Coronavirus Mortality Updates: 2020 - 2023 |
APRIL 23 |
David Cronenberg's eXistenZ is 27
After the surprising low box office performance of 1988's DEAD RINGERS, especially after coming off hot from his previous movie, 1986's 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 man out of the Horror, but you couldn't take out the Horror in the man's mind.
Which circles us back to 1999's eXistenZ.
And -
BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR is 23
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!
Plus -
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
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 37.
Actor Jaime King (SIN CITY, THEY WAIT, THE TRIPPER, THE SPIRIT, MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D, MOTHER'S DAY, SILENT NIGHT, SIN CITY 2: A DAME TO KILL FOR, BITCH, ESCAPE PLAN 2, BLACK SUMMER [TV], OUT OF DEATH, THE RESURRECTION OF CHARLES MANSON) is 47.
Look for Jaime in the upcoming 2024, 2025 Thriller, THE WEIGHT OF DARKNESS
Actor Craig Sheffer (NIGHT BREED, BLUE DESERT, EYE OF THE STORM, BLOODKNOT, THE GRAVE, DOUBLE TAKE, EXECUTIVE POWER, THE FALL, SHADOW OF DOUBT, HELLRAISER: INFERNO, RITUAL, KILLER BUZZ, DRACULA II: ASCENSION, LOVE LIES BLEEDING, WHILE SHE WAS OUT, LIES BETWEEN FRIENDS, THE MARK [all], BATTLEDOGS, DESTRUCTION LOS ANGELES, WIDOW'S POINT, AMERICAN HORROR STORY [TV]) is 67.
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APRIL 22 |
TETSUO: THE IRON MAN is 37
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 subgenre 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 -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
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 39.
Amber shares an April birthday with her ZOMBIELAND alumni, Abigail Breslin.
Actor Jack Nicholson (THE CRY BABY KILLER, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, THE RAVEN, THE TERROR, PSYCHE-OUT, CHINATOWN, THE SHINING, THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, BATMAN, WOLF, MARS ATTACKS!, THE PLEDGE) is 88 today.
Writer, Director, Producer & more, Ben Rock (MUTANT SPECIES, THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, ALIEN RAIDERS, VICTOR CROWLEY, 20 SECONDS TO LIVE [TV], VIDEO PALACE [TV], WRZ: WHITE RACIST ZOMBIES) is 54.
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APRIL 21 |
PET SEMATARY Turns 36
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.
And -
SILENT HILL Turns 20
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 20 years trying to fix his mistake.
I'll tell you all about it in my review of 2006's SILENT HILL.
Plus -
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
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 52.
Actor James McAvoy (CHILDREN OF DUNE, ATONEMENT, WANTED, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, TRANCE, X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN, X-MEN: APOCALYPSE, ATOMIC BLONDE, SPLIT, WATERSHIP DOWN [TV], GLASS, DARK PHOENIX, IT: Chapter Two, MY SON, HIS DARK MATERIALS [TV], SPEAK NO EVIL, POSE) is 47.
Look for James in the 2026 Thriller, CONTROL.
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