Where The Hell Have I Been? [Award Nominations & Updates]

So obviously, I've been away for the past two months if you couldn't tell by the cobwebs that I had to swat away. So what was the deal? A few things:

- Was burnt out.
- Had no interest in watching films, let alone reviewing them.
- Was focused on other projects that unfortunately didn't work out as planned.
- Was tired of social networking and being on the internet period.

But now I'm back - it will be a slow return - but this blog will get more active as the weeks come. I appreciate all you guys for your patience.

While I was on hiatus, I learned that LAMB [the Large Association of Movie Blogs] nominated Full Moon Reviews for Best Horror Blog and Best VLOG [video blogging]. Not sure if I'll make it to the final nominations, especially since I didn't promote it sooner than later [voting ends this Wednesday night for LAMB voters]. But I'm honored and very appreciative that anyone would consider me and this blog "best of" anything. So thanks for that. If you're a LAMB member who hasn't voted yet, please vote for Full Moon Reviews. Would appreciate it.

LAMB Nominees

I also wanted to give a shout out to my long-time movie Vlogging friend, Ethan Dunlap. He and his friends have started a new web series called "Those Guys In The Hall". It's not exactly horror [more comedy], but it does have references to the genre. I watched the pilot episode and I quite enjoyed it. It does have some editing issues and the shot scale during certain sequences could be a lot better. Audio could be touched up in places as well. But overall, it's a good start to a web series that will probably get better as the cast and crew keeps creating content. Ethan has always supported me, so I definitely want to return the favor. You can check out updates and episodes on Ethan's YouTube channel. Also, he'll be posting these episodes at Web of Cinema, if you're interested. We have to support no-budget independent filmmaking.

Facebook Page

Ethan's YouTube channel

Web of Cinema


That's pretty much all I want to post here. A review for the remake of EVIL DEAD will be posted this weekend. I will also be doing some video stuff as well, including a film for every year I've lived, and an attempt to review every zombie movie ever made [that'll take a while]. Also, I'll be doing two major franchise reviews - one for the SUPERMAN film series leading up to MAN OF STEEL - and another for THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS movies leading up to FAST SIX. Also, Full Moon Reviews turns FIVE on the 12th, so there will be something for that milestone as well. Thanks for understanding and appreciate the continued support. Love you guys.

- Fred [The Wolf]

Full Moon Reviews is now 4 Years Old! Plus, the 7 x 7 Award!

Well it's that time again. On April 12, 2008, this blog was created as a back up for any reviews I posted on my then-blog on MySpace [do people still use MySpace?]. I'm close to 500 reviews now, thanks to the support of readers, viewers, bloggers, and just all-around family and friends who enjoy what I offer here. The blog almost has 400,000 views, which I find completely amazing. I'm so grateful so many people appreciate my reviews and thoughts on genre films I love so very much. All I ever wanted to do was entertain others, so I'm glad it seems to be working. What was once something I just did for the hell of it has become something that means a whole lot to me personally and even professionally.

So I just want to thank anyone and everyone who has taken a peek at Full Moon Reviews, including those who have commented and shared anything related to this blog. I've met so many great people because of this and I wouldn't change reviewing films for the world. I can't believe Full Moon Reviews is now FOUR YEARS OLD. It just boggles my mind. It really does.

As for what's coming up: Expect a group of superhero stuff, as films leading up to the highly anticipated THE AVENGERS film will be covered, as well as the continuation of the BATMAN franchise leading to THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. Also there will be horror reviews for CABIN IN THE WOODS, CABIN FEVER and CABIN FEVER 2: SPRING FEVER, JEEPERS CREEPERS, and more. Plus the 500th review will probably be out this month - and it's for a cult classic that I've been wanting to review for a very long time now.

Also expect more Hit & Miss reviews, as I'm heavily backed up in terms of films I have watched for review due to the whole Netflix-Starz fiasco that really overwhelmed most of us bloggers. Plus, they just seem quicker to do than the normal long " Things I've Learned..." reviews - which means more content on the blog monthly. I will still continue long reviews for films I feel need or deserve them, whether they're milestone reviews [every 50th review], part of a major franchise that deserves to be highlighted, or involving an Original vs. Remake type of post. From what I can tell, a lot of you enjoy the simple Hit & Miss reviews, so it won't make much difference. I will try to get at least 2 reviews out per week. As a matter of fact, CABIN FEVER may be out sometime tonight or even tomorrow.

As for video reviews, there aren't any planned. I just don't have the time to film them and then edit them. Plus it seems the written reviews are more popular anyway. I'll return to videos one day, but not anytime soon.

Thanks again to everyone who have supported this blog in any way. It truly means a lot to me. The Big Five is next year - which should be a special one. Stay tuned.

- Fred [The Wolf]


TOP 10 MOST VIEWED REVIEWS [April 12, 2011]

1. 1408 (2007) - 4,045 Views

2. WITCHBOARD (1987) - 3,137 Views

3. ELVIRA, MISTRESS OF THE DARK (1988) - 2,552 Views

4. BABYSITTER WANTED (2008) - 1,284 Views

5. PIRANHA (1978) - 932 Views

6. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 (1986) - 573 Views

7. 2001 MANIACS: FIELD OF SCREAMS (2010) - 513 Views

8. NIGHT OF THE DEMONS (2009) - 469 Views

9. MEGA SHARK VERSUS GIANT OCTOPUS (2009) - 438 Views

10. NEIGHBOR (2009) [Video Review] - 427 Views


TOP 10 MOST VIEWED REVIEWS [April 12, 2012]

1. 1408 (2007) - 14,192 Views

2. WITCHBOARD (1987) - 10,933 Views

3. ELVIRA, MISTRESS OF THE DARK (1988) - 4,242 Views

4. BABYSITTER WANTED (2008) - 2,986 Views

5. A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (2010) - 2,526 Views

6. SCREAM 4 (2011) [Video Review] - 2,317 Views

7. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (1990) - 2,129 Views

8. MORTAL KOMBAT (1995) & MORTAL KOMBAT: ANNIHILATION (1997)  - 2,085 Views

9. 2001 MANIACS: FIELD OF SCREAMS (2010) - 1,973 Views

10. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 (1986) - 1,960 Views


Now the second reason for this post:

 

I just received the 7 x 7 Link Award by my friend Nolahn of Bloggin' Bin Revue. He's one of the coolest guys I have met on the blogosphere, and definitely a major supporter of me and Full Moon Reviews. If you love a guy who sarcastically reviews B-grade schlock and does a great podcast called The Lair of the Unwanted, definitely check out his blog plus his actual website, Bargain Bin Review. He always links to my blog, so I am returning the favor. Thanks, Nolahn!

Now let's see what the rules are for this award.

RULE 1: Tell everyone something that no one else knows about you.

A tiny number of people know this, but I used to write an e-mail soap opera for many years. It started back in 2000, when I joined role-playing wrestling federations, where you would choose characters and play as them for matches. You would be judged by how well your promos were against your opponent. I created a character called Johnny Danger, who a lot of people in the fed really enjoyed.

Once I stopped in 2002, I continued the character and all the people that supported that character in a spin-off called Danger TV. I used Jesse Metcalfe as photos for Danger, while Jenna Jameson was the inspiration for his girlfriend/wife. I also had characters who would be "played" by James Franco, Vin Diesel, Dean Cain, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Chris Evans, Denzel Washington, and so on. I used to write it and send it to a group of friends. They were like scripts for a television show that only existed in my head. It had action, comedy, horror, romance, sci-fi, and everything in between.

Not sure how many read them, but I continued until 2007. It just became a chore as the "episodes" just got really long due to 60 characters that I had trouble balancing. Plus I started reviewing in October 2006 and was still in college, which didn't help matters either. I still have an unfinished episode that hasn't been worked on since 2008 and it looks like it'll never be done. I have thought about bringing it back recently, but in a reboot sort of way where the past episodes still exist, yet the newer episodes would take place in a different time frame [sort of like time was changed and only a few characters realize it]. But I never actually sit down and write anything for it. Johnny Danger still exists, however, anytime I buy a WWE game as he's my created character. Other than that, Danger TV is under permanent hiatus. But I had a lot of fun writing it and I hope those who did read it enjoyed it just as much.


RULE 2: Link to one of the posts that I personally think best fits the following categories: Most Beautiful Piece, Most Helpful Piece, Most Popular Piece, Most Controversial Piece, Most Surprisingly Successful Piece, Most Underrated Piece, and Most Pride-Worthy Piece.

Most Beautiful Piece: Dawn of the Dead (1978 & 2004)
I chose this one because it's probably the most different of the reviews I have done, since it's not really a review. This post was a term paper for a final that my college Horror Genre class had issued, where we could decide what to write about in a compare and contrast sort of manner. I got an A+ on it and figured that instead of reviewing the film AGAIN, I would just post it and share why I felt the two films were powerful and well-done in their own respective ways.

Unfortunately, not a lot of people read it [it's one of my lowest viewed posts]. It's a shame because I felt both films deserve more love, even if I did discuss the films in an unfamiliar way in terms of the blog. Maybe mentioning it now will gain more views for the piece, but I'm particularly proud of that post.

Most Helpful Piece: Tape Me: Reel 1 [Indie Horror Spotlight]
I think every Indie Horror Spotlight I do helps the filmmaker gain more traffic and attention to their projects. But my post for my friend Christopher Outridge's project, TAPE ME: REEL 1, definitely seemed to help his views on YouTube [and it's my highest IHS piece in terms of view count]. I believe he's on REEL 3 now and his project is catching on. I like to think that my blog post about it aided in doing that.

Most Popular Piece: 1408 (2007)
In terms of view counts, 1408 has somehow gained so much love on Full Moon Reviews. It's really weird since hardly anyone has commented on the review. Also, 1408 isn't a film many people talk about...like anywhere. But it's been the top post on Full Moon Reviews since its inception, with over 14,000 views as of today. I don't know if that has to do with some spamming, or because there's a huge fan base for John Cusack and/or Samuel L. Jackson. Either way, it's the most popular review, even though I think the review itself is far from my greatest accomplishment.

Most Controversial Piece: Do You Wanna Know A Secret? (2000)
You can't really tell from the post at Full Moon Reviews, but my review for DO YOU WANNA KNOW A SECRET? made me realize that as a reviewer, I finally made it. When I posted this review in 2008, I will simultaneously posting the reviews on MySpace as well. I pretty much bashed the film and even gave it a BOMB rating [which it rightfully deserves]. However, I had one commenter who pretty much ripped me apart for doing so. She also happened to be the sister of one of the stars of the film, Leonora Scelfo. It was my most commented post on my MySpace blog, as my friends jumped in to my defense and pretty much had a heated debate with this lady who I didn't know from atom. It was my first piece of hate mail, and I enjoyed every second of it. I realized that I was doing something right to get that sort of reaction, and the incident is still brought up by those who were there to experience it. The review is one of my favorites because of that situation alone. I hope Ms. Scelfo and her "lovely" sister are doing well. :D

Most Surprisingly Successful Piece: Babysitter Wanted (2008)
BABYSITTER WANTED is a film I really enjoyed and I'm glad it got a lot of love. But for my review to be the 4th highest viewed on the blog for two straight years?? I don't get it. Sure, I think my review for it was well written. But BABYSITTER WANTED isn't a high profile film that I would think could garner that many views. And I didn't really promote all that much, to be honest. I guess there are more Sarah Thompson fans than I had realized. I hope the film got more attention because of my review, if that's any consolation.

Most Underrated Piece: "Hitch on the Hump": YOUNG AND INNOCENT [THE GIRL WAS YOUNG] (1938)
I did this post for a series that my good friend, TL Bugg was doing for his blog: The Lightning Bug's Lair. It was based on the films of the legendary Alfred Hitchcock, where he chose bloggers to discuss various movies in his filmography. I chose one of his earliest films because there's so many articles one could read on VERTIGO, THE BIRDS, and PSYCHO (1960). I felt the piece was one of my best and I wanted to share a film that not many genre fans had probably known about. Unfortunately the piece is my least viewed post and no one really seemed to care about the film. It's a shame, but you can't please everyone. In fact, PSYCHO (1960) doesn't have that many views either [PSYCHO II has almost three times the amount]. No Hitchcock fans around here? For shame!

Most Pride-Worthy Piece – Savage Streets (1984)
I would have chosen NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968/1990/2006) and THE HITCHER (2007) love letter to Sophia Bush for this category because they're two of my favorites. But I gotta go with SAVAGE STREETS, only because someone thought it was good enough to add it to Wikipedia for the film's page. I got an e-mail that it may be on a blurb for a future DVD/Blu-Ray release, but I'll believe it when I see it. But yeah, that's one of my proudest reviews.

RULE 3: Pass this award on to seven other bloggers.

Here ya go, ladies and gents!


Jenny of Memoirs of a Scream Queen

Master Gio of Words From the Master

Franco of The Film Connoisseur

Maynard of Maynard Morrissey's Horror Movie Diary

Matt of Direct to Video Connoisseur

The Mike of From Midnight, With Love

The Guys of Guts and Grog Reviews

And because it's the blog's birthday, here's an extra one:

Michele of The Girl Who Loves Horror

Another Award for Full Moon Reviews!!!

Sorry for the lack of blogage [it's a word, I made it up!] lately. October and all the horror movies I've watched had burnt me out. The last couple of reviews were films I actually watched last month. But I'm in the process of watching some stuff finally this month and there should be reviews for these films soon.

In the meantime, I was honored a couple of weeks ago with a new Blog Award by the lovely Jenny Krueger of Memoirs of a Scream Queen [it's a blog you should all follow if you haven't already done so]. I want to thank Jenny for the iDig Your Blog Award. Pretty darn neat. :)

Here are the blog award rules: 1 ) Gratefully accept this award. 2 ) Link to the person you received it from. 3 ) Post 3 interesting facts about yourself. 4 ) Pass this award around to at least 5 blogs you dig. 5 ) Notify them.

THREE INTERESTING FACTS

1. I'm addicted to Swedish Fish.
2. I always eat lasagna on my birthday. It's been a tradition for who knows how long.
3. I used to break dance back when I was younger during the 80s. Now, I'll probably break something dancing...

FIVE BLOGS I DIG

1. Jude Felton from The Lair of Filth
This dude is a horror freak just like yours truly. He posts news and reviews quite frequently and always tells it like it is. I really enjoy reading his stuff.

2. Matt Poirier from Direct to Video Connoisseur
Great blog and great guy in general. He focuses on films that go straight to the home market rather than theaters. Plus he has an (un)healthy obsession with Dolph Lundgren, not like that's a bad thing...

3. Nathan Hamilton from Son of Celluloid
Another horror freak, Nathan is one of the many people I met through Facebook's Halloween Hack & Slash Madness contest that I happened to be a judge [one of three] of. He posted a list of 31 Darwin Awards during the entire month of October, listing horror characters that were pretty...how can I say it...stupid in context of the film they happened to be in. Entertaining and a lot of it very true, I feel this series of blog posts justifies a plug and an award.

4. James Gracey from Behind the Couch
James is the writer of this fantastic horror blog where he really dissects the films and analyzes them quite intelligently. He took the time in October to review every single HALLOWEEN film, really looking deep inside each one and giving his honest opinion of why it did or didn't work. I don't agree with all of his posts, but I do respect each one since he puts a lot of time and love into each one while backing up his point.

5. Eric King from Robocop's Sad Side
Eric is one of my biggest supporters on Blogger and on Facebook, so I figured I'd return the favor. Eric's blog is funny, honest, and entertaining to read. He doesn't have a lot of followers [he should] and he works hard to entertain his audience. So he gets an award as well without hesitation.

Another Award for Full Moon Reviews! :)

I want to thank Michele of the very cool The Girl Who Loves Horror [follow her if you haven't yet - she's great!] for giving me the Liebster Blog award.


Apparently "liebster" means "dearest", so I'm one of Michele's dearest blogs. How cute! Haha...

So since I received this award, I must give it to five other blogs who have less than 200 followers. Here they are:

- Daniel of Random Mexican's Movie Review Extravaganza [Great guy and one of my oldest blogging buddies]

- Jude of The Lair of Filth [Awesome horror buddy with a cool blog]

- Nathan of Son of Celluloid [Horror and Wrestling Fan - my type of dude]

- Jimmy Terror of Dr. Terror's Blog of Horrors [Great guy, has a great outlook on the genre]

- Jeff of The Jaded Viewer [Awesome individual with a funny way of looking at horror and action films - he MUST be followed!]


There are so many blogs out there that ought to be followed. This was really tough only promoting five. If you feel left out, don't. You'll get your shot next time. :)

The Zombie Rabbit Award... Yay!!

Full Moon Reviews has received another honor: The Zombie Rabbit Award! Thanks to Pete from Deadly Serious and Ethan from Stoned Horror Critic for the kind gesture! Thanks, you two!


"ZOMBIE RABBIT AWARD"

"I am giving this award to [10] of my favorite blogs and places i believe need some well deserved attention. I thought it might be fun to shake it up a bit, sort of a "Pay It Forward" move... let me explain.

01) Give the award to [10] who you like, but give a couple the "Next Blog" slider button on top... so random blogger people can feel the love from a stranger.

02) Post those you gave the award to, so fans of your site can see the places you like and Paid It Forward too.

*If we are not careful there will be "Zombie Rabbits" everywhere..."


So, here are my Top 10 victims....er, "recipients":
1. From Midnight, With Love
2. Disturbing Entertainment
3. Big Daddy Horror Reviews
4. The Lightning Bug's Lair
5. Reverend Phantom
6. The Kid In The Hall
7. Porkhead's Horror Review Hole
8. The Film Connoisseur
9. Fascination With Fear
10. The Horror Digest

The Happy 101 Award!

Yay! Full Moon Reviews wins another award - The Happy 101 Award! I want to thank Brandon Sites of the fantastic Dollar Bin Horror and Big Daddy Horror Reviews for the award! Means a lot to have your support.

The rules are simple: 10 Things That Bring You Joy and Then Pass It Onto 10 Other Blogs

10 THINGS THAT BRING ME JOY

1. Horror Movies - Duh! I wouldn't be having this blog if I didn't love them.

2. Writing - Helps me express myself in a way I probably wouldn't be able to do verbally.

3. Professional Wrestling - Yeah, this may seem stupid but I love the fake sport. It's not as good as it used to be but I'm still watching it. More WWE than TNA, but I'll watch either one.

4. 80s Music - My favorite decade has my favorite music. 70s would be my number 2.

5. Hanging Out With My Cousins - I'm an only child, so my cousins are like my brothers. We pretty much surf the internet and play video games. But as long as we hang out, it's all good.

6. Rock Band/Guitar Hero - Big music genre fan when it comes to video games. Rock Band has the better library of songs but Guitar Hero has the better challenge. I play expert on all instruments except for drums. One day I'll get better on those.

7. New York Yankees - I'm waiting for 28...

8. Jersey Shore - I can't help it, but I love this stupid show. It rots your brain, but these guys entertain the shit out of me. They make me feel better as a human being.

9. Making Movies - I love to express my creative freedom by putting it on video or film. It's sort of a hobby now but I hope to make it into a true career one day. I definitely want to make a cool horror movie and I know people who want to help me with that. It'll happen.

10. Exercise - I've been doing it more lately and lost 15 pounds. It's not easy but it helps relieve stress and it makes me feel better about myself and my body. I hope it keep it up.


10 BLOGS

1. Midnight Confessions
2. The Lightning Bug's Lair
3. The Spooky Vegan
4. Tower Farm Reviews
5. Deadly Serious
6. The Horror Digest
7. Porkhead's Horror Review Hole
8. Billy Loves Stu
9. I Like Horror Movies
10. The Kid In the Hall

FMR wins a "You Scare Me" Award!!

Wow, so Petunia Scareum of Deadly Serious [FOLLOW HER!] has created a blog award called the "You Scare Me" Horror Blog Award to acknowledge Horror Bloggers who, as she says, deserve their day in the sun or moon. She named me the first ever recipient of the award and wrote a wonderful statement as to why I was picked that really touched my heart. Sometimes I wonder why I even do this blog and it's great people like Pete who remind me why. So thank you Pete for this award and for commenting on my posts. It truly means alot! :)

Here is how this award works.
1. You must thank the blogger who sent it to you.
2. You must choose two Horror Bloggers that you feel are outstanding and deserve to be recognized for their work and dedication to the Horror genre.
3. You must describe why you think each recipient deserves this award.

It was really hard only being able to choose TWO Horror Bloggers because I think there are so many out there that are just truly incredible. But I had to pick the two that inspire me to become a better horror blogger and actually reveal me to movies I probably would have never known unless I took a day off to research. So here are my two choices:

1. Reverend Phantom - Midnight Confessions

I've known the other Fred for over three years now, thanks to MySpace. I believe he read my WEIRD SCIENCE review and wanted me to write for his Phantamorte MySpace page. Ever since, we've always commented on each other's stuff and helped each other whenever there needed be. We both love the same things pretty much, although his taste for horror is a bit more European and exploitative than mine is currently [I'm getting there, Phantom!]. But he always takes his reviews seriously, always giving you information that may not have known about, as well as throw in some humor when there's a need for it. Because of him, I remembered movies that I had long forgotten about, or I'm introduced to some crazy ass shit that I want to see and add to my Netflix queue. He was pretty much one of the first of our MySpace crew to start doing video reviews and has since become a reviewing star on Midnight Confessions and on YouTube with his over 400 subscribers - all well earned since he was my inspiration to doing video reviews in the first place.

He's always been a true friend to me and never has an ego about things. He truly loves film and graphic arts. Without him, I probably would have stopped reviewing a long time ago. One of these days, we will meet and our reviewing powers will combine, creating a massive crash in the reviewing blogosphere that will be felt for years to come. But until then, he gets a "You Scare Me" award.

2. The Lightning Bug - The Lightning Bug's Lair

Zach was one of my first Blogger followers back in 2008 and has always supported me quietly ever since. His blog is incredibly impressive and so damn entertaining. He writes reviews with a chock-full of information and trivia that I wouldn't have known until reading his stuff. He's another blogger that introduced me to other films I have never seen, broading my horror film knowledge tenfold. He has different segments for his blog, like "Once Upon A Time In Italy", "Ladies Night", and so forth - all equally entertaining. He never shies away from a film, even if it's cinema trash, always giving us his honest opinion whether it's good or bad. Zach is a true horror blogger in every sense of the word and definitely one of my biggest inspirations. If you haven't checked his stuff out, then you definitely need to. He gets my second "You Scare Me" award.

That's all for this post. The next review [my 345th!!! - I already have my 350th review planned - and yes it will be a video review for an 80s horror classic] will be a video review for the B-Movie Bungalow: TRIP WITH THE TEACHER (1975). Until then, stay scary!

Full Moon Reviews is a Versatile Blog!

Full Moon Reviews wins another blogger award, this time from Brandon Sites, blogger for the great Dollar Bin Horror and Big Daddy Horror Reviews.

Thanks Brandon for believing in my blog. I always appreciate support from my fellow bloggers.

The rules attached to this award are:

• Thank the person who gave it to you.
• Share 7 things about yourself.
• Pass the award along to 15 who you have recently discovered and who you think fantastic for whatever reason.
• Contact the blogs you picked and let them know about the award.

7 Things About Myself
1. I own every Madonna album.
2. I'm a huge Rock Band and Guitar Hero fan, playing Expert [Guitar, Bass, or Vocals] with ease.
3. I've seen John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN so many times that I can recite the dialogue by heart.
4. I have a fetish/obsession with wolves and skulls.
5. I'm a big professional wrestling fan and have almost every televised WWF/E event recorded on VHS from 1994 to mid-2007.
6. I've been watching Days of Our Lives on-and-off for the past 26 years.
7. My longest relationship was a year and that was back in high school. I either get bored when it comes to dating or the women I date are too much drama for my psyche to handle.


15 Versatile Blogs
1. Disturbing Entertainment
2. Final Girl
3. The Stoned Horror Critic
4. Midnight Confessions
5. The Jaded Viewer
6. I Like Horror Movies
7. Billy Loves Stu
8. Porkhead's Horror Review Hole
9. Tower Farm Reviews
10. The Horror Digest
11. Deadly Serious
12. The Ringmaster's Realm
13. Magniflorious!
14. The Lightning Bug's Lair
15. The Spooky Vegan
16. Freddy In Space (So I cheated. And what?)

Thanks again!