Horror Report

Tag: pop culture

  • CHARLIE ISN’T DEAD: THE CHALLENGE BACK WITH ‘MASS HYSTERIA’ IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

    CHARLIE ISN’T DEAD: THE CHALLENGE BACK WITH ‘MASS HYSTERIA’ IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

    The CHARLIE CHARLIE challenge set the world on fire over Memorial Day weekend this year, when an untold number of pre-teens, and teens—along with Clyde Lewis on the radio—decided to balance two pencils together and request the presence of Charlie, a supposed Mexican demonic entity..

    While the whole pop cultural phenomenon seemingly has waned, the Dominican Republic just had quite the CHARLIE CHARLIE issue while it was taking place. According to reports now being filed in the UK DAILY MAIL and other sources,  four Colombian high school students were brought to the emergency room two weeks ago screaming and babbling.. there were no physical abnormalities or issues. Reporter Alasdair Baverstock writes this in the MAIL:

    But parents at the Juan Pablo Duarte Primary School in the town of Hato Mayor in the Dominican Republic, where the original video came from, say their children were ‘possessed by Satan’ after playing the playground game.

    ‘Three students were absent from class because their parents believed they were possessed by the devil,’ deputy headmistress Jovita Jimenez told MailOnline. 

    Ms Jimenez’s school is one of various throughout the Hato Mayor region of eastern Dominican Republic, a country where voodoo black magic is common, that has been subjected to what she describes as the ‘satanic craze’.

    The entire allure of Charlie Charlie has some interesting causes in my opinion.. the game and myth has been confined to Latin America and Mexico. Cultural experts say that men in those areas are more likely to play the game than women.. But the fact that Twitter and Facebook exploded with it also showcases the changing cultural dynamic of the United States . During the early 1900s, the US of A was greeted with countless immigrants who brought with them the lure and paranormal tales of their home countries, typically in Europe. At that time, Christmas was a time for ghost stories, something that dates back to the Victorian Age.

    In 2015, CHARLIE CHARLIE shows that a whole new immigrant impact is occurring. The increasing number of Latin Americans and Mexicans in the United States is having an effect even on the paranormal world and horror establishment.  And with it, new people are being introduced to the friend people South of the border had for a long time: Charlie.

     

     

  • EVA LOVIA UNSUITS UP: SEX WHERE NO MAN HAS HAD SEX BEFORE

    EVA LOVIA UNSUITS UP: SEX WHERE NO MAN HAS HAD SEX BEFORE

    I suppose there is one place.

    JASON went to space in X.. So an X-Rated site may as well be next.

    PORNHUB, one of the most popular video porn sites online, has announced plans to crowdfund a plan for two people to have sex in the cosmos..The UK INDEPENDENT reports,

    The site hopes to launch the mission and shoot Sexplorations in 2016, covering the pre and post-production costs itself but seeking $3.4 million from IndieGogo crowdfunders.

    Christopher Hooton, who most likely gives a hoot, reports,

    Pornhub claims to be attempting the mammoth mission purely for “the love of science and sex”, and the mind boggles as to what kind of scenes will be achieved in zero G.

    The site is offering a tiered reward system for funders, with those donating large amounts getting to map out entire scenes including the positions and script.

    Porn actors Eva Lovia and Johnny Sins have been lined up to star in Sexplorations, and will receive “six months of rigorous training” prior to launch.

    Quite a launch.
    Quite a mission>
    Countdown..
    This is not your parents’ moon walk.

  • Untitled post 13524

    PEPPA PIG smashes records!! The kids love the hog..Smashes the billion dollar mark.. . My son, age 4, has seen the program, and while he doesn’t request it, he will quietly watch it when it’s on..  

    Five minute programs about a family with one pig that enjoys jumping in puddles? The makers didn’t know  it would be this much of a success and quite frankly, how could they have?

     It was created in 2004 in the UK.. the same place that gave us quirky comedy with MONTY PYTHON and amazing DR WHO shows also gives us pigs with sidewalks snouts who have overly dull existences and never raise their voices.. And the kids, these days, just love it.

     If I have to theorize as to why, I would say this: We have complicated kids’ lives with technology and gadgets. Maybe this low key simple show that eliminates flashy animation is exactly what the child’s mind needs. Something kind and peaceful. Something that doesn’t inspire seizures, violence, rage, or hate. Just a pig that likes jumping in puddles.

  • WHY DAVE MATTERED TO ME

    WHY DAVE MATTERED TO ME

    I am going to share a secret never before uttered: I copied all of my comedy material from someone else in grade school..
    See, I was a bit of a class clown at times. I came up with some of my own stuff, my own jokes. By high school, there were times I even worked blue. But from around 1990 through the end of the 20th century, I was a hardcore David Letterman fan.

    I would set my VCR nightly to tape every show. Those very tapes still exist in a box, tucked away deep in a closet in my bedroom. The day after, I would catalog the show and put notes on the front as whether they included my favorite bits. The guy under the stairs. Dave making toast.. Mujibar.. all of those bits and skits.. I don’t know if they would even work if I tried to watch them.. Quite frankly, I don’t even know where I’d find a VCR..

    But David Letterman provided me some of the best ideas to translate jokes into my own life. In high school, ‘hallway races’ were popular because I loved the bit about sidewalk races that Letterman used to do. Other profound moments of teenage comedy often came because of inspiration I found on the Letterman show. Or shows.

    I even was able to get a hold of old LATE NIGHT shows around my junior year in high school at a yard sale–skits that even if kids were staying up to see LATE SHOW, they would have never had access to. No YOUTUBE back then.. no ‘viral’ nonsense.

    Just David Letterman, nightly with sarcastic wit..
    Things changed for me a bit after high school.. I loved the post 9/11 show that Letterman did. But I soured on his humor. He seemed to give up.. he phoned it in. After his sex scandal, I sort of abandoned the new Letterman and just safely kept the ‘old Letterman’ in my head.

    I have nostalgia for David Letterman for a number of reasons. Not only did his brand of humor inspire my own and make it safe to make the jokes I wanted to make, but he also got me through a number of dark times in my own life. Just knowing that he, the master of comedy, also suffered from moments of exhaustion and personal annihilation, depression, and harmful habits, made me feel just a bit better. It made me feel in some way like I knew David Letterman. And I think most of the fans who loved him–those who stayed with him until this bitter end–felt like they knew him too.

    The Letterman fan isn’t the over achiever. Instead, a Letterman fan is the underdog. Smarter than his co-workers or bosses, but somehow ignored by most. Though a Letterman fan may be considered a clown, deep down that clownish exterior is simply masking the intelligent and moral person beneath. The man or woman who wants to learn about the universe, and does not accept a concept that we have already learned it. The man or woman who questions authority but agrees with the premise that we need it. And the man or woman who just wants to live life poking and prodding powers that be who so often simply want to force all to have their brand of humor…

    Yes, nostalgia is building..
    Sleepless nights were created by David Letterman. Inspiration .. a new brand of TV that thumbed a nose at the phonies behind the script writing. That was David Letterman. And also a reason why he was the constant underdog.. People usually happily accept the reality created for them–the Jay Lenos and the viral videos.. Even the Fallons with friendly skits. Dave–the honest Dave from the 80s and 90s–put all the trash out for all to see..

    This is a strange year, in a sense..
    For one, Brian Williams’ actions led to his potential downfall–no NBC decision made yet.
    Jon Stewart, a staple and visionary in the world of political satire, is hanging up the cue cards.
    Jay Leno is gone.
    Conan O’Brien is marginalized.
    David Letterman is saying goodbye.

    There is a clear change in television–pop culture itself is altering. There seemingly is a new generation taking the helm. One that gives us happy go lucky humor that safety tucks us in at night. Gone is the wit and sarcasm that required careful thought for it to become funny. Instead quick laughs have replaced that.. Viral videos led to the Letterman downfall. Irony, after all, doesn’t work in a 10 second viral way..

    I remember one fall night in 1994. It was late September, and my family and then girlfriend had just come home from a local fair as autumn waned. It was a beautiful night and slightly too cold for that time of year. It was a Friday night and I have no reason to go to bed early. That night, I remember distinctly, being overjoyed that I was home that night before 11:35 pm on the East Coast. My local news had ended with then weatherman Barry Finn giving his rooftop forecast.. and the Paul Schaffer orchestra opened up LATE SHOW with David Letterman. At that moment, at that time, all seemed fine and right.

    All of these years later–21 years since that night as a matter of fact–Letterman is waving bye for the final time as WORLDWIDE PANTS and his LATE SHOW bid farewell..

    This is a big pop culture moment, perhaps as large and important a time in TV as Johnny Carson giving his last golf swing as Bill Clinton began his first year in office.

    But why is this big?
    Because TV, itself, is changing. Perhaps in some sense over.
    And maybe, in another, just beginning.

    David Letterman is a 20th century boy who had borrowed time in the 21st. But my nostalgia and love for his show stayed in the 20th century.

    And I have the aging tapes to prove it.

    DAVID LETTERMAN.
    Thank you.

    A final note: Christmas without Darlene Love will just not be the same…………..

  • WHAT’S YOUR FREQUENCY NORWAY?

    WHAT’S YOUR FREQUENCY NORWAY?

    Norway is about to set a trend. If you haven’t heard, they are going to become the first nation in the world to officially dump FM–frequency modulation–radio.

    FM, around since the 1930s globally, has been a steadfast friend to people driving or radio fans for decades.

    It’s obvious to say: The popularity of FM has waned recently.. though many still listen, they only do so often because they still don’t have other options..

    Options such as DAB. Digital Audio Broadcasting. That is the new system being embraced by Norway. The Ministry of Culture is making the switch. By 2017, FM will start being phased out region by region.  But the decision also seems obvious. In Norway, DAB listening now exceeds that of FM.

    The squeeze is now on..
    Whether other nations quickly or slowly follow Norway’s lead is up for time to decide. It’s clear that others will. And slowly by surely, as people give their love to the NET version of streaming instead of the FM version of sometimes staticy music broadcasting, the switch to DAB will become more of a global thing.

    In America, though? I still sense an AM and FM lifespan to last a bit..  heck, there is still a market for ATARI, VHS, and even BETA. Radio will have a few more years before it goes the way of the FAX machine. Oh wait.. FAX machines are still around, too..

    DAB, for the record, is used across Europe and Asia Pacific..  There are some interesting technical facts you can read on the means of broadcasting, should you want to.. But the important non technical takeaway: DAB is robust and for mobile listening–which is the really important fact. People  have their ‘radios’ everywhere–their phones. DAB works well for the new style of music listening of our era..  DAB reception quality first degrades rapidly when the signal strength falls below a critical threshold, whereas FM reception quality degrades slowly with the decreasing signal.

    And now NORWAY is paving the way for a whole new frequency.

    So what’s yours, Kenneth?

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWkMhCLkVOg]

  • When nostalgia meets the present

    When nostalgia meets the present

    The family took a voyage to the movie theater today.. the HORROR REPORT family didn’t see anything filled with fright–no IT FOLLOWS for me, it’s not in a theater nearby.. Instead it was SPONGEBOB.. A sponge out of water. Funny parts, good laughs–though the ‘out of water’ business only took up the last 20 minutes or so of the movie, which was a disappointment. The real story here is that Ayden Morris, now 4, was at his first movie theater experience.

    This was a big day for me–huge as a matter of fact.. It’s not the movie choice that mattered, but just that he wanted to attend a theater showing. And he loved it.. he was stunned a bit at how loud certain parts were, he cringed during the return to JURASSIC PARK trailer, and he heartily laughed at the humor of Spongebob. So did I, and my wife..

    There was one more proud pappa moment for me, too.. After the film, we perused a much emptier mall than it ever was before. My local shopping sensation of yesteryear is suffering through the same downtown as many other brick and mortar shopping plazas.. But there’s a thrift shop–a place where old antiques and relics of yesterday are still bought and paid for by collectors and modern internet people. My son came across a bulk batch of HE-MAN action figures. He knew them since he plays with the few older broken ones I still possess. After today, we are adding three new (old) HE-MAN characters to the family, including HORDAK, who hasn’t been in my presence since 1990.

    A full circle kind of day.. Beginning with drenching rain, dour as could be. But the light of family brightening the mood.. a modern movie in a cool theater with my 4-year-old eating up every moment.. and then a dad, at the age of 34, buying toys that I bought at the age of 4 in the same mall that I bought them in 20 years ago. So different in ways, but so similar in others.

    Full circle.
    Another moment of parenting..

    The fleeting moments of today are gone tomorrow.. So forgive me for writing about it. But it’s my way of making amazing little things last just a little bit longer than the short span of time they inhabit..

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  • The horror renaissance , 2015

    The horror renaissance , 2015

    A good list has been compiled by the AV Club about how to make good horror..

    And it’s good horror that has been lacking for too long of a time, besides a few gems that have popped up through thebyears..

    This article linked here could help any upcoming writers or directors create a new masterpiece of our time and genre..

    I am perfectly fine that the Era of torture porn appears to be coming to a close..

    Of course as I say that a popular Go fund Me still exists for 30, Rob Zombie’ upcoming film. .

    The masterpieces of yesterday may never get repeated–even though we keep on trying to recreate them over and over again with remakes and redos.. Instead, directors and writers should update the standards, refocus on what is scaring this new generation.. And what isn’t.. Slashers lost their effect.. Our reality is comprised instead of trustworthy men in business suits ruining the world. That’s scary..
    Equally scary: The future of robots and nanotechnology.. science fiction and horror can merge in a beautiful and well-made with under the direction of the right producer.

    And maybe even more, horror movies should teach lessons again. Become societal commentaries again. Like DAWN OF THE DEAD. That movie held a revolutionary message. Even some say the same for FRIDAY the 13th, calling it a commentary on the Reagan era and the rise of the Religious Right.  The SAW films capitalized on America’s newfound love of torture after 9/11..

    And now today, as this is written, IT FOLLOW and BABADOOK are celebrated not only in alternative sources but also mainstream press as horror films worth seeing.

    That’s a positive.
    Horror can be as important as drama or any other genre.. As a matter of fact, even more so: It’s the primal fears, the instincts of humanity, the hopes and prayers of survival.. the scares of what we cannot control. All rolled into one hour and a half (or more) of visual and emotional scares.

    Today, IT FOLLOWS is released in a number of theaters–but not nearly as many as I wish. With success, of course, that could change.

    Earlier this week, I wrote about the high praise of IT FOLLOWS. And the positive press hasn’t stopped there, the shower of love of this movie has only continued. And that’s a good thing if you’re a fan of what this genre SHOULD be about.

    For years I have been the anti-horror movie horror fan, usually celebrating movies opposite of what pop culture says they love.. as an emotional and loving father, I am disturbed by many of the films in the horror genre that some praise. I get a little queasy when other sites write stories talking about the ‘best death scenes’ and the ‘kills’ of films..  But please don’t get me wrong, there’s enough room in any genre for subsets of the best.

    The real reason that horror, to me, is still important and worthwhile to follow: Because when done right it can put a spotlight on pop culture or societal troubles, drench it with attention, and change the world.. I really do believe that.

     

  • The ABCS of insanity

    The ABCS of insanity

    ADAM ROCKOFF in the DAILY BEAST wrote about the ABCS OF DEATH case, and the jail time for Sheila Kearns for showing the movie to a class..

    He wrote, in part:

    Substitute teacher Sheila Kearns did a very stupid thing when she showed a horror movie to a Columbus, Ohio high school class. But she doesn’t deserve to go to jail.

    And this:

    Kearns showed abysmal judgment—although she maintained throughout her trial she was unaware of the film’s content. She should never be allowed near a classroom again. But jail? These were high schoolers. Not kindergarteners.

    I am in full agreement and have written countless stories on my website concerning this case, and the bizarre chastisement of this woman as some sort of modern day witch. I wonder if her race had something to do with it..

    There is a point of ridiculousness too. Chances are most of the students in the class already saw the ABCS OF DEATH–and if they did they would realize it wasn’t even that great of a movie, even the lower forms of people who live and breathe snuff films were not overly excited about this or even the sequel..

    Rockoff writes more,

    More disturbing than the draconian sentence is the law under which Kearns was prosecuted. Her crime falls under an umbrella of moral codes known colloquially as “obscenity laws.” And while they might seem like a relic from a time when rock and roll was the devil’s music, they’re still on the books in almost every state in the Union.

    I am glad, truly glad, that someone besides me is 1) paying attention to this story and 2) upset by the insanity of putting a woman in prison for something that, under all scenarios, isn’t a crime..

  • A FAMED INTERNET PERSON COMMITS SUICIDE

    A FAMED INTERNET PERSON COMMITS SUICIDE

    Draven Rodriguez didn’t want a yearbook image like all others..so he made himself different, posing with his cat and laser lights. It went on to become one of those ‘things of the internet,’ the little pieces of pop culture that seem to catch on and stick. Although for Rodriguez, this senior portrait of fame has ended very  badly: News reports abounded this weekend that he committed suicide..

    According to reports, he was 17 and took his own life on Thursday last week.  The New York teen is now being mourned online, the same place where his image went viral only months ago.

    There are also endless theories popping up in comments sections on stories concerning why Rodriguez died.. But this is the nature of suicide and stories like this: we don’t know.. we will never know, and quite frankly, perhaps we should not know.

    Whether he intended the world to see his image or just to make high school fame, his creativity and fearlessness should be appreciated and applauded.

    But the thing I fear the most for the family, the part that touches my heart more than anything else, is that most people who share the image of this innocent young man will never know the tragic outcome of his fate from days ago.. they will share his image and it will live on in Internet infamy.. it will continue to exist in the domain of the meme..

    And all the while, the young man left his family and this world, took his own life, and ended whatever ordeal he was dealing with on this planet.. His family, the obituary said, cherished him. What family wouldn’t cherish an amazing soul in their lives? What parents wouldn’t give every bit of their love and support to a child?

    I ponder this: Did internet fame somehow haunt this young man? Did his meme becoming a shared and viral picture destroy him, even though he only did it to celebrate the dare to be different and the joy of being creative? Did the world somehow stomp him down?

    Only he knew that…

    No words are adequate for suicide, and I would not even pretend to articulate the morals or implications of Rodriguez’s decision. I think we know them already..

  • A worthwhile retort on the CABLE TV cord cutting

    A worthwhile retort on the CABLE TV cord cutting

    Last night, I dropped a link on this site and espoused some of my beliefs that the current generation growing up will drop out of the TV scene much prior to the next one. . the link on the ‘cord cutting’ actually came from TIME magazine.. However, a reader comment on the situation offered a very different and good perspective on the potential other side of the coin.. Since it was buried at the bottom of the site and few may have seen it, I’d like to share it in full, as it offers up a counter argument to the believe that Millennials are ready to abandon their TV sets altogether:

    It’s important to put this in perspective. The industry does a really good job of hyping reports and headlines based on a single, biased view. If we were to describe “millenials” as the age group of 18-34 from the inception of cable TV in the early 80s, things really don’t look that different. People don’t make primary choices about TV services until they have their own homes. The median age of first-time home buyers has gone up considerably just in the last 10 years alone. Until you are making a primary decision about TV service (not living with mom and dad, in a dorm or with several roommates), you are just making do (i.e., watching video online). SNL is not irrelevant. People are just choosing to record it and watch it later, not live. Nielsen, the author of this report, does not have the capacity to measure this.
    Since the inception of the VCR, live TV viewing has declined. When operators introduced DVRs into consumer homes, live TV viewing declined even more. A couple of years ago, DVR penetration among pay-TV subscribers was only about 40%. Throughout 2013 and 2014, due to much lower manufacturing costs and a hefty drop in the global price of chip sets and memory, operators have been able to put a lot more DVR set-top boxes in homes at a much lower price to subscribers. So what happens? Again, live TV viewing declines even more. This is not to say that people are watching less TV, they are just watching it on demand from their DVR. The popularity of broadcast TV programming has never been higher. People are just not watching it “live”.

    And that all makes sense.

    It does not shake my perspective though that SNL is irrelevant..I base that a bit simply on the humor or lack thereof that often comes from the show. But there may be other shows that are quite relevant, perhaps being recorded later.. Which changes the game altogether for Neilson and advertisers.

    No matter how you look at it, the pop culture world has changed.