It's a Horror to Know You: WIL of Horror Yearbook!

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

The Elephant Man. this movie was on cable all the time when I was young. I always had to zip by it on those old cable box controllers with the slide dial thingys. I was really young and the elephant man scared the poop out of me.

2. What is the last film that scared you?

Jesus Camp. I saw a double feature of Jesus Camp and Texas Chainsaw: The Beginning. Jesus Camp scared me more.

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

Seed of Chucky. I still believe this will be considered a classic some day.

Splice. Best horror movie since Orphan.

Anything by Chris Smith (Black Death) Smith should have the horror fans attention not Eli Roth and Rob Zombie.

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

Congo. Im obsessed with Congo. It is one of the few movies I can watch over and over.

Anaconda. The first movie where Ice Cube wasn't a ghetto thug.

Trancers. My favorite Full Moon franchise after Puppet Master.

It's a Horror to Know You: Adie Stone of Die On Set A

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

Well, I first started watching horrors at a very young age and the first film that scared me was the first horror I ever watched 'A Nightmare On Elm Street'. What I remember it was mostly his face and how he could change the dreams to whatever he wished at pure will. Also the whole Tina in a body bag thing just creeped me out, even now if I see someone in a body bag moving around it makes my hairs stand on end.

2. What is the last film that scared you?

'Cutting Moments', it's a 5 part short horror movie movie lol. The first 4 parts are just plain silly and ridiculous but the 5th part, the actual 'Cutting Moments' of the group is the one, theres a statement on the front of the dvd by Tom Savini saying its the most disturbing film he had ever seen, and I agree completely. Without giving much away it's about a standard family where the wife in said family isnt happy anymore so she attempts to make herself look better. The whole thing stuck in my head for months after, yet the most disturbing part was seeing that outside, the family's child sat happily playing with his toys. (Also the moment in Scream 3 with the killer pretending to be Sidneys mother in a sheet/bag disturbed me.. See above, question 1.)

3. Name three horror movies you believe are underrated.

1. 'In The Mouth Of Madness' (1994) Probably the best horror ever and most underrated.

2. 'Cube' (1997) Such a simple but effective sci fi/horror.

3. 'Bad Taste' (1987) Before 'Lord of the Rings' and the dire 'King Kong' remake there was 'Bad Taste', Peter Jacksons first ever film, pure brilliance.

Honorable mention: 'Faust: Love Of The Damned' (2000) Based on comic books and is simply fun.

4.Name three movies that you enjoy against your better judgement.

1. 'Cold Hearts' (1999) A terrible vampire movie with the original Pink Power Ranger, I dont know why I like this movie, I just do.

2. 'Valentine' (2001) Even though completely different from the book, its script was really intelligent but for some reason it just couldnt be pulled off on screen.

3. 'Cloverfield' (2008) Pretty much everyone I speak to hates this movie. Yeah there is nothing to it really other than a giant monster but it just draws me in.

5. Send us to five places on the internet.

1. Die On Set A. Its my facebook horror blog, only with a few friends atm but I update about any new horror news as much as possible, I also have a deviantart and tumblr but I dont update them half as much as facebook.

2. Scary For Kids. I dont think its been updated for years but it had amazing online pranks, videos and stories.

3. The SCP Foundation. Probably the strangest site ever compiling list upon list of unnatural phenomena, This could easily all be fake, but could also easily be real. There is also a downloadable game based on one of these called SCP – 087 where you descend a long staircase, Nobody has ever reached the bottom.

And thats all I can think of, I apologise for only 3 sites but trust me, they are good enough!

It's a Horror to Know You: Senski of Heart in a Jar!

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

The first film to ever scare me was "Frankenstein Created Woman," as I would have been all of five years old when I saw it in the theater. I remember Susan Denberg hacking and stabbing her way through much of the picture, especially one scene where she is on top of a fellow, plunging her knife in repeatedly. The notion that something could hurt you enough to kill you made its first impression on me, and those kills seemed very, very real.

2. What is the last film that scared you?

The last film that scared me was the first "Paranormal Activity." I found the tension to be almost unbearable. Pleasantly surprised that a film can still do that, as I worry about becoming immune to shock.

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

Although I wonder if anything can be underrated in this era of wall-to-wall internet coverage, I really like 2001's "Frailty," 1991's "The Unborn," 2003's "Willard," and everyone has to stop what they're doing and watch 1972's "The Other." That last one may not be underrated, but it's definitely underseen.

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

You'll put a big giddy smile on my face if you show me "The Green Slime," "Night of the Lepus" and "Lifeforce." Among my friends those are infamous for being *my* movies.

5. Send us to five places on the Internet!

Oh, I'm deadly dull on the web, but I do spend lotsa time with the Internet Speculative Fiction Database and Fantastic Fiction. Read more. That is all.

It's a Horror to Know You: Nathan Rosen of MicroHorror!

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

Aw, heck. I was a timid little kid and got scared by everything. Watching Ernie pull off Bert's nose really freaked me out. "E.T." scared me, "Labyrinth" scared me, when I was a little bit older I got scared by "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1978, I think) at some kid's sleepover party… but do you want to know the worst of all? The movie that scared young me so badly I had nightmares for months and couldn't try watching it again for about fifteen years?

Good old "Pee-wee's Big Adventure." Large Marge, man. One of the scariest scenes in modern cinema, no doubt.

2. What is the last film that scared you?

I'm a lot harder to scare these days. I just saw "The Cabin in the Woods," and I loved it, but I wouldn't say it scared me. Probably the scariest movie I've seen in recent years was "The Descent"– the early scene with the tiny tunnel and the cave-in really pinged the old claustrophobia.

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

"Phantom of the Paradise" (1974): Brian De Palma directs goofy, over-the-top grand guignol with a fabulous soundtrack by Paul Williams. What's not to love? I like to show it in a double feature with Williams' episode of "The Muppet Show."

"Slither" (2006): This is on everyone's list of underrated horror movies, I think. It wasn't afraid to get balls-to-the-wall weird, and deserves more attention.

"The Creeps" (1997): Another Charles Band joint, and aw, man. I can't even tell you what's so awesome about this movie without spoiling it. What's worse is that the cover gives it all away, when the twist works so much better if the audience doesn't know what's coming. If you can somehow see it without reading any synopsis or anything, just do it.

I guess I like a nice dollop of comedy mixed with my horror. Nothing wrong with that.

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

"Jason X" (2001): Halfway between underrated and guilty pleasure for me. It's a laugh riot from beginning to end.

"Eight Legged Freaks" (2002): Another unabashedly ridiculous flick, and the only movie to pit giant jumping spiders against dirtbikes.

"Hellraiser: Bloodline" (1996): I can't defend this one. Cenobites in space. That's all. It's like "Jason X" without the deliberate comedy.

5. Send us to five places on the Internet!

MicroHorror: The world's largest free online archive of short-short horror fiction. I run it.

Gorelets.com: Home of Michael A. Arnzen, master of horror poetry and microfiction, and a brilliant scholar of horror.

MetaFilter: Not a horror site. Just a community full of cool people and great links and conversation. I
spend a lot of time there.

That's about all I've got.

It's a Horror to Know You: Gillig!

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

Robert Wise's THE HAUNTING (1963) – Still one of the most frightening films ever made.

2. What is the last film that scared you?

James Wan's INSIDIOUS (2010) – Specifically the scene with the little boy (?) in the house after they move out of the first house.

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

THE CRAWLING EYE (1958) – aka The Trollenberg Terror. Based on a stage play and chillingly Lovecraftian. What some consider cheesy effects undermine this film's credibility but I always thought the Eyes were pretty terrifying, in particular those weird noises they make.

MATANGO (1963) – aka The Attack of the Mushroom People. Based on a chilling short story by William Hope Hodgson and brought to life by Godzilla's creator, Ishiro Honda. This movie is still one of the most freaky pieces of celluloid ever nearly fifty years on.

RAVENOUS (1999) – Darkly humorous, yet still creepy tale of cannibalism with an amazing performance by Robert Carlyle, not to mention a fantastic soundtrack by Blur's Damon Albarn.

Honorable mentions:

GARGOYLES (1972) – Simply one of the best made-for-TV movies ever, some of the most chilling movie scenes ever and some fantastic effects from Stan Winston on a very low budget.

GHOST STORY (1981) – A classic haunting story with a great, slow build-up to an amazing conclusion. Phenomenal performance from Alice Krige!

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

THE GREEN SLIME (1968) – some would say science fiction but it's really a horror movie at heart. Cheesy music, monsters and effects combined with stiff, hammy acting…Love it!

KILLER SHREWS (1959) – the isolation of the island and the voraciousness of the shrews win me over on this one. The black and white somehow enhances this one.

THE LAST DINOSAUR (1977) – once again, borderline science fiction I guess but to me just a creature feature. There is nothing to really like about this movie but somehow I just love it. Makes you wonder how Richard Boone ever got work.

5. Send us to five places on the Internet!

Don't really surf much (Kindertrauma's my home page!) but I do enjoy outsider art. Here are a few faves…

Joshua Hoffine. (outstanding stuff!)

My Pet Skeleton.

Ben Newman.

It's a Horror to Know You: Francisco from Spain!

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

Halloween 1978, it was an exhibition in summer in the open air and I was 7 or so, I don't know exactly why the sister of a neighbour and friend slightly older than us, said it was about a mannequin???

2. What is the last film that scared you?

Atrocious, 2010, a found footage film co-produced, I think, by Spain and Mexico and I'm afraid (not sure) inspired by true events.

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

The Broken (2008) with Lena Headey, psychological and quiet horror, it doesn't need lots of blood to really scare specially when is a film about mirrors and dopplegangers.

Just Before Dawn, 1980, maybe my favourite American gothic, do you use this term in USA? some great scenes like the one with the glasses or the scene of the young couple in the waterfall.

Cabin Fever. Another American gothic, more modern than Just Before Dawn but with a very 70's feel, with The Descent being the best film of horror from the 2000s.

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

The Italian cannibal stuff.

5. Send us to five places on the Internet!

Hysteria lives. A lot of information on the slaher genre.

The Terror Trap. Very exhaustive too but covering other subjects like 70's horror, Italian horror or horror made for TV.

Too Much Horror Fiction. Very interesting for fans of horror fiction, books, from the 60s, 70s and 80s awesome cover art too.

Glorious Trash. About men's adventure novels… in Spain we haven't had that kind of paperback industry.

Talk Stephen King. Information and news about one of my favourite authors.

It's a Horror to Know You: P. William Pinto of Bizarre Noir Theater!

My partner and I own and operate the Bizarre Noir Theatre Company. Specializing in little-known musicals, plays, and absurdity in the New York area.

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

To this day I still get a chill from one particular scene in Superman 3 (1983). It's my earliest memory of running and hiding under the kitchen table with my fingers in my ears (even the sound of the scene scared me.) It's the scene where Annie Ross' character gets sucked into Robert Vaughn's super computer and gets assimilated into a Robot/Annie Ross Thing. I still get the shudders when I watch it.

2. What is the last film that scared you?

I really don't get all that scared any longer. I will get exhilarated or super-excited about a scene or a particularly well-executed special effect but my most recent true scare was more or less a severely disturbing. The scene in Ghost Ship (2002) where the dancing couples get sliced in half was burned into my corneas for all eternity. I will never NEVER watch that film again for that scene only, and I can never not have seen it.

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

Haxan (1922) Swedish silent horror documentary about witchcraft. Cleaned up by Criterion, the re-enactment scenes are beautiful to watch.

Sisters (1973) A Brian De Palma film that NO ONE knows. It's super bloody and has some amazing music by Bernard Herrmann writing his first synth score.

Theatre of Blood (1973) So many people don't know this film. And I absolutely believe it is some of Vincent Price's best work.

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

The Watcher in the Woods (1980) I don't care what anyone says!! I actually thoroughly enjoy it. Whether with the original ending, the second ending, or the ending Disney eventually used… if it's a dark and stormy night it's a great film to have playing.

The Eyes of Laura Mars (1978) Stylish, sexy… kind of like a romance novel cover. A John Carpenter script paired with Faye Dunaway playing a role written for Barbra Streisand. Good times.

Rose Red (2002) Seriously against my better judgment! Plot holes everywhere! Shoddy special effects! But I REALLY dug the puppetry used to animate some of the corpses. I will still put it on if I have a spare 4 hours to kill!

5. Send us to five places on the Internet!

I really don't go to any other horror site but Kindertrauma, so here are five links to some scary scenes from my childhood that I cherish.

Return to Oz (1985) Mombi's Heads wake up.

Bride of Boogedy (1987) Corwin and Ari discover Mr. Boogedy.

Raggedy Ann and Andy (1977) The Greedy.

Vertigo (1958) The Dream Sequence. Enough said.

All That Jazz (1979) The Finale. Absolutely frightening and gorgeous… and then it punches you in the stomach. Brilliant.

It's a Horror to Know You: Brother Bill of The haunted Closet!

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

Jaws (1975). Sorry for not coming up with something more obscure or original, but my parents took me to see Jaws in the theater when I was 5 years old, and for two weeks afterwards I had nightmares, convinced that a shark was going to somehow swim into my bedroom and eat me.

2. What is the last film that scared you?

Insidious (2010). It has its flaws and gets a flag for unnecessary silliness, but I was on the edge of my seat for most of the film, and unlike some critics, I thought the surreal alternate universe, which looks like a drug-induced stage play of Our Town, was thoroughly creepy and original. … although I'd also like to toss the TRAILER (that's right, the trailer) for the upcoming Prometheus. Saw it in Imax 3-D (okay, I just outed myself as having seen Titanic 3-D) and the rapid-fire editing under the sound of that bone-chilling screeching siren had me clinging the armrests. Can't wait to see the whole film.

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

Three Women (1977) Robert Altman's strange, dreamy study of the unusual relationship between Shelly Duvall and her new roommate, Sissy Spacek, who slowly assumes Duvall's identity. Utterly captivating from frame one. Who can forget the creepy moment when Duvall accidentally walks in on Spacek's elderly parents making love in her bed?

The Forbin Project (1970) A technology-run-amok Cold War thriller where the U.S. government has put a supercomputer name Colossus in control of the nation's defense, only to have it contact and ally with Russia's version and hold the entire planet hostage to its whims. Colossus also becomes obssessed with its creator, Dr. Forbin, and makes increasing demands on his personal freedom and privacy. I think I may have projected my own anxiety about adult authority into this when I first saw it as a kid.

The Machinist (2004) A worker in a machine shop suffering from insomnia finds himself questioning his reality after several disturbing coincidences. A study in paranoia and guilt, with atmospheric photography and an amazing Bernard Herman-esque score. From the director of Session 9, and starring that guy from Batman, The Machinist seems to have quietly faded into obscurity.

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

Squirm (1976) A freak lightning storm mutates normally harmless earthworms into ravenous flesh eaters. There's no reason to distinguish this from any other by-the-numbers-nature-gone-wild film, but they nailed the atmosphere by shooting mostly on location in the backwoods of Georgia, and there's plenty of gross-out encounters with hundreds of REAL, LIVING worms.

The Baby (1973). Blatantly exploitive bizarro film about a grown man forced to live as a baby by a psychotic family of women that refused to allow him to mature mentally. One scene using real disabled children crosses the line of what little good taste the film may have pretended to have. But The Baby plays its ridiculous premise totally straight (no tongue-in-cheek winking at the camera here) and the twist ending still gets me.

Hot Rods to Hell (1967) I love films that pit the squares against the troublemakers, and this one has the squarest square of them all, Dana Andrews, as a humorless father who moves his family west to take over a hotel only to find himself terrorized en route by a band of no-good teens in hot rods. There's plenty of preaching and moralizing for all, and a great ending where Andrews finally finds his courage and faces off against the lead punks with a nail-embedded two-by-four. "How would you like these nails in your face?" he taunts. Yes, please!

5. Send us to five places on the Internet!

Pumpkinrot. Incredible photography of Halloween decorations and the like, updated frequently.

Vintage Kids Books My Kids Love. Galleries of classic children's picture books, like stumbling into the ultimate used book store.

Long Forgotten. Until a university starts teaching a class in Haunted Mansion-ology, you'll just have to study from home using this website as your textbook. An anthropological study of all things Haunted Mansion related.

The Sinisters. My OTHER little side project

Music video: "Name In Stone" by Dead Man's Bones. Haunting song with a great one-shot video of the group strolling through a cemetary (and yes, that guy in the band is Drive's own Ryan Gosling).

It's a Horror to Know You: Fishmodes

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

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. Yeah, it's not a horror film, but there were two scenes that terrified me. The first was when Large Marge told Pee-Wee the story of the truck crash, and then ended it by showing him what the face of the driver looked like when they were pulled out of the wreck, all in state of the art claymation effects. If that wasn't bad enough, my fear of clowns wasn't helped when Pee-Wee dreams of the clown doctors trying to save his broken bike. Then a sinister, but somewhat normal looking doctor walks in with a mask covering the lower half of his face. You know by the close up and the music you don't want him to pull that mask off, but he does, revealing a mouth and teeth painted around his own mouth, and he laughs. It was so weird and terrifying for a kid. Those two scenes scared me to death!

2. What is the last film that scared you?

June 9. I'll elaborate on that one below.

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

Terrified (1963). I feel this one hasn't gotten it's due, yet. The premise is a young man looks for a killer in a ghost town. The killer plays a game with him, some of which involves scaring him, and choking him to the point of passing out, then letting him go without actually killing him. The opening scene is particularly horrific. It does have a few B-movie trappings, mostly involving a subplot of two characters going to the police to help the main character and taking their sweet time for a calm little chat, and the ending is a bit weak, but overall it's pretty unique and worth a look.

June 9 (2008). June 9 is a found footage movie, and owes a debt to The Blair Witch Project, but has enough up it's creepy sleeve to stand on its own. A group of teens hear legends of some creepy things going down in a nearby town. This, of course, is the perfect place to party and record their deviance and debauchery on camera. This movie sets itself apart by setting up many different unsettling moments, and they do this brilliantly. Rarely are you scared in the same way twice. There are blink and you'll miss them scares, tense moments as the teens return again and again, and odd occurrences that amp up the tension. The ending is admittedly chilling, but is unfortunately completely out of step with the rest of the movie. However, it doesn't distract from the rest of this truly scary movie. June 9 is Blair Witch with a touch more of Lovecraft and a hint of David Lynch.

The Resurrected (1992). Also known as "Shatterbrain," this movie is a somewhat forgotten Dan O'Bannon film, and the only other one he directed, after Return of the Living Dead. RotLD is fun as hell, but this movie is fantastic. It is a loose riff on The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, by H.P. Lovecraft, and it is possibly the best Lovecraft adaptation to date. The Resurrected stars Chris Sarandon in what I think is his best performance as Ward, a man who locks himself in an old house as he obsesses over his secretive experiments. Lovecraft, O'Bannon, and Sarandon. How can you not be on board with those three names alone?

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

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994). This sucker boasts an over the top performance by Matthew McConaughy and his remote-controlled, mechanical leg. It plays boxed wine to the original's Dom Perignon. Some days you just prefer that old boxed wine to make you dizzy.

Mother of Tears (2007). Yeah, it's not Suspiria or Inferno, but really, what is? It does have it's flaws, as does every Argento film, if we're being honest. It is about the awakening of an angry, vain witch, who is no longer interested in hiding away in some old building. What I liked about this film, is you actually see a villain with world domination aspirations actually doing something about it. People are acting strange, possessed followers are running around, and she actually seems like she may pull it off. There are some great, tense moments, and Argento even gets a few classic kills in here, though I was saddened by the use of CGI blood. It isn't his best by a mile, but in my eyes, it's still the bee's knees.

The House on Haunted Hill (1999). How do I love this movie? Let me count the ways. Dark Castle mostly gives me a headache, but man, this is how you remake a film. Or maybe not. This era of horror was not my favorite, but this movie kept my dark heart beating through those rough, post-Scream years. Geoffrey Rush channels Price and chews scenery with great line after great line. Chris Kattan was funnier here than in probably any other film he's been in. And do we need to dote upon Jeffery Combs? It's not exactly a classic, but I love it.

5. Send us to five places on the Internet!

Kindertrauma sends me to most of the places I go on the internet! However, I do have one.

Darkweb Online: This isn't really an endless resource, but their top 100 horror films is, with the exception of the rather predictable top 5, as well thought out as they come. I love it for introducing me to the great Night Must Fall (1937) alone.