I'm about a week and a half late reporting this, but I just recently found out that the story had gone to print. Back in June, Josh Noel, a reporter from the Chicago Tribune contacted me to see if I could provide some quotes on the enduring power of the horror genre to supplement a story he was writing on a series of double features in the Chicago area. I obliged him with 45 straight minutes of what can only be described as undiluted horror geekery.

You may have noticed a lack of news stories this month, despite a whole bunch of excellent discs coming down the way (new Alfred Hitchcock sets, Nightmare Castle restored, and Beyond the Door, just to name a few). That's because we've been deep in prep for the three major events that will define the second half of our year.

Joseph Maddrey, author of the excellent "Nightmares in Red, White, and Blue: The Evolution of the American Horror Film" and occasional Classic-Horror contributor, has a thought-provoking post up at his blog about modern horror.

Over at DVD Panache, an awesome movie blog, Adam Ross posts a weekly segment called the Friday Screen Test, where a blogger or "web-siteur" answers questions about their film fanatacism. This week, I'm the one answering the questions. A lot of the questions seemed simple until I started answering them, at which point they became downright complex.

Wondering what to watch on Halloween night? We have four lists for you, each one dedicated to a different "era" of horror. Each playlist is ordered chronologically, but you can (and should) mix things up to your preference.  We tried limiting each list to eight hours worth of films, but we couldn't limit ourselves well enough, so instead we've provided the runtime (Rt) for each film in minutes so you can choose the best films for whatever time constraints you may or may not have.

Here it is, boys and girls, the big day. September 7th, 2007. Adam Green's slasher Hatchet opens in 70+ theaters across the country and it's time to show our support. If you're sick of remakes, sick of sequels, and you just want to see some good, old-fashioned 1980s-style blood-and-gory fun up on the big screen where it belongs, find the nearest theater playing the movie and get there. Julia and I have already reserved our tickets for the 8:30PM showing at the AMC Deer Valley in Phoenix, AZ.

I've said it before, but it needs to be said again -- while the recent spate of remakes and sequels is not necessarily a bad thing, it has become a little overkill. That's why we're looking forward to Hatchet, Adam Green's R-rated slasher film, which promises good, old-fashioned thrills and chills, plus some improvements on some of the less appealing aspects of the slasher. How can you support Green's ambitious project? Two ways.