No Hope November - Day 30 - "Night of The Living Dead"

As I write my final No Hope November for 2014 on December 1st, I felt it would be proper to end with a true classic film of no hope, and one of the things that hooked me into the world of horror. George Romero's 1968 Night of The Living Dead is one bleak frickin' movie. Romero, the Godfather of the modern zombie, was making a living shooting local commercials and such in Pennsylvania before he made his big time debut on the scene. With little money and local actors and friends, he created a movie that was a mainstay at drive-ins and midnight movie houses throughout the 70's. Countless people first experienced the shambling ghouls from the comfort of their station wagon or from a stinky, seedy Grindhouse. From the opening scene of terror until the final scene of hope crushing despair, Night of The Living Dead is what No Hope November is all about. The dead are now walking the earth and they are coming after the living. A group of strangers through a series of various incidents wind up together at a remote farmhouse. This is the telling of their gradual descent into hopelessness. No matter what they do or try, the end seems inevitable. Is there hope for salvation? Is the terrifying end of mankind imminent? If you insist on happy endings in your horror movies look elsewhere, because in Night of The Living Dead there are none to be found. If you have never seen this, slap yourself across the face. If you have seen it, watch it again for the social commentary and subtext. Good on you Romero, you No Hope sonofabitch. Thanks for reading the 30 day peek into my movies. Stay tuned for more merriment and creepiness. They're coming for you! They're coming for us all!

No Hope November - Day 29 - "Pumpkinhead"

"Pumpkinhead" is the choice for today's No Hope November. Released in 1988 and directed by special effects guru Stan Winston, I have always had a soft spot for this one. Here's the scoop, bikers from the big city are passing through a backwoods community, and recklessly/accidentally kill a young local boy named Billy. Billy's dad, Ed Harley, played by one of my favorite actors ever, Lance Henricksen, is of course completely devastated by the loss of his son. Ed visits a witch that he believes can resurrect Billy, but discovers it is too late. In his grief he has the witch perform a ritual to summon a demon spirit of vengeance known as The Pumpkinhead. The demon is controlled by Ed's lust for revenge, and as the body count rises, Ed begins to question himself. Now Ed must find a way to stop the evil that he has unleashed before it is too late. Pumpkinhead is a fun and powerful movie with a classic rubber monster wearing Nikes under his costume. It's great fun and Lance Henricksen is the man.