Pet Sematary by Helalyn Flowers

In 2013, Helalyn Flowers included a cover of "Pet Sematary" on their White Me In/Black Me Out CD. This Italian rock duo put their original spin on the song while still maintaining the spirit of the Ramones throughout. My only complaint is that the mixing seems off; I wish the lead vocalist was a little clearer.

Still, it's an excellent version that should have you nodding your head to the beat as the October shadows grow darker during this Halloween season...

31 Nights of Halloween: Bad Mistake

They say French films are tres magnifique... because they're French films. If they're talking about tonight's excursion into horror, they're right. It may not break any new ground, but it's well acted, well-executed on every technical level, and it doesn't waste a single second of screen time on ineffective "tension building" (which is an all-too-common mistake I find in these short films).

Bad Mistake (aka "Mauvaise Erreur") (2009)
Starring: Anne-Gaelle Ponche, Caroline Previnaire, Laurent Denayer, and Philippe d'Avilla
Director: Xavier Hibon
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

The weekly "scary movie night" with friends gets a little too real for Sophie (Ponche) on her walk home...


(Before anyone writes me: I KNOW this is a film made by Belgians, not Frenchmen. But I rarely get to mock film snobs, so I had to take this opportunity, no matter how weakly motivated it was.)

Tuneful Tuesday with Lindsey Stirling

Lindsey Stirling, the Dancing Violinist, performs her original composition "Moon Trance" and attends the biggest zombie dance party since the one Michael Jackson threw in the 1980s...

Every Tuesday from today through Halloween. there's be another fun or spooky music video to help get you in the proper mood, as we once again celebrate the 31 Nights of Halloween here at Terror Titans. 

31 Nights of Halloween Double Feature!

There's some thing lurking around deserted parking lots at night... so beware! We're starting this, the second week of  the 31 Nights of Halloween with two cautionary tales. We'd hate for any of our visitors to fall victim to the Moonlight Man!

(These are both really nicely done mini fright films, especially the first one. It's particularly nice the way writer/director Danny Donahue varies the tone of the two shorts.)


The Moonlight Man (2016)
Starring: Casey Fichtner and Philip Kreyche
Director: Danny Donahue
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars




The Moonlight Man (2017)
Starring: Bradley J. Herman and Philip Kreyche
Director: Danny Donahue
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: Okay Google...

Tonight's selection for your 31 Nights of Halloween viewing pleasure is another example of how horror always keeps pace with the march of technology. It's a nice little chiller... but I feel like it ends just as it's starting to get good!

Okay Google (2019)
Starring: Calvin Young
Director: Levi Morgan
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: Curtain

There was a time when the only place horror movie characters were safe was in the bathroom... because no-one in Movieland ever went into bathrooms. Those days are long gone, however, as you'll see in tonight's mini fright-film!

Curtain (2019)
Starring: Allison Elaine and Vincent Bombara
Director: Greg Vogt
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars


If you're a seasoned horror movie watcher, there isn't anything in "Curtain" that will shock you (or even surprise you), but it's well-acted, features some nice cinematography, and great sound design. It's a well-done little bit of filmmaking.

31 Nights of Halloween: Scratch

I watched tonight's selection twice, and I still am left wondering what exactly is going on in it. Maybe that's because I've never been a drug-addled 1950s housewife, maybe it's something else... but despite the cartoon question marks floating in the air above my head, this is a perfectly crafted, excellently acted, very creepy, and highly engaging piece of work that's worthy of the 31 Nights of Halloween. Check it out! Tell me what's happening in this film in the comments, please!


Scratch (2016)
Starring: Bel Deliá, Camron Robertson, Kate Avery, and Alexandra Bard
Director: Emma Bell
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Feature Review Friday: 'Night of the Demon'

For old time's sake (reaching all the way back to 2009 - 2012) there will be an actual horror movie review here at Terror Titans every Friday until Halloween arrives!


Night of the Demon (1957) (aka "Curse of the Demon")
Starring: Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins, Niall McGinnis, Liam Redmond, and Athene Seyler
Director: Jacques Tourneur
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

An American (Andrews) travels to England to help investigate a demonic cult, and he finds himself targeted by supernatural forces unleashed by the cult's leader (McGinnis).

"Night of the Demon" is a by-the-numbers horror film where a skeptic is beset by supernatural forces and the only way he can survive is to turn the tables on those who have unleashed them. The fact that it's straight-forward with only one unexpected and shocking moment isn't a strike against it, because the story is expertly paced and structured, and so excellently acted by ever cast member that the predictability of the story becomes irrelevant.

The mood grows increasingly intense as the film unfolds, and the trainyard climax is perhaps one of the best finishes to a horror film I've ever seen. What's better, the film delivers its scares through quality acting, lighting, sparse use of soundtrack music, and perfect pacing; who could have imagined that a piece of paper fluttering away on a breeze could be such a source of suspense? I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes their horror with a minimum of gore.

With all the praise I'm heaping on the film, you may be wondering why I'm only giving it a rating of Eight Stars? It's because of the film's one and only misstep; it establishes right from the beginning that the supernatural powers of the villainious cult leader (played with just the right amount of slimeness and pomposity by the underappreciated character actor Niall McGinnis) are real. While on the one hand, it accelerates the viewer's sense of apprehension for the death-marked hero, it undermines takes away any mystery in the story. We don't even the a startling reveal of the demonic creature, as that, too, is shown to us in the very beginning. It's hard for to judge if the film would have been better with the more standard "is it all a hoax or is it supernatural forces" approach, but I leaning toward thinking it would have. Therefore, I am assigning it a rating of a High Eight.

"Night of the Demon" was released in the United States in 1958 under the title "Curse of the Demon", with a running time that's roughly 7 minutes shorter than the original British version. The most recent DVD release contains both cuts of the film, and I was sure that part of the cut material would be from the opening sequence where we see a character get killed by fire demon. I was wrong; instead, character building bits, and a crucial exposition scene were cut from the film.

31 Nights of Halloween: Agatha

Bathing is potentially a very dangerous activity for beautiful young women during the 31 Nights of Halloween, as tonight's offering shows. My advice, ladies? Use wash cloths, plenty of deodorant and an extra dash of perfume from now until November 1.

Agatha (2017)
Starring: Devyn LaBella
Director: Alex Goyette
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Pet Sematary by Starcrawler

This cover of the Ramones masterpiece was played during the end credits of the 2019 remake of the "Pet Sematary" movie. It's a great cover, in that Starcrawler has unquestionably made this song their own, but you can still feel the spirit of the Ramones hovering in the background.




FYI, Starcrawler is spending this October touring the American West and Midwest. Click here for their schedule; if they're going to be near you, maybe you should see if there are still tickets to the show!

31 Nights of Halloween: Suggestion Box

If you live in an apartment or condo, you know how nice it can be to have responsive management and maintainance staff. You also know how annoying it can be to have busybodies who stick their nose in everyone's business. Both of these everyday situations form the foundation of this neat little slice of domestic horror.


Suggestion Box (2016)
Starring: Nikyah Christie and Dale Christie
Director: Tarrell Christie
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: Larry

It's the time of year when the Terror Titans blog shambles from the grave to bring you short films to help get in you in the mood for the Big Night of ghosts and creepy-crawlies! Welcome to the 31 Nights of Halloween!

Our first offering will be especially relatable if you work the night shift, alone, and in an isolated spot. It's a nicely staged little horror morsel.

Larry (2017)
Starring: Joe Calarco
Director: Jacob Chase
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Tuneful Tuesday: Pet Sematary by the Ramones

Like a beloved pet put to rest in a cursed Indian Burial Ground, Terror Titans returns frightfully to life every October for the 31 Nights of Halloween. In addition to the daily short films you've come to expect, we'll be featuring a version of "Pet Semetary" for your listening enjoyment every other day.

The original version of "Pet Semetary" was written and performed by the Ramones, and it is one of their greatest, yet most underappreciated, tunes. It was recorded in 1989 and it was inspired by the Stephen King story of the same name, and used to promote the original film adaptation of it. The song had a nice music video--this was during the final days of MTV actually being focused on music--and we're kicking our Pet Semetary marathon series off with that. (The song as ultimately included on the Brain Drain album.