Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts

New Year got you feeling a little "flushed?" Check out the NEW Strange Kids Club!


No worries. Strange Kid is back in business with a slew of cool new stuff planned for 2011 including the announcement of a brand new website: www.strangekidsclub.com. That's right, SKC has gone "legit" with it's very own domain name, and to make it even easier for you to find your favorite articles we have a new layout and navigation system. Although our Blogger site will remain active, all new content can be found over at the new website so please re-adjust your RSS feeds accordingly.

We've also got a few new columns planned including the return of our Creative Spotlight feature, new webcomics, podcasts, and even more guest posts such as Jose Cruz's Bad Issues feature. Speaking of Cruz, he is also responsible for genesis of What Makes You a Strange Kid?, a new feature dedicated to clubhouse members that allows you to share your story behind what makes you a "strange kid."

As if that's not enough, we've also got our first SKC Anthology featuring a line-up a mega-talented artists that we've had the pleasure of either meeting or interviewing this past year. An exlcusive t-shirt is in the works and, of course, our series of long-promised vlogs featuring Strange Kid himself are all planned for 2011 as well. So thanks for reading our stories, laughing (at least politely) at our bad puns, and just for generally being a part of our strange little world here. We hope that you will stick with us this year and beyond!

Once again, all new updates will be made available at www.strangekidsclub.com.





It's a "Muppet Family Christmas!"



In the spirit of the season (and the fact that I'm currently traveling) I'm going to keep this as short and sweet as possible. The clubhouse has had quite a run this year with an aggressive publishing schedule of (relatively speaking) 1-2 articles daily, 3x the number of club members following along, and several new contributors and friends alike on board. With a new site in the works alongside an official Strange Kids Anthology on the horizon, 2011 looks to be even better and it's all thanks to each and every one of you. Whether you visit the clubhouse to read the latest interview every Monday, enjoy the featured comics, or just like hearing me rant about the good old times of yesteryear I want to take this time to say thank. Thank you, thank you, thank you!





Simon Pegg and Nick Frost helmed 'Paul' Trailer



They've taken on the horror genre with Shaun of the Dead and buddy/action flicks with Hot Fuzz. Now, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have sets their sights on the sci-fi genre with Paul, featuring the [erratic] comical wit of Seth Rogen as the titular alien and Jason Bateman as a "man in black" among others (Jeffrey Tambor, Jane Lynch, Kristen Wiig).

Reuniting once more, Pegg and Frost play two sci-fi/comic nerds on their way to Area 51 where they hope their adventure will turn up some evidence of alien life. Unfortunately for them, it does and it's name is Paul. Like a hyperactive E.T., Paul is a crude, smart-mouth lifeform whose escaped from custody and hitched a ride with the duo in an attempt to get back home. As the trailer boasts, it's the most fun you'll have seeing an alien scratch his balls (okay, so maybe I'm paraphrasing).





The Zombies are Coming! New 'dARk Minutes' Podcast

Discover The Italian Zombie movie by Thomas Berdinski, in this love letter to 70s and 80s Italian exploitation you'll find humor, gore and over 2 hours of zombie goodness. Check out the movie at http://italianzombiemovie.com/. Be there or be dead. Next, it's a guest review of a famous 80s classic by none other than Root Rot himself from http://thewitchshatblog.com/.



[Download mp3]

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR - GREY
The dark and mysterious Grey is the creator and co-host of the Dark Hours Horror Podcast. The Dark Hours is an exploration of cult cinema from yesterday and today. Each episode is packed with sound clips, horror movie music and contributions from listeners. Segments include The Dark Cut, Dark Detour, Kill the 80s, Girls of Horror and more.






'God of War' Prepares for some 'Mortal Kombat'



Before the first great Console War of 2005, I enjoyed many an hour of brutal, blood-soaked gaming courtesy of a certain undying son of Sparta (psst, his name is Kratos). I won't even make mention of another PS-exclusive franchise (*cough*MetalGearSolid*cough*) that I miss. Anyway, once I made the jump from Sony's Playstation 2 to Microsoft's much more attractive XBOX 360 I had to bid a bitter farewell to the God of War franchise in exchange for a more diverse catalog of games (hey, XBOX did have DOOM at the time).

Ever since then my gaming has been regrettably Kratos-less and unfortunately that doesn't seem likely to change anytime soon. Revealed at Spike TV's VGA (Video Game Awards) show this past weekend, those crazy awesome bastards at Netherrealm Studios (formerly Midway Chicago) are pulling a Soul Caliber move with the reveal of Kratos as a PS3 playable exclusive (see footage above). All I'm left to wonder is where is the XBOX love people?





dARk HOurs Episode 17: HorrorHound Weekend Cincinnati (2010)

Horrorhound Weekend recently took place in Cincinatti this past November and Grey has the report STRAIGHT from the floor. Enjoy coverage of Halloween 4 and Reanimator panels; thrill to an Infinite Santa presentation; and learn about the secrets behind the infamous grindhouse classic, Maniac.

Meet new and exciting people and learn about interesting podcasts. It's all here for you and you don't even have to leave the comfort of your own state! Consider it a primer for making your own plans to attend Horrorhound in Indianapolis next year!


[Download mp3]

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR - GREY
The dark and mysterious Grey is the creator and co-host of the Dark Hours Horror Podcast. The Dark Hours is an exploration of cult cinema from yesterday and today. Each episode is packed with sound clips, horror movie music and contributions from listeners. Segments include The Dark Cut, Dark Detour, Kill the 80s, Girls of Horror and more.






Splatterhouse: Behind the Blood Featurette



Bet you thought the Splatterhouse brew-ha-ha was over, eh? Despite critical reviews by some of the internet's largest gaming sites (go suck an egg IGN and Kotaku), my passion for splattering is far from extinguished. Luckily, Namco Bandai is more than willing to feed my need with two new videos they released this past Friday featuring a behind the scenes look at both the art and history of Splatterhouse.

You might recognize Dave Wilkins (Art Director) who was kind enough to stop by and lay some knowledge of the game on us way back in July (click here to see that interview). Dan Tovar has also been a driving force behind the new game as Producer. It's a shame what happened to this stellar team of creators (if you haven't heard, Namco sent 90 employees packing recently including the entire Splatterhouse dev team), and there's absolutely no reason for it to be garnering such bad reviews. On the bright side, reader reviews on many of these same sites seem almost entirely positive.





2 Friends. Hordes of the Undead. 80s Style Comedy.



Harold and Kumar. Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. The Blues Brothers. The world of film is full of buddy comedies that feature living, breathing best buds. But what about zombies? I mean, they can't ALL be mindless brain munchers... right? Introducing Deadheads, the first feature length film by brothers Brett and Drew Pierce. Having cut their teeth on the indie anthology, Secrets of Fenville, the brothers have set their sites on the zombie sub-genre.

Despite a rise in popularity for the "bullet sponges" in the past few years, it's hard for anything new to standout, but if this teaser trailer for Deadheads is any indication of the caliber of work that the Pierces can produce then horror and comedy fans have something to look forward to in 2011.
Deadheads a return to the great comedy/adventure films of the 80's like "Back to the Future" and the "Goonies". The story follows two zombie slackers, Mike and Brent, who find themselves surprisingly reborn from the dead amid a disastrous zombie outbreak. After discovering an engagement ring in his coat pocket, Mike enlists his new found zombie pal, Brent, to embark on a quest in search of his lost love.

What ensues is a hilarious cross country road trip as these two reformed flesh-eating pals hitchhike cross country as they are pursued by a team of zombie killin' bounty hunters!
The film is currently listed as being post-production which is promising for a 2011 debut. You can bet that this is one I'm keeping my eager eyes on.






Doctor Octoroc Presents: After These Messages



Artwork by Jude Buffum
Do you like cartoons? How about video games? Even old school TV commercials? Well of course you do, that's why you're here!

Well, as luck would have it that there's a new album that's just for you and it's not even the best part: you pick your own price! Composed by Doctor Octoroc and featuring a super-rad cover design by Jude Buffum (seriously, this guy's work is just downright cool), After These Messages features over "30 tracks inspired by classic TV shows, cartoons and commercials. Each track is arranged as the theme song for a theoretical 8-bit video game, much like titles found on the Nintendo Entertainment System."

Check out a preview above and then get your copy!





Beware the Bearded Man... 'Rare Exports' Full Review


Hey there fellow strange kids! I just wanted to let you know that I recently had the opportunity to review the upcoming film, Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale for Bloodsprayer.com and although I can't re-post my review here I can share a snippet of my impression...
As Jalmari Helander’s first feature length film Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale offers an impressive ensemble of unknown talent emphasized by a solid script and foreboding score, all of which have been deftly honed over the course of his previous short films (Rare Exports, Inc. and Rare Exports: The Official Safety Instructions). On some levels it’s comparable to John Carpenter’s The Thing, by way of The Monster Squad, and though the film doesn’t spend too much time explaining it’s premise we are given enough visual cues to allow our imagination to fill in the gaps.
Suffice it to say, I thought the entire film was fantastic! If you want to check out the entire review, head on over to Bloodsprayer and share your thoughts.





dARk Minutes: Do You Walk or Run, Forida Possum?

Grey returns with a zombie infested edition of his dARk Minutes podcast feature (located on the left sidebar). This time Grey is joined by renowned author and extraordinary Canadian, Florida Possum. Together they embark on a journey across borders to explore the zombie phenomenon in France and then Germany. Is this trip worth your time? Tune in to find out.

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Also be sure to check out the awesome, action-packed web series Infinite Santa 8000 by Burnt Reindeer Films. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, "everyone must kill to survive, even Santa." There's mad scientists, cyborgs and (of course) Santa all wrapped in an ultra-violent sci-fi bow.

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR - GREY
The dark and mysterious Grey is the creator and co-host of the Dark Hours Horror Podcast. The Dark Hours is an exploration of cult cinema from yesterday and today. Each episode is packed with sound clips, horror movie music and contributions from listeners. Segments include The Dark Cut, Dark Detour, Kill the 80s, Girls of Horror and more.






Splatterhouse Vixen Jennifer Willis "Revealed" in Playboy Spread


UPDATE: For the full view of Jennifer's spread in addition to Playboy's review of the game, visit Playboy.com. 

So you think one Splatterhouse update is enough? Think again! Yours truly was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Playboy's latest cross promotion for game heads with a full page spread featuring none other than Namco's Splatterhouse lade in distress: Jennifer Willis.

Although I can't show the full spread here due to the variety of age groups that hang out at the clubhouse, you can check it out in the December issue of Playboy magazine on stands now. And let me tell you... if you're a fan of video games and beautiful women, it's well worth the price of admission. Really a precursor to the often lauded bonus material available in the new game in which players can collect fragments of Jennifer's "all natural" auteur self portraits, this promotion is sure to stir the blood(flow) in any diehard Splatterhouse fan. What I can share, however, is Jennifer's bio page which offers a few references to the horror genre for the eagle-eyed fan. Yes, Rick's main squeeze sure has come a long way from being that 8-bit brunette we all remember way back when.

Wonder if this means she's legal now...






MTV's 'Teen Wolf' Reboot... WTF?!



Turd Wolf cometh
I hardly muster the words to describe what an insulting abomination this is. Like the bastard child of Twilight and The CW's Vampire Diaries, this teaser trailer for MTV's upcoming reboot of Teen Wolf reeks of teen angst and glitter-sniffers. Yes, I understand that this demographic exits, as if ticket sales for Twilight isn't a big enough offense, but what in the holy hell are they thinking?!

Could they seriously not have made this into an original series instead of dragging the Teen Wolf franchise over hot coals before pissing on the ashes? Shot mostly in Atlanta, GA the show's premise apparently focuses on a
newly bitten werewolf, ‘Scott McCall,’ his best friend ‘Stiles,’ the mysterious new girl in town, ‘Allison,’ and Tyler Hoechlin as the older and possibly quite dangerous werewolf, ‘Derek Hale.’ Always an outsider and often unnoticed, Scott McCall yearns to be recognized in some small way that takes him out of his typical state of high school anonymity. When his best friend, Stiles, convinces him to go into the woods one night to join a police search for a dead body, Scott encounters a creature in the darkness.
Seriously, this one makes me want to grab a copy of Skinwalkers or even *shudder* Cursed to wash out the bad taste.





Show Your Inner Strange Kid! Call For Entries



UPDATE:  
Please format all submissions to a 8.5" x 11" format.

CALL FOR ENTRIES
Strange Kids Club would like to give you a chance to show off your inner strange kid with an Open Call for Entries! Established to celebrate the pop culture retro geekdom of B-movie monsters, classic wrestling, comic books, toys and television shows; SKC is seeking to recognize those talented illustrators, character designers and comic artists that wish to take part and be featured in an upcoming Strange Kid Anthology.

We're looking for fanart, short comics, creative collages and more (even animations!) to compile into one huge SKC anthology towards the beginning of next year. Wanna learn more? Continue reading after the bump for information on how to enter your work!






Aiden's Monsters: A Modern Day Monster Kid Needs Your Help



Strange Kids Club was founded in the spirit of living in a childhood full of monster, comic books, cartoons and video games forever and ever. So when I first heard about this story making it's way across the internets it really struck a chord with me on a personal level. Here's a kid who not only has a condition beyond his control and yet he's found a way to deal with it through his art and an imagination full of monsters, mutants and madmen.

The story of Aiden, as described on his blog, is one of an extraordinary 5 year old boy whose love for all things scary has endowed him with a passion for monsters, clowns, drawing, and dressing up in costume all year round. He also has a condition known as Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and though he's been resilient through his chemo treatments thus far he's still got a few years left to go.

Aiden's Monsters is a way that he and his family has found to turn Adrian's love of monsters and scary things into an way in which you and I can help pay Aiden's massive medical bills. If you'd like to purchase one of Aiden's artworks or simply offer a donation or kind words, please visit Aiden's Etsy shop and help see that a fellow monster kid can grow up to share his vision and enthusiasm with the world.



Artwork © All rights reserved by Aidan's Monsters





New 'dARk HOurs' Podcast: Halloween Special Edition

This week Grey and his crew have brought us a very special Halloween Edition of The dARk HOurs podcast featuring an expansive DHP playlist that includes six movies! Those movies are Paranormal Activity, Necromentia, Children of the Corn (2009), Staunton Hill, Transsiberian and the reviled zombie epic, Survival of the Dead!

Grey also reveals where he's been lately (Hint: Its NOT a dark place.) in addition to co-hosting another dARk cUT segment with Cutter of the summer hit, Piranha 3-D. Were the boys blown over or will they tell you to stay out of the water? Listen to find out. Finally, to cap off the show, Kill The 80s focuses on splatter classic, Slime City from director Greg Lamberson.

All this and more can be found to your left sidebar for either live streaming or instant download to your favorite media player so check it out and Happy Haunting!





Splatterhouse Website Relaunches PLUS New Footage



As promised a week or so back the official Splatterhouse site has relaunched with a slightly overhauled look and tons of new content. There are some new streaming audio tracks and a section dedicated to the bands from the game's OST, a new media section with some new goodies, features list, and even character profiles that reveal a bit more of the storyline.

Of course who could look past that prominent "Buy Now" button which takes you to a section that shows off all of the incentives for pre-ordering the game. Personally I've got mine on pre-order from Game Stop so I can get that sweet looking "Mask" statuette, but to be honest that all sound pretty awesome. You'll also be able to play the original Splatterhouse on your mobile phone (iPhone or Android) soon too! November can't come soon enough.

UPDATE: It would seems yesterday's post was a little shy of missing this killer preview game footage courtesy of Gametrailers (see above)! This only fuels my excitement for what I anticipate to be Strange Kid's Game of the Year. Forget the turkey... this November it's all about squishy aberrations of science!

This article is part of the Countdown to Halloween blogathon, a month-long blogging marathon dedicated to honoring the Halloween season. For more information and a full list of participating sites, please visit www.countdowntohalloween.com.





NEW Halloween Short by Ariescope and Adam Green!



Just Take One.

There are certain rules that every kid need abide by during Halloween and the crew over at Ariescope are making damn sure that you know the consequences of not respecting them. As they do every year (much to the delight of fans everywhere), Ariescope has a time-honored tradition of releasing a new short Halloween-themed film and thankfully this year is no different.

The rules of each short are simple: there's no budget and it must be filmed in one night. As their 12th annual short, Just Take One makes perfect use of these guidelines and features two trick or treaters (Green and Joe Lynch) as they struggle with the ethical ramifications of the "honor bowl." Left out by some homes on Halloween, the honor bowl is one of those seductive sirens that tells you to only take just one piece of candy, but really begs you to take it all. Will the boys be faithful to the rules or will their greed get the better of them? Nothing is what it seems on Halloween...





Help Fright Rags Fight Breast Cancer— Sale Ends Thursday!



This is just a reminder that pre-orders for Fright Rags exclusive Breast Cancer Awareness "We Belong Alive" shirt end tomorrow, Thursday, October 14th. If you missed out on the initial run it's because these suckers sold out fast and so Ben and his crew had to go back into production to make some more!

For those of you who don't know, all the proceeds from this exclusive shirt will be donated to Ben's dear friend, Leisha Davison-Yasol (see insert), who is currently battling breast cancer. According to Ben, Leisha started chemotherapy this past May and she has unfortunately lost her hair. With at least another year left of treatment, her family still faces the challenge of paying their bills and taking care of their children. So every sale will go to help Leisha and her family with relates those expenses. If you'd like to purchase one of the shirts, simply visit Fright Rags' We Belong Alive section. At the very least, be sure to retweet or share this story on Facebook to your friends and family— help support a 'ghoul' cause!





A Chat w/ Bill Plympton about Influences, 'Idiots and Angels'



For those that don’t know, Bill Plympton is somewhat of a legend in the independent animation industry. Though his name may not be as well known in mainstream pop culture as Walt Disney or Tex Avery he is nonetheless just as important a figure in the overall evolution of the genre. Looking back, it was some of Plympton’s earliest work for MTV’s Liquid Television that first made me realize the potential that animation had beyond entertaining children— it could, in fact, be used to convey a deep range of emotion and metaphor-laden storyline.

Beginning with his first solo short film, Your Face, Plympton recalls Liquid Television as being his big break in the industry, but reflects on the American tendency to “departmentalize cartoons as a sacred artfom for children only” as the reason behind the lack of mainstream acceptance for his work within the U.S. Plympton, however, has seen his share fair of accolades in countries such as France, Korea and Spain where animation is more widely accepted as adult-oriented. Much like the late Ralph Bakshi, Plympton has never shied away from sexual content or violence in pursuit of his vision.





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