Last blog post - CHECK OUT THE NEW VAULT!

I have two announcements folks.... first off... THIS IS THE LAST POST I WILL BE MAKING ON THIS BLOG! All the current stuff (press releases, dvd news, etc.) will remain here indefinitely, but it is most likely that I will not be adding anything new from this point on. For all intensive purposes.... The Vault Blog is DEAD.

Also dead? The 100% written from scratch HTML version of The B-Movie Film Vault! It has now been replaced with an easy to update blog that will contain posts from here, as well as the archives of The Old Vault. This drastic change has been a long time coming, and I finally made the decision to enter the modern age! (After much coaxing from a friend of mine who's a fan of the site!)

And since the Vault was turning 13 (on June 6th!), I said to myself "There's no time like the present" and unveiled THE B-MOVIE FILM VAULT V2.0 several days ago. It's largely unfinished and will be a "work in progress" for the next few months, but I'm working feverishly to get old (and new) content archived there.

Parting is such sweet sorrow, but I must bid all of ye adieu. But this isn't goodbye, it's more like "Hey, I'm posting all of the same stuff you enjoy reading over at my main site now." Thanks to everyone that's followed me here on Blogger, and thanks to everyone that's continued to visit and support the Vault for the past thirteen years! It's been a heck of a ride so far, but I have a feeling that the best stuff is yet to come!

Come on over to the new and improved Vault at www.bmoviefilmvault.com and take a gander, won't you?

Two new reviews at the Vault: HATE CRIME & LADY OF THE DARK: GENESIS OF THE SERPENT VAMPIRE

HAPPY (early) VALENTINE'S DAY B-MOVIE FANS! As a gift to you (sort of) may I present two new capsule reviews at the Vault! First up is guest writer Kenny Barnwell's review for LADY OF THE DARK: GENESIS OF THE SERPENT VAMPIRE, a rather terrible-sounding artsy indie vampire flick, in which a women gets bitten by a vampiric snake, only to become  a man-hating bloodsucker herself.

Next up is my review for James Cullen Bressack's HATE CRIME, a found footage/home invasion flick that showed me that I am NOT the jaded Horror fan I thought I was. The film is brutal, disturbing, and a painstakingly created faux snuff film that is definitely not for the faint of heart!

Next up on the chopping block will be SOUL VENGEANCE, a 70's blaxsploitation flick where the main character uses his superhuman penis to avenge himself. It sounds like pure gold, but if what I heard is true, I'm about to suffer.... a lot.


Is it me, or does the narrator sound like a young Morgan Freeman?

I'm also working a retrospective article about my experiences at The Hudson Horror Show, a new INDIE FILMS YOU SHOULD BE STOKED FOR article, and of course, a smattering of new blog posts.

Stay tuned for more new content here at the Vault! And be sure to follow me on Twitter and Facebook!

State of the Vault Address - September 2012

Greetings everyone! It has been quite a while since I've posted any new content at The Vault, or on this here blog, or on any of the other satellite blogs that make up the small, but glorious, B-Movie Film Vault Empire. Well there's a good reason for that: I've been on sabbatical. Recently I've gone through some major trials and tribulations in my life, and decided I needed to step away from my "virtual life" for a bit.

My mother had major back surgery several months ago, and I've been busy helping my dad take care of her, as well as helping to keep the house clean, and splitting enough firewood to keep the old folks warm over the Fall and Winter. On top of that, my fiancee.... or should I say "the woman formerly known as my fiancee," and I hit a major speed bump in our relationship. I'm not going to go into details about this, but I will say that we are back together. We're working through some stuff, and I'm slowly but surely getting her moved in here at Vault HQ. I think things are going to work out just fine, and she will most assuredly regain fiancee status in the near future if all goes well.

Toss in a heaping helping of debt and a side dish of kidney stones, and .... damn it 2012.... you were supposed to be A GOOD YEAR! WHAT HAPPENED?! WHAT AWFUL THINGS HAVE I SAID AND DONE TO GET A ROUNDHOUSE KICK IN THE BALLS FROM KARMA?!!?!?! STEELLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

:: clears throat, regains composure ::

So obviously I'm pre-occupied with non-site duties, but where does that leave the Vault? At the moment it is sort of in limbo. The domain is going to be re-registered for two more years before this month is through, and I plan on coming back to my longest running hobby soon. However, I'm highly considering (i.e. made up my mind on) giving the Vault a major overhaul to A.) make it easier for me to update it AND post fresh new content, B.) conserve precious bandwidth and webspace, and C.) to make it easier for readers and visitors to interact with myself and each other. I'm leaning towards a blog-style site and will begin construction on the Vault 3.0 very soon. My goal is to have it fully operational around the end of October.

Also, I feel like I must address the ads that have been cropping up all over the site in recent months. I'm hard up for money at the moment and I have pretty much been taking any and all offers to post ads on my site. I hate to do it... absolutely HATE it, but at the moment whoring out my site (which thankfully pays for itself at the moment) is helping me stay afloat financially. The ads are, admittedly, an eyesore, and many of them don't even pertain to film in any way, but dang it, I've got to use every means at my disposal to keep the damned bill collectors at bay.

So there you have it folks: I'm taking a break, but plan on coming back with a vengeance next month. Put away your shovels because The Vault isn't dead yet!

In the meantime, wish me luck, health, and prosperity, and feel free to buy chunks of my long-cherished movie collection to help me out financially. Check out my eBay Auctions, won't you?

New capsule review for KLOWN KAMP MASSACRE!

I just uploaded a new capsule review to the Vault archives, for KLOWN KAMP MASSACRE! Described as "Friday the 13th" meets "Killer Klowns from Outer Space," this low-budget slasher/comedy received high marks from Vault contributor Kenny B. Check out the trailer for it below:




If Troma keeps doing what they are doing, this film could end up for free on Youtube in the near future! If that happens, then I'll definitely check this one out!

Well, that's it for tonight folks, but have no fear, for I have a few more of Kenny's reviews in reserve, plus I'll be taking part in an upcoming roundtable/blog-a-thon called SLATEROCALYPSE later this month. Also, I'll be recording a Youtube video soon, answering the handful of questions posed by some of the Vault's Facebook fans a few weeks back. So stick around, because there's a lot of new content coming your way!

Win tickets to the premiere of THE DEMON MESSENGER + The winners of the MY BLOODY VALENTINE GIVEAWAY!

Hey all! Yeah I know... long time no post. I've been busy, and tired, and sick, and sick and tired of being sick and tired. But now I'm back to bring you good tidings. First, I would like to announce that I have TWO TICKETS to give away for the world premiere of THE DEMON MESSENGER, a new indie monster movie that was filmed in and around the Southern Tier of NY / Northeastern PA. I got to catch a sneak peek of it this past Saturday and I gotta say, few micro-budget films can boast a monster as impressive as the one featured in this movie.

The film debuts at the Art Mission Theater in Binghamton, NY on Friday, April 13th at 7:30 PM. Seating is limited so get there early and get your tickets... or save yourself the trouble and enter right now to win the aforementioned free pair of tix! Just send off a quick e-mail to vault_master@bmoviefilmvault.com with a short note about your favorite Bigfoot and/or demon movie, and you're entered. I'll choose a winner on April 6th and either mail you the tickets or give them to you in person at the film's premiere! (I'll leave that up to you!) For the full list of showtimes, check out the image below. (Click to enlarge.)

Ok, next order of duty is to salute the winners of my recent My Bloody Valentine Giveaway which ended this past Saturday. The grand prize, which consisted of a brand new super limited edition My Bloody Valentine t-shirt from Fright-Rags, an 11 x 14 photo still of Harry Warden, and both "My Bloody Valentine" movies was (the epically named) Jesse James Hennessy. He sent in a video he posted on Youtube that is just... plain... awesome. Here is his entry, entitled "Poetry is Torture:"



The first runner up was Mike MacConnell who turned in a cool drawing featuring two of his most beloved cinematic monsters. It wasn't technically a valentine to his favorite Horror characters, but a bit of love for Freddy and Frankenstein's Monster obviously went into this. Great job Mike; enjoy the "My Bloody Valentine" DVD! (Don't forget to watch it UNCUT!)

The second runner up was a man that seems to be able to win stuff from me on a frequent basis, and at this rate, he's going to need a bigger DVD rack. Chris Laycox (a.k.a. the enigmatic Chris L.) won me over with a well-written poem in honor of his favorite Horror film, and its resident monstrosity, Belial. Check it out:

What's in the basket? - By Chris L.
It's not Easter eggs or laundry,
nor tools or a severed head.
But if I knew what was in the basket,
I'd probably end up dead.
I really want to know,
there's some people who found out.
Doctor Liflander was first,
and his midsection was ripped out.
Harold Needleman got a visit,
he soon won't forget.
He tried to warn another,
but that night he paid his debt.
That poor little O'Donovan,
was greedy to say the least.
Went in to steal some money,
looked like he got killed by a beast.
A simple trip to the vet,
turned into a hellish place.
Veterinarian Doctor Kutter,
got 5 scalpels in her face.
I really want to know,
but I might end up in a casket.
Maybe I should stop asking... what's in the basket?

Great stuff Chris; your "My Bloody Valentine" DVD will be in the mail soon; hope your son enjoys it!

Well that's all I've got for now b-movie fans! Hurry up and enter to win those DEMON MESSENGER tickets, and prepare for more giveaways and (GASP!) new reviews! That's right, I have a new review for "The Demon Messenger" in the works (rough draft is nearly complete) plus I've gotten two new capsule reviews to post from the Vault's newest contributor, Kenny B. (Be sure to check out his other reviews over at Cinema Head Cheese!)

Stay tuned for more awesomeness, and don't forget to like the Vault on Facebook and follow me on Twitter!

Horror Movie Emp...ty Handed? Maybe I can help!

Ok, so by now many of you have heard of the whole HORROR MOVIE EMPIRE debacle. This gent had a crazy Blue Underground Blu-ray sale on his site in late December and now, three months later, a huge number of people have not gotten any product or refunds. It is a total mess and there's a lot of anger and frustration out there on the world wide web. Why did this dude pull this stunt? Will he actually ship product or give refunds like he's promised? Who can we turn to for a resolution to all this bullsh*t?!

I have personally tried to speak with "The Emperor" over at HME and though it seemed like I was making some headway, he vanished as suddenly as he had appeared. Though he has shown some signs of life lately, the majority of customers who shopped at his site are pretty pissed off. He has been slow to answer e-mails and doesn't seem to be in a hurry to help the hundreds (thousands?) of angry folks who are walking away empty-handed.

Don't give up without a fight fellow Cult/Horror/B-Movie fans. E-mail this guy, bug him on Twitter (@horrorempire), and send in your grievances to www.horror-movie-empire.com. (A site set up by the guys from Film Rant in response to this entire fiasco.) If you used a credit card, dispute your purchases ASAP! If you bought stuff from HME via PayPal and it HASN'T been 45 days, dispute it! (After 45 days, PayPal will calmly tell you that you are SOL, and I don't mean "Satellite of Love.") Act quickly or you will find yourself cheated out of money and movies.

For those of you (much like myself) who are totally screwed at this point (unless "The Emperor" actually does follow through and fill orders like he has promised), I am giving you a chance to at least walk away with SOMETHING after suffering through this "nightmare."

Send your UNFULFILLED INVOICES (i.e. receipts for the stuff you never got) to vault_master@bmoviefilmvault.com! And when you send me your invoice(s), make sure that you highlight TWO of the discs that you wanted the most. Then cross your fingers because I will choose one lucky person each month (at random) and mail them a brand new, factory sealed, Blue Underground Blu-ray disc (or two, depending on their price and my available funds). Don't worry about shipping or anything else; I'm footing the bill for this.

Yeah I know this doesn't seem like much, but it is the best I can do. And why am I doing this? Because I'm pissed that someone has once again ripped-off the Horror community and seemingly gotten away with it. (There's some shades of John Gray here...) Even if "The Emperor" intends to fulfill all of the orders, he has tarnished his name permanently because Horror fans have a looooong memory.

In any case, get those invoices/entries in to me ASAP and we'll get this show on the road. If I can pull it off, I'll pick more than one winner a month, but for now let's just keep this small and see how everything pans out.

Good luck to you all, and godspeed!

UPDATE: The trickle of invoices has stopped so I'm setting a cut-off date of April 6th to get your unfulfilled invoices in to me. Also, you can only enter once and can only win once. This way a large number of people will walk away with a Blue Underground Blu-ray that they had originally missed out on during HME's sale. ALSO, Horror Movie Empire will be at the Salt City Horror Fest in Syracuse, NY on April 14th. I will be heading there so I'll be getting some movies or a refund from the proprietor in person. If you live nearby, come to the film fest and chill out with me... after you get your stuff from Demetrios that is.

Hudson Horror Show returns in May; new Fright-Rags tees; Vault updates!

GET TICKETS NOW!

The Hudson Horror Show IV: A December to Dismember was a resounding success last month so it is no surprise that it is coming back on Saturday, May 19th to the Silver Cinemas South Hills 8 theater! Last time they wowed me (and all those that attended) with a solid line-up that included "Werewolf vs. the Werewolf Woman," "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla," "The Beyond," "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "Rolling Vengeance," and "Silent Night, Deadly Night!" This time, they are bringing out even bigger guns, featuring the likes of George A. Romero's "DAY OF THE DEAD" and Don Coscarelli's "PHANTASM!"

Tickets can be pre-ordered right now (via PayPal) over at www.hudsonhorror.com for $26.00. If you don't pre-order (you'll wish that you had) you will have to pay $30.00 at the door and watch as all the people who pre-ordered their tickets online, file into the theater before you, and get the best seats. Also, be sure to bring extra money for the vendors who will be selling a vast array of DVDs, Blu-rays, DVD-Rs, action figures, comics books, etc!

I can't wait to see what the other three (four?) films that make up this show's already impressive roster. (I'm personally hoping for another kaiju film, or maybe a crazy Shaw Bros. flick like "Infra-Man!")

Also of interest to all you Horror fans out there, are the three new t-shirt designs from those magnificent folks at Fright-Rags! They've got a Limited Edition THE WOMAN tee available now; there's only 200 in existence and they are $24.95 apiece! Also new to the Fright-Rags catalog is a really cool shirt design for Adam Green's "Frozen" ($21.95) and the hilariously awesome parody tee, "Zombie Wars" (also $21.95)! Check out all the designs below, then head over to Fright-Rags and treat yourself. Go ahead, you've earned it!

Only 200 available! Order NOW!

Warning: This shirt may give you hard nipples!

Zombies Wars: A New.... BRAAAAAINS!

Lastly, I have been working on the Vault a LOT lately. Some of the stuff you can easily see (the RSS Feeds on the home page for instance) but a lot of it has been technical stuff behind the scenes to keep the site running smoothly. Everything is tuned up now, so I can finally add some new content! Expect a new article (about my day at the Hudson Horror Show IV) and new review (ROBOT MONSTER IN 3D!) to pop up on (hopefully) Monday! With that stuff completed, I can look to the future which involves a hefty checklist of things I want to accomplish before 2012 ends including:

• Add screencaps to any and all reviews on the site that are currently lacking them.

• Fixing up and posting all of the old reviews from the dusty Vault archives.

• Setting up a regular update schedule so the site doesn't lay fallow for months at a time.

• Get some guest writers to contribute to the Vault. (I can't pay you, but I can send screeners your way. Work for freebies!)

• Record some new podcasts; maybe bring some "guests" onto my show. (Guests being fellow movie nerds.)

• Record and edit some video reviews for my Youtube Channel. (Along with continuing my Riff Brothers web project.)

• Start doing interviews with folks in the (b)film industry!

Yeah... that's quite a bit, but hey, it's a new year and I really want to make a commitment to building The Vault into something much bigger. So far, 2012 has proven to be a great year and I have high hopes that I can accomplish most, if not all of the items on my lengthy checklist. Wish me luck and keep fighting the good fight fellow b-movie lovers! Blog ya later!

Site updates, new contest, and Hudson Horror Show!

Hey all, its been a while and I sincerely apologize. The last few weeks have been crazy and between coming down with a cold (which is still hanging on despite the best efforts of modern over the counter medication and other remedies), my full-time job, and heading off to Poughkeepsie, NY last weekend for the Hudson Horror Show, I haven't really had time (or the energy) to do much.

But now I'm feeling better, and nothing is really going to be preoccupying my time now that Christmas is mere weeks away, so I plan on getting some reviews typed up (for the Maniac Cop trilogy especially, since I missed doing so last month during the much-touted [by me] MANIAC COP MONTH), maybe a podcast, a few videos/vlogs, as well as an article or two.

And what is wrong with everybody these days? I give away FREE STUFF and almost no one enters to win it? Last month I only had a handful of entries for a brand new MANIAC COP BLU-RAY (won by G.W. Sherwood of Pompano Beach, FL! Congrats sir!) and now this month I'm giving away the entire SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT FRANCHISE ON DVD! (Note: The first two films are OOP and ridiculously expensive, so I'm burning copies of them to complete the set.) And thus far... NO ONE HAS ENTERED!

CONTEST RULES:
1.) Like the Vault on Facebook. CLICK HERE to make it so.
2.) Send me an e-mail at vault_master@bmoviefilmvault.com with something in the subject line stating your intentions. E.g. - SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT CONTEST.
3.) Along with your name and mailing address you must include a photo of A.) YOU dressed as a killer Santa or B.) YOU being murdered by Santa (can be photoshopped).
4.) Entries must be in by Christmas Eve. Winner will be selected on Christmas Day. You should have ALL FIVE SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT films before 2011 ends!

So seriously, ENTER NOW folks! Its an easy contest and the prize is well worth it!

Enter or else HE will find you!

Finally, before I head off to work today, I have to tell you about how awesome the Hudson Horror Show was. I'm in the process of typing up a full article about my adventures there but I want to at preface that here by saying that this film fest was amazing. It was well-organized, had some cool vendors, and the crowd was fantastic.

Aside from a couple drunks, everyone was polite and not too rowdy, and we all totally dug the trailers and films being projected onto the big screen. There were a few filmstrip snafus but the projectionist got the problem fixed ASAP and yours truly finally got to see a legit, classic Godzilla film on the big screen, AND flex my useless kaiju knowledge muscles in a quick giveaway! I had a blast and I'm definitely going back next Spring!

Well that's all the news that's fit to print; I gotta run. Check out the Vault over the next few days and good luck with your Christmas shopping. (There's only what... sixteen shopping days left until Christmas arrives?) Blog ya later!

Latest Vault Empire Updates; new episode of Underbelly; Rifftrax Live coming in August!

Greetings everyone; your friendly neighborhood Vault Master here with a few things to share with you. First off, check out my rockin' "digital badge" that I just received in an e-mail the other day. I got this for donating a dollar to the "DETROIT NEEDS ROBOCOP" project. Essentially, some crazy folks decided that they want a RoboCop statue built in the middle of Detroit. Against the pleas of Detroit's mayor, more than enough funds were pulled together to make the (1:1 scale) statue a reality. It is currently in the process of being molded (or is it being sculpted?) and should make its triumphant unveiling next year at Wayne State University's TechTown campus!

Directive 4: Donate to worthy RoboCop-related projects.

And now onto the latest updates from the B-Movie Film Vault Empire:

Genre Watch

• Genre Watch - June 2010 (Week of 06/19 - 06-25)

MMA Addict

• UFC: Marquardt vs. Story. A Preview. 

I know that isn't much, but fear not for Summer is here and all of us under the Vault banner are taking more time out to relax and enjoy the sunshine. We have not gone quietly into the night, we have not yet surrendered without a fight! More new stuff is coming from ALL of us, I promise!

And now for something truly entertaining... and random. I have become a huge fan of Underbelly and this latest episode caps off their "superhero month" perfectly. In this episode, Newt dons a costume and prepares to become the next legendary superhero whose exploits will make tales worthy of contemporary comic books! Prepare for the coming of...... UNDERBULLY!



Finally, here's some kick ass news that I've been sitting on for at least a week now. (I would have posted about it sooner but I sorta forgot.) The Rifftrax crew (i.e. Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy) are bringing fans another dose of RIFFTRAX LIVE on August 17th! The movie of choice this time? "JACK, THE GIANT KILLER" featuring Kerwin Matthews and various stop-motion creatures that look like horrific versions of Gumby characters. Feast your eyes upon the trailer!


I actually loved this movie when I was a kid but I'm more than willing to sit down and watch it be verbally torn asunder by these three demigods of movie riffing.

Well that's it for tonight folks. I currently have a LOT of stuff I want to write about; I have it all up in my thick skull, I just need to get it down on paper.. err... I mean Wordpad. Besides some new movie reviews (like the horribly belated ones for "Super 8" and "Troll Hunter"), I have some new articles in the works (including two new "Indie Films You Should Be Stoked For" articles plus some new stuff for the Casual Gaming Blog) and the outline for a new podcast. Stay tuned for more blogging and whatnot as the days go by!

Oh, and before I forget, be sure to head on over to FREDDY IN SPACE! This frequently updated Horror blog has now reached its THIRD YEAR ONLINE and garnered a good cult following, and deservedly so: its webmaster consistently delivers quality articles and reviews, and frequently has awesome contests! Make sure to bookmark Freddy In Space.com right now and visit it often!

G'night everyone!

SUPER 8 Tops the box office. New content coming soon!

Poster art by Drew Struzan.

Hey all! Just a quick post here to keep you all in the know about what I'm up to and to share a little movie news while I'm at it. I'm currently working on two capsule reviews for "Super 8" and "Troll Hunter," and should have them up within another day or two. I caught both movies this past Friday, which made for a day of purely awesome cinema.

Speaking of "Super 8," it is currently numero uno at the box office, pulling in a pretty decent $38 million this weekend. This is good news for J.J. Abrams and company, seeing as how the film only cost $45 million to make. (From here on out, its all profit!) If the film continues to do well (which it probably won't because the fickle general public is going to send "The Green Lantern" to the top spot next week) it'll be a victory for everyone, and might send a message to Hollywood that we the people of these United States are willing to pay to see a GOOD movie!

That ISN'T a remake or comic book adaptation!

And that ISN'T in f*cking 3D! (Cue short rant.)

Damn you Hollywood, stop giving us gimmicks and soulless effects-filled tripe, and give us some damn stories with likeable characters that we can relate to! Is that too much to ask?!

"Super 8" is a fantastic movie; I highly recommend it! It relies on a great cast to move things along (greatest cast of child actors I have seen in a film since, well... the 1980's!), and is for the most part, family friendly. The soundtrack (and score) are great, the acting is fantastic, the effects are well done (though I really, REALLY wish they did some practical effects to bring the film's mysterious creature to life), and it manages to hearken back to a better time in cinematic history that I like to call the "Amblin Era." Go see it!

Check back soon for new reviews and more!

Vault turns ELEVEN; New (old) Review for "The Beast Within;" New Underbelly Video!

As of June 6th this year, The B-Movie Film Vault has been online for ELEVEN YEARS! To celebrate this milestone, I present to you a refurbished review for the 1982 creature feature, THE BEAST WITHIN. This movie features a veteran cast of character actors, some cool old school practical f/x, and a rather intriguing storyline that puts a grotesquely different spin on rape & revenge cinema! (Also, I finally got my groove back a bit and put up a new GENRE WATCH article. CLICK HERE to see what's new in stores and theaters this week!)

Also, I wanted to share the latest episode of Underbelly. The writers and cast of this web series have teamed with VSauce, and in their first co-op episode, Underbelly's very own Newt shares his comic book knowledge with VSauce's Michael (and viewers). Newt delivers a list of the SIX WORST COMIC VILLAINS EVER, which is made up of some of the goofiest baddies I've ever (or rather, never) heard of. Check out the video and don't forget to subscribe!

Well I'm off to do more writing. I'll be posting a new article soon over at the Casual Gaming Blog soon (be sure to head over now to read Derek Miller's continuing Top Ten List of classic NES Wrestling games), will be maintaining my weekly vigil at the Genre Watch blog, and I plan on getting some more reviews, articles, and maybe even a podcast or two added to the Vault archives before this month is through! Stay tuned for more awesome stuff b-movie fans! Blog ya later!

TCM delivers some classic monster goodness in June + new podcast for all you cult movie fans to listen to!

Egads! It's been a long time since I last posted on this here blog, and it has been almost as long since I've written a review or article. (Speaking of which, CLICK HERE to read the last article I posted: Indie Films You Should Be Stoked For: Vol. II!) Rather than go into why I've been "slacking," let us pretend that I was cryogenically frozen for a month and have only now thawed out because someone accidentally unplugged the freezer I was trapped in.

Anyway, while I recover from my severe case of freezer-burn, and prepare to write up some new content to celebrate the Vault's ELEVENTH YEAR ONLINE (as of June 6th!), here's some interesting stuff to distract you:

First off, TCM announced last week, with a really cool trailer I might add (scroll down to watch), that they are celebrating June by having "DRIVE-IN DOUBLE FEATURE NIGHTS" every Thursday of this month. They have thirty films queued up for fans of classic monster cinema, and have already gotten things underway with a delightful combo of Godzilla and dinosaur films. I actually sat down and watched "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" and "Rodan" with my dad earlier tonight and.... it was really cool.

In all the years I've known him, we've spent very little time watching movies together. (He kind of looks down upon my obsession with cinema, especially "those weird movies" I have, if only because he doesn't understand it.) But tonight, we sat there and quietly watched (and occasionally laughed at) two classic kaiju films in the living room, and dare I say.... my old man enjoyed them. (To paraphrase Indiana Dundee himself: "Rodan was ok.... but Godzilla was much better.") Excuse me, while I mark this day down on my calendar and send a thank you letter to the staff of TCM.

If you missed tonight's impressive lineup, have no fear because there's plenty more monster movies on the way over the next four Thursday nights in June. For the full lineup of movies being featured this month, CLICK HERE!




The next item of interest on my list is a fairly new podcast by the CULT MOVIE CABAL. These guys choose two or three cult/b-flicks, watch them, then record their thoughts on the wonders (or horrors) that they have seen. I've listened to several and I'm enjoying their podcast so far, so be sure to check 'em out and subscribe! In fact, check out their latest podcast now and see if the Cult Movie Cabal is right for you.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Well, I'm going to head off for a bit and do some writing and website tinkering. Since Monday marks the Vault's 11th year online, I'll most definitely be trying my best to add a good chunk of new content to the site. So keep your eyes peeled for new stuff, and enjoy the month of June, because Summer is about to begin, there's gonna be cool movies out in theaters, and plenty of awesome stuff to watch on TV! Blog ya later b-movie fans!

Happy APRIL FOOL'S DAY!

Today is April 1st, and that means.... ? Well yeah, people get their pension and social security checks in the mail, duh. It also means that you should beware, for today is the day of jokes and pranks! Why? Well apparently nobody really knows (see Wikipedia), though apparently we can blame Noah for it? (The Great Flood was simply a prank gone wrong, wasn't it Noah? WASN'T IT?!)

To celebrate this throwaway prank day, here is a trailer for the original APRIL FOOL'S DAY, a slasher film that turns out to not be a slasher film... which is why its called April Fool's Day, because it fooled people into going to see it. Still, its a piece of horror history and should be given SOME love:




Also, in honor of April Fool's Day, those magnificent bastards at Fright-Rags have released two HILARIOUS shirt ideas that look awesome and will tickle your funny bone. First up....

You're all my KITTENS now!

Hee hee! Show people the softer side of Fred Krueger with this adorable "YOU'RE ALL MY KITTENS NOW" t-shirt! It comes in all sizes (Small to XXXL) and goes for $19.95! The other new goofball design is pure genius:

The (completely) Lost Boys!

Hahahahahaha. Own this shirt that begs the question, "What if the Lost Boys really were lost?" This one also goes for $19.95 and comes in all sizes.

That's all the April Fool's news that's fit to print, so here's some website news to bore you with.

* I am nearly done getting the Vault back on its feet. I'm still restoring posts to both Radiation-Scarred Reviews and MMA Addict, but once those are done I am going to be writing a heap of new content. I've had so many ideas bouncing around my skull lately that I need to get them down on paper! Or... well, Wordpad anyway.

* I was just interviewed from a gentleman from Flush the Fashion.com about b-cinema for their ongoing MONSTER MOVIE MONTH series of articles! Hopefully yours truly doesn't come off as a moron. I'll be posting the interview as soon as it is uploaded to the web!

* I've had offers from several folks to contribute reviews to the site and have given them the OK. If you would like to contribute reviews or articles to The Vault, drop me an e-mail at vault_master[at]bmoviefilmvault[dot]com! The only upside (besides having your writing published on the web for all the world to see) is that I can send some movie screeners your way for reviewing purposes!

* I've had a few advertising offers for the Vault this past week so you may see more ads and whatnot around the site. The Vault easily pays for itself at this point (mainly from Amazon.com commissions, which have really dried up lately) but I can really use some extra cash to pay some bills. If I do accept some new advertising offers on the site, I will try to keep them relatively minimal, because I for one hate going to websites that are practically CONSUMED by ads! (And I promise right here and now.... NO POP UP ADS! EVER!)

Well that's about it for the time being. Stay tuned for new content, refurbished old content, and the triumphant return of Genre Watch and The Casual Gaming Blog!

THE B-MOVIE FILM VAULT AND FRIGHT-RAGS AID CANCER VICTIMS! HELP US IN OUR QUEST!

Before I go into detail here, let me just say that we here at The B-Movie Film Vault are on a separate crusade than our friends at Fright-Rags, but our goals are both very similar. We are trying to help friends and family whose lives have been forever altered by the ravages of cancer.

The battlecry that could save the world!

Currently the crew at FRIGHT-RAGS are having a charitable auction on E-BAY that is chock full of horror memorabilia, such as signed autographs, a latex mask (designed after the cake-craving zombie from "Creepshow"), a various art prints that kick all sorts of ass! There's two days left on this auction (which is currently up to $400.00! Awesome!) and all proceeds will be given to Leisha Davison-Yasol, a longtime Fright-Rags friend. She has been battling an aggressive form of breast cancer for some time now, and your generous bidding on this rather exciting collection of monstrous collectibles would definitely be a huge help to her and her family.

Now, if that's a bit too rich for your blood, but you're still hellbent on doing some good in this world, here's what we have going on at The B-Movie Film Vault. My cousin Ronald Cavalotti passed away earlier this week after losing his fight with cancer. (He won the first round years ago, but the Big-C came back with a vengeance late in 2010.) I never got to know Ron all that well, but now that he's gone, I really wish I did.

He was an insanely generous man to say the least, as he cosigned for my truck over five years ago, when I had next to no credit, and absolutely no one else to turn to. It was a big financial risk on his part, and because of him, I was able to replace my old junker with a decent vehicle. This isn't the only thing he's ever done to help me or my folks (or anyone else for that matter), but its the one thing I thank him for the most.

On the way back from the funeral yesterday, I shed some tears for this great man and his grieving wife and children. I also decided that I needed to do something to help out his family, if only to just pay back the kindness that Ron showed me when he was alive. Therefore I created a donation page HERE at the Vault, with all proceeds going to his family.

Donations will be accepted through PayPal from now until the end of March, and you don't have to get crazy here: A $1.00 donation is perfectly fine. Also, I will be donating any and all commission earnings from my online affiliates after the first quarter of this year (i.e. the end of March). So if you're not too keen on donating cash, you can at least help by shopping through the Vault at Amazon.com, Movies Unlimited, and AllPosters.com. Thanks in advance to and may God bless you for your generosity!

Rest in peace Ronnie... we'll all miss you.

Fright-Rags presents... The King Collection! + R.I.P - The Frames Version of the Vault.

Good morning world! I can't stay too long, got about four inches of snow to shovel off the driveway and front porch before I have to head out to work, so I'll jump right into things.

Firstly, I would like to announce (a few days late, my bad) that FRIGHT-RAGS has just released four new shirt designs based off of four classic Stephen King novels. This "KING COLLECTION" boasts awesome designs for "The Skeleton Crew," "Night Shift," "The Dark Half," and best of all, "Pet Sematary." Check out the designs, then order them, because to not order these would be uncivilized.

THE SKELETON CREW

NIGHT SHIFT

THE DARK HALF

PET SEMATARY

Each shirt is $21.95 and comes in all sizes, from Small to 5XL! Also, if you spend $60.00, the shipping is free, and if you're a first-time customer, you can get 10% your order when you sign up for the Fright-Rags Newsletter! I've dealt with this company for some time now and I guarantee you won't find anyone that is friendlier or more reliable! (A good chunk of my wardrobe is made up of Fright-Rags tees for a reason!) So head on over to their site now to get a better look at the King Collection, as well as the rest of their impressive catalog of awesome shirts, and start ordering!

That was the main announcement for today, but I have other news for all of you regarding the Vault. After thinking about it long and hard, last night I decided to remove the Frames Version of The B-Movie Film Vault. I did not come to this decision lightly as I always found it useful to have two versions of the site, but lately I've noticed that I was just making more work for myself and that no matter what I tried, I never could quite get the Frames version to look right on monitors with higher resolutions. So yesterday, I wiped it off the web (after four hours of scouring the site and removing navigational links on every webpage) and I haven't looked back since. For anyone that utilized the frames version of the site, I apologize, but fear not, for this is just the beginning of a newer and greater Vault!

Well I must go battle the elements and head off to work, so I bid you all adieu! Be sure to keep an eye on the Vault over the next few months because I've got a lot of cool stuff planned and stay tuned for a double dose of "The Green Hornet" next week!

First blog post of 2011 + Updates galore!

Greetings all and welcome (belatedly) to the Year 2011! After months of taking a break from doing work on the Vault, I am back with a vengeance! First off, here is what's new:

• Though it never really took off, I've decided to continue to maintain the IT CAME FROM THE VAULT FORUM; I cleared out a bunch of old posts (and spam), and deleted (or combined) many of the boards and categories. Hopefully this makes the discussion boards a little more appealing, and maybe, just maybe they'll finally see some use. If you've been a frequent reader of the Vault and haven't joined the forums, please do so!
  
  
• I've added a new appendage to the B-Movie Film Vault called THE CASUAL GAMING BLOG. Along with fellow b-movie scribe Derek Miller (from BadMovieRealm.com), we have been posting gaming news, reviews, and articles since early December. Head on over and check it out won't you?
  
  
• The B-MOVIE FILM VAULT GENRE WATCH is back! CLICK HERE to read the latest blog post and keep up to date on all the cult-oriented films hitting store shelves, online retailers, and movie theaters! (Note: Nothing worthwhile in theaters this week; "Ernest Triple Feature," "Hey Vern, It's Ernest! - The Complete Series," and two new Roger Corman Cult Classics releases from Shout! Factory are the DVD highlights this week!)
  
  

• Two new reviews are up on the site. First up is a guest review from Holly "Hobgoblin" Tingey for BURIAL GROUND: THE NIGHTS OF TERROR! The second review is from yours truly and revels in the absurdity of Drew Bolduc and Dan Nelson's "bodily fluid-drenched indie masterpiece," THE TAINT.
  
  

• I'd like to take a moment to welcome another site into the growing B-Movie Film Vault Empire, namely RADIATION-SCARRED REVIEWS. This site is the brainchild of Bill Adcock, and is chock full of extremely well-written reviews for cult films. I am proud to be hosting this quality website and hope to conquer more of the web with Bill's help as the years tick by. If you haven't visited R-SR.com yet, then head over now to increase your knowledge of b-cinema!

My only problem at the moment is wondering... what the heck do I do with this here blog? At this stage in the game, I don't really need it to help promote new updates or share news (the forums and the Vault's OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE have that pretty much taken care of), and I prefer to host future articles on my own site so.... what ever will I do with this little chunk of the internet that I have staked a claim on? I have thought about deleting this blog, but that seems like such a waste. I guess it'll just sit here and collect dust until I can find some use for it. (Any suggestions would be more than welcome.)


That's everything for now b-movie fans; here's to a prosperous and eventful 2011!

HALLOWEEN HORROR-THON AT THE VAULT!

Greetings and welcome to the month of Horror (and Breast Cancer Awareness)! This is the busiest time of year at the Vault and I aim to please this month with the First Annual B-Movie Film Vault HALLOWEEN HORROR-THON! My goal for this project was to watch and review (at least) one horror film a day, right up until October 31st. I've admittedly failed my quest already (not my fault!) but I still plan on packing in 31 mini-reviews until Halloween rolls around. CLICK HERE to check out the first few posts thus far and be sure to keep an eye on that page on a daily basis!

Also, be sure to check out the Vault's popular GENRE WATCH BLOG every week for the latest updates on cult DVD, Blu-ray, and theatrical releases!

And, because I forgot to post about it here before, check out my latest article at the Vault: (SIX) INDIE FILMS YOU SHOULD BE STOKED FOR: VOLUME I!

That's all the new stuff I've got for you at the moment fellow horror fans! Keep checking back at the Vault for new stuff (nearly) every day and start counting down the days to Halloween! (Only 25 days left! Woohoo!)

The Vault Master is HYPED OUT in his latest article!

I was thinking to myself the other day about movies that are built up with so much hype and end up being less than stellar. I've lost track of how many times I've gone out of my way to see a movie due to its hype, only to be let down, and I'm sure you can relate.

And each time I'm fooled by the evil "Hollywood Hype Machine," I get pissed off, because not only do I lose out on time and money, but I also lose a bit of trust towards the marketers, friends, family members, neighbors, coworkers, or critics that insisted I was missing out.

In my latest article, HYPED OUT: FIVE OVER-HYPED FILMS WHOSE POPULARITY BOGGLES MY MIND, I take a look at five films (four of which came out in the last three years!) that have built up a lot of hype. I've seen all five based on the hype, and I have to say that none of them lived up to it.

Please feel free to comment or share your thoughts on films that you don't understand the hype over. Stay tuned for more new content on the site too b-movie fans; Halloween is drawing nigh (only 41 more days as of my writing this blog post! YAY!) and its the most wonderful time of the year for yours truly, which usually results in new reviews, articles, and more!

MONSTER MANIA XV COVERAGE!

Egads, it seems like I wrote my tale of adventure about visiting Monster-Mania Con XV weeks ago.... oh wait I did. Yes, I have been sitting on a completed article (complete with nifty photos) for weeks, as well as an accompanying podcast that fills in a few "plotholes" and delivers 25 minutes of John Carpenter soundtracks in the background.

Why have I waited until now to post it all? Well, part of it was pure laziness, but a lot of it also had to do with the fact that A.) I've been splitting tons of firewood by hand on a daily basis, B.) I have a full-time job, and C.) I am just getting over a cold. So I've literally been sick and tired, but I'm on the mend now and feeling great!

So, it is my distinct pleasure to share with you my coverage of MONSTER-MANIA CON XV:
CLICK HERE to read my article.
CLICK HERE to listen to the podcast.
CLICK HERE to share your thoughts (or convention experiences) in the B-MFV Forum.
CLICK HERE for details on MONSTER-MANIA CON XVI!

I may be going to MMCON XVI next weekend. If I do go, you can bet that I'll have another article (and podcast) in the works once I return home.

Have a great afternoon and enjoy the rest of your weekend b-movie fans! Blog ya later!

New print of "The Evil Dead" possesses Dryden Theatre in Rochester, NY!

Greetings cult movie fans! My apologies for not frequenting this blog (or my site)! Truthfully I was thinking of putting the kibosh on this here blog because I just don't know what to do with it. But until I figure that out, it shall remain online as part as the ever-growing, and ever-evolving B-Movie Film Vault.

But nevermind that, the important thing right now is "The Evil Dead," Sam Raimi's cult horror classic from 1981. We've all seen this movie numerous times, and many of us have been duped into buying it over and over again by those bastards at Anchor Bay (case in point, the "Limited Edition" Blu-ray is coming out on Tuesday, August 31st), each one boasting something new that the prior release didn't have.

I myself ended up buying "The Evil Dead" three times (VHS, DVD Special Edition, Book of the Dead Edition), which is pretty good considering I bought "Evil Dead II" five times (two VHS tapes, DVD special edition, Book of the Dead edition, and the Blu-ray release) and "Army of Darkness" five times (VHS theatrical cut, DVD theatrical cut, bootleg edition on VHS, then later on DVD, and finally the "Boomstick Edition). Stop raping (me and) the fans Anchor Bay!

In any case, Saturday night I drove up to Rochester, NY (three hour trip mind you) with my girlfriend Tara, and my buddy Greg to see an all new print of "The Evil Dead," made from the original 16MM print. This particular print of the film was lent to the Dryden Theatre (at the George Eastman House in Rochester) by Sage Stallone and Bob Murawski from Grindhouse Releasing.

Joining us for this milestone event was the triple threat of Kristy Jett (of Fright Rags fame), her best friend Laurie, and Bill Adock from Radiation-Scarred Reviews. We combined our forces and feasted at a place called dogTown where I discovered the horror that is the "The Junkyard Plate." (a.k.a. "The Garbage Plate" which is made up of various foods that I would never dare to mix together.)

After filling our bellies with deliciously greasy food, we went to the theater to see, what is in my opinion, the most beautiful print of "The Evil Dead" in existence. (I kind of want to get the Anchor Bay Blu-ray, just to compare the picture quality.)

To kick things off, Kristy got up and did an introduction for the night's feature presentation, and geeked out a bit about Sam Raimi, telling the audience about how he eventually teamed up with Rob Tappert, Bruce Campbell, Scott Spiegel, and everyone else who brought this cult gem into existence. She also shared a few fun anecdotes about Sam Raimi that she heard from folks like Fred "Monster Squad" Dekker and Mark Shostrom.

I got a kick out of Mark Shostrom's tale of his meeting with Sam Raimi to do the makeup f/x for "Evil Dead II." He was so embarrassed by his crappy car, that he parked it a few blocks away, and walked to the meeting, only to later discover that Sam himself drove an equally crappy vehicle. (a.k.a. "The Classic")

After Kristy finished her little speech, the lights dimmed, and a series of cult movie trailers were played to get us all in the right mood. My memory is a bit sketchy, but I think this is the full list of trailers we saw: "Maniac," "Alligator," "Phobia," "The X Y Z Murders," "Venom," "On the Right Track," (with Gary Coleman!) and "Dressed To Kill." Bill and I cheered for "Alligator," and the audience as a whole cracked up during the trailer for [in a whispering voice] "Phobia." (a.k.a. "The Nesting")

Here are some of the aforementioned trailers that I managed to find on Youtube:

And then "The Evil Dead" played.... and all was right in the world. For the next 85-minutes, we all gawked at the most beautiful print of "Evil Dead" I think any of us has ever seen. The crowd in the theater was totally in tune, and we all screamed, shouted, and laughed in unison at the demonic antics of the film's beleaguered stars. It is truly experiences like this that makes three-hour drives to a movie screening totally worthwhile!

As for the film itself, I will say that the image was a bit soft, but compared to all the VHS and DVD versions I've seen, nothing comes close. The picture was clear, the movie was in its original aspect ratio, the audio was fantastic, and I think I have finally fallen in love with this cult classic. (To date, "Evil Dead II" was, and still is, my favorite in the trilogy.) Plus, I can tally up seeing yet another classic horror film on the big screen!

After the movie, we bid our fond farewells to Kristy and company, then departed for our (tortuous) three-hour trek back into Northeastern, PA. And while we're on that topic, many thanks to Garmin for making a GPS that likes to mess with its users. The damned contraption decided that the best course to take on our return home was through a toll road, then down Route 96, through Ithaca, NY. Thanks for making our return trip longer than it had to be! (A-holes!)

Saturday was a blast, and I still can't over how good "The Evil Dead" looked! If it's playing in a city near you, I urge you to go out of your way and see this print of the film; you will most assuredly thank me.

You can get the entire schedule of "Evil Dead" movie screenings by clicking HERE and going to the official Grindhouse Releasing webpage! Cross your fingers that it is playing at an independent theater near you!

As for actual website news: Stay tuned for a double-dose of Monster-Mania Con XV coverage with a (lengthy) article chronicling my adventures, plus a podcast (chock full of John Carpenter scores in the background)! After that, I'll return to my original mission of reviewing Gary Ugarek's "Deadlands: Rising" and "Deadlands 2: Trapped," and finally post Holly Hobgoblin's guest review of "Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror."

After that? Well, if I make it to Monster-Mania XVI, you can expect coverage of that event; the return of some ancient reviews from the olde Vault archives, perhaps another podcast, and my two contributions to a remake-themed roundtable at the end of September!

Finally, I know I haven't been posting much on the blog (or site for that matter), but I'm working towards changing that. If you don't see much action around the Vault, feel free to bug me over at The B-Movie Film Vault Facebook Page. (Now with over 260 "likers" and counting!) At the very least, I check out said Facebook page twice a day and post various links, videos, and b-movie news that should be right up your alley. JOIN US.... won't you?