Horror's Hallowed Grounds

Horror's Hallowed Grounds feels like a format thought up by horror fans and that's because it is. Sean Clark is a producer, convention organizer and personal appearance agent but he began as a fan and remains one. His love of horror is the theme that runs through these locations shorts, as much as behind-the-scenes gossip or the opportunity to visit the places fondly remembered or vaguely recalled from cult fright flicks.

Mapping the filming locations of horror classics is such a winning idea it's remarkable that no one had turned it into a series before Clark came along. Although the series began as a labor of love, Clark was soon commissioned by DVD and Blu-Ray distributors to provide original content for re-releases of classic properties. Horror's Hallowed Grounds sees him make pilgrimage to Pasadena, which served as Michael Myers' Haddonfield hunting ground in Halloween (1978), and the Lone Star state, in search of the the Sawyer house from Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974).

In some cases, enough time has passed that not much remains that is recognizable from movies shot decades ago, but Clark always manages to alight upon a little gem here or there, an extant road sign or diner or graveyard. Where not much remains in terms of physical geography, such as in the Texas Chain Saw Massacre 2 (1986) episode, Clark brings celluloid ghosts back to life with his encyclopedic knowledge and contagious affection.

There haven't been any new episodes for a couple of years and the current woes of the movie industry lengthen the odds of there being any more, but we can only hope that more producers and distributors come to see the value of including a Horror's Hallowed Grounds on their next release. In some cases, their presence on a Blu-Ray's special features menu is as much of a reason to purchase as the movie itself.

I have only seen one episode and came to IMDb to see if Sean Clark has done more of these. He just did one for The Howling which I watched on Shout! Factory's "Scream Factory" series Blu-ray release. It was excellent. He adds a lot of humor, recreates a few scenes in the actual locations, and adds genuine information in to make a nice little featurette. I am always fascinated by visiting places where movies have been filmed, so I loved this bonus feature. I hope Shout! hires Sean to do more for some of their future releases. I want to see one for John Carpenter's The Fog and would have loved to see one for They Live as well.

This is a MUST see... it appears as a Bonus Feature of the 2006 HALLOWEEN: 25 YEARS OF TERROR, where it should of been part of the main feature. Sean Clark is hilarious and very informative on the tour of Haddonfield, Illinois the town from the movie HALLOWEEN, and P.J. Soles walking with him just adds to it. For the true die hard HALLOWEEN fan, regardless if you experienced the 2003 tour during the HALLOWEEN RETURNS TO HADDONFIELD convention or not, this is a must see for all. There is a lot of Myers house history discussed and it is cool to see the town covered here, because it was somewhat missed in the documentary. I TOTALLY (as P.J. would say) recommend getting this DVD and hope this becomes a regular T.V. show here soon.

A good series about famed Horror movie locations is something that is way past due for the home viewer. So is Horror's Hallowed Grounds a good series? Not in the least. What could be funny and informative is totally ruined by host Sean Clark. Immensely unfunny and untalented (and obviously unable to see it, as the man appears to be his own biggest fan), he comes off as highly disrespectful to the films he covers, making a mockery not only of Horror fans, but Horror in general. Should an episode pop up on a Blu Ray you have purchased, I recommend you skip it and go to the next special feature. YouTube videos shot on Iphones are better produced and are less annoying.

I was able to see the Halloween version with PJ Soles and it was very good. You are taken to the various sites where the film was originally shot to see the houses and locations as they exist today. Interviews with current residents and owners was very interesting. PJ Soles was along for most of the filming and offered her insights as to what it was like filming on a low budget in a short period of time. It was interesting to me that they were able to point out that although the exterior of several houses were used in the filming it was impossible for the interior to be used since the house structure did not match the interiors of the movie scenes. The history of the Meyers house was particularly interesting especially how and WHY it was saved from destruction. Overall highly recommended.