American Mary - My thoughts

I've spent the entire weekend in bed coughing and spluttering with a particularly nasty cold, and have had to rely on my trusty PS3, Netlix and my dvd/blu ray collection for solace.
If there is one positive that can be taken from the last few dismal, phlegm-ridden days, it is that I've finally got round to watching my 'American Mary' blu ray that I purchased some weeks ago. I'd read a lot about it, most of it good, so my expectations were high, and thankfully I wasn't disappointed.

What a strange, wonderful ride it is; filled with bizarre, often carnival show grotesque characters, it's the kind of gloriously weird experience that is rarely encountered in the modern horror genre. The tragic Beatrice, a woman who has used body modification to turn herself into a living caricature of Betty Boop is one of the most memorable and original characters I've seen in a horror movie since the demented Captain Spalding in Rob Zombie's 'House Of 1000 Corpses'.

There are no heroes and villains in this piece; they're all bad, some are just badder than others, or perhaps not, perhaps just bad in different ways. All are well developed and intriguing, there's no room for blandness in this movie, only desires sought and fulfilled. There's always a price to be paid, though....

If you like horror, or even just dark humour and an original twisted tale, you owe it to yourself to check this gem out.

Taxi to Midian

Please check out my latest poll asking you who your favourite horror author is. I've started things off by selecting my own favourite, Clive Barker. Although I have enjoyed some of his books more than others, his best work is so astonishingly good, I have to choose him. I've read his early books multiple times, and in my opinion 'Cabal' has never been equalled. Dark, beautiful and magical, it represents everything a scary story should.

What do you think?

'In the Shadow of The Wicker Man'

Check out my article about my strange trip to the locations used in the filming of 'The Wicker Man' at
http://popcornhorror.com/shadow-wicker-man/

It was an amazing trip to many of the scenes in one of the greatest horror movies of all time.