Upcoming Events!!!

Will I See You There?????

I have two full weekends coming up beginning on July 23rd! I’ll be attending the Houston Horror Film Fest at the Houston Marriott Westchase in Houston, TX, and will then be attending Calcasieu Serial Fest on July 30th at the Henning House (Brimstone Museum) in Sulphur, LA. The HHFF looks like it is going to be amazing and I can’t wait to see all of the wonderful guests and check out some sweet independent horror films as well. The official Facebook event for the festival can be found here. Be sure to let them know if you’re attending or are interested in going to the event. More information about the festival guests, films, panels, cancellations, and more can be found on the festival webpage.

Due to a few late cancellations, a few new guests have been added to the festival’s lineup. If you’re a fan of Fright Night, Herman’s Head, Justified, or Mannequin 2, you’re in for a surprise. William Ragsdale has been added to the lineup THIS WEEK. Another amazing guest added this week is Fright Night and Married….With Children star, Amanda Bearse! I cannot wait to meet her! She’s always been one of my favorite actresses and a great director as well.

The festival will take place July 22nd through July 24th, but I am only able to attend on Saturday, the 23rd. If you happen to be attending that day, be sure to visit the Ken’s Alternate Universe Facebook page on Friday to find out the secret word that I’ll be revealing in a special live update at 9PM that evening. Find me at the festival on Saturday and mention the secret word and I’ll give you a free KAU sticker AND an additional special horror-themed sticker. I’ll have a limited number of KAU stickers, so find me early!

I’ll have one week to rest up for a second weekend of fun. I’ll be attending Calcasieu Serial Fest on the 30th. It will take place from 10AM to 5PM. It’s a free event that will feature chapters from classic serials from the 1930’s and 40’s. Popcorn and drinks will be served as well. An official list of serial chapters to be shown has not been published yet, but expect plenty of jungle-themed adventures as this year’s event is dubbed “Welcome To The Jungle.” I’ll be assisting with the festivities but feel free to talk with me about the event or anything else that interests you. This is expected to be the festival’s biggest year yet, and hopefully it will continue to grow.

I hope to see some of you at both of these events. If you plan on attending, comment below, DM me on the KAU Facebook page, the KAU Instagram page or hit me up on Twitter. Don’t forget to check for the secret word next Friday!

As always, thanks for checking out my post. See you soon!

Throwback Thursday: Riding The Bullet (2004)

“The Bullet is constant.”

Released in 2004, Stephen King’s Riding The Bullet is a generic thriller that tries desperately to be more than it is. The film has flashes of brilliance that are spread too far apart by long sequences of awkward interactions, failed attempts at art house-styled scenes, and mundane moments. It was directed and adapted by Mick Garris and starred Jonathan Jackson, David Arquette, Barbara Hershey, Matt Frewer, Erika Christensen, and Nicky Katt.

In the film, Jackson portays Alan Parker, an art student who gets into an argument with his girlfriend, tries to commit suicide, and then ends up hitchhiking home to see his dying mother. While hitchhiking, Alan meets a number of unique characters, may or may not have a few hallucinations, gets chased by murderous rednecks, and eventually rides shotgun with a phantom who gives him a choice: your life or your mother’s life.

Garris was already familiar with adapting and directing King’s work for both the big and small screen. He directed the 1992 film adaptation of King’s Sleepwalkers and also directed and/or wrote/produced a number of television shows and mini-series based on King’s work including The Stand (1994), Quicksilver Highway (1997) and The Shining (1997). He also worked on shows like Amazing Stories (1985) and She-Wolf Of London (1990), so his bizarre direction of Bullet has me a bit perplexed.

The film just can’t seem to find its rhythm. It throws in bizarre sequences where Alan has a conversation with his conscious, a literal second Alan that pops up throughout the film, that become increasingly more annoying with each interaction. It has a lot of misplaced or just plain dumb jump scares as well.

The film’s acting is pretty bad as well. Jackson isn’t a bad actor. He just cannot carry this film for some reason. Matt Frewer’s brief appearance feels forced and is poorly executed. Erika Christensen never really gets to show off her acting chops. Cliff Robertson’s role as an extremely creepy, elderly fellow that picks up Alan is awkward. Perhaps confusing everyone with bizarre characters was Garris’ intention. If so, he nailed it. If he was doing anything else, he failed miserably.

Not all of the performances were bad. Nicky Katt shines as a draft dodger who picks up Alan on his way to see his mother. Barbara Hershey is also quite excellent as Alan’s mother. The real star here is David Arquette, who plays against type as George Staub, a fifties-styled greaser who gives Alan the last ride to the hospital. The kicker? Staub is dead and is in town to take a soul with him to the afterlife. He uses fear, humor, and rage to manipulate Alan and he does a fine job of it in this film.

It’s a shame that this film is such a dud. It has a solid cast, an experienced director, and source material from one of horror’s living legends. It ultimately doesn’t translate well to the screen, however, and makes this one of my least favorite Stephen King adaptations.

Did you enjoy Riding The Bullet? let me know in the comments section. As always, thanks for reading.

Filmsquatch Podcast Debuts Today!

Bigfoot is out there…..you better watch your back!

Well, it’s time to make a pretty big announcement! Yours truly and Pop Ninja Podcast host, Patrick Bennett, have set out to watch ALL of the Bigfoot films that are out there in the wild. As we watch them, we’ll review them and share our thoughts on the films on the Filmsquatch Podcast! We will be watching the good Bigfoot films, the bad Bigfoot films, and a few films that we’d probably love to forget as well. Our first episode debuts today and you can find a link to the episode here.

The first film that we are taking a look at is a personal favorite of mine. We’ll be talking about Abominable starring Matt McCoy and Haley Joel! I’ve actually blogged about this film way back in 2017 during that year’s Thirty-One Days O’Horror and you can check that out here. This film also co-stars Tiffany Shepis, who was supposed to be in attendance at the Houston Horror Film Festival later this month but recently cancelled. I hope to get to talk with her one day and mention the podcast to her. Hopefully she’ll check it out! We have plenty of other films waiting in the wings, but be sure to us know if there are any Bigfoot related flicks that you want us to check out and we’ll get them on the pod!

I hope that all of you will take a look at this new and exciting podcast that Patrick and I have started. Don’t worry, I’ll still be very active on this blog and will still be providing reviews of films, books, movies, and more right here!

Thanks for checking out my post. See you soon!

Throwback Thursday: The Mist (2007)

“There’s something in the mist….”

Frank Darabont adapts a Stephen King story for the fourth time with 2007’s The Mist. Darabont already did The Woman In The Room, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Green Mile, but this was the first time that Darabont tackled a full blown tale of terror from King. With amazing performances from the likes of Thomas Jane, Andre Braugher, Marcia Gay Harden, and Toby Jones, it’s no wonder that this film is so amazing. Top it all off with four future members of the cast of The Walking Dead and that show’s make-up supervisor, and you’ve got the perfect storm for a great film.

In the film, a powerful storm blows through a small town in Maine. David and Stephanie Drayton and their son, Billy, assess the damage to their home and David and Billy head into town for supplies. Along for the ride is their occasional neighbor, Brent, an attorney who has had a number of run-ins with David in the past. While all of this is happening, a mysterious and thick mist rolls across the small town and the surrounding areas. While in the grocery store, David, Billy, and Brent become trapped inside the building after the mist covers everything and everyone. Alarms sound, screams and roars are heard, and a small group of store employees and patrons hunker down to battle an unseen enemy. As the day grows long, factions begin to form throughout the group. Brent heads up one of these factions, the “Outsiders,” made up of vacationers and visitors from out of town. Mrs. Carmody, a local religious fanatic, begins to make proclamations and prophecies about what is happening and quickly forms another, more bloodthirsty group. A third group headed up by David also forms. It features level-headed members of the local community and a few of the store employees. Brent’s group heads out into the fog, hoping to find help. Carmody’s group seeks out sacrifices to the beasts and turns on David’s group. David and his faction make a desperate attempt at escape. Who lives? Who dies? Who are what are the real monsters in The Mist? Watch it to find out what happens!

Darabont does an amazing job of showing us just how quickly humanity can spiral out of control. The people in the store initially help one another fight off the beasts that attempt to kill them but quickly turn on one another. All of this is delivered in a chaotic fashion that only adds to the suspense and terror of the film. The CGI creatures look pretty good, but Nicotero’s practical effects really shine in this film. Thankfully the mist manages to hide many of the shortcomings of the CGI.

The cast is amazing. Everyone delivers an amazing performance. Thomas Jane carries the film as David, but he gets a ton of support from Andre Braugher, Sam Witwer, Alexa Davalos, Toby Jones, Frances Sternhagen, and many others. Marcia Gay Harden steals every scene that she appears in as her character, Mrs. Carmody, embraces her divine destiny as the leader of religious zealots. Rounding out the brilliant cast are four future castmates from The Walking Dead. Laurie Holden and Jeffrey DeMunn have prominent roles in the film and it also features Juan Gabriel Pareja and Melissa McBride in small roles. McBride is of special note, as her character is only on the screen for a few minutes but they are very powerful minutes.

This film’s ending is brutal. I won’t spoil it here, but do know that if you’ve read Stephen King’s novella, Darabont took some major liberties with the film adaptation. In fact, King loves the ending that Darabont used in the film. The first time I saw it, it hit me like a ton of bricks. It’s simply wonderful.

The Mist (2007) Directed by Frank Darabont Shown from left: Laurie Holden, Thomas Jane and Nathan Gamble

This is definitely one of my favorite Stephen King adaptations. The story is interesting, paced extremely well, and shows us all that the worst monsters in the world are actually folks that look just like you and me. Be sure to check out the madness that is The Mist.

Thanks for checking out my review! See you again soon!

NECA Halloween II Toy Capsules

Perhaps they came from a sadistic Easter Bunny???

When I saw this bag of nine toy capsules sitting on the shelf at Walmart, I was a tad perplexed. Sure, I’d already seen and passed on the Universal Monsters Toy Capsules, but these Halloween II capsules caught my attention. Perhaps it was the orange and black bag and capsules? Maybe it was Michael Myers’ face on the bag? Whatever it was, I was compelled to purchase this bag of surprises. There was also a Chucky bag but I decided to pass on it for the time being.

Each bag comes with nine surprise toy capsules. These capsules are exactly like the ones that you might find in a candy machine. One of the cool things about them is that the orange side of the capsules features the Halloween II title. Apparently the nine surprises in each bag are the same, so there’s really no need to pick up two bags unless you really want a pair of whatever collectible catches your eye.

Just so you know, I’m about to spoil what’s hiding in those capsules. Below this image of Michael Myers is a description of and photos for all of the items. You’ve been warned…..

The nine surprises are actually pretty cool. Here’s a list of all nine of ’em.

  1. Michael Myers Keychain
  2. Halloween II Magnet
  3. Halloween II Lanyard
  4. Halloween II Shoelaces
  5. Michael Myers Eraser
  6. Miniature Silver Shamrock Skull Mask
  7. Miniature Micheal Myers Mask
  8. Haddonfield Memorial Hospital Patch
  9. Michael Myers Pin

I really like the pin, keychain, magnet, lanyard, and shoelaces. All of the items appear to be of superior quality. The magnet is a tad on the thin side but I’m okay with that. The lanyard will definitely be put to good use because I can use it at work. The shoelaces will probably go to my daughter as she’s the only other horror fan in the family. She’ll probably end up with the keychain as well.

There’s really not much else to say about these miniature surprises. They are well made, look cool, and are perfect for any Halloween II fan or Halloween fans in general. If I can find them, I might grab the Universal Monsters set as well. I’m still on the fence about the Chucky set, but I’ll let you all know if and when I get those two sets!

Thanks for checking out my post. See you again soon!

Enso Rings Star Wars Collection

Power of the Dark Side Silicone Wide Ring.

“I can feel your anger.”

Enso Rings has released a number of silicone rings in their Star Wars Collection. I believe that the initial release was earlier last year. Since then, there have been character rings, lightsaber rings, and more with the most recent collection based upon the Disney+ Series Obi-Wan Kenobi. Another recent collection that Enso released is the Star Wars Wide Collection featuring three rings that focus on three important scenes from the original Star Wars Trilogy.

L To R: Power of the Dark Side, Suns of Tatooine, and Trench Run.

I was fortunate enough to get the Power of the Dark Side ring to review for a third party group. I’ve worn and reviewed plenty of generic silicone rings over the years, but this particular ring is special. Not only is it wide and true to size, it’s also very durable, features vented slots to reduce sweating, and has an amazing battle scene emblazoned upon it featuring Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader battling one another as Emperor Palpatine conjures Force Lighting.

The box that my ring arrived in whenever I received it.

I really love this ring. It is definitely a conversation starter and I know that it would be a great gift for any Star Wars fan. I’m very tempted to pick up the Hello There ring from the Obi-Wan Collection. All of these rings are beautiful and I can see collecting them becoming a habit for me.

The Star Wars Classic Silicone Ring Collection.

I’ve already worn my ring a few times and have had a number of people ask me about it. Most of them are just curious strangers but a few of them were big Star Wars fans. Enso has a ring and/or ring collection for you no matter who your favorite Star Wars character, film, or series happens to be and you’ll really appreciate the love and care that they put into each one of these rings.

My ring in the box.

Thanks for checking out these Enso Rings with me. Please note that I did not receive this ring from Enso nor did they have any input into my review of the ring. I was just given a unique opportunity and figured that my blog readers would enjoy a closeup look at these beautiful rings.

The Palpatine side of my ring.

The Year Of KISS: Peter Criss (1978)

“Vaccinated with a Victrola needle….”

In a daring attempt to bring a little bit of sanity back into the world of KISS, Paul, Gene, Peter, and Ace went their separate ways to write, record, and release four solo albums, one for each member of the group. All four of the albums, released on September 18, 1978, shipped platinum and featured iconic images of each band member on the cover. The Ace Frehley album is considered by many to be the best of the four releases. On the other end of the spectrum, and a bit unfairly in my opinion, is the Peter Criss solo album. The album was blasted by critics of the day and fans alike but time has proven to help the overall opinion of the band with many folks to a certain degree.

The album isn’t that bad. In fact, it features a pretty solid mix of soft ballads, boogie woogie, jazz, and blue-eyed soul. I could easily hear artists such as Glenn Campbell, Kenny Rogers, John Lennon, and Lionel Richie tackle many of these tracks and take them to the top of the charts. Therein lies the problem with the album, however. KISS fans in 1978 probably didn’t listen to guys like Campbell, Rogers, Lennon, or Richie. They were expecting snare-smashing rock with screechy vocals and perhaps a rasp-tinged ballad or two along the lines of Beth or Hard Luck Woman. Instead, they got crooners like Easy Thing and Kiss The Girl Goodbye and a cover of Bobby Lewis’ Tossin’ And Turnin’. This wasn’t a KISS album and the KISS Army soundly rejected it.

Criss co-wrote six of the ten tracks on the album with Stan Penridge, who co-wrote many of KISS’ early tracks including their biggest hit, Beth, and songs such as Hooligan and Baby Driver. The other tracks were written by Sean Delaney (I Can’t Stop The Rain, Rock Me Baby), Vini Poncia, John Vastano, and Michael Morgan (You Matter To Me), and Tossin’ And Turnin’ written by Ritchie Adams and Malou Rene. Criss holds his voice back for the most part on all of the tracks, never screeching or wailing as fans were accustomed to on songs like Getaway and Black Diamond.

The album featured ten tracks. Two singles were released and, unsurprisingly, failed to make an impact on the charts. The singles were Don’t You Let Me Down and You Matter To Me. The album managed to reach #43 on the US Billboard 200, making it the poorest charting solo album of the four released in 1978.

Track Listing:

  1. I’m Gonna Love You
  2. You Matter To Me (single)
  3. Tossin’ And Turnin’ (cover)
  4. Don’t You Let Me Down
  5. That’s The Kind Of Sugar Papa Likes
  6. Easy Thing
  7. Rock Me, Baby
  8. Kiss The Girl Goodbye
  9. Hooked On Rock N’ Roll
  10. I Can’t Stop The Rain

Personnel: Peter Criss (all drums except where noted), Allan Schwartzberg (drums on Easy Thing, Rock Me, Baby, and I Can’t Stop The Rain). The following artists appeared on multiple tracks. Please refer to the individual album notes for specific songs and a complete list of vocalists: Bill Bodine and Neil Jason (bass guitars), Art Munson, Stan Penridge, Elliot Randall, John Tropea, Brendan Harkin, and Steve Lukather (lead and rhythm guitars), Bill Cuomo and Richard Gerstein (keyboards), multiple backing vocalists, Tom Saviano (horn arrangements) and Michael Carnahan (saxophones).

In total, Criss had twenty-three musicians and vocalists join him on his album. Of special note are Allan Schwartzberg (Mountain, Peter Gabriel, Linda Rondstadt, B.J. Thomas), Art Munson (Dick Dale and His Del-Tones), and Steve Lukather (Toto). Only Gene Simmons had more performers on his solo album.

The primary theme of Criss’ album, at least in my opinion, is love and the influences of his past. Criss was the oldest member of KISS, so it makes perfect sense that he grew up listening to fifties and early sixties rock, doo-wop, and soul. He is also a professionally trained jazz drummer, so that influence is definitely felt across the album.

Although Peter Criss didn’t sit well with KISS fans and critics, you cannot deny that Criss was the biggest risk taker with his solo album. His album was also one of the most consistent, never straying too far from its formula. Only Ace Frehley is more consistent in my opinion.

I really like Peter Criss. It’s probably my third favorite album of the solos but that’s mainly because it is so different from the rest of the pack. My favorite tracks on the album include Hooked On Rock N’ Roll, You Matter To Me, and Easy Thing. I can listen to any of those three tracks any day of the week and they find their way into my playlist regularly. The rest of the tracks are good, but I have to be in the right mood to listen to them.

Say what you want about Peter Criss. It’s a much better album than critics and many members of the KISS Army would have you believe. It’s so vastly different from the rest of the solo albums that I don’t think that KISS fans were ready for it. As the years have gone by, many members of the KISS Army have found a soft spot in their hearts for at least a few of the album’s tracks. I’m pretty fond of it as well.

Thanks for checking out my review. I’ll review Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons next month during my Summer Solo Break in the Year of KISS!

The Year Of KISS: Ken Kelly, Artist (1946-2022)

Destroyer, Love Gun Cover Artist Passes Away

On June 3, 2022, the art world and the rock world lost one of its most iconic creators. Ken Kelly, a sword and sorcery artist who KISS fans know as the cover artist for two of KISS’ most iconic albums: Destroyer and Love Gun. Kelly produced artwork for other bands as well including Coheed and Cambria, Rainbow, Thunderpussy, and Manowar, among others. He also created artwork for magazines such as Creepy and Eerie.

Kelly’s work is often compared to fellow sword and sorcery artist Frank Frazetta. That’s no surprise since Frazetta is Kelly’s uncle by marriage and Kelly studied his work. In fact, Frazetta is the primary reason that Kelly was chosen to do KISS’ Destroyer cover. Casablanca Records initially wanted Frazetta to paint the cover for KISS’ new album at the time but they couldn’t afford him. According to Kelly, the record company’s art director brought in a bunch of art magazines and Gene Simmons tapped on one of the covers done by Kelly, impressed with the emotional misery of the robot that Kelly had painted. The rest is history.

The original artwork done by Kelly for Destroyer was rejected. Casablanca felt that it was too violent. After some alterations and changing KISS’ costumes to match up with the eventual Destroyer Tour costumes, the cover was approved. In 2012, Destroyer: Resurrected was released in celebration of the original album’s thirty-five year anniversary. It featured the original album artwork that was rejected by the record company. Kelly would be called upon by the band again to do the cover for Love Gun.

Kelly also teamed up with Ace Frehley in 2014 to do the cover work for Frehley’s Space Invader album.

Kelly’s work will live on so long as there are fans of fantasy, sword and sorcery, and iconic album artwork. Rest in peace, Ken Kelly, your work was and will remain amazing in my opinion.

Ace Frehley with Ken Kelly.

Fouke Monster Festival 2022

“Here, the Sulphur River flows….”

On Saturday, June 18th, myself and a friend attended the Fouke Monster Festival. Not only does this festival celebrate the legendary Fouke Monster, it celebrates all things Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Yeti, Booger, and pretty much anything else that falls into the field of cryptozoology. It’s also a celebration of the town of Fouke, Arkansas, its people, and the places surrounding it that make this festival so much more than just another Bigfoot convention.

It took us awhile to get into the community center where the festival was held. Admission, even for those that preregistered, was slow, but the festival adjusted its schedule and made sure that everyone got their dollar’s worth at the event. A welcome message was given by Lyle Blackburn, one of my favorite researchers in the field of cryptozoology. Then the mayor of Fouke, Terry Purvis, said a few kind words (and jokingly warned all of us that the Boggy Creek highway sign better stay put) before a day’s worth of panelists gave presentations to the crowd.

Marvin Leeper started off the presentations by recounting stories centered around The Legend of Boggy Creek. My favorite story that he told was of his own high school where the kids were excited to see the film until one of their teachers told them that it was about Boggy Creek in Arkansas and not Boggy Creek in Oklahoma to which one of the students replied loudly, “Well….Hell.”

Leeper was followed by Chester Moore, Ken Gerhard, and Lyle Blackburn. While I enjoyed all of their presentations, Ken Gerhard’s panel on the Minnesota Iceman grabbed my attention. Prior to this event I was not aware of the Iceman nor did I know of its ties to Walter Mondale and Jimmy Stewart. It was an interesting talk and I hope to catch Gerhard at another event in the near future.

I didn’t get to listen to all of Lyle Blackburn’s presentation because I was scheduled to take a tour of Fouke hosted by Craig Woolheater, but I did talk to Lyle at his table and purchased his Momo book and had it and my copy of his Boggy Creek Casebook autographed. I thanked Lyle for answering my question about hurricanes and Sasquatch sightings on his podcast, Monstro Bizarro, which I highly recommend. He was an extremely nice guy and an all around cool dude. Be sure to check out his website for information on upcoming appearances, to purchase his books and other items, and to check out his podcast and his band, Ghoultown.

The highlight of the Fouke Monster Festival for me was the actual tour of the Fouke area. Prior to the festival, my experiences in Fouke began and ended at the Monster Mart. Don’t get me wrong, the Monster Mart is a definite must see (I visited three times while at the festival), but it is only a small portion of the legend of Boggy Creek. To get a better perspective on the events surrounding the film and the Fouke Monster itself, I highly recommend taking a tour of key sites in the area. I got to see where Boggy Creek begins (pictured above) and a number of the sites where sightings and encounters occurred not only in the film, but over the entire history of Fouke. It was an excellent tour and if you attend the festival in the future, I highly recommend taking advantage of this great tour.

Of course, no trip to Fouke is complete without a visit to the Monster Mart. Every single time that I have visited the Monster Mart, they’ve added something new to their growing Boggy Creek exhibit. I love this place. I love Fouke, Arkansas. I love the Fouke Monster Festival. Check it out for yourself!

Below is a gallery featuring photos from the driving tour of Fouke, a few more shots from the festival, and photos from the Monster Mart.

Thanks for checking out my review of the Fouke Monster Festival. If you visit the festival or just happen to be driving near the area, swing by the Monster Mart for some awesome Boggy Creek souvenirs and a great exhibit and be sure to visit Allen’s Burger Center for some home style hamburgers and other delicious treats! Oh, and the festival also celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of The Legend Of Boggy Creek. I might just be revisiting that film in a couple of months!