FORTEAN FILES - Origin of The Real X-Files

There are stories and rumors that X-Files creator Chris Carter was given leaked information from the FBI about certain paranormal things as he was developing his show. Another story is that Carter was part of a control group that was allowed to read some top secret files about UFO's and was told to disclose bits of info through his show to the public. Is there any truth to this whatsoever?  I have no answer for that, but it does make for some interesting thought.
One story that is true is that the "X-Files" were a real thing. In the late 1940's and early 1950's there was a Special Agent is charge of investigating the UFO phenomena for the FBI. His name was Guy Banister.  The story is that Banister would travel around the country investigating UFO's, and when he finished an investigation he sent his report to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. The reports were marked "Top Secret", and given a special designation. The designation was "Subject Matter - X". The origin of the actual X-Files.
Banister's name pops up often throughout the years in many different areas, including conspiracies about JFK and other UFO related topics. He may even be an inspiration for a certain Morley cigarette smoking individual we all know, but those are stories for another day.
So whether actual documents and cases were used by Chris Carter in a fictionalized manner during his run of The X-Files remains a mystery, but the X-Files were, and possibly still are, real.
The Truth is Out There. X

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.

No Hope November - Day 28 - "Creature From Black Lake"

As I try to catch up on No Hope November before it ends, I want to spotlight another extremely obscure movie and genre that I greatly enjoy. After "The Legend of Boggy Creek" proved to be so successful, there was a huge rush of low budget Bigfoot movies that followed, and "Creature From Black Lake" was released in 1976, at the zenith of this. A definite B-movie in all its glory. Set in the swamps of Louisiana and filmed with a grainy look that was common as well as effective for this type of movie at the time, Creature From Black Lake features an outstanding score that sets the tone well. Spooky and suspenseful, this is a well acted film. The gloriously bug eyed Jack Elam turns in a great performance as Trapper Joe, a character that would fit right in on Swamp People. He was born for parts such as this. Basically what happens is two students from Chicago head to the swamp to research Bigfoot for thesis papers they are writing. The locals deny that the Cryptid exists, but the guys continue their research and head deep into the swamp. Enter Trapper Joe, and tons of atmosphere and mosquitoes. Do the guys find Bigfoot? Or does Bigfoot find them? Watch Creature From Black Lake to discover the answers for yourself.

No Hope November - Day 27 - "Slither"

Every once in a while someone makes a movie that is a straight up homage to times past and to certain genres of the past. Many of them fail to deliver on their promise, but on occasion you discover gold. "Slither" is today's No Hope November gold. When you start with a director like James Gunn, the guy that brought us the 2004 remake of Dawn of The Dead, and a little old thing called Guardians of The Galaxy, you may be on to something. Add in a cast including the irrepressible Nathan Fillion, the effervescent Elizabeth Banks, and the erudite Michael Rooker, and it is beginning to look like magic. Slither was released in 2006, but it feels like it could be 1986. An over the top plot mixed with a wacky and talented cast make this a real winner in my eyes. In true 80's honoring the 50's fashion, a meteor crashes and an alien parasite crawls into a dudes brain, slowly mutating him into a ridiculous looking monster. His wife and the local cop try to help him as more and more people begin to transform into zombie like mutants. Filled with great monsters, dark humor, and fun. This movie will not change your life but it will make it better for an hour and a half that you are watching. Slither is much fun and worth your time. Seek it out and pop some popcorn.

No Hope November - Day 26 - "Salem's Lot"

After remarking that I was done doing movies based upon Stephen King books for No Hope November, I decided to go back to the well one more time. "Salem's Lot" was a two part made for TV movie that aired in 1979 on CBS. They stuck the two parts together on this dvd to create a film that lasts for just over 3 hours. Brilliantly directed by Tobe Hooper, Salem's Lot is a story about a writer (David Soul), that returns to his hometown to write a book about a supposed haunted house that sits on a big hill on the edge of town. The writer is named "Ben" and he wants to rent the big old house and stay there while he writes his book. Unfortunately for Ben, a mysterious man named Straker beats him to the punch and buys the house, and also opens an antique store in town. Ben rents a room at a boarding house and begins to settle in to life in the small Maine town, befriending some of the locals and researches for his book. As time goes by people start disappearing and Ben starts to believe it has something to do with the haunted house and the mysterious Mr. Straker. Then the meat of the story really gets going and Salem's Lot develops into a fabulously atmospheric and ever increasingly spooky as a Mo Fo kind of movie. It is creepy and moody. There are vampires that are extremely well done and frightening. These ghouls don't glitter in the sunshine, they are mean and ugly killing machines. Nosferatu style vampires. This is a super movie and anyone that enjoys suspense is sure to get a kick out of it. Well written, well acted and directed, Salem's Lot conveys feelings of fear and dread without any big scenes of blood or gore. A finely crafted story that accomplished everything it set out to do, establishing interesting characters and settings, creating a mood, and scaring the crap out of the viewer. Salem's Lot is a champ.

No Hope November - Day 25 - "Shock Waves"

No Hope November is featuring an amazingly overlooked sub genre of horror, the underwater Nazi zombie. "Shock Waves" is a 1977 film in which a luxury boat is out for a three hour tour, no wait, that's Gilligans Island. Shock Waves is about a boat that crashes onto a reef and the passengers make it to an island that has a big old abandoned hotel on it. Except, it's not abandoned, but rather it is occupied by an old Nazi officer, played brilliantly by Peter Cushing. Come to find out the island is also the home to a leftover experiment from World War 2. Seems that the Nazis were creating undead super soldiers and this is where the last 8 of them are located. These suckers look so cool, they walk around on the ocean floor and do all kinds of crazy stuff. They make for great foes for our bumbling group to deal with. This is a totally odd movie that sounds so ridiculous yet plays out rather interestingly. Not a lot of blood and gore to be found, mainly atmosphere and creepy zombies making sure no one survives their island experience .You must have specific tastes to enjoy this one, and I enjoy it a lot. I feel it is the cream of the crop when it comes to underwater Nazi zombie movies. Check out Shock Waves.