Two new reviews at the Vault: HATE CRIME & LADY OF THE DARK: GENESIS OF THE SERPENT VAMPIRE

HAPPY (early) VALENTINE'S DAY B-MOVIE FANS! As a gift to you (sort of) may I present two new capsule reviews at the Vault! First up is guest writer Kenny Barnwell's review for LADY OF THE DARK: GENESIS OF THE SERPENT VAMPIRE, a rather terrible-sounding artsy indie vampire flick, in which a women gets bitten by a vampiric snake, only to become  a man-hating bloodsucker herself.

Next up is my review for James Cullen Bressack's HATE CRIME, a found footage/home invasion flick that showed me that I am NOT the jaded Horror fan I thought I was. The film is brutal, disturbing, and a painstakingly created faux snuff film that is definitely not for the faint of heart!

Next up on the chopping block will be SOUL VENGEANCE, a 70's blaxsploitation flick where the main character uses his superhuman penis to avenge himself. It sounds like pure gold, but if what I heard is true, I'm about to suffer.... a lot.


Is it me, or does the narrator sound like a young Morgan Freeman?

I'm also working a retrospective article about my experiences at The Hudson Horror Show, a new INDIE FILMS YOU SHOULD BE STOKED FOR article, and of course, a smattering of new blog posts.

Stay tuned for more new content here at the Vault! And be sure to follow me on Twitter and Facebook!

Vault Master's BEST (AND WORST) OF 2012!

I DID IT! I FINALLY DID IT! I completed something new for The Vault! After a week of chipping away at it, I finally completed and uploaded my retrospective look at THE BEST (AND WORST) OF 2012! This somewhat lengthy article covers my favorite theatrical releases of the past year, and briefly touches upon a few other items of interest, including my picks for the absolute worst films of 2012! Give it a look and feel free to share your thoughts, especially if you think I glanced over a movie or two (which I did, since I didn't get to see every movie I wanted to last year). You can share your opinions below in the comments section, leave a comment at The Vault's Facebook page, hit me up on Twitter, and/or drop me an e-mail at vault_master@bmoviefilmvault.com! Regardless, thanks for reading; I hope you enjoy this new article!

State of the Vault Address - September 2012

Greetings everyone! It has been quite a while since I've posted any new content at The Vault, or on this here blog, or on any of the other satellite blogs that make up the small, but glorious, B-Movie Film Vault Empire. Well there's a good reason for that: I've been on sabbatical. Recently I've gone through some major trials and tribulations in my life, and decided I needed to step away from my "virtual life" for a bit.

My mother had major back surgery several months ago, and I've been busy helping my dad take care of her, as well as helping to keep the house clean, and splitting enough firewood to keep the old folks warm over the Fall and Winter. On top of that, my fiancee.... or should I say "the woman formerly known as my fiancee," and I hit a major speed bump in our relationship. I'm not going to go into details about this, but I will say that we are back together. We're working through some stuff, and I'm slowly but surely getting her moved in here at Vault HQ. I think things are going to work out just fine, and she will most assuredly regain fiancee status in the near future if all goes well.

Toss in a heaping helping of debt and a side dish of kidney stones, and .... damn it 2012.... you were supposed to be A GOOD YEAR! WHAT HAPPENED?! WHAT AWFUL THINGS HAVE I SAID AND DONE TO GET A ROUNDHOUSE KICK IN THE BALLS FROM KARMA?!!?!?! STEELLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

:: clears throat, regains composure ::

So obviously I'm pre-occupied with non-site duties, but where does that leave the Vault? At the moment it is sort of in limbo. The domain is going to be re-registered for two more years before this month is through, and I plan on coming back to my longest running hobby soon. However, I'm highly considering (i.e. made up my mind on) giving the Vault a major overhaul to A.) make it easier for me to update it AND post fresh new content, B.) conserve precious bandwidth and webspace, and C.) to make it easier for readers and visitors to interact with myself and each other. I'm leaning towards a blog-style site and will begin construction on the Vault 3.0 very soon. My goal is to have it fully operational around the end of October.

Also, I feel like I must address the ads that have been cropping up all over the site in recent months. I'm hard up for money at the moment and I have pretty much been taking any and all offers to post ads on my site. I hate to do it... absolutely HATE it, but at the moment whoring out my site (which thankfully pays for itself at the moment) is helping me stay afloat financially. The ads are, admittedly, an eyesore, and many of them don't even pertain to film in any way, but dang it, I've got to use every means at my disposal to keep the damned bill collectors at bay.

So there you have it folks: I'm taking a break, but plan on coming back with a vengeance next month. Put away your shovels because The Vault isn't dead yet!

In the meantime, wish me luck, health, and prosperity, and feel free to buy chunks of my long-cherished movie collection to help me out financially. Check out my eBay Auctions, won't you?

New capsule review for KLOWN KAMP MASSACRE!

I just uploaded a new capsule review to the Vault archives, for KLOWN KAMP MASSACRE! Described as "Friday the 13th" meets "Killer Klowns from Outer Space," this low-budget slasher/comedy received high marks from Vault contributor Kenny B. Check out the trailer for it below:




If Troma keeps doing what they are doing, this film could end up for free on Youtube in the near future! If that happens, then I'll definitely check this one out!

Well, that's it for tonight folks, but have no fear, for I have a few more of Kenny's reviews in reserve, plus I'll be taking part in an upcoming roundtable/blog-a-thon called SLATEROCALYPSE later this month. Also, I'll be recording a Youtube video soon, answering the handful of questions posed by some of the Vault's Facebook fans a few weeks back. So stick around, because there's a lot of new content coming your way!

Create a Kaiju Contest + Go See Cabin in the Woods + new article at the Vault!

Not too long ago, I issues a statement at the Vault's Facebook page that I would do a big contest if I hit 1,000 likes. In almost no time at all, people clicked on enough "like" buttons to surpass that milestone. So now, it is up to me to deliver on that promise. Therefore, because I happened to be glancing at one of the numerous items in my Godzilla collection at the time, I am having a CREATE A KAIJU CONTEST at the Vault!

WIN ME!

Design your own original giant monster! Create it, name it, write up a quick story about its origins, strengths, powers, and weaknesses, and then send it to vault_master@bmoviefilmvault.com! You can draw your monster, paint it, use photoshop, build a costume and film it, use legos or clay, create it with computer animation, or whatever else you can come up with. The sky is the limit in regards to how you make your monster and present it to me. Creativity is key here!

The grand prize for creating the ultimate daikaiju? An awesome Godzilla prize pack featuring: Classic Media's "8" film GODZILLA COLLECTION on DVD, which contains Gojira, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla Raids Again, Mothra vs. Godzilla, Ghidrah: The Three-Headed Monster, Invasion of the Astro Monster, Godzilla's Revenge, and Terror of Mechagodzilla! Along with that, you'll get a cool Godzilla t-shirt (size of your choice), a bad-ass Bandai Godzilla figure, and I may even toss in a Godzilla comic book to sweeten the deal!

And if you don't win the big prize, don't fret too much as there will prizes for TWO runners-up, who will each walk away with their heads held high and a new Godzilla DVD in their hands! The contest is officially a go, so start sending in your entries ASAP! The deadline for entries is May 19th at midnight; winners will be picked and announced the following day!

Good luck fellow Godzilla fans, and may the best kaiju creator win! (Note: Also be sure to include your name, mailing address, and t-shirt size along with your entry.)

Alright, with that out of the way, I want all of you reading this to do me a huge favor: go see "Cabin in the Woods!" This is the coolest, freshest, and most interesting Horror film to come out in a very long time and it is getting its butt kicked in the box office. Despite the fact that hundreds of critics and horror fans have loved and praised it, "Cabin" has only managed to hit the number three spot in the box office top ten (a mere three-million less than "The 3 Stooges").

Therefore, since "The Hunger Games" is starting to wind down in popularity, and because NOTHING good is coming out this week, I beseech all of you cult, b-film, and horror movie fans to hit the theaters this week(end) and see "Cabin in the Woods." It's funny, it's cool, and if you go into it without spoilers, you will have a blast trying to figure out what the Hell is going on. It is a guaranteed good time at the movies!

If we all pull together and lift this movie up to number two, or even better, number one in the box office, studios will have no choice but to take notice and rethink their continued idiotic strategy of making watered-down PG-13 junk. I've already seen it twice and wouldn't mind a third go round; let's send Hollywood a message!

Finally, I've posted a new article here at the Vault featuring six incredible independent films that you should be completely stoked to see. It's a good, varied list featuring a new horror anthology that boasts 26 directors, a feature-length "mix-tape" full of fake cult movie trailers, a new hipster slasher flick, a comedic horror/LARPing/fantasy film, a Space-Nazi sci-fi epic, and a highly anticipated sequel to one of the greatest indie film franchises of all time. Ladies and gentleman, I present to you six more INDIE FILMS YOU SHOULD BE STOKED FOR (VOLUME III)!

That's it for today, but expect a few new reviews to pop up on the site very soon. And don't forget that I'm still giving away a few DVDs all this month  including a limited edition DVD of "Dead in Love" which is signed by the director and cast, plus both of the original "Hills Have Eyes" movies on DVD. Full details for winning those can be found in this blog post.

New capsule reviews at The Vault: el monstro del mar and The Demon Messenger!

Finally, there's fresh new content at the Vault! There's now two, count 'em TWO, new capsule reviews in the Vault archives for your reading pleasure. The first is from our new contributor Kenny Barnwell, for the indie creature feature EL MONSTRO DEL MAR. Shot in Australia, this ode to the films of Russ Meyer and Roger Corman features a trio of "murderous vixens" who end up battling against a tentacled terror from the deep!

Next up is THE DEMON MESSENGER, a locally shot monster movie featuring hippies and societal commentary about hydro-fracking. And it has people driving and talking... and walking and talking in the woods. OH YEAH! I almost forgot, it also has a totally bad-ass monster that belies the film's small budget! The film is premiering at the Art Mission Theater in Binghamton, NY next Friday (the 13th)! If you want to see it, click here for details on how to win two tickets! Hurry because the Friday the 13th is fast approaching!

More new content and contests coming up as the weeks continue so stay tuned b-movie fans!

More contests and giveaways at the Vault + Salt City Horror Fest!

Ok, before I get into the good stuff, I'd like to announce the first recipients of the dubious honor of "winning" March's "HORROR MOVIE EMP-TY HANDED" giveaway. Out of the (thus far) thirteen people who have sent me their invoices, the following two will be getting a Blue Underground Blu-ray in the mail. :: draws name from favorite NY Giants coffee mug :: Our first "winner" is... MICHAEL HADDOCK! You didn't seem to be too picky Mike, so out of the films on your invoice I selected Fulci's ZOMBIE! Enjoy!

The second "winner" for my HME-inspired giveaway is... :: draws another name from the NY Giants mug of destiny :: JEREMY SLATE! Jeremy, much like myself at the moment, is out of money and movies, as he missed the 45-day PayPal dispute window. Well Jeremy, hope you enjoy the new copy of NIGHT TRAIN MURDERS that I'm sending your way bud!

That's it for March; next month I'll be getting some more Blue Underground Blu-rays out to other random "contestants" in this giveaway. If you haven't gotten me your unfulfilled invoice, you have until April 6th to do so. After that, each month I'll randomly cycle through the names on my list, until each person gets a Blu-ray in their hands. That's right; there are no losers in this competition folks. The only downside is that some people will have to wait longer than others.

Moving on then..... here are two contests for everyone to jump in on during the month of April. But don't expect me to just GIVE this stuff away; you've gotta do a little work to earn your prize!

The first item up for grabs is a DVD of "DEAD IN LOVE," an indie love story involving two ghosts. From the back of the box: "Two friends, who happen to be ghosts, go in search of a girl they liked in high school. When one of them gets the chance to be with her, he has to do it in the body of an awkward nerd. Their lives will change forever in this heartfelt low budget comedy."

I've heard great things about this film, and would love to keep it for myself... especially since it is signed by Writer/Director Chris Watson and the cast! Want to win this signed, limited edition (#37 of 100) DVD? Well here's how!

Send an e-mail to vault_master@bmoviefilmvault.com with DEAD IN LOVE DVD in the subject line. In the body of the e-mail, include your full mailing address, and in a few lines (or paragraphs if you're into sending long-winded e-mails) tell me what you would do if you were a ghost. Would you seek out your long-lost love? Play pranks on people? Do some hardcore haunting? Be a total pervert? Tell me; and have fun with it! The person with the funniest and/or most imaginative entry gets this DVD! Contest will end on April 29th; winner will be announced on the 30th!

For those of you who do NOT want a mushy supernatural romantic comedy, I present to you an alternative: You can win BOTH of the original "The Hills Have Eyes" movies on DVD! Both discs are in mint condition (Part 2 has never been watched) and they can be all yours!

To win these two movies, drop me an e-mail at vault_master@bmoviefilmvault.com with HILLS HAVE EYES DVDS in the subject line. Include your name and mailing address (natch) and, since the films both star Michael Berryman, tell me about your favorite Michael Berryman role/scene/moment from any of the films he has starred in. Personally, I totally dig the guy in the first live-action "Guyver" film as Lisker. He goes from goofy to menacing in mere seconds and the practical effects in that movie rock my world! Now that you know what you must do, get your entries in by April 29th; I'll randomly choose a winner on the 30th!

Also, I'm still giving away two tickets to see THE DEMON MESSENGER on Friday, April 13th. It will be premiering at the Art Mission Theater in Binghamton, NY at 7:30 PM, and the cast, crew, and monster-suit maker Ron Chamberlain will all be attending as well. As stated in my previous post, all you've gotta do to win these tickets is e-mail me (vault_master@bmoviefilmvault.com) with a quick note about your fave Bigfoot and/or demon movie! It's quick, simple, and you've only got until April 6th to get your paws on these tickets! Hit me up ASAP before you miss out on this unique opportunity!

Finally, before I call it a night, I just want to do a quick shout out about the upcoming SALT CITY HORROR FEST! I heard about this show when I attended The Hudson Horror Show in Poughkeepsie, NY last December, and I am ready to rock n' roll! The event takes place at the Palace Theater on Saturday, April 14th and kicks off around noon! There will be food, beer (for the 21-and-over crowd), vendors, and an amazing lineup of EIGHT Horror films including:

The Bride of Frankenstein
Creature from the Black Lagoon (in 3-D!)
Tremors
Troll Hunter
Popcorn
Army of Darkness
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
Last House on Dead End Street

All films will be featured in glorious 35mm, with Tremors and Last House... boasting remastered prints! I'm getting giddy just thinking about it! Tickets are currently on sale for $15.00, so pre-order now (CLICK HERE for info) to reserve your seat and 3-D glasses!

Also, for anyone in the area on that weekend, Horror Movie Empire will be vending at this film festival and will be giving out refunds to anyone who has an invoice for items they have not yet received. Don't come down and try to pound the guy into dust, but do show up if you want your cash or movies that he owes you. Then when you get that unpleasant business out of the way, you can chill out with fellow Horror fans and watch eight awesome flicks with a cold beer in your hand! I'll be attending (as will Bill from Radiation-Scarred Reviews) so maybe I'll see you there!

That's all the news that's fit to print at the moment, but stay tuned for new reviews (like the one posted on the site yesterday for EL MONSTRO DEL MAR), b-movie news, and more as we MARCH into APRIL! (Zing!)

Horror Movie Emp...ty Handed? Maybe I can help!

Ok, so by now many of you have heard of the whole HORROR MOVIE EMPIRE debacle. This gent had a crazy Blue Underground Blu-ray sale on his site in late December and now, three months later, a huge number of people have not gotten any product or refunds. It is a total mess and there's a lot of anger and frustration out there on the world wide web. Why did this dude pull this stunt? Will he actually ship product or give refunds like he's promised? Who can we turn to for a resolution to all this bullsh*t?!

I have personally tried to speak with "The Emperor" over at HME and though it seemed like I was making some headway, he vanished as suddenly as he had appeared. Though he has shown some signs of life lately, the majority of customers who shopped at his site are pretty pissed off. He has been slow to answer e-mails and doesn't seem to be in a hurry to help the hundreds (thousands?) of angry folks who are walking away empty-handed.

Don't give up without a fight fellow Cult/Horror/B-Movie fans. E-mail this guy, bug him on Twitter (@horrorempire), and send in your grievances to www.horror-movie-empire.com. (A site set up by the guys from Film Rant in response to this entire fiasco.) If you used a credit card, dispute your purchases ASAP! If you bought stuff from HME via PayPal and it HASN'T been 45 days, dispute it! (After 45 days, PayPal will calmly tell you that you are SOL, and I don't mean "Satellite of Love.") Act quickly or you will find yourself cheated out of money and movies.

For those of you (much like myself) who are totally screwed at this point (unless "The Emperor" actually does follow through and fill orders like he has promised), I am giving you a chance to at least walk away with SOMETHING after suffering through this "nightmare."

Send your UNFULFILLED INVOICES (i.e. receipts for the stuff you never got) to vault_master@bmoviefilmvault.com! And when you send me your invoice(s), make sure that you highlight TWO of the discs that you wanted the most. Then cross your fingers because I will choose one lucky person each month (at random) and mail them a brand new, factory sealed, Blue Underground Blu-ray disc (or two, depending on their price and my available funds). Don't worry about shipping or anything else; I'm footing the bill for this.

Yeah I know this doesn't seem like much, but it is the best I can do. And why am I doing this? Because I'm pissed that someone has once again ripped-off the Horror community and seemingly gotten away with it. (There's some shades of John Gray here...) Even if "The Emperor" intends to fulfill all of the orders, he has tarnished his name permanently because Horror fans have a looooong memory.

In any case, get those invoices/entries in to me ASAP and we'll get this show on the road. If I can pull it off, I'll pick more than one winner a month, but for now let's just keep this small and see how everything pans out.

Good luck to you all, and godspeed!

UPDATE: The trickle of invoices has stopped so I'm setting a cut-off date of April 6th to get your unfulfilled invoices in to me. Also, you can only enter once and can only win once. This way a large number of people will walk away with a Blue Underground Blu-ray that they had originally missed out on during HME's sale. ALSO, Horror Movie Empire will be at the Salt City Horror Fest in Syracuse, NY on April 14th. I will be heading there so I'll be getting some movies or a refund from the proprietor in person. If you live nearby, come to the film fest and chill out with me... after you get your stuff from Demetrios that is.

Hudson Horror Show returns in May; new Fright-Rags tees; Vault updates!

GET TICKETS NOW!

The Hudson Horror Show IV: A December to Dismember was a resounding success last month so it is no surprise that it is coming back on Saturday, May 19th to the Silver Cinemas South Hills 8 theater! Last time they wowed me (and all those that attended) with a solid line-up that included "Werewolf vs. the Werewolf Woman," "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla," "The Beyond," "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "Rolling Vengeance," and "Silent Night, Deadly Night!" This time, they are bringing out even bigger guns, featuring the likes of George A. Romero's "DAY OF THE DEAD" and Don Coscarelli's "PHANTASM!"

Tickets can be pre-ordered right now (via PayPal) over at www.hudsonhorror.com for $26.00. If you don't pre-order (you'll wish that you had) you will have to pay $30.00 at the door and watch as all the people who pre-ordered their tickets online, file into the theater before you, and get the best seats. Also, be sure to bring extra money for the vendors who will be selling a vast array of DVDs, Blu-rays, DVD-Rs, action figures, comics books, etc!

I can't wait to see what the other three (four?) films that make up this show's already impressive roster. (I'm personally hoping for another kaiju film, or maybe a crazy Shaw Bros. flick like "Infra-Man!")

Also of interest to all you Horror fans out there, are the three new t-shirt designs from those magnificent folks at Fright-Rags! They've got a Limited Edition THE WOMAN tee available now; there's only 200 in existence and they are $24.95 apiece! Also new to the Fright-Rags catalog is a really cool shirt design for Adam Green's "Frozen" ($21.95) and the hilariously awesome parody tee, "Zombie Wars" (also $21.95)! Check out all the designs below, then head over to Fright-Rags and treat yourself. Go ahead, you've earned it!

Only 200 available! Order NOW!

Warning: This shirt may give you hard nipples!

Zombies Wars: A New.... BRAAAAAINS!

Lastly, I have been working on the Vault a LOT lately. Some of the stuff you can easily see (the RSS Feeds on the home page for instance) but a lot of it has been technical stuff behind the scenes to keep the site running smoothly. Everything is tuned up now, so I can finally add some new content! Expect a new article (about my day at the Hudson Horror Show IV) and new review (ROBOT MONSTER IN 3D!) to pop up on (hopefully) Monday! With that stuff completed, I can look to the future which involves a hefty checklist of things I want to accomplish before 2012 ends including:

• Add screencaps to any and all reviews on the site that are currently lacking them.

• Fixing up and posting all of the old reviews from the dusty Vault archives.

• Setting up a regular update schedule so the site doesn't lay fallow for months at a time.

• Get some guest writers to contribute to the Vault. (I can't pay you, but I can send screeners your way. Work for freebies!)

• Record some new podcasts; maybe bring some "guests" onto my show. (Guests being fellow movie nerds.)

• Record and edit some video reviews for my Youtube Channel. (Along with continuing my Riff Brothers web project.)

• Start doing interviews with folks in the (b)film industry!

Yeah... that's quite a bit, but hey, it's a new year and I really want to make a commitment to building The Vault into something much bigger. So far, 2012 has proven to be a great year and I have high hopes that I can accomplish most, if not all of the items on my lengthy checklist. Wish me luck and keep fighting the good fight fellow b-movie lovers! Blog ya later!

Silent Night, Deadly Night contest winner has been chosen; Chicago Fear Fest now calling for entries!

Well I've finally picked a winner for last month's Silent Night, Deadly Night giveaway! After perusing photos of the six entrants who wanted to get their hands on the entire SNDN franchise, I finally settled on the gentleman that is featured in the images below.

PUNISH!

NAUGHTY!

The fellow in the Santa garb, and WINNER of all five Silent Night, Deadly Night films is Chris Laycox from Cambridge, Massachusetts! Congrats on your victory Chris; you are now permitted to act smug! Your movies will be shipped tomorrow; expect them early next week!

With that contest concluded, you may be wondering, "Jordan, will you be doing one for the month of January?" Well yes indeed! I will be announcing details very soon and... what's that? You're curious to know what's at stake this time around? Well... I didn't want to ruin the surprise but... it involves... Ray Harryhausen.

Moving on then, I received an e-mail about an all new indie Horror film festival in Chicago, IL called CHICAGO FEAR FEST. They are currently looking for entries, so if you have a short or feature-length Horror film, this is the place to send it! Here is the press release I was graced with earlier today:

CHICAGO’s newest indie horror film fest announces a call for entries! CHICAGO FEAR FEST

APRIL 13-14, 2012

MUVICO THEATERS ROSEMONT 18 ROSEMONT, IL
www.chicagofearfest.com

CHICAGO, IL – January 1, 2011
Chicago may be known as the “Second City”, but Chicago-based Horror Enterprises Flashback Weekend (Horror Conventions & Drive-In Film Fests), Horror Society (web based horror news & Horror film fests), Sinister Visions (horror website & graphic design), and Zombie Army Productions (Haunted House design & film production), are working to establish Chicago as the 1st city of Horror!

The weekend of April 13-14, 2012, these four Titans of the Chicago Horror Community and Muvico Theaters are teaming up to present CHICAGO FEAR FEST, a major two day indie horror film festival. All of the festival selections will screen at Chicago’s premiere movie going experience; the Muvico Theaters Rosemont 18 located in Rosemont, IL.

CHICAGO FEAR FEST will showcase the very best in cutting edge independent horror films. The lineup will include short films, feature films, celebrity guests, panel discussions, and Q & A’s. Festival after-parties will be held in Bogart’s, a full service bar and grill located on the second floor of the Muvico Theaters Rosemont 18.

Films will be judged based in 3 different categories: Best Feature, Best Short and Audience Favorite. The winning director of each category will be invited to appear as a featured celebrity guest at the Flashback Weekend Chicago Horror Convention to be held August 10-12, 2012 in Rosemont, IL.

CHICAGO FEAR FEST will be a celebration of the art of indie horror film making by encouraging and supporting independent filmmakers from around the world. CHICAGO FEAR FEST and Muvico Theaters are committed to promoting excellence in independent filmmaking by fostering a community of filmmakers and encouraging an appreciation of independent film.

We are accepting film submissions from horror filmmakers now! This is your chance to get your film screened in Chicago in front of an audience of high profile media, film critics, film-making industry professionals, and horror fans!

For more information about the festival and for film submission, please visit our website at WWW.CHICAGOFEARFEST.COM and follow us on facebook and twitter!!

That's it for now but expect all sorts of updates and new content to appear across the vast B-Movie Film Vault Empire soon! And to fully keep up to date on what I'm doing, watching, eating, or thinking, be sure to like the Vault on Facebook and follow me on the Twitter!

Six Fright-Rags tees back from the dead, new Riff Brothers stuff, a plea from Underbelly, and more!

First off, HAPPY NEW YEAR b-movie fans! This is the very first blog post of 2012 (and truthfully, the first thing I've written in quite a while) so I'll kick it off with a ton of news regarding the Vault and some of its closest friends. First off, lets take a gander at what Fright-Rags has to offer at the moment:

Those glorious folks over at my favorite Horror t-shirt company have just brought six old designs back from the dead. You can pre-order any of them between now and January 8th, and get a nice 15% chunk off the final price! CLICK HERE to do some shopping! (Me? Well I ordered the "They Live" and "THRILL ME!" tees because my old ones are in pretty rough shape. Thank God they came back into print!)

Also, keep your eyes peeled next week, because I have a strong feeling that the Fright-Rags crew are going to be releasing something AWESOME on FRIDAY THE 13TH! Will it be a new Jason Voorhees poster? A shirt design? A huge collector's edition gift set? Guess we'll just have to wait until next Friday to know for sure!

Next up, my other web project, THE RIFF BROS., has done a crossover with a gent named Derek Huey. Derek is the mastermind behind the no-budget "The League of Science" web-series and invited us to poke fun at episode one of his show. So far it has been well-received (though I'm sure actor David Sitbon may want to throttle us) and it looks like we'll be doing the next three episodes. Until we get those completed, check out League of Science with Riff Bros. Commentary:



And speaking of web-series, UNDERBELLY is looking to storm the internet in 2012. They are regrouping, setting up a set "broadcast" schedule (every Thursday starting in February) and are looking for input from fans and viewers. Check out their latest vid, then send them some comments and help 'em get things sorted out for the new year:



Finally (for the moment) there's a helluva good deal going on over at HORROR MOVIE EMPIRE! They are currently having a sale on Synapse, Impulse, and Panick House DVD & Blu-ray titles: DVDs are $10, Blu-rays are $12, and DVD/Blu-ray combos are $15! This sale ends on January 8th so take advantage. Oh, and you get FREE SHIPPING TOO! CLICK HERE to start shopping! (Note: This site is a "one-man operation" and due to the large volume of sales, the owner is about a week behind on mailing out orders. So if you buy some stuff, prepare to wait a bit for it.)

Well that's all I've got for you at the moment. I'll be announcing the winner of last month's SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT GIVEAWAY tonight/tomorrow and I'll also be working on podcasts, videos, articles, and reviews. 2012 is going to be a landmark year for The Vault and its mini online empire, and the only way for that to happen is for me to get up off my lazy arse and get things done!

So Happy Belated New Year everyone! Here's hoping that 2012 is a good one for all of us!

Site updates, new contest, and Hudson Horror Show!

Hey all, its been a while and I sincerely apologize. The last few weeks have been crazy and between coming down with a cold (which is still hanging on despite the best efforts of modern over the counter medication and other remedies), my full-time job, and heading off to Poughkeepsie, NY last weekend for the Hudson Horror Show, I haven't really had time (or the energy) to do much.

But now I'm feeling better, and nothing is really going to be preoccupying my time now that Christmas is mere weeks away, so I plan on getting some reviews typed up (for the Maniac Cop trilogy especially, since I missed doing so last month during the much-touted [by me] MANIAC COP MONTH), maybe a podcast, a few videos/vlogs, as well as an article or two.

And what is wrong with everybody these days? I give away FREE STUFF and almost no one enters to win it? Last month I only had a handful of entries for a brand new MANIAC COP BLU-RAY (won by G.W. Sherwood of Pompano Beach, FL! Congrats sir!) and now this month I'm giving away the entire SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT FRANCHISE ON DVD! (Note: The first two films are OOP and ridiculously expensive, so I'm burning copies of them to complete the set.) And thus far... NO ONE HAS ENTERED!

CONTEST RULES:
1.) Like the Vault on Facebook. CLICK HERE to make it so.
2.) Send me an e-mail at vault_master@bmoviefilmvault.com with something in the subject line stating your intentions. E.g. - SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT CONTEST.
3.) Along with your name and mailing address you must include a photo of A.) YOU dressed as a killer Santa or B.) YOU being murdered by Santa (can be photoshopped).
4.) Entries must be in by Christmas Eve. Winner will be selected on Christmas Day. You should have ALL FIVE SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT films before 2011 ends!

So seriously, ENTER NOW folks! Its an easy contest and the prize is well worth it!

Enter or else HE will find you!

Finally, before I head off to work today, I have to tell you about how awesome the Hudson Horror Show was. I'm in the process of typing up a full article about my adventures there but I want to at preface that here by saying that this film fest was amazing. It was well-organized, had some cool vendors, and the crowd was fantastic.

Aside from a couple drunks, everyone was polite and not too rowdy, and we all totally dug the trailers and films being projected onto the big screen. There were a few filmstrip snafus but the projectionist got the problem fixed ASAP and yours truly finally got to see a legit, classic Godzilla film on the big screen, AND flex my useless kaiju knowledge muscles in a quick giveaway! I had a blast and I'm definitely going back next Spring!

Well that's all the news that's fit to print; I gotta run. Check out the Vault over the next few days and good luck with your Christmas shopping. (There's only what... sixteen shopping days left until Christmas arrives?) Blog ya later!

Underbelly-palooza!

Since I've been remiss to pass on the Underbelly goodness that I enjoy (for the last month and half or so) here are the last four videos posted by these brave and funny souls including in no particular order: Their Halloween episode where trick-or-treaters get candy at the homes of several video game characters, their coverage of the latest NY COMIC-CON, their visit to a book-signing for Maddox's "I'm Better Than Your Kids," and finally a brand-spanking new video kicking off "Zelda Month" that has a wonderfully shocking (and romantical) ending. Check 'em all out below!









Stay tuned for new stuff everyone because November is MANIAC COP MONTH at the Vault! Expect reviews for all three films in the franchise, PLUS enter to win a BRAND NEW Maniac Cop Blu-ray (details on the Vault's main page). Also I have some news coming up about several cool events, and I'll be posting more videos on Youtube as well. It's gonna be a busy month so stick around b-movie fans!

Underbelly's FIVE WORST MOVIE MONSTERS + AWESOME DVD & BLU-RAY DEALS!

Halloween will be here in just over two weeks (YAY!) and its time to get in the spooky holiday spirit. Submitted for your approval, here is Underbelly's first Horror-themed video for the month, featuring five of the worst movie monsters to ever grace the silver screen. Check it out!

It warms my heart to see them back in action after the Flood of 2011. Welcome back Underbelly crew!

Next up, here are some awesome deals on Horror flicks from Amazon.com and the awesome folks over at Shout! Factory. Right now on Amazon, you can pick up the "Omen Blu-ray Collection" for a whopping.... $19.99! Four movies, lots of extras, and perfect picture and audio for only twenty bucks! You can't beat that! CLICK HERE to order yourself a copy. C'mon, Halloween's around the corner... TREAT yourself!

Next up, Shout! Factory is selling off bundled DVD and Blu-ray packs of their Roger Corman Cult Classics and Elvira Movie Macabre lines. They have four main deals going right now, the latter of which is super-expensive but damn well worth it. Here are the offers with prices; click on the links for more info!

1. Elvira's Movie Macabre Double Features Bundle - 6 Double Feature DVDs, 12 movies = $42.00 + s/h
2. Elvira's Movie Macabre Singles Bundle - 6 DVDs = $35.99 + s/h
3. Roger Corman Blu-ray Bundle - 4 Discs = $59.99 + s/h
4. Roger Corman Mega DVD Bundle - 20 Films, 13 discs = $149.99 + s/h

YOU WANT THIS! DON'T DENY IT! CLICK THE IMAGE TO ORDER!

You can never have too much Corman!

Well that's all for today! New stuff is coming to the Vault and its satellite blogs soon! Stay tuned! 19 more days until Hall-O-ween! SIL-VER, SHAM-ROCK!

New Capsule Review: Conan the Barbarian (2011)

I finally completed my review for CONAN THE BARBARIAN and it is not an overly positive one. I really did give it a chance, and I gave my buddy Bill the benefit of the doubt because he was so positive that I would like it. Unfortunately in the end, the film did nothing but disappoint me. Give the review a look and then decide for yourself if you want to see Momoan the Bore-barian in action.

Oh and check out this totally hilarious video I found on Youtube. It pretty much sums up my feelings towards the new Conan:

Bad Movie Challenge: Conan the Barbarian (2011)!

Conan tries to deflect bad reviews with his sword.

Earlier last week my buddy and fellow blogger Bill (of Bill's Beta Ray Blog fame) saw the new "Conan the Barbarian" and was raving about it. He really enjoyed it. Thinking that perhaps I was too harsh in my earlier assessment of the film's trailers, I decided to look up "Conan" on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes and discovered that not only did the majority of film critics and reviewers hate it, but so did quite a few fans. (Enough "Average Joes" enjoyed it enough to give it a, currently, 5.4 over at IMDB.)

I taunted Bill with excerpts from various reviews that spewed venomous comments about the film. He became agitated and fought back against me, saying I couldn't really judge the movie unless I had seen it for myself. And thusly, a challenge was (seemingly) inadvertently laid before me. I told Bill I'd go see the film this weekend but NOT in 3D, and would follow it up with a review. The former I'm doing to appease my friend because quite frankly, I don't really want to give ANY money to this movie: I'm pretty sure it is going to suck. (Sure the critics hated it but the box office numbers never lie: This flick is a bomb!) The latter I'm doing because I need to get back to writing, plus bashing this film will provide me with some catharsis for the pain I'll most likely endure.

So in a few short hours, I will be sitting (by myself because no one will share the pain with me) in a theater and watching the CGI exploits of Momoan the Barbarian. Will I end up hating the film? Will I kinda-sorta like it? Will I have a huge change of heart and praise it as one of the best movies of the year? Well if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you'll know later tonight. Otherwise, stay tuned for my capsule review!

Vault Empire Updates + Underbelly goes to OTAKON!

The Summer is coming to a close and soon the members of the Vault Empire will all be huddled indoors with nothing more to do than watch movies, read comics, play games, and write about it. Until then, updates will continue to be sporadic for most of us. And speaking of updates....

GENRE WATCH 

• Genre Watch: August 2011 (Week of 07/31 - 08/06)


• Genre Watch: July 2011 (Week of 07/24 - 07/30)


• Press Release: Closed for the Season coming to DVD August 23rd!


• Press Release: The Green Monster and Hunted coming to DVD October 25th!

MMA ADDICT 

• UFC 133 (Preview)

 RADIATION-SCARRED REVIEWS

• Nukie (1987? 1988? 1989? 1993?)


• Jason and the Argonauts (1963)


• Kung-Fu Punch of Death (Fang Shi Yu, 1974)

 There's some new Genre Watch goodness hitting the web tomorrow with a roster of released for this week PLUS a special post on three upcoming Blu-ray releases that will make your mouth water and won't break the bank! Amazon has some amazing deals coming up so don't miss out!

That's it for myself and my fellow Vault Empire bloggers so I will now leave you with the latest episode of Underbelly, where the crew heads to OTAKON to check out the cosplay fun!

Vault Empire Updates + New Underbelly episodes + Mortal Kombat Legacy: Episode 9!

I have yet to get my lazy ass in gear and type up some new content for The Casual Gaming Blog, Genre Watch, or The Vault itself, but that will be changing soon. In the meantime, here's some stuff to read from some of my fellow pop culture bloggers:

Beta Ray Blog

•  Avengers Trailer!
• The New DC: Where do We Go From Here?

 MMA Addict

• The rise of the UFC.
• The UFC depth chart. (MMA Mount.com)
• Finding the right man for the job.
•  Tito Ortiz Answered the Critics as well as Dana White's prayers.

Radiation-Scarred Reviews

• Forbidden Adventure (1935)

In Underbelly news: They are focusing heavily on Final Fantasy this month and have been out and about at the latest Wizard World con. Check out all their new videos below:








Lastly (for now), Machinima finally released the latest webisode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy onto Youtube. Wether you've seen the rest or not, it doesn't matter, because CYRAX and SEKTOR turn into bad-ass robo-ninjas in this episode. Prior eps have gone through brief intros (and backstories) for Mileena, Kitana, Johnny Cage, Raiden, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Jax, Kano, and Sonya Blade, and they are pretty impressive to say the least. (Actual martial artists AND Hollywood actors?!) Check it out for yourself:



That's all I've got to share for now. Enjoy the vids, reviews, and articles, and prepare for new stuff very soon! Blog ya later b-movie fans!

B-Movie Film Vault Empire Updates!

Here's the latest batch of posts, articles, reviews, etc. from the small conglomerate of blogs that makes up the Vault Empire:

THE CASUAL GAMING BLOG

• Press Release: Make Life a Rollercoaster with Tagplay's Funpark Friends.
• Top 5 NES Games That Should Be Made into Movies: #5 METROID

THE MMA ADDICT

• Recent UFC 132 Card Changes
• The ethics of number one contendership status.

The Genre Watch blog will be gearing up for weekly updates again soon; there will be a new review for "Godzilla: Goliaths and Gangsters #1" at the Beta Ray Blog within the next few days; Bill from Radiation-Scarred Reviews is on sabbatical from writing for a little while as he enjoys the Summer and spends some quality time with his lady.

Stay tuned for more bloggage; enjoy your weekend!

Back to the grindstone + Vault now on Twitter!

Hello all. Sorry I haven't posted ANYTHING new in a few weeks. I came down with a bad cold and it held on for nearly two weeks, plus I've just been busy enjoying the Summer sun. However, I've been bitten by the writing bug again and plan on adding a lot of new content to all of my sites and blogs. Here's what I've got going on so far:

Genre Watch - I'll be getting back on track with this very soon! I've gotten the format down to something extremely simple now, so it doesn't take as long as it used to to write up each post. The problem is that I can't seem to stick to the weekly posting schedule for more than a month.... maybe I should simplify it even more?

Casual Gaming Blog - I'll be posting a new, five-part article entitled FIVE NES GAMES THAT SHOULD BE MADE INTO MOVIES! After that, I'll be tackling a list of films based on games that NEED to be remade! I also plan on jumping back into posting weekly (perhaps monthly) updates on new game releases as well.

The Vault - New reviews! I freakin' promise! I nearly finished by review of "Super 8" but got too distracted to complete it. I'm still more than open to having guest writers add content to the site. If you want to write for the Vault, drop me an e-mail at vault_master[at]bmoviefilmvault[dot]com!

Bill's Beta Ray Blog - I'm going to be doing a review for issue one of "Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths." This five issue series is off to a helluva start and I can't wait to read the next one! I'm still awaiting my issue of Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #3, but I managed to get my paws on #4 and I'm really digging it. Oh, and as always, the Zornow cover art is phenomenal. The Eric Powell cover art... stills sucks balls.

The B-Movie Film Vault Blog - I plan on trying to match the number of posts from last month. It felt good to update almost daily and really helped get me in the mood to write again. Expect a buttload of bloggery in the future!

The B-Movie Film Vault Forum - Still making some posts in there and always trying to generate interest in it. Needless to say, out of all the things I've tried with my site, the Forum was always the biggest failure. If you have a heart (and some free time) start an account and get posting!

Finally, before I venture off to do a bit o' writing before bed, I would like to announce that The Vault is now on Twitter. I'm not quite accustomed to it yet, and I'm not a hardcore "tweeter" at the moment, but I'm sure I'll be abusing it thoroughly in the coming weeks. To follow me just click on the button below!

Follow @BMovieFilmVault

Check back soon for new stuff!