With Hallowmas upon us, I thought I would go over the reasons why I consider zombies to be the greatest monsters yet invented, a sort of grand synthesis of all of the best elements of previous fright-mongers. See if you agree, and offer your own opinions and counterarguments in the comments section below.

1. They’re anthropomorphic.

There’s all sorts of beasties under the sun (and moon), but in general I’ve always found that the creepier specimens are the ones which assail you while housed in a human body. Bruce the shark in Jaws, the Blob chasing a young Steve McQueen, or the wide assortment of killer piranhas, rats, and dinosaurs out there don’t hold a candle to things like vampires, werewolves, and zombies — monsters that retain aspects of their humanity even as they terrorize us with their doom-laden, inhuman fates.

2. They’re the living dead.

An adjunct to #1 above. Some monsters are nothing more than exotic animals, others demons associated with the netherworld of some ancient religion or mythology, and still others ordinary humans with a black nullity where their soul and conscience is supposed to be. All provide us with legions of good scares, and may they continue to do so! (more…)

After seeing the third entry in the popular “Twilight” series, there’s good news for non-fans. This movie is almost watchable. Unlike the first film, which suffers from bland characters and a lame plot; and the second, which suffers from melodrama and a lead character who’s always half-naked for no logical reason, number three is a serious improvement. However, there are still numerous and obvious weaknesses that detract and make it unworthy of a ticket purchase.

Bella (Kristen Stewart) continues to push Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), her vampire boyfriend, into turning her into a vampire. A bit of time has passed since the events of “New Moon” transpired and Bella’s friendship with her other beau, Jacob the werewolf (Taylor Lautner), has suffered since he fell in love with her. In the meantime, an army of vampires is being formed by the villainous Victoria, who still wants Bella dead because she blames Bella for the death of her boyfriend.

The love triangle is more prominent here than it was in the first two films because the three main characters are together more often throughout (unlike the second chapter where Edward disappears for a long periods of time). In the beginning of this film, Bella decides to visit Jacob, who has not been returning her calls. Edward, who continues to be creepy in his affection for Bella, prevents Bella from going but she eventually does go and this allows Jacob to reveal his long-held affection for her. Eventually, Edward and his team of vampires and Jacob and his team of werewolves have to work together to protect Bella from Victoria. Both sides will ultimately battle. (more…)

Much of the buzz about “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” has revolved around a debate between Team Jacob and Team Edward.  Numerous articles have been written explaining the merits of these two characters who many girls have swooned over in theaters. As a Chicago Tribune article about stars responding to the question of which team they align themselves with asked, “Are stars loyal to brooding vampire Edward Cullen (played by Robert Pattinson) or hulking werewolf Jacob Black ( Taylor Lautner) as the two duel over heroine Bella ( Kristen Stewart) in the film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s popular books?” Over the past few weekends, moviegoers have faced their own choice, not between Jacob and Edward, but between “New Moon” and another recently-released motion picture, “The Blind Side.” 

On the one hand, “New Moon” is the highly-anticipated sequel to the blockbuster hit “Twilight.” As many sequels are, it has been heavily publicized and much has been made about the aforementioned two competing male characters in the film. From major interviews that the cast has done to magazine covers to speculation about the future movies in the series, “New Moon” has attracted a lot of attention as a popular book has been turned into a popular movie. Because of the fans of the book and movie, “New Moon” has unsurprisingly become a blockbuster hit and has made over $250 million dollars in only a matter of weeks. (more…)

“The Twilight Saga:  New Moon” is the second of four vampire stories by Stephenie Meyers, a Mormon. It continues the love story between Edward and Bella, two unique teenagers. Bella spirals down into a deep hole of depression when the vampire she loves leaves her, in an effort to protect her. She finds herself picking up the pieces of her broken heart with her best friend, who happens to be a werewolf.

Picking up where the first movie left off, “New Moon” opens with Bella (played by Kristen Stewart), having recovered from the vampire attack that almost claimed her life, starting her senior year of high school and celebrating her 18th birthday with Edward Cullen, a vampire who refuses to attack humans, and his family. After an ill-fated accident resulting in Bella’s blood being spilled at the Cullen residence, which is almost too much for certain members of the family, Edward (played by Robert Pattinson) decides to leave Forks. He believes he is protecting Bella from the dangers of the vampire world by doing so. He asks her to promise him not to do anything reckless. (more…)