kindertrauma

Year: 2012

It's a Horror to Know You:: Jay from Hallowaltz Blog!

Posted on By unkle lancifer

It's a Horror to Know You: Jay from Hallowaltz blog!

Hey guys. Happy 5th birthday! Keep up the great work.

1. What is the first film that ever scared you?

Definitely Cujo. There was a time when I was a kid when I wanted to see every movie based on a Stephen King book. I was too young to read his books and understand what they were about, and honestly I didn't even really understand who Stephen King was.. just that movies that had his name in them were cool. My dad had a bunch taped off tv and as long as he was around I was able to watch them with him. Of course there were some like The Shining or Dead Zone that had to wait til I was older to understand, but for the most part I had sat through almost all the late 70s and 80s King flicks. I actually loved Maximum Overdrive so much that I had my dad paint red spots on the front of my Matchbox trucks. I loved the troll from Cat's Eye, the werewolf in Silver Bullet, everything in Creepshow, Running Man, Firestarter, hell even Mr. Barlow and the Glick boys in Salem's Lot didn't scare me (and they do now).. and then we watched Cujo. I made it about halfway through and then the dog goes apeshit crazy. I had never seen anything so scary in a movie before.. a filthy, drooling, blood covered, rabid, insane, St. Bernard who barks at telephones, slams its head into a car, and attacks a mother and her son. I think it was the scene when Dee Wallace gets bit in the leg when my dad had to turn it off.. at that point I had run out of the room. For a long time.. probably til I saw Texas Chainsaw Massacre, it was the scariest movie I had ever seen.

There were two other random scenes of childhood trauma that I thought were worth mentioning. First was the coat room scene in Lady in White where the boy sees the murder of the little girl ghost.. that creeped me out. The second came to me when I was thinking of what to write about.. I remember being really freaked out from a scene in The Funhouse. its when the kid brother is headed to the fair and some random guy in a van pulls up, asks the kid if he wants a ride, and then pulls a gun out on him and starts laughing. I think at the time that tapped into that childhood fear of "strangers" and that there are people out there that are going to kidnap you and kill you.

2. What is the last film that scared you?

Inland Empire and The Poughkeepsie Tapes definitely disturbed me, but Paranormal Activity 2 left me feeling spooked.. enough that it was still in my head when I went to bed. Open Water was another one in recent years that scared me good.. for whatever reason I was nervous to walk to my local bar after watching it.. and I don't even live anywhere near water.

3. Name three horror movies that you believe are underrated.

Eaten Alive – I love this movie.. everything.. the lighting, the insane characters, the insane music, the hotel set.. and that bleak, strange feeling of madness that I get while watching it. I watch it once a year and it never grows old. I'll never understand why some fans of Texas Chainsaw Massacre don't enjoy this movie.

Deranged – Probably the most accurate in the retelling of the Ed Gein murders. Roberts Blossom is fantastic in this one.

Pigs (AKA Daddy's Deadly Darling) – A strange movie about a woman who escapes a mental institution and begins killing men that remind her of her father who raped her. She takes refuge at a farm where a man feeds her victims to his pigs. The only dvd I've seen is from Troma.. and the print they transferred it from is really rough.. but Grindhouse Releasing is working on giving it a solid release.

Some underrated Halloween flicks..

Lightning Bug – Since its October I wanted to try to include some Halloween themed movies.. this one is a must see. I'm surprised it really doesn't get mentioned much.. and I've never seen it on a Halloween movie list. Buy, rent, or download this movie this October. You will not be disappointed.. Laura Prepon's character "Angevin" is a horror nerd's wet dream.

The Roost – Ti West's killer bat/zombie flick. Sure its no House of the Devil, but if you can manage the slower pace I think this one delivers the goods. Love the grainy film and creepy atmosphere.

Rob Zombie's Halloween and Halloween 2 – Not necessarily underrated as much as they are both hated. John Carpenter's Halloween is my favorite movie, and Rob's two are right up there with it. Love em both.

Murder Party – A funny, weird, horror/comedy flick about a guy who goes to the wrong party on Halloween.

4. Name three horror movies that you enjoy against your better judgment.

Halloween 5 – It sucks.. it sucks bad, but it always manages to find its way into my dvd player ever October.

Frogs – I'm not ashamed of this one.. always takes me back to being a kid and thinking reptiles and amphibians were the shit.. and they still are.. especially when they're killing people.

Any Herschell Gordon Lewis gore film – Blood, guts, blood and more blood. Story or plot? Who cares?

5. Send us to five places on the Internet!

VHS Wasteland – Always fun looking at old worn vhs cover scans.

Countdown to Halloween – Starts every October 1st with links to tons of Halloween related blogs.

Hallowaltz – My blog of Halloween pictures that I've taken

Pumpkinrot – Daily updated blog of all things Halloween. And he makes some amazing creations.

Judith – A short fan film shot at the Myers House In North Carolina.. and you can watch it for free!

Happy October!

Name That Trauma:: Reader Zoey on Square Eyed Aliens and Others

Posted on By unkle lancifer

I have a "Name That Trauma" from about five years ago, when I was in high school. I would go to the library during lunch and look at the paranormal/mystery section, and I read pretty much every book. Technically this is 2 different traumas, and I remember they came from different books, but both were "nonfiction", and about aliens. One of them was a thinner book that I think was part of a series, titled something like Mysteries: Alien Encounters (that wasn't the exact title).

Anyway, I remember reading an account of a group of schoolkids who apparently encountered aliens (just like walking around, they didn't abduct the kids or anything), and they were described as being tall, and wearing jumpsuits, and their faces being featureless except for square (this part stuck out to me) black eyes and fleshy beaks. They were also described as walking in a manner reminiscent of a Nazi parade. It was mentioned that the kids encountered another "alien", who looked like a woman but parts of her kept "phasing in and out" (like, appearing and disappearing like a hologram). The aliens apparently walked through walls at one point.

The other book was specifically about abductions, I think (and may have been written from a skeptical viewpoint), and it mentioned a case about a man recalling being abducted and describing his abductors as being like a huge white box with a red triangle on top, a metal coffin/silhouette, and one of them apparently had a robotic arm sticking out of it which performed tests on him. Sorry I can't recall more information, but does anybody know anything about these books or the cases they mention?

UPDATE: I figured out one of the cases in my first email- The Prospect Alien Abduction Case. Now to figure out the one with the beaked aliens…

It's a Horror to Know You:: Jake Banzai of In Defense of Bad Movies

Posted on By unkle lancifer

It's a Horror to Know You: Jake Banzai of In Defense of Bad Movies!

1. What is the first film that ever scared you?

The Exorcist.

2. What is the last film that scared you?

The Marble Hornets series.

3. Name three Horror movies that you believe are underrated.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch .

The Devi's Rain.

Motel Hell.

4. Name three horror movies that you enjoy against your better judgment.

Leatherface – Texas Chainsaw Massacre III.

Blood Freak.

Night of the Lepus.

5. Send us to five places on the Internet!

Living. Dead. Girl.

Trash Film Guru.

HOGMAUL.

Real Queen of Horror.

Lost on 42nd Street.

It's a Horror to Know You:: David Young Author of Born on the Night of the Living Dead

Posted on By unkle lancifer

It's a Horror to Know You: David Young Author of Born on the Night of the Living Dead!

What is the first film that ever scared you?

That would be "Don't be Afraid of the Dark." Those little demons that crawled out of Kim Darby's chimney looked just like the apple-head dolls my grandma used to make and display around her house. Only these weren't farmers, princesses or hoboes – these were monsters that came out at night with the sole purpose of dragging you to hell. Yeah, try being a kid and going to bed after that one. Runners-up include "Horror Express," "Rosemary's Baby" and TV commercials for "It's Alive."

What is the last film that scared you?

I get creeped out just thinking about "Tiptoe through the Tulips" from "Insidious" but I'd say "Grave Encounters" was the last movie that had a near-perfect mix of fun and fright.


Name three Horror movies that you believe are underrated.

1. Geez, I'm probably alone on this one but 1979's "Dracula" hasn't aged a day for me. Frank Langella is cool as all get-out and undead Mina crying "Come papa!" still freaks me out.

2. Lucio Fulci's "Zombie." With every new CGI-driven, semi-competent zombie movie I see, I have to go back and scrub my brain by watching this nasty beauty. While it's often seen as the imbecile cousin to Romero's chef d'oeuvre, it's filled with so many shocking and unbelievable images, I've yet to see a zombie movie that can top it – or figure out how to fit a shark into the plot.

3. Since I currently reside in Thailand, I've got to include at least one Thai horror film. "Shutter" from 2004 is truly suspenseful and frightening and has one of those endings that will burn itself onto your brain no matter how hard you try to get rid of it. Bonus, it's Thai!



Name three horror movies that you enjoy against your better judgment.

1. 
I'm sorta embarrassed at how much I enjoyed "Dance of the Dead." But how can you not love a move where the only thing holding back an army of the undead is a slow rock version of Pat Benatar's "Shadows of the Night?"

2. "1408" Ummm… how can I put this? Kinda great.

3. I'm going with another Thai movie to finish off this list: "Art of the Devil" from 2004 – which is basically a gore flick but tells a story that relies heavily on Thai and Cambodian black magic. I've heard bits and pieces of this stuff over my years here in Thailand so it was fun to see it played out in a movie.


Send us to five places on the Internet!

For the latest in Thai horror – and everything else: Enjoy Thai Movies.

More fun than a barrel of Blood Shacks! Red Letter Media.

The H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast.

Never give up on Johnny: Hellblazer Forum.

Get lost in VHS box cover art: CRITICAL CONDITION.

Name That Trauma:: Jay P. on a Head Crushing Robot

Posted on By unkle lancifer

Congratulations on hosting such a brilliantly informative and addictive site!

Many films and T.V shows scared the crap out of me growing up in the 90s, but there was one film that truly disturbed me and I believe it was the first gory death I'd ever seen on T.V, I must have been about 6 at the time (I am now 17). This film was a rerun of a late 70s/early 80s film nonetheless, so dates aren't really relevant here. There isn't much information I can give about this film because I vaguely remember shortly after the 'climax' of this one scene I saw, my parents turned off the television and ushered me out of the room.

From what I remember, there were 4 people and a black, hulking, humanoid robot, they were in a rocky, alien landscape and seemed to be standing at the foot of a volcano, surrounded by mist from a warm rock pool nearby.

Anyway, one of the men walked off (or was killed, haha, take your pick) and the three remaining (two women and a man) started to undress, the man and one woman climbed up into a rock pool and sat together, while the other woman decided to climb further up the mountain, the robot, who had previously been quite dormant reached out his claw and tried to stop her but she snapped at him and refused, to which the robot took hold of her jaw, picked her up slightly, then gradually crushed her skull in a Darth Vader-like fashion, the other two watched on and the woman screamed "No! Stop it!", then all of a sudden blood was leaking out of the woman's facial orifices and she was dropped limply to the ground. I saw nothing beyond this point, but I believe that was very near the end of the film.

It would be great if someone could get back to me and tell me what film this was from! I may just want to watch it again and rediscover why this messed up my childhood so much!

THANKS!

Curse of the Doll People (1960)

Posted on By unkle lancifer

It seems like it was only a little over a year ago (because it was) that I was catapulted head over heals into the Halloween spirit by a DVD box set of Mexican horror films presented under the title CRYPT OF TERROR VOL 1. Naturally I would have gotten into the spirit eventually anyway but it never hurts to have a turbo boost speed ya there. I realize that lightening rarely strikes twice and that thunder only happens when it's raining and that players only love you when they're playing, but how could I resist purchasing another CRYPT OF TERROR offering when I spied it in the used bin, especially when the film they were pimping was entitled CURSE OF THE DOLL PEOPLE? I had to yell "YOLO!" even though for me that acronym stands for "You Only Lose Ordinarily."

I wasn't so crazy about the sloth-like CURSE OF THE DOLL PEOPLE. Maybe I was in a jittery mood but it felt repetitive. I may have even said to myself, "Self, if I have to hear one more fruitless conversation about science vs. magic I'm going to flip over the non-existent coffee table." I mean, I totally believe in magic but not when it's used as a trapdoor to escape from explaining things. At least "science" stands its ground and doesn't mumble while hoping you'll just give up and accept it. I give the film mega leeway for the limitations of the time period in which it was spawned but even I have my limits when it comes to tail-chasing dialogue drudgery. I'll give the film props though for having a lady person who is smarter than everybody else and a bad guy who dresses like a gay wizard. I think it even has some agreeable atmosphere, but I get the feeling that this may be due to random circumstances rather than artistry. So there- that's the bad news. It's off my chest. This is all kinda about waiting for a bus outta bores-ville until…

…the Doll People show up! Yay! Alright, I have to admit, as much as this movie made me want to pick up a pen and a crossword puzzle and then put down the crossword puzzle and shove the pen in my eye, there's no getting around the fact that the titular Doll People were worthy of embarrassing air guitar solos. Here is the deal. When a person is killed in this movie (a bunch of them are cursed for stealing a voodoo statue- whatever.) they are turned into a doll man and that doll man is represented by a little person wearing a paper mache mask of an awkward likeness of their face. The masks kind of look like the original person but they also kind of look like that old lady who screwed up the restoration of that Jesus painting had a hand in them. I should also add that the Doll People kill with giant needles and I'm pretty sure a decapitated head's eyes glowed. The movie, as a whole, may not be much but whenever these dudes show up it's DAVID LYNCH meets DEVIL DOLL. So you know what? I recommend just looking at pictures of the doll people instead of watching the movie. I have a feeling if I came across this one late at night and just caught a few scenes out of context I would have been much more satisfied. Standing alone without a tired story to drag them down, the Doll People seem to loom much larger.

It's a Horror to Know You:: Kevin Sommerfield of Slasher Studios!

Posted on By unkle lancifer

It's a Horror to Know You: Kevin Sommerfield of Slasher Studios!

1. What is the first film that ever scared you?

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" was the first horror movie I ever saw at the tender age of 5. It scared the bejesus out of me so much that I refused to go to bed that night and stayed up for nearly thirty hours. It took me nearly a decade before I was able to watch the film again. Twenty+ years later and I'm still looking to recapture that wonderful experience.

2. What is the last film that scared you?

Silent House (2012). I know the film was mangled by both critics and audiences alike but I enjoyed this little gem thanks to a great lead performance by Elisabeth Olsen and some frightening imagery. Without giving too much away, let's just say the scene in the car with the rear-view mirror gave me the chills for a few days.

3. Name three Horror movies that you believe are underrated.

Rob Zombie's Halloween II. I know that most horror fans seem to despise this movie but I find it to be a beautiful shot, misunderstood gem of a horror film. I admire Zombie for not doing a straight up remake of the original sequel and I like how you actually are able to see the emotional grief that the first travesty has caused its characters. We are able to see Laurie and Annie as real, flesh and blood characters that are each trying to deal with this travesty the only way that they know how. It's not a perfect film (the horse imagery is out of place to say the least) but it is an ambitious film and that's more than you can say about most horror movies today.

Deadly Blessing. I cannot possibly oversell "Deadly Blessing". The cinematography is pitch perfect, the deaths are extremely suspenseful, and the ending, while a bit "out there", stays completely true to the story. It is with this film that Craven showed the film world that he could make a horror movie that relied on actual intelligent filmmaking as opposed to cheap scares. While it is true that the film is a bit slow and meanders a bit in its middle act, it is still a fine horror movie that deserves far more acclaim than it has received. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out immediately. It is getting a brand new Blu-ray release from Scream Factory soon.

Humongous."Humongous" is a fun, homage filled 80's slasher that rips off a dozen other, better slasher films but still manages to be a lot of fun. Remember the scene at the end of "Friday the 13th Part 2"; where Amy Steel pretends to be Jason's mother? This film sure does as the exact scene is repeated here to lesser effect. That being said, the kills are fun and characters are a tad bit better developed than most of the other 80's slashers out there. David Wallace is particular is quite strong as our lead twin Eric. Most of the time in 80's slasher, guys are given nothing to do but not so here. He almost becomes the final girl by being smart, likable, and even given a chance to emote. Lead Janet Julian possesses similar qualities and has a lot of fun with her "last girl standing" appearance. This is a must watch for fans of the early 80's slasher genre. I can't say that everyone is going to enjoy the film as much as I did as the film is quite slow and repetitive at times. Nonetheless, it is one of the better examples from the under-appreciated genre.

4. Name three horror movies that you enjoy against your better judgment.

Chopping Mall. "Chopping Mall", one of the best named slashers of the 80's, and one of the best premises too. "Chopping Mall" is the kind of movie that couldn't have been made in any time except the 1980's. Killer robot security guards taking over a mall by night? Sound like a good time? It does to me. The beauty of a cheesy horror movie like "Chopping Mall" is that you will either buy into this wacky, overblown premise or you won't. Chances are that if you are in the mood to rent or buy a movie called "Chopping Mall", you will probably have a good time with it. The film is a camp delight from beginning to end with just enough laughs and gore to make the whole thing watchable. Is this great cinema? Hell no. Can you do a lot worse than this little gem of a slasher flick? You bet.

Cabin Fever 2. "Cabin Fever 2" is a messy, gory, bloody cherry on top of a demented sundae. From the opening (poor Rider Strong) to the blood bath of an ending, nearly everything about this sequel works. This is one of those slasher movies where I just don't understand the hate. Had this movie been made in the 1980's and directed by Sam Raimi, horror fans would be praising this as the next second coming of horror. The gore is demented, the kills are extremely disgusting, and the central love story is actually quite sweet. I was actually touched at the sacrifice that one friend gave so another could live. So the epilogue doesn't really work (poor Ti West got his movie taken away from him and had his ending completely butchered just to go in some producer cameos) but this is splatstick at its very best. If John Waters directed a horror film in the 1980's, it would look something like this. Bloody recommended!

My Soul to Take. The story is overly complicated and doesn't always seem to know where it is headed but there is a sense of dread in this film that has been missing from most of horror today. The cinematography is lush (nobody can make a run through the woods as scary as Craven) and the performances are all quite solid. I also quite enjoyed the high school dynamics that are played out throughout the film. There is an ever running thread throughout the movie that if you grin and take it, it will make you a stronger person. It is a lesson that Bug learns throughout the course of the film and, in the end, he is finally willing to stand up for himself. The end may be a bit over-the-top for many hardcore horror fans, but this movie has a big heart hidden behind the bloody exterior. I can't say that this is a perfect film but it is an entertaining one that tries to bring back the slasher genre. Give it a chance and go in with an open mind and you may find yourself giving your soul up to this film as well.

5. Send us to five places on the Internet!

Final Girl. Although it isn't updated as regularly as it used to be, Stacie Ponder is awesome and the reviews on this site are some of the best you'll ever read.

Forced Viewing. Excellent horror reviews from a team that clearly loves the genre. Some of the best "bad" reviews you will ever read.

LA Horror. I gotta give a shout out to a fellow horror fan from Wisconsin, even if he doesn't now live in California. Great reviews and lots of passion.

Horror Mansion. An excellent forum for a little bit of everything on the world of horror.

Blu-ray.com. Before a waste a dollar on any Blu-ray "upgrade", I always check out this site first.

Happy Birthday Kindertrauma!

Posted on By unkle lancifer

It's the last day of September and that means it's Kindertrauma's birthday. We usually allow the date to pass without any horn tooting but this year is different because it's our big fifth anniversary! Yep, it was precisely half a decade ago that the very first Kindertrauma post appeared! Fittingly our inaugural subject matter concerned a birthday, the birthday of one Elizabeth Walton as depicted in an episode of THE WALTONS entitled "The Changeling". Looking back, the "article" itself is nothing more than an annoyingly flippant, poorly illustrated, sketchy synopsis but hey, ya gotta start somewhere! We may have been wet (soaked) behind the ears but nobody can accuse us of ever being confused about what we wanted to focus on. Let everybody else feign coolness and pretend that their attraction to the genre is due their being so brave, dark and counterculture. We knew the unspoken truth; that inside every insatiable horror fan there was a kid with his hands covering his eyes begging for the light to be left on.

Or maybe that's just me. I was 11 when "The Changeling" first aired on October 26, 1978. I had been dabbling with horror movies for some time and had no reason to think that the pre-Halloween episode would be anything I couldn't handle. Right I was…for the most part. Floating rocking chairs and inexplicable walking dolls were relatively benign occurrences and it was not as if anybody was physically harmed or that things didn't go back to normal when the episode closed. Yet still…the creeps. There was something WRONG with Elizabeth Walton. For so long she was the cute, youngest, adored child and then suddenly she wasn't. It was if growing older made all her inadequacies rise to the surface. She became a magnet for cruddy things and as a kid getting older, I related. My older brothers were developing new interests that left me in the dust and my parents began looking at me like I broke a vase with every step I took. Like Elizabeth, I didn't want to grow up. From what I could tell, it sucked. It wasn't the piano playing by itself that freaked me out, it was the fact that I identified with the alienation poor Elizabeth couldn't scrape off her shoe. If she was cursed then I was cursed too. I was a little over twice as old as this website and I wasn't worried ghosts would harm me so much as I dreaded they might expose me as deficient and rotten to the core. Good times.

Anyway, It wasn't long before we started getting some baffling heavy-traffic connected to our very first post! Yay! People must like what we're doing! Sadly and yet somewhat hilariously, trailing the links back to their source exposed the opposite appraisal. Fans of THE WALTONS were outraged! The WALTONS board was NOT having Kindertrauma. "It is unbelievable the disgusting garbage and filth that is on the internet. This vulgar and obscene website should be eliminated!" Huh? What now? "It is by far the worst thing I have ever read." Really? "Oh my God! How rude could this person get!" Rude? I reread the article a billion times trying to decipher what spurred the umbrage but to no avail. Geez, maybe I really was just a bad apple and like Elizabeth's poltergeists, only true WALTONS fans could sniff me out!

But wait, there's another story connected to our first post that I think tells a larger truth about Kindertrauma and serves eleven-year-old me some redemption as well. I had a very difficult time finding an image to accompany that first piece. There was nothing on YouTube, at the time, to capture and Google came up all kinds of empty-handed…

I had about given up when I came across something strange. It was an artist's installation based on the episode. It involved a person lying in bed next to a TV that showed Elizabeth's rag doll walking about in a loop. Wow "The Changeling" inspired somebody else as much as me and I was able to grab a shot of the doll via the tiny video! Fast forward three plus years and Kindertrauma begins receiving encouraging emails from one STACY PERSHALL (Buy her book!). We became quick friends as she was obviously a kindred spirit and eventually she even came to visit. While talking about the shows that left a mark on our youth the subject of "The Changeling" reared its head. As it turned out, my new pal STACY was the very person who made that installation I encountered years before and inadvertently had a hand in our original post. Point being, enraged WALTONS fans or no, Kindertrauma's existence had permanently altered the way I viewed "The Changeling." Maybe there was something strange and weird and off about Elizabeth but I was dead wrong in thinking she (or I) was alone.

So here is where I thank everybody who ever contributed to and has supported Kindertrauma over the years. I started a list of names but it truly would be impossibly long and I can't stand the idea of leaving anybody out. You all know who you are and we acknowledge and are proud of the fact that we'd be nothing without you.

I'd also like to thank our readers and commenters for being so remarkably consistent in respecting each others opinions and personal experiences and keeping this joint a drama-free zone, It's really an anomaly on the internet and quite impressive for such a "vulgar and obscene" website! Happy Birthday to us and Happy Birthday to ALL of you. Stay tuned. And check back often. Tomorrow is October first and we've only just begun.