A Little Boy and the Monsters Who Are Saving His Life...

All of us who have grown up with a love for horror and the things that go bump in the night have memories of how it touched our lives. The grandfather you used to watch old school fright flicks on TV with on a Sunday afternoon. Going to conventions with your dad. Running around with your friends on Halloween, taking pride in being able to identify all the costumes they couldn't. Whatever the case may be, our love of all things scary has touched as all over the years, in one way or another.

But few, I would submit, have ever had their lives as profoundly touched and influenced by a love for the spooky as five-year-old Aidan Reed. Because in Aidan's case, it's that love that is quite literally keeping him going.

I'm a little late to the game on this one, but the other day I came across this boy's amazing story, and it's been on my mind ever since. For as long as his parents can remember, Aidan has been obsessed with monsters. And even though he's never actually seen a horror movie, he is extremely versed in the monstrous, and knows his Wolfmen from his Gill-Men. He loves drawing them, dressing up as them, and playing with his collection of monster toys.

"I kind of like to draw... scary clowns and aliens," he explained in a story on TODAYshow.com last month. "I like to dress up as nice clowns and scary ones. I can be a wolf or a zombie... Oh, and let me tell you something! There's a Sleestak costume I really want..."


Any five-year-old that's up on Land of the Lost clearly has a serious monster affinity. Most of all, he loves drawing them. Up until now, it's been no more than a little kid's hobby--but now, it's become the greatest gift his parents could have ever hoped for under their very unfortunate circumstances.

Last September, Aidan was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Since that time, he has been going through chemotherapy, spinal taps, and all other assorted hardships for weeks and months on end. The anguish for the Reed family is, needless to say, severe--and made more so by the fact that the medical bills were starting to pile up way beyond their capacity to pay them. Selling the family home was becoming more and more of an inevitability.

That is, until Aidan's Aunt Mandi decided to put a few of the boy's drawings up for sale on Etsy, as a way of deferring some of the costs. Her original goal was to sell about 60, at $12 a piece, on the hope that it might bring in a little cash. Fast forward a couple months, and the Reed family has received more than 2,500 orders from all over the world--alleviating the financial hardship they had been enduring, and ensuring that Aidan would continue to receive the care he so desperately needs.


According to doctors, Aidan still has two years of chemo ahead of him. But thanks to his passion for movie monsters like Nosferatu, his family can put money worries aside, and focus all their energies on bringing their boy back to health. The outpouring of support has been amazing, and includes a personal message of encouragement to Aidan from Tyler Mane, the actor behind one of the screen's most iconic monsters, Michael Myers, in the last two Halloween films.

Aidan sounds like one cool little boy, and The Vault of Horror wishes him all the best in his battle. To help him fight that battle, I encourage you to visit the Aid for Aidan Facebook page. You can also check out his drawings on Etsy, or read the family blog to keep up-to-date on everything going on in this talented kid's life.

If he loves drawing monsters, wait till he gets old enough to actually see them in the movies. And I'd love to see him old enough to walk into an R-rated movie one day all on his own, wouldn't you?

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That's Sir Christopher Lee to You, Punk!

Friday, October 30

FINALLY. Although, isn't going from a Count to a knight kind of a downward step? Well, all jokes aside, hearty congratulations to the legend who gave us Lord Summerisle, Count Dooku, Saruman the White, Scaramanga, Fu Manchu, Kharis the Mummy and the Frankenstein Monster; and the most prolific screen Dracula in history.

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Congratulations, Newly-deads!

The Vault of Horror wishes all the best to director Paul W.S. Anderson and the lovely Milla Jovovich, who were married Sunday night at their Beverly Hills home, according to People. Anderson and Jovovich first met seven years ago while making the original Resident Evil movie, in which Milla starred as the heroine, Alice. Now that's a match made in horror heaven!

Anderson served as writer director on the later R.E. sequels, also starring Jovovich, and is rumored to be returning to the director's chair for next year's Resident Evil: Afterlife.

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Weird Al Was Right--They're Reproducing in the Sewers!!

This bizarre video has been making the rounds of late, and is just on the cusp of becoming a viral sensation. Apparently, it's footage from inside a sewer pipe in Cameron Village, North Carolina, and shows some time of strange amorphous life forms living down there. I've been watching it obsessively for days now, and now I'd like to impart that obsession unto you:



OK. What the hell are they? Naturally, some have speculated some type of alien life form. I know, I know, no need to get all "Weekly World Report" about it. But really--what the hell ARE those things?? It's really freaking me out. Because they do seem to be alive. And having seen The Blob, The Thing, etc., I know that this can't end well...

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OMG! Vanessa Hudgens Loves Horror Movies...

You know what the toughest part is about being an affiliate for both Bloody-Disgusting and FEARnet? It's the fact that I can't really rely on reporting on anything that gets covered on either of those sites, since much of my traffic often comes from there, and I don't want those poor readers to be stumbling on stuff they've already just read. And so... sigh... I'm left with nights like this one, when I dig through the dregs of horror-related goings-on and come upon chestnuts like this one.

I guess I'm more amused at the notion that this actually made news, more than anything else. It seems, people, according to ShowBizSpy.com, that Disney darling Vanessa Hudgens loves horror movies! Here's what Zac Efron's High School Musical co-star/girlfriend and Perez Hilton's least favorite human being had to say:

“I love scary movies but recently, not so much. I live by myself now, so if I watched a scary film I would not be able to go to sleep. So I need to have someone there with me. I love horror classics like The Exorcist and Poltergeist.”

You hear that, guys? Anyone up to the task? I know my seven-year-old daughter would be all over it. She loves her some horror movies, and some High School Musical! I think she'd get a kick out of introducing V-Hudge to Bloodsucking Freaks and Zombie Holocaust. Just kidding--I haven't shown here those yet, of course. That can wait till fourth grade.

Ironically, Hudgens' next two upcoming projects have a horror tinge to them--next year's Beauty & The Beast-inspired Beastly, and the fantasy-thriller Sucker Punch in 2011.

Hmmm. I admit, I could've put more effort into putting something together for tonight's post. But I didn't. Whatcha gonna do about it? Nothing. That's what I thought.

Here's to increased motivation tomorrow!

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Legendary Horror Icon Knighted

He's been a German U-boat captain, an evil wizard, a Galactic separatist, a Bond villain, and most famously, the lord of all vampires. And now the great Christopher Lee, Hammer's Count Dracula himself, is also a knight. According to Reuters, the 87-year-old Lee was knighted today by Queen Elizabeth as part of the queen's Birthday Honours List.

Holding the distinction of having appeared on screen more times as Dracula than any other actor in history, Sir Christopher Lee (I like the sound of that!) also recently gained a strong, new following thanks to his roles as Saruman in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Count Dooku in Star Wars Episodes II and III. Long consigned to B-movie actor status, Lee can now proudly take his place among other English thespians who have attained the same accolade, including Ian McKellen, Anthony Hopkins and Ian Holm.

Congratulations to Sir Christopher Lee, one of the all-time horror luminaries!

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Twilight Inspires Real-Life Vampire Scare?

Apparently a whole bunch of grade school kids hopped up on Stephanie Meyer novels have been running around spreading rumors of vampirism in the sleepy town of Lake Stevens, Washington. According to Everett, Washington's Daily Herald, it all started last Friday, when a seventh grade girl met up with a fifth grade girl in a wooded park near Mount Pilchuk Elementary School.

And this is where the story diverges. The girl claims to have only hugged the boy. Yet the boy's friends ran back to the school claiming that she had actually bitten the boy on the forehead. First red flag: what self-respecting vampire would bite someone there? Unless that vampire happened to be a wrestling fan who had watched one too many Ric Flair matches...

Anyway, the whole thing spiraled out of control as the boys' story of being bitten in the woods expanded over the next few days to full scale reports of vampires in Lake Stevens, and of other boys being bitten all over their faces and having to be rescued from the woods. None of that stuff, however, seems to have any basis in reality.

Obviously, the hot speculation among parents and administrators is that Twilight is to blame. The book series and movie are quite popular with the tween students, and also remember that Twilight itself does take place in the dreary state of Washington, so it's not much of a stretch. Since it was a little girl allegedly doing the biting, I prefer to imagine the rumors were inspired by Let the Right One In. That's just infinitely cooler.

While local police were contacted, the boy's parents did not pursue anything, and so the issue was dropped pretty quickly. Since then, school officials have been busy sending home letters assuring parents that their kids are not in danger of falling prey to a pint-sized nosferatu.

So bottom line, some kids start telling tales out of school (literally), made up some stupid crap, rumors spread out of control, and a whole town gets up in arms. Someone needs to tell these hicks that that's how the Salem witch trials got started.

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Britain's Paris Hilton to Make Acting Debut in Horror Flick

The outspoken 20-year-old socialite daughter of Live Aid promoter Bob Geldof will be making her acting debut in a slasher movie, according to Contactmusic.com. Peaches Honeyblossom Michelle Charlotte Angel Vanessa Geldof has been one of the UK's most infamous celebrities for a few years now, speaking out against fashion modeling despite being an underwear model herself, and landing an editorial gig at Ellegirl Magazine that many suspected was due primarily to her pedigree.

"It's an indie horror slasher movie, in the vein of Donnie Darko, rather than Jason X - and I can't wait to start filming," Ms. Geldof told Contactmusic.

The horror movie announcement comes just one week after Peaches became the official model for the Miss Ultimo lingerie line. First Paris Hilton, then Lily Allen, and now Peaches Geldof. Seems that popping up in horror movies is the fashionable thing for rich tartlets to do these days...

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Thank God This Was Not *MY* Mother...

You know what, this may come as a surprise to some of you (and to others it will be the farthest thing from it) but I have been known from time to time to be something of a bitter old curmudgeon, grumpy beyond my years (although my years are catching up). And so I fully understand that some of you will accuse me of sour grapes when I continue the theme of Mother's Day here at the Vault by commenting on this particular fluff piece that annoyed the living crap out of me.

I think it's safe to say that my reaction to you as a human being can be decided by whether you find this story heart-warming or stomach-churning. I happen to be among the latter. The piece I'm referring to is a Mother's Day-themed feature that ran today in that journalistic giant, Farmington, New Mexico's Daily Times. Entitled, "Twilight Moms: Mothers' relationships grow through popular book" (do you feel the bile churning yet?), it's all about how 30-something-year-old moms from across this fine nation of ours have been brought together by Stephenie Meyer's safe and saccharine-sweet series of "vampire" novels. And how their relationships with their children have been strengthened by it.

One Lisa Hansen, a 36-year-old mother of two, gushes about creating the website Twilight Moms as a way of expressing her love for a book written for 12-year-old girls. She waxes rhapsodic about starting up her website as a way for similarly minded individuals to commune with one another in their obsession. It now has over 29,000 members--a fact which depresses, but doesn't surprise me.

The mothers soon began recommending the books to their daughters (and in some mind-boggling instances, their sons), thus passing along the mediocrity to the next generation.

"It's made us so much closer," said one of the moms. "We always had a great relationship, but now every night is a slumber party."

Sigh.

"We're totally normal people in the real world," says Hansen. "This web site has become a platform for regular wholesome human beings."

And I guess that's what sums up my revulsion in a nutshell. Look, don't get me wrong, I'm all for families getting closer together, and I'm sure part of this is just me in full-on "Bitch Pleeeeeeze" sarcastic blogger mode, but I just find it all but impossible to read this story without cringing. I think it's because these people are nothing less than infidels. Imposters sullying the good name of my favorite genre of film/literature. These are not horror fans. These are "regular, wholesome human beings." These are people who would be ashamed to be horror fans, and so are drawn to this syrupy saga because it is clean and acceptable.

Let's get something straight here. Horror is not created for "regular, wholesome people". It's created for the subversives in our culture; for the people with the slightly off-kilter perception of reality; the people who root for the bad guy; the people whose favorite way of coping with life's random cruelty is gallow's humor. In short, horror is the domain of the misfits, and we're damn proud of it.

The love of horror can most certainly be an excellent way for parents and kids to bond. But please folks, have some respect for yourself, and your kids. Don't expose them to this tripe. I'm a 34-year-old father of two, and I love bonding with my kids, but you know what? I do it by showing them Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein. I do it by dressing them up as zombies for Halloween, and teaching them to imitate all the classic Universal monsters to a T. I do it by reading vampire stories to them before they go to bed at night, and listening to them whispering and giggling in excitement after I've gone downstairs.

My kids bought me Fido for Christmas last year. They've sat through Night of the Living Dead with me. To some this might make me a bad parent, but not in my estimation. You know what gives me that kind of confidence? The knowledge that I was raised the exact same way.

Much like the parents and kids in the aforementioned feature story, I also bonded with my mom through a common love. Only it was for The Exorcist and The Return of the Living Dead. It was for the novels of Anne Rice and Stephen King. My parents absolutely loved horror and still do, and I'm proud to say that I'm the fanboy I am today because of them. And I'm also quite sure I would've pulled an "Irreconcilible Differences" on them if they had chosen instead to confine me to safe, unpalatable pablum that only masquerades as horror.

So excuse me if I can't relate to these soccer moms and their spawn, folks I'm sure wouldn't go near the likes of Cannibal Holcaust, Bloodsucking Freaks or I Spit on Your Grave with a ten-foot Swiffer. Perhaps I am overreacting--in fact I'm almost positive that I am--but you'll have to forgive my overzealousness. There comes a time when true horror fans need to take a stand. And I think this precious little article just kind of pushed me over the edge today.

Ah... that feels better. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to watch The Satanic Rites of Dracula with my mom and son.

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For more Mother's Day horror goodness, and to read about another mom who raised her kid right, proceed directly to Day of the Woman for BJ-C's tribute to her horrorific momma...

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Woody Harrelson Mistakes Photographer for Zombie...

Woody from Cheers has never been accused of being the most down-to-earth, rational celebrity out there, so maybe this should come as little surprise. Still, it's great for a laugh.

Apparently. Mr. Harrelson, fresh from wrapping filming on Zombieland, an all-out zombie survival flick, was accosted by a paparazzo at New York's LaGuardia Airport last Wednesday, and had a most interesting reaction.

"With my daughter at the airport I was startled by a paparazzo who I quite understandably mistook for a zombie," read Harrelson's official statement on the matter, according to Now Magazine. Yep, seems perfectly logical to me.

Harrelson claims to have still been partially in character when he smashed the photog's video camera to the floor. The Port Authority of New York is currently looking into the alleged victim's complaint against Harrelson.

Woody, this isn't going to help your activisim for legalizing hemp and marijuana, my friend...

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While I have your ear, I just wanted to announce that the new Vault of Horror T-shirts will be available by the end of the month--so please pre-order now! The price is $24.99 w/ FREE shipping in the U.S. You can Paypal your purchase now to mysteriouswufang@yahoo.com. Or if you don't have Paypal, drop me a line at b-sol@thevaultofhorror.net for the mailing address (check or money order only). Be sure to include your shirt size and mailing info with your order! Non-US buyers please add $6.00 for shipping. I'm quite proud of the design, and if the T-shirt proves a success, there just may be more Vault of Horror items on the horizon...

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Jason Breaks Character, Stalks Children

The Hollister Free Lance News reported yesterday that two schools in Hollister, California were shut down for a half hour due to a report of a man wandering the area wearing a hockey mask and carrying a knife.

San Benito High School and R.O. Hardin Elementary School were locked down at 11:45 a.m. and remained so until local police thoroughly checked the situation out.

No word on whether or not police actually apprehended the Jason wannabe. The incidents marks a surprising departure from his usual m.o.--since we all know that Jason's always gone out of his way to avoid threatening kids, right? This guy should have done his homework a little better.

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One More Reason to Like Judah Friedlander

Not only is he one of the people that make 30 Rock such a hilarious show, but Judah Friedlander is also one of us! Check out the shirt he wore yesterday to the Opie & Anthony Show on Sirius XM...


Yes folks, you heard it here first: Friedlander digs the F13. Picture was posted yesterday on Twitter by O&A co-host Jim Norton.

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The Haunting in Connecticut, Indeed

The current owners of the home in Southington, Connecticut which inspired this weekend's upcoming film The Haunting in Connecticut are reporting that curious fans are invading their privacy, according to a story today in Newsday.

The house, which was once a funeral parlor (!), was rumored to be haunted as a result of the bizarre experiences of the family that lived there some 20 years ago. And just as then, loiterers are once again showing up to get a gander at the place. And the movie hasn't even opened yet!

Naturally, the current owners insist their house isn't haunted, and local police have added extra patrols to the neighborhood to keep potential trespassers away. I was just watching the making-of documentary on the Texas Chainsaw Massacre special edition DVD set, and Gunnar Hansen mentioned that the first time he realized the movie was going to be a big deal was when curious teenagers started showing up at the house from the movie. Hmmm....

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Madonna Compared to Pennywise?

My loyal readers know that I never choose to take the sleazy celeb gossip route, but this one was just to good to pass up, and oh-so-relevant!

Could it be that Madonna is a huge fan of Stephen King's It? Unlikely. My fellow Blogspot blogger Perez Hilton is reporting that someone has shipped 100 DVDs of the fan-favorite TV miniseries, as well as 50 copies of King's original novel, to all of her various assorted homes. Rumor has it that the most likely sender is her ex-husband, director Guy Ritchie--who, according to sources close to the former couple, took to calling her "It" towards the end of their tumultuous marriage, apparently comparing her to the evil, monstrous clown Pennywise.

Whoever pulled the prank would have to be someone who knows all of the pop icon's personal addresses, which also points to Ritchie. Madonna is apparently furious over it.

Through a spokesperson, she had this to say: "We all float down here."

OK, just kidding about that last bit...

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Female Partier Turns Tables, Attacks Jason

Some strange news today related to the release of the new Friday the 13th. The New York Post's Page Six, that bastion of idealistic journalism, reports that Warrington Gillette, the first actor to portray Jason Voorhees the killer, wound up in the hospital after being wounded with an axe.

Gillette was on hand at a Hollywood party celebrating the new movie, dressed up like the murderous character he played 18 years ago in Friday the 13th Part II. Unfortunately, he also saw fit to wield a real axe in order to make the costume that much more convincing, and a woman at the party seems to have taken his performance a bit too seriously.

According to Page Six, the woman jumped the hockey-masked actor (you'd think he'd at least have had on the burlap sack for accuracy's sake) and tried to wrestle the axe away from him, in the process accidentally slashing his hand.

"It was straight out of a horror movie," a source told Page Six. "Lingerie-clad models were running and screaming, as a blood-soaked Jason ran off the runway to get to a hospital."

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Theater Full of Kids Subjected to My Bloody Valentine

A whole bunch of parents who had expected to enjoy the wonders of Disney animation with their little tykes were instead made to witness nubile teens being impaled with a pick-axe. British website ThisIsHampshire.net reports that workers at Southampton's Odeon Cinema mistakenly loaded My Bloody Valentine 3-D into a projector that was meant for Bolt, the animated flick about a cute and cuddly dog who thinks he's a superhero.

Apparently, it took a whole ten minutes for what had to be some of the densest parents in the history of parenting to realize that the wrong movie was being shown and raise a fuss, many of their kids obviously shaken up by the R-rated mayhem onscreen.

The Odeon refunded customers their tickets, and gave them comp passes to a movie of their choice. Would love to know if any of them sent the kids home and used the passes to see My Bloody Valentine.

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Austin, TX Commuters Warned of Zombies

I don't know what's funnier, the actual prank, or that it was this news program's "Top Story"...

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Savini to Put the "Extreme" in Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

I'd never thought I'd be saying this, but you might want to tune into Extreme Makeover: Home Edition tonight on ABC. Apparently, the Douglas Education Center in Monesson, Pennsylvania, which includes Tom Savini's makeup effects school, will be participating in helping make "an autistic lad's dream come true."

I think this somehow involves building a new house for the kid, but I'm not sure where Savini comes in. Hopefully, it has something to do with tearing out Ty Pennington's small intestines like the bikers in Dawn of the Dead.

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House Explodes in Amityville

No, not that house. That would've been awesome (provided the house was empty, of course), but still, I couldn't help but take note of Newsday's report last Monday of a home mere blocks away from it that was blown to bits by a gas leak. Wonder if it was anything like the end of Amityville 3-D?

Plus, I'll take any excuse to publish that photo to the right. Awesome, isn't it? Better than the movie, I'd say.

Anyway, in case you're concerned, the family that lived there smelled the gas and was able to phone 911 and escape shortly before the house exploded. And if you're wondering how close to the infamous Defeo residence the house is, here you go:



View Larger Map

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Curse of The Omen?

A stark raving mad Englishman was shot to death by police yesterday on the grounds of Guildford Cathedral, the very church where, in 1976, actors dressed as police pretended to shoot Gregory Peck in the penultimate scene of Richard Donner's The Omen.

According to The Daily Mirror, the man had been terrorizing people in one of the shopping districts of the town of Guildford, some 30 miles outside of London, when police intervened and the man bolted off. They followed him to the church, where he refused to surrender and was gunned down. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Daily Mail is reporting the unconfirmed rumor that the man was committing "suicide by cop", as messages he left behind to friends would indicate he was going to kill himself. And he picked quite the place to do it. Guildford Cathedral was, of course, the very same church at which Damien Thorn threw his infamous Satanic hissyfit, and was also nearly sacrificed by his ill-fated foster daddy. It was also the spot where Father Brennan was impaled by an errant church spire.

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I wanted to take time out today to acknowledge the explosion of interest that has occurred here at the VoH in recent days, thanks to the celebrated/infamous "Cyber-Horror Elite" Top 50. Thanks to one of our contributors, Brad Miska, the list can now be found on Bloody-Disgusting, the web's most popular horror news site. Thanks, Brad! It has also been featured at FangoriaOnline, where blogger Brian Matus has posted his own detailed response. Cinematical has also jumped on the "CBE" bandwagon. As a result, on Saturday I set a new traffic record here for the VoH, which was nearly triple the previous record. Then, on Sunday, I broke that record.

I'd like to bid a horrific welcome to all my new readers from over the past few days. Stick around, I'm just getting warmed up!

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