Tag Archives: Hellraiser

Aug 29 2026

My Top 20 Songs of the 2000’s

Another list that was painful to make. There are so many amazing songs that I wanted in the list, but I wanted to keep it at 20 songs. But I think this is as good as it’s going to get. Like last time, I kept it to one song per artist which was hard as hell. How do you choose between perfect songs? So here they are, my top 20 songs of the 2000’s.

20 – For All the Lost by Necessary Response

Such a great song to dance to. This brings me back… No video for this one, but I hope you enjoy the audio.

Released in 2007, from the album Blood Spills Not Far From The Wound.

19 – Mein Herz Brennt by Rammstein

Some people might have gone with Sonne or Mutter for this place, but I really prefer this lesser known song. So good.

Released in 2001, from the album Mutter.

18 – The Nobodies by Marilyn Manson

(s)AINT almost took this spot, but listening to them again, I realized that this is the superior song. Maybe. Did I mention this list was hell to make?

Released in 2000, from the album Holy Wood.

17 – Destroy Everything You Touch by Ladytron

I’d completely forgotten just how much I actually love this song. I haven’t heard it in a while, and I still remember all the lyrics (but not why I walked into the kitchen. Brains, am I right?)

Released in 2005, from the album Witching Hour.

16 – TZDV by Faderhead

I still remember the first time I heard this song. I was sitting in a club for a goth night in Quebec City just chatting with friends. This song came on and I was instantly in love. Love that pounding bass!

Released in 2008, from the album FH3.

15 – Military Fashion Show by And One

Such a great song to dance to. Man, do I ever miss dancing… *nostalgia kicking in* No video for this one.

Released in 2006, from the album Bodypop.

14 – Change (In the House of Flies) by Deftones

Passenger almost went here, but then I listened to this one again and was like, yup, that’s the one. Such a powerful song.

Released in 2000, from the album White Pony.

13 – Your Joy is My Low by IAMX

When I heard this for the first time, I was dancing in a goth club in Montreal (significantly more people in there than the club in Quebec City, lol) and this song came on. Halfway through the song I literally stopped dancing and just listened. So good.

Released in 2004, from the album Kiss + Swallow.

12 – Hellraiser (VNV Nation remix) by Suicide Commando

The original of this song is just so-so, but this VNV remix is awesome. They added some great melody to it. At around the 3 minute mark they added an instrumental bit that was heaven to dance to.

Released in 2000, from the album Hellraiser.

11 – Map of the Problematique by Muse

Singer Matthew Bellamy, besides being a cutie, has such an amazing voice. I had a hell of a time choosing just one Muse song, there are so many amazing ones. Undisclosed Desires had the spot before I went “hold on…” and remembered this song. This video is the only official one they have out, live at Wembley Stadium. But here you can hear just how good they are live.

Released in 2007. from the album Black Holes and Revelations.

10 – Judith by A Perfect Circle

Might seem like the obvious choice, but this really is an amazing song. Singer Maynard James Keenan’s voice is just so powerful. Shoutout to Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums, it was thisclose to being the one I picked.

Released in 2000, from the album Mer de Noms.

9 – Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes

Singer Jack White was made up to look like a pretty boy for this video, and the girls (and some guys, I’m sure) went crazy. Jack hated it and made sure he looked weird in videos from that point on. I was so disappointed, lol. Oh, and the song is an absolute banger. Simple but oh so effective.

Released in 2003, from the album Elephant.

8 – Exterminate Annihilate Destroy by Rotersand

Another one that’s just amazing to dance to. Plus it’s a little geeky, just like me! Unfortunately no video for this one. Not an official one anyhow. There’s a few that viewers made with clips of the Daleks, lol.

Released in 2005, from the album Welcome to Goodbye.

7 – Breath by Breaking Benjamin

Here’s another one that was hard to pick just one. But, listening to them again, this song is head and shoulders above the rest. I was so sure there was a video to this song…

Released in 2006, from the album Phobia.

6 – Like a Stone by Audioslave

Such a loss to the music world, singer Chris Cornell had a voice like butter. I love doing this song at karaoke. Or in the shower… lol.

Released in 2002, from their self-titled album.

5 – The Bitter End by Placebo

I was waffling between this song and Song to Say Goodbye for this spot, but this one won. And it has (almost) nothing to do with how hot singer Brian Molko is in it *fans self*.

Released in 2003, from the album Sleeping with Ghosts.

4 – In Repair by Our Lady Peace

I’d started listening to Our Lady Peace less in the 2000’s. A lot of the newer stuff I just didn’t like. This song is a massive exception. So good.

Released in 2000, from the album Spiritual Machines.

3 – I Don’t Care by Apocalyptica, with Adam Gontier

The 2000’s is when Apocalyptica started making their own music. Before then, they were doing Metallica covers on cello. On a few tracks per album from then on, they would borrow a singer from another band, in this case Three Days Grace’s Adam Gontier, and actually have lyrics. Their instrumental stuff is really nice, but I like to sing along. I also have a massive crush on “lead” cellist Eicca Toppinen (he’s the one with the long blond hair). Whew…

Released in 2007, from the album Worlds Collide.

2 – Crawling by Linkin Park

Choosing which Linkin Park song is the best of the decade was almost impossible, but I finally decided on Crawling. I always did prefer the songs that were heavier with Chester’s vocals more than Mike’s. He is sorely missed.

Released in 2001, from the album Hybrid Theory.

1 – Wreath of Barbs by :Wumpscut:

I was waffling a long time which should take first place, this or Crawling, but I finally decided on this. It might change tomorrow, but for now, this is it. I love everything about this song.

Released in 2001, from the album Wreath of Barbs.

And that’s it! As usual, a lot of the rankings are probably interchangeable, but for today, this is what I went with. I hope I was able to turn you on to some new music, and help revive old favourites. Next up, sometime in the not-too-distant future, the best of the 2010’s!!

M.

Jan 28 2014

Mel’s 5 Second Review: Introduction and Hellraiser

So, I figured I’d try out a regular, daily post. But since I don’t want to spend hours on it every single day, I needed it to be something that I could do quickly, but would still be interesting. So I decided to review movies. Movies from any year, not just the new releases. It could be a film as old as film itself, or it could be a film that was released yesterday. The only rule is that it shouldn’t take you any longer than a minute to read, a minute or less. Hence the title: 5 Second Review. Of course I know a minute is longer than 5 seconds, but really, who needs to be so literal in life? For my first review, I’m going for a film that I’ve done nothing but bash since the first time saw it, more than 10 years ago; Hellraiser, based on the Clive Barker masterpiece, The Hellbound Heart.

Hellraiser
(1987) Ashley Laurence, Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Sean Chapman, Doug Bradley, Oliver Smith and Robert Hines

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Alright, so I have to admit it, Hellraiser is nowhere near as bad as I remember. That said, it’s still not the masterpiece everyone heralds it as. It’s, simply, a good movie. Although why they turned Kirsty into Larry’s daughter instead of being his ex is beyond me. It added nothing to the story. And why is he called Larry, anyways? His name was Rory. Also, I think they should have had the Cenobytes respect their bargain with Kirsty, as they did in the book, instead of trying to take her too. They may be demons, but they had their own sort of honour. Hopefully the remake will stick even closer to the book. In case you’ve never seen it, I do recommend it for any fans of the horror genre, and since I’m so nice, I found a full copy for you to watch. Aren’t I sweet?

And that’s today’s 5 Second Review. I’ll keep them coming every day from now on. Hope you enjoy, and stay tuned for more!

M.

Nov 5 2013

30 Day Horror Challenge (in 6 days): Days 1 to 5

So, I’ve already done a movie challenge like this before on my Facebook, which was pretty fun. But when I came across this one, I found it even funner, but didn’t want to stretch it out over 30 days again. So I’ll do 5 a day, for 6 days instead. So without any muss or fuss, let’s get into it.

Day 1 – First Horror Film: A Nightmare on Elm Street

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I was three years old when this film came out, so I obviously didn’t see it in theaters. But I remember seeing it, hidden in the hallway, peering from behind something, when I was 4 years old. It’s a vague memory, but it’s there. My teenaged cousins were babysitting me and, thinking I was safely tucked away in my bed, started the film. I’m not sure how much of it I got watch before they caught me, but it was a significant amount. And from that moment on, I became a fan of horror films. I watched as many as I could sneak, until my mother finally got tired of catching me at it and, seeing that they didn’t give me nightmares (or turn me into a psychopath), just let me watch (and read) what I wanted.

Day 2 – Last Horror Film Seen in the Cinema: Evil Dead

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I love going to the cinema, and I don’t get to go nearly as often as I’d like. Most of that is due to the fact that where I live they don’t always have the films in their original versions, and I refuse to see dubbed films. So I’ve only probably seen about 5 films in the last year, and only two of them were horror, I think. So the last horror film I saw in the cinema’s was this summer’s Evil Dead remake (or reboot, whatever you want to call it). Now, I wasn’t a fan of the original film. I saw it late, in either the very late 90’s or early 00’s, and I guess the magic of it was lost on me. I found it stupid and dull and not remotely scary and more than a little silly. Which was a shame because the story (while very simple) was still interesting. So when I heard that they were remaking the film, and promising that it be “the most terrifying film you ever experience”, I was looking forward to it. So while in Montreal one weekend this summer, I grabbed a friend and prepared to be terrified. Well, terrified I wasn’t, but it was still quite a good film, the acting and effects all much much better than the original. I’m not a huge fan of excessive gore, though, so I spent a good amount of time staring at my friend’s shoulder. It doesn’t scare me, it just makes me slightly sick, so I’d rather not.

Day 3 – Favorite Classic Horror: The Last Man on Earth

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I love old movies. I always have. But they have to be good old movies. I’m not a fan of the extra cheesy (unless it’s superbly done), and I need a good story to keep me interested. I can even overlook some not-so-great acting if the story is really good (which is a good thing, because unfortunately a lot of old films have pretty shabby acting). Vincent Price is, by far, my favorite old timey actor, and of all his films, my very favorite is The Last Man on Earth. (A tie might be considered for his voice acting in The Great Mouse Detective, still one of Disney’s best, in my opinion, but we’re here to talk horror, not Disney, so carrying on…) A film version of Richard Matheson‘s I Am Legend (later to remade in the dull Charleton Heston vehicle The Omega Man, and again in the Will Smith dud), The Last Man on Earth tells the story of one man’s struggle to find a cure for a malady that has wiped out the entire population and turned them into blood drinking monsters. But who’s the real monster?

Day 4 – Movie I Thought I’d Like, But Didn’t: Hellraiser

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So many films could have gone into this slot. I saw a lot of the “classics” late, most of the horror I saw were the ones my mother bought on vhs (and tried to hide) or that my cousins or other family members rented. And except for a select few, they didn’t rent or buy any of the so-called classics, so I saw them all finally after I moved out at 17, and could rent what I wanted. And, for the most part, I hated a good amount of them. Hellraiser was the most disappointing though. A movie about beings from a hell dimension of torture? Yeah! Bring it on! I made a big bowl of popcorn, put the tape into my dusty machine and prepared for a frightfest. Boy, was I woefully disappointed. I was so bored, I think I may have nodded off at one point, and that never happens. I even sat through the next 3 films, just in case it got any better, but, with the exception of the 4th which I rather enjoyed (finally), they just got worse. I haven’t bothered to watch any of the 800 subsequent sequels. I heard Clive Barker is penning a remake. It can’t be worse than the original, so I’ll likely see it. Maybe it’ll have the Evil Dead effect…

Day 5 – Favorite Horror Remake: The Ring

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People love to hate on remakes. Usually even way before the film is even in the cinema, or sometimes even before it’s made. I’m of the opinion “how about seeing a film before saying it sucks?” But more on this later. I’ve a whole post in mind about remakes, so I’ll save it for later. As we all know, Hollywood loves a good remake. Whether it’s a remake of an older film, a foreign film, a tv show, or even remakes of remakes. Sometimes they get it wrong, sometimes they get it very wrong. But sometimes, just sometimes, they get it just right. So right that it far surpasses the original material. One such film is The Ring, the 2002 remake of Japan’s Ringu, based on the novel of the same name by Kôji Suzuki (which I also read and loved, despite being as different as it could possibly get from the film). I loved it so much, in fact, that even now, 11 years later, it’s still in my top 10 favorite films of all time. And that’s all films, not just horror.

And that’s all for today! Stay tuned for days 6 to 10 tomorrow! 🙂

M.