Batch o' Hatch: Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, Hatchlings!

Mondo via Arrow in the Head

Hellraiser Remake

So Hellraiser is being remade with Clive Barker and Doug Bradley involved? I’m all for it!

- via JoBlo

Trick ‘r Treat 2

Trick ‘r Treat 2 is happening. Head to Geek Tyrant for more details!

- via Geek Tyrant

Brucetober

In case you missed it, the Nerd Lunch Podcast did a month of Bruce Campbell podcasts. I had the pleasure of being on the episode about Campbell's novel “Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way”.

Posts for FTS

October marked the first month of my posts for French Toast Sunday. Check out two of the posts I wrote for Halloween - 10 Underrated Horror Films Parts 1 and 2.

Tweets

It's times like this I wish National Lampoon's made "Halloween Vacation" right after "European Vacation." The Griswolds go to Transylvania
— The Sexy Armpit (@sexyarmpit) October 1, 2013

Who's this fake Mark Ruffalo dude in CURSE OF CHUCKY?  I shall dub him Fauxfallo.
— Brian Collins (@BrianWCollins) October 7, 2013

the carrie remake is really the only horror film out this month? that ain't right, y'all.
— Candice Frederick (@ReelTalker) October 15, 2013

I watched Candyman last night, & realised that at almost 26 I have never & cannot say "Candyman" in the mirror 5 times #31DaysofHalloween
— Rachel (@fake_shemp) October 16, 2013

A Peek Through the Hatch: X-Men: Days of Future Past

Time for a peek at X-Men: Days of Future Past. My excitement level for this flick is pretty high. I enjoyed both of Bryan Singer’s X films and First Class was pretty awesome, if lacking in execution. This new film combines the casts of Singer’s films and First Class, so it seems like a formula for excellence. The fact that Singer is at the helm after his absence from Last Stand (how god awful was that?) and First Class is great in my book. I enjoyed The Wolverine and the fact that Hugh Jackman looks to have such a big role in this film is awesome. In general it's kind of cool that all these actors from the Singer films are back. I never even imagined that all these familiar faces would return in this rebooted First Class universe. I’m hoping for a lot of Jackman/Fassbender/McAvoy scenes. What do you guys think?

Favorite Horror Scene Friday! John Carpenter's The Thing: The Blood Test

This week's horrific Favorite Scene Friday was chosen by Lackey from Forced Viewing, an "irreverent collaborative blog focusing on horror in film and on television." Lackey and the gang write reviews, interview horror celebs, and also produce a monthly podcast. Lackey recently reviewed a horror film that I've wanted to watch for a long time now - Death Bed: The Bed That Eats. 

You can follow Lackey on Twitter at @Lackey_D.

Forced Viewing

I'm a big fan of John Carpenter, and my favorite amongst his horror oeuvre is his 1982 remake of Christian Nyby's The Thing. It's a masterpiece of claustrophobic paranoia that works just as well as an effects-laden bloodbath as it does a psychological thriller.

Poster by Daniel Keane via geektyrant

Here's the setup to my favorite scene in the film. An American scientific team stationed in the Antarctic has been infiltrated by an alien life form that kills its victims and absorbs their dead bodies; it is then able to masquerade perfectly as that victim. After some conflict leaves several members of the team dead, a test is devised to determine who's been compromised and who hasn't.

Working on the assumption that every piece of alien tissue is a single organism, the base's pilot MacReady (a never-better Kurt Russell) figures that if he threatens a blood sample from the alien it will come out of hiding to defend itself. All of the survivors submit a blood sample which Mac will burn with a heated copper wire. I'll let Mr. Russell take it from here:



What makes this scene so effective is that Carpenter keeps amping up the tension without giving any indication of when he's going to spring the trap. You know the jack-in-the-box is going to pop open at some point but there's no indication that there's anything out of sorts about the pot-smoking, conspiracy-theory-spinning Palmer. There's not even any musical cues to prep the audience for it (in fact, there's no score at all during this scene).

In retrospect, it's obvious what's going to happen, but the first time you watch, you're not even remotely prepared for it. The rest of the scene, an effects tour de force by Rob Bottin and his crew, is almost an anticlimax. It's the perfect jump-scare; I've seen jaded horror-hounds, people who treated Cannibal Holocaust like a popcorn movie, flinch during their first watch.

A Peek Through the Hatch: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Here's the trailer for Wes Anderson's newest film, The Grand Budapest Hotel! Damn, it seems like just yesterday we were peeking at Moonrise Kingdom. The film looks just as rich and whimsical as Anderson's previous films and features many of the director's regulars including Bill Murray and Owen Wilson. Newcomers include Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, and Saoirse Ronan. It's also great to see that Anderson has brought back some folks from Moonrise including, Edward Norton.

I love how zany and madcap this film looks. The tone reminds me of The Life Aquatic, which is refreshing after the (slightly) more reserved Moonrise. The highlight of the trailer for me is probably Fiennes - he seems to fit right in with Anderson's universe. According to the Los Angeles Times, Budapest opens (probably in limited release) on March 7, 2014. 

Wikipedia

Favorite Horror Scene Friday! The Descent

Great horror films are scary on multiple levels. Think about every zombie movie ever made. Sure, the lifeless corpses trying to eat your brains are creepy, but the living and humanity in general are terrifying as well.

IMDb

The Descent, if you’re unfamiliar with it, is a horror flick from 2005 directed by Neil Marshall. It’s about a group of women - lead by the bitchy Juno (Natalie Mendoza) and grieving-over-the-loss-of-her-husband-and-child Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) - who get lost on a spelunking trip.

Here's our first scene (that's right, we've got a two for one deal here). While squeezing through a tight tunnel, Sarah gets stuck.



I’m terrified of tight spaces. I won't go so far as to say that I'm claustrophobic, but getting stuck in a narrow cave system like Sarah here would give me a heart attack. I'm not gonna go crawling under the ground anytime soon is what I'm saying.

So as if playing off of humanity's inherent claustrophobia wasn’t scary enough, this shit happens:



That’s right, this movie has fuckin' monsters in it. The scariest part of this scene (other than the reveal of the creature, obviously) is the quick build up. Everyone realizes that they're completely, hopelessly lost and the only option is to freak out. And freak out they do. The way (Sam? Beth? Rebecca? Not sure who it is.) desperately screams for help just before the camera zips over to reveal the creature just STANDING there is terrible. And those flippin' monsters. I remember watching this movie (not for the first time, mind you) with my family once. Every one of us jumped (big time) when we saw that monster standing there.

My hat is off to Neil Marshall. He knows how to scare us, and not just with monsters.

Favorite Horror Scene Friday! The Omen: "It's All For You!"

It's October once more here in the Escape Hatch and that can only mean one thing - well actually it means quite a few things but mostly it means FAVORITEHORRORSCENESOMGOMG!!!

Lindsay (no stranger to the Favorite Scene Friday business) from French Toast Sunday is kicking the month of horror scenes off with an absolute classic. It's from a horror film that needs no introduction...in fact, I'm gonna just let Lindsay take it away. You can follow her on Twitter - @lindsay_fts.

frenchtoastsunday.com

Far and away my favorite classic horror film is 1976's The Omen. Starring Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, and David Warner, the film deals with the horrific repercussions of a father's difficult decision to adopt a child without the mother’s knowledge on the same night her baby died during childbirth. Years later the couple starts to suspect something unthinkable of the child. Could little Damien be a bonafide example of evil incarnate?

Wikipedia

The chilling religious horror film is filled with memorable moments, but one of its best is displayed early on. Contrasted with the backdrop of a normally joyous occasion, Damien's fifth birthday party turns out to be anything but when an unexpected death occurs.



“Look at me, Damien! It’s all for you!” Could this be the disturbing ramblings of a mentally ill woman or something much more ominous (see what I did there?!)  The scene is effective on every level for the audience. Shocking is an understatement as we follow the nanny's last footsteps to death. The camera lingers on her body for longer than one might expect only to be interrupted by Lee Remick's expression of utter disbelief. The entire sequence is quite upsetting but when the close up changes to Damien's unaffected face, that's when the real scope of terror starts to settle in. The Omen remains a classic for a reason. If you haven't had the pleasure already, seek out the film and see for yourself. It would be the perfect October treat.

Batch o’ Hatch: The LAMB Shenanigans, French Toast Sunday, and October Awesomeness!

Happy October, hatchlings! If you’re anything like me, you’re happy right now, with thoughts of horror flicks, Oktoberfests, cooler weather, and seasonal beer flirting with your head. Here’s a quick Batch o’ Hatch to read while you’re sippin’ on that tasty pumpkin ale you like so much.

The LAMB Shenanigans

Check out the latest episode of the LAMBcast, where I drop in to ramble about upcoming fall flicks and my love for Breaking Bad!



Also, the next installment of #LAMBWatch is this Sunday at 4:00 EST! Tune in to watch the cinematic mindfuck that is Upstream Color and tweet along. If you’re unfamiliar with #LAMBWatch, you can read about the last installment right here. Don’t forget, one random participant will win a prize!

French Toast Sunday

I’m stoked to announce that I’m now a contributing writer for French Toast Sunday! Keep an eye out for my first posts this month.

frenchtoastsunday.com

October Awesomeness

We’ve got a ton of October awesomeness on the way! New installments of Unseen Halloween! New horror reviews! Horror scenes every Friday! It’s gonna be amazing!

Tweets

They are leaving it pretty late to call me about the Doctor part.
— edgarwright (@edgarwright) August 2, 2013

I like Peter Capaldi, but this would have been awesome too.

Tip to make everyday activities more exciting: listen to Bernard Hermann's score for NORTH BY NORTHWEST.
— Andy (@AndyJames_ink) August 4, 2013

He's right. Just try it. Here, try it right now.

American Werewolf in London is a brilliant, classic film. From the effects to the soundtrack it's incredible. It holds up so well. #horror
— The Sexy Armpit (@sexyarmpit) August 6, 2013

You can't argue with Jay, it's just not possible on this.

Harry and the Hendersons is on.  Suddenly nothing I had planned for tonight seems as important as this.
— Hummingbird Heart ♥ (@Tiff0728) August 10, 2013

Nothing is as important as Harry and the Hendersons, ever.

If I can get that Evil Dead bikini made with some damn good support cups, it's a-mine.
— Camie  (@silvershamrockd) August 12, 2013

No context needed. Oh, you do need some? Here.

With all this thunder & lightning I feel like I should be up in Mikey's attic looking at rejects from the history of Astoria.
— The Sexy Armpit (@sexyarmpit) August 22, 2013

Everyone should have an attic like Mikey.

I'm just an angry Lieutenant Dan on the inside.
— Hummingbird Heart ♥ (@Tiff0728) August 23, 2013

Lt. Daaaan, ice creeamm.

Why is there not a documentary TV show that puts Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart together on holiday for weeks and just films them? #gold
— Man, I Love Films (@manilovefilms) September 20, 2013

Let's get a kickstarter going for this.

A Haunted House That You Walk Through Naked? http://t.co/PCkyKgeTUx via @GeekTyrant
— GeekTyrant (@GeekTyrant) September 23, 2013

Would any of you do this???

happy halloween!!! too soon? i'm excited #horrormoviemarathon
— Candice Frederick (@ReelTalker) October 1, 2013

It's never too soon. Happy October!!!