Check that one off the bucket list!

Well today was one of my favorite "horror" moments of my life.  I just had the honor of meeting Mr. George A. Romero and Mr. Tom Savini themselves!  To honor the tattoo shop that is Romero's Tattoos the shop had the two gentleman as special guests.  Driving there I thought to myself, "This place is going to be a fucking madhouse".  It wasn't.  There were probably only about 20 people or so there, maybe because today was also the "Steel City Con" or maybe it was just that time of the year for the family vacation, or maybe because the this event was publicized only through facebook I believe.  Anyways it was so much better than meeting someone at a convention where there are 1000's of fans, it's hot, you always feel rushed, you ghouls all know the feeling I'm sure.  No, this was at a little tattoo shop and it had such a nice relaxed atmosphere to it that I couldn't have asked for more.  I'd like to thank Romero's Tattoos for sponsoring the event and also the Monroeville Zombies for helping out too.  What a great event you people put together!  Thank you!  When my wife and I entered we were about third in line and once we were the next in line to meet Mr. Romero I started to get a little nervous and couldn't really think of anything to say.  All I managed to get out was "Hello, how are you today?" haha  But I have to honestly say that of all the celebrities I've ever met George was the nicest.  He honestly treated us like royalty, thanking us, and thanking the gentleman in front of us who was in the armed forces, it was very nice to see a celebrity act this way.  Once he signed my "Dawn of the Dead Ultimate Edition" he asked us if we wanted a picture.  So my wife and I plunked down on a couch next to the man and I won't speak for my wife but as you can see in the photo below I was just mystified, I was actually just chillin' on a couch with George Romero, are you kidding me?  After that I stood up and thanked him again, he shook my hand and we exchanged pleasantries for a minute and then I moved on to let the other fans have a turn as well.  After this I started wondering where Tom Savini was and out from the back where they do the actual tattoos walks Mr. Savini.  I stood next to him listening to him and Mr. Romero exchange some humor about Tom getting some tattoo work done today.  After that Mr. Savini picks up the George Romero puppet you'll see in the pictures below and starts messing around with his son by using the puppet.  He looks over at George and says "I'll do the puppet, you do the voice" and he makes the puppet say hello to his son, then George, from across the room, yells "Hello" it was hilarious and at the same time touching to watch these gods of horror show their human sides.  Though Tom's little boy might not have had the same idea of what was going on as we all did, everybody loved it.  I then shook Tom's hand, and thanked him.  Again Tom was also very polite and was talking with all the fans outside, signing posters and what not.  By the time I got around to him signing my little treasure he was ready to get his tattoo finished so I didn't bother him with the autograph thing.  All in all this was a wonderful morning spent with my wife, some very nice fans, and some very nice celebrities.  As Emily and I were driving away we were talking about how nice it was to see some celebrities that actually had the most genuine human qualities as that is not always the case.  So again thank you from the bottom of my heart Mr. George A. Romero and thank you as well Mr. Tom Savini, you absolutely made a fan's day!

The sign outside of Romero's Tattoo & Body Piercings, awesome logo huh?

One of Monroeville Zombies' advertisement cards, this is an amazing zombie museum located at Time & Space toy store in the Monroeville Mall (pictures forthcoming)

This was the Romero puppet that Tom Savini was using to tease his son with

The newest addition to my own horror museum

A close up

Does anybody disagree about "Dawn of the Dead" Ultimate Edition being one of the finest horror special editions out there? Four discs (U.S. Theatrical Version with the Goblin soundtrack, Extended Version, The European Version edited by Dario Argento [Next on my bucket list of people to meet], and a whole DVD devoted to documentaries) amazing packaging, amazing information booklet, comic included, what else could a fan want? This thing is a beast!

Mr. George A. Romero, my wife, and myself. All I can say is wow!

Alan Wake Review

 So I finally got around to finishing the new thriller/horror game title from Remedy entitled Alan Wake.  If you ghouls remember way back I had a post talking about the upcoming game and how excited I was for it.  Well do you wanna know if it lived up to my expectations?  I have to say that the game did indeed live up to what I was expecting, however I could understand how some may be a bit let down by the finished product.  The game was originally intended to be a "free roaming" type game where you were free to roam about Bright Falls as you pleased during the day and the action and story would unfold during the night sequences.  However during the development cycle Remedy decided to do away with the free roam and instead set the game up as different episodes, each ending with a giant cliffhanger, and doing away with much of the actual "free roaming."  During each episode you are still roaming around different parts of the town, but there are boundaries set up as to not let you stray too far off the beaten path.  The only thing I could see as a let down for some fans is the decision to do away with the "free roaming" portions of the game.  In my humble opinion I think it actually helped the game and gave it some very nice pacing, which is what really keeps this game going as each episode ends on a huge cliffhanger and just begs you to come back and play the next one.  Another advantage to the episodic content is how each are presented so much like a show that you don't even have to be playing the game to enjoy it.  My wife actually sat with me and watched as I played through the whole thing.  She said it was like watching a TV show. A rather nice touch Remedy also  made when crafting this game was that, after each episode ends, the game shifts to a credits scene while some very appropriate licensed music plays including songs like "In Dreams" by Roy Orbison and "Haunted" by Poe, among others.

 The story is quite difficult to explain but involves the disappearance of  Alan's wife from the cabin they rented to help get him out of his writer's block.  Alan then begins to question his sanity, and as the viewer/player you soon begin questioning his sanity too as you go through each episode.  At some points in the game I wondered if Alan was just dreaming, at other points I wondered if what I was watching was some twisted TV show that Alan himself wasn't aware he was in, another thought I had was that I was watching a book that someone was writing if that makes sense. Finally I started to think he was just plain old insane in the membrane.  I won't spoil the ending, or if any of these scenarios are what is actually going on but I will say that most but not all things are wrapped up, though not in a very explanatory way.  Hopefully the next two episodes which are downloadable content should help to explain some of the mysteries left open.

The graphics and sound were both exactly what you would expect from a 360 game, which by the way is the only system this game is available on.  The only complaint I had about the graphics, which you will also read about on other game review sites is that there was a lot of screen tearing.  Screen tearing is when the screen gets all fuzzy and distorted at points during the game.  The gameplay was again a very strong part of the game and though it is quite repetitive I never found myself getting bored.  Alan doesn't have access to machine guns or laser pistols as seen in other games, but what little he does have comes in handy.  You can use a basic pistol, hunting rifles, shotugns, even flareguns to take out your enemies, AKA "The Taken."  Another tool you have at your disposal are flashlights of different varieties.  These are used to weaken the Taken until the point at which they can be shot.  Ammo isn't really a problem when playing the "Normal" mode of the game and I have yet to experience "Nightmare" mode which is unlocked after beating the game on normal so I can't really tell you how much harder it gets.  One more cool note about the game is that while you are adventuring through the Pacific Northwest which is where this game takes place you will find pieces of a manuscript which helps to explain exactly just what is going on.  A tip for anyone reading this is as you find the manuscripts don't actually read them until you beat the game because they can spoil upcoming events before they actually happen.  You will also find coffee thermoses hidden throughout each episode as well which is an obvious reference to Twin Peaks, and fans of the show will understand.  I highly recommend a rental of Alan Wake at the very least, but if you enjoy Thriller/Horror action style games on the XBox 360 then you just might want to go out and purchase this one.

4 Jolly Jack-O-Lanterns
Jolly Jack-O-Lantern Rating Explanation 

Oh and by the way I added some Facebook badges over there on the right so go ahead and click them and become friends with me and "like" the official HalloweenOverkill Facebook page which you can link to from another Facebook badge a little bit more towards the top of the blog.  I will be doing exclusive posts and giveaways over there, but don't worry this is still your HalloweenOverkill home and should be the first place you check for some wonderful Halloween deliciousness!  Also check back tomorrow for my 4th of July giveaway which actually has nothing to do with the noble holiday, and I will also show you ghouls something I discovered in my closet as I was packing today (what was it?  you'll have to come back tomorrow to see, but it's pretty neat) as we get ready for the big move to Monroeville, YES you read that right Monroeville, the home of the Monroeville Mall from the Romero classic Dawn of the Dead.

Guess where I might be moving?

Monroeville, PA!!!  That's right ghouls, my wife and I looked at some living quarters near Monroeville, PA this morning.  The town is really nice and well kept, and there are tons and tons of retail spaces there.  But the thing that is most impressive about Monroeville is it's incredible mall.  I don't know what it is about it but it just seems like I've seen this mall somewhere before. HAHA  I'm really sorry I didn't get pictures of the mall, but we were in such a hurry this morning that I just didn't have time, but you can bet our next trip there in the upcoming weeks will result in ample pictures of this amazing iconic mall.

Dawn of the Dead vs. Dawn of the Dead - Theatrical poster face-off

                           VS.

Which poster do you prefer the original Dawn of the Dead (1978) or the Dawn of the Dead Remake (2004)??
Don't let your decision be based on the movies themselves but rather use the images to tell me which one you like better.  Also if I may impose my thoughts on the subject.  I think a lot of these types of contests are influenced by your generational preferences.  For instance someone who grew up in the late 70s, early 80s looking at the old poster plastered all over old video stores  will have a much greater affinity for that poster.  Likewise some of the new generation of horror fans who have been exposed to the newer poster much more than they would have the old one have a greater affinity for that poster.  I think this goes without saying but just wanted to inject my opinion into the conversation.  Anyways comment below on which POSTER (not movie) it is that you prefer.

Top 6 Horror flicks

I've seen a bucket o' horror films in my day, but these 6 are the ones that I would choose to keep if I had to sell my entire horror DVD collection (which consists of over 300 horror films). It was a grueling process to decide on just 6 and there will be honorable mentions at the end but these 6 (in no particular order) are the films that I enjoy watching the most and have had the most impact on my taste in horror films.

1.Dawn of the Dead 1978

This was actually the first horror movie I ever remember watching. I don't remember exactly what year it was but I do remember it was Easter Sunday. How inappropriate is that! The whole idea of being stuck in a mall while the zombie apocalypse occurred around us struck me as one of the most terrifying things anybody could come up with and still haunts me to this day.

  

2. Nightmare on Elm Street 1984

Total f$#%ing classic! This was a "Movie Mania Classic" in other words a movie I rented from our local movie mania video store so many times, the tape began to wear out. I also remember right after seeing this film my cousins telling me Freddy lived in their basement, and because I was like 6 at the time believing them. When I'm coming up from the basement in any house I still zip like the flash up the stairs without looking back because of this movie.

3. Evil Dead II 1987

Not much I can say about this classic that hasn't already been said other than I was a little late to the Evil Dead party. I didn't see this movie until high school. I remember thinking ugh how bad is this shitty sounding movie going to be? Little did I know that I would be watching the legend himself Bruce Campbell in his greatest acting role to date!  The one-liners and over the top gore and special fx were what mad this movie stick in my head for days after the first viewing. It wasn't long after watching this that I went back to movie mania to rent and catch up on a lot of the classics that I had skipped out on up until that point.

4. Friday the 13th 1980

OK to be honest I still wonder if this movie have any impact on my horror fan parents decision in naming me Jason? They won't fess up to it but the horror fanatic in me can't help but believe its true. This is one of those movies that whenever I watch totally brings me back to my youth. I can remember sitting in my living room scared shitless, eating potato chips, inhaling bowls of ice cream, and drinking Faygo, staying up way past my bedtime. Another inappropriate movie viewing was of this movie on the night that my family put up our Christmas tree one year!

5. The Return of the Living Dead 1985

This is another one of those films where I don't quite remember my first viewing but I do remember watching it over and over on HBO. Linnea Quigley may have been one of my first scream queen crushes and this was the movie that introduced me to her. The Tarman absolutely freaked my mind when I was just a kid.

6. Halloween & Halloween II* 1978/1981

*The reason I list these together is that the very first time I saw these movies they were one after the other and I feel that they should be watched as one viewing experience.

Again late to the party. I do remember my first viewing of these two movies was my freshman year of high school when I purchased them from one of K-Mart's old school much missed Halloween budget bins. I came home that night and watched them along with Halloween III all right in a row. Again these are films I can't say too much about that you haven't already heard, and I really do owe it to these films to give them full blog postings which will come at a later date.

Honorable mentions: Halloween III:Season of the Witch 1982, Phantasm 1979, Re-Animator 1985, Trick r' Treat 2008.

So there it is, my top 6 Horror films and some honorable mentions. Let me know what you think of my list by clicking the comments tab right down below.