On this day in horror history.... September 30th, 1988

On this day in horror history.... (this one is for Will) 'Elvira, Mistress of the Dark' is released. It's obviously a comedy horror film that was directed by James Signorelli and starred Cassandra Peterson. If you were ever a fan of any of the old horror hosts on television, then you were probably a fan of hers as well. (especially if you were a young boy who was turning into man) The film is a good time and never takes itself too seriously. Plus, Kansas City's own.... Edie McClurg!

On this day in horror history.... September 28th, 1987

On this day in horror history.... 'Friday the 13th: The Series' made its debut. It's an American-Canadian horror television series that ran for three seasons, from October 3, 1987 to May 26, 1990 in first-run syndication. It has no tie in to the film franchise of the same name. Rather, it's more of an 'X-Files' type premise than one of a masked slasher hunting campers. Despite the unfortunate naming of the program, it was still quite good. Sadly, it didn't last but those three seasons and then vanished.

On this day in horror history.... September 26th, 1962

On this day in horror history.... 'Carnival of Souls' is released. It's an American independent horror film written, produced, and directed by Herk Harvey, and starring Candace Hilligoss. Filmed in Lawrence, Kansas and Salt Lake City, Carnival of Souls was shot on a budget of$33,000. Being a Kansas City, Missouri boy myself, this film holds a special place in my heart. It's kind of a hidden gem of the time and a film that is unique, in and of itself.

On this day in horror history.... September 24th, 2004

On this day in horror history.... 'Shaun of the Dead' is released. A romantic comedy horror film with zombies, directed by Edgar Wright, written by Wright and Simon Pegg, and starring Pegg and Nick Frost. This was the first in Wright and Pegg's 'Three Flavours Cornetto' trilogy. It's also one of the best zombie films of the past 20 years and a comedy to boot. It's incredibly well done, hilariously funny and has some genuinely terrifying sequences. If you want to see a perfect blend of all of the elements into one perfect storm.... then this is the film you need to see.

On this day in horror history.... September 20th, 1975

On this day in horror history.... Asia Argento is born. She's an Italian actress, director, singer and model. She's also the daughter of world famous horror filmmaker Dario Argento. She's a fascinating talent that sadly seems to be under utilized in American cinema.

On this day in horror history.... September 18th, 1963

On this day in horror history.... 'The Haunting' is released. A British horror film directed and produced by Robert Wise and adapted from the 1959 novel 'The Haunting of Hill House' by Shirley Jackson. It starred Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, and Russ Tamblyn. The film depicts the experiences of a small group of people invited by a paranormal investigator to investigate a purportedly haunted house and has one hell of a poster. A film that's been re-told more than once, but a good story is a good story.

On this day in horror history.... September 16th, 2005

On this day in horror history.... 'Cry_Wolf' is released. A early 2000's horror film directed by Jeff Wadlow starring Julian Morris, Jon Bon Jovi, Lindy Booth, Jared Padalecki and Gary Cole. This film, as I remember, is far better than it should have been. Considering the time when it came out, it was a virtual wasteland for horror lovers. At some point, this needs to be seen again. I want to know if it still holds up.

On this day in horror history.... September 14th, 1960

On this day in horror history.... 'The Little Shop of Horrors' is released. A horror comedy film directed by Roger Corman and a very young Jack Nicholson as Wilbur Force. This was long before it became a popular musical and a film I remember seeing on television, at a very young age. If you've never seen it, you really should.

On this day in horror history.... September 12th, 1958

On this day in horror history.... 'The Blob' is released. An American independent science-fiction horror film directed by Irvin Yeaworth and starring none other than Mr. Steven McQueen himself. This one oozed its way into people's hearts until it came out their ears. A true classic in every sense of the word.

On this day in horror history.... September 10th, 1993

On this day in horror history.... 'The X-Files' premires. An American science fiction drama television series created by Chris Carter. The original television series aired from September 10, 1993, to May 19, 2002, on Fox. The program spanned nine seasons, with 202 episodes and blended science fiction with good ole' horror movie elements into an amazing amalgamation of awesome. Plus, Mulder and Scully were equally easy on the eyes.

On this day in horror history.... September 8th, 1990

On this day in horror history.... 'Bride of Re-Animator' is released. The 1990 science-fiction horror film directed by Brian Yuzna and the sequel to the original 'Re-Animator'. This film follows in the footsteps of the Frankenstein monster before him, as Dr. Herbert West is back and creating a bride. What could go wrong?

On this day in horror history.... September 6th, 1879

On this day in horror history.... Friedrich Gustav Maximilian "Max" Schreck was born. A German actor, best known for his lead role as the vampire Count Orlok in the film Nosferatu (1922) and a hell of a creepy guy. He went on to have a career in acting, but will always be remembered as the head patriarch of the Dracula family.

On this day in horror history.... May 16th, 1960

On this day in horror history.... one of the films that became the template for the modern slasher film, 'Peeping Tom' is released. Featuring the first person perspective of the killer, it's themes were considered shocking at the time. In horror circles, this is a forgotten cult classic.

On this day in horror history.... May 14th, 1983

On this day in horror history.... sometimes horror actress Amber Tamblyn is born. Co-star of the 2002 reboot of 'The Ring' and star of 'The Grudge 2', she's had quite a career and I've got to admit, both of these films were pretty decent. Plus, 'The Grudge 2' had an amazing death scene for Ted Raimi! Happy Birthday Amber! (sorry this wasn't more about you)

On this day in horror history.... April 25th, 1953

On this day in horror history.... 'House of Wax' is released. A remake of 1933's 'Mystery of the Wax Museum', this time around it starred one Vincent Price. Co-starring a personal favorite of mine, Charles Bronson, this film was in 3-D and Technicolor! It had ALL the things going for it, in 1953. While this is not the pinnacle of Mr. Price's career, it help to cement him as part of the Mount Rushmore of early horror icons.

On this day in horror history.... April 24th, 1998

On this day in horror history.... the Chinese zombie comedy, 'Bio Zombie' is released. I went through an Asian zombie cinema phase and this one was one of many, that I enjoyed absorbing. While it's not going to make my top 13 of all time, it's still a fun outing and makes us of limited space to tell a good story. Recommended for those zombie fanatics who want to say they've seen it all.

On this day in horror history.... April 22nd, 1935

On this day in horror history.... one of the greatest sequels ever, 'The Bride of Frankentstein' is released. I love this film and was gifted an original oil painting of The Bride over a year ago, that adorns my home now. Such a striking visage. If you've never seen it, do yourself and favor and go watch it tonight. Thank me later.

On this day in horror history.... April 21st, 2006

On this day in horror history.... another video game makes its way into the cinema as 'Silent Hill' is released. Featuring a personal favorite of mine, Radha Mitchell, this one was way better than it should have been. Sadly, the sequel was awful, but we'll always have this one and the creepy nurses to make us happy.

On this day in horror history.... April 1st, 2001

On this day in horror history.... one of the worst comic adaptations ever filmed (outside of 'Spawn') is released. Based on the amazing comic book series by Tim Vigil, 'Faust: Love of the Damned' is brought to the screen by Brian Yuzna. I once wrote a full length review about this film, that ripped it apart. Mr. Vigil found the review and left me a very polite comment that broke my heart. To this day, I regret being so cruel. Even when I met the man, I was such a fanboy. I didn't have the heart to tell him who I was. (not that he would remember) Either way, it taught me a very valuable lesson as a film critic. Thank you, Tim, for being a wonderfully kind and genuine artist and someone I look up to and respect, despite your wonderfully twisted and sick take on the world.

On this day in horror history.... March 31st, 2006

On this day in horror history.... James Gunn releases his first feature length film, 'Slither'. Written and directed by the man who now has a seat at the big Hollywood table, this is a cult classic in every sense. Still deeply seated in his early Troma roots, James threw everything including the kitchen sink into this one. If you've never seen it, do yourself a favor and go pick this one up tonight.