by Britt Hayes
SXSW is hectic, to say the least, so I won’t get around to full reviews right off the bat. Instead, I’ll be throwing you some short initial thoughts, and posting the reviews when I get the chance. Look for reviews sometime this week or next week, and until then, enjoy my Shorthand thoughts:

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil: Fantastic horror comedy from Canadian writer/director Eli Craig. The film has a great cast, including Alan Tudyk – who you may know as Pirate Steve from Dodgeball – as Tucker, Tyler …

by Britt Hayes
I love Christina Ricci. Greatest actress ever? Not in a million years, but she’s just so damn cute and likable that it’s hard to not like her. I’d put Drew Barrymore on that same list until her incredible turn as Little Edie Beale in HBO’s Grey Gardens. (What’s that you say? You don’t know about Grey Gardens? Rectify that situation now and rent the astounding Maysles brothers documentary. It will change your life. You’re welcome.)
After.Life sounds like a pretentious Bright Eyes song title from Digital Ash in A …

by Britt Hayes
Steven Soderbergh is the Brett Favre of filmmaking. He’s retiring, he’s not retiring, okay just one more movie, nevermind. Look, I’m not complaining. Soderbergh is a seriously talented man with some seriously fantastic films (I can really do without Traffic, though). And now he’s lending his talents to something more palatable for horror fans: Contagion.
Contagion is based on a script by Scott Z. Burns, who also wrote last year’s The Informant! for Soderbergh. The project is being described as an “action thriller” about a deadly virus let loose …

by Britt Hayes
The South by Southwest (SXSW) festival is held every March in Austin, Texas (aka The Greatest City Ever), showcasing the newest, bestest, and brightest of film, music, and more. This year’s SXSW film festival takes place March 12th-20th, and this week the official site posted the list of films we can look forward to. I’ve taken a look at the list and compiled films relevant to our readers’ interests below.
But before I get to that, I wanted to point out that Kick-Ass is playing the festival. I had …

by Britt Hayes
CHUD just premiered the final one sheet for Martin Scorsese’s upcoming psychological horror flick Shutter Island. It doesn’t look too much different from the teaser poster revealed before, but the final product is stunning.
Like Mr. Devin Faraci over at CHUD, I too saw Shutter Island a couple of weeks ago at Butt Numb A Thon 11. And I have to agree with Faraci: the film grows on you more and more. While I’m not yet sure if this is my favorite Scorsese film ever (time will tell), I …

Shutter Island (2010)
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: February 19, 2010
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max Von Sydow, Michelle Williams, Ted Levine, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, Jackie Earle Haley
Reviewed by: Britt Hayes
When I was younger, I didn’t care much for Scorsese films. Truth is, I didn’t understand them because there was some level of maturity there that was beyond my comprehension. As an adult, I’ve come to know and love each of his films (some more than others – Casino is my favorite), and I find that with …

by Britt Hayes
Welcome to the final part of our first annual holiday gift guide. I’m going to run things down a little differently in this edition. In the DVD and Blu-ray sections, I’ll start with bargains, move to regular priced items, and then to boxed sets and pricey editions (if any). For books, it’ll just be a veritable mix of comic books, novels, and the like, priced lowest to highest. Let’s get started, shall we?
DVD

In this Vincent Price three-pack, you get the original House on Haunted Hill, The Bat, and …

by Britt Hayes
In part two of our first annual holiday gift guide, I’ll be giving you foxes a list of great horror-themed t-shirts, posters, and artwork. In part one, I gave a pretty fantastic rundown of horror toys and collectibles, and in part three I’ll be covering DVD/Blu-ray, music, and books. If you have any suggestions, leave ‘em in the comments, or send me a link on Twitter. Once again, I’ll be listing these from least expensive to most expensive.

“This is How the World Ends” tee from Threadless by Travis …

by Britt Hayes
I recall the first time I heard about Changeling, Eastwood’s suspense-drama starring Angelina Jolie. I thought he was remaking the 1980 Peter Medak horror classic, The Changeling. That “the” makes a big difference, and I soon found out he was making a suspenseful drama set in the 40’s, centered around Angelina Jolie’s pretty face and one of the most interesting crimes in history: the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders. Being a huge nerd, I knew all about these murders, so I was pretty fucking excited. After watching Eastwood’s Changeling, …

The Box (2009)
Directed by: Richard Kelly
Starring: Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Frank Langella
Review by: Britt Hayes
On December 16, 1976, NASA scientist Arthur Lewis, and his school teacher wife, Norma, are delivered a mysterious box by the enigmatic Arlington Steward. Later that day, Mr. Steward comes to call on the home and explains to Norma that in the box is a “button unit”, one which, if pressed, will kill someone Norma and her husband do not know. If they press the button, they will receive $1 million. Mr. Steward couldn’t have better …