The story starts with the Joker being brought to Arkham Asylum after one of his typical crime spree escapes. As he arrives, Batman brings him into the facility. Security straps Joker to a standing gurney and they start wheeling him into the facility. Batman gets suspicious of Joker’s attitude and tags along (leading into the first interactive session where you walk with the group, listening to conversations and even getting to talk to some of the personnel). After a brief encounter with a chained and sedated Killer Croc, the group reaches a roomd eep in the bowels of the facility. Security stops Batman here while they take Joker in for processing, and here’s where Joker makes his escape, causing Batman to bust into the room. Unfortunately for Bats, this is just what the Joker wanted. The trap is sprung and Batman’s in for a night he won’t soon forget…

One of the major reasons for the game's inclusion on Happy Horror

I had a great time with this game. Everything about it was exceptionally done, from the graphics to the sound effects to just about everything else. Just to show an example of the attention to detail, Batman’s costume will actually take on battle damage as the night goes on.

Voice-wise, you couldn’t ask for a better cast. Batman, Joker, Clayface and Harley Quinn are all played by their voice actors from Batman: The Animated Series (Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Ron Perlman and Arleen Sorkin, respectively). This rendition of the Joker is quite a bit darker than they got away with on BTAS, as well. Rounding out the voice cast is Tom Kane (Commissioner Gordon and Warden Quincy Sharp) who has also voiced Yoda in various Star Wars video games and Magneto in several Marvel-based games; Steve Blum (Killer Croc) who’s had a long history of playing Wolverine in different X-Men related video games and shows; Danny Jacobs (Victor Zsasz) who’s voiced King Julien in the Madagascar series and played Borat in the infamous Epic Movie; Tasia Valenza (Poison Ivy) who plays Ultimecia in Dissidia: Final Fantasy and Spider-Woman in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance; Wally Wingert (the Riddler) has various voice roles on Family Guy as well as playing Jon Arbuckle in several recent Garfield series; and Adrienne Barbeau (Dr. Gretchen Whistler) who has a long career that includes such films as Swamp Thing, The Fog (1980 version), the first Cannonball Run film and the first Creepshow film.

The historical background of Batman’s comic book stories shines through, also. Littered around the island that the Asylum is built upon are clues set out by the Riddler that refer to characters both popular and obscure. When you scan the item the riddle refers to, it unlocks a character profile for that person. Certain characters also have interview recordings you can find that delve deeper in their psyches, with Dr. Harleen Quinzel’s fall to madness and becoming the maniacal Harley Quinn being the most powerful, in my opinion (with Riddler’s ranting about Batman himself coming a close second).

Gameplay itself is fluid. It’s very easy to learn the moves that Batman can perform in battle. Throwing his Batarangs has a simple autotargeting system for thugs, and along the way you pick up more tools and upgrades to help you in your quest to take down the Joker, along with his thuggish goon squad. Also, for those people who like to be a little sneakier in their dealings, there’s a fully realized stealth system, also. One of the most fun times I had in the game was creeping through the shadows, sneaking up on Joker’s henchmen and dealing a stealth attack, then leaving the unconscious henchman there for his buddies to find.

ALl in all, it should come as no surprise that I’ve given Batman: Arkham Asylum 5 out of 5. In my opinion, this game proves that not all video games based off of licensed characters are inherently bad. Also note, there’s an Arkham Asylum 2 game in the works for release next year (barring delays, of course)! So, until next time, this is Red Hawk signing out!

My first review back and I’ve got a bit of a doozy. I was actually supposed to review Deadgirl with the movie I was sent, but instead was sent PVC-1. That’s alright, though, I thought, I can still get a good review from this one. Several months later, I’ve finally watched the movie and am ready to bring you the nitty gritty, and there is a lot of it in this film.

The film starts with a shot of a leather-bound package in a young man’s lap as he sits in the back of a truck driving down the road. The camera pans around the truck to reveal the rest of this motley crew: a teenage boy, a woman driving the truck, an older man in the passenger seat, and another older man sitting across from the two younger men. The camera focuses again on the package, which the teenager starts poking with a knife, getting some yelling from both older men for his troubles. Finally, the truck arrives at its destination and they put on masks and disembark.

While one of their number disables the electricity, the others bust into a farmhouse where a family lives. While they round up most of the family, the camera pans through several corridors through the farm to an old barn where the wife is at, feeding a little chick. The film affords us a few quiet moments here when suddenly two of the invaders bust in and drag her back to the farmhouse. With all of the family assembled, the abductors demand 15 million pesos from the father, who denies having that much money. Not believing him, the gunmen measure around his neck with a tape measure, but then throw him to the ground and drag his wife into the chair. When she denies the ability to give them any money, the gunman with the leather-bound package brings it into the room, sets it on her lap and reveals… some PVC pipe connected by wires. Slowly, he paints the joints with Super glue and connects it around her neck, putting black tape over the edges for good measure.

After telling the family to look down, the gunmen disappear, leaving the family alone to untie themselves. After they release themselves, they’re left to ponder the tube wrapped around the mother’s neck. She tries to lift it off, but finding it stuck tight, tells her daughter to get some cooking oil to try to slide it off. They still have no luck removing it when the youngest daughter finds the package it came in sitting on a table. The family finds a cassette tape in a pocket of it and, using a portable tape player, find out that the tube is a bomb, that it’ll explode if tampered with, or if they try to call the police. This is the start of a very dramatic hour…

The performances in the movie were well done. Being set in Colombia, the language is Spanish, with English subtitles. They do well getting the emotions of the moment across, and the actors playing the father and mother really seemed like a genuine couple. Heck, I felt like I was watching it as it unfolded, like they were the real characters. (Incidentally, the film is based on something that really happened in 2000.) The film was shot in real time. In fact, it was all filmed in one continuous take, no cutting away or editing or anything. While this led to some slower moments to the film (the family’s trek through the forest comes to mind), it did manage to keep the suspense going.

All in all, I give the film a 4 out of 5. Tune in tomorrow for another first-look property that you might’ve seen in bookstores by now. Until next time, this is Red Hawk signing out!

So, after a quick reformat, I’m back! My computer’s cleaned up and running faster than it has in a long time, everything’s in working order again, and I’m ready to start posting articles again. I’ve got a couple things to cover that have been waiting a long time for an article, as well as last October’s Friday the 13th and Halloween films to catch up on. So, keep an eye here as I do my best to play catch up! Until my first real review, this is Red Hawk signing out!

Welcome to Wonderland, Alice. – Freddy Krueger

First off, another explanation.  I know I promised reviews of The Haunted Airman and a couple of other films before I got to the Big Three, but I want to make sure I get these posted on time this year.  So, after Halloween is over, you can expect to see the other reviews on here.  So, now that that official business is out of the way, on with the review!

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master holds a special place for me.  It was the first Freddy film I saw outside of home (at the drive-in).  I don’t remember what it was playing with, but I remember I enjoyed seeing it, sitting in the car with my snacks (popcorn, candy bars, etc., all the HEALTHY things!).  So, it’s with great pleasure that I bring this film to you.

The film opens with Kristen, one of the three survivors of the previous film, walking up to a little girl who’s making a chalk drawing on the walkway leading up to the old Krueger house.  When Kristin asks who lives there, the little girl tells her "Nobody lives there."  She approaches the house and finds her way to the basement.  After some sounds and steam come up, she calls on Kincaid and Joey, the other two survivors, and they appear in her dream.  Both upset by her calling them, they convince her that Freddy’s not back.  Right before the dream ends, something approaches through a large steam pipe… Kincaid’s dog, who’s not happy to be dragged in, either.  He bites Kristen’s arm and they all wake up (with blood on the dog, Jason’s, mouth).

The next day at school, we meet the rest of our cast.  Kristen’s boyfriend, Rick, and his sister, Alice, are the first we meet, followed by Debbie, a weight-lifting tough girl, and Sheila, an asthmatic bookworm.  We also see Alice has a thing for football player Dan (throughout the first part of the film, we’re privy to Alice’s daydreams).  From here, the action more or less follows both Kristen and Alice, with more of a focus on Kristen.  She’s confronted by Kincaid and Joey in the hall about her dragging them into her dreams again, asking her if she ever thought her focusing on Freddy so much might bring him back.

That night, Kincaid falls asleep next to his dog, Jason, and awakens in a junkyard inside the trunk of a car.  When he gets out, he sees Jason digging.  When Kincaid approaches him and asks what he’s doing, the dog turns and barks at him viciously, then lifts his legs and literally pees a line of fire.  The line cracks open the ground, showing Freddy’s skeleton where it was buried the previous film.  Freddy’s skeleton reconstitutes itself, with the glove and hat reappearing last.  Freddy gets out of the crater and starts stalking Kincaid, who drops a car on Freddy (Kincaid is super strong in his dreams).  Unfortunately, this doesn’t stop Freddy, who surrounds Kincaid with a ring of cars.  Kincaid yells to the sky "Kristen!  Freddy’s back!" which echoes over and over again as we pan out and see that his universe is nothing but junkyard now.  Freddy comes to him and stabs him in the stomach, then whispers, "One down.  Two to go."

The makeup and special effects in the film are amazing.  This was the highest theatrical grossing Nightmare film, up until Freddy Vs. Jason (if you count that one in the same continuity).  Robert Englund did his usual masterful job as the nightmare killer.  We get a bit more of Freddy’s wisecracking in this film, but he’s still the deeper-voiced incarnation that we saw in the earlier films.  He had so many great lines in the film that I had trouble picking just one for the above quote.  A couple of others I thought to use were:

You shouldn’t have buried me.  I’m not dead. (Freddy’s first line upon his resurrection)

How sweet.  Fresh meat.  (A classic line of his)

The rest of the cast are as follows: Tuesday Knight (Kristen) replaces Patricia Arquette, who couldn’t play the part as she was pregnant when they were filming.  In addition to acing in the film, Tuesday also performed a song on the soundtrack.  Ken Sagoes (Kincaid) reprised his role from the previous film, as did Rodney Eastman (Joey).  They didn’t have too big of roles, but they were good with what they had.  Lisa Wilcox (Alice) did an excellent job in her role, transforming through the course of the movie from an almost literal Plain Jane to a completely capable woman who could stand on her own two feet.  She would return to reprise the role in the next film.  Andras Jones (Rick) had some pretty funny lines, and had a good fight with Freddy in the film.  He was previously in one of my favorite low budget films, Sorority Babes at the Slimeball Bowl-o-Rama.

An excellent film, and well deserving of my highest grade, 5 out of 5.  Thank you for your time, and join us next time when we look at the fourth iteration of the legendary Friday the 13th series.  It’ll be a great time!  Take care, everyone, and this is Red Hawk signing out!

In the same vein as the Zombie Survival Guide, the Vampire Survival Guide and How to Survive in a Horror Movie comes a new humorous self-help book: The Werewolf’s Guide to Life.  Written by Ritch Duncan and Bob Powers, this book takes a different tack from the others mentioned as instead of telling you how to fight against the titled monsters, this one teaches you how to deal and live with lycanthropy.

From what to expect with your first shape changing to how to better increase your odds of survival, the book covers everything the emerging werewolf could possibly ask about.  You’ll learn how to set up a safe room to make sure that others aren’t harmed when the moon is full, what kinds of jobs are ideal for the newly furry, what to expect in the romance department, and what types of people to avoid.  Throughout the book, there are little sidebars called "Famous Lycs Through History" describing several historical figures who became werewolves.  There are also special warnings about certain holidays to avoid in the future, as the full moon will fall on those days.

All in all, the book was a really good read.  It’s funny, informative, and definitely worth a perusal if you’re interested in the subject at all.  I give it 5 out of 5.  That’s all for this session.  Tune in next time when I bring you a new short film with Robert Pattinson and Julian Sands, then we’re going to move for the lower end of the scale for the first time in the site’s history (at least, the first time for me).  Take care, everyone, and this is Red Hawk signing out!

I’m a believer in Bigfoot.  I haven’t seen or heard (or smelled) one, personally, but the belief is still there, nonetheless.  One reason for my belief is something that happened to my grandparents.  They were driving in their motorhome when they saw one run across the road in front of them.  Now, my grandfather was one of the most skeptical people you’d meet, so when he told you he saw something, you can take it to the bank.

So, it was with great excitement that I accepted the chance to review the film The Wild Man of the Navidad.  With the cover emblazoned with ‘Based on True Events’, it got me even more interested.  The synopsis, as well, made me think of The Legend of Boggy Creek, which told of a creature like Bigfoot wandering the swamplands near Boggy Creek in Arkansas.  This film takes place in Texas, in the town of Sublime, near the Navidad River.

The film’s main character is Dale, who is also the person who wrote the journal that the film’s creators are said to have found that inspired them to make it.  Dale has a wife, Jean, who has all but gone into a catatonic state due to both a car accident and a stroke.  He also has a Hispanic man, Mario, to help him take care of her (though Mario also seems to enjoy molesting her, as well).  Dale also has a secret: there’s a wild creature that lives on his land that he keeps satiated by feeding rabbits every night at 9.  At the start of the movie, Dale gets fired from his job as a welder, so has to take drastic measures to keep afloat.  For the first time in years, Dale opens up his family’s land to hunters.  Unfortunately, the first person he lets on his land (for a payment of moonshine) sees and shoots at a fur-draped figure wandering through the woods.  He gets the hell out of Dodge as he hears what he shot at roaring.  That night, as Dale and Mario do they’re nightly feeding ritual, they hear the creature isn’t just mad, he’s furious.  When it leaves, they step outside to find the porch a wreck: everything busted or out of place, the sheet the rabbit was left on upside down.  The Wild Man is not happy…

The acting in the film was somewhat hit or miss.  At the beginning of the film, it explained that alot of the people who lived through it were playing themselves, so that could explain the acting somewhat.  Playing Dale S. Rogers was the film’s writer, director, and just about everything else in the back, Justin Meeks.  He played the part really well.

All in all, I give the film a 4 out of 5.  I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t the best film I’ve seen on the subject.  I have to say, it was even more entertaining than the original Boggy Creek!  At any rate, thanks for your patience with my delays on the site.  I’ll be back later with a couple more items that were sent me, a couple of lower-rated reviews (you’ll see me go below the 2 level, finally!), and then we’ll head into the final three days with our annual look at the three big legendary series.  Take care, everybody, and this is Red Hawk signing out!

You’re in for a damn treat. – Roy Thompson

I got sent this movie a short time ago and again just got to reviewing it, but just because I wanted it for a special occasion, and since it’s October, that’s special enough for me!  It’s an independent film, a dark comedy, and actually not bad of a view, in my opinion.  Here’s the rundown.

The movie starts with a quote from Roy Thompson, the Cowboy Killer himself, that more or less explains his mental position.  The actual film starts with a shot of his boots (complete with spurs) walking through the snow and around behind a fence.  After a rather juicy sound and gasp the boots come from behind the fence, this time with blood on one of them.  We finally get a look at the cowboy’s face here as he walks out.  Shortly after this, at night, Roy walks up to a young girl waiting at her house for her boyfriend to show up to take her to homecoming.  After a brief talk, Roy convinces her to go with him, but he takes her a different route.  After a LOT of whining and yelling from her, she turns to look out the window and, with a recital of his catchphrase, he smashes her head with a hammer.

Interspersed with this is some shots of her boyfriend trying to get his two drunk friends to go pick her up, but all they want to do is get more drunk and go to the strip joint.  When they finally get to her house, they find out that a cowboy gave her a ride.  When they find him, they give chase, and he stops and shoots them all (the boyfriend, standing behind the other two, gets away with a wounding, while the other two are killed).  The reign of the Cowboy Killer has begun…

The film was obviously lower budgeted, but that gave a bit of charm to it.  The acting wasn’t the greatest all around, but it was worlds better than what I saw in a few other films.  One character in the film, Ernie, reminded me of the types of roles Clint Howard has played, especially his part in House of the Dead.  The character is played by Ben Solenberger, who was also one of the writers and executive producers.  He’s had some other acting credits, including the film xXx: State of the Union, as well as a scene in one film I covered last year for Tony Todd Week, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

All in all, I give the film a 3 out of 5.  It’s alot of fun, if you can look past some of its flaws.  I’m glad I could bring you this film, and I look forward to bringing you more in the near future.  Take care of yourselves, and this is Red Hawk signing out!

I will have killed nine times in my life, Dr. Vesalius, how many murders can be attributed to you? – Dr. Anton Phibes

Today, we have a true classic with The Abominable Dr. Phibes.  This was advertised as Vincent Price’s 100th film and it definitely shows off his acting ability.  The film takes place in 1925 and features the titular character taking revenge on the doctors who he holds responsible for the death of his wife four years before.  Normally, I go into my usual beginning of the film summary, but I don’t want to spoil anything of the film for you.

The acting in this film is really great.  Vincent Price (Dr. Phibes) does his usually great job, playing the silent anti-hero (I refuse to call him the villain, as his character is too sympathetic).  Terry-Thomas (Dr. Longstreet) makes a short appearance in here, but makes another in the sequel, Dr. Phibes Rises Again, playing a different character.  He was also in our previously-posted film The Vault of Horror.  Joseph Cotten (Dr. Vesavius) did an excellent job acting.  He was also in Daughter of Frankenstein, The Screaming Woman, and The Torture Chamber of Baron Blood right after the filmed this one, so he had some good genre films under his belt, also.  Finally, I want to bring to attention the performance of a great voice actor, Paul Frees, whose voice can be heard singing a song called The Darktown Strutters’ Ball.  If his voice sounds familiar, you’ve probably heard it in any number of animated films and television shows, such as Rocky and Bullwinkle (as Boris Badenov), various Disney cartoons (Ludwig Von Drake, to name a few), and even the voice of the Ghost Host at the Haunted Mansion rides in Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

In my opinion, this was one of Vincent Price’s best films that I’ve seen and I have no hesitation giving it a 5 out of 5.  I love love LOVED this movie!  Tune in next time, when we unveil another film that hasn’t come out, yet, that was sent to me to review.  We’ll be looking at Cowboy Killer!  Until then, take care, and this is Red Hawk signing out!

The ghosts are moving tonight, restless… hungry. May I introduce myself? I’m Watson Pritchard. In just a moment I’ll show you the only really haunted house in the world. Since it was built a century ago, seven people including my brother have been murdered in it, since then, I’ve owned the house. I only spent one night then and when they found me in the morning, I… I was almost dead. – Watson Pritchard’s opening lines

Our first look at Vincent Price’s rather large list of hits is House on Haunted Hill, the 1959 classic from director William Castle (who should get a themed week of his own someday!).  In keeping with this being one of William Castle’s films, it featured an in-theatre gimmick.  The gimmick for this film was called Emergo, which featured a skeleton emerging from the screen and actually flying over the heads of the audience (suspended on wires).  Being a classic horror fan, I wish I could’ve seen how that worked.

The film takes place over the course of a night in the titular House on Haunted Hill.  Frederick Loren and his wife, Annabelle, invite five strangers to the house for a Haunted House party: Lance Schroeder, a pilot; Dr. David Trent, who feels that hauntings and ghosts are nothing more than a form of hysteria; Nora Manning, a writer; Watson Pritchard, the owner of the house who has lost two family members to the ghosts inside; and Ruth Bridgers, an employee of one of Mr. Loren’s many businesses.  In return for spending the night in a haunted house, each of the five guests will receive $10,000 once the night is up.  The question has to be asked, though… will anyone survive to reap the rewards of Mr. Loren’s generosity?

This film is a classic example of atmospheric horror.  The house where it takes place is beautiful and spooky all at the same time.  The acting is great, as well, with Vincent Price (Frederick Loren) leading the cast as the host of the party.  Carol Ohmart (Annabelle Loren) played the host’s wife… well, fourth wife (with the previous wives disappearing or meeting death under mysterious circumstances).  Richard Long (Lance Schroeder) played the hero figure well.  He also played in Cult of the Cobra and several television shows such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Boris Karloff’s Thriller.  Elisha Cook (Watson Pritchard) played the cowardly owner of the house to a tee.  His other films include ‘Salem’s Lot, Voodoo Island and Rosemary’s Baby, among others too numerous to mention here.

Normally, after the cast, I just go right to the ratings, but I wanted to say a few things about the DVD I watched the film on.  This copy of the film is presented by Johnny Legend (who fans of 2001 Maniacs will recognize as one of the Strolling Minstrels of that film).  Just loading the DVD into the machine was different, as the FBI Warning that’s usually shown at the beginning of films was actually read by Johnny Legend.  The film itself is digitally remastered and put into a widescreen format, plus restored to its original black and white glory.  As for the special features, it has this:

Original Theatrical Trailers for House on Haunted Hill
Return to the House (showing what the house looks like today, hosted by Johnny Legend who reminsces about it)
Castle & Price Previews (Various trailers showing movies of both Vincent Price and William Castle)
Surprise William Castle TV Spot
Carol Ohmart Profile
Golden Age Price (two comedy sketches from The Jack Benny Show and Red Skeleton Show, plus a dramatic appearance in The Brainwashing of John Hayes)

Truly a classic film, and I have no qualms over giving it the full 5 out of 5 that it deserves.  Tune in next time, when we look at one of Vincent Price’s more villainous roles.  Take care, everyone, and this is Red Hawk signing out!

Today, we induct one of my personal heroes and an all-time favorite actor of mine.  He’s one of the most famous classic actors of yesteryear, and a true Renaissance man, and it’s my honor and pleasure to induct him to the Happy Horror Hall of Fame: Mr. Vincent Price!

Born May 27, 1911 in St. Louis, Missouri, Vincent Price traveled through Europe, went to Yale and later became an actor, writer and gourmet.  He became mostly known for his horror film roles, but he also showed a knack for comedic and dramatic roles.  He was also an art collector and expert, eventually donating several pieces from his own collection to start the Vincent Price Gallery and Art Foundation at East Los Angeles Community College in the early 1960s, as well as starting the Vincent Price Collection of Fine Art through Sears & Roebuck between 1962 to 1971 in an effort to make artwork from major artists available to the general public.

Some of his most notable films include the original House of Wax and House on Haunted Hill, The Last Man on Earth (the first of three adaptations of Richard Matheson’s book I Am Legend), several Edgar Allen Poe adaptations (including The Pit and the Pendulum, The Raven, and The Masque of the Red Death, among others), The Fly, The Invisible Man Returns, The Abominable Dr. Phibes and its sequel, and The Ten Commandments.  Notable television roles included Egghead on the Adam West/Burt Ward Batman series (where he is said to have started an eggfight on the set after a take was over) and Vincent Van Ghoul on The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo.

The end of the 1980s signalled the end of Mr. Price’s career, sadly.  His health decreased through 1990, which saw his last movie role, as the creator of Edward Scissorhands.  Three years later, he passed away from lung cancer and emphysema due to his lifelong smoking habit.  He left behind quite a legacy, as you can see.  And so, it is with great pride that I induct Vincent Price to the hallowed halls of the Happy Horror Hall of Fame.  Over the next few days, you’ll see a few examples of his acting career on our site.  I hope you enjoy them.  Take care, everyone, and this is Red Hawk signing out!