BOX OFFICE HORRORS OF THE WEEK

Box Office Top horror and number #1 film is FINAL DESTINATION 4 making $27,408,309

The number #2 Box office film of the week the now legendary Quentin Tarantino's INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS making $19,303,653 over the weekend, with a total gross of $73,022,841

And number #3, ROB ZOMBIE HALLOWEEN 2, with $16,349,565

HALLOWEEN 2 - REVIEW

HALLOWEEN 2 Starring Scout Taylor-Compton, Brad Dourif

Written and Directed by Rob Zombie Running Time 92 minutes. Rated R

Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) is taken to the hospital after a one night bloody battle with her brother Michael Myers (Tyler Mane). Meanwhile, Michael Myers is supposedly dead in the back of the van with two cops in front who are making foolish jokes. As they drive, they hit a cow, one cop ends up dead, the other at his demise, gets killed by an awaken Michael Myers. Michael Myers sees the light at the end of the road - a hallucination of Mommy Myers (Sheri Moon Zombie) with a white horse. Back at the hospital Laurie Strode is getting fixed and cleaned (extreme close-ups of open wounds, a broken nail getting pulled out from Laurie) by doctors. Laurie wakes up to another night of horrors when Michael Myers shows up killing everybody in the hospital looking for her - because, his mommy told him so. Laurie with one bad leg and bad arm runs, skips, jumps, she does what she can do best to run from her brother... One year later Laurie now lives with Sheriff Lee Bracket (Brad Douriff) and his daughter Annie (Danielle Harris). Laurie is an all new girl from clean cut sweet girl to gothic, death metal chica. And so begins Laurie going through psychological emotions, bad dreams and Mommy showing up in hallucinations. Her brother Michael who has been in hibernation for a year, decides to come out from the woods to find Laurie. Michael starts his bloody mayhem again (in one sequence eating the insides of a dog).

Hallucinations, dream sequences, nightmares, a white horse???? Was Rob Zombie trying to make one of his music videos. A WHITE HORSE??? I dont understand. I love his past works HOUSE OF A 1,000 CORPSES, THE DEVILS REJECTS and HALLOWEEN but HALLOWEEN 2 was tired. What happened here? It felt like a rush job. Aside from the shady storyline, I admit the film had some fine performances, great cinematography, great special horror effects and great sounds. I do give Rob Zombie praise for bringing some past legendary people to make appearances in Halloween 2 - Margot Kidder, Caroline Williams and Brad Dourif when many shady filmmakers forgot who they are. Rob Zombie gave them jobs and that is a plus... HALLOWEEN gets TWO STARS OUT OF FOUR STARS.

FREDDY KRUEGER

This a sneak peak photo from New Line and FANGORIA of Jackie Earle Haley as the new FREDDY KRUEGER. If you look at this photo Jackie is a shorter Freddy Krueger compare to Robert Englund's (The original Freddy Krueger) tall height. Jackie does look very menacing in this picture, and I still think he will bring a motherfucking bad ass Freddy Krueger. Again - Lets hope the re-imagination of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (COMING APRIL 2010) is a great remake. If not i will smack the shit out of the filmmaker and producers - literally.

GRACE - REVIEW

"GRACE" Starring Jordan Ladd Written/Directed By Paul Solet

Rated R Running Time 84 minutes

"GRACE" - People have been buzzing about this film for a while saying - how good it is, how gruesome and bizarre, Is like ROSEMARY'S BABY, Okay, Whatever. Im thinking is the next IT'S ALIVE (1974) or some new cinematic classic terror to chill my blood, all you saw in the film was a rubber baby doll for the prop and a real actor baby with some red food coloring smeared all over his face (like it was done in purposely)... Madeline (Jordan Ladd) is eight months pregnant, she is vegan. She watches animal killing videos. She wants to see a midwife named Patricia (Samantha Ferris) to deliver her baby, but her mother-in-law (Gabrielle Rose) opposes. In a car accident with her husband Michael (Michael Matheson), Madeline's baby is dead inside her, but she is determined to deliver the baby. She goes to Patricia's house, Patricia and friends deliver the dead baby. And by some miracle the baby comes back to life. Patricia is clueless on how the baby is alive. Madeline secludes herself at home with baby Grace. And we start seeing flies buzzing around the reanimated baby. Madeline nurses her baby from milk, but the baby starts to drink more than milk - BLOOD, making the mother anemic. Madeline goes all out for baby Grace, by going to the supermarket and getting red bloody meat so she could feed her baby. Once Grace drinks dead animal blood, her body cant resist it, she wants human blood. And that's where the whole mayhem begins.

The film had lesbian repression - Madeline was an ex-lesbian/lover to the mid-wife Patricia (Samantha Ferris) and the storyline (plot hole) doesnt go into details about their past relationship, showing only Patricia as an obsessed lesbian (SHAME - ON DIRECTOR/WRITER PAUL SOLET for not developing the lesbianism further, another celluloid closet case). The acting was not the best. The film was a simple narrative story with plot holes with a dead baby, with some blood and gore splatter. And whatever... ONE Star out of FOUR.

Artist FERNANDO CARPANEDA - INTERVIEW

EYEPUS brings you here an exclusive interview with Artist/Painter/Sculpturist FERNANDO CARPANEDA. Fernando has done some mind-blowing and Provocative works since 1980. His works take us to an underground carnal world of sexuality and cadaverous horrors.

EYEPUS: So, Fernando tell me about yourself and your works?

FERNANDO CARPANEDA: I am Fernando Carpaneda, an artist born in Brasília, Brazil. I work with clay sculptures. My main theme is always the human being. I make portraits of rent boys, punks, goths, junkies, thieves and outcasts. All my portraits are like a relic, a holy place, a moment caught in time. My connection to the art work is important to any creative process. I believe that the artist is a piece of art itself. I have been going to places where the portrayed people use to go for over 25 years - like bars, concerts, cemeteries and places where people sell their bodies. Remembrances are part of my work. Every little thing is part of me: my lovers, my disappointments, my experiences with drugs, my life in the streets, and so forth. I depend on all of this to create art, I do not exist without these people.

EYEPUS: How long have you been doing sculptures and paintings?

FC: Since 1980

EYEPUS: When and how did you become interested in art?

FC: Well, I started to do paintings when I was a kid and I did my first art show in Brasilia, Brazil`s Capital when I was 13 years old. I always liked to do portraits of people and figurative stuff.

EYEPUS: Can you tell me all about your "GOTH" sculptures?

FC: The Gothic culture always interested me and I was into the Gothic movement in the 80s. I always love Siouxie and The Banshees and several related bands with the Gothic movement. Until now the Gothic culture has the biggest influence in my works. In the'80s I began to make sculptures in real life size, showing mutilated bodies and body parts. Those works were usually painted in black and reminded me of burned bodies.


EYEPUS: What was your inspiration in making the "GOTH" sculptures, especially CEMETERY OF THE LIVING DEAD, DIVAS, AND JACK?

FC: The first Gothic sculptures I made were Gothic portraits of my Goth friends. The "Jack" or "Jackolanterne" is one of my favorite sculptures because "he is forced to wander the mortal world for eternity" also he is a Halloween icon. The "Cemetery of the Living Dead" sculpture was based on the Italian film "Cemetery of the Living Dead" from 1965 by director Massimo Pupillo and is a classic movie. The "Divas" sculpture I did in honor of selfish people and people who believe that beauty is everything.

EYEPUS: What artists inspired you?

FC: Ron Mueck, Francis Bacon, Caravaggio, John John Jesse, Naoto Hatori, Slava Mogutin and Lucien Freud.

EYEPUS: How long is the procedure in making your sculptures?

FC: Around 30 days in each sculpture.

EYEPUS: Any favorite horror movies?

FC: Yep, I have lots of favorite horror movies: Nosferatu (1928), Dead Alive (1992), Evil Dead (1981), Return of the Living Dead (1985), Interview with the Vampire (1994), Friday the 13th (1980), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897), Halloween(1978), Night of the Living Dead (1968), etc...

EYEPUS: Who are your favorite horror filmmakers?

FC: John Carpenter, James Cameron, Sam Raimi, Wes Craven.

EYEPUS: Did any horror films inspire you for some of your works?

FC: Yes, I always get inspired when I watch vampire movies. And I like to create horror sculptures listening to the Goth band Bauhaus. I also really like "Return of the Living Dead" movie cause the punk guys in the cemetery are hot. That movie is a big turn on and inspiring.

EYEPUS: How does horror and sexuality blend into your artwork?

FC: When I was Goth in the 80`s I used to go to the cemeteries in my city to drink red wine and have sex. The old cemeteries was a big inspiration to create my horror sculptures. Sex and horror are always intertwined.

EYEPUS: I saw your whole website, I think your works is more than amazing, I must say is a "SCANDAL" with all the nudity and eroticism (And I love it), do you have problems in getting your work out there because of the content matter?

FC: Sometimes I have problens to show my works, especially in Brazil. Most Brazilian gallery owners and curators are homophobic and are declaredly afraid of naked men and underground art. On the US and UK I never had problems with that.

EYEPUS: Do curators and many other people consider your work controversial?

FC: Yes, most of the curators and regular people consider my works controversial.

EYEPUS: With the shady economy we are all living in, do you think artists are having a bad time in the art world?

FC: Yes of course. The economy is affecting the art world.

EYEPUS: What advice and sweet encouragement do you have for other artists such as yourself out there?

FC: Is not easy to be an artist. Because if you are a real artist the art are deep in your soul and you never give up. But is better to be a real artist than go to the Army to kill people, or be a Cop to take control over peoples lives or kiss the curators asses to get famous. Im happy in the underground and I don`t care about the art world.

EYEPUS: Do you have any new projects in the horizons? Any new horror sculptures and paintings for the future?

FC: I'm working on new sculptures for a future art show and writing my second book about my works.

VISIT WWW.FERNANDOCARPANEDA.COM For more of his great artworks

DISTRICT 9 - REVIEW

DISTRICT 9 Directed by Neill Blomkamp. Produced by Peter Jackson

Running Time: 1 hour and 52 minutes. Rated R

Watching DISTRICT 9 was like reading a daily dose of controversial ALEX JONES websites PRISON PLANET and INFOWARS which speaks about Martial Law, FEMA Concentration Camps, New World Order, etc., but with Aliens. An alien spacecraft hovers over the skies of Johannesburg, South Africa for three months without contact with the humans. The military take their initiative to fly towards the ship and break in. They discover creatures that look like a cross between grasshoppers and roaches. The government sets a concentration camp (A sort of Alien FEMA CAMP) on earth right below their spacecraft for these creatures, so the human population could be safe. The camp is called DISTRICT 9, this is where all the creatures reside in. The humans call these creatures - PRAWNS. District 9 becomes a slum due to overcrowding. The PRAWNS start rioting in Johannesburg because of their horrible living conditions.

An arrogant, sort of comical, selfish man named Wikus (Sharlto Copley) who works at Multi-National United (MNU) has been given the assignment of moving (evicting) the aliens to District 10 which is over a hundred miles away from Johannesburg. Wikus and the military head to District 9 to evict the PRAWNS out of their homes. When Wikus is searching in one of the PRAWN'S homes, he discovers a vial that contains a black liquid, when he opens the vial, the liquid sprays on his face. Wikus puts the vial in his pant pocket for lab testing. A few hours later Wikus slowly mutates into a half-claw arm PRAWN and half-human. MNU learns of Wakus transformation, they capture and start to experiment on him. Wakus escapes from MNU experiment room and becomes a fugitive, where he is the most wanted man by the Military. He tries to hide in the one place he knows he'll be safe, District 9. Wikus ends up in the rundown shack where he found the vial. A PRAWN named Christopher Johnson and his son lives in the shack. Christopher sees that Wikus is transforming into a PRAWN, he realizes that Wikus had the vial all along. Christopher urgently needs this vial to start up the module that is below the shack. The module leads to the spacecraft that is hovering over Johannesburg, but in order for the module to work they need the vial (fuel for the module). Christopher wants to take the spacecraft to his home planet. Wikus and Christopher with some stolen alien weapons from the local evil Nigerian Gang, they go after the vial that is inside MNU building, they both start to terrorize the building, leading an action pack, unforgettable, adventurous, hell of a journey from the MNU building to District 9 - A climatic, superb ending.

The film was directed by Neill Blomkamp and produced by Peter Jackson. Based on a short film "ALIVE IN JOBURG" that Neil Blomkamp directed. The film was made on a 30 million dollar budget, and over the weekend made back the money, making 37 million in domestic (USA) Box Office. Lots of blood, ooze, slime, gore, violence, kick ass action. An intelligent storyline, and dazzling CGI make this film a classic summer treat. Can't wait for the sequel. FOUR STARS OUT OF FOUR.

TRAILERS (Shown with DISTRICT 9) - ZOMBIELAND, JENNIFER'S BODY, LEGION, SURROGATES, THE FOURTH KIND

ALIEN - PREQUEL ANNOUNCEMENT

REMAKES, SEQUELS AND PREQUELS - RIDLEY SCOTT is set to direct a prequel to his 1979 legendary film "ALIEN". This announcement of Ridley Scott directing this prequel has been buzzin all over the net. Maybe Sigourney Weaver will be back as Ripley. More announcements on this in the future.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET REMAKE - POSTER

This is the new A NIGHTMARE OF ELM STREET "REMAKE" poster. I hope the remake will do great justice like the original Wes Craven film. Robert Englund will no longer play Freddy Krueger, the new Freddy Krueger will be played by oscar nominated actor Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children, Wathchmen). Mr. Haley will do justice as the new Freddy Krueger, Haley was a fierce son of a bitch in Little Children and Watchmen. But lets pray that the remake storyline is not some teen sex slasher romp. May the new remake of A Nightmare On Elm Street become a classic.

TOURIST TRAP - Classic Gem

 From time to time I will review a classic horror gem from the past here at EYEPUS. And the classic review for this week is the 1979 horror yarn TOURIST TRAP, Starring Chuck Connors, Jocelyn Jones and then beautiful Tanya Roberts (the 1970's Megan Fox look alike). I was eight years old when I begged my dad to see this film at the local small town movie theater back in 79, then growing up in my pre-teen days watching it all the time on tv. TOURIST TRAP is one of my favorite horror movies of all time.

On a hot day, a group of teens get stuck on the road, in a path near the road they find their way to an almost abandoned museum with mannequins (some look life-like). They meet the owner (Chuck Connors), who seems like a sweet man at first, but a deadly psycho with telekinetic powers (sorry for the spoiler). With his powers he could make things move especially mannequins and sharp objects. He wears masks made out of plaster and blonde wigs. He plays with baby dolls. He chases after the teens, especially Molly (Jocelyn Jones) who he becomes obsessed over. He is one psycho not to be fucked with. The music by Pino Donaggio is eerie and haunting. Especially the beginning credits. The amazing cinematography - lots of close-ups of the mannequins, the psycho running in the dark woods after Molly with a dummy head in hand screaming; close-up of the victims getting slowly killed (the scarf choking scene, the plaster face scene, the axe in head, and more).

A top notch great cast turning some incredible performances. TOURIST TRAP was directed by David Schmoeller (PUPPETMASTER, CRAWLSPACE, THE SEDUCTION)  and is the best he ever done. The film was rated PG, the blood is very minimal, no gore, but the way each teen gets killed off is very horrific. The 20th Anniversary DVD is available for 5 bucks at half.com. Get the dvd before it becomes a collectible...

TOURIST TRAP a classic gem - A MUST SEE. FOUR STARS.

FRIGHT-RAGS BEST HORROR T-SHIRT COMPANY

The best and top horror t-shirt company out there is FRIGHT-RAGS. The first t-shirt I bought from FRIGHT-RAGS was the TERROR TRAIN t-shirt (one of my favorite films when I was a kid). I got many disapproving and some cool looks. I didn't give a shit, I just love to spook people. FRIGHT-RAGS was the only company to have a TERROR TRAIN t-shirt. They sell original, fierce, horror, cult classics, custom made t-shirts from GHOULIES to John Carpenter's THEY LIVE. FRIGHT-RAGS are professionals at best - the best in customer service, fast service, great deals, a great return policy, all sizes - no discrimination against the big people (big sizes for us big people). Contacting FRIGHT-RAGS for any issues or questions they are there for you - outgoing, quick and professional... Entering FRIGHT-RAGS website is an art gallery of horrors, you enter the site and you get to see original horror artworks, even if you not buying. If you are an aspiring graphic artist this website is so cool to see the art works to get inspired.

Horror Fans and non-horror fans visit www.fright-rags.com Spook people in the streets (like I do), family and friends, wear their fierce horror designs across your chest. If you sign for their newsletter you get a 10% percent off on your first order. So go visit their site and get that fierce shirt.

FRIGHT-RAGS - BEST OF THE BEST