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| FEO NEWS FOR SPRING 2024: - APRIL - The detritus of old Horror/Thriller history can be found here. These are archived news items, many of them linked outside of this website. |
GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN is 69
If you're Koo Koo for Kaiju have I got a GODZILLA for you! No, not Gigantis. BLECH! That was a hack job Hollywoodized edit (like Bastardized only so much worse)! I'm talking about the original GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN aka GODZILLA vs ANGUIRUS! And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Melinda Clarke (RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 3, MULHOLLAND FALLS, THE KILLER TONGUE, SPAWN, DYNAMITE, .COM FOR MURDER, THE ANIMATRIX, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES [TV], GOTHAM [TV]) is 56.
WITCH Goes Live on VOD and Digital, April, 30th
And - David Cronenberg's eXistenZ is 25
After the surprising low box office performance of 1998's DEAD RINGERS, especially after coming off hot from his previous movie, THE FLY, then the box office failures of 1991's NAKED LUNCH, then this movie, David Cronenberg announced that he no longer wanted to be considered a Horror movie director. He wasn't a Horror movie director, no way! After all, he directed M. Butterfly and Crash and they weren't Horror movies. So to speak... Okay, so they both fell into the purview of Body Horror, but still, David was turning over a new leaf! Then came SPIDER, and A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, and EASTERN PROMISES. All of them centered around a tale of a person dealing with a past of grossly (torturously) distorting someone's body or a person living with a distorted body. Yes, you could take the boy out of the Horror, but you couldn't take out the Horror in the boy's mind. Which circles us back to 1999's eXistenZ. Plus - BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR is Old Enough to Drink
When Stuart Gordon (FROM BEYOND) directed writers Dennis Paoli and William Norris' insane adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's RE-ANIMATOR for Producer Brian Yuzna, it was madhouse fun! When Brian took the reigns for BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR it was madhouse fun squared! But Brian wasn't done with us fans of the movies. Not until he took us BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR! Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Anastasia Baranova (RISE: THE BLOOD HUNTER, APOCALYPSE CALIFORNIA, THE DARKNESS II [VG], THE BUREAU: X-COM DECLASSIFIED [VG], MOSTLY GHOSTLY: HAVE YOU MET MY GHOULFRIEND?, WELCOME TO WILLITS, SYN [TV], Z-NATION [TV], EVOLVE [VG], METRO EXODUS [VG]) is 35.
TETSUO: THE IRON MAN is 35
It's not a David Lynch movie though I wouldn't be surprised if it was trying to be. Instead, it's Actor, Writer, Producer, and Director Shin'ya Tsukamoto's greatest personal work in the Horror Thriller sub genre of Body Horror and the fork of that into Metal Mutation Horror. TETSUO: THE IRON MAN is the movie that became Shin'ya's PHANTASM. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Amber Heard (SIDEFX, HIDDEN PALMS [TV], THE INFORMERS, ZOMBIELAND, THE STEPFATHER [2009], THE WARD, AND SOON THE DARKNESS, DRIVE ANGRY, PARANOIA, MACHETE KILLS, ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE [released to film festivals in 2006. Not released in U.S. until 2013], LONDON FIELDS, THE STAND [TV - 2020], IN THE FIRE) is 37. SUNDAY -
Actor, Producer Jennifer Blanc-Biehn (THE CROW, KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE, DARK ANGEL [TV], MY APOCALYPSE, PRANK, THE JACK OF SPADES, THE BLOOD BOND, THE ABSENT, THE DIVIDE, THE VICTIM, JACOB, AMONG FRIENDS, TREACHERY, THE NIGHT VISITOR, THE LEGEND OF DARK HORSE COUNTY, MINDLESS, EVERLY, HIDDEN IN THE WOODS, HAVENHURST, DEADLY SIGNAL, SHE RISES [2016], DEADLY RETREAT, ALTERED PERCEPTION, FETISH FACTORY, KILLER WEEKEND, SORRY I KILLED YOU, TERROR EYES) is 50. PET SEMATARY Turns 34
It's the original movie based on the book that Stephen King wishes he never wrote. A book so brutal and scary the King of Horror novelists regrets it. Screenwriter Ken King tells us how Director Mary Lambert's magnum opus grabbed him by the throat in his review of PET SEMATARY. SILENT HILL Turns 18
Director Christophe Gans was riding high on the International Horror hit, BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF. For five years he'd struggled to convince game maker Konami, that he was the one to make the feature film of their number one game, SILENT HILL. He got the budget to bring together the best practical effects team, digital artists, and the top monster choreographer. Everyone gave it their best and it all shows. The only problem was, there was one key person there whose best wasn't good enough. He spent the next 18 years trying to fix his mistake. I'll tell you all about it in my review of 2006's SILENT HILL. SATURDAY -
Today's birthday girl hasn't lead a career that is dominantly Horror, Thriller, Mystery, and or Suspense, but Great Cthulhu! She stars in no less than four Horror movies that went on to be listed as Cinema's top 100!
Actor Clint Howard (EVILSPEAK, THE WRAITH,
B.O.R.N., FREEWAY, INITIATION: SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 4, DISTURBED, THE ROCKETEER, SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 5, BODY CHEMISTRY II, CARNOSAUR, INFESTED, BIGFOOT: THE UNFORGETTABLE ENCOUNTER, LEPRECHAUN 2, ICE CREAM MAN, SAWBONES, TWISTED LOVE, DIGITAL MAN, HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP [1996], TWILIGHT [1998], THE DENTIST 2, BLACKWOODS, HOUSE OF THE DEAD, THE MISSING, BIG BAD WOLF, Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN, THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEASTO, BLOODRAYNE: THE THIRD REICH, DOWN THE ROAD, BLUBBERELLA, SPARKS, THE LORDS OF SALEM, HUFF, THE PROFANE EXHIBIT, FUNHOUSE MASSACRE, FEAST OF FEAR, AMERICAN BIGFOOT, THE CHURCH [2018], 3 FROM HELL, FEAST OF FEAR, LA FLAMME ROUGE, BEYOND PARANORMAL) is 64. Dario Argento's TRAUMA is 31
Three common threads of agreement can be found among the fans of Dario Argento. One - He has his best and his worst. Two - Fans can't agree on which is his best and which is his worst. Three - His movies are visually nightmarish dreams of eye candy. Reviewer Max Glaessner delves into why he feels TRAUMA is a massively under rated Argento ... masterpiece? HOT FUZZ is 17
After the success of SHAUN OF THE DEAD, Director Edgar Wright, and actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, were back. This movie would be nothing like their past successes. They were neither boastful or cocky. Instead they were all confident and in their sophomore outing delivered their second classic in a row, HOT FUZZ.
THE SCORPION KING Turns 22
The Rock had his own starring role and the movie did okay, but the then WWF (now WWE) owned his Wrestling Ring name. The Rock knew he, and not the WWE, built his audience. So in the Ring he's The Rock. In Life he's Dwayne Johnson, and in this movie he's a wandering warrior named Mathayus. This is how he came to be known as THE SCORPION KING. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
ABIGAIL Hits Theaters Friday, April 19
And - Renny Harlan's REFUGE gets Limited Theatrical Release Tomorrow
From Director Renny Harlan (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4, THE DEEP BLUE SEA, EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING) and starring Jason Flemyng (DEEP RISING, BELOW, THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN, CLASH OF THE TITANS). Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
by E.C. McMullen Jr.
Actor David Tennant (DOCTOR WHO: SCREAM OF THE SHALKA [2003 - TV], THE QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT [2005 - TV], HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE, DOCTOR WHO [TV], TOTALLY DOCTOR WHO [TV], FRIGHT NIGHT [2011], BAD SAMARITAN, GOOD OMENS [TV], DEADWATER FELL [TV], INSIDE MAN [TV]) is 50.
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
KILL BILL Vol. 2 is XX
On the one hand, it was a sequel, but in a more hopeful way, KILL BILL was really one movie cut in half, making it Quentin Tarantino's "Fifth movie". He was still relatively new! Would KILL BILL Vol. 2 deliver? Would it ever! No wait... would it ever? And - KICK-ASS is 14
Major studios with their major budgets, have to be concerned, for the sake of their investors, over releasing their movies to the many and myriad movie theaters. All of the movie houses nestled in snug communities across the U.S. and abroad, and all of those communities having at least one corrupt Mrs. Carmody who will need to defend his or herself with self-righteous indignation and Cut & Paste morality, to cover the barely hidden crawlies beneath their skin. These Oogie Boogie shriekers with nothing to lose (because they live nothing lives) can bring down a major investment over nothing. So its always surprising when a Blue Moon shines and a Major studio takes a risk with an over-the-top violent movie like this one. Of course, this millennium's fresh-faced major studio grew to its current status by releasing over-the-top violent movies to major theater chains in the first place. Which is why, if anyone was going to release a controversial movie like KICK-ASS, it would be Lionsgate. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Noah Fleiss (PAST THE BLEACHERS, BAD DAY ON THE BLOCK, BRINGING RAIN, BRICK, MOTHER'S DAY MASSACRE, RED CANYON, DEAD SOULS [2012], PATIENT 001) is 40.
Actor Ricco Ross (DEATH WISH 3, ALIENS, THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, BODY CONTACT, DOCTOR WHO [TV - 1988-1989], SLIPSTREAM, SHADOWCHASER, PROJECT SHADOWCHASER III, HACKERS, PROTEUS, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE [1996], TIMELOCK, WISHMASTER, OCTOPUS, HYDRA, BITE ME [TV], 4CLOSED, HIDDEN IN THE WOODS, STORY OF EVA, STORMAGEDDON, THE SANDMAN) is 64.
BRAIN DAMAGE Turns 36
Writer, Producer, Director Frank Hennenlotter, has made lots of Horror movies but considers himself an Exploitation filmmaker. Yet he's never worked so furiously hard to create a cult following behind his movies as many other Exploitation Horror movie makers. Not that the void he left stopped those cults from creating themselves, growing and keeping his movies profitable, one media iteration after the next. E.C. McMullen Jr. recalls the first time he saw Frank Hennenlotter's BRAIN DAMAGE. And - 19 Years Ago Director Andrew Douglas Brought us... Sometimes the remake is better. This was one of those times, but just barely. E.C. McMullen Jr. was there on the opening weekend of THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (2005). Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Alice Braga (SÓLO DIOS SABE, JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE NIGHT, O CHEIRO DU RALO, I AM LEGEND, BLINDNESS, REPO MEN, PREDATORS, THE RITE, ELYSIUM, THE SHACK, THE NEW MUTANTS, THE SUICIDE SQUAD [2021]) is 41. SUNDAY -
Actor Abigail Breslin (SIGNS, KEANE, ZOMBIELAND [all], HAUNTER, THE CALL [2013], PERFECT SISTERS, MAGGIE, FINAL GIRL, FEAR INC., SCREAM QUEENS [TV], YAMASONG: MARCH OF THE HOLLOWS, SLAYERS) is 29. AMERICAN PSYCHO Turns 23
Think about this: the people who were born when this movie came out, never had to leave a party early to "Return some tapes". Bram Stoker winning novelist and Comic book author Mike Oliveri saw it in the theater! Flashback to his first impression of AMERICAN PSYCHO! SATURDAY -
Horror Writer Nate Kenyon (BLOODSTONE, THE REACH, THE BONE FACTORY, PRIME, DIABLO III: THE ORDER) is 52. George A. Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD is 45
In the year of our Star Wars, 1977, George A. Romero's 1968 Masterpiece, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was blistering hot in Arthouse theaters and on college campuses across America. Hollywood wanted to hire Romero but no major or minor Hollywood studio wanted to touch his script - his sequel. It would have more blood, more gore, more violence, and what's more, it would have a damn black man as the hero! Throughout the 1960s to the present, Hollywood relegated black guys in Horror and Science Fiction to the roles of cowards, pimps, drug abusers, street gang criminals, and general mentally damaged jive talkers. Black gals were all hookers, screaming crackpots, and out of nowhere might break out at any moment into booty dance twerking. If the black gal had any measure of success above the black guys, it was only so she could be the best friend of the lead white gal (to check a diversity box on the caucasian), and maybe give the white gal a few lessons on how to be "cool". If a black character in a Horror or SciFi movie was going to be in anyway heroic or even so much as equal to the white people around him or her, that character had to die before the end credits, leaving only white survivors. Hollywood studios of the era would grudgingly allow the black character to die a hero, but die they must. So with all of this going against George it took, as usual, an indie outsider to step in and make it happen. In this case, someone from across the ocean stood up for Romero and his second legendary hit, DAWN OF THE DEAD. FRIDAY THE 13th: THE FINAL CHAPTER is 40
40 years later and fans are still waving their canes around in the air and saying "Final Chapter! HA!" This is what screenwriter Ken "The Fan Behind the Mask" thinks of FRIDAY THE 13th Part IV: THE FINAL CHAPTER. The CABIN IN THE WOODS Turns 12 Today
What a damn difference twelve years makes! Actor Chris Hemsworth went from a nobody in a Lionsgate movie to world famous somebody after he hooked up with Marvel. Producer Joss Whedon went from world famous somebody in a Lionsgate movie to a pariah in hiding after he hooked up with DC. And as for me? I was there in the theater on opening weekend! This is how it was watching Director Drew Goddard's THE CABIN IN THE WOODS.
CAT'S EYE is 39
Well think about it! Presented by none other than Oscar winning Dino De Laurentiis (KING KONG [1976], FLASH GORDON, HALLOWEEN II, CONAN, FIRESTARTER, MANHUNTER, ARMY OF DARKNESS)! Creature effects by 3 time Oscar winner Carlo Rambaldi (PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES, A BAY OF BLOOD, BARON BLOOD, KING KONG [1976], CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, ALIEN), Oscar winning Cinematographer Jack Cardiff (GHOST STORY), Directed by Lewis Teague (CUJO)! Amicus Horror movie Producer Milton Subotsky (CITY OF THE DEAD, DR. WHO AND THE DALEKS, DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS, THE SKULL, THE PSYCHOPATH, THE TERRORNAUTS, THEY CAME FROM BEYOND SPACE, SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN, THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD, TALES FROM THE CRYPT [1972], ASYLUM, VAULT OF HORROR, AND NOW THE SCREAMING STARTS, FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE), Producer Martha J. Schumacher (aka Mrs. De Laurentiis: FIRESTARTER, SILVER BULLET, HANNIBAL) and nearly all of them veterans of Stephen King movies working on a Stephen King screenplay! Whew! How could you NOT make a hit? Wait. Was Stephen King's CAT'S EYE a hit? And - 22 Years of the Late Bill Paxton's Masterpiece: FRAILTY
Award winning Comic book writer, Christos N. Gage, delves into why Actor and Director Bill Paxton's FRAILTY chills like no other! Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
38 Years of CRITTERS
Long before the world-wide cultural watershed moment of 1990s Internet and before the second onrush cultural watershed moment of worldwide distribution of wireless smartphones, stories and movies consistently used the vacuum of these two nonexistent technologies to propel their plot. People without knowledge needed to seek out a library or wait for one to open. People needed to find the latest edition of a newspaper or track down a company or public entity (again, a library) to research something. People in danger needed to get to a phone somewhere, anywhere, even if that place appeared dangerous. So back in 1986? Just what was it like to see the first theatrical showing of CRITTERS? And - THE TOXIC AVENGER is 38
There's only one force on earth that keeps the Japanese from outweirding the Good Ol' U.S. of A in cinema and that's the Troma Studios of Lloyd Kaufmann and Michael Herz. I was recruited into their madness with THE TOXIC AVENGER! Plus - 27 Years of ANACONDA
Yep! That's right! After a quarter century this movie remains on everyone's radar because despite its low budget, for 1997 it had better cgi than JURASSIC PARK! Way back then, Reviewer Kelly Parks was there in the theater to see the original ANACONDA! Also - HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES is Old Enough to Drink
Two huge Horror fans in New York, Rob Zombie and Sean Yseult, met at a design school and started the White Zombie band in 1985. Rob wrote lyrics and created the direction. Sean wrote riffs, created the musical ethos (Noise Metal), and look of White Zombie. It took them years of living in poverty, scraping to get by, to finally reach success ten years later. In 1998 they broke up. That same year, Sean and Rob started their own bands. Sean's was an all girl band, FAMOUS MONSTERS. Rob was himself with HELLBILLY DELUXE and being courted by Hollywood, as Rob was talking about Directing Horror movies. After Rob designed a Halloween theme for Universal Studios in 1999, they accepted his pitch for a movie idea he made up on the spot. However, in 2000, Rob knew shit about directing feature films and Universal eventually soured on his learning curve. Time passed and through all of the trials and tribulations, Universal released HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES on April 11, 2003, just one week before the Kansas City, Missouri World Horror Convention. Wassmor - THE DARK Turns 19
Imagine 2003... Producer 1: "Hey! Check this out. Sean Bean, who plays Borimor in THE LORD OF THE RINGS, will be in a new big budget Hollywood movie called National Treasure." Producer 2: "Hell, anyone involved in those movies are taking off right now." Producer 1: "But check out this slate! He's also contracted to be in the big budget Hollywood movies, THE ISLAND, FLIGHTPLAN, and SILENT HILL. All in development right now." Producer 2: "Yeah his star is rising all right. Hooray for Sean Bean. Good for him." Producer 1: "Ahem. Have you forgot? He's one of the actors we've contracted for our features! We can get him for our current movie right now!" Producer 2: "Wait! WHAT? We've got Sean Bean?" Producer 1: "Yeah!" Producer 2: "We've got Super Hot Hollywood SEAN BEAN for our THE DARK?!?" Producer 1: "YEAH!"
THE HOWLING Turns 43
In the 1970s, Writer Gary Brandner made a good living off of his Horror novels, but he was really onto something when he wrote THE HOWLING. Director Joe Dante has made some good movies, but he really wowed audiences with this movie, loosely based on Gary's novel and largely re-written by master scribe, John Sayles. Gary turned his novel into a popular series, Joe Dante moved on. Yet to this day, thanks to the practical effects by Rob Bottin and Rick Baker, the changeling scenes remain unmatched by other make-up artists or CGI anything. This is THE HOWLING. And - GOTHIC Turns 37
As over the top and hambone in all of the scene chewing rococo ways that Director Ken Russell (ALTERED STATES) was infamous for, GOTHIC is Russell unleashed. Plus - SLEEPWALKERS Turns 32
While watching this movie in my foolish youth, I remember sitting in the theater with the distant hope that one of those damn cats would scratch my OWN eyes out before I had to watch another second of this drivel. Don't worry, my review of SLEEPWALKERS will be brief. Also - SPECIES II is 26
To my knowledge, this movie is unique in the fact that all three of the big names were so repulsed by the finished product that they wanted nothing to do with it. Michael Madsen, who I'm certain has been in so much worse, and Natasha Henstridge disowned it (claiming, in fact, that they hate it). H.R. Giger, failing to get his name removed, asked that it at least be minimized so as not to promote the movie. No dice. SPECIES II, the last of the theater releases in this franchise, needed all the help it could get. Wassmor - ABOMINABLE Turns 18
Legendary film composer, Lalo Schifrin had a son, Ryan, who grew up surrounded by the movie industry. One day Ryan had a story about a monstrous Abominable Snowman. He got help fleshing it out, wrote the script, and wanted to direct it himself. Of course, no matter how well-oiled the wheels are for you, if you get your big break - and you suck - you'll shrivel in the blinding bright glare of sneers and mockery that no bunch of yahoos from the Big Mitten would ever have to deal with, because nobody knows or gives a damn about who they are. So when it came time for Ryan's turn at bat... He hit a home run! Imagine how different his life would be today in 2024, as well as the lives of his investors, if they'd only have kept the faith in the audience (won two jury prizes at the 2006 Austin Fantastic Fest) and didn't toss Ryan's movie at the cable teevee, the second SciFi Channel waved a few bucks in their face? This is the Cinema Obscura of Ryan Schifrin's great freshman entry into Horror, ABOMINABLE. Sadly, he never made another feature again. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
TREMORS 2: AFTERSHOCKS
This is still another tale of a major studio that had a fantastic movie in its posession yet had absolutely no idea how to sell it. So they didn't bother. Contractually obligated to release TREMORS to theaters, Universal Pictures tossed the minimum number of "wide release" copies to the theater chains with virtually no advance promotion or advertising. I was unaware of it in the age Before Internet (B.I.) and only saw it because it was playing at a second run Dollar Theater and my group of friends couldn't agree on a movie, all were getting frustrated, I saw the poster of a movie I knew nothing about and chose TREMORS, which won by default. We were FLOORED! HOW did we not know about this movie? Universal was stunned by the video rental store reaction that word of mouth created. Rental rental chains were suddenly ordering more copies because they couldn't keep their supply in stock. Being Universal Pictures of the 1980s / '90s, they in turn, suddenly wanted a sequel. But it had to be cheaper, so no Kevin Bacon (who had two SciFi Horror flops in the same year and decided he was done with SciFi Horror for the forseeable future [until 1999 and STIR OF ECHOES]), and no original director, Ron Underwood (who went on to direct a box office smash comedy the following year). It was a Strike while the iron is Hot, kinda deal so it had to be made faster: no time for writing a quality script and the creativity of a decent amount of Pre-Production. So what did we get? Far less interesting and entertaining story than the original but a significantly better sequel than Every Single Tremors sequel that came after. That's what Universal corporate board smushed in the faces of the audience that bought their Lambos and swimming pools and they called it TREMORS 2: AFTERSHOCKS. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer/ Director Fred Dekker (GODZILLA 1985, HOUSE, NIGHT OF THE CREEPS, HOUSE II, THE MONSTER SQUAD, TALES FROM THE CRYPT [TV], ROBOCOP 3, THE PREDATOR) is 64.
THE FORBIN PROJECT Turns 54
Yes, in 2024 we're finally entering the long predicted age of Artificial Intelligence (AI). What's more, the people who are inventing / creating the AI age are the same ones warning us that AI will destroy humanity. The ones who are seemingly the most eager to invent AI, and are most likely to humanity beneath "digital life", possibly like Larry Page or Sam Altman, are the actual problem. The problem isn't that AI will rise up and destroy us, but that the people who fund and own it are the ones creating AI to rise up and destroy us. Presumably with the intent that they will be saved, through safeguards they've put into place. However, the best laid safeguards don't go quite to plan in the 1970 movie, COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT. And - David Cronenberg's RABID Turns 47
Before Producer Ivan Reitman made GHOSTBUSTERS, he was often the guiding light of Writer and Director, David Cronenberg. And before he did that, Ivan made pornography - but not using his real name. By 1971 he released his first straight picture, a sexy comedy starring Andrea Martin (CANNIBAL GIRLS, BLACK CHRISTMAS, EARTHWORM JIM [TV]), Eugene Levy (CANNIBAL GIRLS, HEAVY METAL), and Art Hindle (BLACK CHRISTMAS, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, THE BROOD, THE VOID). And because of this, Ivan had among his group of friends folks involved with Porn, Comedy, and Horror. Now connected to Chicago's Second City Comedy, Toronto, Canada's Second Comedy Troupe, and Second City TV series (SCTV), Ivan was well positioned for access to Lorne Michaels' Saturday Night Live (SNL), as Michaels hired many comics who began in Chicago and, later, Toronto. But in the new creeping garden of 1970s Canadian Horror, David Cronenberg was stirring. And boy, could Ivan bring a heady mix of actors to a project! So he got A-List porn actor, Marilyn Chambers, to be the lead in David Cronenberg's RABID. But that's not all... Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor / Stuntman Kane Hodder (HOUSE, HOUSE II, FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VII, FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VIII, DEEPSTAR SIX, ALLIGATOR II, JASON GOES TO HELL, PUMPKINHEAD II, PROJECT: METALBEAST, SCANNERCOP II, SE7EN, WISHMASTER, CHILDREN OF THE CORN V, WATCHERS REBORN, JASON X, DARKWOLF, THE DEVIL'S REJECTS, 2001 MANIACS, HATCHET [all], BEHIND THE MASK: THE RISE OF LESLIE VERNON, ROOM 6, FALLEN ANGELS, BORN, ED GEIN: THE BUTCHER OF PLAINFIELD, HACK!, DEAD NOON, B.T.K., MONSTERPIECE THEATER VOL. 1, OLD HABITS DIE HARD, FROZEN, AFFLICTED, MONSTERPIECE THEATER, CUT, EXIT 33, CHILLERAMA, ROBIN HOOD: GHOSTS OF SHERWOOD 3D, AMONG FRIENDS, EXIT TO HELL, LOVE IN THE TIME OF MONSTERS, SMOTHERED, ALICE D, FIELDS OF THE UNDEAD, MUCK, FURY: THE TALES OF RONAN PIERCE, OLD 37, CHARLIE'S FARM, CANNIBALS, SHED OF THE DEAD, KNIFECORP, ROOM 9, and way more) is 70. SUNDAY - Actor Kyle Labine (DARKSTALKERS [TV], MR. RICE'S SECRET, SPOOKY HOUSE, HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION, I WAS A TEENAGE FAUST, FREDDY VS. JASON, OGRE, 388 ARLETTA AVENUE, SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK) is 41. KING KONG is 91
And still an active franchise! In fact, KING KONG is the world's oldest active film franchise to date! In addition to its tons of sequels, tons of spin-offs, many with their own sequels, KING KONG has been remade three freaking times! KING KONG (1976), KING KONG (2005), and KONG: SKULL ISLAND, were all remade from the original movie as source material: not a re-imagining in the bunch! Holy Mackerel! How on earth can such a movie franchise endure? To know that, let's deep dive into what KING KONG started. SATURDAY -
Actor Candace Cameron Bure (I SAW WHAT YOU DID, MONSTER MASH: THE MOVIE, SHARON'S SECRET, VISITORS OF THE NIGHT, NO ONE WOULD TELL, NIGHT SCREAM, AURORA TEAGARDEN MYSTERIES [all]) is 47. Producer Howard Hawks THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD is 73
It was 1951. The Giant Monkey Movie studio, RKO Pictures, was nearly broke. Which gave Director Howard W. Hawks room to negotiate with them when he wanted to launch his own production company, Winchester (The "W" in Hawk's name), something the major studios didn't want to negotiate. Howard's budget was so low, only $40,000, that even today this movie would be considered low-budget at an inflation adjusted $462,000. So Howard went super cheap on everything and, probably because he was raised in the era of U.S. public schools teaching children to talk with the artificial "Trans-Atlantic" accent, he had the actors use that linguistic argot for his movie (unfortunately for the government, it didn't stick. Damn smart-ass teenage kids going off and making up their own slang and argot!). It wasn't just a gimmick for Howard, as it worked well for low sound quality audio, which Howard also likely had. And if you don't believe me, why, then you're stuffed full of wild blueberry muffins! Yet despite all of these roadblocks, Producer Hawks and Director Christian Nyby's movie outperformed the Big studio budget SciFi movies of that year, WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE and THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. Both this movie and John Carpenter's THE THING share the same Top 100 American Movies list, and this is how THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD got there. GRINDHOUSE: PLANET TERROR and DEATH PROOF are 17
By 2007, good friends Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino made enough box office winners that they wanted to make a double feature. A Retro-Throwback to the cheap and sleazy cinemas of their youth: the ones that inspired them to be filmmakers. Robert would make one (that starred QT) and Quentin would make the other, and both would be shown together and include lots of short films by their friends, presented as trailers. Nobody in Hollywood wanted to say no, but no one wanted to be the first to say yes. This was an over three hour movie they were talking about. In addition to the high budget, such a flick would also have fewer shows per day to make that return. Nobody could talk them out of it. QT and RR had their budget and would shoot the whole movie under their production companies. Finally a distribution deal was made with Dimension Films (subset of the long dead Miramax), and the rest his history: 17 years of history with GRINDHOUSE.
EVIL DEAD is 11
Have you seen Sam Raimi's original THE EVIL DEAD? Have you seen Diablo Cody's version of Sam Raimi's THE EVIL DEAD? Did you like it? Well, I reviewed it! Yes, I reviewed EVIL DEAD! And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Bert I. Gordon's TORMENTED Gets the 4K Treatment
In his lifetime Bert Ira Gordon made more than 25 SciFi movies, many of them Horror. Bert lived to be 100 years old, more than old enough to see a 1990s hit TV show hilariously mock his movies. In fact, Mystery Science Theater 3000 mocked more movies from Bert I. Gordon than any other director! This movie will be released by Film Masters on April 23, 2024 in a new 4K scan on Blu-Ray. Technically its never looked and sounded better, but how is the movie? My review of Gordon's 1960 Horror Thriller, TORMENTED. And - PHONE BOOTH Turns 21
Writer, Producer, and Director Joel Schumaker was a mixed bag. He could crash and burn, boy could he ever: big time make no mistake. But he approached movie making as an artist and when the studios trusted their instincts for hiring him in the first place, and kept their meddling to a minimum, Joel at his best created classics like THE LOST BOYS, FALLING DOWN, THE CLIENT, A TIME TO KILL, 8MM, and this one, PHONE BOOTH. Plus - John Everson's VIGILANTES OF LOVE Turns 20
Read why our reviewer, Jimmy Z, gave Everson's collection of VooDoo and Sex Magic all 5 Bookwyrms when he reviewed, VIGILANTES OF LOVE. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES Lights Up Roku This April 15
And - Skylark Vision sets April 30th Release for WITCH (Digital & VOD)
Plus - 4D Media sets April 9 Release for JACK IN THE BOX RISES (Digital, VOD, DVD)
Also - Imagine this Twofer your Grandparents had back on this date in 1968! Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY Turns 56
What happens when you choose to make a hardcore futuristic Science Fiction movie, as accurate as possible on the science? You get a movie that not only outlasts the built-in obsolescence of its title, but remains futuristic and relevant decades after its forecasted due date. What's more, as Stanley admitted in several promotional interviews at the time, he not only wanted this to be as true as possible to the science in the fiction, but terrifying as well. In many ways, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY is Kubrick's first Horror movie. AsWell - PLANET OF THE APES Turns 56
It's the world's longest running SciFi motion picture franchise from the studio that brought you the 2nd (Star Wars) and 3rd (ALIEN) longest running SciFi motion picture franchises. The movie bore little if any resemblance to the Pierre Boulett novel of the same name (which happens A. Lot. in Hollywood), but under the guidance of WWII hero, Rod Serling, it was suffused with modern day (late 20th Century) analogies and parables, among them being the threat of nuclear annihilation and racism. And that's when an odd thing happened on the set. Dressed in various ape costumes, the actors - themselves of different ethnicities - would eat their lunch with other actors who wore the same ape costumes as them. Actors dressed as Gorillas, Orangutans, and Chimpanzees quietly self-segregated to eat their meals with each other, regardless of the race or nationality of the person inside. This was only one of the odd things that happened in PLANET OF THE APES. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Actor Sofia Boutella (MONSTERS: DARK CONTINENT, KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE, STAR TREK BEYOND, ATOMIC BLONDE, THE MUMMY [2017], FARENHEIT 451 [2018], CLIMAX, HOTEL ARTEMIS, SETTLERS, PRISONERS OF GHOSTLAND, SETTLERS [TV], ARGYLE) is 42.
Count Floyd aka Joe Flaherty, Left Earth on April 1st
Stand-up, Sketch, and Improv comic, and actor, Joe Flaherty (DOUBLE NEGATIVE, HEAVY METAL, REALLY WEIRD TALES, BLUE MONKEY, LITTLE DRACULA [TV], FREAKS AND GEEKS [TV], MANIAC MANSION [TV]), mostly known to fans for a wide variety of movies, TV shows, and SCTV's Count Floyd: the World's Worst Horror Host, died on the biggest prank punchline day of the year, April 1.
Joe Flaherty as Count Floyd And - Mario Bava's LISA AND THE DEVIL Turns 52
This is a Horror movie by Mario Bava. But behind the camera, it is a sad tale of a friendship destroyed by a director who made a vanity project and his good friend who funded it, because he was convinced that he could sell any movie with his friend, Bava's name on it. Reality, as reality does, smashed their faith in each other and in so doing, the friendship based upon it. Once 1972's LISA AND THE DEVIL was partially re-shot and fully re-edited to become 1975's THE HOUSE OF EXORCISM, the once wonderful friendship was damaged beyond repair. This is a review of the movie and its real world outcome, LISA AND THE DEVIL. Plus - Dario Argento's INFERNO Turns 44
The Horror Geek himself, Mike Bracken, weighed in on what makes Dario Argento's masterpiece work. Mike's review of INFERNO. Also - Paul Schrader's CAT PEOPLE Turns 42
Was the remake doomed from the start? It had everything going for it. Great cast, great writer, bit of a newbie director, but Paul Schrader had his successes before. And even if it was his first Horror movie, so what? Lots of first time Horror movie directors hit a home run with their first Horror movie. But why was a Horror movie remake like this released during 1980s Comedy movie month for Spring Break? And rated R, keeping a sizeable chunk of those public school Spring Breakers out of it? Like the same year's THE THING, CAT PEOPLE crashed and burned in theaters, only to find the untapped audience that was always there, in home video. WassMor - HELLBOY Turns 20
Guillermo del Toro loves to bring the human element to his stories. His Monsters in particular are usually flawed, emotionally damaged, but worthy of grace. Comic book writer and artist, Mike Mignola excels at this throughout his comics, with characters every bit as puzzling and fascinating as anything by Tim Burton. So what happened with Un-Mignola, Un-Del Toro movie HELLBOY? FurthrMor - CLASH OF THE TITANS is 14
It must have taken the greatest of care to create a remake to the 1981 original that was just as flawed in writing, direction, and acting, without being better or worse. Is that what my reviewer, Mark Worthen found with 2010's CLASH OF THE TITANS? Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Lindy Booth (EERIE INDIANA [TV], TEENAGE SPACE VAMPIRES, THE SKULLS II, AMERICAN PSYCHO 2, ODYSSEY 5, WRONG TURN, DAWN OF THE DEAD [2004], CRY WOLF, DARK HONEYMOON, BEHIND THE WALL, BRAIN TRUST, KICK-ASS 2, THE LIBRARIANS) is 44 today.
SIN CITY is 19
Director Robert Rodriguez put so many roadblocks in front of himself it's amazing this movie got made at all. He cheesed off the Director's Guild by having three different directors all work on the same single movie story (anthology movies are different). True, Rodriguez didn't belong to the guild, but neither did the movie's original creator Frank Miller, who was also brought onboard as a director, and Robert's good friend, Quentin Tarantino. For the Directors Guild, that combination was a "And that's another thing!" Yet despite everything that could have gone wrong, this is how everything goes right with SIN CITY. And - DEAD MOON RISING is 16
At some point it seems that Writer, Producer, Cinematographer, Editor, Digital Compositor, and Director Mark E. Poole, living in the middle of nowhere Louisville, Kentucky (a town so awkward that its native citizenry still argue furiously over how to pronounce Louisville!), decided he wanted to make a movie, and not just any movie. Mark E. Poole: "Hey everybody! Let's put on a Zombie movie!" Proto-Extra: "Hey, can I be a zombie?" Mark E. Poole: "Why sure as shit you can!" Proto-SFX MUA: "Can I do the Special Effects?" Mark E. Poole: "Why sure as shit you can!" Proto-Crew: "Gosh! This will be the best zombie holocaust movie ever!" The most difficult thing about the movie was, as always, getting paid enough to cover the cost of making it and making another movie. Many involved were able to use this movie (to greater and lesser success) as their launch pad to greater movie work. Many, that is, except for the guy who put the whole furshlugginer thing together in the first place, Mark E. Poole. As near as I can figure, that pretty much is what launched 2008's DEAD MOON RISING. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO - SUNDAY -
By E.C. McMullen Jr. THE MATRIX is 25
Lana Warchowski brought nothing new to the table with MATRIX RESURRECTIONS, it was just revisiting characters for auld lang syne. It didn't fix any of the problems with the two sequels (but thankfully it didn't introduce bonehead nonsense like General Jar Jar Binks, Midichlorians, a dysfunctional galactic family, or Mary Sue saviors). The 5th in the series made its money, and now it's a DVD 5 pack in Walmart. Ah, but in 1999, the future was a whole other story for the freshly minted and deliriously excited fans of THE MATRIX. SLITHER is 18 Today
Aliens taking control of human bodies and turning them into a living Something Else isn't new. There's a whole Heck'in substrate of Horror known as Body Horror. That said, most of it is deadly serious (John Carpenter's THE THING, David Cronenberg's ... Nearly Everything) and rarely as hilarious as James Gunn's SLITHER. SATURDAY -
Actor John Astin (THE ADDAMS FAMILY [TV], THE SPIRIT IS WILLING, TEEN WOLF TOO, RETURN OF THE KILLER TOMATOES!, NIGHT LIFE, GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH, KILLER TOMATOES STRIKE BACK!, ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES! [TV], EERIE, INDIANA [TV], KILLER TOMATOES EAT FRANCE!, STEPMONSTER, THE ADDAMS FAMILY [Animated - TV], THE FRIGHTENERS) is 94. BEETLEJUICE Turns 36
For fans of Tim Burton and Neil Gaiman, this movie seemed to cement in place the idea that these two need to work together. Yet in 36 years its never happened. Oh sure, a Burton collaborator, Henry Selick (THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS) worked with Neil on CORALINE, but Burton and Gaiman? Nope. What is the roadblock after 36 years? Is it subtle artistic differences? Is it possible that Tim is too morbidly whacky for Neil's nightmarish whimsy (I'm leaning in that direction)? Whatever the case, Tim Burton probably never came closer to making a Neil Gaiman movie than he did with BEETLEJUICE.
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INTERVIEWS Matt Jarbo's interview with Feo Amante at The Zurvivalist. James Cheetham's Q&A with Feo Amante at Unconventional Interviews *. Megan Scudellari interviews Feo Amante and Kelly Parks (of THE SCIENCE MOMENT) in The Scientist Magazine. Check out our interview at The-Scientist.com. REFERENCES Researcher David Waldron, references my review of UNDERWORLD in the Spring 2005, Journal of Religion and Popular Culture entry, Role-Playing Games and the Christian Right: Community Formation in Response to a Moral Panic (downloadable pdf). E.C. McMullen Jr.
*Linked to archive.org |
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