Friday, October 18, 2013

A MummyVision Guide To Hallowe'en On Roku - Day #18 GO AHEAD, DieselPUNK... MAKE MY HALLOWE'EN !!!!!





Welcome once again, Boils & Ghouls !!



There's now just 13 days remaining in the Countdown To Hallowe'en 2013, meaning that we have now reached day eighteen of "A MummyVision Guide To Hallowe'en On Roku", which is the name I've given to my (current) month-long blogathon, that culminates on 31st October 2013. In case you missed the previous instalments, this series of posts began with details of a Hallowe'en ScreamSaver, complete with it's own spooky soundtrack, followed by a Roku channel dedicated to Vintage Horror Classics, then some Hallowe'en "How-To" videos, a Roku channel for fans of the paranormal and then another for devotees of independent horror. After that came a channel dedicated to the open discussion of UFO's and UFO-related activities plus a further selection of Cult Films, Sci-Fi Classics & Vintage Horror. Since then, we've provided details of a Roku channel brimming with creepy cocktail suggestions, another with more classic Hallowe'en movie choices, and then details of a Roku channel that mixes paranormal reality tv shows with powerful documentaries, mysteries, conspiracy theories, UFO's and plenty else besides. The next two instalments saw yet more Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy movies on one channel plus some Hallowe'en / Horror-themed music, courtesy of a Roku radio channel, on another. We then brought you details of a live-streaming horror channel, to add yet another dynamic to the Hallowe'en entertainment on your Roku players plus some close encounters of the third kind, courtesy of a Roku channel dedicated to the subject of aliens and UFO's. Add to that two more Roku channels bringing fresh selections of Sci-Fi & Horror Movies plus more "Halloween Horror" films, then another channel with a bunch of J-Horror, K-Horror and every other kind of Asian horror that you can imagine, and you're bang up-to-date !!



 So, here we are with thirteen days to go until Hallowe'en !! Thirteen, eh? Unlucky for some, so they say... and, not to mention, it's a Friday, too !! Still, what might be considered unlucky for a few has turned out to be LUCKY FOR YOU on account of A BRAND NEW ROKU CHANNEL that you can now add to your Roku player(s) which you're unlikely to have heard of until this week, if at all. Suffice to say that, if you're partial to horror movies of a classic vintage variety, then you'll want to add this channel to your macabre movie viewing, as we crank up the horror in readiness for Hallowe'en !!







Perhaps surprisingly, you won't come across this movie-based Roku channel in the "Film & TV" genre (i.e. category) of the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store (or, come to that, under "Movies & TV", if you're a Roku owner who lives in the USA). The reason for that is 'Dieselpunk Industries' has only recently been submitted for approval as a "Public" channel (i.e. one that is available via the Roku Channel Store) and can (currently) only be added as a PRIVATE CHANNEL through your online Roku Account. Generally speaking, the 'Dieselpunk Industries' channel provides an assortment of Classic Movies & TV Serials plus a range of Short Films, "Soundies" and Cartoons, all of which can be watched completely free-of-charge. With movie genres (i.e. categories) ranging from things like Action/Adventure to African American Cinema, Comedy to Crime, Detective to Drama, Musical to Mystery, Noir to Romance, Silent Films to Thriller and War to Western, plus (of course) Science Fiction and Horror, as well as the afore-mentioned Classic Serials, Shorts, Soundies & Cartoons, you'll never be hard-pushed to find something that suits your taste. As such, you can expect to see anything from Joseph Kohn & Leonard Reed's "Rhythm And Blues Revue" (1955), featuring a storming version of "Minnie The Moocher" by Cab Calloway, to one of the all-time great examples of Film Noir that is "Detour" (1945), directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, or else Michael Gordon's "Cyrano de Bergerac" (1950), starring José Ferrer who delivers the performance of a lifetime in the lead role. Perhaps best of all, however, is that every single movie that features on the 'Dieselpunk Industries' channel is COMPLETELY FREE TO WATCH on your Roku player !!



Obviously, having multiple genres to choose from in the main menu of the 'Dieselpunk Industries' channel means that not all of the included content is relevant to this post. As I mentioned before, there are other loosely relevant genres included (such as Crime, Detective, Noir and Thriller or perhaps Action/Adventure, Drama or Mystery, Silent Films or even Comedy) in which you might find some piece of "classic cinema" that grabs you but, sticking to the general theme of Hallowe'en, the (current) selection to be found within the "Horror" category of the 'Dieselpunk Industries' channel on Roku player (incl. IMDB links) is as follows:-






By now most of you will already be aware that my own PICK OF THE BUNCH here would have been the vintage zombie-horror classic, "Night Of The Living Dead" (1968), which was directed by George A. Romero. If so, you'll also know that I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the likes of Herk Harvey's "Carnival Of Souls" (1962) and "House On Haunted Hill" (1959), which was directed by one of the true masters of vintage horror... William Castle, as well as Eugenio Martin's "Horror Express" (1972), that stars both Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Putting those aside for one moment, however, there is still PLENTY OF CLASSIC HORROR to be found on this channel... NOT LEAST OF WHICH is "Horror Hotel" (1960), directed by John Llewellyn Moxey, although (perhaps) it is better known to UK viewers by it's original title, "The City Of The Dead". If you haven't seen this film yet, then you really must make a point of watching it this Hallowe'en season. It ranks up there alongside other masterpieces from that time, such as Mario Bava's "Black Sunday", Roger Corman's "House Of Usher" and Michael Powell's "Peeping Tom". In what was an incredible year for horror movies, and perhaps the greatest ever for horror cinema (as a whole), this masterwork of creepy atmosphere really is A MUST-SEE for all horror fans. Now that I think about it, even Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" was released in 1960, which may explain (at least, in part) the change of name to "Horror Hotel" for it's USA release?! Still, you get my point, right?!! Which is... no matter what title it goes by, this IS my "Pick Of The Bunch" from those movies that are yet to receive a special mention in this series.



Other than that, I'd say Victor Halpern's "White Zombie" (1932) is ANOTHER HORROR CLASSIC that is easily on a par with, say, "Horror Express" (although a very different film) and should be high on your list of Hallowe'en horror movies from the selection available on this channel. Couple that with the hijinks and thrills of Walter Forde's 1941 classic, "The Ghost Train", starring much-loved comic actor Arthur Askey, and you'll have a touch of Vaudeville-style humour to add to your watchlist.



On the other end of the scale, THE ONE'S TO AVOID ARE... definitely "The Atomic Brain" (1963), directed by Joseph V. Mascelli and Jack Pollexfen, unless you are in the market for one of those "so bad, it's good" type of films (where the award for "Best Actor" could only go to 'Xerxes' the cat... I'm NOT kidding, either!). Anyway, some of you may know the film by it's original title of "Monstrosity", or perhaps "The Brain Snatchers" (which was it's original script tile), since "The Atomic Brain" was actually just it's TV title. No matter what you call it, though, if you decide to go ahead & watch it... don't say I didn't warn you !! Other films in this list that could probably use a little extra cranberry sauce and some gravy are the likes of "The Mad Monster" (1942), directed by Sam Newfield, and Tom Graeff's "Teenagers From Outer Space" (1959), plus Ray Kellogg's "The Killer Shrews" (1959) . Still, this horror-themed content will ensure that you have plenty of ways to pass the time between my daily doses of Roku-related Hallowe'en horror in "A MummyVision Guide To Hallowe'en On Roku" while also satisfying your ever-increasing appetite for horror movies in the build-up to Hallowe'en !!



Meanwhile, if you'd like to discover more about the 'Dieselpunk Industries' channel, you can do so via their Official Website FOUND HERE. Alternatively, those wishing to connect with Scott Saunders, developer of the 'Dieselpunk Industries' channel for Roku, can do so via his Twitter Feed: @ipodscott



Anyone wishing to add this channel to the Hallowe'en-themed entertainment on their Roku player(s) will, as I mentioned previously, have to do so by LOGGING-IN to their Roku Account online, scrolling down to the 'Manage Account' section, and using the "Add a Private Channel" option. That is because THIS IS A ROKU PRIVATE CHANNEL and, therefore, it is (currently) the only way that you can add the 'Dieselpunk Industries' channel to a Roku player. Anyway, all you must do to achieve this, is to type the following access code under "Add a Private Channel" and then click on the blue 'Add Channel' button:-



ACCESS CODE:- jjmtn



I should perhaps point out that, since the 'Dieselpunk Industries' channel does not yet feature in any of the Roku Channel Stores, there is "no channel store description" on the Official Roku Website and, consequently, no average rating either. Having said that, the excellent selection of horror movies alone should be reason enough for you to give the 'Dieselpunk Industries' channel a try, never mind the fact that ALL THE FILMS ARE FREE TO WATCH too !!



Still, if this particular Hallowe'en / Horror themed Roku channel was not to your liking then FEAR NOT because there will be another one featured in tomorrow's post, continuing the month-long blogathon that is: "A MummyVision Guide To Hallowe'en On Roku"which will bring you more devilish delights EACH AND EVERY DAY from now UNTIL HALLOWE'EN and when you're done with this blog, don't forget to visit the other contributors to the 2013 Countdown To Hallowe'en and see what Hallowe'en treats they have in store for you between now and 31st October !!



Fangs again, for stopping by !!




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