SINISTER SIX: ACE ANTHOLOGIES

With my recent review of Tales of the Supernatural and upcoming coverage of Dreadtime Stories, it got me thinking about the plethora of portmanteau style horror anthologies out there.

With recent releases such as V/H/S: Viral and ABCs of Death 2 proving there is still plenty of demand for this type of storytelling, it seems like a great time to look back at the very best.

6: V/H/S 2 
Various, 2013

This is the most recent movie on the list (yep, I'm going old-school today) and it is definitely one of the most extreme. While the first and third efforts in the V/H/S series were something of a mixed bag (although Hannah Fierman's 'I like you' girl in the Amateur Night section of the first is amazing) there is barely a duff moment in the middle film. The segments were longer than in the first film, giving them more time to crawl under your skin.

The undoubted highlight is Safe Haven, directed by The Raid's Gareth Evans. Following a diabolical Far Eastern cult this visceral explosion of sheer, unadulterated awesome screams out for a feature-length adaptation and is enough to warrant inclusion on this list by itself. But that isn't to say that the other segments are duds — far from it! 
Jason Eisener (the man behind one of my favourite Grindhouse homages, Hobo WIth A Shotgun) brings us the hilariously deranged Slumber Party Alien Abduction, The Blair Witch Project’s Eduardo Sanchez hits us with his unique take on the zombie flick, A Ride In The Park and THE Adam Wingard (he of You’re Next fame) gives us a delightfully atmospheric chiller with Phase I Clinical Trials. 
You need to see it.

5. TRICK 'R TREAT
Michael Dougherty, 2007

Odds are that if you've read one of my features you know all about my unbridled love for Michael Dougherty's amazingly atmospheric Halloween anthology.

There's really very little left to say about why this movie is a stone-cold classic. The awesome cast (featuring the likes of X-Men’s Anna Paquin, Manhunter’s Brian Cox and Spider-man’s Dylan Baker), a brilliantly creepy and intricately interwoven series of wonderful stories and the birth of a legitimate horror icon in the incredible Sam, plus cinematography that means the film positively OOZES Autumnal atmosphere — this kicks all kinds of ass and the long-awaited sequel cannot come soon enough for this fan.
With storylines including zombies, ghosts, werewolves, serial-killers and the worst kind of demonic imp, Trick 'r Treat is a seasonal masterpiece. If you haven't yet seen it, make sure you set it aside to watch on 31st October this year. You absolutely will not regret it.

4. TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE
Jon Harrison, 1990

Apparently this was the unofficial Creepshow 3 and, thankfully, it is FAR superior to the official one released in 2006. In fact, many of the crew from the first two Creepshow movies were reunited on this picture. Furthermore, Tales From The Darkside sprang from a TV series that was essentially Creepshow: the TV series (albeit renamed), so the lineage is there.
You know what else is there? BRILLIANT stories and an equally brilliant cast!
The wraparound tale featuring Blondie's Debbie Harry as a Hansel and Gretel-esque witch preparing a young boy as meal is pretty good, but the segments are jaw-dropping.
Take Lot 249, based on the original and best mummy tale as penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It boasts an amazing practical effects undead assailant and stars Christian Slater, Julianne Moore AND Steve Buscemi.
Read that again.
That's just one section!
The second, the Poe-like Cat From Hell (penned by George A Romero no less!) stars character actor supreme William Hickey as a wheelchair bound CEO of a pharmaceutical company that has killed thousands of cats for medical research. Now he hires a hitman to rid him of a sinister single black cat that he claims is out for revenge. Wackiness ensues.
But it is the third segment that cements TFTDS as one of all my all-time favourites. Lover’s Vow stars Rae Dawn Chong and James Remar along with one of the very finest practical creature effects from the era in which these things were at their best. The story is simple, poignant and creepy — and the movie is a classic.

3. TALES FROM THE CRYPT

Freddie Francis, 1972

I'll be honest, I could have done a Sinister Six Ace Amicus Anthologies list, but sense prevailed and I forced myself to limit Amicus’ presence on this list to just one entry. A contemporary cousin and rival to Britain's indomitable Hammer Films, the UK-based Amicus Productions pretty much made its name with a stunning series of ghoulish portmanteau tales that started with 1965's Dr Terror's House of Horrors (hey, that's a cool name...) and continued all the way through to 1974's From Beyond The Grave. Several of these were based on stories by Psycho writer Robert Bloch, and it was a bit of a toss-up as to whether I'd go for the incredible Asylum or Tales From The Crypt for my Amicus selection on this list. In the end I opted for the film based on the EC Comics title. 
It has developed a real cult following, not least for the All Through The Night section that saw Joan Collins under attack from a killer Santa a full 12 years before Silent Night, Deadly Night was banned for a similar story. Collins joins impressive names such as Peter Cushing (whose heartbreaking segment is a rollicking revenge tale) and Patrick Magee who bosses the screen as the stony-faced blind man out for vengeance against a greedy care home owner.

The wrap around story is great and features a killer punch at the end, while other segments such as the Monkey's Paw-like Wish You Were Here are more than satisfying. This is a sterling film from a time when British cinematic output was incredibly strong. It is highly, highly recommended.

2. CREEPSHOW

George A Romero, 1982

An homage to the banned and lurid 1950s horror comics, filled with stories written by Stephen King and directed by the father of the zombie movie, George A Romero.

I’m tempted to just leave this description there as evidence enough as to why this film rules, but that would actually do the flick an injustice. Featuring fabulous effects work from the one and only Tom Savini, this is a legitimate cult classic.

The stories are a little flimsy, revelling in their trashy roots but they are all great fun, boasting appearances from the likes of the late, great Leslie Nielsen, Ted Danson and even King himself! My favourite segment, The Crate, has been mentioned in my epic horror movie links feature, and is a brilliantly dark and surprisingly personal tale, while the other standout, They’re Creeping Up On You, descends into a stomach-turning nightmare with its creepy-crawly overload.

Now a confession — I actually prefer the second Creepshow movie. I think The Raft is a genuine classic horror story and probably prefer The Hitch-hiker with its 'Thanks for the ride, lady' catchphrase over the segments in this film, but as THE film that brought back the anthology format during the Golden Age of Eighties horror, Creepshow is a movie landmark. 

1. DEAD OF NIGHT

Various, 1945

I did say I was going old-school! And there are none more old-school than this classic film from the revered Ealing Studios. I won't go so far as to call this film and its various segments the prototype for the genre, but the fact remains that without Dead of Night the horror landscape would be very different indeed. Without this picture Amicus would have never tried to replicate its success and brought us the string of class anthologies mentioned earlier.

Sure, it feels a little dated now, but this film came a good 30-40 years before the films which took its ideas and ran with them.

With an amazing cast of top acting talent and some legitimately scary segments, Dead of Night is widely regarded by horror makers as one of the all-time greats. Martin Scorsese himself has hailed the film as one of the scariest of all-time, while Andy Nyman, one of the creators of the incredible horror portmanteau stageplay Ghost Stories is unashamed in his admiration for the film (in fact, upon closer inspection its influences on the show are plentiful).
OK, the light-hearted story about the pair of golfing rivals is a bit of a misfire, but as recently as last year the film’s legacy could be seen in the likes of Oculus. The Hearse Driver, The Haunted Mirror, The Christmas Party and, last but not least, The Ventriloquist’s Dummy with the spine chilling Hugo — these are all genuinely incredible and iconic horror tales. The old-time era just adds to the creepiness in what is, purely and simple, a classic. 
The bottom-line is that Dead of Night is essential viewing. 

So what do you think of the list? Are there any glaring omissions or choices you disagree with? Do you have a particular favourite horror anthologies that you feel I've overlooked? Or perhaps you think I’ve given one of the movies above too much credit?

Leave your comments below or drop me a message, it'd be great to hear from you.

If you haven’t already, do please check out and like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the Internet so you don’t have to! Alternatively, follow me on twitter: The House@HickeysHorrors

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.

SINISTER SIX: GREATEST JASON VOORHEES KILLS

This Friday will be the 13th of February.
Need I say more? I do? Okay, how about ki-ki-ki ma-ma-ma?
It’s time to celebrate one of the greatest screen boogeymen of all time, Mrs Voorhees’ beautiful, bouncing baby boy Jason! 
One of the more imaginative slashers, Jason has had some real high-points when it comes to the techniques he’s used to dispatch of the gormless teens that — despite a deathrate in the area to rival Pompeii — continue to flock to the shores of Camp Crystal Lake.
Now, I’m including those deaths caused by Jason himself, so the iconic Kevin Bacon throat stabbing doesn’t make the list, nor do any from A New Beginning. Here are six of my very favourites!

6. THE BIG FREEZE
Jason X, 2002
Who: Adrienne (Kristi Angus)

Jason X seems to be a polarising horror flick (personally, I dug it!) but one thing is for sure: EVERYBODY has to admit that the gruesome manner in which Jason disposes of teaching assistant Adrienne is a showstopper. After she attempts to perform an autopsy on the seemingly dead Voorhees, he springs to life and thrusts her face into a vat of liquid nitrogen, instantly freezing her face and head, before smashing her crystallised head against a stainless steel work service and callously throwing her headless body to the floor.
The scene is helped by the incredible special effects on display (which far surpass most Friday the 13th offerings) and re-establishes the freshly thawed out Voorhees as every bit as mean as he ever was.

5. BOXING BEHEADAL
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, 1989
Who: Julius, V.C. Dupree

Coming in the slightly misleading Jason Takes Manhattan (misleading because the big guy only spends the vast majority of the flick on a boat before spending a mere 10 minutes in NYC!), the Jason v Julius showdown is a classic Ft13 moment.

Impressive athlete and boxer Julius survives the bloodbath on the boat, but finds himself among the survivors stalked through the streets of the Big Apple by Voorhees. Separated from the group and cornered on a rooftop, He realises that flight is not an option... So Julius turns to fight.

He unleashes a volley of powerful blows at Jason but, after wearing himself out as he wails away at the unphased Voorhees, he gasps: 'Take your best shot, motherfucker...' To which Jason responds with a single haymaker so powerful it tears Julius' head clean from his body and down into the alleyway below.

This great gag is then followed by an amazing punchline - the head bounces down into an awaiting dumpster which promptly slams shut on it. Sheer poetry!

4. BEDBREAKER
Freddy vs Jason, 2003

Who: Trey (Jesse Hutch)

There are few Voorhees victims as instantly unlikeable as misogynistic tool Trey. After witnessing the callous way in which he treats cute girlfriend Gibb (the always wonderful Katharine Isabelle) post-coitus, we are itching to see him get his just desserts — and boy does Jason deliver. As Trey reclines facedown on a folding campbed (classy), Voorhees proceeds to brutally stab him over and over in the spine with his trademark, over-sized machete. This is pretty much already an awesome death, but what happens next propels it into legendary status.
Jason folds the bed, with Trey still in it. I’m talking full-on, calf-to-shoulder, spine-snapping folding here. Ooooooh.
This one narrowly edges out a similar folding incident from the heroic Sheriff Garris (David Kagen) in Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI. After pulling a Julius (see above) and trying to throwdown with the big J, Garris ends up getting the origami treatment too…

3. VAN VIOLENCE
Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI, 1986
Who: Nikki (Darcy DeMoss)

While Garris’s death in Jason Lives didn’t quite make the list, this one certainly does. After teens Nikki and Cort (Tom Fridley) decide to indulge in some hankypanky in her stepfather‘s RV they are interrupted when the power goes out. Upon discovering that the cord was intentionally cut, they decide to get the hell out of dodge and Cort burns rubber with the radio blaring.
Little do he and Nikki know that they have a stowaway. Cue Jason, who grabs Nikki by the head and mashes into the wall so hard that it leaves a visible impression of her face on the outside of the van.
This is made all the cooler by the fact that it is set to Alice Cooper’s Teenage Frankenstein. Awesome.

2. HANDSTAND HORROR
Friday the 13th Part 3, 1982
Who: Andy (Jeffrey Rogers)

Andy is a bit of a twat. He spends pretty much his entire time in the third Friday outing trying to impress people with his circus skills, such as juggling and tumbling. It is this last one that brings about his grisly demise. After bedding his girlfriend Debbie (Tracie Savage) he walks on his hands into the bathroom where she's showering to ask if she wants a beer. He then walks out of the room (still on his hands) right into Jason — who proceeds to bring his machete down between Andy’s legs, splitting him to the gizzard via the johnson.
Ooof!
A marvellously gory and surprisingly entertaining end, which is only made stronger by the reveal of his mangled remains in the rafters later on in the flick.

1. SLEEPING BAG SLAMMER
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, 1988
Who: Judy (Debora Kessler)

This one is a kill SO iconic that the series has acknowledged and revisited it (albeit with some subtle tweaks) TWICE. In this genuinely brilliant scene, Judy has gone camping with her boyfriend Dan (Michael Schroeder). After they Dan pops out, Judy undresses in anticipation of his return. As she hears a figure approach, she assumes it to be Dan and calls out… to be met by a machete ripping through the side of the tent. She screams and desperately tries to hide inside her sleeping bag.
WORST. MOVE. EVER.
Jason proceeds to grab the bag, drag her outside, then, in one of the man’s most surprising, simultaneously brutal AND hilarious moments, violently swings the bag into a tree.
This is a kill so great I NEEDED to add a video clip.
Both the virtual reality segment of Jason X AND the 2009 remake paid homage to this death, as if confirming what I knew all along — this truly is the greatest Friday the 13th kill EVER.

So what do you think of the list? Are there any glaring omissions or choices you disagree with? Do you have a particular favourite moment of Voorhees violence that you feel I've overlooked?

Leave your comments below or drop me a message, it'd be great to hear from you.

If you haven’t already, do please check out and like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the Internet so you don’t have to! Alternatively, follow me on twitter: The House@HickeysHorrors

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.

SINISTER SIX: REMAKES THAT REALLY WEREN’T SO BAD

With the recent news regarding remakes/reboots of big name movie titles such as Escape From New York, Friday the 13th and Poltergeist, it seems that Hollywood hash‘t given up on mining its past successes just yet.
So what better time to revisit those titles that have themselves revisited titles from yesteryear and look for the genuinely fun ‘reimaginings’ among the cynical cash-ins?
I’ve a feeling this one could get controversial…

6. HOUSE OF WAX
Jaume Collet-Serra, 2005

What better place to leap onboard the controversy train than with a hugely divisive flick. Starring a host of TV pretty faces including 24’s Elisha Cuthbert and Supernatural’s Jared Padalecki, that wasn’t enough provocation for the filmmakers. Oh no, they added PARIS FUCKING HILTON to the mix. That’s the equivalent of throwing a lit-firework into the portaloo of horror, running back to a safe distance and waiting for the inevitable shit explosion.
So imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a surprisingly fun little flick! A remake in name only to the 1953 Vincent Price classic (which was itself a remake of 1933’s Mystery of the Wax Museum), this movie had a surprising vicious streak through the middle and revelled in the spiteful ways in which its two cool villains took the PYTs on the cast apart. It had some great design work, some superb gore, some legitimately funny comedy moments and, if nothing else, deserves kudos for giving an audience what it wants and brutally murdering a surprisingly capable Hilton. Hooray!

5. THE RING
Gore Verbinski, 2002

Okay, I loved Hideo Nakata’s 1998 classic, Ringu. Frankly I don't think it needed remaking, but I am fully aware of the fact that many cinema-goers would have missed the flick and plenty more would be unwilling to give a sub-titled, non-English language movie a chance. I shall respectfully bite my tongue as to how exactly I feel about these individuals. Instead, I will praise the sterling job that Verbinski’s movie did of updating and transposing a uniquely Japanese story into its American setting. 
With a stellar cast of acting heavyweights (Naomi Watts and Bryan Cox are both fantastic), the flick glosses over some of the more outlandish elements of the original (such as random psychic powers in one of our protagonists) and adds a little more to the story of Samara. With some great special effects and wonderful scare moments, I can even kind of forgive it for botching the infamous TV scene.
With this in mind, to me this movie is deserving of a place on the list for opening the eyes of the general public to the wealth of quality available in the J-Horror genre. Did The Ring surpass Ringu in terms of quality? I don’t think so, but plenty too. Did the remake cause viewers to check out the original and other horror films from the East? Yes, and for that, I am thankful.

4. THE HILLS HAVE EYES
Alexandre Aja, 2006

I have never seen so many people walk out of a cinema as I did when I watched extreme horror auteur Aja’s remake of the Wes Craven 1977 hillbilly classic. The movie was violent, repugnant, hard-hitting and my god, it was mesmerising. It took a film that (brace yourself for backlash people) hasn’t exactly aged well, and dragged it kicking and screaming into the modern day. 
With a kick-ass nuclear testing subplot, far more rounded characters and some great arcs for them all, along with hardcore gore and violence and some jaw-dropping effects work, the morally reprehensible Hills Have Eyes may not have been for everyone (as the flocks of squeamish defectors in Watford’s Vue cinema back in ’06 proved!) but it is a real horror film in the truest sense of the word.

3. DAWN OF THE DEAD
Zack Snyder, 2004

Most of the following is from a previous Sinister Six feature, but it still rings true here.
I should loathe this movie. It is a remake of Romero’s seminal achievement in filmmaking, not just the greatest zombie movie of all time but one of the very finest horror pictures ever produced. Yet this film, the directorial debut of Zack Snyder (who has since gone on to film The 300, Man of Steel and Watchmen) and written by James Gunn (who has since been propelled into the A-List after his work on Guardians of the Galaxy), is far better than it has any right to be. 
A sterling cast (fleshed out with a host of cameos from the original), amazing effects work and high-octane editing make this a horror-action hybrid along the same lines as Aliens. The sequence in which Sarah Polley’s Ana attempts to flee her home alone makes this film worthy of your time.

2. THE FLY
David Cronenberg, 1986

It is a very rare thing for a remake to surpass the film that inspired it — David Cronenberg’s wonderful bodyshock/sci-fi-gone-awry take on the 1958 original is one that does. 
This is one of those bizarre moments of movie alchemy, where a host of unlikely ingredients produce cinematic gold. Cronenberg was always deemed too strange, too extreme for mainstream audiences, while the odd casting of romantic leads Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum were a baffling choice. Yet they are incredible. The film is moving, disturbing, thrilling and unrelentingly horrifying.
The characters are fantastically well realised and the script poignant, yet these subtly emotional touches are often over-shadowed by the Academy Award winning special effects work. This does the film a serious injustice. As an intensely human tragedy, the film is a legitimate masterpiece.

1. THE THING
John Carpenter, 1982

The Thing is arguably the greatest film from the greatest cult director of all time. As a remake that surpasses its source material (it was based on John W. Campbell’s novella, Who Goes There? which was previously adapted by Howard Hawks and Bill Nyby as The Thing From Outer Space in 1951) it succeeds on EVERY level.
John Carpenter’s favourite leading man Kurt Russell nails his role as Macready and the assorted oddballs dwelling in the Antarctic base with him are a surprisingly realistic and likeable group of characters. 
Much is made of The Thing’s jaw-dropping and show-stealing effects work (with good reason, some of the work by Rob Bottin and his team, as well as SFX wizard Stan Winston, is amazing) but it is the way in which Carpenter presents the mounting paranoia and palpable air of isolation that really makes this a bona fide classic. Very few films come close to perfection — The Thing is.

So what do you think of the list? Are there any glaring omissions or choices you disagree with? Do you have a particular favourite horror remake that you feel I've overlooked? Or perhaps you think I’ve given one of the movies above too much credit?

Leave your comments below or drop me a message, it'd be great to hear from you.

If you haven’t already, do please check out and like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the Internet so you don’t have to! Alternatively, follow me on twitter: The House@HickeysHorrors

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.

SINISTER SIX: CREEPY CLOWNS

Like many of you, I was very interested to see the slew of images from the upcoming, Eli Roth-produced horror movie, Clown.

This is the latest in a long line of terrifying, greasepaint wearing nightmares and coulrophobia seems to be as prevalent as ever before.

So what better time than to take a look at six of the nastiest, most maniacal and generally unspeakable smiling psychos of all time?

Read on…

6. NOODLEDOME 

Doll Boy, 2010; Circus Of The Dead, 2014

The hulking, cannibalistic Noodledome, as portrayed to gleeful, giggling perfection by Ryan Clapp, is monstrous. Present in both of the very talented Billy Pon’s directorial efforts, there can be few sights as terrifying as this behemoth looming after his victims, laughing maniacally as he measures them for a cranium splattering mallet shot. Despite his limited screentime, he steals the show in Doll Boy and has the most shocking of scenes during the INSANE mid-movie murder montage in Circus Of The Dead. I could have picked any of the troupe of psychotic clowns in CotD for this list, but Noodledome was the first of the gang to terrorise audiences. And I for one cannot wait to catch him again when Circus of the Dead hits our screens.

5. THE KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE

Killer Klowns From Outer Space, 1988

God, I love the Chiodo brothers’ cult-classic, popcorn comedy-horror masterpiece. Dammit, we NEED a sequel. 

The humour throughout is marvellous, but it is the practical effects triumphs that are the Klowns that really rock. These are incredibly ghoulish latex creations and, best of all, their M.O. really embrace the clown theme. Flying in a Big Top spaceship, wrapping victims in candy floss/cotton candy cocoons and using a variety of hilarious attacks (shadow puppet dinosaur anyone?) to rack up a huge body count — and massive laughs along the way. 

If you haven’t seen Shorty and the gang in action yet, you NEED to set that right, pronto.

4. TWISTY

American Horror Story: Freak Show, 2014

Not a big screen bad guy here, but this TV terror (and arguably the best thing in Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story: Freak Show) is still one of the most frightening clowns EVER. Sporting the most disgusting outfit and mask (and hiding an even more hideous facial wound underneath), Twisty struck a chill chord with audiences from the very second he appeared on screen, right up until the point his tragic backstory was revealed. Few who have witnessed his bloody and brutal interruption of a young lovers' picnic will ever forget that or the heart-stopping chase to camera that follows.

Brought to life with diabolical relish by John Carroll Lynch, Twisty was a brutal murderer, kidnapper of children and all-around living nightmare. 

Scary, scary stuff. 

3. ART THE CLOWN
The 9^th Circle, 2008; Terrifier, 2011; All Hallow’s Eve, 2013

Most of the following is from a previous feature in which I heralded the sheer terror of Mike Giannelli as Art the Clown. I’m repeating what I said then because it still rings true three months on. 
Creepily clad in black and white, including his make up, Art has an impossibly angular face and rotting, pointed teeth in his grinning mouth. With dismemberment, mutilation and decapitation his raison d’être , Art does his job in complete silence. This doesn’t mean that he’s a typical, hulking silent slasher though, oh no.

Art is animated, his face expressive, especially when he descends into fits of silent giggles… the problem is, when he does, you aren’t laughing along. Art’s sense of humour is as dark as it gets. Art is one of the most terrifying screen boogeymen I’ve ever seen and well deserving of his place on this list.

2. PAPA CORN

Circus Of The Dead, 2014

I know I’ve already included one of the Circus of the Dead’s villains on this list, but they deserve more representation. Especially THIS one.
Long-term readers of Hickey’s House of Horrors know I’m a huge fan of Bill Oberst Jr, the hardest-working man in the industry and one of the nicest gentlemen I have ever had the pleasure to converse with. From his roles in Deadly Revisions, A Grim Becoming and Coyote, he is always on top of his game. But it was in his role in ‘Bloody’ Bill Pon’s Circus Of The Dead that I first came across his work — and I was blown away. 
The character is hideous — a sadistic, necrophiliac, serial rapist. Oberst’s portrayal is spine-chilling, switching from a manipulative, charming sociopath to a drooling, psychopath in an instant. The performance is wonderful, as is the way the character is written by Pon and collaborator Lee Ankrum. 

When CotD hits the masses, it will be a massive hit, thanks in no small part to the magnificent performance from Bill Oberst Jr as Papa Corn. This is quite possibly the greatest horror villain to come along in the past decade and the only reason Papa isn’t number one on this list is because of a bona-fide genre legend in the top spot.

1. PENNYWISE
Stephen King’s It, 1990

‘They all float down here!’

When writing about Tim Curry’s performance as the demonic being that goes by the name of Pennywise, I mentioned that I know a grown man who is now terrified of clowns due to watching Stephen King's It as a young boy. This is a true statement and a real testimony to Curry’s work. 

Obviously Curry is a magnificent actor with scores of brilliant performances to his name, and when combined with one of the greatest stories by the undisputed master of modern horror fiction, real magic was created.

The sneering, growling, shape-shifting Pennywise was a genuine boogeyman, an otherworldly monster that preyed on children, using fear to its advantage and stalking the town of Derry for decades.

Tommy Lee Wallace’s tv mini series may have its detractors but few will ever find fault with the way in which Pennywise is brought to life. The It remake, consisting of two feature film releases is on the way and I'm excited to see what happens with it, but one thing is for sure — whoever steps into the antagonist's oversized shoes this time has his work cut out for him.

The reason Pennywise takes this number one spot is simple: this is an iconic performance in an iconic role. 

Plus how many horror clowns can say they have petrified audiences in two different media?

So what do you think of the list? Are there any glaring omissions or choices you disagree with? Do you have a particular favourite creepy clown that you feel I've overlooked (and trust me, there are plenty that nearly made the cut).

Leave your comments below or drop me a message, it'd be great to hear from you.

If you haven’t already, do please check out and like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the Internet so you don’t have to! Alternatively, follow me on twitter: The House@HickeysHorrors

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.

SINISTER SIX: TERRIFYING RESIDENT EVIL MONSTERS

On this date 17 years ago, arguably the greatest horror game of all time was released — Resident Evil 2.
Say what you want about the direction in which the franchise has since gone in latter instalments, back in 1998 it was a true revelation. Taking everything that worked from the pretty damn good original game and improving on it, Resident Evil 2 was a true masterpiece.
The Resident Evil series is a benchmark in zombie lore up there with the works of Romero and the recent Walking Dead comic and tv series.
It brought the now ubiquitous undead hordes back into popular culture with a bang, terrifying a whole new generation of Dead Heads. The shadowy Umbrella Corporation, Chris Redfield, Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Albert Wesker, the T-Virus, STARS, Racoon City — these have become as well known to fans as any horror movie characters. In fact, they’ve even spawned a successful (if not necessarily very good) film franchise!
In celebration of the anniversary of the greatest game in the most successful horror franchise ever, I’m going to revisit some of oft overlooked but pant-fillingly frightening beasties that made the games so much fun and so very, very terrifying to play.

1. CRIMSON HEADS

The basic zombie enemies are Resident Evil's bog-standard villain and very scary they are too... at first. After a while they become more of an annoyance than a serious risk. The Resident Evil Remake changed that. The zombie is the first stage of T-Virus infection, but it is not the last. A mutated strain of the virus causes some seemingly dead zombies to evolve further. Carefully incinerating the remains halts this transformation but failure to do so leads to step two — the fierce and deadly Crimson Head. These horrifying shrieking beasties are far faster than their shuffling, groaning brethren and are much more resilient to damage. Recognisable by their blood-red faces, a wave of Crimson Head attackers can cause panic in the most hardened of RE players, leading even the toughest to keep a careful eye on how many matches they have in their inventory.

2. LICKERS

Resident Evil 2 saw the arrival of quite simply my favourite 'standard' RE beastie ever — the Licker.

Revealed to be the next stage of evolution after the Crimson Head (which explains the Crimson Head's ferocious nature and deadly claws), the Licker is a skinless, eyeless, razor taloned nightmare. Extremely agile and able to use its sharp claws to scale walls and even scuttle across ceilings, the first cutscenes to introduce the Licker in the ravaged police station are  a wonderfully creepy gaming moment.

The beast derives its name from its extremely long and powerful tongue, a weapon capable of piercing flesh or even decapitating its prey. From its sinister hissing sound while stalking its prey to the blood-curdling screams it makes when fighting, there is a reason that the first Resident Evil movie chose the nightmarish Licker for its climactic scenes.

3. NOSFERATU

Resident Evil: Code Veronica is very much seen as the black sheep of the family, a distant cousin sandwiched in between the release of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and Resident Evil 4. I'm a big fan of the game, not least because of the introduction of some seriously sick enemies. I nearly opted to include the Bandersnatch here (not least because any Jabberwocky reference gets my vote!), but in the end I opted for this horrifying boss.
Originally Alexander Ashford, the man who used advanced cloning techniques and genetic engineering to create twins Alfred and Alexia, he fell victim to his evil ‘offspring’.
They captured Alexander and experimented on him, using him as a guinea pig for Alexia’s T-Veronica Virus. The experiment mutated him into an abomination and the twins discarded him as a failure, locking him in their isolated arctic base, where workers gave the creature the name Nosferatu.
The in-game intro to the blind and insane creature is very creepy and the character design is topnotch. Battling the beast on a helipad while desperately trying to avoid getting knocked into the abyss below by his flailing clawed appendages is one of the greatest moments in this sadly underrated game.

4. U-3

Resident Evil 4 was Aliens to the original trilogy’s Alien. It took the game in a direction that was far more action-packed and less creepy. With it Resident Evil stopped being a ghost train and became a rollercoaster. Nowhere is this more apparent than with the nightmarish boss, the U-3. One of Lord Saddler’s bio-weapons, the U-3 is a huge and horrifying chimera created through splicing human, reptile and insect DNA and made host to a Plaga parasite.
It is one of the ugliest and most vile enemies to ever appear in an RE game (which is REALLY saying something) and the exhilarating battle which comes only after you flee from one shipping container to the next, dodging its highly-damaging attacks before dropping the beastie into a chasm is very, very cool. Look at it, it’s disgusting, terrifying and nauseating — and well-deserving of its place on this list.

5. IRON MAIDEN

Another RE4 baddy here, and what a horrible bastard it is. A variation of the more common Regenerators, this loathsome foe is extremely resilient to damage and can only be killed by destroying the Plagas dwelling within its spiked body. Originally a human, the beast was created through deliberate exposure to the Plaga parasite and excruciating surgery. The creature looks hideous, looming over the player at a height well above that of a normal man. The Iron Maiden moves with a disturbing and erratic twitching gait and makes a horrible rasping, wheezing noise. The creature’s deadliest attack, a form of lurching bearhug in which it pulls the player into its bristling spikes nearly always leads to death and the petrifying manner in which it crawls after you to attack even after losing its legs is the stuff of nightmares.

6. NEMESIS

You’re playing as Jill Valentine and wander into a new area… then the music changes. Your heart sinks as the new, ominous theme plays and, palms sweating, you proceed deeper into the level. And then you hear it: ‘STAAAAAARRRSSSSS’.
Nemesis has found you.
I can think of few gaming experiences that led to such instant panic as the multiple Nemesis encounters in RE3. A hulking giant, a variant of Umbrella’s Tyrant project, the relentless, powerful, fast moving behemoth that was Nemesis was genuinely frightening. Devastatingly powerful, many gaming sessions would be reduced to panicky, sweaty sprints through different rooms and settings, frantically hoping you could somehow shake-off the trench-coated demon stomping heavily behind you. Sometimes you would realise that you were stuck and needed to fight the brute — a task that was all but impossible without the right weapons and ammo. Then, should you somehow manage to bring him down, you were left with the sickening realisation that this was just a temporary reprieve and in time Nemesis would be back on his feet and the pursuit would continue…
I both love and hate this sadistic fucker. A brilliant gameplay device, a kind of undying slasher villain capable of mutating into even tougher forms, not afraid to break into a sprint and occasionally rocking a ROCKET LAUNCHER for Christ's sake. Some of the greatest and most terrifying gaming moments I've ever experienced are down to this guy. Well done Capcom. Well done.

So, what do you think of the list? Are these underrated game greats actually great? Or are they overlooked for a reason?

Leave your comments below or drop me a message, it'd be great to hear from you.

If you haven’t already, do please check out and like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the Internet so you don’t have to! Alternatively, follow me on twitter: The House@HickeysHorrors

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.

SINISTER SIX: GREAT FREE SHORTS!

As I’ve made the effort to catch up on my review backlog, I’ve had a few messages from people asking about their weekly Sharp Shock Shorts fix.
I can only apologise to you all for letting you down! I’ve long been a big fan of horror shorts (and feel that many easily surpass some of the genre’s more lacklustre features!) and have prided myself on bringing you some regular links to some of the very best out there.

With that in mind, let me make it up to you all with not one or two, not even a handful, but SIX great short films to while away your time. Enjoy!

1. PRIPYAT (2013)
Dir: The Oplawski Twins

This is a terrifying little short that follows a squad of Soviet soldiers in the town that was devastated by the Chernobyll disaster on the day of the incident. As the hapless troops look on we start to realise that the meltdown was no accident — and was used to eliminate an even more terrifying threat.
A dark and foreboding atmosphere, amazing production values, superb sound effects and a creepy premise make Pripyat a real hit. Watch it in the dark for best effect…

2. THE SLEEPOVER (2012)
Dir: Chris Culari 

And now a bit of humour for a change of pace. This short was created as proof of concept for a feature film and depicts a spooky night-time conversation between two young boys in a town 'between sequels' of its deadly masked slasher. Do the boys and their babysitter stand a chance in a place where the bogeyman is all too real?
Lashings of self-aware humour, a creepy Halloween-like atmosphere, some nice performances and a great punchline make this a must-see for slasher fans.
Watch it HERE.

3. HE DIES AT THE END (2010)
Dir: Damian Mc Carthy

One night, while a man is working late, a strange pop-up on his computer asks him if he’d like to know how he will die. Creeped out but curious, he begins to click away...
This is a great premise, the sort of techno-horror that seems big in Japan, and builds a creepy and unsettling atmosphere before hitting you with a marvellous climax that will make you scream, then laugh your arse off. He Dies At The End is a great example of how, with talent and vision, a low-budget needn’t be a hindrance to good filmmaking.


4. SUCKABLOOD (2012)
Dir: Jake Cuddihy and Ben Tillett

From a thoroughly modern scary story to a more old-fashioned chiller. A dark, gothic fairytale, Suckablood follows a little girl who has been given a terrifying warning about sucking her thumb by her stern and strict mother — for doing so will summon the monstrous Suckablood.
This is a great and atmospheric little film, boasting tonnes of style and a great performance from young Holly Jacobson as the spooked little girl. Plus the ending is brilliant too, so you should watch it ASAP!

5. DON’T MOVE (2013) 
Dir: Anthony Melton

The first of two lengthier shorts to wrap up and this one is a belter! Continuing the trend of summoning dangerous beasties, Don’t Move is about six friends gather for their monthly games night and decide that a ouija board could be fun. This leads to them accidentally unleashing a ferocious demonic entity that proceeds to brutally slaughter anyone who moves. As the friends find themselves frozen to the spot, that realised that to survive the others must die.
This is fantastic, a nifty premise, almost unbearable tension and a creature designed and created by Hellraiser’s Cliff Wallace. Check it out!

6. TREEVENGE (2008)
Dir: Jason Eisener

Wow, where to start with this one? I was going to post a link to Treevenge over Christmas but alas, never got around to it. However, that doesn’t mean that you won’t all be able to enjoy this incredibly mean-spirited little slice of insanity from Jason Eisener, the sick genius that brought us Hobo With A Shotgun.
Christmas is a pretty terrible time to be a tree, as we are shown early on in the short when swathes of trees are hacked down as they beg for their lives. But what happens when the trees decide enough is enough and fight back?
The answer: one of the most hilarious, shocking, brutally violent and gory explosions of bad-taste to ever hit the screen! You need to see this one!

So there you are, I hope that sates your appetite for quality, horror short films. If not, well, stay tuned, there’ll be plenty more in the days ahead.

Which was your favourite from the list? Have you got any recommendations for future Sharp Shock Shorts columns? Leave your comments below or drop me a message, it'd be great to hear from you.

If you haven’t already, do please check out and like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the Internet so you don’t have to! Alternatively, follow me on twitter: The House@HickeysHorrors

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.