* I really like the new trailer for M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening, both because of the subject matter and because I admire the man’s chutzpah for including what in the ADD world of trailer editing have to be considered long takes. (Via Dread Central.)
* Bruce Baugh offers a thoughtful review of Eli Roth’s Hostel. I really appreciated his insights about the look of the film, the redeeming qualities of the American characters, the lingering effects of torture…just a wonderful analysis. Also worth reading is the comment thread where various people explain why they refuse to watch the film.
* Shock Till You Drop’s Ryan Rotten really liked Ryuhei Kitamura’s adaptation of Clive Barker’s Midnight Meat Train, which may be a good sign.
* Kevin Huizenga discusses the difficulty of making comics starring himself…in comic form!
* This week’s Horror Roundtable is about non-horror movies that hold their own in the horror department. It’s interesting to see the different directions people went with this.
On the topic of non-horror films that hold their own, I’d nom the non-fiction “Paradise Lost 2: Revelations,” which disturbed me to virtually no end. Ironically, the doc makers took a shot at making a horror film littered with references to horrific non-fiction flicks (including a reference to “Titticut Follies” which is dropped by one of the round-table), but it turned out to be “Blair Witch II.” Sad really.