Month: August 2015
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The risk of making horror based on real events
Horror movie inspired by real Isla Vista killings sparks outrage, and a petition to stop the release
20,000 sign petition to stop release of DEL PLAYA..
This type of event should have been expected..
It is one thing to make a series of films decades after real events–when most of those who suffered the consequences of the reality of horror in life are either expired or too old to fight, or even know about the pop culture incarnation of realistic bloody scenes.. But this film by Shaun Hart hits hard, and soon after events it is based off of played out..Hart’s horror flick DEL PLAYA focuses on a troubled college male who murders after being rejected by a woman.Then came a firestorm of controversy..
Then a petition to stop the release..
Then 20,000 + signatures.And then this statement, in full, from Shaun Hart:
First and foremost, I would like to publicly apologize to everyone who has been offended in any way by our making of this film,” he wrote. “It was never our intent to monopolize on the tragic shootings in Isla Vista that took place last year. While I do admit there is the connection of Santa Barbara, this film is not about Elliot Rodger. The fictional character in the film is not meant to portray anyone in particular. It is meant to portray incidents that take place, not only in Santa Barbara, but across the country on a daily basis. Our intentions were not to make light of such a serious issue, but to engage our audience in an active discussion about bullying and violence.
“As a graduate of UCSB and a former resident of Del Playa, that day was a knife to my heart. For me, the actions of one individual tainted a lot of good memories of an innocent time and brought darkness to a place that should only be home to the hopes and dreams of the young. For all touched by the tragedy at DP, know this: I stand right there with you. -

The risk of horror movies inspired by true events
Horror movie inspired by real Isla Vista killings sparks outrage, and a petition to stop the release
Director Shaun Hart writes, “While I do admit there is the connection of Santa Barbara, this film is not about Elliot Rodger” /// MORE..20,000 sign petition to stop release of DEL PLAYA..
This type of event should have been expected..
It is one thing to make a series of films decades after real events–when most of those who suffered the consequences of the reality of horror in life are either expired or too old to fight, or even know about the pop culture incarnation of realistic bloody scenes.. But this film by Shaun Hart hits hard, and soon after events it is based off of played out..Hart’s horror flick DEL PLAYA focuses on a troubled college male who murders after being rejected by a woman.Then came a firestorm of controversy..
Then a petition to stop the release..
Then 20,000 + signatures.And then this statement, in full, from Shaun Hart:
First and foremost, I would like to publicly apologize to everyone who has been offended in any way by our making of this film,” he wrote. “It was never our intent to monopolize on the tragic shootings in Isla Vista that took place last year. While I do admit there is the connection of Santa Barbara, this film is not about Elliot Rodger. The fictional character in the film is not meant to portray anyone in particular. It is meant to portray incidents that take place, not only in Santa Barbara, but across the country on a daily basis. Our intentions were not to make light of such a serious issue, but to engage our audience in an active discussion about bullying and violence.
“As a graduate of UCSB and a former resident of Del Playa, that day was a knife to my heart. For me, the actions of one individual tainted a lot of good memories of an innocent time and brought darkness to a place that should only be home to the hopes and dreams of the young. For all touched by the tragedy at DP, know this: I stand right there with you. -

BLOODY MISTAKES AT BLOODY DISGUSTING
I have long believed that horror movies and professional wrestling are pop cultural examples of any given time or generation.. I have believed that, still do, and will always.As an example, as quick as I can explain, Hulk Hogan was the hero of the 1980s. Pure. Americana.. vitamins. The secrets of the 80s era became known later, as did many secrets. But the bear was in the woods during the Reagan years, and flags were waving. All the while, Jason Vorhees was slashing his way through Camp Crystal Lake during the heyday of slasher flicks. But Jason wasn’t just a villain, he was commentary by filmmakers against the Christian Right. Jason was the ultimate judge and jury. Almost Godlike, some would say.. he killed those who had premarital sex and also teenagers who lost respect for adults. Fast forward to the 1990s, beer swigging Steve Austin became Stone Cold and the attitude of the Clinton years came into full swing.After 9/11, the birth of the torture porn films took place. Torture was ripe in American society, with debates and Dick Cheney proclaiming the goodness of ‘techniques’ to inflict pain. In movie theaters, people watched torture in the SAW franchise films and many others, including just about any gut-wrenching (literally) flick from Rob Zombie involving houses and 1000s of corpses.My actual interest in horror has been present since childhood. As a kid, Freddy Kreuger fascinated me as much as he scared me. The concept was genius. A dream killer.. Michael Myers and Halloween was one of my favorites, and still is. The thought of a silent killer in a William Shatner mask is horrifying alone, but add in John Carpenter’s cheap piano music that eventually became a classic and you have a match made in hell, or in this movie theater world, heaven.While horror has evolved, I actually think it devolved. No, not just because of the remakes.. endless remakes.. and remakes of the remakes (New Line has announced that are re-re-making the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET film again, most likely since the 2010 incarnation was so awful).. I think horror has became a mockery of itself. Instead of scaring and carrying weighty issues, often societal commentary in Hitchcock or Romero style, we are treated to an endless supply of blood and gore. Without a point..And sex.Oh yes, the sex.Before I get into the point of this post, I want to first say that if you really want to find creative horror—real creativity—look no further than independent filmmakers on YouTube who are busy offering up amazing short films that will scare the wits out of you. Some of them are 15 minutes.. others are two.. Either way they are amazing and fresh, not recycled nonsense like Hollywood shovels down our throats. But true scary little tales that will make you cringe if you watch them in the dark. As a matter of fact, queue a whole bunch up and play them on your SMART TV if you’re smart enough to have a SMART TV. Instead of a marathon of garbage and drivel, take an hour and watch a few short movies.. I recommend anything with Lotta Losten. Also films from SKYPEMARE.Back to the point of the article (since I wrote over 500 words and have yet to get to it): Bloody Disgusting, the website I follow for horror news, did something awfully disgusting the other day.. so much so that I feel it deserves some attention.In the interest of full disclosure, I am part time busy writing posts on NIGHT TERROR NEWS, what you see here, and also now and then updating a site called the HORROR REPORT. The HORROR REPORT has a long history, but it never quite made the fame charts in the horror world. While it focused on such film and entertainment, it also delved into the more realistic nature of the scary world. So it’s not a fan site.. Bloody-Disgusting.com is a far far far more popular site, perhaps one of the most popular in the horror website world. It’s unbeatable, even Mr. Dark at DREAD CENTRAL cannot hold a candle to the popularity of Bloody-Disgusting.But that doesn’t mean Bloody-Disgusting is superior.As a matter of fact, the site does a lot of the nonsense other sites do—turnoffs for me but clickbate for Facebook and Twitter. The lists. The ‘best ofs’ .. the top tens..And a top ten they offered is exactly what I wanted to discuss.The other day on BLOODY DISGUSTING posted August 4, a write at the site posted a story called “10 incredibly graphic sex scenes in horror movies (NSFW).Fair enough.. Sex and horror often go together, I suppose. But when you peruse the list, it’s not what you think.. Included with the list: The expected films like FRIDAY THE 13TH movies.. But so is the film ANTICHRIST, and SALO, OF THE 120 DAYS OF SODOM. And A SERBIAN FILM involving awful sex crimes to an infant. And LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, proclaiming that an “extended rape scene that is absolutely grueling.” And with that.. the floodgates of commentary on Facebook and the website opened.People opined quickly that rape scenes being included with what was billed as a fun little list was icky… sickening.. over the top.. wrong.. One fan of the author, in the comments thread, lectured that it seemed as though the post celebrated rape. And even a few responses from the author, Trace Thurman, showed up. Like this statement,“After reading the plethora of comments about the inclusion of the rapes, I take responsibility for not thinking about that aspect of rape vs sex. Those belong on a ‘most disturbing’ list.”The thread and Facebook comments opened up a fierce argument, often nasty crude and cruel, between readers.. Is rape sex? By definition, perhaps, but it’s forced.. should it be included with ‘sex scenes,’ and for God sakes, why included the awful SERBIAN FILM on any list at all!?The entire post seemed to blow up in all the wrong ways for BLOODY DISGUSTING. And it’s too late to just retract. The damage is done. Now it’s damage control time—with the author busy apologizing one by one to the commenters who seem most offended by the inclusion of such awful scenery in horror films.I am not someone who proclaims any allegiance to the path of censorship. However I also think ethical standards should be adhered to for common sense reasons. The other day I saw someone going to work at a business location that deals with the public, and he was wearing a “Don’t Treat on me” shirt. While I believe he has the right to wear what he wants, I simply question the logic of someone who seems to want to pick a fight for no reason..And in horror, as a viewer, I don’t want to see pets or babies abused. I don’t want to see the death of a child. I don’t even want to see graphic scenes. The R rated and X rated fans would call me a PG-13 wimp. I’m not completely a PG-13 fan either, but instead am more a horror of the most sort of person..That or I am growing up. And as a parent and husband, simply take things a different way. Like the scene in the HILLS HAVE EYES remake when my wife and I literally wept at the scene where the father was crucified and burned in front of his family in an agonizing death sequence. I actually stopped watching horror for a while after that.I feel somewhat bad for Trace Thurman, who now has to busily say sorry for his article and explain that often times sarcasm doesn’t come through very well. That being said, I think it was a mighty awful error to include scenes of graphic rape in a list that was advertised on Facebook with a photo featuring a pleasant looking women prior to the ‘deed being done.’I also think it has led to some uncomfortable soul searching for horror fans who read the post, and responded in writing.Once more, I don’t think censorship is an answer. Art needs to flourish and sometimes offend. That said, I think self-censorship is often intelligent. Especially when you’re writing a list about the top ten sex scenes in horror and somehow find it wise to include graphic rape. -

THE GREAT POPE-MANICIPATOR
There are two schools of thought on Pope Francis. In one corner, the hardcore fans who believe he has assumed the right hand of Christ on earth, people who think his lectures about global warning and poverty are long overdue, and that he is a savior of the modern era.. one that will create a hybrid of heaven on earth and social justice across the planet.

Pope Francis attends a dance presentation during his meeting with the youth in Asuncion, Paraguay, Sunday, July 12, 2015. On his weeklong trip to some of South Americas poorest places, Pope Francis burnished his credentials as a new kind of pontiff, issuing a searing apology for church crimes that are more than half a millennium old and making a pit stop at a Burger King to change clothes and freshen up before celebrating Mass. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz) The other camp?
Well, quite frankly, they think he is the antichrist and use lots of information, sometimes clumsily clumped together, as proof. The prophecy of the Popes didn’t help.. Malachi all but said this is “the end,” we are told. And Francis’ decrees seem to fit into the thought process that he is heralding over the end times..one social statement at a time.Enter this little factoid into the ring and watch both sides scuttle: The Pope is going to use Abraham Lincoln’s podium from the Gettysburg Address during his late September Philadelphia visit. From the ASSOCIATED PRESS:
The Union League of Philadelphia said Friday it would offer the simple wooden stand for the pontiff to use during his planned speech on immigration and religious liberty.
“Its simple beauty and humble role in one of American history’s most important moments reflects, in many ways, Pope Francis’ own world view,” said Robert Ciaruffoli, president of the World Meeting of Families.
Don’t judge. That wouldn’t be very Catholic of you.
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The wild Donald Trump
The presidential race is amazingly entertaining .. 24 million people watching an early republican primary debate is almost unbelievable .. And now post debate commentary from Trump about Megyn Kelly saying blood was coming out her ‘wherever’ for him uninvited to a conservative event this weekend …
Trump praise Drudge. He told CNN he wants 25% of their profits and that he won the debate..
This is much more entertaining than a reality show and as long as he’s in the race ratings will continue to surge .. And the GOP will continue to live in a constant state of panic and fear with each poll showing Trump ahead that comes out..
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A creepy weekend read: True crime and the people who clean up after it
Presented on CRACKED: Things you learn when cleaning a murder site..
There are some obvious horrid things in here–like the clean up after a body is found drained of blood in a bathtub.. and also some emotionally true things, like the fact those who find the body of someone who committed suicide are likely to do the same thing themselves..
This article is not presented with any form of glee.. instead it is a true and accurate portrayal of the rottenness and loathsomeness that life often has..
Read at your own mental risk..
And don’t think for an instance that it’s easy being someone who fights crime or discovers the victims of it..and especially that it’s easy for someone to clean up after it.It certainly is not.
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BLOODY MISTAKES
I have long believed that horror movies and professional wrestling are pop cultural examples of any given time or generation.. I have believed that, still do, and will always.
As an example, as quick as I can explain, Hulk Hogan was the hero of the 1980s. Pure. Americana.. vitamins. The secrets of the 80s era became known later. But the bear was in the woods during the Reagan years, and flags were waving. All the while, Jason Vorhees was slashing his way through Camp Crystal Lake during the heyday of slasher flicks. But Jason wasn’t just a villain, he was commentary by filmmakers against the Christian Right. Jason was the ultimate judge and jury. Almost Godlike, some would say.. he killed those who had premarital sex and also teenagers who lost respect for adults. Fast forward to the 1990s, beer swigging Steve Austin became Stone Cold and the attitude of the Clinton years came into full swing.
After 9/11, the birth of the torture porn films took place. Torture was ripe in American society, with debates and Dick Cheney proclaiming the goodness of ‘techniques’ to inflict pain. In movie theaters, people watched torture in the SAW franchise films and many others, including just about any gut-wrenching (literally) flick from Rob Zombie involving houses and 1000s of corpses.
My actual interest in horror has been present since childhood. As a kid, Freddy Kreuger fascinated me as much as he scared me. The concept was genius. A dream killer.. Michael Myers and Halloween was one of my favorites, and still is. The thought of a silent killer in a William Shatner mask is horrifying alone, but add in John Carpenter’s cheap piano music that eventually became a classic and you have a match made in hell, or in this movie theater world, heaven.
While horror has evolved, I actually think it devolved. No, not just because of the remakes.. endless remakes.. and remakes of the remakes (New Line has announced that are re-re-making the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET film again, most likely since the 2010 incarnation was so awful).. I think horror has became a mockery of itself. Instead of scaring and carrying weighty issues, often societal commentary in Hitchcock or Romero style, we are treated to an endless supply of blood and gore. Without a point..
And sex.
Oh yes, the sex.Before I get into the point of this post, I want to first say that if you really want to find creative horror—real creativity—look no further than independent filmmakers on YouTube who are busy offering up amazing short films that will scare the wits out of you. Some of them are 15 minutes.. others are two.. Either way they are amazing and fresh, not recycled nonsense like Hollywood shovels down our throats. But true scary little tales that will make you cringe if you watch them in the dark. As a matter of fact, queue a whole bunch up and play them on your SMART TV if you’re smart enough to have a SMART TV. Instead of a marathon of garbage and drivel, take an hour and watch a few short movies.. I recommend anything with Lotta Losten. Also films from SKYPEMARE.
Back to the point of the article (since I wrote over 500 words and have yet to get to it): Bloody Disgusting, the website I follow for horror news, did something awfully disgusting the other day.. so much so that I feel it deserves some attention.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am part time busy writing posts on NIGHT TERROR NEWS, what you see here, and also now and then updating a site called the HORROR REPORT. The HORROR REPORT has a long history, but it never quite made the fame charts in the horror world. While it focused on such film and entertainment, it also delved into the more realistic nature of the scary world. So it’s not a fan site.. Bloody-Disgusting.com is a far far far more popular site, perhaps one of the most popular in the horror website world. It’s unbeatable, even Mr. Dark at DREAD CENTRAL cannot hold a candle to the popularity of Bloody-Disgusting.
But that doesn’t mean Bloody-Disgusting is superior.As a matter of fact, the site does a lot of the nonsense other sites do—turnoffs for me but clickbate for Facebook and Twitter. The lists. The ‘best ofs’ .. the top tens..
And a top ten they offered is exactly what I wanted to discuss.
The other day on BLOODY DISGUSTING posted August 4, a write at the site posted a story called “10 incredibly graphic sex scenes in horror movies (NSFW). Fair enough.. Sex and horror often go together, I suppose. But when you peruse the list, it’s not what you think.. Included with the list: The expected films like FRIDAY THE 13TH movies.. But so is the film ANTICHRIST, and SALO, OF THE 120 DAYS OF SODOM. And A SERBIAN FILM involving awful sex crimes to an infant. And LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, proclaiming that an “extended rape scene that is absolutely grueling.” And with that.. the floodgates of commentary on Facebook and the website opened.
People opined quickly that rape scenes being included with what was billed as a fun little list was icky… sickening.. over the top.. wrong.. One fan of the author, in the comments thread, lectured that it seemed as though the post celebrated rape. And even a few responses from the author, Trace Thurman, showed up. Like this statement,
“After reading the plethora of comments about the inclusion of the rapes, I take responsibility for not thinking about that aspect of rape vs sex. Those belong on a ‘most disturbing’ list.”
The thread and Facebook comments opened up a fierce argument, often nasty crude and cruel, between readers.. Is rape sex? By definition, perhaps, but it’s forced.. should it be included with ‘sex scenes,’ and for God sakes, why included the awful SERBIAN FILM on any list at all!?
The entire post seemed to blow up in all the wrong ways for BLOODY DISGUSTING. And it’s too late to just retract. The damage is done. Now it’s damage control time—with the author busy apologizing one by one to the commenters who seem most offended by the inclusion of such awful scenery in horror films.
I am not someone who proclaims any allegiance to the path of censorship. However I also think ethical standards should be adhered to for common sense reasons. The other day I saw someone going to work at a business location that deals with the public, and he was wearing a “Don’t Treat on me” shirt. While I believe he has the right to wear what he wants, I simply question the logic of someone who seems to want to pick a fight for no reason..
And in horror, as a viewer, I don’t want to see pets or babies abused. I don’t want to see the death of a child. I don’t even want to see graphic scenes. The R rated and X rated fans would call me a PG-13 wimp. I’m not completely a PG-13 fan either, but instead am more a horror of the most sort of person..
That or I am growing up. And as a parent and husband, simply take things a different way. Like the scene in the HILLS HAVE EYES remake when my wife and I literally wept when the father was crucified and burned in front of his family in an agonizing death sequence. I actually stopped watching horror for a while after that.
I feel somewhat bad for Trace Thurman, who now has to busily say sorry for his article and explain that often times sarcasm doesn’t come through very well. That being said, I think it was a mighty awful error to include scenes of graphic rape in a list that was advertised on Facebook with a photo featuring a pleasant looking women prior to the ‘deed being done.’
I also think it has led to some uncomfortable soul searching for horror fans who read the post, and responded in writing.
Once more, I don’t think censorship is an answer. Art needs to flourish and sometimes offend. That said, I think self-censorship is often intelligent. Especially when you’re writing a list about the top ten sex scenes in horror and somehow find it wise to include graphic rape.
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Health non scares and selfish cares
Hypochondria and children..
They don’t mix well.Allow me to explain.
I am a paranoid hypochondriac. I have always been a hypochondriac, since childhood when I thought every little thing was wrong with me and fretted endlessly about it.. and then into my teenage years when I held it private so no one would know.. and my 20s when I thought I was aging faster than many others and sick all of the time.. and now soon my mid-30s, where I worry about blood circulation, brain cells diminishing, heart problems.. everything including the C word. Yes, hypochondria.
The most recent ailment to grip me: One leg seems to be bigger than the other.. blood clot!? Circulation problem!? Lymphoedema!? I need to un-bookmark WEB MD.
I don’t have (a substantial knock on wood will loudly take place after I write this sentence) any of these problems mentioned. At least not that I know of.. Although that one leg being bigger thing has me perplexed. But when is studied closer, I noticed one arm is bigger than the other.. Perhaps one ear, too.. We are not symmetric. Until I feel pain I’ll ignore it.
Oh but pain?
When I begin thinking about things, suddenly the mind-body connection works perfectly. I can’t win the lottery through positive thought, but I can sure make myself sicker with negative dwelling..And enter a child.
There is a little something different about my hypochondria over the past few years. It has, let’s say, matured. I am not selfish anymore.. A hypochondriac is somewhat selfish, after all. The “me me” and “I’m sick!” when someone else is sick is almost offensive. As a matter of fact, here is a little secret about someone with hypochondria: When someone they love is sick, or worse, they too will begin to wonder if they have the same symptoms. And when you look through the voluminous symptoms most diseases (and the C word) have, they are similar. They are scary.. the hypochondriac precipitously has each one!
Selfishness…
Studdornness..
And then a the hypochondriac becomes a father. Or mother. In my case, a proud dad since February 2011.And that is where my vexing over medical ailments that never were changed.
I went to the ER for a lot of problems in life.
There was the time I had a blood clot. But didn’t. Or the moment I swore I swallowed a chicken bone, but miraculously had no evidence to prove it. Or the heart issue.. Probably bad diet and too much coffee. Or my big leg. I stand by the time I went to the hospital for a snake bite. I was bit. But probably by a ringneck and not a poisonous killer.
That was then.
Pre-parenting.
Now as a dad, the hypochondriac in my wonders all of the irrational things about my child. I keep them to myself, though. I do not want him picking up any potential traits of a worrying goofball who always tries to find the next ailment to create a medical crisis.When my son turned two, or somewhat around that period of time, he developed a nasty flu. And fever. The fever was so bad, we had to take him to the ER. He was over 105 and rising.. this may have been the most frightening night of my modern life—truly. My wife and I were kind-of-new parents, two years in and not yet fully adapted to everything. But to see a child of yours lethargic and deficient of all energy, zapped by a horrible fever, is scary.. hypochondria stopped being an issue for a bit. Now it was real. Now it was dangerous..
He improved with the help of antibiotics.. I hope to never have to deal with such a long night again, and don’t wish it on any other parents.
But this is where my hypochondria changed. Instead of only selfishly tormenting my own body and mind in a ‘me me’ fashion, I looked at my innocent son Ayden and realized that I needed to keep myself healthy for him. Not for me anymore.. for him. He needed me then and does not. The same goes for my wife. Our son needs us to be healthy .. for him.
That is an interesting change, for anyone I think. Going from someone who loses sleep because of the array of medical harms that could come my way and instead dismantling a thought process to actually improve your mind and body is a big change.
Additional to that, I am 34 and almost 35. Candles will be on a cake in only less than one month as Virgo the Virgin takes over the calendar. I admit, this is not “old” in the modern sense. Maybe the Victorian sense.. however, I still think I am aging. With that process, I am becoming more open to the chances of ailments actually striking. But the goal now is to not SEARCH for problems, but instead prevent them. That is interesting to my. As a hypochondriac for life, I always thought I had every problem but yet somehow didn’t strive hard to prevent them. After achieving the prize of parenthood, my diet changed. I quit drinking alcohol in the volume I was during my 20s.. I look for clean and healthy GMO free food. I care about things that may endanger me.. I want to be healthy. I want to beat hypochondria by actually being well. And feeling well.
We all have medical crises that take place. And they will take place when we least expect them. Like swollen legs—although in my case I think it’s just an old fashioned moment of hypochondria and a disproportionate body.
When you have a child, however, the medical crises you get hit with will affect not only you, but mostly now others.. The ripple effect sets in.. Your child, or children, need you. And for that reason, anyone out there who is still a parent with hypochondria needs to ditch that idea as fast as you can. Improve your mind and body. Actually work day and night to eat to live instead of live to eat. Cut the alcohol… and whatever else. Because unless you actually care a bit more to achieve a long life for your child, your hypochondria may come to fruition.

