Tuesday 27 December 2011

DIRECT TV Christmas Monster Ad


Very funny foreign Direct TV ad, featuring all  your favourite horror characters :)

Tuesday 20 December 2011

Nano-Engineered Bioconstructs Perform Photosynthesis Faster Than Nature Does



Cyanobacteria Synechococcus PCC 7002, a type of cyanobacteria. Wikimedia Commons
Scientists have been trying for a while now to recreate the process of photosynthesis, using sunlight and water to spark chemical reactions. Now a team from Penn State University has done one better, producing an engineered biological system that can produce a hydrogen biofuel twice as fast as nature.
The system uses a molecular wire to facilitate fast movement of electrons between light-capturing enzymes, which are used to split water into molecular oxygen and hydrogen. It could someday serve as a fast and reliable way to derive hydrogen for use in fuel cells.
Researchers led by Carolyn Lubner at Penn State worked with a cyanobacterium calledSynechococcus and another bacterium,Clostridium acetobutylicum. In nature, photosynthetic organisms use light-capturing enzymes nicknamed Photosystem I and II, which absorb light and excite electrons to a higher energy state. Another enzyme called FNR then uses these electrons to produce an energy-storage molecule. This molecule is used to make sugars to keep the organism alive, and that's your basic photosynthesis process.
Lubner et al replaced the FNR enzyme with a hydrogenase enzyme, which combines electrons with hydrogen ions to make molecular hydrogen (instead of a sugar-producing system). Then they used this enzyme to stitch together iron-based terminals of a Photosystem I enzyme from each of the bacteria. This stitch served as a molecular wire, easily and quickly transferring electrons. The researchers doped it with vitamin C, which served as the electron feedstock.
The result was a high-throughput hydrogen-producing system — electron flow was more than twice as high as the bacteria’s individual rates, the authors say. It produced hydrogen molecules for several hours, as long as it had vitamin C to use. The system is easily adaptable to other enzyme terminals and other bacteria, the authors say. As such, it could be used to produce a wide range of potential biofuels.

Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection




North Bank Entertainment, the UK production company behind Ruggero Deodato's forthcoming The House on the Edge of the Park Part II, Independent Moving Pictures and Mad Science Films have released the first trailer for Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection, a British version of the 1968 horror classic.

The film is the debut feature of director James Plumb, with the script co-written by James Plumb and Andrew Jones. It was shot on location in Carmarthenshire, Swansea and Cardiff in South Wales, UK.

"In 2012 the deceased have risen from their graves with only one instinct: to feed on the living. As academics speculate on the scientific cause of the phenomena, theologians point to the Armageddon foretold in the Book of Revelation. As the cities are overrun and civilization crumbles, a family take refuge from the undead army in an isolated farmhouse in West Wales. But the greatest threat is already among them."

Wednesday 7 December 2011

The Munsters are back!




This will NOT be a remake of the original 1964 series that starred Fred Gwynne, Al Lewis and Yvonne De Carlo as a family of friendly monsters have misadventures never quite realizing why people react to them so strangely.

The modern take will instead be strange hybrid of the popular comedy "Modern Family" and HBO's "True Blood". While the series will be dark there will be a lot of heart and comedic elements. While I'm a huge fan of Bryan Fuller's "Dead Like Me", his "Pushing Daisies" never grabbed my attention, and frankly neither were any good at character development. The follow, though, gives me some series hope. There are a lot of interesting people moving into 1313 Mockingbird Lane...

The pilot episode, which is to be directed by Bryan Singer - who also was behind the camera for the "House" pilot, Superman Returns and X-Men - will focus on 10-year-old Eddie Munster who is unaware that he's a werewolf, and that his family is composed of terrifying creatures. The madness begins when a baby bear attacks a scouting trip, only it turns out that this "bear" is actually Eddie transformed into a werewolf. Eddie is unaware of his metamorphosis and it forces the family to move in order to protect the family secret. The coming of age story gets weirder as he fights against his family when he learns of a shocker: they're a family of flesh-eaters!

A few other random character notes: Lily Munster has an eating disorder and eats suicide victims. Grandpa Munster is a 600-year-old shapeshifter, and Marilyn Munster was adopted when her mother tried to eat her as a baby.

THE THREE STOOGES!


This could be extremely stupid, or highly entertaining!

Wednesday 23 November 2011

The Museum HR Giger Bar





Apparently, Gruyères, Switzerland is host to The Museum HR Giger Bar, a creepy drinking experience that takes place at the Museum HR Giger (where I'm sure you'll also see tons of Alien concept art loaded with sci-fi boners). Another Giger Bar is located in Chur, Switzerland. They've been open since 2003.

Chopping Mall remake on the way??





Robert Hall's Dry County Entertainment is hanging out at a Chopping Mall, acquiring the remake rights to the '80s horror title.

Hall and producing partner Kevin Bocarde will produce and write. Hall, best known for helming Laid to Rest and it's sequel, is also coming on to direct, with lensing to begin in spring. 

The original Chopping Mall was produced by Roger Corman and his wife Julie. It centered around a group of teenagers who become trapped in a shopping mall with killer robots. Killer robots in a mall, what's not to like?

Bocarde said the new movie won't be a straight remake. "It will retain the basic concept of young people trapped in a mall; however, the story will have a darker, supernatural spin," he explained. Hall noted that he had started in show business at Corman's studio. "This is an exciting way to pay homage and honor Roger while also expanding the original film's premise," he said.



Black Friday Creepy Shopping!

Dead Island Xbox360, PC, PS3

List Price: $59.99/$49.99 (PC)

This one's kind of a no-brainer (pun semi intended). I hear that some of the melee controls are difficult and that the story is slight, but the gameplay looks beautiful. Any game where you wander an apocalyptic tropical island looking for your wife and blasting away zombie hordes has got to be right for at least one horror fan on your holiday list. 

Order by clicking here 



Rage: Xbox360, PC, PS3

List Price: $59.99

And if they're looking for something a bit more intense, perhaps Rage is the ticket. Brought to you by the guys who made Doom and Quake and Bethesda (BioshockRage is a whole bunch of shooting, driving and carnage. If there's any meth heads in your family, this one comes endorsed by Jesse Pinkman of "Breaking Bad" fame. If this game can help him ease his guilty conscience it can take someone's mind off the holidays no problem. 

Order by clicking here 


Electric Zombie Clothing

List Price: Various

Electric Zombie offers a pretty cool array of posters, shirts, hoodies, cinch bags etc... with a wide swath of designs. Shirts starts at around $18 bucks and hoodies only set you back $40. There's a lot of cool stuff over there so click the link and browse around!

Order by clicking here 



Nightmare on Elm Street NECA collection
List Price: Various

Man, just look at these things! Any hardcore Nightmare On Elm Street fan would pretty much DIE to have these things. The attention to detail is amazing and I'm not just talking about how the figurine from Freddy's Revengehas the fingernail knives without the glove, I'm talking about how you can accurately chart the facial makeup progression from the first three films in the detail of these dolls. "Original Freddy" looks straight out of Part 1and "Dream Warriors Freddy" looks straight out of Part 3 and there *is* a difference. 

Order by clicking here 






Evil Dead NECA collection

List Price: Various

These puppies aren't out yet, but any fan of Ash would just be happy to know that they were reserved and on the way. There's a few more not pictured here as well, such as the Deer Head and the "Farewell To Arms" Ash.Evil Dead 2 can be watched again and again, it's a film you pretty much never get tired of seeing. And any fan of the movie will never get tired of seeing these on their shelf. 

Pre-Order by clicking here 






Earth Reborn Board game

List Price: $79.99

This one comes highly recommended by a few friends and BD staffers. I'm not sure I quite understand how to describe it properly though, so I'll let the officials do the work for me. 

"After 500 years, two factions emerge from their underground cities into a new world, an earth reborn from nuclear disaster. 12 highly detailed miniatures represent the two factions which are norad military in thinking and origins. Scientists, engineers, add to their strength. Salemites, occultists working with cadavers, bringing the dead to life. Soon after emerging, these two factions meet - and it is determined that they can not live together in peace. Earth reborn offers nine scenarios that take you through missions of rescue, retrieval, escort. Through areas of labs, mansions, towns, and more. Each scenario builds upon the rules of a new chapter the game system is built like a tutorial there are core rules to start the game and each chapter offers 1-3 new rules along with a scenario that uses these new rules. The game also contains the innovative S.A.G.S. (Scenario Auto Generating System) where 2-4 players can make their own maps and mission objectives for near infinite replayabiity. Tons of replay value. For 2-4 players. Takes 1-2 hours to play."

Order by clicking here 



Predators Original collection


List Price: $219.99

You don't necessarily have to be a fan of Robert Rodriguez's Predators to get a kick out of these guys. Even if you know a strictly old school "Dutch, Dillon and Mac" type of guy they're bound to crack a smile while unwrapping one of these ugly mother*ckers. These are a little on the pricy side, so check your bank account - and the fandom of the recipient - before making the leap!

Order by clicking here 







Batman: Arkham City Xbox360, PC, PS3

List Price: $59.99/$49.99 (PC)

This is the big game of the fall and by all accounts (sexist dialogue aside) it's pretty outstanding! If your little bro or sis was in love with Arkham Asylum last year just imagine how much fun they'll have when they're let out of the prison and into the city. Lots of side missions and tasks tack on hours of playing time much to the delight (or chagrin) of more OCD gamers. 

Order by clicking here 



Scene It? Horror Movies 2 (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch)

List Price: Free!

This is just a neat little horror trivia game for you to keep yourself distracted while everyone else opens their presents. 

Order by clicking here 




The Walking Dead (McFarlane Figures)

List Price: $14.99-$34.99

Order by clicking here 

Todd MacFarlane. "Walking Dead". That's a pretty great combo for fans of either (or both). There are lots of fans of the show out there and these toys, while being a little more casually minded than something than a NECA item, are great little trinkets to fill the gap in their lives between seasons. 




Batman Legacy (Mattel Figures)

List Price: $14.99 - $29.99

These appear to be more for the younger set. If you've got a brother, sister, niece or nephew who love Batmanbut aren't old enough to read this site (and maybe not even old enough to not cover their eyes in The Dark Knight) then this is the way to go. 

Order by clicking here 




Bioshock (NECA Collectibles)

List Price: Various

Holy cow. I love the world of Bioshock. I've played the game twice and am often tempted to go back just to hang out in Rapture. Even the disappointing gameplay of Bioshock 2 could be compensated by being back in that environment. So if anyone in your family has one of these games on their shelf - chances are they're a Rapture junkie and will love you forever after getting one of these.

Pre-Order by clicking here 



Sunday 13 November 2011

Want to have blue eyes? Now you can.





This week's step forward in conforming to the beauty standard at any cost is a laser that can turn brown eyes into blue ones. The treatment, developed by Stroma Medical's Dr. Gregg Homer, takes only 20 seconds to perform, but is irreversible. Aside from giving you the piercing stare of an Arctic wolf, the procedure could also impair your sight, experts warn. Brown eye pigment helps to prevent problems such as glare and double vision. Removing it could leave the eye with no way to control the light getting in.
Homer assures the BBC that the laser only affects pigment on the eye's surface and that the frequencies used are absorbed by the dark pigment on the iris, so there is no danger of eye damage. After testing on cadavers, he has moved his operation to Mexico, where he says there has been no evidence of injury thus far. His seventeen short-sighted patients have been offered lens transplants in return for taking part in the procedure.
You won't be able to have your eyes burnt blue in America for another three years, due to a longer wait time for regulatory approval. A survey by Stroma Medical suggests that 17 percent of Americans would want the treatment, if they knew it was completely safe. For now, though, we recommend contacts. Kind of a scary concept, imagine if they could do this 70 years ago.....or maybe that's when it was being conceived.....