Don’t Miss the next installment of NETHERWORLD presents THE HORROR at Studio Movie Grill Holcomb Bridge on Sunday, August 12th at 8:00pm.
2880 Holcomb Bridge Rd. – Alpharetta, GA 30022

Adrian Lyne’s 1990 “Jacob’s Ladder” is quite simply a psychological horror masterpiece. No vampires, no werewolves, no over the top computer animation…it’s a rare breed of horror movie that is so well done and so thought invoking that you almost forget that it’s a horror movie, even while on the edge of your seat…only the great ones can do that.

Starring Tim Robbins (as the titular Jacob Singer – a role originally intended for Tom Hanks) and Danny Aiello, the film bounces back and forth between Jacob’s present life as a Brooklyn postman, his previous marriage and now-dead son, and the horrors of his tour of duty in Nam. His life begins to unravel as he is plagued by bizarre visions and eerie occurrences, leading him to discover an army conspiracy that may or may not be responsible for his current trauma…a mind-altering, aggression-enhancing chemical (nick-named “The Ladder”) which was tested on his squad with disastrous results.

Robbins is in top form, giving a memorable performance as he leaps about through the various stages of his life, overshadowed by guilt from the death of his young son (portrayed by the then unknown Macaulay Culkin) and fighting desperately to make sense of the madness surrounding his everyday life. Strange faces, unusual creatures, and haunting hallucinations begin to hint at something sinister…this, compounded by a visit from a member of his former army unit who reveals he is experiencing much of the same phenomena, leads Jacob to believe that Hell itself has come to claim him.

Set in the early 1970s, Lyne’s presentation of Bruce Joel Rubin’s screenplay effectively portrays Jacob’s growing paranoia, utilizing powerful camera effects and imagery to draw us into his overwhelming dread. Lyne does an amazing job of developing a truly believable paranormal tone, keeping us guessing in goosebumps as we spiral deeper along with Jacob into his nightmare.

Particularly unsettling is an elaborate scene taking place in a psychiatric ward that leaves Jacob – and the viewer – questioning what is real and what is delusion. In the broad arena of horror films, nothing jangles the nerves more than fear and terror that strikes close to reality, and bearing witness to the descent of this endearing character is both uncomfortable and enthralling.

“Jacob’s Ladder” is one of those rare movies that deftly bridges the gap between personal drama and horror, using human uncertainty and confusion to establish anyone and everyone as a potential threat without relying on genre stereotypes and red herrings to keep us on our toes. The most harrowing parts here are not the potential demons or the graphic gore of battle, but the painful details of Jacob’s life – his losses and anguish, and his growing sense of betrayal, both by those he trusts and his own failing sanity.

This is one movie that will certainly leave you thinking (and sufficiently creeped out) long after you leave the theater.

The kind of disturbing visuals and surreal atmosphere seen in Jacob’s Ladder seem almost tangible as you walk through Netherworld Haunted House…and no wonder, when interviewed by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution some years back, Netherworld Haunted House co-owner Billy Messina cited Jacob’s Ladder as one of his favorite horror movies of all time. Hence the latest installment of NETHERWORLD presents THE HORROR!

Movie Tickets are only $1…yep just a buck and Studio Movie Grill has great food and tasty beverages that can be delivered right to your seat in the theater.

Enjoy!

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NETHERWORLD Monster of the Month: July 2012 Revenant Zombies!

We are all, by now, more than familiar with the term “zombie”. A reanimated corpse, brought back to the world of the living through any one of several methods, be it by ritual, disease, or science gone terribly wrong. Numerous accounts of the undead have depicted a wide range of characteristics in these bloodthirsty fiends – everything from mindless, lumbering brutes who seem hard-pressed to move their own body weight, to lightning-fast, cunning predators driven forward by an insatiable hunger for human flesh. A veritable smorgasbord of attributes have been bestowed upon the many zombies of film and fiction, and depending upon your personal preference they would all seem valid.

Within the deepest, darkest chambers of Netherworld Haunted House, however, you are unlikely to stumble across the former variety. The undead who inhabit this buffer between the mortal realm and that which lies beyond tend to be alert and aggressive, with an agenda of their own. Used as shock troops by the Illuminati in the never-ending battle against the forces of the Netherworld, this particular “breed”, if you will, are commonly referred to as revenants.

Revenants, by all accounts, seem to originate from the Middle Ages, when stories began to surface of corpses rising from the grave to plague those left behind. Commonly believed to be evil in their previous lives, revenants were said to be wicked unbelievers, often responsible for spreading disease among the living. Seeking vengeance for some perceived wrong, or exacting suffering on some person or persons they deemed deserving, revenant zombies would steal into villages or homes in the still of the night – often repeatedly – terrorizing the subject of their spite. Legends have been passed down of men who rose after death, carrying their coffins on their backs as they strode through towns calling out the names of mortals who would die several days later of sickness and disease. Although the specifics of each reported sighting differ slightly from one another, there are common threads that string these tales together. The general consensus was to return these vile creatures to the ground through decapitation, burning, or removal of the heart.

Unlike the typical zombie, which is believed to be controlled by some other person or entity for their own means, revenants are self-motivated, and act upon their own design. Historically, the term “zombie” is attributed to areas of magic and voodoo, as someone summons the dark arts or a mystical spell to enable them to direct the actions of the undead for their own sinister needs. These somewhat-less-than-animated reanimates exist purely to satisfy the desires of their master, and linger about aimlessly as they await their next command. Revenants, on the other hand, are driven by a more personal directive, whether it be hunger for brains, blood and flesh, or revenge against a living enemy. This may explain the difference in physical prowess, as revenants tend to be quicker and far more agile than their mystically-enhanced counterparts, and exhibit much higher brain activity (often a revenant has the capacity to outwit the living, taking advantage of the natural superstitions and fears attached to zombie lore). One may have the ability to outrun or maneuver against a garden variety zombie, but the speed, strength and cunning of a revenant is not to be taken lightly. Zombies of all type are also believed to exhibit superior strength, regardless of their current state of decomposition, so when mixing the combined powers of a revenant a truly intimidating threat is created..

In recent years, the threat of the impending “zombie apocalypse” has weighed heavy on mortal men and women. With widespread abuse of chemicals and radiation running rampant, it comes as no surprise that many would fear a day when the dead will rise, seeking sustenance from the living, breathing bodies currently populating the earth. The folly of man has long been a source of disastrous calamities – ironic that his most heinous might one day be the uncontrollable expansion of a legion of lost souls hell-bent on devouring their own…

In light of such potential dread, humans now find themselves preparing for a future in which they are no longer at the top of the food chain, but are instead the prey of beloved friends and family who have returned from beyond. Modern legend indicates that the most successful move against a revenant is to land an accurate headshot to the brain, either with a firearm of some other effective weapon. Even beheading or dismembering a revenant does not guarantee a lasting kill, provided the brain is left unharmed. Burning one can also destroy it, again provided the brain is dealt with properly. Honing one’s physical skills may prove very beneficial, enabling a person to stay one step ahead of these ravaging fiends as we await the final outcome of this horrible conflict. And for the squeamish, there is always the option of surrender…you can take comfort in the knowledge that you’ll be back soon.

NETHERWORLD Monster of the Month: June 2012 Atomic Mutants!

July 16, 1945. The Trinity site, located in the Jornada del Muerto desert about 35 miles southeast of Socorro, New Mexico, at the new White Sands Proving Ground. The first occurrence of a nuclear detonation, an implosion-design plutonium device nicknamed “The Gadget”.

The beginning of the Atomic Age.

The fear that Nazi Germany was developing atomic bombs, coupled with a growing awareness of various fascist threats from European countries, prompted the United States to further explore plans to develop its own nuclear-based weaponry. Thus was born The Manhattan Project, and the arms race was forever changed.

With the threat of the atomic bomb came the fear of nuclear fallout in the atmosphere, and the potential for injury and mutation. Paranoia spread among the population. Bomb shelters were constructed as a precaution to protect people from the impending nuclear doom of the cold war, allowing citizens to exist underground until the effects of any fallout had diminished to a safe level. With the danger over, they could return to the surface unharmed. In 1963 the Partial Test Ban Treaty restricted all nuclear testing to underground nuclear testing, to prevent contamination of the atmosphere and surface from nuclear fallout.

But what of those who were not fortunate enough to take safe haven? What about the humans and creatures that may have been exposed to the few tests that did take place above ground? Speculation arose as to what the possible effects of radiation exposure could be. And Hollywood was happy to provide a few theories…

Such classic films as “Them” and “Godzilla” grew out of our fascination with the Atomic Age and spawned an entire generation of motion pictures warning of the catastrophic effects of nuclear weapons. In these two movies, mutated giant ants and an awakened prehistoric reptile are the result of man’s flirtation with the atom. “The Amazing Colossal Man” tells of a gigantic rampaging army officer who grows to a height of 60 feet and goes insane after exposure to plutonium radiation. Oddly enough, the exact opposite happens to a vacationing businessman in “The Incredible Shrinking Man” – lending credence to the unpredictability of radioactive mutation! B-movies abounded, detailing the disastrous results of the Atomic Age. Yet whether humongous insects or miniscule men, one message was abundantly clear: man’s arrogance and thirst for power would prove his undoing.

Over the years the threat of irradiated mutations has intrigued and entertained us in a wide variety of interpretations. While the popularity of massive rampaging creatures has never really waned, it seems to be the effects on man that have the greatest impact on us. 1985’s beloved “Return of the Living Dead” details the horrific (yet comically charged) events that unfold when a failed military experiment unleashes brain-eating zombies. Following the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster in Ukraine in 1986, we discovered the all-too-real repercussions of nuclear crisis. Numerous illnesses and deformities have been reported, the imagery of which is still staggering some 25 years later. This seems to have played a huge part in the birth of the contemporary template of mutation we find prevalent in science fiction and horror today. “The Hills Have Eyes” features a traveling family at the mercy of mutated cannibals living in a nuclear testing zone. And while the catalyst for mutation may not always be a direct result of radiation, the idea of mutated people hunting humans (such as the backwoods villains from the “Wrong Turn” films) continues to intrigue us. The prospect of physically-deformed humans among us, driven insane and prone to prey on an unsuspecting population still sends shivers down our spines. Our basic belief that there is good in everyone flies out the window when gazing into the hollow eyes of an atomic attacker.

Atlanta’s Netherworld Haunted House is no stranger to the chaos brought about by the deranged and maddened mutant. As the primary retailer for the infamous Zombie Rampage energy drink, the very halls of this haunted attraction were overrun by crazed cannibals and reanimated corpses when a tanker truck transporting the potent elixir overturned in nearby Whyshburg Cemetery. The toxic beverage contained Necromuten 7, developed by bioweapons defense contractor Necrotech as a means of producing stronger, more powerful soldiers. The end result was a faster, more durable undead killing machine, capable of holding its own against even the most diabolical Netherspawn.

Numerous experiments and scientific studies performed behind Netherworld’s bolted doors have resulted in unimaginable radiation-bred horrors. The building is infested with deformed animals, abnormal insects, flesh-hungry fiends and abominations heretofore unseen by normal human eyes. Slavering zombies amble aimlessly throughout its corridors, seeking relief from their never ending craving for living victims. Hideously disfigured creatures – both human and inhuman – dwell within, eagerly awaiting each evening’s delivery of innocent vict…errr…visitors.

The threat of atomic danger may not seem as overpowering as it did decades ago, but the rumors of leftover mutants holding out in the dessert hidden away from prying eyes will perhaps always linger in the back of our minds. So the next time you take the family on that remote camping trip – or a Halloween excursion to Netherworld Haunted House – you may want to download that geiger counter app to your smart phone. Simply for peace of mind.

The HORROR returns with In The Mouth Of Madness !

Sunday June 10th 8pm Studio Movie Grill Holcomb Bridge

A reality is just what we tell each other it is.

Upon the release of his new novel, “Horror in Hobb’s End”, writer Sutter Cane has disappeared without a trace. Responsible for a rash of unusual side-effects in his readers, Cane is believed to have perpetuated the vanishing act as nothing more than a publicity stunt, prompting his publisher to hire an investigator to track him down.

Master horror director John Carpenter (“Halloween”, “The Thing”) has pulled together an incredible cast for his 1994 release “In the Mouth of Madness”, including Sam Neill, David Warner, John Glover, Jürgen Prochnow, and Charleton Heston. An obvious homage to the works of H.P. Lovecraft, this mind-bending tale sends insurance investigator John Trent (Neill) and Cane’s editor (Julie Carmen) into the supposedly fictional town of Hobb’s End – brought to life by a powerful dark force which warps the perception of reality of Cane’s readers.

Hobb’s End, it seems, is populated by living characters from the writings of Sutter Cane, and the town is comprised of landmarks pulled from his books – including the infamous Black Church, a horrible spawning ground of evil. Drawn into the twisted happenings, insurance investigator John Trent (Neill) comes face-to-face with Cane’s true intention: the end of humanity. Is Trent himself merely a product of Cane’s imagination? Is the life he is living truly his life at all, or simply a minor plot point in a much larger story?

Mutations, nightmares, face shreddings and axe murders abound in Carpenter’s film, the final chapter in his “Apocalypse Trilogy” (following “The Thing” and “Prince of Darkness”). “In the Mouth of Madness” proudly wears its love of Lovecraft on its sleeve, with obvious references to story titles and characters. Building its stage on the back of insanity, this stylized movie unfolds like one of H.P.’s tomes, told in flashback from the perspective of a (possible) madman on the brink of collapse. Written by former New Line Cinema President of Production Michael De Luca (“The Lawnmower Man” and “Freddy’s Nightmares”), it was produced for an estimated $14,000,000 – a far cry from the $320,000 production cost of Carpenter’s ground-breaking horror classic “Halloween”.
Enjoy In the Mouth of Madness plus Studio movie grill has great grub & tasty beverages of the adult variety delivered right to your seat…check it out at:

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