Yes, I couldn’t resist! Lured in by the novelty value of a Winnie the Pooh themed horror movie, I decided to give this bizarre mutation a viewing. The rights for Pooh Bear and his friends form the Hundred Acre Wood entered into the public domain in the USA recently, and these enterprising (or “deranged”) film-making fiends decided to revamp things a bit. Quite a bit, actually.
Having been abandoned by Christopher Robin when he grows up and leaves the wood, the remaining cuddly chums degenerate into psychopathic killers. The now adult Christopher Robin, with his fiancée, returns to the site of his youthful adventures and soon comes a cropper when he encounters the now feral Pooh and Piglet.
Things get worse when a group of female students, whilst renting a holiday cabin in the woods, also meet the murderous Pooh and Piglet – and the inevitable carnage ensues.
And that’s all you need to know, if you needed to know anything at all. One by one the characters are slaughtered as per the expected slasher movie routine – with plenty of gore, screaming and running about. To be fair, there are a few plot twists and some novel killing methods, and the lighting and colours look great on screen.
But the obvious fact that Pooh and Piglet are just blokes in masks makes the film look like a cheap Texas Chainsaw Massacre knock off. Despite an original and crazy concept, we’ve seen it all before. One to watch purely for the novelty value, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey comes to a sticky end.
A crack of lightning; the roll of thunder; rain lashing at the window. Night has fallen, and the cold air nags at your bones with a morbid persistence. The wind moans, but cannot hide the strange calls off in the mountains. The children of the night, what music they make… Come closer, friend. It is time once again for Halloween Horror Fest…
That’s right, kids – Halloween Horror Fest! Throughout the month of October, I watch as many films that are appropriately fearsome, frightening, or just pure fun! Here at the Virtual Hot Tub is where you can catch up on my mini reviews of each movie, and enjoy spooky season and all it’s macabre delights!
The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)
We’ll start this year with a gem from good old Universal. You really can’t beat these old black & white movies for sheer atmosphere and nostalgia. I’ve never seen The Ghost of Frankenstein before, so was keen to tick it off my list.
Following on from the previous film in the series, Son of Frankenstein (1939), we again meet Ygor (Bela Lugosi), who discovers and rescues his old friend The Monster. This time, Frankenstein’s creation is played by Lon Chaney Jr, rather than Karloff. The pair travel to a new town to locate the younger son of Frankenstein, Ludwig (Cedric Hardwicke), where Ygor blackmails the doctor into revitalising the creature. A plan is set in motion to replace the monster’s criminal brain with a “good” brain, but some have their own ambitions motivating them…
Plot wise, I could tell exactly where this movie was headed from the off – there are no real surprises. And the lack of Karloff as the monster made me somewhat wary. But Chaney Jr has a good crack at it, and the rest of the cast (including Lionel Atwill) keep proceedings on track. Moody sets, great soundtrack and an enjoyable (though somewhat obvious) storyline helped make this film another triumph for Universal.
There nearly wasn’t a Comic Con in Chester at all this year. Then suddenly, Monopoly Events swooped in and saved the day, in true caped crusader style. In the new guise of “Comic Con Mania” – which appears to be a series of smaller conventions across the country – the plans were back on.
With only a handful of celebrity guests and smaller space for merch stalls than some of the bigger cons, Chester was a refined affair. But I felt there was a good atmosphere, a sense of a local event that defied the odds and was determined to put on a good time.
Daughtertron and I decided to venture to Chester Racecourse and check things out. It had been two whole years since we last visited a convention in Chester – with this event happening right on our doorstep, it was a safe bet for an afternoon’s entertainment.
There were guests from Star Wars and Red Dwarf in attendance (and I really should’ve got an autograph from Mike Quinn, aka Nien Nunb in Return of the Jedi). But Daughtertron and I were happy exploring the stalls and finding some bargains to take home. I got a load of Marvel comic books. Now you’d think finding comics at a comic convention would be an easy task, but surprisingly I draw a blank at many cons.
Of course there were some fantastic costumes being worn by talented people, wandering all round the place. The Cosplay on view was really impressive as hopefully you can see from my photos here. Thanks to all of those who allowed me to take their photo, you’re very kind. I hope these pics do some justice to the time you’ve spent creating these outfits.
Comic Con Mania Chester was on a smaller scale than some of the bigger cons we’ve visited recently. Not surprising really, with another event happening not too far away in Aintree the next day – this may have impacted numbers and traders attending.
In my personal view, I had a fun few hours at Chester, it seemed well organised and it was a warm, friendly event. I’m looking forward to more in the future.
Welcome to 2024! And welcome back to Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub – your number one blog for all things groove and hip.
As has become tradition, my first post of the year is always a look back at the previous year’s successes. What posts in 2023 were the most popular, in terms of views? What would you, loyal readers, like to see more of?
Here’s a countdown of the Top 10 blog posts. A few surprises this time around, I assure you…
Every October, I launch my Halloween Horror Fest. This involves watching lots of horror movies, and writing brief reviews of them. They rarely generate much traffic, but this years blog featuring Brides of Dracula and House of Usher has scraped into the Top 10.
In April, we said a sad goodbye to our family pet cat, Jenna. This blog was a short memorial piece actually written by my daughter, which quite a few readers appreciated.
Another post contributed by my daughter (I need to get her writing more), this piece declared her hatred of bugs. Some readers agreed, others didn’t – but plenty read it all the same.
I was surprised that this blog post performed so well! Focussing on details of my latest skateboard set-up, it was a bit niche – but the crowds flocked to it regardless.
Another skate related post, I was less surprised that this one did well. A revisit to my first ever skateboard, a plastic 1970s relic, that was brought back from extinction.
Comic Cons and similar events usually feature highly in these annual stats, though I attended few in 2023. This horror themed, Manchester based fest was memorable and provided some horrific photos.
I had to request a recount when I saw these results, just to be sure – but this blog about a small, local vintage car show stole top honours for this year. I was surprised, but happy that something different was so successful.
And there, faithful readers, you have it. A total of 48 posts were published in 2023, with these ten being the most successful. Some surprises indeed, but these are the the cold hard facts – and they can’t be denied!
Thank you to all who have participated in the success of Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub, by reading, sharing and liking the posts. I really appreciate your support.
As we stride on into the New Year, I’d like to wish you all the very best in health and happiness.
And don’t forget to keep visiting the Virtual Hot Tub – you wouldn’t want us to get lonely, would you?!
What’s For the Love of Horror all about, then? Well readers, it’s basically a Horror themed convention that takes in all manner of frightful pop culture, be it movies, television, comic books and everything else you can imagine. If you’ve been to a Comic Con – or read one of my previous blogs about the ones I’ve visited – then you’ll know what to expect.
Except of course, that For the Love of Horror really is concentrated on all things horrific!
As you’d expect, there are numerous actors to meet, have photos with or autographs from. And you can listen to their Q&A sessions, ask questions, and gain insight into the real world behind the fantasy.
There are dozens of stalls with traders selling wondrous merchandise, for all your spooky needs (whether for you or someone else). There are also props and set displays for cleverly placed photo ops.
Not forgetting the guests themselves, a large number of whom dress as their favourite genre characters (or clever interpretations of). Yes, the Cosplayers here at For the Love of Horror are truly amazing – check out the pics on this blog for evidence! Halloween outfits never go out of style here!
It was a family day out for us, and we arrived early at the exhibition centre to get straight in and crack on. After getting an idea of our surroundings, we were happy to explore and wander round the trade stalls for a start.
At the very first stall I visited on the day, I picked up a Vampira Reaction figure that I’d been hoping to find. Only just recently released in the USA, this was the first one I’d ever seen for sale in this country. Needless to say, I snapped Vampira up immediately. Not a bad start to the day, first stop and an item for the collection!
Mrs Platinum Al had booked to meet the one and only Chris Sarandon, alias Jack Skellington (amongst many other credits) and have a signed photo taken. Daughtertron accompanied her to meet Mr Sarandon, leaving me to take a few photos elsewhere.
We took some pics at the various set displays, including a Chucky box which I stood in – a kind couple let me borrow their life size Chucky doll for the photo!
The best display, however was The Lost Frog Comics – a replica of the Frog Brothers comic shop in The Lost Boys. The owner has meticulously curated a collection of comic books that appeared in the film, from stills and reference shots, utilising some amazing detective work. As a comic book collector I was fully geeked out, admiring all the titles on display. It’s an incredibly impressive labour of love that recreates one of my favourite scenes in the film.
Speaking of The Lost Boys, several of the cast were in attendance on the day, including Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patric, Billy Wirth and Alex Winter. Did you hear me???! I said Alex Winter!!! Bill S Preston himself! Sorry, I know Bill isn’t a horror character, but come on. All three of us went up to get a signed photo from Alex, because you just have to do these things sometimes.
We also caught some Q&As where we could, including Brad and Fiona Dourif and Lou Diamond Phillips. All entertaining speakers, showing another side to their screen personas (often with hilarious results!).
There was plenty more shopping to be had – I picked up a Geeki Tiki mug in the shape of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark which I’d wanted forever. The family managed to go slightly crazy and blow the Christmas money on a range of freaky merch!
Of course the fantastic Cosplayers were the real stars of the show. My thanks to all the wonderful costumed people who let me take their photo for this blog – you’re all awesome! I’m not a professional photographer by any means, so my pics aren’t perfect – I’m just a fan who loves to see the creativity on display.
There was a quick visit to the outdoor fairground (in the spirit of the Santa Clara fair in The Lost Boys), and I had a cheeky pint in the bar upstairs, that’s themed after the Mos Eisley cantina in Star Wars. That was very cool. Eventually, it was time to make our way home, ull of the love of horror.
Our first Hammer Films production for Halloween Horror Fest 2023, and it’s a vampire classic. In this sequel to Hammer’s very successful Dracula, the titular Count doesn’t actually appear this time round – rather we’re thrust into the thick of vampire cults that still exist after Drac’s demise.
A young teacher, Marianne (Yvonne Monlaur) is on her way to her new position in a Transylvanian school when she finds herself abandoned in a small village. A local noble woman, Baroness Meinster, offers a place to stay for the night at her castle. There, Marianne meets the son of the Baroness, who is chained up as a prisoner. Marianne agrees to free the Baron, who is of course actually a vampire and takes his revenge on his mother.
Marianne flees, her memory hazy, and is helped by Doctor Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) when he finds her at the side of road. Van Helsing has been called to the area to investigate an outbreak of vampirism. Soon he, and Marianne, will encounter the Baron and his undead minions again…
Brides of Dracula is a fun escapade with plenty of chills and atmosphere, even with a substitute head vampire replacing Christopher Lee. The story is original but plays on all the standard folklore you’d expect, with Cushing fantastic in his role as the vampire slayer. It’s a nice effort from Hammer, to try and do something slighlty different with a sequel, and Peter Cushing keeps it all together brilliantly.
9/10
House of Usher (1960)
Purely by chance, another film from the same year. This version of the Edgar Allen Poe story, The Fall of the House of Usher, was the first in a series helmed by famed Director Roger Corman, most of which starred the legendary Vincent Price.
Philip Winthrop (Mark Damon) travels top meet his fiancée Madeline Usher (Myrna Fahey) at her home. The House of Usher is a gloomy, decrepit mansion and upon arrival, Madeline’s brother, Roderick (Price) initially refuses Winthrop and attempts to warn him away. The family Usher is cursed, he claims, and the line cannot be allowed to continue. Winthrop must help Madeline escape, he thinks – but is he too late?
It’s a long time since I read Poe’s original story, so I’ll let others decide how accurate an adaptation this is! Rather than worrying about that, simply revel in the wonderful sets and imagery, and allow Vincent Price to shine in this brilliant movie. House of Usher is a fantastically macabre Gothic tale with Corman and Price at their best.
It’s time for some more mini horror movie reviews, as the spooky month of October demands. Settle down, kids!
Scream 2 (1997)
We’ve covered the first Scream film a while back (2016, hot tub fans!) and eventually I’ve got round to watching the sequel. Unlike Scream, which I had seen before my Halloween Horror Fest review, I’d never bothered to watch Scream 2 till now.
Slasher movies ain’t really my bag, as I know I’ve mentioned before. Nor are “modern” films (OK, this is 25 years old, whatevs) or films about teenage Americans. Never the less, I’d enjoyed Scream and the second instalment has been on my watch list for a while.
Here the survivor from the first movie, Sidney (Neve Campbell) is now attending college when a spate of copy cat killings, inspired by the deeds of Ghostface in the previous film, start to occur. There follows a series of nasty murders and numerous twists and turns as the killer stalks and slays various characters. All the time, the audience is trying to guess the identity of the new Ghostface.
There’s nothing supernatural here, but there are plenty of jumps and surprises. Like the first film, this sequel attempts to play with the audiences expectations with numerous well observed references to other movies. Also like the first film, I found Scream 2 far more entertaining than I expected.
7.5/10
Renfield (2023)
Bang up to date now, with this 2023 movie starring Nicholas Hoult as the titular character, the familiar of Dracula. Yes, THE Dracula, played here with demonic glee by the one and only Nicholas Cage.
Here the trusted and sort-of immortal Renfield, the Count’s trusted servant, becomes dissatisfied with his lot – what with all the seeking victims and removing the gory evidence his life entails. Renfield joins a counselling group for people in abusive relationships, initially to stalk the abusers for Dracula’s prey. Eventually, the familiar decides to remove himself from his toxic existence, but not without resistance from his former master.
I was looking forward to seeing this movie, but sadly missed it in the cinema. The short time it ran in cinemas should have given me a clue as to whether it was any good…
What could have been a fresh look at the horror of the Dracula legend instead morphs into an action comedy, with guns and explosions and over the top fight scenes. It’s still an entertaining movie, but not what I hoped for at all. I hate dumb action movies and Renfield steers far too close to those waters.
Having said that, Cage is brilliant as the Lord of the Undead and I’d love to see more of him in this role.
Good evening, fiends! Welcome yet again to my abode, come inside and warm your bones by the fire. Take a seat, make yourself comfortable. Forget the howling wind and lashing rain outside. My faithful servant, Ygor, will bring you refreshment. And when you are ready, I’ll begin my tale…
Halloween Horror Fest 2023 is upon us – which means watching lots of spooky movies and sharing my mini reviews with you, lucky reader. As always, I intend to view a variety of films that are in the Halloween tradition. Whether old or new, frightful or fun – let’s indulge in a season of entertainment that’s truly fantastic!
Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (1965)
A British horror classic, this film was made by Amicus Productions – not Hammer, as many would assume – though this rival picture features some familiar faces in it’s starry cast. Amicus are well remembered for their anthology movies, featuring several short stories within a framing narrative, a device that’s well utilised here.
Five strangers on a train journey meet Dr Schreck (Peter Cushing) – his name being German for “terror” – and his deck of tarot cards (his “House of Horrors”). Each passenger in turn has their future told by Schreck’s cards. There are tales of werewolves, vampires, voodoo and malevolent plants, as the passengers fates are revealed.
Some tales work better than others. The voodoo based segment, starring none other than Roy “Record Breakers” Castle and Kenny Lynch, is simple but effective with garish lighting and exotic jazz. You can’t go wrong with the legendary Christopher Lee, in his art critic/revenge from beyond the grave story, nor a young Donald Sutherland as a New England doctor with a vampire bride – even though the stories can seem too short, due to the portmanteau style.
I was less intrigued by the tale featuring Alan Freeman (yes, “Fluff” Freeman!) and his dangerously intelligent plant, so I guess even my ability to suspend disbelief can be pushed too far.
Despite the rushed nature of the stories, I consider Dr Terror’s House of Horrors a must see. The film looks great, boasts a formidable cast, and goes all out to entertain – even if it’s sometimes a bit creaky and dated. Worth watching for Cushing and Lee alone, there’s actually a lot more to enjoy in this Amicus thriller.
9/10
The Devil Commands (1941)
We’re going further back for our next spooky movie, where we’ll meet another horror legend, the one and only Boris Karloff! In this B&W B-movie, dear old Boris is less mad scientist, more frustrated professor led astray by the machinations of others.
Dr Blair (Karloff) is researching brain waves, when following the shock death of his beloved wife, he decides to use his research to speak to the dead. Under the conniving influence of a fraudulent medium, the doctor’s research becomes more dangerous and deadly…
I prefer my horror supernatural rather than sciencefictiony, but this is a neat, stylish little film. Despite a simple, perhaps obvious plot, the performance of the wonderful Karloff the Uncanny entices the viewer to keep watching, The Devil Commands is a great watch for those, like me. who like a bit of old school scary.
Happy New Year! And here we go, full throttle into 2023!
2022 was not an easy year for your old pal, Platinum Al. But the Virtual Hot Tub soldiered on regardless, never giving up despite the odds. NEVER SAY DIE. And in the end, the year 2022 was a successful one for this blog, with site views up approx. 2% on the year before.
Not a massive improvement, I’ll grant you – but I’ll take all the good news I can get. I certainly didn’t expect to finish the year with those stats, just the opposite.
So what were the most successful blog posts on the Virtual Hot tub in 2022? What articles brought in the hordes of avid readers? What did YOU want to read?
Here’s the traditional review of the Top 10 blog posts by number of views. In reverse order, countdown style, of course…
Events started to return in 2022, and this local classic car show was a great example of the fun to be had as restrictions were lifted. Some nice pics.
In the number one spot, a visit to Chester’s Comic Con! A summer afternoon, loads of merch and dozens of cool cosplayers made this article the most successful of the year!
Events back on the menu has, unsurprisingly, dominated the results this year. They were all great fun, and well worth the visit. In contrast to the results from last year, where events were (understandably) under represented.
It’s also gratifying to see some skateboards and toys being appreciated, too.
This year, we look to return to a “new normal” in our post pandemic world. But with a Cost of Living Crisis, Brexit still unleashing it’s mayhem, and the same gang of inept cowards and liars in charge, we still have plenty of obstacles ahead.
Never the less, we at Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub remain vigilant – bringing you the best entertainment. Thanks for being with us in 2022. Stay tuned for ever more greatness in 2023!
OK here we go – a family trip out to Liverpool Comic Con! And boy, this convention was BIG. I made the journey to this con last year and had a fairly damn good experience, so it was exciting to return. A wet and chilly day was on the cards, but there’s always a warm welcome in good ol’ Liverpool. And we’d be inside all day, anyway.
Last time around, the queueing situation was a proper nightmare. This time, I made the wiser decision of not having “early bird” tickets and arriving at 9am. I didn’t even bother to get to the event for our allotted time (11am) – we strolled along at 12.30pm and pretty much avoided any queueing whatsoever.
That’s the way to do it. There’s no point in standing in a line, outside, in November.
To tell you the truth, I wasn’t even aware that there was a time we were supposed to go in. I hadn’t looked that closely at the ticket, we were just late. But as they were still letting the last of the 11am people in when we arrived much later, I think this result was a winner.
Anyone who attended this convention (on either day, Saturday or Sunday, from what I’ve heard) had a hard time with the sheer amount of people there. It was rammed. But it seems like Sunday was the better of the two days, so again a stroke of luck. The Exhibition Centre was very busy, but just about manageable.
Several interesting guests were present, but no one I was too concerned about. Meeting guests isn’t that big a deal to me (unless they’re Hammer Horror related!). And the prices were not cheap. It was an impressive bunch of celebs, though, with Stranger Things featuring highly.
Vader and pramdav
Instead, I had my fun perusing the fabulous stalls, buying merch and taking photos of the wonderful Cosplay crowd.
There seemed to be fewer people in costume at this event, but that could be down to the weather (can’t have been fun for some of those who did dare); and the sheer numbers of people there, hiding the view.
StevedavFam and Mike
What Cosplayers I did encounter, however, were superbly talented and spectacular, as always. And lovely people too! Thanks to all of you who let me take your photo, it’s very much appreciated.
Merch wise, my crew and I went a bit crazy – but Christmas is looming on the horizon, so to hell with the cost of living crisis. I picked up a couple of Star Wars figures and a few Marvel comic books, so was happy. There was a distinct lack of action figures across the board though – a result of the clash with the event in London? Not enough Star Wars, MOTU or ReAction figures to be found.
mde
The retailer we were most excited to see again was Cult Locations Ink, who create intricately detailed, framed art prints of film and TV locations. A couple more were added for our new collection, including my favourite, the Munsters’ House.
We’d been on our feet for hours, when finally the time came for us to wander off home. Yes, it was a busy day, but still good fun and a good atmosphere. I’ll be back.
Platinum Al's Virtual Hot Tub 