Adam Green’s 2006 slasher film Hatchet boldly branded itself a return to “old-school American horror” – and rightly so. The story of supernatural killer Victor Crowley was unremittingly bloody, earning the ire of the MPAA, who bestowed it with the commercial kiss of death: an NC17. Even more cartoonish and bloody, Hatchet II amps up the mayhem considerably.

New York singer/songwriter Aaron Stoquert released his first EP this week, a five-song album written from a zombie’s perspective called Run For Your Life, and kindly reached out to Rue Morgue to share his news and his music. The sparse compositions – in which Aaron sings and plays acoustic and slide guitar, bass and percussion in a haunting, downtrodden folk style – are a little shaky in spots but there’s definitely a strange sadness inherent in these songs sung from the point of view of the helpless undead.

Yup, it happened again. We accidentally left the review-writing machine on overnight and have found ourselves with a surplus of movie critiques that just wouldn’t fit in the last issue of Rue Morgue no matter how many times we tried to shove ‘em in there. Thus, CineMacabre spills into The Abattoir for your reading and movie-lovin’ pleasure…

Vancouver not-for-profit organization Second Level Wizards Awesome Events Society is hosting its second H.P.
Lovecraft-themed convention and film festival – Cthulhupalooza II: Son of Cthulhupalooza – Friday, February 18, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Rickshaw Theatre (254 E. Hastings St.) in Vancouver, BC.

I’ve always liked the creepy story of the Mothman, so I’m excited to see that a new documentary is on the way. According to the Point Pleasant Register, the American Distribution company, Virgil Films, is set to release a new documentary film on Feb. 22 that will feature the controversial and legendary Mothman. The documentary, titled “Eyes of the Mothman,” will be the first comprehensive feature documentary on the mysterious events that surrounded the area in 1966.

Paramount Home Entertainment and Rue Morgue are giving away 10 double passes for you and a friend to see an EXCLUSIVE private screening of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2, including a Q&A with star MICAH SLOAT hosted by Rue Morgue magazine, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3 at 7:30 p.m. inside the chapel of the Rue Morgue House of Horror!

He was best known for playing the handsome brigand in The Princess Bride, but Saw turned an entirely new audience on to actor Cary Elwes. As the smarmy Dr. Lawrence Gordon, Elwes made an impression on Saw fans who campaigned to have him brought back to the series. Elwes finally acquiesced, reprising Gordon in Saw: The Final Chapter, out on DVD and Blu-ray January 25.

For years, Funko has been putting out bobbleheads as part of their Wacky Wobblers line. Wildly popular with collectors, the line is comprised of characters ranging from Betty Boop to comic book heroes like Spider-Man and The Hulk. And while the company released a number of items years ago based on the monstrous mascots of General Mills’ line of Monster Cereals – Count Chocula, Franken Berry, Boo Berry, Fruit Brute and Yummy Mummy as well as non-bobblehead figures of characters from the 1967 animated Rankin-Bass film Mad Monster Party – it hasn’t been till recently that they’ve really been putting out collectibles based on horror and cult film properties. Several of these are modern horror icons like Jason and Freddy (with a Michael Myers scheduled to be on the way), but others include classic characters like the titular character from the 1958 Vincent Price classic, The Fly.

After Dark Films, originators of the Horrorfest film series, is set to unleash a brand new series of films, After Dark Originals, at least for a little while. Their 2011 slate — Husk, Fertile Ground, Scream Of The Banshee, Prowl, The Task, Re-Kill, Seconds Apart and 51 — will get a limited theatrical release in America from Jan. 28 to Feb. 3 before popping up on DVD and Blu-ray later in the year.