Hump-Day Harangue: Forget Entertainment Weekly, Here's a REAL List

I'm going to keep this one short and simple. In case you've been living on Venus, Entertainment Weekly has dropped yet another horror movie list/nail-bomb on us, and the online horror community has once again risen in self-righteous indignation. I won't go into the details of how frustrating their list of the the Top 20 Horror Films of the Past 20 Years is. That's been done all over the web, and a lot better than I could--particularly by Brad "How Do You Pronounce This Guy's Name" McHargue over at I Love Horror, who wrote up a complete rebuttal to EW's wrong-headed amalgam.

Instead, what I will do, in the interest of over-inflating my own ego, is point you in the direction of a list you can be proud of, which puts EW's to shame. Some nine months ago, I polled the "Cyber-Horror Elite" and we came up with a list of the Top 25 Horror Films of the Modern Era (ie. since 1990), which for all intents and purposes is the same concept as EW went with. Except this one won't make you want to drive a railroad spike into your temple. So go here and, enjoy:

*The Top 25 Horror Films of the Modern Era*

* * * * * * * * * *

I also have a few random tidbits I'd like to touch on today...

• Day of the Woman's BJ-C and myself have another fine list to be enjoyed over at Bloody-Disgusting, so check that out when you have a chance. This time, we look at the Top 16 Oscar-Worthy Horror Performances.

• Speaking of DotW, some congratulations are in order today. A couple months ago, I decided to take a chance and submit the Vault's sister blog to Rue Morgue magazine for inclusion in their Roadkill column (in which they spotlight websites of note). And wouldn't you know it--the online Mistress of the Macabre got her blog mentioned in issue #92, now on sale! Way to go, BJ-C :-)

• Consider this another reminder to keep those submissions coming in for the VoH's Cursed Mountain giveaway. I'm looking for a paragraph on the first horror film to hook you and make you a fan, and why. The winner gets their words published on the blog, as well as a copy of the brand new horror video game for the Wii. The deadline is next Thursday, August 20.
  

• Keep your greasy eyeballs locked on this page, because at some point later tonight, I plan on hitting you with something quite special. Namely, a first-hand account of real-life ghost-hunting from an old friend of mine who works as a paranormal investigator. Are you ready to believe him?

• Again, for the benefit of all you Venusians out there, AMC has optioned Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead comic book series as a TV series to be directed by Frank Darabont. This is incredible news, which has been in the works for quite some time. It's been covered by far more high-profile sites than my own, but I do plan on giving my own unique take on the blockbuster news later in the week. The world, I'm sure, has been clamoring for that.

• As a heads-up, Mrs. B-Sol and myself shall be heading to NYC this Friday night to check out the controversial new flick Grace in its lone East Coast engagement. We shall be rendezvousing with Freddy in Space's Johnny Boots and the future Mrs. Johnny Boots, so expect fun and hilarity to ensue. Also expect a review of Grace next week!

• And finally, I'd like to announce that The Vault of Horror has been given the prestigious (and vaguely explained) Honest Scrap Award by the excellent blog Planet of Terror. Not sure what it means exactly, but hey, it's an award--I'll take it! In accordance with the rules of the award, I shall now announce 10 deserving blogs to which I am, in turn, bestowing said award:

1. Planet of Terror
2. Freddy in Space
3. McBeardo's Midnight Movies
4. In It for the Kills
5. Zombos' Closet of Horror
6. I Love Horror
7. John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Film/TV
8. Zeitgeist
9. Chuck Norris Ate My Baby
10. Love Train for the Tenebrous Empire

Also in accordance with the rules, 10 honest things about myself:

1. I wrote my Master's thesis on the deposition scene of Shakespeare's Richard II.
2. I was born on Friday the 13th.
3. I can say the Hail Mary in both Latin and Italian.
4. My earliest memory is of my dad taking me to see Star Wars in 1977.
5. I spent a night in Manchester, England drinking champagne cocktails with Ric Flair.
6. I had a lifelong crush on Jennifer Connelly which began with Labyrinth and ended when she became a Hollywood stick figure after A Beautiful Mind.
7. My favorite horror film is George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead.
8. I will only get on escalators on the left side.
9. My uncle was an extra fleeing from the Sta-Puft Marshmallow Man in Ghostbusters.
10. I am afraid of manta rays.
    

There ya go. Winners are asked to do the same (if they feel like it), and to include the blog that bestowed the award in their own list.