The HorrorDads Carrie On, And On...

If you're like me, you might be bummed to wake up today to find yourself on the other side of Halloween for another year. To blunt those blues, why not join myself and the rest of the HorrorDads for a lengthy discussion of all things Carrie?

Head HorrorDad Richard Harland Smith recently reassembled the gang - Dennis Cozzalio, Greg Ferrara, Paul Gaita, Nicholas McCarthy, and myself - for a roundtable talk about not just Brian DePalma's 1976 horror hit but also King's novel, the 1999 sequel The Rage: Carrie 2, the 2002 TV miniseries starring Angela Bettis, the new theatrical remake, and Carrie's precursors in film and literature.

It was a discussion so sprawling, it had to be split into two parts.

Click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2. Give it a read, won't you?

The HorrorDads' Halloween Horror-Thon 2012: All Treats, No Tricks

One of these Octobers maybe I'll knuckle down and blog like my life depended on it but this year it's been just like years past where I pretty much vanish for the entire month. I always have the intention to not do that but then October happens and, hey, there's only 31 days to soak it all in! So much to see! So much to do! Anyhow, as the days counting down to Halloween quickly dwindle down to zero, the HorrorDads have been called together by head Ho-Dad Richard Harland Smith to program our individual dream Halloween triple bills.

The parameters were that the first choice be suitable for kids, the second be for seasonal, or casual, horror viewers, and the final pick be for the hardcore horror lifers.

Go visit Movie Morlocks to see what kind of Halloweens RHS, Dennis Cozzalio, Greg Ferrara, Paul Gaita, Nicholas McCarthy, and myself all have in mind!

The Horror Dads Go Bad!

Just in time for Father's Day, the Horror Dads - myself, Dennis Cozzalio, Paul Gaita, Greg Ferrara, Nicholas McCarthy, and head HoDad Richard Harland Smith - have reconvened to take on all manner of puerile patriarch as we discuss the many Bad Dads of horror cinema.

Join us over at Movie Morlocks!

Get Your Halloween Horrorthon On!

With Halloween approaching, the HorrorDads - Richard Harland Smith, Dennis Cozzalio, Greg Ferrara, Paul Gaita, Nicholas McCarthy, and myself - have taken a break from sewing our costumes and carving pumpkins to program our dream horrorthon.

When you watch horror nearly every day of the year, it's hard to single out a few films that deserve a prime spot on a Halloween playlist but I think we've come up with a line-up that will keep any fan shivering and shrieking from dusk till dawn.

Sadly, time, money and distance prevents the HorrorDads from renting out an old theater for real, serving up popcorn, sailing plastic skeletons over the audience, and insuring patrons against death by fright, but if you include any of our picks among your Halloween viewing this year, we'll surely be with you in spirit.

Read our entire talk at TCM's Movie Morlocks.

There's Some Horror Daddin' Going On

In honor of Father's Day, the Horror Dads have assembled to celebrate. Instead of our usual roundtable format, though, this time around head Horror Dad Richard Harland Smith has given us each a separate spotlight in which to discuss a horror movie dad that sparked our interest. Speaking for myself, I had a tough time narrowing down my picks. In the end I went with a dad that my own fatherhood forced me to reevaluate - Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) of The Omen (1976).

Not to pimp this post too hard but, irrespective of my own contribution, I really think this is one of the finer Horror Dad offerings to date. I love what Dennis Cozzalio, Paul Gaita, Greg Ferrara, Nicholas McCarthy, and Richard Harland Smith have to say about their choices and I bet you will too.

Check out the latest from the Horror Dads at TCM, and we wish you all a Happy Father's Day!

Also, if you're new to The Horror Dads, why not catch up on some of our previous posts?

Salem's Lot (1979)

The Curse of the Cat People (1944)

Who Can Kill A Child? (1976)

The Mist (2007)

And our initial three-part discussion on fatherhood and fandom:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

You'll Enjoy Mr. Barlow...

For the first time since our holiday roundtable for The Curse of the Cat People (1944), the Horror Dads have reconvened - and this time we've rented the Marsten House to discuss Tobe Hooper's 1979 TV movie adaptation of Stephen King's second novel, Salem's Lot. A nostalgic touchstone for Gen-X horror fans who watched the two-night miniseries during its original airing on CBS in October of '79, Salem's Lot is often offered up as proof that Hooper's legacy in the horror field isn't just limited to the early triumph of Chainsaw. But how well does it hold up now, after over thirty (!) years?

Click here to join Dennis Cozzalio, Greg Ferrara, Paul Gaita, Nicholas McCarthy, head Horror Dad Richard Harland Smith and yours truly for a return to that quiet Maine town of Salem's Lot...

A Christmas Curse

On this Christmas Eve, the Horror Dads have convened to share our thoughts on the seldom-discussed sequel The Curse of the Cat People (1942).

If you're done with shopping and wrapping, pour yourself some egg nog and click here to read what Dennis Cozzalio, Paul Gaita, Nicholas McCarthy, head Horror Dad Richard Harland Smith, and myself (with the absent Greg Ferrara there in spirit) have to say about this often-overlooked Val Lewton production.

It doesn't have Jimmy Stewart or St. Nick to recommend it as essential Christmas viewing but The Curse of the Cat People is a poignant holiday-set fantasy, sensitive to the imaginary worlds that children inhabit and the loyal friends that they meet there.

If Your Life Was At Stake...Would You Kill A Child?

It's another gathering of the HorrorDads over at TCM's Movie Morlocks. This time around, Richard Harland Smith, Dennis Cozzalio, Greg Ferrara, Paul Gaita, Nicholas McCarthy and myself are taking on the 1976 Spanish shocker Who Can Kill A Child? This cult favorite is disturbing stuff and if you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and put it at the top of your Netflix queue. After watching it, you'll likely wonder how eight Children of the Corn films have failed to generate even a tenth of the unsettling effect of this movie. This is killer kids done right.

Our discussion is chock full of spoilers so if you're unfamiliar with the movie, read at your own risk. Personally, I think a great film can't be truly spoiled by hearing plot details. If you haven't seen Who Can Kill A Child? yet, hopefully reading our thoughts on it will prompt you to go ahead and experience this disquieting gem for yourself.

Jumping The Gun

The HorrorDads are back - this time taking on the controversial monster-mash The Mist (2007). I understand the hostility that The Mist's bleak conclusion provoked but I think it's a defendable, if difficult to digest, conclusion. But whether you think that writer/director Frank Darabont dropped the ball in The Mist's final moments or not, there's still much to admire in this Stephen King adaptation. See if your opinions agree with the combined musings of Richard Harland Smith, Dennis Cozzalio, Greg Ferrara, Paul Gaita, Nicholas McCarthy and yours truly over at TCM's Movie Morlocks.

More Shit My Horror Dad Says

Horror Dads were once Horror Kids and our experiences growing up with parents who sometimes indulged, but didn't always understand, our strange interests is the subject of the third and final Horror Dads roundtable.

I hope these discussions have been as fun to read as they have been to participate in. If you've been enjoying these, the good news is that more roundtables will be coming up, focusing on specific films!

To read the concluding installment of Horror Dads, click here.

Shit My Horror Dad Says

The round table discussion continues at TCM this week as Richard Harland Smith leads an assemblage of Horror Dads to talk about their experiences as fans and fathers. To give it a read, click here.

When I'm Not Busy Warping My Son...

...I'm talking about it with other Horror Dads!

Starting today, over at TCM's Movie Morlocks blog, I'm part of a roundtable discussion hosted by the super-classy Richard Harland Smith (a name familiar to Video Watchdog readers) on what it's like to be a father of young children as well as a horror fan. A terrific group of writers and filmmakers are involved in this roundtable and I've been having a great time shooting the breeze with them on how horror fandom has affected our approach to fatherhood and vise versa.

Read Part One by clicking here.