Cannibal Holocaust Comes in the Mail.

I have never really been one to toot my own horn, so now the fucking thing is clogged with great ideas.

So it's Thanksgiving Day and I know the traditional thing is to mention a few things I am thankful for. Truth be told I am NOT one of those 'glass half full' kind of people but, whether I choose to acknowledge them or not, I have far more than my fair share of things to be thankful for. The standards: loving parents, a sister who loves me, a beautiful wife who is a wonderful Mother, more good friends than I am able to maintain, reconnecting with LONG LOST FRIENDS across the globe:
- I have missed you all and all of the good times we had. I am thrilled to see that you are all well and surrounded by each other, and hope to see you again soon.

I am thankful for so many of the material and immaterial things (we all) take for granted (house, cars, health, happiness, etc.), so many of the material things I am lucky to have, a good job that I love, and a lot of shit I don't really need - but I'll never admit that.

Really, the thing I am most thankful for at this point in my life is my Son, and the baby my wife is cooking. Without getting too deep here, and beyond the numerous reasons one is thankful for a child, I have been thinking about my Son for a long time.

My Son, in particular, represents to me an extension of all of the potential I never made good on. Or at least, haven't made good on so far. He also represents the 'plus-side' to all of the mistakes I've made and eggs I've laid, as I hope to teach him what those continue to teach me.

"Make your Own Mistakes Son, 'cause These are Mine!" - maybe I'll pen a little memoir for him...At any rate, I do hope everyone has a great holiday, but this has little to do with horror in the spirit of the site, the real reason we're all here.

I recently had my 42nd birthday and decided to give the DVD collection a shot of adrenaline with some long overdue purchases. Among the various films and collections I got is the 2-disc version of "Cannibal Holocaust". I have to admit I was very excited when this one arrived, but as soon as I opened it up and got a glimpse of the artwork, my heart started racing again. Primarily, it looks to be a collection of shots from the rape scenes, including a shot of a woman who is clearly pregnant, and the iconic impalement shot (which is brilliant!). Even as a genre fan who knows the gist of the film, these images are disturbing. In each instance, the literal image and the implied action are both horrifying.

I am not sure if she saw the packaging or not, but when I looked up, the look on my wife's face would suggest she may have. That's gonna leave a mark.

Some of the other stuff I got:

"The Omen" box set - 6 discs which looks pretty good. Not that pumped about part IV (??), but whatever.

"Night of the Living Dead" - three different versions to add to the two versions I already own. Try explaining that one! (for those in the know, one is the dreaded 30th anniversary edition.

"Dawn of the Dead" (2004 remake)

"Phantasm" - 5 disc 'sphere' box set (thanx Peloquin for the heads up on that one)

"Wall•E" - 3 disc which is neither horror nor horrible, so...

and so on. Lots of fun.

Anyhow, putting the finishing touches on my superzombie fest, which starts next week and am heading to see "Let the Right one In" tomorrow. Look for some feedback on that for sure!