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Showing posts from October, 2013

The Month of Horror Day 31: The Exorcist

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! And what better day for an exorcism than Halloween?   Try as I might, I just can't not have all roads lead to this! ' The Exorcist ' is the greatest horror movie ever made and in forty years it still holds onto that title without any real competition. It may not be your favourite but you can't not at least admire the incredible craftsmanship on display here. There are way too many double negatives in this review already. Why has it held up so well? Why is it still regarded as tops in the genre? Is it really that scary? Personal opinion, of course but I believe this film holds up so well because of such a universal theme that almost anyone can get behind. I'm not a religious guy at all but the idea of Satan

Jason and Shawn's Top 5 movies to watch on Halloween

Shawn: As the Halloween season approaches...starting about mid September for me...haha...I go through an INSANE amount of horror movies . But there are five that are a "must view" for the season. They aren't necessarily a "Top 5" ...but MUST SEE 5: (5) I always start with Ghostbusters. A couple of weeks away from Halloween. Just the opening bit is enough to evoke the spirit of Halloween. It is iconic, recognizable and fun. It is also, a "light" start to the season. Who am I kidding, I start in August...haha. (4) Just because of a tradition I started with one of my boys, Arachnophobia is another light beginning to the festive season of doom, death and scares...haha. (3) Children of the Corn . What is there to say about this? To me, it is to Halloween as the Rudolf claymation animation is to Christmas! No Joke! (2) Diving into the nitty gritty of it, The Shining always makes an appearance. Even if I don't watch the

The Month of Horror Day 30: The Omen (1976)

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! Tonight, Bellamy revisits the charming story of a man trying to kill his son. Well, the kid is the devil, so he has it coming!   Gregory Peck had been retired from acting for about six years when, in 1975, his son committed suicide thus shaking the Hollywood legend to his core, and seeking work once more to take his mind off o f such a tragedy. What better project to jump into than a horror movie about a father trying to kill his son, who also happens to be the son of Satan? It must not have been an easy shoot for the man, especially given the subject matter but being the professional he was, turned in another great performance. Apparently he signed on for a relatively small amount of money but requested a take of the profits o

Halloween Spooktacular 5: the Ernie Hudson interview with guest Brooke Lewis

There are many Halloween traditions . . . never take candy from a stranger, don't blow out a jack-o'-lantern before midnight, and The Basement's Halloween Spooktacular. And this Halloween Spooktacular is the mother of all Halloween Spooktaculars. Joining Jason and Shawn for the entire hour is none other than award winning scream queen Brooke Lewis! Brooke and the Basement Boys discuss all things horror, including the creepiest movie music/sounds that accompany the genre. Then, nothing says Halloween like ghosts. And nothing says ghosts like Ghostbusters. Which is why Jason and Shawn are proud to feature an exclusive interview with Ghostbuster Winston Zeddemore himself -- Ernie Hudson . Hudson talks about his classic role, working with Bill Murray and Dan Akroyd , and the possibility of a third Ghostbusters movie. But that's not all! The man chats his career, his friendship with the late Brandon Lee , and the state of the film industry. THIS is the one movie

The Month of Horror Day 29: The Conjuring

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! Tonight, Bellamy takes a second look at the best movie the year . . . in Jason's humble/biased opinion. If you missed experiencing the best horror release of 2013 in theatres, it's available to rent or buy now and I'd highly recommend checking this out immediately, especially seeing as Halloween i s just around the corner! I don't want to hype it up too much because yes, there are certainly lots of people who will not appreciate this movie as it's definitely out of place amongst most modern horror--this is not about blood, guts, and gore but instead good old fashioned scares! Today's younger audiences may not gravitate towards content like this and might even think it's "boring" which seems

Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman up for London Has Fallen

And yes, fictional U.S. president Aaron Eckhart joins Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman for the sequel to the surprise hit Olympus Has Fallen . Given the title, one can assume our heroes have left the White House for London, England , and not London, Ont. The flick kicks off with an attack on London during the British prime minister 's funeral, which is attended by Butler's U.S. Secret Service agent, the U.S. president (Eckhart) and the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (Freeman). Some in The Basement didn't like Olympus Has Fallen (talking about YOU Matt Bellamy ) but I appreciated it for it's brutal, 80s-style violence and sensibilities. In fact, the whole movie felt like an 80s action flick, so why not give it an 80s-style sequel? And let's face it, Olympus Has Fallen made $160 million worldwide on a $70-million budget. Bitch made some coin. No word yet on whether or not director Antoine Fuqua returns for more mayhem. Given he's a

The Month of Horror Day 28: Eden Lake

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! Warning: tonight's installment will make your boil over with Bellamy-like rage. I'm already beginning to boil with rage just thinking about this movie again, I'll try not to lash out too much during this review but no promises! My anger does not stem from the quality of this fi lm at all, by the way but because I hate so much of what is represented throughout it. I have never experienced such visceral reactions to a movie before in my life and I felt like I needed to go for a walk or hit a punching bag afterwards, it got to me that badly! I never knew I held such venom and contempt towards a-hole kids before, you know, the ones with absolutely zero respect or regard for authority or their elders. The kinds of kid