Throughout horror movie history, there are few films that have been able to grab viewers with the sheer raw intensity as the original THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. Tobe Hooper (who both produced and directed) took a handful of unknown actors, a scant $300,000 budget and created a film that plays with such gritty intensity you almost feel like a voyeur watching one of those infamous “loop” films many believe exist despite none having officially surfaced.
When I was in Junior High School, I had an amazing art teacher named Mr. Ray. He was known for his quick wit, hilarious commentary, and a penchant for dropping unruly kids into an industrial-sized waste basket (Ah…the good ole days!). Mr. Ray also was a fan of horror films and, aside from boasting a 1979 ALIEN figure on his classroom shelf, would also host a “Horror Video Club” after school. If there was ever a good reason to be kept after class, this would be it! Our parents had to all sign a consent form as he’d be playing scenes from Rated R horror films, and it was he who introduced me to the prom night vengeance of CARRIE, the genius directing of Hitchcock, and other great examples of horror/sci-fi/suspense treasures.
Ever since watching the quintessential horror host documentary, AMERICAN SCARY, a couple of years ago I’ve been enthralled with Stella Desire. Most people site Elvira as the bawdiest (and bustiest) of the 80’s hostesses but, just as The Mistress of the Dark was the irrefutable “Queen of Camp” on the West Coast, there was another who would dominate the East.
One of the celebrity encounters I was most looking forward to was Tippi Hedren. Ms Hedren, of course, will be forever remembered for her role in Alfred Hitchcock’s THE BIRDS. While this film is often panned by critics in lieu of The Master of Suspense’s other achievements (eg.PSYCHO, VERTIGO, REAR WINDOW) this has always been the film I find myself re-watching the most. I’m sure that is, no doubt, due to my love of animals as well as a good “man vs. nature” flick (of which there are few).
It is with teary eyes of appreciation that we thank all of our readers and friends who helped make us “The Best Horror Blog” of 2011. The Rondo’s are like the Oscars of Monsters and I’d been voting for my favorites pretty much since they began ten years ago. We started the site in July 2010 and were shocked last year when we were nominated. It seemed too good to be true and, while the adage “it was such an honor just to be nominated” might seem cliche,’ it was absolutely true in this case. We didn’t win but we came close and that was unbelievable to us.
When I awoke this morning and saw the numerous texts heralding the news, I honestly had to check the calendar to be sure April 1st (Fool’s Day) had passed and this wasn’t a joke of some kind. I think I am still in a bit of shock.
We want you to know that we are truly humbled by this award and know that we could not have done it without all your votes. We’d especially like to thank ALL of our friends in the Horror Host community for embracing us as they have and allowing us to cover them and their macabre exploits. We would also like to thank our readers who took the time to do this as well. It means more to us than you can imagine.
NOTE: for full list of winners, click HERE!
The Terror Daves: Dave Fuentes & David Albaugh~
It was a gloomy day in Chicago when I picked up the “other Dave” at Midway Airport. Despite a delay in getting our rental car and a GPS system intent on sending us on a scenic tour of Ohio, we arrived at The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Columbus soon after HORRORHOUND WEEKEND began. The accommodations were nice and we were fortunate to have gotten our room there as the demand for the event was such that many guests had no choice but to stay at neighboring hotels.
Terror from Beyond the Dave 