Horror Movie A Day Commentaries!

At long last, I have finally recorded/edited/uploaded a commentary track for you all to enjoy. However, enjoy may not be the right word, as it's for the Prom Night remake (Unrated version!). I do my best not to talk over anyone, so if you can't imagine yourself sitting through it twice, you should be OK to watch it for the first time with my commentary running. Not like the dialogue is worth hearing anyway.

To get started, first download the file HERE and put it on your ipod or whatever you would like to use (it's just an mp3 file - should work on anything). Then cue up the Prom Night Unrated DVD or Blu-Ray*. Hit "play movie", and you'll get the FBI warnings and such. After the "this commentary does not reflect the views of Sony" text screen goes away, begin my commentary track. If you do it right, the movie should be about 1 second further than the mp3 (so if the movie is at 1:00, my track should be at 0:59).

If you notice that I am "responding" to things later than they occur, pause the movie for a second (or however long is necessary). If I am commenting (or snickering) on things that haven't happened yet, pause ME for a second or two. A few times during the movie I repeat dialogue, they should be more or less in sync.

I hope you guys enjoy it - it was actually a lot of work editing it and stuff (I sound like a goddamn throat cancer victim when I breathe, so I had to take all that out lest you think I was dying), but I'm happy to do more if folks like it. And I promise to do GOOD movies too. Though come on, it's more fun to make fun of a movie, right?

All I ask is that if you download the track and listen, can you PLEASE just make a comment so I can get an idea of how many people are into this? You don't even have to write a full message, just an X to "sign" the list, so to speak. Gracias!

Enjoy!

*It has to be the DVD, not a downloaded .avi or whatever (I am not sure about instant viewing from Netflix type deals though). AVI files run at a different speed and thus sync will constantly "drift". And I absolutely refuse to make a version that will aid downloaders.

HMAD Commentary - SHOCKER!

Is tomorrow night's screening not enough awesomeness for you? Or are you simply not in the Los Angeles area and thus cannot join the festivities? Well, I got you covered!!! A spur of the moment new Horror Movie A Day Commentary for SHOCKER!! Read on for details!

Because I wanted to get this one up before the screening (just made it!), I didn't have time to wait for the most ideal settings. By that I mean cooler weather. So you can hear my AC blowing the whole time. But the good news is I bought a new mic so despite the AC sound, my voice is clearer than ever! Once again, if anyone is good at audio cleanup, please feel free to 'fix' it and/or tell me how to do so. Again with time being an issue I didn't want to spend too much time futzing with it.

As always, download the mp3 HERE and load it up on whatever audio player you desire. You should start the film at the same time as the commentary, so that the timecodes are identical. If you notice I seem to be reacting too late to things, the movie should be paused. If I am reacting to something before it occurs on screen, then the commentary should be paused. Luckily, Shocker has several wonderful songs for me to sing along with and help guide you. Let me know if there are any problems!

And don't forget, if you're in LA - OCTOBER 3rd, 11:59 PM - NEW BEVERLY CINEMA! Join Wes Craven, Ted Raimi, Richard Brooks, Vincent Guastaferro, and ME! as we bring you what may be the first revival screening of Shocker ever, in time for its 20th anniversary!!!

Any Readers Good w/Sound?

In a bit I will be posting the newest commentary track, and like the others, it would have gone up two hours earlier if I knew what the hell I was doing when it comes to filtering it so it sounds good. Granted it sounds better now than the original recording, but a. I'm sure it can be even better and b. it takes a lot of time-consuming trial and error to get it that way, and of course I always forget what I did when it comes time for another. So if any readers are or know someone who is a whiz with that sort of thing, please contact me (frightreviews at the gmail) if you are willing to take a small sample of one of my recordings, make it sound good, and then tell me what I can do to achieve a similar result for the whole piece. I use Cool Edit Pro (version 2.1 I believe) but I also have Adobe Audition if that's better/easier (I've never used it). Thanks in advance!!

Commentary Video!

You can now enjoy the newest commentary for Memorial Valley Massacre in the comfort of your own Horror Movie A Day page. Enjoy, and see THIS post for other downloading options.

UPDATED: New Commentary!

I'm trying to make up for the delays in getting both of my commentary series off the ground by giving you TWO this week! First up, here is the "Commentary Only" MP3 track for Memorial Valley Massacre, which is the 2nd track in Simon Barrett and I's "Horror People, Dear Reader" series. This is for the folks who own the film on DVD and wish to sync it themselves. The runtimes should be identical (so if the movie is at 34 minutes and 23 seconds, the commentary should also be at 34 minutes and 23 seconds). However, if you are like most people and do not own this movie on DVD, then we got you covered. Head on over HERE to watch a streaming quicktime or download the .mp4, with our comments pre-synced to the movie.

There will also be the 2nd of my solo tracks that are specific to Horror Movie A Day and are for more popular films. And believe me, this is a very popular film :). I don't want to spoil the surprise for those who don't know (or can't guess), but I can guarantee it will be more popular than Prom Night. Look for that this Thursday (or sooner!).

Cathy's Curse Now Streaming!

If you head on over the Podcast page on Bloody-Disgusting, you can now watch the Cathy's Curse commentary right there on the site (our commentary series is called "Horror People, Dear Reader" - the stream will play on the logo once it's all loaded). Links to for RSS and iTunes are also available there. Again, this is for the synced version, if you have Cathy on DVD and only want our audio to sync yourself, you need this one: JUST THE COMMENTARY (MP3). Enjoy!

Cathy's Curse Commentary Now Live!

Here it is!!! A pre-synced (that's movie and commentary) Quicktime of the Cathy's Curse Commentary!!! The file size is 200 mb and worth every byte. But for those wonderful souls who already own the film and would rather listen to my rambling on your home theater, you can download an mp3 of JUST THE COMMENTARY TRACK right now! Simply begin the track at the same time as Cathy. Read further for technical hints.

Best way to tell if you're in sync is when the father says "Your mother's a bitch!" about 45 seconds into the film - if you hear our snickering immediately after, you're good. If our reaction seems delayed, then pause the movie for the appropriate amount of time. If we laugh before he finishes the line, then pause the commentary for the appropriate amount of time. If you look at the "time elapsed" times for both the film and the audio, they should be just about the same (less than a second's difference). The commentary track runs another minute or so longer than the movie because Simon and I kept talking. Of course, if you wait, the work will already be done; besides, how many of you already have a copy of the movie anyway?

New Commentary: Jason Takes Manhattan!

I think I'm getting a bit better at these... it's only been two months since the last one, and I already have another one recorded (just need to edit it). My goal of 1-2 a month might just be achieved after all.

Anyway, as I lost out on recording a "real" commentary on the actual disc for Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, due to Paramount changing their minds about having "fan" commentaries on the discs (only Joe Lynch and Adam Green's track for Final Chapter survived), I decided to record my own. Fuck you, Paramount!

As always, it's a pretty simple process. First download the mp3 track here, and then load it on your iPod or whatever, or simply play it through your computer through any mp3 playback application. At the same time, load up your DVD of Jason Takes Manhattan. Start them both at the same time so that the timecodes on both the mp3 and the film are more or less in sync (within a second anyway), and adjust the volume accordingly so that you can hear me and the film at a comfortable level.

Now, at some point (especially if you're on a computer), the tracks may go out of sync, or "drift". You should be able to tell by the timecode which one is running fast, but if for any reason the timecodes match and you're still out of sync, simply pause the film or the commentary for a second or two. If you notice my reaction to a line or event is delayed, then you need to pause the film. If i seem to be reacting before something occurs, then pause me. Every now and then I say a line of dialogue along with the characters (such as Wayne: "She's sexy!"), that should help.

If there any problems, suggestions... PLEASE post them or email me. I have gotten very little feedback on the others I have done, and it's a lot of work to do if no one's bothering to listen to them. According to the Mediafire info, well over a hundred people downloaded the Halloween track, but I only got 6 comments on it, and only 2 of those were actual feedback (thanks Zed!!!). I know some folks don't want to deal with commenting, and that's fine, but if you want me to keep doing them, I'm gonna need more confirmation that they are being listened to and not just downloaded to your desktop and gathering virtual dust. Thanks guys!!! And look for the next one within the next week or so!

Commentaries are back.... ish.

OK so in the past year I have managed to record one commentary track, for a movie no one wanted to watch anyway (Prom Night remake). I still plan on doing solo tracks for big(gish) movies, but in the meantime, I will be recording some with Mr. Disgusting and/or Simon Barrett (screenwriter of Dead Birds). We did the first last night, for... you guessed it, CATHY'S CURSE. The plan is to do public domain movies for a while, as we can sync our track up to the movie and release it that way, saving you the hassle of trying to sync it with your iPod or whatever.

Hopefully Cathy will be up in the next week (I've already uploaded the audio to my PC to edit/filter as necessary) on both HMAD and Bloody-Disgusting; in the meantime, check out the awesome site Cultrararevideos for available titles to suggest! Make sure they are on that site (or similar legit public domain movie sites), if the movie is not public domain we can't sync it up without getting in trouble. If the pre-synced version proves to be popular enough, we will consider doing big movies that you can sync yourself, knowing now how much you enjoy our rambling.

New HMAD Commentary!

With all the hubbub surrounding our new "Video Commentary" series Horror People, Dear Reader over at Bloody Disgusting, I hope you didn't think I forgot about the "solo" HMAD-specific tracks, as I apparently have (being that it's been months since the last one). So to make it up to you, I present you with a commentary for a film I know you all love/hate: ROB ZOMBIE'S HALLOWEEN! Read on for details!

Yes, despite specifically saying that I was done with the movie, I knew folks would request it for as long as I was doing commentaries, so I wanted to get it out of the way before H2 comes along (which, as I point out in the track, I am actually looking forward to). Don't say I never gave you nothing!

As Halloween is most decidedly NOT in the public domain, this means I can't give you the video with my comments already synced up. You gotta do that yourself. So as with Prom Night, first download the MP3 track here (it's about 90 mb). Then load it up on your ipod or whatever else you may use to listen to MP3s. Then load up your Halloween DVD or Blu-Ray. NOTE - This track refers to the UNRATED DIRECTOR'S CUT of the film, and thus will not sync properly with the theatrical (or workprint) versions. I figured the unrated cut is the one that most people own and is also the easiest to find. Press start on the DVD, and then immediately press start on my commentary (they should run pretty close to the same time, but the movie should be a few tenths of a second ahead for perfect syncage).

Now, if the movie and commentary begin to drift out of sync, you need to pause the one that's "fast" for the appropriate amount of time. So, if I begin laughing or commenting on something that hasn't happened yet, pause me. If my reaction seems unreasonably delayed, pause the movie. At times I "sing" along with the score (and also "Love Hurts"), so that should tell you if you're out of sync or not. NOTE - the mp3 is shorter than the movie because I don't talk over the whole end credits.

If you encounter any problems, PLEASE let me know. Also, if you listen to the track, even if you have nothing to say, can you just post a comment here? You can just type a single letter or number for all I care, I'm just trying to gauge how popular these things are so I can decide whether to do more. Thank you.

Enjoy!!!

Halloween II Commentary Now Live!!

I know I promised it was "coming" like a month ago on Twitter, but you know me. I'm slow. The big Nightmare On Elm Street retrospective took up a lot of free time, and I was also re-watching all of the Platinum Dunes movies for something that never panned out, though it was nice to take another look at them, since I hadn't seen any of them since their theatrical runs (except for The Hitcher, of course!).

Anyway, instead of supporting their insultingly lazy new Nightmare movie, how about you spend some time with another revival of a horror icon, one that DID have some ideas and creativity on display? I've grown to appreciate Rob Zombie's Halloween II, particularly in its director's cut form, and while it still has a lot of problems, I think it's a much better example of how Rob Zombie would do a Halloween movie, something that was often missing from his first film. And you can hear me explain why in my commentary track, which you can download HERE!

As always, simply download the mp3 and load it into any media player you like. Then cue up your Halloween II Director's Cut DVD or Blu-ray, and start them simultaneously, so that their timecodes more or less match. A few times during the movie I say a line along with the characters (usually Loomis), so that should help guide you if you happen to be out of sync. If my reactions seem to be delayed, then you need to pause the movie for a second or two. If I appear to be laughing at something that hasn't happened yet, then pause me for the appropriate time. As long as the timecodes are within a second of each other, then you should be fine.

Now, one thing I should mention - I was a bit sleepy when I recorded the track, and I sometimes talk a bit lower than normal, and mumble a bit. So you might need to turn me up a bit louder than normal, or turn the movie lower. Luckily, the funnier things I tend to say loud, so it shouldn't hamper your enjoyment.

As always, PLEASE let me know if there are any problems with any part of the process, and let me know if you enjoyed it! Or if you hated it!

Stepfather Commentary Is Here!!

If you follow my Twitter, or listen to my “Video Vault” segments on the Graveyard Show, you might be wondering where my Stepfather remake (or as I like to refer to it, Stepfauxther) commentary went. Well, it’s finally here! Rejoice!

So why the delay? Well, in order to upload the track, I first need to digitize it from my recorder, which occurs in real time, and I can’t use the computer while it goes. So finding time just for that (plus setting it up, which is a pain) is troublesome enough, but the first time, it digitized too “hot”, making my voice distorted. So I had to do it again, again when I had time to it. Then, even worse, after about 20 minutes, I apparently forgot to sit still (in addition to general fidgety-ness, I suffer from restless leg syndrome - people have refused to sit next to me at the movies), resulting in a horrible, hollow knocking sound playing over the entire thing, as my shaking legs were brushing the part of the couch that my mic stand was “attached” to. This resulted in a far more time-consuming editing process than usual, as I needed to remove as much as I can so it would still be listenable. If I had the time, I would have just re-recorded it, but that would be another four hours (2 to watch the movie, 2 to upload the audio). So instead I just hacked away at the track. You might notice I’m not as chatty as usual - that’s because a lot of smaller quips were deleted due to the knocking sound drowning them out. You’ll still hear it, but trust me, it was 10x as bad before I edited.

At any rate, it’s now HERE. As always, simply download the mp3 track and put it in any media player you wish (I have found a new one (new to me anyway) called the VLC player that I quite like, if you’re not satisfied with WMP or whatever). Then put on your Stepfather remake DVD (make sure it’s the unrated director’s cut!), and start my MP3 as soon as the FBI warnings go away and the movie actually starts. The timecode should match up (if you’re half a second off it’s OK); 1:05 on the track should play at 1:05 on the movie. If you notice me laughing or reacting at something that hasn’t happened yet, pause me. If my reaction seems delayed, pause the movie for the appropriate length of time. I forgot to say lines along with the movie until near the very end (“Who am I here?”) so I apologize for that. But as long as the timecodes are in sync than you should be good to go.

Enjoy! Any problems, suggestions, concerns, feedback... let me know! I promise to have the next track (Halloween II) available soon. And I promise to sit still when I record it.

Horror People, Dear Reader Returns!!!

Simon Barrett and I's Horror People, Dear Reader series took an unfortunate hiatus during the summer. We had done a commentary for Suburban Sasquatch, only to discover that the film was not in the public domain as we previously thought. We will try to figure something out so you guys can listen to it (as I assume none of you own a copy already). But we DID do one for another Sasquatch movie - Night Of The Demon. This one might not be public domain either, but goddammit, it's been unavailable for so long, if anyone sues us then we will just countersue him for neglecting to release this epically terrible/awesome movie properly. Needless to say, the quality isn't the best (it's ripped from a DVD of a twice duped VHS tape!), but it's the best we could find for this one. Read on for download info!

So you can download the .mp4 format video HERE, it should work perfectly on your iPod. You can also (and SHOULD!) subscribe to the podcast HERE via Itunes and get the newest episodes as soon as they are posted. And if for some reason you own a copy of this film already and just want our commentary, you can download an MP3 of that HERE. You can also watch the embedded version below, though it does have an annoying watermark. So many options!

One final note - because the film is so hard to find, we understand if you want to watch it without our rambling. To shut us off, simply shut off the right speakers on your computer (by sliding the mixer bar to the left on your volume control panel). By doing that, you'll just hear the movie. And possibly my weeping that I did all this work and you shut me off.

Enjoy!