Ashy Slashy's "Watch It or Skip It" List:

Now before I begin, let me just state that this is purely my opinion & no hate to those who either hate or enjoyed the films I'll be mentioning. There are some that I thought were good & then I'll get into those that were just downright awful. Needless to say, everyone is welcome to their opinion & we don't all always have to agree.

With that being said, let's get into some movies that have people questioning why they should or should not watch.

X (2022)

X is a slasher film written, directed, produced and edited by Ti West (The House of the Devil, Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever, V/H/S, The ABC's of Death). Starring Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow, Owen Campbell, Stephen Ure, and Scott Mescudi. The film's plot follows a cast and crew who are planning to make a pornographic film on an elderly couple's rural Texas property but come across an unlikely killer.

This movie had some mixed reviews when it first came out. I, myself, actually liked the film. Now if you're not a fan of gore, I'd suggest skipping this movie. There's a scene in particular that wasn't even gore that grossed me out so bad I actually got nauseated. So simple yet so gross.. *shudders*.

I personally describe the film as Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets Smut Films. If you're offended by sex, blood, gore, I recommend that you don't watch this film. I'm not 100% sure if I'd list this film as "you need to watch at least once", but it's got character.

The Munsters (2022)

The Munsters is a 2022 American horror comedy film produced, written, and directed by Rob Zombie (House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects, 31). It stars Sheri Moon Zombie, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Daniel Roebuck, Richard Brake, Jorge Garcia, Sylvester McCoy, Catherine Schell, and Cassandra Peterson. Based on the 1960s family sitcom of the same title, the story is a prequel to the series, serving as an "origin story" for the characters.

I'm either going to get hate or praise for what I'm about to say: I fucking hated it. Now before you get all hulk on me, I am a fan of Rob. When it comes to his movies it is a hit or miss for me. When I heard that he was going to be "remaking/rebooting" the Munsters, I was immediately hesitant, but had very small hope. Knowing that he is a huge fan of the OG's is what gave me the hope. For once I would have liked to see him cast people outside of his typical entourage. Now no hate to Sheri, but let's be honest...

The one thing I truly was disgusted by was how Herman was portrayed. This cocky-arrogant-obnoxious version of the said naive-loveable-dorky OG was just offensive. One of my childhood nicknames legit comes from Herman, so when I say I was truly disappointed doesn't scratch the surface.

If you love the original The Munsters, I don't recommend that you watch Zombie's take. Is it possible to add to "watch it at least once" kind of films? Possibly. If you're willing to waste almost 2 hours of your time, by all means.. 

Grimcutty (2022)

Grimcutty is a "creature feature" written & directed by John Ross (Bite Size Halloween, 1 Minute Horror). A scary internet meme called "Grimcutty" causes panic amongst parent's of teenagers who think their children are cutting themselves as part of an internet challenge.

You read that right. Now we all know within the depths of creepy pasta, we can come across a variety of scary creatures. Slenderman, Jack the Killer, etc. Grimcutty is just... it's not good. I had some hope going into it, but within 10 minutes I knew it was bad. The acting, the "scary" scenes, just...so bad.

I'm a sucker for practical effects (no hate to CGI), but in this film, I don't even think CGI could salvage how bad this Grimcutty looked. I'm not sure if the film is supposed to be taken seriously or if it's a parody of creepy pasta characters.

Dashcam (2022)

Dashcam is a 2021 computer screen horror film directed by Rob Savage and written by Gemma Hurley, Savage, and Jed Shepherd. The film is produced by Jason Blum through his Blumhouse Productions banner, alongside Douglas Cox, and Savage. The film stars Annie Hardy, Amer Chadha-Patel, and Angela Enahoro. The entire film is shot from the POV of either Hardy's hand-held iPhone or the dashcam in her car. The film follows Hardy as she leaves the US amidst the COVID-19 pandemic to visit a friend in London. She livestreams her actions for viewers whose comments on the events are also displayed. After a confrontation that goes down due to her childish "anti-mask" behavior, she comes across a mysterious elderly woman who then proceeds to make her night hell.

When I saw that Blumhouse Productions was attached, I had high hopes. To say I was let down.. First off, the main character is OBNOXIOUS. She's one of those "hope dies in the first 5 minutes" of the film. Despite your political views, she's a MAGA cult member, anti-masks & thinks she's just "so cool" with her childish behavior. She makes the movie unbearable. The film itself is just...not good, but she is what makes it so much worse.

I honestly don't recommend wasting your time with this film. Such a letdown Blumhouse.

Hellraiser (2022)

Hellraiser is a 2022 American supernatural horror film directed by David Bruckner, with a screenplay by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski (a screen story they co-wrote with David S. Goyer). A second adaptation of the 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker, which served as the basis for his 1987 film Hellraiser. Hellraiser (2022) is a reboot of the titular franchise, and the eleventh installment overall. The film stars Odessa A'zion, Jamie Clayton, Brandon Flynn, Goran Višnjić, Drew Starkey, Adam Faison, Aoife Hinds, Selina Lo and Hiam Abbass.

I'm one of the select few that has seen every single Hellraiser. I do not recommend watching past the first two films. The rest of the Hellraiser franchise (not counting the reboot back in 2018) was basically movies that never left shelves that had Pinhead tossed into the storyline to get them produced. So bad. So so bad..

As a fan of the original (and of the novella), I enjoyed this film. It has it's flaws (as does plenty), but I'm a sucker for practical effects and OH BABY did they deliver. Now in my honest opinion, what almost ruined this movie was the main character. I legit could not stand her and was sad that she was the primary focus of the film. No hate to the actress whatsoever, just the character. I get what they were trying to do with the character, but she was just not redeemable in my humble opinion.

I say watch it and develop your own opinion on the film.

Halloween Ends (2022)

Halloween Ends is a 2022 American slasher film that is the sequel to Halloween Kills (2021), the thirteenth installment in the Halloween franchise, and the final film in the trilogy of sequels that started with the 2018 film, which directly follows the 1978 film. Directed by David Gordon Green and co-written by Green, Danny McBride, Paul Brad Logan and Chris Bernier. Starring Jamie Lee Curtis (the OG Scream Queen), Andi Matichak, Rohan Campbell, Will Patton, Kyle Richards, and James Jude Courtney. The film centers around Corey Cunningham, a young man who has been outcasted by Haddonfield due to an accident on Halloween night. He ends up falling in love with Laurie Strode's granddaughter.

NOW, I can see why this movie split the crowd. It got a lot of hate and a lot of praise. I can honestly see what they were trying to do with this film, but I'm not sure why. To be honest, I think most of us were expecting an all out slash fest, gore, etc that the previous 2 films provided. I actually liked the film, if you look at it from a different perspective. What confuses me the most is I know what they were trying to do, but considering the last 15-20 minutes of the movie... I don't understand the point with the Corey character.

It's definitely not for everyone. I do say at least watch it once.

I know there's more movies I've missed in the mix, but leave a comment down below with your own list of films!

-Ashy Slashy

Horror Magazine publisher puts his skin up for sale on Kickstarter! [Press Release]

Just in time for Halloween Gore Noir Magazine Publisher Mitch Rafter offers Kickstarter perk allowing you to tattoo your company logo or design on his skin!

 

Kickstarter link:  https://tinyurl.com/gorekickstart

Las Vegas, NV October 15, 2021 - Gore Noir Magazine, celebrating it’s 10 years in independent horror print, has launched it’s 5th and most exciting Kickstarter campaign. Keeping in line with the subject matter of the issue featuring Hellraiser, Mitch Rafter will be allowing those who pick the $2,000 perk, to tattoo their logo or design on his skin.  That’s right!  You will be forever etched in ink on his skin!  This issue of Gore Noir is a once sold out re-issue of their Hellraiser homage, featuring exclusive interviews with Pinhead himself Doug Bradley, as well as, Barbie Wilde, Simon Bamford, and Nicholas Vince who also played cenobites in the 1988 Hellraiser II film. The campaign will be going the full 30 days, ending on November 14th, 2021.  The campaign aims to raise a minimum of $3,000 for rising print costs of the 64 page full color publication, but the publisher targets blowing that number out of the water.

This magazine is not just an exact reprinting of the sold out issue, it will feature a new cover artwork by Stephen Strange.  The artwork itself is also an homage to Todd McFarlane’s iconic and often reproduced Spiderman #1 cover.  With all the news of Spiderman No Way Home and the brand new Hellraiser series that is going into production this mash up cover couldn’t come at a better time!  Those who will step up to support Mitch’s independent horror print magazine can choose from perks including:  Exclusive stickers, New shirt designs, posters, Hellraiser magazine reissue in both regular and 3D cover versions, trading cards, ad space, and of course your logo or design on Mitch’s skin.

Mitch is quoted as saying, “I’ve loved horror my entire life, including the Hellraiser, I actually have the puzzle box tattooed on my elbow.  It just made sense to start my own horror magazine, and I’ve been pouring my heart and soul into it for 10 years straight.  Why wouldn’t I put my skin up for grabs if it means I’m able to continue doing my magazine for possibly another 10 years?”  Right now there’s only 3 tattoo spots available at $2,000 a piece but if it means not having to worry about money for the next issues he says:  “I’ll keep going beyond 3 spots..  I’ll even give up all the skin on my legs!”  Make sure you check out Gore Noir Magazine’s Kickstarter, become a backer, and get in line to tattoo your logo or design on Mitch.

 

Contact:  info@gorenoir.com or gorenoirmag@gmail.com

Instagram:  @gorenoirmag

Facebook:  facebook.com/gorenoir

Website:  gorenoir.com

Kickstarter:  https://tinyurl.com/gorekickstart

IMAGINER: THE ART OF CLIVE BARKER, VOLUME TWO

To say that Clive Barker has been a HUGE influence on my life is a great understatement.  Ever since seeing Hellraiser the cenobites have made many an appearance in my dreams and now, in my magazine.  Beyond Hellraiser I was able to pick up Clive's book the Thief of Always, and that sent me even farther down the rabbit hole.  I must not have been more than 12-13 when I first read the Thief of Always and the concepts and imagery that were presented definitely sparked things in my mind that allowed me to explore odd themes in my own writing.  Fast forward to this last September and our adventure BACK to Los Angeles for the Days of the Dead convention.  The only reason we really made the trek, flew out to LA, and plopped down the vending fee was to get to meet Clive Barker.

This was the only convention I had seen his name attached to in the longest time and it was also an excuse to go see a lot of the friends we had made while we lived in Los Angeles. (apparently a week is not enough to get to see all of you and I'm sorry to anyone we couldn't meet up with!)  The convention itself was really extremely awesome and that's even with LA already having hosted Monsterpalooza just two weekends back.  The sheer amount of cool celebs was mind boggling.  There were so many that I didn't even know were going to be attending.  I was amazed.  But it was all for one moment.  When we stepped up to Clive's table we were actually one of the first handful of people that got to see him.  I shook his hand first and handed him the poster that Steve McGinnis (great artist check him out) had created for our Hellraiser II anniversary issue.  Clive was so impressed with both the poster and the magazine (cover by Christopher Ott) that he asked to have one.  I gladly gave him our last copy and told him that I really wanted him to be in that issue but it just didn't work out.  He promptly agreed that he should be in one of our issues and I told him we'd be HONORED and that of course the cover would be his and that we would do everything we could to make that happen.  Here's to hoping that you'll soon be seeing the legend in our pages!  Until then check out the kickstarter for IMAGINER VOLUME TWO!  The first volume is just amazing and I would love to get my hands on both the book and some of his prints offered through Century Guild!

IMAGINER: THE ART OF CLIVE BARKER, VOLUME TWO
LIMITED EDITION OF 1,000 HARDCOVER BOOKS (will not be reprinted)

PLUS 100 special Signed and Numbered Bookplate editions.

Now through Halloween on Kickstarter.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/337503446/clive-barker-imaginer-vol-2-art-book

“If people want to know who I am or where I get my ideas from or why I write the things that I do, Imaginer is the answer to that question.” -The Hollywood Reporter (commenting on Imaginer Volume 1)


For over twenty years the imagination of Clive Barker has been hailed as a genius by a generation of creatives including such notable visionaries as Stephen King and Guillermo del Toro.  But where does Clive Barker find his primal inspiration?

Clive has said from his first interviews that he keeps a brush and ink next to his bed to capture fragments of dreams, and that his stories originate as visuals first- the works on canvas are more often than not Clive's inital introduction to the characters and universes that he then picks up a pen to illuminate.  The most recent example of this is his world of Abarat:

"I'm painting these pictures in the expectation that... interesting, strange characters and landscapes will come into my mind and into my mind's eye and appear on the canvas through the brush. There is something willfully strange about this process- that you stand back at the end of a night's work and you look at something and you say, 'Where did that come from?' I mean, I'm not the only artist who does that - lots of artists do that, I know. And it's been wonderful because if I had created Abarat from words- if I'd written Abarat and then illustrated it... it would not be anything like as rich or as complex or as contradictory a world as it is. Because this is a world which has been created from dream visions...  What I'm doing is finding stories that match the shape of my dreams."

IMAGINER 1 was the first comprehensive volume documenting the artwork of Clive Barker; IMAGINER 2 is an identical format- with all new words and images.  Featuring over 75 artworks and 208 pages, the book will be a gorgeous large size of 10" x 13" inches.  The book is composed of entirely ALL NEW and ULTRA HIGH RESOLUTION image captures, painstakingly color corrected to the original paintings.  The detail is impeccable, and Clive flatteringly described the difference in the detail and accuracy of the new captures to any previously printed ones as the difference between "chalk and cheese".

This is an art book of the highest quality, and is being created with the utmost attention to detail to present the artwork as though you were witnessing the paintings in person.

The purest, most direct path from the raw creative mind of Clive Barker to our world is through his artworks.  We are in the process of exhuming and documenting a lifetime of genius; these artworks are the origin points of characters we recognize, and hold hints of stories yet to come.  ALL PROFITS FROM IMAGINER and our EDITION PRINTS will be put directly towards the archiving of the artworks, journals, and manuscripts of Clive Barker.

IMAGINER: The Art of Clive Barker is curated and produced by Thomas Negovan and Century Guild, a Los Angeles art gallery specializing in works on paper 1880-1920 including Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, the Symbolist and Expressionist Art movements, and historically significant objects from the Art Nouveau era.  Works previously in the Century Guild collection are now on permanent display in the Art Institute of Chicago, the Detroit Institute of Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY).


IMAGINES FROM BOOK and MOCK-UP COVER:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/d3bmrk9x6q6dlie/AABAO7O5SwJD8eFbrnIYeHTia?dl=0


WHAT PEOPLE SAID ABOUT IMAGINER VOLUME ONE:

“Century Guild’s new Clive Barker: Imaginer books give Barker’s intensely prolific art career the attention it deserves.” -Ultraculture

"For Barker fans, to be able to see the beginnings of his inspirations will be a page-turning treat.” -The Advocate
“Barker described the new collection as ‘the missing element’ in any evaluation of his career to date.” -The Hollywood Reporter

“Clive Barker has procured memorable images from his imagination and shared them with the world…” -DailyDead

“I have no respect for or need to be respectful of reality… My lines can investigate entirely different kinds of journeys.” -MoviePilot



FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT GALLERY@CENTURYGUILD.NET or 1-800-610-2368

Digital Goodness!

While we are first and foremost a print magazine, we also recognize that some can't afford to pay for the print version.  Especially in other countries where the shipping costs are pretty steep.  That's why we off our magazine in digital format.  I want as many people to see the magazine as possible.  I love bringing new and established artists to all of you on a regular basis.

The easiest way to get our magazine is by downloading the magzter app on ANY of your devices it's pretty much available on all of them.  Hit the link to get the mag!

  http://www.magzter.com/US/Gore-Noir-Magazine/Gore-Noir-Magazine/Entertainment/

Barbie Wilde & Women in Horror Charity Calendar

Barbie Wilde appearing as December in the Calendar

 With our 10th issue coming out shortly we've completed an interview with Barbie Wilde who you all may recognize as the female cenobite from Hellraiser II.  On top of her roles in films and her books that have been published, Barbie is involved with a Horror genre calendar that will donate all of it's profits to charity.  As we are a sucker for charity and all things horror we thought we'd give you guys a heads up and pass on the press release.  READ ON!

Cover for the Women in Horror Calendar and February 2014: Pollyanna
McIntosh, actress (Sex and Death 101, The Woman, Filth, Love Eternal, White
Settlers, Let us Prey) (Photo by Tina Korhonen)

"Horror is a genre that encompasses all the arts ­ film, music, literature, sculpture, painting, fashion ­ and this year a special calendar is celebrating the contribution of 12 women to the horror scene in the UK, with all profits going to charity.

The calendar is put together by filmmaker Melanie Light, based in London. From an early age Melanie was drawn to a strange interest in odd things, having collected road kill with her siblings, to drawing deformed demon women for her GCSE art projects. At Art School in Brighton her work was influence by her keen interest in serial killers and the dark arts. Melanie has been production designing and art directing various horror films, music promos and short films since 2006. In 2010 she decided to take on the challenge of directing her own short horror film Switch, which screened at Film4 Frightfest, the BEV festival's special on 'Bloody Women' at the ICA, and won best short film at the Queen of Horror festival in 2012. Melanie is the drive behind the Women in Horror Calendar. I decided that I needed to give something back. The calendar idea is to showcase creative women of various roles, all with a macabre feel. A friend asked me, Œwhy a calendar and not a book? Well, I like to be organized! It's not a 'pin up' calendar, but a showcase of talent ­ in front of and behind the camera.

The profit made from selling the calendar will be split between two charities. Rape Crisis England and Wales provides support for women and girls who have been raped, as well as tackling the trafficking of women. The Sophie Lancaster Foundation has particular resonance with Melanie, having been bullied herself at school for being 'goth'. Following the horrific murder of Sophie Lancaster in 2007, her family wanted to ensure a lasting legacy, and so the Foundation was established. Its motto, Stamp Out Prejudice, Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere, reflects the charity's aim to challenge the prejudice and intolerance towards people from alternative subcultures both culturally and in legislation.

The scope of the calendar means a really broad variety of talents are celebrated. Some of the women featured include, amongst others, presenter Emily Booth (Horror Bits on the Horror Channel), actress Pollyanna McIntosh, author (and Hellraiser Female Cenobite) Barbie Wilde, taxidermy artist Tessa Farmer, and, of course, Melanie herself. With photography by Tina Korhonen whom is known for her work in magazines such as 'Metal Hammer' and 'Total Tattoo'. The shoot was held at The Murder Mile studio in Clapton, East
London. The perfect location for a 'Horror' photography shoot."

The calendar is available to pre-order now from
http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/158679453/calendar-for-2014-women-in-horror-bios?ref=shop_home_active

Face book page - https://www.facebook.com/WomenInHorrorCalendarUK

August: Grog, singer & bassist for Die So Fluid and clothing & jewelry
designer (Photo by Tina Korhonen)

Hellraiser: Revelations

When it comes to horror, Hellraiser is definitely one of my top 3 movies.  Pinhead being one of my favorite all time movie monsters as well you could say that Doug Bradley is definitely up there as far as iconic actors in the genre go.  So why would I watch a Hellraiser movie that chose to forgo Mr. Bradley as his alter ego Pinhead?  Well I choose to watch certain movies just for the purpose of having the information needed to form an educated opinion.  I could blindly hate Hellraiser: Revelations and leave it at that.  I could be a purist and write the whole movie off because it had nothing to do with Clive Barker or Doug Bradley, or I could watch the movie and now be able to form an educated opinion.

I chose to watch the film. (I've been sick and with the amount of horror that I haven't watched on Netflix dwindling why not?)  I may catch some flack from the purists and that's perfectly fine.  I sure can't be loved by everyone so why not be hated by most?  So let's dive into this film.

Let's live in a fantasy world for a minute.  Let's imagine that instead of the Pinhead you see at the top left, you actually see Doug Bradley.  Yes he jumped on board with this film and now you're in the theatre seat ready to watch the next installment in Hellraiser.  With that in mind and all your predisposed anger at his replacement gone, let's figure out this film.  While there are lot's of problems with the film I think it actually came closer to the formula of the originals than most of the 8 some odd sequels did.  My main gripe with this film (remember we are imagining Doug Bradley is playing Pinhead lol) is the feeling that we get when we see the Cenobites.  The world they are living in just doesn't feel dirty and evil enough.  I really thought they were in this families basement for awhile.  Actually I'm not quite sure that they weren't even after seeing the whole film.

The acting wasn't all that bad when you're considering how rushed I'm sure this film was.  I've heard this film was just thrown together so that they could keep the rights to the name if I'm not mistaken.  We get a couple skinless folks thrown in which were done pretty well..  Not completely skinless of course because that would be expensive but you get the point.  I would have liked a bit more over the top bloody scenes but I'm hard to please in that area so we won't fault them for lack of gore.

With all that I can safely say that I enjoyed the film a lot more than 70% of the Hellraiser movies.  It just felt like it belonged in the same world as the first couple films, and it didn't drop us into a video game or a gothic mansion party, so that's refreshing.  With sequels and remakes being a really touchy thing recently I really think that people should probably pump the brakes and take a step back and see these things with new eyes.  Maybe without those anger shaded glasses we all have on we might be able to enjoy a couple movies for what they are instead of expecting them to live up to our sense of nostalgia that we have for older films.

You can send all hate mail to:  info@gorenoir.com  just expect a reply to all the hate mail and also expect it to be posted to our facebook and possibly our blog.