Escape From New Jersey Is An Actual Thing

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWpFE4bUMdY]

As I tweeted like a madman last night during the Super Bowl, I noticed a lot of people wondering how Kurt Russell got roped into cutting an intro promo for the game. Miss Sexy Armpit was curious as well. I didn’t find it to be such a stretch since Kurt Russell played badass dudes in movies like Big Trouble in Little China and Escape from New York among others. The Super Bowl producers probably thought it was appropriate for an action film icon like him to pump viewers up for the game.

Although Russell is always welcome in my book, viewers in Jersey were already excited, since the Bowl itself took place in New Jersey, not New York as the media would lead you to believe. Coincidentally, as I’m sure you’re aware, Kurt Russell played Snake Plissken in Escape From New York, and he also escaped L.A in 1996, but did you know that he was also faced with trying to Escape From New Jersey? And no, he wasn’t trying to squeeze onto a mobbed train out of Secaucus after the Super Bowl.

New Jersey Indepenedent Filmmaker Chris Notarile (You might remember us mentioning Chris here at The Sexy Armpit during the 2012 Halloween countdown for his fan-film horror prequels) created a web series/fan film that pays tribute to the Escape films and Jersey at the same time. The effects and vibe of the production is top notch and if you’re a fan of Kurt Russell and dig the Escape From… films, you will enjoy this. The first part is posted above and subsequent installments can be found at at the Blinky Productions YouTube page. There’s even a great nod to Jack Burton in Big Trouble in Little China. Well done!

Enhance Your Halloween Viewing With Blinky Productions Horror Prequels

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Blinky Productions features can be seen at their YouTube site!

Living through numerous Halloweens has translated to me holding many solo horror movie marathons. I’m sure some of you can relate. But what should you do when you’ve exhausted all of your movie options? That is a question I’ve pondered for a while now, and I finally share my discovery with you. If you are looking to spice up your Halloween viewing, read on!

You’ve seen all the Nightmares, all the Fridays, and all the Halloweens, right? Well what if there were prequels that you never knew about? What if there were top quality extensions of those franchises to be seen? Based in New Jersey, Blinky Productions fills those voids! In addition to their original productions, they make independent short and feature length films that incorporate the characters we love. Some of their films revolve around superheroes, but many of them star horror icons. Usually their type of output would be considered “fan-film,” but the quality of their films is superior and sets them apart from most of the fan made stuff I’ve seen on YouTube.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGhBTx9o0kk?list=PLEFBB09D058C817BF&hl=en_US]

Blinky Productions films have been on my radar for years now, but I never got around to watching some of them until last year. At a New Jersey Batman Convention that I went to, I finally got to meet the man behind Blinky, a friendly movie making mastermind and Jersey guy, Chris Notarile. I picked up a few of their DVDs including one I’ll be reviewing in the future, but for now I’ll tell you about the one that has become a part of my annual Halloween viewing.

I snatched up a great little trilogy of horror shorts to add to my collection. Delving further into the mythos of the Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Halloween franchises, these shorts make me wonder why these franchises aren’t releasing good quality big budget installments when Chris does it with almost no budget in comparison. What’s great about these films is that you don’t have to lower your expectations before watching them as you do with many independent fan made shorts.

Out of the 3 shorts, the one I felt was the most interesting was KRUEGER: A TALE FROM ELM STREET. The short gives us a front row seat during one of Krueger’s interrogations, before he was “burnt up like a weenie” if I may quote the Fresh Prince. MYERS: RISE OF THE BOOGEYMAN adds a cool little twist to the Halloween lore and I enjoyed it. The only one that fell a little short for me was VOORHEES: BORN ON A FRIDAY. It deals with Mrs. Voorhees tracking down one of the very girls who was responsible for her son’s drowning. You can watch all of them rather quickly which works if you’re planning a mini-marathon. For instance, watching the Krueger short before watching your favorite Nightmare on Elm Street film will enhance your experience!

The Jersey based Blinky Productions’ motto is “High Quality Films…Without the Budget.” In addition to their horror inspired films, they’ve also created shorts featuring The Punisher, Batman, Flash, and Catwoman among so many others. Their original productions are badass as well (i.e METHODIC) so check them out! Up next I’m going to watch FRIDAY THE 31st: MICHAEL VS. JASON!! In the mean time though, go enjoy the wet-dream of horror fan films at their YouTube page, and by that I mean Freddy vs. Jason vs. Leatherface vs. Pinhead and many more!

Blinky Productions Official Website
http://www.blinky-productions.com/