 Every slasher fan has their own choice as the best in the original Jason Voorhees film series, and mine is FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VI: JASON LIVES. From its opening title that winks at the James Bond flicks, this entry provided a welcome sense of knowing humor to the by-then repetitious proceedings, without making fun of Jason himself. (As writer/director Tom McLoughlin has often stated, and does so again on the new Deluxe Edition DVD, that was one of franchise producer Frank Mancuso Jr.’s directives when McLoughlin took this gig.)
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 During the finale of FRIDAY THE 13TH PART III, we catch a few glimpses of Jason’s face. The bastard flashes a twisted smile not once, but twice at the woman he’s hoping to murder. In THE FINAL CHAPTER ( buy it on DVD here), Jason is again unmasked by the Final Girl—and she too is given a freakish grin to haunt her dreams. My question: Does this Jason always smile when he kills, or only when he’s face-to-unmasked face with his prey? Chew on that the next time you watch this ballbuster, rightfully hailed by many as the most entertaining and satisfying in the FRIDAY series.
 As a huge fan of HBO’s SIX FEET UNDER, as well as being a horror aficionado, I was thrilled to hear that SIX FEET UNDER creator Alan Ball’s next project would be a Southern Gothic vampire series. Upon learning that the show would be based on the Sookie Stackhouse book series by Charlaine Harris (which I had not heard of before), I immediately picked up a copy of the first installment, DEAD UNTIL DARK. Regrettably, I was unimpressed. While DEAD UNTIL DARK isn’t bad, it’s “bit lit” more suitable for romance novel devotees rather than die-hard horror hounds who prefer carnage to courtship (like me). So needless to say, my enthusiasm was tempered and expectations lowered when it came time to watch the first episode (which I reviewed here).
 My colleague asked if I would take a look at WINDCROFT AND GREEN RIVER the Vanguard Cinema films released on DVD in 2007 and 2008 respectively. Knowing nothing about either film I said “sure.” Since we are FANGORIA I figured WINDCROFT and GREEN RIVER would both be horror movies. Well, they are not exactly horror; however, they are both shot phenomenally and thus are beautiful looking thrillers (oxymoron intended).
 The Asylum has always been known for what they've branded as Mockbusters (knock-off movies that arrive on the heels of a big budget theatrical release), and apparently it's been a winning formula as their knack for ripping off others has garnered a loyal fan base. And it seems that they have concocted a winning formula by taking two sea beasts, cranking them up to eleven, and pitting them against one another in a tug of war! And it's an original movie to boot!
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