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I don't limit myself strictly to horror films (though there are some who would say that's not true), but the fact remains: it does comprise the larger part of my home video collection. And naturally, in my opinion, some of the hottest women ever to appear on celluloid have been in... you guessed it: horror films! In the original 1932 version of THE MUMMY (my all-time favorite of all the many Mummy films, which starred the great Boris Karloff), I think the exotically beautiful Zita Johann said it best when she jokingly asked David Manners: Do you have to open graves to find girls to fall in love with?... Ummm, as for myself, I'll take the Fifth Amendment here, if you don't mind. Within the horror genre, I'm of the belief that the very best resides somewhere between James Whale's BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN and Sam Raimi's EVIL DEAD 2: DEAD BY DAWN. Best loved silent films include THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI, NOSFERATU, JEKYLL AND HYDE (the John Barrymore version), PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (the best phantom of them all being Lon Chaney, Sr.), THE MAN WHO LAUGHS, THE CAT AND THE CANARY. Enduring favorites from Hollywood's Golden Age include: Tod Browning's DRACULA, the simultaneously produced Spanish language DRACULA, FRANKENSTEIN, WHITE ZOMBIE, DOCTOR X, THE OLD DARK HOUSE, ISLAND OF LOST SOULS, MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM, MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE, THE INVISIBLE MAN, THE GHOUL, THE BLACK CAT, THE RAVEN, MARK OF THE VAMPIRE, MAD LOVE, WEREWOLF OF LONDON, THE BLACK ROOM, THE INVISIBLE RAY, DRACULA'S DAUGHTER, THE WALKING DEAD, THE INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS, TOWER OF LONDON, SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, NIGHT MUST FALL, and the Charles Laughton version of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. And one really can't reminisce about that enthralling wave of horror films during the '30s without singling out two giants of the genre. I'm massively fond of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, having grown up watching their classic films on TV's spooky cinema showcases. Then came the 1940s, a second wave of chills in THE WOLF MAN, THE UNDYING MONSTER, SON OF DRACULA, GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN, THE LODGER, THE BEAST WITH 5 FINGERS, THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY, FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN, RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE, HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, SHE-WOLF OF LONDON, HOUSE OF DRACULA, and the distinctively atmospheric films of Val Lewton: I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, CAT PEOPLE, THE SEVENTH VICTIM, CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE, THE BODY SNATCHER, ISLE OF THE DEAD and BEDLAM. Vincent Price is a sentimental fav, too, and I've gone full-tilt in gathering up all of his films thus far available on DVD. A huge favorite is his first-ever haunted house film from the mid-1940s, DRAGONWYCK. I grew up watching such stalwart classics as HOUSE OF WAX, THE BAT, HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, THE FLY, HOUSE OF USHER, THE LAST MAN ON EARTH, TALES OF TERROR, TWICE TOLD TALES, PIT AND THE PENDULUM, THE HAUNTED PALACE, TOMB OF LIGEIA, MASTER OF THE WORLD, WAR-GODS OF THE DEEP, THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES, along with Price's countless guest appearances on various TV shows. And Vincent's 1970 made-for-TV AN EVENING OF EDGAR ALLAN POE is truly essential viewing, and the best thing he ever did in the way of Poe. I reserve a special place in my heart for the work of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing -- without doubt, a highly esteemed horror duo for the ages. They co-starred many times in many memorable films, HORROR OF DRACULA, HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, THE GORGON and HORROR EXPRESS standing out in my mind as a few of the most dynamic occasions. I'm a great admirer of Mario Bava's work, especially those in the Italian Gothic tradition: BLACK SUNDAY (a.k.a. THE MASK OF SATAN), BLACK SABBATH (a.k.a. THREE FACES OF FEAR), KILL BABY KILL, THE WHIP AND THE BODY, BARON BLOOD, LISA AND THE DEVIL. Barbara Steele followed up her star-making role in BLACK SUNDAY with some memorable Euro tales of terror, most notably CASTLE OF BLOOD (a.k.a. DANSE MACABRE), NIGHTMARE CASTLE (a.k.a. THE FACELESS MONSTER), THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK, and it's sequel THE GHOST, TERROR CREATURES FROM THE GRAVE. In later years within Euro Horror, an utterly brilliant bit of stand-out filmmaking was Michele Soavi's CEMETERY MAN. I'll forever love EDWARD SCISSORHANDS. I feel that Tim Burton ought to be dubbed A National Treasure, then given unlimited amounts of money to make the kinds of films he genuinely wishes to make -- as opposed to those which the studios talk him into making. Without a doubt, the semi-factual bio pic ED WOOD is Burton's greatest work to date, and Martin Landau richly deserves endless praise for his sensitive, non-stereotypical portrayal of the elderly Bela Lugosi. Furthermore, the original Brandon Lee production of THE CROW had a lasting impact on me, enormously tragic on levels both real and imagined, profoundly sad but beautiful... And all of this merely scratches the surface, it seems.

I'm a freakin' mutant where music is concerned. I like what would be considered old stuff: DAVID BOWIE (a glimmering inspiration for countless artists), PETER GABRIEL, LEONARD COHEN, the king of all musically eclectic underground bands: JETHRO TULL (headed by flamboyant flutist, IAN ANDERSON), PINK FLOYD, TOM WAITS, RICHARD THOMPSON, JOY DIVISION, BAUHAUS, or oldish stuff: R.E.M., THE CURE (headed by guitarist, ROBERT SMITH. I'll always love 'em, they're the best!), SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES, PETER MURPHY, NICK CAVE, SISTERS OF MERCY, SMASHING PUMPKINS, CONCRETE BLONDE, DEAD CAN DANCE, NIRVANA, PEARL JAM, SWITCHBLADE SYMPHONY, PORTISHEAD, THE CRANBERRIES, TORI AMOS, LOREENA MCKENNITT, SARAH MCLACHLAN, NATALIE MERCHANT, KATE BUSH, ANNIE LENNOX. And it often seems that the things which are newer to me aren't new-comers of the year either: EVANESCENCE, INKUBUS SUKKUBUS, SERAPHIM SHOCK, TYPE O NEGATIVE. Oh well, I guess that's all fairly old stuff. Still, I try to remain open to new things (whenever they happen to come dropping out of the sky to clunk me on my head). The overall list runs from traditional and contemporary Celtic material (I love DOUGIE MACLEAN, SILLY WIZARD, CLANNAD, CHRISTY MOORE, MADDY PRIOR, JUNE TABOR, among others.), through to what's disparagingly referred to as Classic / Progressive Rock, to Alternative, to Grunge, to Goth (CRANES, THE PIXIES, ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN, THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN, RADIOHEAD, THE MISSION U.K., CHRISTIAN DEATH, CORPUS DELECTI, ARDENT SLEEP, MERIDIAN, THE NEW CREATURES, BELL BOOK AND CANDLE, EX-VOTO, DEEP RED, THE SHROUD, BLACK TAPE FOR A BLUE GIRL, THEATRE OF TRAGEDY, GIRLS UNDER GLASS, DREADFUL SHADOWS, SEX GANG, CURVE, LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT, MOONSPELL, THE CRUXSHADOWS, BURNT WEEPING EYES, GALLOWS HUMOR, DARK LILY) and beyond. They're all just labels, aren't they? The greatest thing is in the discovery of an artist / performer whom miraculously succeeds in transcending labels. (Ooo, how subversive. Way to stick it to The Man. I love it!) I also like searching the web for lesser-known regional artists, people that don't have the whole corporate music ball 'n' chain around their ankles. Not yet anyway, but of course, even musicians have to eat.

The works of Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Ray Bradbury, Harlan Ellison, Stephen King, and many others.