boo, and all that

Halloween is upon us once more kiddies, and as usual I have that weird sort of "I want to do something totally kick ass and amazing but I know I'll just end up watching scary movies with my friends which seems like a disappointment but really it isn't because that's all I want to do anyway" feeling that I get every year. I always want to devise some kind of spectacular costume that no one would ever think of, or would even think possible- I never want to settle for throwing on some mask and being...uh, you know, whatever. Of course, this means that I never dress up as anything. The same goes with the yard: I imagine creating this veritable house of horrors with fog and tombstones and bodies everywhere, you know, like they always did on Roseanne. But then I never want to spend the money on anything, and my "house of horrors" ends up being my regular house with maybe one of those "Halloween sound effects" CDs playing, which is...so lame I shouldn't have even mentioned it.

Likewise, I feel as if I should have some grand, important post in mind for you; one where somehow as you're reading this candy shoots out of your harddrive or something, and you start hearing rattling chains and ghostly moans coming from somewhere. But again, if I can't have it all, then I just have nothing, and what we have here today is a regular old post- which, in a way, might make sense as Halloween is a year-long event as far as I'm concerned. Or maybe that's just some excuse.

Anyway. Last night I checked out Halloween: The Happy Haunting of America, a lite-n-breezy little documentary about haunted house attractions across the country...but mostly in Ohio. This 10th Anniversary edition, hosted by Daniel "That Guy You've Seen A Million Times, But You Can't Name A Single Thing He's Done" Roebuck and Bob "That Guy Who Owns A Bunch Of Stuff" Burns, isn't quite as in-depth as I'd like it to be, but then that's not terribly surprising since the project originally began as a segment for Entertainment Tonight.

There's a brief segment on Don Post, the man behind all those rubber masks I drooled over in the pages of Famous Monsters of Filmland; for me, this was the highlight of the show- but again, it's a brief segment. Angus Scrimm, Robert Englund, Tom Savini, Alice Cooper, and a few other industry types appear as talking heads throughout, sharing their memories of Halloween and all it entails. As a fan, it's great to hear what Savini's costumes were like, but I have to admit that Angus Scrimm always made me a little sad...apparently he grew up poor and treats were always, you know, withered apples or something, and costumes were rarely more than a sheet- and that's if he was lucky.

"I was born a poor black child..."

The haunted house segments, ranging from Universal City's pre-Horror Nights efforts to the amazing displays put on by Bob Burns (seriously- they're the type of thing I dream of having in my yard), are fun but not overly informative. Personally, I love seeing all of 'em, from the extravagant recreations of horror films to the cheapo cotton-batting spider-web variety. This is a great documentary for the haunted house aficionado, however, so I'd highly recommend it if you're looking for some sort of travel guide or what have you.

There's a second disc featuring a new doc hosted again by Roebuck...honestly, it's a bit of a disappointment. It basically amounts to "Hey, let's visit Dr Horror's Scary Time Castle!" and then there's five minutes of footage from Dr Horror's Scary Time Castle accompanied by music; there are no interviews, no discussions, nothing. Ah well, at least it's only the bonus material.

All in all, I'd say this is worth a look if you're a big-time Halloween nut; even then, however, don't expect anything too substantial. It's a bit like going to someone's house hungry because they say they're going to feed you, but then all they bust out is a veggie plate. I mean, cucumber is yummy and all, but I'm still hungry, you know?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Still Need a Costume?

Hey--we all procrastinate from time to time, so we're not going to give you a hard time! But instead of resorting to wearing last year's costume and praying no one will notice (they will!) or drawing some lame cat whiskers on your face with a black eyeliner, check out the MAC website for some real makeup magic. Their last minute ideas look anything but. Our favorites are Crackin' Up--wear it with a torn baby doll dress from last season and you'll look like an antique doll gone astray or Zombie Chick--just add that blank Pamela Anderson stare guys love.


The website tells you what products you'll need so you can DIY. Or go to the store for some professional help.

Happy Halloween!

Got a great costume idea you're willing to share? We would love to hear it!

What We're Reading Now

As if the sight of the pool boy isn’t enough to get us all hot and bothered, we picked up Juicy Mangos a collection of dirty short stories edited by JSG’s good friend, Michelle Herrera Mulligan—she wrote one, too! It’s the perfect vacation read: a true a page turner with lots of scenes that make our toes curl up in ecstasy AND statements about love that are thought-provoking and give us lots to talk about with the girls over dinner. Plus since they’re short stories, we can actually finish one before it’s time to reapply our sunblock!

To buy it online, click here.

I'm a big lame

I know I'm approximately 427561 reviews behind schedule. It pains me right to my very core, I tells ya! I've been busier than...err, something that's super busy lately- but when my grand nefarious plans are finally revealed, I promise promise promise you'll be all "Oooh!" and you'll forget that I didn't have time to review these movies we've all seen before.

In an approach I like to call "totally and completely fucking anti-climactic, I'm simply going to tell you what films comprise the remainder of My Willies List, and I'll make an attempt to give 'em the in-depth treatment at some point in the future. You might be wondering why I'm even bothering to list them, but it's just because I thought you might like to know, okay? Why you gotta be frontin'?

Jacob's Ladder
The Thing
The Birds
Carrie
Poltergeist
The Beyond
The Devil's Backbone
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
The Tenant
Suspiria
The Fly (Cronenberg)
Pet Sematary

There, see? Maybe you should just imagine what I'd say about each of them...like how much Jacob's Ladder influenced Silent Hill, or how effing great Bette Davis is in Baby Jane, or I how I always thought the grody sister in Pet Sematary was Amanda Plummer but she's totally not, or how they're remaking The Birds and I'm going to be torn because it's a remake of The friggin' Birds but I love Naomi Watts so I'll probably end up seeing it against my better judgment. Add lots of swearing and it's just like I wrote reviews, right?

Right? Isn't it?

The Go-With Anything Jewelry

We advise you to travel with as little jewelry as possible since the more you have the more you are likely to lose. We’re still crying over a bird of phoenix turquoise necklace that our mom gave us when we were 15 that we left in Miami.
We love these Rebecca Norman skinny gold bangles: they’re chic, sexy, go with any outfit—day or night—and are guaranteed attention getters. In fact, every trip we take, our friends always fight over who gets to wear them!

To buy them online, click here.

awesome movie poster friday- the UWE BOLL edition!

Yes, you read that right. There's no resisting the heinous power of Michael Madsen's mullet! Bow before it!

And how 'bout that Seed poster, huh?

I saw Tootie!

Last night I went to the premiere of Somebody Help Me, a film that you- yes, you- can catch on BET on Halloween. Won't that be just like we're hanging out? Yes, it sure will! And if you miss it on Halloween, the DVD will be available on November 13th, and you can watch it anytime you want. Anytime, 24/7.

Now, would you want to watch Somebody Help Me 24/7? That, my friends, is another issue entirely.

While the film was enjoyable on some level- there was a bit of gore, it was shot well, and the acting was better than most straight-to-DVD fare, it was so riddled with cliches that it almost bordered on straight-faced satire. Group of friends heading off to a cabin in the woods? Check. Stabbing the killer, then dropping the knife and walking away? Check. And so on and so on.

Not that I necessarily have a problem with slasher tropes, as you should know by now. There's got to be something added to those tropes- something fresh- that makes the familiar seem a bit unfamiliar. I suppose that 'something fresh' might be the sort of "urban" approach; as you can see, the leads are all African-American (every one else in the film is white, however), and ...umm...some sort of hip-hop music plays during the obligatory "driving through the woods" scene. Beyond that, the film plays out like most every other 'weekend getaway' scary movie you've seen.

Of course, this being the post-Hostel era of horror filmmaking, writer/director Chris Stokes has included some torture scenes. Gone are the days when Jason Voorhees can simply make with the stab-stab; now he'll have to tie people up and slowly cut their ears off to compete.

If you're looking for a bit of competent same-old, same-old, then check it out. I'll just say that the highlight of the evening for me was seeing Tootie on the red carpet, and I'll leave it at that.

I'll add, however, that Somebody Help Me was 536987841205383 light years removed from being the worst film I saw last night. That honor, my friends, goes to BloodRayne II: Deliverance.

Now, we all know that the first BloodRayne kind of made me want to kill myself. Why oh why, then, would I go back for a second helping of cinematic punishment? Who knows? A bit of curiosity...a bit of "blogger obligation"...a bit of masochism...a bit of it was midnight and I wasn't completely aware of what I was putting in the DVD player...

Somehow...somehow...BloodRayne II is so bad (Natassia Malthe as Rayne or no Natassia Malthe as Rayne) SO BAD, I tells ya...that it has me changing my opinion of Uwe Boll's first attempt at bringing the character to the big screen. Yes, the first film was better.

I should have known BR II would be a travesty (well, I guess I knew before I pressed play, but dammit, I give everything a chance!) when the first character to appear onscreen utters something like "Ah, the 'wild west'!"- did people on the frontier refer to the west as "wild"? Maybe, but I doubt it. It was sort of like coming on screen and proclaiming "Ah, here I am in olden times!".

In my opinion, Uwe Boll's biggest crime is that his films are simply boring. He delivers on the gore, he occasionally has an interesting shot set up, but then there's way too much talk and not enough do. And when the talk is nonsensical and pointless, it's a deadly cocktail. I swear to you, 45 minutes in I said to my roomie "Something has to happen in this movie..."; then, at the 77 minute mark, I said "No, really- something has to happen in this movie, right?"

And it just never panned out. Vampires in the old west, meh. Okay, if you can make that interesting, I'll go with it. But it wasn't interesting. BloodRayne herself was so bland that the film could have been called...oh, I don't know...Judy II: Deliverance and it wouldn't have mattered. There are a few gunfights, and that's about it. I sighed the sigh of a world-weary viewer, the sigh heard 'round the world.

The good news is, Boll is already talking BloodRayne III. Yes, I'll see it.

On Our Radar: Taolloween!

Going to Vegas always involves some sort of dress up: short skirts, gold lame and sequins. But Tao Nightclub at the Venetian has two great parties coming up to celebrate our spookiest--and often naughtiest--national holiday. Saturday night is their Insanity Ball where you can win $5,000 for best costume: easily enough to cover the cost of your trip. Taolloween night on Wednesday promises to be Vegas' sexiest Halloween Bash with Guest DJ Temptress (read porn star) Tera Patrick. Don't show up before midnight and don't come without a costume. It IS the one night (or in this case the two nights) you can get away with looking trampier than Britney Spears--hey that's a good costume idea right there! After all, last time we were there we ran into K-Fed; maybe you'll have better luck!

Check back next week for last minute costume ideas!

Check out Kiki's website for more information at www.myspace.com/sneakykiki

links, yo.

Am I busting out a links post because I'm lazy today? Yes...yes, I am. Wait, that's not true. I'm not lazy...I just don't feel like reviewing a movie, particularly one I've seen before. There, I said it. I feel like making a link list. I can do whatever I want to do, you know...you're not the boss of me.

Put your pitchforks down, won't you, and take my hand as I embark on a tour of The Internet.

You think you're so big: AMC's Monsterfest blog is running The Ultimate Halloween Fan Quiz, wherein you can test your mettle against 13 questions of Halloween trivia. They're even giving away prizes, because they're cool like that. How many answers can you get without cheating? Are you a Halloween Master? Huh? Are you?

I think I'm so big: No, I don't. But the point is twofold: over at Reading in the Dark, blogger Kestrell was kind enough to throw some interview questions my way as part of her 13 Days of Halloween celebration. I've done some interviews in my capacity as a comic book inker, but I believe this is my first interview related solely to Final Girl. What's up with that? Why aren't more of you asking me questions? Don't you care what I think? Aren't you simply dying to know more about me, my opinions, my knick-knack collection? Hmm? Well, aren't you?

Hello?

Point two: in the current issue of Sirens of Cinema magazine (on newsstands now!) (hence the "current"!), you can read a super-deluxe expanded version of my interview with Marilyn Burns. Oh yes, we talked about much, much more than I revealed on Pretty/Scary. And you'll have to pay real, live money to read all about it, mua ha ha! The issue also features an interview with actress Melissa Bacelar conducted by my friend and yours Amanda By Night, so there's even more incentive for you.

Speaking of contests: The Retropolitan has been running all sorts of contests over at Tales to Astonish!, the most recent of which is a "Name the Terror TV Tune!" type of thing. I performed so miserably it wasn't even worth responding. I so hate myself.

There's still time: to get in on the Double-Bill-A-Thon happening over at Broken Projector. I'm gonna try to try to participate, but that's all I can do. Dis month is wack, yo!

Stupid Halloween: Last week at The Horror Blog, we folks of yon Roundtable disclosed some depressing tales of lousy Halloweens past. My memories are still vivid.

*tear*

Hair of the Dog?

As much as JSG wishes we could promise to eradicate your hangover all together on your girls’ getaway, the only thing we know that will 100% do that is to drink less the night before (Which is as annoying as our dermatologist telling us that the secret to the fountain of youth is staying out of the sun!) Instead, through our combined years of drinking, here’s what we’ve learned can help ease the pain.
1. Gatorade. We prefer classic green since it’s taste is the least offensive .
2. Emer’gen-C. Mix with water and drink down to get more than your day’s supply of Vitamin C as well as a host of other sutff that’s good for you.
3. Miso soup. It’s salty, has a little bit of protein and goes down oh-so-good!
4. Sitting in the steam room. It’s a low-impact way to sweat out all the booze.
5. Bloody Mary. Make that two.

Any other suggestions? We want to hear them!

ahhhhhh! part 2

Word to ALL of your mothers! The Final Girl/Amanda By Night/Pretty-Scary coverage of Spike TV's Scream Awards is now up for your viewing pleasure. Amanda and I tag-teamed the burning, hard-hitting questions just for you!

In other news, I watched Creepshow III over the course of two nights- it simply couldn't be done in one sitting- and I have to say, it's probably the worst movie I've ever seen. "Dreadful piece of shit" doesn't even begin to cover it...it's so bad. IT IS SO SO SO BAD. My only consolation is that I don't have to review it- because I couldn't possibly review it beyond intoning in an Amityville voice: GET OUUUUT. The most amazing thing, however, was during the bonus features; one of the actors said "I know that Stephen King wrote the first film and George Romero wrote the second, but I really think ours is the best." I know actors almost always talk about how much they just luuurrrrve the films they're in, but come on. I couldn't resist taking a swing at him- but I only ended up punching my TV, which hurt my hand.

At Your Service

It may cost a little extra, but one great advantage to staying at a hip hotel is the concierge service. Don't be shy about calling on the concierge for help--that's what he/she is there for. A concierge knows the newest restaurants, the best nightclubs, or the trendiest boutiques. A truly great concierge knows the maitre-d's and the bouncers and can often get you on that all-imporant "list." You can even call a concierge ahead of your stay and ask for help with dinner reservations, spa appointments or finding tickets to a sold out concert. We stayed at the Sagamore Hotel in South Beach recently, but for two nights, Tuesday and Wednesday. Now, any club is hot on a Saturday, in fact the Sagamore itself throws a great party on Friday and Saturday; but it's trickier to find the models and their entourage on a weeknight. Chief concierge, Madeleine Kelly, put us on the list at the Delano (oh, yes, this oldie-but-goody is hot again). We bypassed the long line of want-to-bes outside and went right in. What a party! One last thought: you may still have to pay the cover; but at least you saved time waiting in line.

Not staying at a hotel with a concierge? Our friend Danny, who travels a lot for work, told us this neat trick: He calls the local Prada store and asks the sales associate for recommendations. Try it! It really works!

The Secret to Making Blowouts Last

We love to get blowouts before our weekends away—as any woman well knows, once your hair looks hot, getting ready is a quick makeup application and cute dress away (sometimes easier said than done, but that’s for another post). The hard part is getting the blowout to last all weekend long--though days at the pool or beach and nights dancing. Corinna, a stylist at one of our favorite salons--the AKS Salon in New York shared her trick—it really works!
Before getting in the shower, roll the top part of your hair in three medium-sized Velcro rollers from the front back and put on the shower cap that the hotel so kindly provided you with. The steam will actually be your friend and work to revive your hairstyle. Put on your makeup, spritz with spray before unrolling and you’re GTG. Thanks, Corinna!

Got your own secret to making a blowout last? We want to know!

It's Not Vegas, But...

On Friday we told you we were headed down to Atlantic City. And, well, it's not Vegas, but AC is getting there. The crowd at Mur.Mur on Saturday night at the Borgata was young (primarily under 30), attractive and fun. The club was full, but not so packed we couldn't walk without spilling our drinks. Everyone we talked to was either from Jersey or Philly--we actually kinda missed the Eurotrash. DJ AM was awesome as usual. He knows how to read a crowd and definitely works hard for his money. We stayed out dancing til the wee hours of the morning.

Would we tell our friends from New York to go? Definitely--with one caveat. We took the Greyhound bus from NYC. While it was fine on the way down, the bus on the ride back was crowded, stinky and loud. It left us wondering: Couldn't AC do a Jitney service a la the Hamptons? We would have gladly paid a few bucks more for a bus that left on time and a more civilized experience. But if you want to gamble, stay up all night dancing and wear something a little more risque than you might in your hometown without the time, expense or hassle of a flight to Vegas, A.C. is worthy of a night or two.

UPDATE: We just learned Amtrak is introducing direct train service from NYC to AC by early '08. Roundtrip tickets are expected to cost between about $105 and $165. All aboard!

To make a reservation at the Borgata, click here.

ahhhhhh!

Mayhaps you're saying to yourself "Oh, that Final Girl. October draws to a close and she craps out on us. If I didn't love her so, surely I'd hate her so", to which I can only reply, "October still has days and days to go, and there's still time for me to catch up- I won't squelch on any reviews. Please, don't judge me so harshly; after all, you don't hear me complaining about your hair, do you?"

Besides, who wants movie reviews when you can get red...err, I mean black carpet action from the 2007 Spike TV Scream Awards? That's right, kids, last night I had the distinct privilege of asking burning and hard hitting questions of all sorts of horror and sci-fi types, as did my partner in crime Amanda By Night. Video is forthcoming, and you can watch the awards for yourself October 23rd at 10pm on Spike. I know you're all an impatient lot, however, so here are some video stills to wet your whistles.



When Lena Headey (300, The Cave) goes from this:

to this:

...you know I'm asking the burning, hard-hitting questions!


Yes, Paris Hilton. No, we didn't get to talk to her...but we did see her skipping, which is probably better anyway.

awesome movie poster friday- the CRONENBERG edition!

Next Up On Our Radar: Is AC Cool or Not?

JSG last went to Atlantic City for the Morissey concert on a Tuesday night over the summer. While the show was awesome (Girlfriend in a Coma? We love the Smiths!), we were perplexed by Atlantic City. On one hand, it's definitely trying hard--Harrah's has opened up a really cool indoor, adults-only lounge-y pool (shown above) that turns into a club on weekend nights and a fab Red Door spa; Caesar's now has a super-hip Buddakan restaurant, and a number of the hotels are adding or just added brand new wings, like Caesar's and Borgata. But on the other, the crowd just wasn't there yet. We definitely brought the median age down by 100 years and were in the minority of those not wearing sweatsuits!
The verdict: We need to give it another shot on a weekend night. So that’s where you’ll find us come Saturday night—at Mur.Mur at the Borgata to hear DJ AM spinning tunes. We’ve basically been a groupie of his since we heard him at Pure at Caesar's Palace in Vegas. Who else can flawlessly mix songs from Coldplay, The Stones, Hall & Oates, Etta James and then back again to No Doubt? We danced the night away to his music without ever checking the time or noticing our toes were in pain. He is a true master!
We'll report back next week. And if you see us at the Borgata, come over and say Hi!


To check out DJ AM's My Space page and hear a sampling of his music, click here.

Day 18- "Why is he so different?"

In 1972, director Bob Clark and writer Alan Ormsby teamed up to make a largely goofy (but still scared the bejesus out of little Final Girl) zombie flick with one of the best titles ever: Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things. No one could have guessed that two years later they'd join forces again to create a subtle, spooky film with a distinct and serious message: Deathdream (aka Dead of Night). Both men went on to have wildly varied careers; before his untimely death earlier this year, Clark directed such disparate films as the groundbreaking slasher film Black Christmas, another holiday-themed classic (A Christmas Story), and seminal teen sex comedy Porky's. Ormsby, meanwhile, has continued to write horror films (Popcorn, Cat People), but he's also taken a shot at the Porky's saga (Porky's II: The Next Day) as well as the cult classic coming of age film My Bodyguard.

After a brief but harrowing opening sequence in which we watch a soldier die due to gunshot wounds, the scene moves from the battlefield to the dinner table as the Brooks family receives the late-night telegram no soldier's family wants: the one informing them that their son, Andy, has died. Andy's father Charles (John Marley) and sister Cathy (Anya Ormsby) are greif-stricken, but Andy's mother Christine (Lynn Carlin) simply refuses to believe the terrible news. She sits up night after night, praying and whispering "You'll come home, Andy..."

And she's right- Andy does come home, appearing unannounced in the Brooks home in the middle of the night. The family is overjoyed and assumes that the telegram must have been a mistake. It soon becomes apparent, however, that Andy is very, very different than he was before he enlisted in the Army. He doesn't want anyone to know he's home; he doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep; he sits in a rocking chair all day long staring off into space...oh, and he seems to have developed a bit of a temper- so much so that he single-handedly strangles the family dog in front of a gaggle of neighborhood kids.

Though Christine is gentle with Andy and thinks he simply needs some time to readjust to civilian life, Charles's patience wears thin quickly; he served in World War II, after all, but you don't see him acting like a homicidal weirdo. Family relations are strained as Andy grows increasingly cuckoo nutso, and eventually we learn his terrible secret- I'm not going to give it all away here, but I will say that it's safe to assume that it's not good.

Ladies and gentlemen, what we have here is horror film as metaphor. It's often said that the horror films with a "message"- Dawn of the Dead ('78), for example- are among the best. They're not just about slicing up horny teens, you see; rather, there's a little more substance to these films that make audiences feel all smart and decidedly not guilty about enjoying a horror film. Deathdream is no exception to that rule- it's an effectively creepy...well, zombie movie wrapped in an atmosphere of dread, but it's also an indictment of war, showing us how war changes everything- not just the lives of the soldiers, but also those of their loved ones as well. Veterans coming home are indeed different than they were before battle, and the readjustment to civilian life can be incredibly difficult, to put it mildly. Deathdream is every bit as heartbreaking as it is horrifying.

Trivia time! Dazzle your friends with knowledge!

Deathdream marks Tom Savini's first big-screen foray into the mysterious world of FX!

Packing for Your Girls' Getaway

We laughed at our friend Heidi on our recent Vegas trip because she packed a second suitcase just for her shoes! She brought--count ‘em--18 pairs. Yup! And guess how many she wore in 3 days? Four, if we count her flip flops.

Shoes are heavy, awkwardly shaped, which makes them hard to pack, and, as Heidi learned the hard way, you don’t really need that many pairs. JSG suggests planning your outfits around 2 or 3 pair of shoes—generally a cute pair of sandals you can walk in for daytime, metallic high-heeled sandals or slingbacks and your favorite pair of neutral (black, grey or brown) pumps. (We gave up bringing sneakers a long time ago. No matter how good our intentions, we never do make it to the gym on vacation.) You’ll definitely want two pairs of going out shoes, because inevitably, after one late night out of dancing, your dogs will be barking. Strapping on those Jimmy's for a second night in a row will be about as appealing as a tequila shot the morning after an all night bender.
Check out these shoes for inspiration.

Click here to buy them online.

Day 17- "I am no one."

It's remarkable that 15+ years after the original- and 13 years after the horrendous sequel- Exorcist III burst onto screens and turned out to be a serious, well-made frightening film. Though the film is far from perfect (and it certainly has its detractors), writer/director William Peter Blatty crafted a film (based on his novel Legion) that stands well enough on its own but also answers the nagging question left behind by The Exorcist: what's the point of possessing someone if all they're gonna do is sit around in bed and get gross?

George C Scott stars as Lt Bill Kinderman, the kindly fella who investigated all the weird happenings at the McNeil house fifteen years ago. The Gemini Killer, a vicious serial killer executed...yes...fifteen years ago (omigod what a coinkydink), seems to be back and...err, viciouser than ever. There's been a rash of church-related killings- a young boy in the outreach program is found decapitated and crucified, a priest is murdered in a confessional- and it seems the common element in all of the deaths is Father Karras (Jason Miller), the priest who assisted in Regan's exorcism and who died at the bottom of that long flight of steps in Georgetown.

As Kinderman puts the pieces together, the killings begin to hit closer and closer to home: Kinderman's long-time friend Father Dyer (Ed Flanders), who also knew the McNeils, encounters the killer during a hospital stay, and eventually even Kinderman's family is in danger. Is the Gemini Killer really still alive? Who is Patient X, the man who bears a striking resemblance to the long-dead Father Karras?

Exorcist III is a slow (but never boring), cerebral film that unfolds like a murder mystery, but there are ample scares to satisfy horror fans: there are creepy voices, bleeding statues, old women who crawl around on the ceiling (seriously disturbing, y'all), and of course, the infamous nurse scene: a nearly wordless 5-minute sequence that's a brilliant exercise in tension. The audience knows that something is gonna happen, but what and when? It's the one scene people remember most after seeing this film, and it's the one that had everyone screaming and jumping when I saw it in the theatre.

There's not nearly as much 'razzle dazzle' here as there is in the original Exorcist- it's much more subtle than that. That's not to say nothing happens in the film- but when it does, Blatty tends to keep things dark and mysterious. The performances keep you riveted, particularly those of George C Scott (c'mon, man, it's George C Scott!) and Brad Dourif (James Venamun). It's a pleasure to watch Kinderman and Dyer interact- two friends who are unsentimental but deeply attached to one another. There's also a bevy of familiar faces in smaller roles: Zohra Lampert (Let's Scare Jessica to Death), Viveca Lindfors (Creepshow), Samuel L Jackson, and in the role of "Was that...what the eff is he doing in an Exorcist film?", Patrick Ewing.

Folks seem to be pretty divided on Exorcist III- either it's a great, scary sequel or it's a big fat mess. Can't we call it both? Then we're all right, and everyone is pretty. Especially me!

Music to My Ears

The JSG loves playlists for our iPod! We've got ones for the beach, for the plane, and for the gym (but we never really make it there when we're away with the girls). Below are the tunes we listen to while getting ready for dinner, when you'll often find us crowded around the mirror putting on our war paint. So, pour your glass of wine, plug in your flat iron, and pull out your make-up. We promise these songs will get you and the girls revved up for a night on the town!

1. Into the Ocean- Blue October

2. She Moves in Her Own Way- the Kooks

3. Love Song- Sara Bareilles

4. You Don't Know What Love Is- White Stripes

5. Tonight I Have to Leave It- Shout Out Louds

6. Ruby- Kaiser Chiefs

7. Laid- James

8. Big Wheel- Tori Amos

9. Young Folks- Peter Bjorn and John

10. Lazy Eye- Silversun Pickups

11. All Night- Damian Marley

Got a getting-ready playlist? Share it with us!