Dr. Sleep

Thats right a book, remember those things? Can't remember the last time you read one? Well here's the perfect opportunity. Because once upon a time there was this book called the Shining , that was written by  surprise, surprise an alcoholic. Most writers tend to be those , but this writer was named Stephen King. You may or may not have heard of this writer, though it seems he did once upon a time write a good bit of horror that found it's way to the big screen.

The Shining is in fact the best book written on the subject of alcoholism, even better than the so called big book- of Alcoholics Anonymous, which Dr. Sleeps barrows many of it's catch phrases .King sobered up years after writing the Shining , but it was clear he was taring down many of his demons in the bottle while writing it. King found his novel overshadowed by the Stanley Kubrick adaptation, which is one of the few cases where the movie holds up against the book, though King would tell you otherwise.

With the first book's main character Jack Torrance, dead you would think a sequel would prove a challenge. King claims the inspiration for the story came when he was doing a book tour and some one at a signing asked him what ever happened to Danny. This question haunted King for years, he would find himself, doing the math as to how old Danny would be.

The ghosts of the Overlook Hotel do haunt the edges of the narrative, there are new monsters. One of them being the demon in the bottle. Like most children of alcoholics, Danny picks up where his father left off. There is also a nomadic band of psychic vampires, which is one of the defining elements to the story that really separates it from the original story. This also changes the thematic climate, the first book was very much about the horrors of isolation, where as this book is about finding community in unlikely places, some of these communities however are more sinister than others.  

At 531 pages, it still proves a pretty easy read, as you are quickly drawn into it. I read the bulk of it in four hours. Like most of King's work, I am sure it will reach the sliver screen in due time, though King more than likely put a clause in his advance contract to keep Kubrick away from it. SPOILER WARNING: Yes, they do return to the Overlook, it's just different from how it was left. So if you have ever wondered what happened to Danny, then pick this one up and give it a good read. Like most sequels it doesn't have the same impact of it's predecessor, but finds a path of it's own to take.        

The Ten Reasons I Love Horror

Horror wears many masks.As a kid my entry point came through the Universal Monster movies. The monsters in these are more like anti-heroes, it's no surprise Stan Lee modeled many of his super-heroes after them. As  an adolescent I began to need more from horror. Much like my growing love of metal , I needed a more violent and cathartic expression. So here are some of the sub-genres that have kept my love alive for horror over the years.

Revenge Flicks-Oldboy

Chan-wook Park's Old Boy is horror in the same vein as I Spit On Your Grave, though it's much more of a mind fuck. The emotional toil inflicted on the protagonist is even more gripping than the ample amounts of blood shed.

Torture Porn -Hostel 2

 The sequel has much prettier bloodshed  than the original, the Bathory inspired bath tub scen alone beats out the first film.These films work much better than the more gimmicky Saw franchise, as there is a more eroticized undercurrent to the violence.

Exorcisms -The Devil Inside- The Obvious choice would be to go with the Linda Blair classic , which I love but if I was to pop in an exorcism flick right now, it would be this one because I haven't been watching it for the past 25 years. The Last Exorcism might be a better movie in some ways, but the humor intertwined in the front half of the film diminishes it's darkness.

Mad Scientists - the Human Centipede

It was hard to pick between the two, as the sequel a beautifully shot homage at time to Eraserhead. The first film however, its classic for different reasons. At it's core this film is not much different in some respects as than the pulp of  Brain That Wouldn't die, it just took some of the camp out and brought in a more extreme concept. In fact the concept of the film alone brought it notoriety, but the movie was done much more tastefully than you would expect.  

Vampires -30 Days of Night

Sexy vampires are not scary. They are brooding not dark. It works for Buffy, but for horror movies I want these savage vampires who break the rules. They don't have to be invited in, these bloodsuckers come crashing right through your window.

the Occult

Angel Heart- The more Satanic themed films like the Omen and Rosemary's Baby will always hold a place in my heart, but this cautionary tale of when the devil comes down to New Orleans is  more endearing . Things get down and dirty in this Faustian voo-doo yarn, as the protagonist finds himself looking into the bleakest corners his sanity once inhibited.

 Apocalyptic

The Road - The zombie genre or any end of the world film fits here however not all are created equal. The Road is in some respects a dark drama, yet it does have horror qualities such a cannibals and captures a bleaker post-apocalyptic landscape than any Zombie movie in recent memory.The Mist would be a runner up in this category.

Home Invasion -The Strangers

If you make me single out one home invasion film it will be this one in terms of sheer tension it creates. It often captures the type of humiliation factor similar to torture porn. These are really most effective if they adhere to my no survivors rule.

Lovecraftian -From Beyond

Technically Re-animator could fit here, but it's more of a Mad Scientist flick. Stuart Gordon is the master of the Lovecraft adaptations, sure they couldn't be farther from the cryptic printed version of Howard's work, but they are gruesome fun. The sexual elements Gordon injects in these made them perfect for me when I discovered them as a teenager.

Ghost Stories

The Shining -It defies the typical haunted house motifs. The Marriage of Kubrick's cinematography and Nicholson's acting made this one of the horror movies even fans of mainstream cinema respect. It also capture the claustrophobic insanity that when combined with the sinister backdrop of the Overlook can only add up to redrum.