As we begin to say our goodbyes to 2011, we are super excited to see what 2012 will bring us. There is no doubt that there are tons of high profile movies that bleed over into our genres that we cover. While we mainly cover horror films here, we bleed exploitation, sci-fi, and anything fantastique or strange. You will see new writers join us in 2012 as well as more original content that shows that we are true fans of the genres we report on. I have been living and breathing horror and its subgenres for over 2 decades now. That doesn’t mean I have seen every film ever made, but I have seen a lot and one thing that is missing from our site is how knowledgeable we are. I had a conversation with someone who would come and read the site every now and again but after we talked for awhile about past horror films, he said “Why don’t you ever get this in depth on your site?” That is what I plan to do with our articles that we will be introducing throughout the year.

Some people, very few, have asked me about the podcast. Destroy the Brain first started as a podcast and then seemed to dwindle off once the site content started to get pretty heavy. I’m happy to say that 2012 will see the return of the podcast with writer Michael Haffner joining me as a co-host. Look for it to start back up in the next couple of months.

You will still see the normal news and reviews pop up on the site but we plan to put some original content out there to differentiate us from the other sites. 2011 was our first full year as a fully fledged website and we learned quite a bit. We are looking forward to 2012 coverage and content and we hope you are too.

As 2011 is nearing a close and the news being sparse, we thought it would be a good idea to hear from you. We have done this in the past with very little response but we hope to hear from you this time around.

Destroy the Brain covers horror, cult and all things fantastique which is a pretty wide spectrum. Yes, our bread & butter is mainly horror films and we have leaned more towards the contemporary which we plan to change in 2012 but what else would you like to see on the site? What are you sick of? Anything we can do to make the site more attractive or make improvements to the navigation?

Tell us! This is your time! Leave your comments below!

Only 3 more days until Halloween!  Aren’t you excited?  I know I am.  We are close to wrapping up this week where each writer has a day to list their top five films that get them in the Halloween spirit.  Some of the films might be familiar, some might not, but all should be seen for this is the holiday we love, HALLOWEEN! 

Today, we give you the picks of writer Michael Haffner. 

Lady in White

This is one of the first horror films I distinctly remember watching as a kid on HBO during the Halloween season.  This mostly forgotten 1988 film centers on a young boy who gets trapped in his school’s coat closet on Halloween night.  When darkness falls, the boy is visited by the ghost of a girl who was murdered by the town’s child serial killer.  Though tame by today’s horror standards, this film excels in creating a creepy atmosphere that continues until the film’s final revelation. 

Donnie Darko

I know many of you will be confused by this pick.  Let me explain.  Besides the fact that I have an unflinching love for this film, the climax of the film takes place on Halloween night.  The whole film counts down to this great Halloween party sequence that is permeated with this underlying threat that something is about to happen.  Say what you will about Richard Kelly’s later films, but I feel this film showcases Kelly’s admiration for the haunted holiday. Plus, as a bonus, we even get a scene of Donnie watching Evil Dead in a movie theater. 

Suspiria

This film showed me that horror films can be viewed as art. I know that sounds cheesy, but the opening sequence is breath-taking.  All of the crazy colors Dario Argento uses remind me of both the fun and creepy side of Halloween.  With Halloween, you always have bright and goofy costumes (giant hot-dog costumes anyone) and dark and scary costumes.  Did you ever think seeing a bunch of fun and bright colored lights shining on a girl’s face would be creepy? Argento explores this dynamic in Suspiria. 

House on Haunted Hill

What would Halloween be without haunted houses.  We have all visited them at one point in our life, but none of them are as scary as the ones we see in the movies.  The original haunted house film that started it all was William Castle’s 1959 classic House on Haunted Hill.  Though I actually liked the remake, it is the original that does such a great job creating some creepy scenes using such simple gimmicks as dramatic lighting.  The film has it all: Severed heads, creepy old ladies, a grisly hanging, and  . . .Vincent Price. 

Return of The Living Dead

Because I am such a Halloween fan, the first thing I think of is celebrating the amazing holiday the right way – WITH A PARTY! For me, this zombie comedy is just that.  It is one non-stop, blood-drenched, self-aware horror party.  You watch this film and you can tell the people who made it have such a love for horror.  It is this same love and excitement that I have as well for horror films and the Halloween season.  With that, I ask you to hold up a can of your favorite beer with your favorite horror geeks and toast to the holiday that was made for us horror fans: Halloween!

Thanks, The Management

[UPDATE: 5/17 11:34AM CDT - Well, most of the navigational stuff is up and running. Obviously, there will be more backlog content. However, going forward, DTB will start posting new content as it comes and will be the top priority. Welcome to the new site. Now, maybe I can work on the next podcast episode. - Andy

If you are shopping Amazon.com for this holiday season, please shop through http://tinyurl.com/dtbamazon.  A small percentage of what you buy goes to Destroy the Brain.  You still get the same prices while supporting the show.

For the past couple of months I have wanted to change the website design.  This blog format is old and looks like crap.  I wanted to expand Destroy the Brain.  However, there is plenty of saturation of horror news & review websites out there.  This made me question, if I were to break out of just the podcast only mold, how would I make DTB different or stand out from the crowd?  This is where I need your help listeners & readers.  What would you like to see out of Destroy The Brain that you do not see anywhere else on the web?

I am horrible at deadlines, so I will not set one…but a new website with new features should be up sometime in November.  Destroy the Brain is a hard show to do, but I know that I need to set my goal back up to try to get an episode out every week.  However, this might change where DTB will have to be a bi-weekly show.  Keep in mind all, I do this all by myself so, I will be adding on writing articles and producing a solo podcast by my lonesome.

So again, I pose the question…what would you like to see from DTB that you do not see elsewhere?  Should I expand the site?  Do you still love me?

Spill your guts below.  Oh yeah…cookies & cake (this is for that special someone).

I have 4 Admit 2 passes to see the new Dark Castle film ‘Orphan’ this Tuesday at Wehrenberg’s Ronnies 20 Cine courtesy of WeAreMovieGeeks.com.  The screening starts at 9pm.  If you want the tickets, simply leave a comment below.  I will pick a person from the comments & the winners will be contacted on Monday.  Be sure to use your e-mail address when you leave a comment, otherwise I can’t email you to let you know if you won or not.

The tragic loss of their unborn child has devastated Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John (Peter Sarsgaard), taking a toll on both their marriage and Kate’s fragile psyche as she is plagued by nightmares and haunted by demons from her past. Struggling to regain some semblance of normalcy in their lives, the couple decides to adopt another child. At the local orphanage, both John and Kate find themselves strangely drawn to a young girl named Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman)…but Esther is not what she appears to be and, concerned for the safety of her family, Kate tries to get John and others to see past Esther’s sweet facade. But her warnings go unheeded until it may be too late…for everyone.

“Orphan” is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (“House of Wax”), from a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson and a story by Alex Mace. The film stars Vera Farmiga (“The Departed”), Peter Sarsgaard (“Flightplan”), Isabelle Fuhrman (“Hounddog”), CCH Pounder (TV’s “The Shield”) and Jimmy Bennett (“Star Trek”).

Joel Silver, Susan Downey, Jennifer Davisson Killoran and Leonardo DiCaprio produced the film, with Steve Richards, Don Carmody and Michael Ireland serving as executive producers. Richard Mirisch, David Barrett and Erik Olsen co-produced.

Hey everyone!  While you are waiting for a new episode, which should be out later today, I want to let everyone know about Rodrigo Gudiño‘s new short ‘The Facts in the Case of Mister Hollow’.  It’s an amazing short on a technical aspect and follows Gudiño‘s path to make films to fester in your head and make you think about what you have seen.  According to Gudiño‘ via a response from YouTube & from what I have heard, he plans to release all 3 of his short films on DVD this August.  I hope he will be featuring them or debuting them at this year’s Festival of Fear in Toronto.  His next entry into visual entertainment will be a remake of ‘Cut-Throats Nine’.

I highly recommend you hit “HQ” for high-quality and Full-Screen it as there are many details you must see…..LOOK CLOSELY.

Vote on this film at YouTube after you watch it and check out the music behind it at http://www.johnnyhollow.com.

While your at it, check out trailers for his other 2 shorts:

Today, I have added something to the site that I think is pretty f’n cool.  I am trying to push feedback through not only the voicemail that you can leave on the show, but also to comment on the episodes as well.  Now, I know the site is not that pretty.  But we need to treat it like the Belial it is, with love.  Not only did I add “Share This” functionality to the site, but I added something called IntenseDebate. What IntenseDebate does is basically expand the content for comments to embed YouTube videos or create your own video comment regarding an episode or post.

If this catches on, I plan to read the text comments or read them on air.  I might only select a few or one and then inform the audience to check out the website to see the full conversation.

I would also like to take this opportunity to explain what everything does in an episode post.

• First off, and I cannot stress this enough, if you plan to comment a lot on the site, sign up on Gravatar.  What Gravatar will do for you is basically create a global avatar to use across many blogs.  So, if you visit 9 blogs and 5 of them are signed up with Gravatar, once you enter your information to comment on a post, it will pull your avatar from Gravatar.  This is done to save time for you.
• Below the mp3 logo and information where you can download the mp3 or stream it, you should see something called ‘Share This‘.  If you click on it, it will allow you to share this post through social sites like Reddit, Friendfeed, Digg and even Myspace.  You can also email the link to the post to a friend of yours (which always helps DESTROY THE BRAIN).  If you click on ‘Post’ after you click ‘Share This’, you are given options to post this to your Twitter friends, Facebook, Myspace and other blog sites.

• Speaking of Twitter, Below ‘Share This’ , you should see something that says ‘Tweet This Post‘.  You can help DESTROY THE BRAIN out by Tweeting about an episode you liked and spreading the word amongst your followers.

With all this new functionality, I hope this makes the site more fun and interactive.  Thanks for reading this and I hope you enjoy the show.

ALSO, if you read this, leave a comment below!

Amazon.com has the 20th Anniversary Edition of THE MONSTER SQUAD available for $4!  If you add $21 more dollars to your cart, it has free shipping.  If not, I think your total would still come out to under $10.
Also, by clicking on the link below, you help out Destroy The Brain!  So, don’t be a douche and go to amazon.com after reading this, just click on the link below.  The price stays the same for you, but you also support the show.

If the Monster Squad doesn’t ring a bell, you might not have been born in the 80′s.  Imagine Monster House kid camaraderie with variations of the Universal Monsters (Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster & The Wolf Man).  It’s a great thing to show your kids – keep in mind I don’t take responsibility for future endeavors – and a good time to be had by the adult.

So, buy The Monster Squad (Two-Disc 20th Anniversary Edition) Right HERE!

The Rules are simple:

• 5 minute breaks are allowed between movies.
• Credits can be skipped to move ahead to the next movie, or can be used as a break to add on-to the 5 minute break.
• 18 hours is blocked out for the marathon and only up to 3 15 minute breaks can be taken during the 18 hours.
• An Emergency Break can be used.  This would only be used to go pick up Red Bull or 5 hour energy.  The break can only consist of 20 minutes and, if used, will take away one of the 15 minute breaks.

Source

Gang, I’m gonna try. I remember overhearing a co-worker’s friend at an old job of mine mention that he does this every Friday the 13th. He would invite friends over to his place and watch all, then 8, films in a row and who ever was last would get a prize. While my prize will just be saying “I FUCKIN’ DID IT”, I am doing this!

So, While everyone one else is seeing the remake, I will be sitting down with the original to kickstart 18 hours of madness. Plus, I am going to be on USTREAM.TV streaming my marathon live. Now, I can’t show the films due to legal reasons, but you can watch me watch them or watch with me as I will perform commentary, maybe take calls (depending if my new equipment comes in) and definitely chatting in the chat room. Please join me. See if you can push yourself all the way through. If you can, I’ll see if I can whip up a prize for you or something (No Promises).

I will put the video feed on the top of the website Friday. I hope I can make it.

Please, leave me a voicemail at 314-266-7138 with your voices of encouragement.

So, after seeing REPO! The Genetic Opera during the Repo Road Tour 3 stop in my hometown of St. Louis, I have had the songs stuck in my head. The film has really saturated my brain and I can’t wring it dry. Nor, do I want to.

REPO! The Genetic Opera is a bombastic, tour-de-force of a film. It will divide many horror fans. It seems like most people love or hate it. What is interesting is that my girlfriend thought it was fun, but loved certain parts and didn’t care for others. Is the film uneven? It’s Possible. However, the next day she informed me that she has had “Zydrate Anatomy” stuck in her head all day.

Now, it’s been awhile since I have felt addicted to a film. So, to celebrate, I will be dedicating a whole episode to REPO! The Genetic Opera. I would like to make this a huge deal and have some user content. This is where you come in. Please comment below on what you would like to hear in the episode or any ideas you might have.

I think it would be kind of cool to have a Karaoke Mash-Up of some of Zydrate Anatomy or Seventeen. I’m think Zydrate Anatomy because it can be adapted by a boy & a girl or either/or.

The episode will have the normal review of the film & the soundtrack, but I want to make this one special.

Please comment below on what you would like to see. Did you see REPO! The Genetic Opera during a Road Tour?

If you are planning on seeing My Bloody Valentine this weekend, I’m encouraging you to call in with your short review after you see the film.  If I receive it prior to Saturday morning at 2am CST, I will play it after my review on the show.

You can also Skype in your review/opinion by skyping “destroythebrain”.

This is a huge event for horror and I hope it rocks, but stay tuned for the next episode to see what I think about it.  I’m attending a 10pm Thursday showing!

Answer: The Worst Witch – Thanks for everyone tweeting, PMing and emailing me.

Well my friends, I’m working on the Halloween Treat still. It has been taking tons of time to get right and I’m in the final stages. Once it is done, I will need to pack it up and upload it and it will finally be finished. I will now keep it up for a week due to the delays. Also, remember, you must learn about QR codes and must get a QR Code Reader to get to the link. However, the first 4 people to email andy@destroythebrainonline.com will receive a link to the file once it is posted. You will receive an email from a different email address with a link in the next couple of days. Keep in mind that the file I’m putting out there will be an 8GB package.

I have tons of content waiting to be put out after this is all said & done.

Sorry again!

Update:  Yes, I know the layout is different – it’s being worked on.  Also, some of the older episodes are not available.  I’m currently uploading them all, since I accidentally deleted them off the server.  Please, be patient.  I might need some help from everyone who has been downloading the episodes.

I will be reviewing: The Flesh and Blood Show & Flight of the Living Dead

Sorry about the delay.
-Andy

I’ll try to record Episode 9 early so this won’t be a problem anymore.

Thanks for your patience.

Well, I received one and the other was on my ON Demand Feature, but I was unable to watch it last night due to error. So, the episode is being pushed until tonight.

In the Future, expect a new episode of DTB every Saturday early morning.

Sorry again.

The show that I planned fell through. The films I was going to review didn’t come from Netflix in time. So, on a whim, I have to change the show’s theme and what movies to review. I’m in the process of writing the show and I should be recording it tonight.

Sorry again, but you will have it for the weekend!

If you don’t feel like waiting – Subscribe to the podcast by putting this URL in your RSS Feeder or manually in iTunes: http://feeds.feedburner.com/destroythebrain and once I upload it, it will automatically download the episode for you.