From Mental Floss. Santa isn't always jolly and you definitely do not want any of these guys coming down your chimney on Christmas Eve... or any other night of the year for that matter. (Okay, maybe Goldberg [at left] but not as Evil Santa.)
Naughty or Nice? It's all the same with Robot Santa, so watch out!
From Mental Floss, a collection of some of the most undesirable Santas you could imagine. Any kid would cry if they had to pose with these questionable characters...
Here are three "winners" to get you started...
This Santa seems to be one of the Undead.
I hate to say it, but this Santa probably shouldn't be touching your children.
I'm sure some of you will argue with me about this, and I welcome a hearty discussion, but as far as I'm concerned, the greatest Christmas movie ever has got to be Gremlins. I truly get a warm fuzzy feeling when I watch this movie.
It kicks off with one of the greatest holiday songs, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)", which as it turns out happens to be David Letterman's favorite Christmas song. For the longest time, I knew that as the Gremlins Song, only later learning it was a regular song before this movie. What the hell ever, it's still the Gremlins song as far as I'm concerned.
As with most Christmas themed movies, you have a parent who is out to get the best gift for their child. In this instance, we've got a dad who back-alley wheels and deals and gets his kid a mogwai, henceforth known as Gizmo. And of course, craziness then ensues.
I won't go into the details of the plot, you know them already. The part that sticks out for me and is the first thing I recall about this movie is the cookie making scene. The mom is toiling away making decorative Christmas cookies, with "Do You Hear What I Hear" playing in the background. The song skips and something is awry...
Okay, here is where I was going to embed the video of this scene, but for some reason, the person who loaded the video on YouTube has disabled embedding, so instead, you must make yourself be un-lazy and click this link to view the full scene.
Oh god! When that thing senses her and turns around! That used to creep the crap out of me! Oh, and man, when she blends and then microwaves them! Nothing says Happy Holidays like gremlins popping in the microwave, nom nom nom!
Another memorable scene is the 'Memories of Santa' scene, where Kate, the girlfriend, recalls how she came to hate Christmas...
Yeah, that might ruin your Christmas. The thing is, now it's pretty laughable. In fact, they make fun of this whole scene in Gremlins 2, where Kate recounts the President's Day from hell. Good times!
You know, I could sit here and recount this whole movie and each and every fantastic scene (there are so many of them), but I won't. I urge you to go out and rent this movie and watch it with the family this holiday season. However, I will leave you with little nugget
Below is an independent short from Pixar animator Rodrigo Blaas called ALMA. At only 5 and a half minutes, it's not long but definitely packs in plenty of creepiness. The short starts off with a little girl wandering, strangely, all alone in an alley way, scribbling her name, Alma, on a wall across from a store whose window looks like a giant gaping monster maw. As the little girl continues through the alley, she notices that a doll has appeared in the window that looks amazingly just like her. I will let the short tell the rest of the story, but the moral to take away from this...a doll that looks exactly like you is not to be trusted.
Viral marketing is not just a good business move, its damn fun, too. By creating accounts on Facebook and Twitter that are from characters or organizations in a movie, the film allows the movie-goer to become a part of the story. And who doesn't like to be a part of something! Gee Willikers!
I am very excited about Daybreakers coming out soon and was equally excited when I learned of their viral marketing/social media campaigns. Become a fan on Facebook and keep abreast of the latest news and info. Visit the Capture Humans website, sponsored by Bromley Marks, to learn how YOU started the evolution. When you visit the Bromley Marks website, sign up for your own blood account and feed off of your friends on Facebook.
On Twitter, follow @willthedaybreak and interact with a human fighting to stay alive and make sense of this strange new world. Below is a photo (one of several that he's tweeted) that @willthedaybreak took from the stairwell of his building as well as a short video of someone (or something) he found outside his apartment.
I admit it: I covered my face at the end of Paranormal Activity...both times! Yes, even though I love horror movies and can watch the goriest hackfest, I couldn't stand the suspense of wondering what was going to pop out of the dark hallway as those heavy footsteps came up the stairs! And once the movie was over, I wanted more, even though I could barely handle what they'd already given me. If you were like me and wondered what the hell happened to Katie (did she vaporize, did she go on a killing spree, etc) you'll now get your answer.
IDW Publishing has created a digital comic iPhone app that is a serial continuation of the story. Paranormal Activity: The Search for Katie is available to download for 99¢. The reviews are luke-warm at best, though I'm not sure why. If you are familiar with comics/graphic novels, I think you'll find this an entertaining app, well worth the money and a good continuation of the story. I can only wager a guess that the lackluster reviews are from those who don't dig comics on a regular basis and were going to be disappointed no matter what.
Here is a brief synopsis of PA: SFK from the IDW website:
iPhone and iPod touch users have exclusive access to this digital comic, which begins AFTER the film's shocking cliff-hanger ending. IDW Publishing's first digital-exclusive comic follows a brilliant demonologist named Dr. Johann Averys [the guy in the film that Katie tried to get to help, but who was out of the country], as he tries to find Katie, the tragic main character of Paranormal Activity. Written by comic great Scott Lobdell (X-MEN; Jennifer Love Hewitt's Music Box), Paranormal Activity: The Search For Katie pairs Dr. Averys with feisty S.D.P.D. Detective Singh; together they attempt to discover the origins of the demon who haunted Micah and Katie. Mark Badger (The Gargoyle) provides captivating art that expertly depicts the horror of this tale. [Click here for full details.]
If nothing else, the app avatar is worth the 99¢ due to the fact that it's Katie's creepy mug as she lunges at the camera at the end of the movie. So I finally get to see what I missed, and now that I've seen her face, I'm still sort of glad I didn't see it in motion! (Yes, yes, I know, I am a pansy...)
Wish I could say I found this on my own, but must give props to the folks at Neatorama for finding these awesome pics of Undead Disney Cosplay! Go to their site for a link to the full set of photos on Flickr, they're too good to miss.
