Howdy there, Scream Freaks! After ’bout a year of video silence, we proudly return with our greatest triumph yet, provin’ once ‘gain why we’re the web’s #1 animated horror host show. Just as memorable as our epic season long crossover with Charles Band, as awesome as sharin’ the QnA stage with the likes of Kane Hodder, and as special as gettin’ worldwide recognition from Joe Bob Briggs on Shudder’s The Last Drive-In, we now cross paths with ‘nother icon of horror whose arrival sent shockwaves through the world of cult cinema that’s still enjoyed today. We’re talkin’, ‘course, ’bout Killer Tomatoes.
We originally planned on a Screaming Soup! special on the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes movies to be our swan song after 100 episodes, but once we accepted the reality of our tedious production schedule, and the fact the talents involved with makin’ the Killer Tomatoes aren’t gettin’ any younger, we decided 50 episodes and the validation we achieved from receivin’ Joe Bob’s Silver Bolo Award in 2021 was a good ‘nough time to cross this off our bucket list. We’re still producin’ ‘nother 50 Screaming Soup! episodes, mind ya, we’re just sayin’ this passion project of ours got significantly bumped up.
As filmbuffs and lifelong fans of the Killer Tomatoes franchise since first seein’ the cartoon while gobblin’ action figures up with our Killer Tomato toys, we always hated how there were never any behind-the-scenes featurettes or tell-all books ‘yond the makin’ of the first Attack of the Killer Tomatoes movie from 1978. IMDb, magazine articles, online interviews . . . it was all the same decades ol’ scraps of information and movie plot synopsis. Nothin’ answered the real burnin’ questions we had fer how this cult flick oddity by a gang of nerds outta San Diego managed to explode into a pop culture phenomenon as a toy sellin’ Saturday mornin’ cartoon ’round the world. Frustrated by this constant lack of knowledge, we finally took it upon ourselves to collect these factoids for the sake of Killer Tomato fans everywhere, and be the first EVER to share the WHOLE story behind this underdog franchise.
It all started with us contactin’ producer/writer Steve Peace who fans know better as their favorite parachute draggin’ Tomato War vet Lt. Wilbur Finletter. Steve and his filmmakin’ partners producer/writer/director John DeBello and writer/Killer Tomatoes creator Costa Dillon formed Four Square Productions when they began their film careers as teenagers makin’ Super 8 movies, and we managed to dig up a phone number fer that business online. “You’re lucky I even picked up. This may very well be the last workin’ landline in the world,” Steve laughed after feelin’ a strange compulsion to answer our call. Fillin’ him in on us bein’ horror hosts and expressin’ our interest in doin’ a retrospective that finally paints the whole picture ‘hind the history of the Killer Tomatoes, Steve was more than accommodatin’ and connected us with DeBello and Costa who happily granted us our first interviews for the retrospective which greatly helped lay the bones for the Killer Tomatoes timeline additional interviews with cast and crew from each movie could add meat to.
With help from Four Square, IMDb Pro, and good ol’ fashion gumshoe work, we managed to round up and interview most everyone involved with the series fer the retrospective. Recordin’ our conversations over Zoom, we had an incredible year yakkin’ it up with Olympic gold medalists, Miss Universe winners, soap opera stars, folks who worked on sets like Super Mario Bros. and Married . . . With Children, stand-up comics, heavy hittin’ talents ‘hind The Real Ghostbusters cartoon, and not to mention — John “Gomez Addams” Astin which was the most unbelievable two hours spent durin’ all this as he shared nearly a 100 years worth of stories in the entertainment biz from Hollywood to Broadway. All these folks are such amazin’ talents and the nicest, funniest people anyone could hope to talk with ’bout killer veggies. Woulda been nice to say we got to chew the fat with George Clooney, ‘course, but believe you us — if there’s anyone missin’ from this sucker, it ain’t fer lack of tryin’! It either means we couldn’t reach ’em at all or they plain said, “No.”
So, that brings us to now. After ’bout a year editin’ twenty plus hours of interview footage down to a hair over three, we’re proud to present the most in-depth, be-all end-all tell-all retrospective on the ENTIRE history of the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes series includin’ Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, Return of the Killer Tomatoes, Killer Tomatoes Strike Back, Killer Tomatoes Eat France, and both seasons of the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes cartoon series that originally aired on Fox Children’s Network. We cover Four Square’s first studio picture Sour Grapes aka Happy Hour, Elvira’s ribbin’ the original flick on late night TV, the unofficially licensed video games, the tomatoes’ resurgence thanks to the Muppet Babies, the reason why no restaurant wanted to use killer tomatoes for an ad campaign, the real story ‘hind the cartoon’s cancellation, and MORE!
And to provide as much Killer Tomato history as possible, we do include a few snippets of information gathered from home video bonus features and other content creators’ web shows, but all sources have been properly credited and handled much the same way as a research paper with links to their original work in the description of the video. The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes Retrospective is strictly a non-profit documentary made for the purpose to educate and inform fans interested in the history of the Killer Tomatoes franchise under Fair Use (Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976) as well as a creative reunion of sorts for the talents who are excited to see one another after decades apart. Everyone involved with this video from Screaming Soup! HQ to the interviewees participated in this out of the goodness of their heart for no other gain than to laugh at rememberin’ the best times they ever had makin’ these movies.
Now, enjoy this love letter to one of our favorite movie franchises of all time! It ain’t perfect, but we gave it all we got and then some. TOMATOES!!!!
Other than that, please show your support for our show with donations through Patreon, Buy Me A Coffee, and Ko-fi, catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo‘s OSI 74 .
Ho-Ho-Howdy there, Scream Freaks! The season of slasher Santas, rabid reindeer, and yuletide yetis is upon us ‘gain. Yup, it’s Christmas time! Brick up that fireplace, protect yer chestnuts, and don’t shake yer gifts under the tree too hard — they might just bite! This Christmas is sure to be the most frightenin’ one yet, and we owe a lot of that to a particular streamin’ service.
December kicked off beautifully with the theatrical release of Violent Night starrin’ Stranger Things‘ David Harbour as a kick-ass Santa rescuin’ a family of fat cat hostages from home invadin’ mercs in Die Hard fashion. A 5/5 romp full of serious silliness, we wanted to cover it as an R-Rated Review, but it clearly ain’t a horror flick with its top shelf fantasy/action sequences, so we decided ‘gainst it. That didn’t stop our favorite ghost girlfriend Mandy from sharin’ her two cents on what’s now our newest holiday tradition, however, and she was even quoted by Violent Night‘s Twitter account! So proud of her!!
Like every Christmas, while folks are on the hunt fer ’em perfect gifts that prove they’re not as selfish as everyone thinks, we’re huntin’ fer this year’s newest offerin’s of holiday themed terrors. We covered some of the more front and center promoted fright flicks like Weredeer, The Killing Tree, Nutcracker Massacre, and Shudder’s Christmas Bloody Christmas in bite-size reviews on our R-Rated Review blog, but putrid polecats — we just uncovered a whole treasure trove (or dung heap?) of Christmas horror movies on Tubi we never heard of!
Some new, some old, and all of ’em lookin’ like they were shot over weekends on a paperboy’s salary! Titles we discovered include Psycho Santa 1-2, He Knows, There’s Snow Escape, A Christmas Slay, Season’s Greetings 1-2, Slayed, Christmas Craft Fair Massacre, Christmas Blood, Happy Horror Days, Deadly Xmas, Axemas 1-2, Jack Frost (2022), Christmas Tapes, Christmas Vacation, Killer Christmas Elves: The Movie, Krampus: The Return, Krampus vs Big Foot, Vikings vs Krampus, Sister Krampus, Christmas Apparition, Stuffings, Mercy Christmas, Silent Night Zombie Night, I’m Dreaming of a White Doomsday, Leech, and Silent Night (2021). Most of these are still available to watch fer free on Tubi as of this post, and we’re tryin’ to get through as many as we can, so keep yer peepers peeled for these R-Rated Reviews!
In bigger updates, the trailer dropped for our upcomin’ Attack of the Killer Tomatoes Retrospective! Set to a rockin’ cover by Piss Ant (Click HERE for their YouTube channel), get a taste for what to expect from this Screaming Soup! special as we dive head first into the untold history behind the Killer Tomatoes franchise, speakin’ with nearly every cast and crew member involved with the makin’ of all four of the movies as well as the cartoon series. You’ll see the creators of the whole shebang John DeBello, Costa Dillon, and Steve Peace, hear from folks behind the scenes like the puppeteers and composers, and even get a peek at John Astin commentin’ on playin’ the series’ angry scientist, Prof. Gangreen. It’s all very excitin’ as we come closer and closer to releasin’ this sucker in the first quarter of 2023.
And even bigger updates yet, we now have Karen Mistal (Tara from Return of the Killer Tomatoes) joinin’ the fun, so this retrospective is really shapin’ up to be the definitive be-all-end-all killer tomato fans like ourselved have been waitin’ our whole afterlives for!
Other than that, please show your support for our show with donations through Patreon, Buy Me A Coffee, and Ko-fi, catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo‘s OSI 74 .
Other than that, please show your support for our show with donations through Patreon, Buy Me A Coffee, and Ko-fi, catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo‘s OSI 74 .
And be sure to catch us November 18-20 at Retro-Toy Con where we’ll be rubbin’ elbows with other celebrity guests such as the original cast of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series, Jem and GI Joe voice actors, WWF Hall of Famers, and Jason Voorhees actors! Tons of toys, lotta panels, more fun than you can handle!
Howdy there, Scream Freaks! With convoys of speedy delivery trucks hurlin’ material goods at houses covered in fire hazards, frostbite nippin’ at our extremities, and painfully long out of date tunes loopin’ on the radio, that can only mean one thang — it’s Christmas! Like, the real Christmas. Not Christmas in July or pre-game Christmas that jumped the gun ‘fore Halloween even got here. No sir, the legit Christmas full of sing-song strangers holdin’ concerts in yer yard like Purge night for loiterers, parents ignorin’ the rules of stranger danger fer any rando in a Santa suit, and folks battlin’ with their inner Grinch in an effort to be good fer the sake of others.
When we think of Christmas here at Screaming Soup! HQ, the yuletide season means a few things. Jammin’ to Christmas rap albums, fightin’ with the assembly of mema’s tree on the family farm, engorgin’ ourselves on crockpots full of holiday meatballs, wearin’ ugly sweaters that surprisingly have some mistletoe magic to ’em, and gettin’ bent outta shape knowin’ how much happier we’d be with cold hard cash than the useless pile of last minute nick knacks it was blown on. But most importantly, it means holdin’ our horses long ‘nough to break outta the day-to-day routines and appreciate what we got goin’ fer us, and those we’re lucky ‘nough to share it with.
And that includes y’all, Scream Freaks! So, Merry Christmas!! When it comes to our show, we couldn’t ask fer a better bunch of supporters to cheer us through our animated antics these past seasons, and we’re lookin’ forward to many many more. We’re still hard at work on our next episode featurin’ a crossover with Doctor Wolfula (which will be premierin’ soon), have more Toy Federation interviews and secondary vids planned that includes a chat with our favorite Jason, Kane Hodder, and even snagged an animated cameo with an actor from one of our favorite cult films we talk ’bout all the time. It’s all very excitin’, and there’s more where that came from (like ‘nother 50 episodes of Screaming Soup! worth)!
So, sling some soup at a shelter, leave Santa a stiff drink, grab someone to kiss at the strike of the New Year, watch a scary flick full of mutant reindeer, snowmen stalkers, and axe wieldin’ Kris Kringles — however ya celebrate, live fer the moment and dream big in 2022!
Other than that, please show your support fer our show with donations through Patreon, Buy Me A Coffee, and Ko-fi, catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo’s OSI 74!
See ya later, Scream Freaks!
And enjoy the holiday rap album by Crew X that warped us as young’ns!!
Howdy there, Scream Freaks! Lots to catch up on since last we yapped, so let’s get to it, what do ya say?
First off, the Virtual HorrorHound Film Festival we were invited to host with Clownvis and Raggedy Dead Ann was a hoot and a half! We got to watch a butt load of flicks from some very promisin’ filmmakers we need to keep tabs on, mingle with a buncha comedians in the livestream’s chat rooms, and cheer our fellow horror hosts durin’ their segments. Raggedy reeled us in with her deceptively cutesy act, but Clownvis had us rollin’ with his oddball music video, Trafficula, y’all gotta see to disbelieve. And much to our devilish delight, the crowd had just as much fun watchin’ our short film block with us havin’ to keep the film festival’s livestream safe from a couple of malicious viruses found in a VR machine Doc Rex drug outta storage to enhance our virtual experience. Lotta fun, good times, and thanks again to master wordsmith Jessica Dwyer for makin’ this happen. In case any of you Scream Freaks missed the festival, below is our segment minus the short films fer yer enjoyment!
Now, last time we wrote y’all, we teased at an upcomin’ video interview with Alex Vincent, better known as Andy from the Chucky movies. Everyone involved thought this would be a shoe-in to happen since he’s not some pretentious A-lister flyin’ in from Beverly Hills, but lo and behold, we couldn’t twist this former child star’s arm to save our tailbone for so much as a single question. After lookin’ worried he’d be seen talkin’ to a skeleton cowboy, Alex said he wouldn’t do an interview for less than three digits and even hinted he might be a bit gun shy from some cyber bullyin’ he’s experienced lately. With no choice but to respect the fella’s wishes, the best we could do is ask our question and report it back here for you Scream Freaks.
In case you trivia nuts and jokesters didn’t know, ‘long ‘fore Alex popped back in the Chucky movies with Curse of Chucky, he actually had one last literal throwdown with his friend to the end in a little movie called My Family Treasure in 1993. A family friendly flashback flick ’bout a household’s claim to a Faberge egg from the Russian Revolution, the reason horror fans will wanna check this respectably made fluff out (other than Dee Wallace playin’ Alex’s mama) is ’cause Alex has a humorous confrontation with a store bought Chucky doll. Most the movie takes place in a livin’ room littered with toys, one of which is a Chucky doll Alex immediately picks up the moment he enters the scene. He and the chew toy lookin’ Good Guy lock eyes long ‘nough to let the inside joke set in, then he throws the little guy down to haunt the background the rest of the movie. When we asked ’bout this gag, Alex admitted this was all the director’s idea after he figured out the heroic little boy from the Child’s Play franchise was cast in his movie, and he was the one who brought the toy to set. For those of y’all interested in seein’ My Family Treasure in its entirety, it’s still up on YouTube last we checked.
We also owe a long overdue shout out to ‘nother supporter of our show. James C. Harberson III is a brilliant writer who first hit us up to review his graphic novel, Stay Alive (which is currently nominated for a Rondo Award for the Best Graphic Novels or Collections category. Check out our review in our Sequential Slime blog HERE), and is now spreadin’ the good word ’bout his new terrifyin’ anthology, A Disgusting Supermarket of Death. A mish mash of horrific characters and twisted fates, we encourage ya’ll to give yerself a good scare with these gross out pros and head over to its Amazon link HERE to snag it digitally or as a traditional paperweight. And if ya need more convincin’ to read this sucker, just see what our favorite ghost girlfriend Mandy has to say ’bout it with her in depth review HERE! And don’t forget to vote for ’em in the Rondos and throw us a vote while yer at it for favorite horror host HERE!
Finally, the biggest news to happen ’round here lately is the announcement we won a Silver Bolo Award for excellence in horror entertainment from one of our show’s biggest inspirations, Joe Bob Briggs! Yeeeeee-Haw! Kickin’ off the premier of The Last Drive-In‘s third season on Shudder with a double feature of Mother’s Day and The House By the Cemetery, we’re honored to be the first recipients of this season’s winners and happily join the exclusive ranks of those who won ‘fore us. We’ve had our eye on this sucker since Darcy the Mail Girl first made it part of the show in 2019, and persistently suggested our show for the award with the help of you Scream Freaks as a lesser known horror themed series that could use the exposure. Never missin’ an episode of Last Drive-In since its original marathon that broke the internet, it’s surreal this happened the one time we had to miss the live feed due to plans out of town. Thank Craven for social media. As if designed by fate, we just so happen to look at social media the very minute Shudder congratulated us for the award on Twitter!
Thank you Joe Bob Briggs for bein’ such an inspiration all these years. Thank you Darcy for believin’ our show is worthy of this attention. Thank you Shudder for givin’ the horror community somethin’ to rally ’round like The Last Drive-In. And most importantly, thank you Scream Freaks for all your support these many years. It’s your die hard enthusiasm for our show that fuels our creative fires to achieve milestones such as this.
What’s next on our agenda, ya ask? We just snagged a couple more sweet interviews this past weekend with Tyler Mane and Paul Taylor, better known as Michael Myers and Pinhead, so expect to see those vids drop sooner than later. And it’s that time of year ‘gain when we help our favorite horror fam, the Horror Addicts, celebrate their own annual award show recognizin’ the best in horror entertainment, the Ahhh Scares! Scheduled for 4/25/21 on their YouTube channel, we’ll be there to hand out the award for best animated horror of 2020!
Other than that, be sure to catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo‘s OSI 74!
Howdy there, Scream Freaks! Things have been a lot calmer since the premier of our 50th episode this Halloween, but we’re still hard at work bringin’ ya further adventures from the wild weird west with an upcomin’ season yer sure to go bonkers over. In the meantime, our amigos over at our favorite palace of plastic playtime from yesteryear and today, Toy Federation, have been keepin’ us in the loop with even more horror icons they booked in light of all the con cancellations this year, and this time ’round, they wrangled in the Candyman himself, Tony Todd!
While initially intimidated to meet the fella whose mere presence sends folks runnin’ outta room, we were surprised Tony’s actually a big cut up. Rather than spookin’ fans with his loomin’ stature or gravely voice, he spent the majority of his time jokin’ ’round, sharin’ recipes, and even snagged a couple of comedy routines with us for his Instagram which was beyond unbelievable. He ended up bein’ so entertainin’, it’s any wonder someone thought he could translate into one of the scariest supernatural killers to ever be captured on celluloid, but that’s just how talented of a thespian he is.
While on his good side, we persuaded Tony to give us a few minutes for an interview and got more than we bargained for with all kinds of silly reactions and answers we never saw comin’! It was a little harder to pull a theme together for the questions this time compared to past interviews at Toy Federation, ’cause Tony has such a varied body of work after more than 30 years in the actin’ biz, but we think it all worked out and made for one funny vid y’all are sure to enjoy below. Let us know what ya think!
Other than that, be sure to catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo‘s OSI 74!
Howdy there, Scream Freaks! Boy, if y’all didn’t know better, you’d probably think we traded our digs at the Howl-Inn Grub & Spirits for our new favorite toy store, Toy Federation, ’cause that’s where we spent ‘nother weekend diggin’ through collections of yesteryear and today’s action figures while wranglin’ in visitin’ horror legends for a friendly chat ’bout different odds and ends of their careers. This week, that lucky icon gets to be none other than horror’s favorite scream queen next door, Danielle Harris!
With the chance to shoot the breeze for a minute, we were hard pressed to ask Danielle anythin’ that wasn’t already covered in a bajillion interviews ‘cross the interweb, but did find a lack of information regardin’ her stint as lead rugrat in several toy commercials from the ’80s. Diggin’ up her past playin’ with high dollar hunks of plastic, Danielle was more than happy to skip down memory lane with us. Just watch the vid below!
Other than that, be sure to catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo‘s OSI 74!
Howdy there, Scream Freaks! Sorry, it’s been awhile since we last checked in, but Halloween’s right ’round the corner, and we’re balls to the wall crankin’ out the goods to ensure we get y’all the long awaited finale to our fifth season that also happens to be -(GASP!)- our 50TH EPISODE!! Jumpin’ jack-o-lanterns, right? Yup, it’s an all out spooktacular as we wrap up everything from our descent into the bowels of hell, finally review the winnin’ flicks of our Scream Freak Film Contest, and party with most guest star cameos we’ve ever had. Just check out some of these sneak peeks!
In the meantime, we had to tear ourselves away from the grindstone when we heard Toy Federation was bringin’ ‘nother horror hall of famer ’round their parts, and it was none other than the American Werewolf himself, David Naughton! With the chance to bend his ear for a quick chat, we were hard pressed to ask David anythin’ he hadn’t already answered a bajillion times ’bout his time as a special effects werewolf but did find a lack of information regardin’ his time as Dr. Pepper’s fizz pushin’ pitchman he fondly mentioned on An American Werewolf in London‘s commentary track. Decidin’ to dig up his past as the face of a generation of peppers, David was more than happy to share his unexpected career in soda ads from the very first commercial to his questionable separation An American Werewolf in London might be to blame for. Just watch the vid below!
Other than that, be sure to catch up on all past Screaming Soup! seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo‘s OSI 74!
Howdy there, Scream Freaks! Took a bit o’ time to get here, but partner, we promise the wait was worth it! One step closer to our epic Season Five finale, and things are literally heatin’ up as we make our big move to rescue everyone’s favorite apocalyptic goat from bein’ sacrificed in the name of kickstartin’ doomsday. There’s rapid fire action, high flyin’ tension, and plenty o’ laughs as we dish out our most ambitious episode yet!
As fer the movie we chose to review, it seems y’all are really bein’ thrown for a loop with this one. This Is The End ain’t yer typical horror flick and is much newer than the stuff we normally review, but that’s why we picked it. We always said we want to focus on more of the overlooked oddities folks should know ’bout, and this neglected “comedy” we had an instant love connection with is no different. Seems some of y’all’s reaction are polar opposites regardin’ it bein’ a Seth Rogen project, and while we trust him as an entertainin’ filmmaker, our praise for this film really boils down to its incredible execution for laugh and scares we would think alotta folks can connect with. We were so surprised and overwhelmed when we first saw This Is The End in theaters, it’s the last movie that made us excitedly round up as many amigos as we could for a second viewin’ in the same day!
We also want to give a shout-out to our amigo Danny Knightmare from the Horror Addicts fer squeezin’ his voicebox as the demonic lava surfin’ dude, Rebel Devil. We had some difficulty fillin’ that role and grateful for his savin’ the episode in the last minutes of its production. Now, that we’ve heard his radical take on the dude, we’re slappin’ ourselves in the face for thinkin’ anyone else coulda been cast as this character. Check Danny and the rest of his horrific family out at their YouTube channel, and Twitter!
Other than that, be sure to catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo‘s OSI 74!
When someone asks that question, the undeniable desire to say yes goes deeper than DNA. Something integral to most souls screams at the darkness and anxiously awaits a response to confirm the horrors we’ve always known are there. The filmmakers behind Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark skillfully explore that timeless concept, and they use the most effective medium known to man: a motley crew of captivating kids.
From The Goonies to Stranger Things, there’s nothing like coming-of-age angst to fuel an adventure, and the Scary Stories ensemble definitely has the “It” factor . . . lovable outcasts with believable quirks. This movie may not resonate with some genre fans who’ve set the meter to one extreme or another—either “Goosebumps” or hardcore horror. The viewer has the feeling that everything is going to be okay, so we’re safe on this ride, but it still takes us through the twists and tunnels of the scariest place of all, our childhood imagination.
I recently watched a documentary on the Scary Stories book series, which is a straightforward presentation of short stories that have been retold in assorted iterations across many cultures and generations. You probably can’t name the writer, because he never became wildly famous, but you’re familiar with one who provided commentary on his work: R.L. Stine. Ironically, like the Scary Stories screenwriters and director, Stine chose to fictionalize and build on the influences of folklore, and that usually is better for the bank account. The original book might have thrived as a nonfiction work for adults had it included all the research the documentary revealed the author had conducted on versions and details of the stories. Of course, the books became infamous, as they were banned from school libraries; in one way or another, their legends outlived the author who collected them.
I mention this because Scary Stories ultimately is a writer’s movie. As in numerous Stephen King classics, the main character aspires to a literary life, but first, Stella, the plucky protagonist, well played by Zoe Margaret Colletti, will have to fight for her actual life as she and her friends discover the real story behind a myth and learn that humans can be monsters.
The film is set in the Vietnam era and uses industrialism, racism, and other timely issues simply as effective context for the characters. Perhaps one of the reasons the movie is both appropriate for the PG-13 demographic and a great summertime escape for adults is that the writers brilliantly avoid personal political and social statements. The moral of the story is a commentary on the importance of telling the right story and not allowing complacency or fear to necessarily perpetuate some of the tales we’ve been told to believe.
If someone asks you to go see this “Scary Story,” say yes!
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