiend so you like a little gore. Let's get bloody and down to business, shall we?

FRIDAY THE 13TH

ORIGINAL RELEASE: MAY 09, 1980

00:00:00 - Start.

00:00:02 - And here we go. Warner Brothers Pictures/AOL Time Warner. Already, we're starting in on the scary shit.

00:00:17 - "A Sean S. Cunningham Film." Wonder whatever happened to that guy?

Click Here to Read More

Tuesday uEtsy: dugshop

[Etsy.com's tagline is "Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade." Coincidently, there's a lot of spooky on Etsy, and each Tuesday, we highlight one of the sellers. If you're looking to spruce up your look, redecorate your tomb or get a gift for that special something in your afterlife, Etsy.com is a place for spooky econo.]

dugshop: The Audacity of Soap (http://dugshop.etsy.com)

We here at Gravediggers Local 16 emphasize good hygiene. Sure, when handling dirt, worms, possible dead bodies to sell to mad and not-so-mad scientists, it's easy to forget the smaller points of sanitation. Remember - the Plague can happen to YOU.

So, we're happy to spotlight dugshop on this week's Tuesday uEtsy. A fine seller of soaps, dugshop is a bone-a-fied treasure trove of horror and spooky theme sudsy assistants for all your germ-killing needs. And germs are the only things killed by this soap - the company says each product is 100% Vegan, so all you killers with bleeding hearts (or hearts still bleeding) can know that no animal biproducts are used in this soap.

Which is pretty damn amazing since some of it GLOWS IN THE DARK.

Yes, and with pictures! Here we see a famous scene from that mod-tastic, goofy classic 'Mad Monster Party.' Perhaps you've wanted to shower in the dark for a while, and find that candles don't really do it and fireflies are hard to keep alive. Surely, there has to be a solution. dugshop offers you that. Your soap glows. Get clean in total darkness by the light of this soap bar, all recounting some of your favorite characters from horror and history.

I mean, who WOULDN'T want to take Leatherface in the shower with them?

Perhaps you enjoy the light on while you lather, rinse and repeat? There are soaps for you.

This really can't be stressed - dugshop has the neatest soaps for anything. There are spooky themed ones, yeah, but they have ninja stars, alien heads, a multi-layered earth. It's pretty incredible. If you know of a kid who is at that point where they're not jaded by life and can get really enthusiastic about taking a bath with some bats (bat-bath!) then you owe it yourself for being a reasonably-good human being to purchase said bat soaps. Or, get them some colored skulls.

If you have someone who you think might appreciate either the subtle hint that they smell or might get a kick out of having an imprinted face of Nosterfatu or Dr. Frank N. Furter rubbed up and down their body, hell, this place is for you. Plus, at their most expensive, it's seven bucks. that's a steal.

Look at this. You can have that in your bathroom. Tell us you don't want that right now so we can call you a liar. Or tell us you don't want the Tiki soap below so we can call you a Double Dog Liar Pants on Fire.

There's really not much more to say, is there? dugshop offers homemade, 100% Vegan soaps that look better than most of the furniture in your house. We're surprised that you even got this far without going over there to make a purchase. Or maybe you have, you multi-tasker. Well, let us know (by dropping a note) the soap you just bought.

And join us again next week for another Tuesday uEtsy.

Mothra Madness

Mothra is actually based on a serialized Japanese novel called The Luminous Fairies and Mothra.

Mothra was supposed to battle the unused monster Bagan in a never-realized 1990 film called Mothra vs Bagan. Elements of that script, along with the similarly never made Godzilla vs Gigamoth, were utilized in the 90's version of Godzilla vs. Mothra.

Mothra is said to bear a resemblance to an European Peacock Butterfly.

During the DVD commentary for the South Park episode "Mecha-Streisand," series co-creator Trey Parker revealed that his favorite Japanese monster movie is Mothra.

After finishing Gravity's Rainbow, author Thomas Pynchon was rumored to have been working on a Mothra novel. However, this turned out to be untrue.

Wikipedia claims that Mothra's distinctive chirp was created by speeding up Anguirus' roar. That section also claims that Mothra was never realized by a person in a costume, which is disputed here.

In the movie Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior, Mothra's chirp is used to create Giratina's cry. The film was distributed by Toho (better known as the studio behind the Godzilla movies) in Japan...

In the American dub of The Magic Serpent, Mothra's chirp is used as the voice of a giant bird. Similarly, the film's dragon now has Godzilla's roar and the giant toad uses Rodan's cry.

The popularity of Mothra among women in Japan prompted Toho to make the 90's version of Godzilla vs. Mothra.

When Mothra was released in America, the distributor suggested that theaters should display radioactive materials in their lobbies in order to build publicity for the film!

Eagle-eyed daikaiju fans might notice how the eyes of larval Mothra are red in her cinematic debut, yet they turn blue in Godzilla vs. Mothra(aka Godzilla vs. the Thing in America). In fact, they stay that way for the remainder of the old school Godzilla movies).

If you look at official reference guides, Mothra is much larger than Godzilla when she appeared in Mothra and had to be scaled down for her appearances in the Godzilla franchise.

Batman: The Stone King

From his appearances on The Adventures of Superman radio show to the numerous "record/tape and comic" releases, Batman has always had a rich history in the world of audio dramas. The latest company to contribute to this legacy is Graphic Audio, with their series of adaptations of novels starring DC comics characters. Some of his appearances are as part of major crossovers, some are solo adventures and the Justice League of America dramas have him as a supporting cast member. Said dramas tend to focus on a single League member, although others argue that these are just JLA stories with a single member promoted on the cover. In this case, I'll be looking Batman: The Stone King, based on the novel of the same name by Alan Grant.

Why is a horror website reviewing a comic book themed audio drama? Well, let's look at the plot: a mysterious pyramid is unearthed in Gotham City in the aftermath of a dam burst. Said pyramid is filled with symbols associated with black magic. Needless to say, an ancient evil is unleashed and Batman is the only Justice League member left uncaptured as the entire world is in peril. Horror fans might also appreciate the interesting insights on the nature of fear that are sprinkled throughout the plot. Be warned, as there are minor spoilers ahead...

Click Here to Read More

Tuesday uEtsy: HorrorCrafts

[Etsy.com's tagline is "Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade." Coincidently, there's a lot of spooky on Etsy, and each Tuesday, we highlight one of the sellers. If you're looking to spruce up your look, redecorate your tomb or get a gift for that special something in your afterlife, Etsy.com is a place for spooky econo.]

HorrorCrafts (http://HorrorCrafts.etsy.com)

You'll find a lot of homemade jewelry on Etsy.com, which is great, because no two stores are exactly alike. In fact, it is the uniqueness of HorrorCrafts that makes it this week's Tuesday uEtsy Spotlight.

One of the more interesting pieces that HorrorCrafts offers in its store is this Ouija board themed bracelet. The photo charms give it a very mysterious look, perfect to complement any gypsy wardrobe or add a bit of spookiness to your work day. Imagine seeing your Vice President walking in, full formal work suit and this baby around his/her wrist. Corporate merger or spiritual takeover? BOTH. 

HorrorCrafts offers many types of photo-bracelets. From vintage horror comics, to classic anatomy drawings, up to non-horror themes like Andy Warhol and Frida Kahlo. One example is the Classic Tattoo bracelet, fror those who want something less expensive (and less permanent) than the actual thing.

But horror fans be not afraid. HorrorCrafts has bracelets with zombies, famous monsters, and even of candy skulls for Dia de Los Muertos. Which brings us to the next object, a Dia de Los Muertos ring.
--

Look at that classy piece of artwork. Seriously, imaging rocking that this coming November. I don't care what else you have on. That is some serious pull for the Day of the Dead. Get all the skeletons turning bleached-yellow with envy as you come strutting down with this on your finger.

Perhaps you're a classy gent or lady who thinks that brooches are the way to go. Perhaps you've lost your wrists in a tragic accident that has you pursuing your finger-themed revenge on a world that's done you wrong? You too can look classy and suave with some of HorrorCraft's wooden pin/brooches. They feature the poster art from classic movies and some of the greater stars of monsterland.

Who wouldn't want to have a blend of Christopher Lee/Coltrane 'Blue Train' on their chest? I'm serious. Look at that. If not your thing, how about some Steve McQueen with The Blob?

We don't usually say this around here, but that is BAD-ASS.

We were afraid of showcasing this last piece because our coffers are a bit thin at the moment and if we had the right shillings available, we would have gotten it ourselves. Along with the brooches, rings and bracelets, HorrorCrafts offers two-sided pendents. One of their better ones features the late Lux Interior and The Cramps.

Along with the horror-rock icons, there are punk rock medallions (Dead Kennedys, The Clash), Horror stars (Leatherface, Evil Dead) and such. Thankfully, HorrorCrafts also does custom orders so if someone swipes up the pendent before we dig up the right coins.

Head over to HorrorCrafts today. You'll find that everything is high quality and very reasonably priced. They do custom jobs and customer service is key with HC.

And join us next week for another Tuesday uEtsy spotlight.

Benediction (of sorts)

Here at GdL16, we are thoroughly against bootlegging, specifically the bootlegging that some companies do when they make reproductions of movies without getting the proper legal right to do so.

But, with that said, I just downloaded an mp3 of a "Weird" Al Yankovic demo that was clearly recorded from an episode of the Dr. Demento show nearly thirty years ago. And the hiss, static and evident sound that someone recorded this on a cassette deck has brought back the sensation of when I used to do the same thing. Just teenage and the radio held all that promise. I had a shoebox full of mix-tapes, actual mix-tapes with songs I had caught off the radio. Wild sounds. Amazing things, these wild songs of radio that could be captured with the press of a few plastic buttons on a very low-end stereo. Promise, though. Each of these cassettes held so much magic.

There's something to be said of the times lost, mainly that it's never really lost. There will always be a way to go back. Death is never the ending, perhaps could be theme of this post. Someone will always be able to upload an experience you thought you would never find again, out there for you to easily download in the early hours of a new morning.

Happy Sunday. Happy Digging.

Spook Show Bela

While looking through the online preview of Gary Don Rhodes' excellent Lugosi: his life in films, on stage, and in the hearts of horror lovers, I came across a reference (#57) to a never-realized 1948 spook show featuring Bela Lugosi. The idea of him doing a spook show did make sense. After all, he did have his own coffin and theatrical producers would cast him in plays in order to cash in on his name. These would tie in perfectly with the world of the spook show.

What is a spook show? Spook shows grew out the phantasmagorias of the 18th century, where "magic lanterns" (an early form of slide projector) were used to create images of specters and skeletons on screens (or smoke) in darkened theaters as the show's host would pretend to summon the dead in fake magical ceremonies. Multiple projectors, often on moving platforms and using glass slides with moving parts, were used along with sound effects to heighten the effect. Fully describing the history of phantasmagoria could easily take up this entire entry, so I instead invite readers to look at the two part "The Lantern of Fear" article at Grand Illusions.

Click Here to Read More

Gemora Greatness

In honor of Asian Heritage Month, let's take a look at the life and works of legendary gorilla suit maker/actor Charles Gemora.

Charles "Charlie" Gemora was born on August 15th, 1903 in the Philippines. Stowing away on a ship headed for America, Gemora arrived in California and made money selling portraits on the street in front of Universal Studios. His talent was quickly noticed and he was soon working in the special effects department. This led to his first onscreen role in 1928, a role that became a defining part of his career: a gorilla.

Click Here to Read More

The Ded Dave Show Show

We're always a fan of independent horror and cinema, so it was very kind for the folks over at The Ded Dave Show to clue us in to their little corner of the world, letting us know about their upcoming necro-cabaret of sorts:

"May 22, 2010 brings The Ded Dave Show SHOW to Theatre Bizarre in Detroit! Join the cast and crew for a complete night of live zombie entertainment! Three episodes will be shown on a giant screen, there will be zombie burlesque, a zombie eating contest, a best zombie costume contest, Eduardo Gallagher and his Mallet of Doom, and MORE!"

Look, if you're in Detroit already, good chances are that you're dead or will shortly become so. Might as well get on with the appropriate festivities. Zombie Burlesque. Contests. Three uncensored Dead Dave shows. Beer (21+). Seems like a great idea of a Saturday night.

Just because Michigan might be dying (cross our fingers it doesn't) doesn't mean it has to take it lying down. Or take it at all. C'mon, Detroit. Death didn't stop Dave and it sure as hell won't stop anyone from hitting up Theatre Bizarre this Saturday.

Theatre Bizarre (967 W State Fair Detroit, MI 48203) 

Admission: $5 for humans/$3 for zombies 

18 and older ONLY

Here's the promo for the event with its host, Eduardo Gallagher.

Tuesday uEtsy: Jerry Shirts

[Etsy.com's tagline is "Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade." Coincidently, there's a lot of spooky on Etsy, and each Tuesday, we highlight one of the sellers. If you're looking to spruce up your look, redecorate your tomb or get a gift for that special something in your afterlife, Etsy.com is a place for spooky econo.]

Jerry Shirts (jshirts.etsy.com)
This week's Tuesday uEtsy spotlight is Jerry Shirts, an Etsy store offering some really unique artwork on a different medium - old records.

It was this portrait of Cleveland's own The Ghoul that caught our eye. Since it's painted on a 12" record, Jerry Shirts says it can "be turned into a clock or hung as is." We think that it's good enough on its own, but if you want to convert it to have a classic horror host of the midwest tell you what time of day it is, this is the product for you.

On top of that, Jerry Shirts showcases some real talent. Take a look at the Night of the Living Dead record for sale. Want to have Karen Cooper keeping track of you? Who wouldn't?

On top of that, Jerry Shirts has Ash (Evil Dead), Regan MacNiel (The Exorcist) and such classic monsters as Frankenstein, The Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Mummy on old turntable favorites. Check out the image below of cult-hit 'Nightbreed,' vividly portrayed on a 12".

Along with horror both classic and new, Jerry Shirts offers painting of punk icons (Circle Jerks, Agnostic Front) and some stylistic renderings of Sanity, Guilt and meth-mouth.

Some of Jerry Shirts's more 'traditional' artwork showcases some of the founding fathers of horror rock: The Misfits. Both Jerry Only (above) and Doyle Von Frankenstein (below) are rendered on 8x10 canvas. Buy them both along with his Danzig portrait and stage your very own Misfits reunion.

A great steal for the prices offered, Jerry Shirts is a classy way to decorate your workplace, living room, bedroom or general punk-rock-horror hang-out place of choice. Head on over and check out his store today to see what he has available for you.

Along with the Etsy store, you can also find Jerry Shirts on MySpace.com (http://www.myspace.com/artforyoubyus) and on Facebook

Free (Legal) Download: Pig

Everyone seems to be offering free downloads lately. Rue Morgue has a free music album, Orbit Books and Black-Chandelier.com both have free wallpaper, and Yog-Sothoth has a monthly free download!

So it should come as no surprise that we want in on that action. Some of you might remember how Adam Mason's mostly one-take gorefest, Pig, was briefly available at various horror sites for its streaming online premiere. Although that promotion is now over, you can still see it before it comes out on DVD. Just send a request to Mr. Mason via email and he'll hook you up. He'll even give you the HD quality version if you ask nicely! Oh, and tell him that Gravedigger's Local 16 sent you!

He's The Boogeyman...and He's Comin' to Getcha!

I've followed professional wrestling for more years than I'd like to admit, and there have been some "spooky" wrestling gimmicks over the years.  Recently, I've been thinking about terrible wrestlers with terrific gimmicks.  What better place to start than with The Boogeyman?

The Boogeyman is actually Marty Wright.  Hardcore WWE followers remember Wright as the man kicked off $1,000,000 Tough Enough for lying about his age.  Claiming to be thirty, Wright was actually forty, five years past the cutoff date for eligibility.

This didn't stop Wright from signing to a WWE developmental deal late in 2004.  WWE is insufferably weird as a company.

In WWE storylines, The Boogeyman was part of UPN Network Executive Palmer Canon's "new talent initiative," a refugee from another UPN show.  I won't mention the storyline past this point, as I value my brain.

The Boogeyman appeared on both Raw and SmackDown! to sing nursery rhymes and confuse the shit out of people.  Here he is bothering John Cena:

Our favourite forty-something clock-smasher torments JBL:

The Boogeyman couldn't wrestle at all, aside from the token pumphandle slam and/or chokebomb.  That's not why he was in WWE.  No, The Boogeyman was pure spectacle and face paint.  I don't know even now what he was supposed to be.  The Boogeyman ate worms, smashed a clock on his head and danced funkily before entering the ring.

On the flip side, WWE's gimmicks in 2005-06 included Kerwin White, the Smackdown Juniors (my God, the Smackdown Juniors), Simon Dean, The Dicks, Shelton Benjamin's mama, The Spirit Squad, crossdressing Big Vito and Pirate Paul Burchill.  The Boogeyman fit right in.

The Boogeyman's greatest feuds, if I can use the term "greatest" to describe The Boogeyman, were with JBL and Booker T.  Said feuds happened early in The Boogeyman's run, during the winter and spring of 2006.  Marty Wright suffered a torn biceps during the Booker T/Boogeyman feud, and his character's momentum would never recover.

To be fair, Marty Wright was injury-prone.  His WWE debut was delayed after he hyperextended both knees during a house show match against Doug Basham.  It's never a good sign when a wrestler is injured before (s)he debuts.

Then again, Randy Orton, Batista and Edge are frequently injured.  Their places in the WWE hierarchy are assured.  They also don't play dancing, worm-eating, quasi-supernatural entities, which takes care of the longevity issue.

The Boogeyman was released by WWE twice, once in 2006 and again in 2009.  I'm surprised The Boogeyman had enough staying power to last until 2009, although The Boogeyman was shunted to WWE's version of ECW in 2007.

The Boogeyman had a good run.  He bit an oversized mole off Jillian Hall's face.  A feud with Finlay and Little Bastard brought the world Little Boogeyman.  Say what you will about The Boogeyman, but at least he's memorable - not the good kind of memorable, but far less embarrassing than this:

Ghost Hunting with the Muppets

It's no secret that we here at Gravedigger's Local 16 love puppets, especially the Muppets. So you can imagine how delighted I was to find this ghost-hunting demonstration by Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker, straight from the official themuppetlabs Youtube channel:



I was originally going to save this for the next installment of my "horror trivia" series, but it just felt right to do it now: Dr. Honeydew's gorilla detector invention, as shown here, bears an uncanny resemblance to the head of Mechani-Kong from King Kong Escapes. Methinks someone at Jim Henson Studios was a fan of Japanese monster movies...

Tuesday uEtsy: Meatspider Studios

[Etsy.com's tagline is "Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade." Coincidently, there's a lot of spooky on Etsy, and each Tuesday, we highlight one of the sellers. If you're looking to spruce up your look, redecorate your tomb or get a gift for that special something in your afterlife, Etsy.com is a place for spooky econo.]

Meatspider Studios (http://meatspider.etsy.com)
Coinciding with a recent visit to Providence, today's Tuesday uEtsy Spotlight is all things C'thulu thanks to MeatSpider Studios (http://meatspider.etsy.com).When it comes to Lovecraft, ol'squidface C'thulu is the star of the brand. And his top billing comes through wonderfully with Meatspider Studio's sculptures.

Imagine how wonderful this Pocket Idol would look at your workspace. Brighten up any cubicle with new ways to celebrate, thanks to this wonderful Idol. There are the three-inch high versions or, if you wanted to spend a little extra, you can get the 4.5 inch high idol (which comes with a higher detail in the craftsmanship.)

Want to carry your dead old one closer to your heart? Try out one of the many Cthulu pendants for sale. They come in both the intimidating orb style, featuring a preview of what is to come, with mightly C'thulu extending his tentacles over a dead earth.

If you fancy, taunt your own Inspector Legrasse with this Idol Pendant. Recreate the scene in the Lousiana Swamp, either in your head or in real life. Always have on hand the idol of your dreams (literally) and show it off to all your fellow followers.

Want a new way to celebrate? Meatspider also has ornaments. Decorate your Christmas/Holiday/whatever tree with this festive C'thulu ornament. Deck the halls with the cries of joy for the old nameless ones in style.

Other starts of the Lovecraftian stage are featured with Meatspider Studios. You'll find Dagon and Hastur, all ready for you to purchase and bring into your home. Head on over to Meatspider Studio's Etsy page (http://Meatspider.Etsy.com) or at their home page (www.Meatspider.com) and on MySpace (http://myspace.com/meatspider.)

Invasion Of The Surf Bands

Great news for all our readers in Massachusetts: Daikaiju and SPF-4 will be playing at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, MA on May 12th! In case you don't know, Daikaiju is an amazing surf rock band inspired by Japanese monster movies and this show is only part of their ongoing "Flight of Garuda" tour. Said tour started in March and the name either refers to the legendary bird-creature or the combat aircraft (named after the aforementioned bird-creature) that appeared in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II. For more information about the tour itself (and band), please visit the official Daikaiju website. Here's a schedule for today's show in New York, along with the rest of the tour stops:

05.10 - Brooklyn, NY - Shea Stadium
05.11 - Syracuse, NY - Half Penny Pub
05.12 - Northampton, MA - Ironhorse Music Hall
05.13 - Bridgeport, CT - Two Boots
05.14 - Baltimore, MD - The Metro Gallery
05.15 - Pittsburgh, PA - The Party Barge
05.17 - Cleveland, OH - Now That's Class
05.19 - Lexington, KY - Al's Bar
05.20 - Louisville, KY - The Rudyard Kipling
05.21 - Huntsville, AL - Crossroads Music Hall

The Surf Zombies (along with The Meerkats and The Flamin Camaros) have a bunch of Iowa gigs coming up as well:

05.14 - Meerkats: Cedar Rapids, IA - Checkers Tavern
05.15 - Meerkats: Anamosa, IA - Knucklehead's Pub and Grub
05.21 - Surf Zombies: Cedar Rapids, IA - Tiki Eyeball preparty at Sub City
05.22 - Surf Zombies: Cedar Rapids, IA - Day gig at Ellis Park (12 noon, 2 sets)
05.28 - Meerkats: Cedar Rapids, IA - Next Door
06.12 - Meerkats: Anamosa, IA - Knucklehead's Pub and Grub
06.25 - Meerkats: Fort Dodge, IA - Roman Inn
06.26 - Brook and Joels’ High School reunion
06.27 - Erik and Kyle play gig
07.16 - Meerkats: Cedar Rapids, IA - Checkers
07.17 - Surf Zombies: Fort Dodge, IA
08.20 - Surf Zombies: Flying Eyeball reunion in QC
08.21 - Surf Zombies: Flying Eyeball reunion Car Show in QC
09.25 - Flamin Camaros: Cedar Rapids, IA - Shuey's Restaurant
10.23 - Meerkats: Cedar Rapids, IA - Roller Girls Party at Next Door
10.30 - Flamin Camaros: Cedar Rapids, IA - Shuey's Restaurant
12.24 - Brook (of The Surf Zombies) plays at St Mark‘s

I highly recommend contacting The Surf Zombies with any questions as to the exact locations of certain events. Oh, and both Daikaiju and The Surf Zombies (and many more) will be covered in more detail during the upcoming "Freaky Tiki Surf-ari" series.

Entrar...REY ZOMBIE!!!!

‘Enter…Zombie King’ is a good movie, though not without its flaws. In fact, how ‘Enter…’ overcomes some of its challenges gives the movie a unique charm to it.

During a scene early in the movie, Mercedes, lead female antagonist, steps out in a modest bikini.

“It’s a little cold for that, no?” inquires Ulysses, lead champion of justice.
“With this crazy weather, I’m just glad it’s sunny. It’ll probably be raining frogs tomorrow.”

It’s clearly snowing in late winter, with about half-a-foot of snow on the ground. But never the less, Mercedes isn’t going to let some snow prevent her from catching some sun. Similarly, despite being filmed in Canada during very Canadianesque weather, the movie will still pull out the leis, mascaras and zombies as if it were deep below the Mexican border.

‘Enter….Zombie King’ (also listed as ‘Zombie Beach Party’) is a nouvelle-grind, loving tribute to many of the camp and underground elements of cinema and pop culture. Clearly, it’s homage to the El Santo movies (and 1971’s “Los Campeones Justicieros,” which amassed a squadron of famed luchadores) is evident. Additional tributes to beach movies, cult cinema, skin flicks and surf culture can be seen in ‘Enter…Zombie King.’

And, of course, there are zombies.

I’m a bit mixed on this movie. I like it but I want to like it more. I think that perhaps, in trying to appeal to its influences, ‘Enter…’ loses a bit of itself. The movie is a good one but there are ingredients here that could have been tweaked and altered to make it a better movie than what it was. I’d seen it before a few years back and when watching it again, I was kind of surprised by the “mild nudity” that the back label warned me about. I think I was shocked that I hadn’t remembered it, considering the lovely displays from Sarah Murr and Contessa Oblivan (and the boat scene with Fire Amazon and Little D.) I remember the plot, and while geat, the random flesh-for-fun-and-profit was not essential to the story. Great sex of skin by all those involved, though.

For those curious, ‘Enter….Zombie King’ details philosopher/wrestler Ulysses as he reunites with Mercedes and her brother, The Blue Saint. The three attend a zombie-wrestling exhibition put on by the estranged Tiki, former tag partner to US. A girl ends up dead from ZOMBIE ATTACK and this has Tiki on the run.

During the course of the movie, a lot gets done. Tiki’s name is cleared. The truth behind the zombie attack is revealed to be the plot of another luchadore from Ulysses’s past, who now goes by the name ‘Zombie King.’ The death of the original ‘Blue Saint’ is resolved and the threat of the zombie hordes is defeated (OR IS IT DOT DOT DOT QUESTION MARK)

It’s a fun movie, though. A tighter focus might have made it more of a classic, having it trim off some of the excess and restructure it to accommodate everything. There’s a lot more story involved and I think it was a bit of a mis-step on focusing on it.

And, perhaps my main conflict is summed up with the Blue Saint. His name is a so-obvious-it-hurts reference to El Santo and Blue Demon, the patrons of classic lucha libre. But his name didn’t really factor in to his personality or the overall story. He could be called ‘El Canadian Jr.’ and it wouldn’t directly affect the movie. Different mask, different name, same character, same story. Giving him/the movie a life of its own instead of falling on references would have given the movie more of the edge it needed. When I first saw the DVD case in Best Video, I was excited at the prospect and during the movie, I wanted to see it succeed. I came in with a solid B/B+ effort but I was pushing for an A.

But, it’s a independent movie. There are always a hundred things beyond a filmmaker’s control for every one thing they can get a handle on. Just that the movie got made, that it looks good and offers a good viewing experience is a triumph in itself. I give mass respect for all those involve, from its conception to actually making the movie, to even having it available for me to purchase today. That’s an A+, right there and all should be proud.

I do want to say: The ending to the movie could not have been done any better. Without ruining it, both the combination of timing, acting and sound overlay with the closing scene and the opening seconds of ‘Doppelganger’ from 2-Pump Louie make it a perfect way to end the movie (and leave a good opening for any potential sequel.) There’s no dialogue said and no exaggeration of the drama; the truth of the scene and its implications is there for the viewer to comprehend as the movie fades to black.

Of course, there IS a sequel, called ‘Curse of the Iron Mask,’ which seems to be a tribute to the women’s prison/ Isla: She-Beast of the SS films of the seventies. I’ll be sure to pick that up when it comes out on DVD. ‘Enter…Zombie King’ is available now and I do suggest you give it a try.

It's Zombie Awareness Month!

As you visit your favorite horror websites or Twitter feeds, you might notice an image of a gray ribbon. The reason for that is because May is Zombie Awareness Month. This tradition was started by the fine folks at the Zombie Research Society, who are also offering a special giveaway each day of the month!

We're also celebrating in our own special way. Several of this month's posts (past and future) will involve zombies in some way and Strange Jason will be reviewing Enter... Zombie King and Die You Zombie Bastards! Stay tuned!