The living dead emerging from The Dead Pit (1989)
Balladeer’s Blog’s month-long celebration of Halloween continues! If you’re like me you’re bored with zombies and pseudo-zombies. The 21st Century is as mired in tiresome, cookie-cutter zombie flicks as the 1980s were in tiresome, cookie-cutter slasher flicks.
Here is a look at seven films which, while technically classified as zombie movies at least adopt unique perspectives and don’t follow established formulas.
THE DEAD PIT (1989) – This horror film was the directorial debut of the very prolific director Brett Leonard. While not a four-star movie The Dead Pit is enjoyable enough for the Halloween Season and should certainly appeal to anyone into 1980s horror flicks. This movie’s hybrid of zombie elements and slasher elements is both its charm AND the reason behind its love-it-or-hate-it status.
Don’t expect non-stop Resident Evil-level action but DO expect to see some in-your-face gore very early in the flick for lovers of guts and decomposition. A physician (Dr Swan) at a mental hospital discovers the secret sub-basement where a rival MD (Dr Ramzi) is subjecting hopeless patients to horrific experiments involving a combination of science and the supernatural. Continue reading
DOWN GOES NUMBER TWO – In the NAIA the 7th ranked GRAND VIEW UNIVERSITY VIKINGS visited the number 2 team in the nation – the BENEDICTINE COLLEGE RAVENS. The 1st Half was a defensive epic with the Ravens leading 6-3 at the break. From there Grand View shut out Benedictine College while adding 14 points in the 3rd Quarter and 10 in the 4th for a 27-6 Upset. 
AND NUMBER THREE COMES TUMBLING AFTER – Elsewhere in the NAIA the number 6 MARIAN UNIVERSITY KNIGHTS welcomed the country’s 3rd ranked UNIVERSITY OF SAINT FRANCIS (IN) COUGARS. The Knights grabbed a 7-0 1st Quarter lead which turned into a 21-10 advantage by Halftime. After the break Marian University scored the only points of the 2nd Half with a 4th Quarter Touchdown. The final score was Knights 28 Cougars 10. 
KNOCKING OFF NUMBER ONE – Meanwhile, down in the NJCAA, the 20th ranked HIGHLAND COLLEGE SCOTTIES played host to the number 1 team in the land – the storied HUTCHINSON COLLEGE BLUE DRAGONS. The Scotties handed the Blue Dragons their first loss of 2019, emerging on top in a 29-27 game for the ages. 
LE DIABLE AMOUREUX (THE DEVIL IN LOVE) – Written in 1772 and translated into English in 1793. This story was penned by Jacques Cazotte and is a forerunner of the type of fantastic, oneiric horror stories that E.T.A. Hoffmann would specialize in. 
AMAZING ADVENTURES Vol 2 #27 (November 1974) 
THE WOLF IN THE GARDEN (1931) – Written by Alfred Hoyt Bill. This neglected novel is ideal for people who go in for horror tales set long ago. In this case the 1790s. 
NCAA Division Two: 1. VALDOSTA STATE BLAZERS ### 2. MINNESOTA STATE MAVERICKS ### 3. TARLETON STATE TEXANS ### 4. NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE BEARCATS ### 5. OUACHITA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY TIGERS ### 
6. GRAND VALLEY STATE LAKERS ### 7. FERRIS STATE BULLDOGS ### 8. UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS GREYHOUNDS ### 9. COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES OREDIGGERS ### 10. UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL MISSOURI MULES ### 
BRIGHTBURN (2019) – This mid-level budget movie has been criminally underrated in my opinion. Its horror twist on the usual superhero story (especially Superman) is well-handled and should have been just the thing audiences flocked to for a change of pace from the flood of superhero movies in recent years. 
