Some titillating news for all you fangbangers in the land down under, the True Blood Convention is coming to our wide brown land! I spotted the news via the Vampire News blog, a good source for all things fanged.

The article by Gabrielle Faust details that the convention will be coming to both Sydney and Melbourne, on the 25th ad 26th of September respectively. Tickets range from $100 dollars for a day pass and $950 for a Platinum pass which gets you a breakfast and evening with the guests (so you may be able to rub up against Alexander Skarsgard for real not on your pillow), seats in the first two rows for panels etc, priority queuing for photo’ and autographs and a professional photo with the guests. Visit here for ticketing and more details.

With that fangtastic news I’m sure you are all reaching for your fans and smelling salts, so now to bring you back down to earth so you can achieve something with your day.

Speaking of rubbing on pillows; for those who have not seen it already here is the perfect present to get any pre-pubescent Twilight fan: a life sized Edward Cullen pillow… Now if they made Eric pillows that would be Ok wouldn’t it?

Ms Harker

Last year I decided to subscribe to in my opinion, two of the premiere horror zines Fangoria and Rue Morgue. As someone who enjoys the smell of freshly printed books a little too much, someone who enjoys the tactile sensation of new paper ( I would roll around in it if it weren’t for the paper cuts!), someone who would die before owning a device such as the Kindle, I felt subscribing was a good idea.

Each month I sashayed out to the letter box to get my copy of Fangoria, alas the tyranny of distance left me infuriated by Rue Morgue’s delivery rate which was disappointing as this as my preferred zine of the two (I only just received the December edition!), I enjoyed leafing through my special deliveries. However I found that a lot of the info I had already come across on the net via sites like Bloody Disgusting, FearNet or Shock Til You Drop. Now don’t get me wrong, the zines still provide very detailed information and the feature articles surpass the bites of info you get on blogs etc. However combined with the recent rumours of Fangoria’s demise I have been given pause to reflect are horror zines still relevant?

There is a voice echoing through the Harker household, that is not an auditory hallucination but JH saying ‘I told you so’, having pointed out to me when I subscribed that the internet has surpassed any need to have print media, print media’s days are numbered. But like I said I am a tactile woman at heart. I have to admit I have decided not to renew my subscriptions, however am curious as to whether others have made the same decision, or is there still a fierce following of horror zines in print?

Ms Harker

I for one am fanging for March to hurry up and get here! With March comes the release of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, which is one of my most anticipated films of the year.

So to tide you over during the long month of February I discovered these little beauties on Facebook for all the world to see. These are sketches created by the great man himself, detailing some of the characters, my favourite being The Red Queen. Just a little heads up, if we play Alice In Wonderland I am sooo The Red Queen!

If you like these sketches, Burton has also released a book of his artwork, which I received as a birthday gift from some delightful friends of mine! You can purchase it on his website.

For you lucky ducks living in or around New York I will personally spank you if you do not go and see his collection at the Museum of Modern Art, I am still living in hope the collection will travel the oceans to come Down Under!

Ms Harker.

Or more appropriately Buongiorno a Tutti. My Italian is a little rusty!

It seems that 2010 may be the year of renaissance for Italian horror, not unlike 2009 was for the French. The last Italian horror film I saw was ‘La Terza Madre‘ or ‘Mother of Tears’. Directed by the famoso Dario Argento, I entered into the viewing experience with anticipation. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The supernatural was there just with a little too much boobs and 70’s style bush (or in these parts we refer to it as a ‘map of Tassie’) for me. While on the topic of the bush in horror how come we never get any disco balls? Always with the bush, maybe something to address in Women in Horror Month (which starts February)? But I digress.

Can Mad In Italy bring us some disco balls? Well no, but it looks like it can bring some great scares, in a modern context. Shock Til You Drop indicated the director Paolo Fazzini feels the film addresses the current financial crisis, home loans, crooked politicians and a young maniacal serial killer. Who said horror can’t be both blood soaked and social commentary? Check the trailer below. Forza Italia!

Ms Harker

Lucky she's buried in bones so we don't have to see her 'Map of Tassie'!

Recently Musings Across A Continuum was given a couple of peer nods from other horror bloggers in the forms of the ‘Kreativ Blogger’ and ‘Fantastically Frightening’ awards.

Thanks to Chuck Norris Ate My Baby who wrote these kind words:

“Ms Harker does it all from news, book and movie reviews to just plain old banter. She has a fun- quirky and very insightful way about every subject she tackles and it is always a great joy to stop by this blog, which might be the best looking one around just for the record.”

Also many thanks to The Vault of Horror and Day Of The Woman for these delightful comments:

“Musings Across A Continuum is not only a beautiful loking blog, but its also your one-stop destination for all things vampiric, specializing in pro True Blood and anti Twilight rhetoric.Plus Ms Harker comes from the land down under so the accent alone is worth it.” (b_sol, The Vault of Horror)

“No one knows vampires like Ms Harker, no one loves the boys of True Blood like Ms Harker and non one has a cooler accent than Ms Harker, I LOVE this woman and if you don’t know her you aught to.” (BJ-C, Day Of The Woman)

So the usual routine is to now go and award these little beauties to horror blogs which I favour. Many of my favourites which include the three mentioned above have already received these awards numerous times. Now call me a lazy cow, but I think there is a more pressing issue at hand. That is the recent controversy surrounding Bloody Disgusting’s move to recognize smaller horror blogs in cyber space has peaked my interest and annoyance.

In response to Total Films contest for horror blogs, which ranted was really recognizing large news sites such as Bloody Disgusting, Shock Til You Drop and Dread Central, not blogs as such. Mr Disgusting is seeking to recognize small blogs written by individuals. Asking for people to nominate themselves or others, the blogs will then be listed on the Bloody Disgutsing site for voting. Now in typical fashion of late (we all remember the Ms Horror Blogosphere debacle), some in the horror community have bitched and moaned about perceived lack of independence of said competition and accusations of ulterior motives have flown thick and fast.

I would like to say to all of those involved in attempting to highlight something I love doing (horror blogging), for highlighting a genre I love, thank you. To those getting your knickers in a twist, may I say, if your favourite genre doesn’t get some press, isn’t brought to the attention of those with the cash in some way, we won’t see more horror made and you’ll be left to chew your own arm off, which seems to be what happens when an activity like this comes along anyway, people descend into zombie hordes of criticism.

Celebrate what we love, when we get the opportunity! To illustrate my point below is a fangtastic new poster from Daybreakers.

Ms Harker

I stumbled across this trailer yesterday whilst browsing the tre` chic horror zine site Scars. It is from the upcoming film Kick Ass which stars Nicholas Cage and that McLuvin dude… The plot is summarized on IMDB as follows:

“Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan with a few friends and who lives alone with his father. His life is not very difficult and his personal trials not that overwhelming. However, one day he makes the simple decision to become a super-hero even though he has no powers or training.”

Now this film does not appear to have any exclusive link to horror, however the character in the trailer Hit Girl is definitely a girl after my own heart. A girl who can cuss with style and handle her weapons. Have a look and start your weekend of with a bang c*#&s!

Ms Harker

What is it about Asian horror that just keeps me coming back for more? Is it the creepy blue tinged children under sinks and hiding in cupboards? Yes. Is it the evil mother in laws that curse a household resulting in generations of said blue tinged children? Yes. Or could it be the unlikely pearls of wisdom that come from the soundtracks that form a inspirational accompaniment to my open windows of joy awaiting the blossoms of freedom and love to bestow greatness on the garden? Yes.

My love for Asian horror having now been established… I have to get my hands on a copy of Nobuhiko Obayahshi’s 1977 horror film Hasu or House. It has everything I love in horror, black hair tentacles weaving their way out of a hot bath up the ivory back of an unsuspecting damsel. Piano’s that play themselves… hang on… no, there are ghosts fingers thumping out that tune! Floating heads come to take their vengeance and naked ladies being eaten by said piano. Thanks to FearNet for bringing this jewel of the orient to my attention, it has filled my weekend with a sense of love sent from your warm lips through a bell of happiness! Enjoy the trailer below.

Ms Harker

I’m back! I hope all of you enjoyed the festive season and received many severed body parts wrapped with fancy bows.

One of my highlights from 2009 was the VH1 reality TV series Scream Queens. This hilarious horror hoedown (and there were a number of ‘hoe’s’ trying to get down on the producers I’m sure) put 10 unknown ‘beauties’ through there horror paces to establish who would come out on top of the mound of zombies as the ultimate Scream Queen. The winner received  a key role in the Saw film franchises next yawn Saw 6.

The show was hosted by Shawnee Smith (Saw, The Grudge 3, Repo the Genetic Opera), Queen of the Screams (apparently), who had the personality of a dead fish, the enthusiasm of an hepatic liver and the monotone expression of someone who was bordering on catatonia.

Thankfully Shock Til You Drop has revealed Shawnee has been replaced for Season 2 of Scream Queens, can I get a hell yeah! Her replacement is Jaime King (My Bloody Valentine, The Spirit, The Tripper), who will hopefully inject some life into the hosting role. The show has also replaced its feature director James Gunn (Slither, Dawn of the Dead), with Tim Sullivan (2001 Maniacs, Driftwood). However the acting coach all the scream bitches would love to hate John Homa, who gave me many squeals of delight, is coming back for Season 2. For a sneak peek visit to the set by Shock Til You Drop click here.

Lets hope Season 2 brings us more horrific howls of hilarity as Season One did. I will never forget the task given to the hopefuls where they had to play a mummified head in a jar. One bug eyed starlet wanna-be for some reason interpreted that a severed head would ultimately make you special needs and proceeded to play her character significantly brain damaged, much to the delight of her competitors and the chagrin of Madame Shawnee. Didn’t anyone tell her the rules? You never, ever go full retard!

Ms Harker

Quick note to let you know that,  I, Ms Harker am currently taking a break from blogging across the holiday period. I will return early in the New Year with a retrospective look at horror in 2009, whilst also sharing some of my holiday reading which has included Stephen King’s ‘Under the Dome‘, ‘The Morganville Vampires’ and an assortment of graphic novel delights. In the meantime have yourselves a haunting holiday period and a fangtastic New Year celebration!

Ms Harker

This New Years party would scare the crap out of anyone!

Hold on to your tea cups and watch out for the Jaberwockie, the new trailer for Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland is out! I am so excited I need to rest my feet on the warm belly of a pig! Enjoy!

Ms Harker