FEO NEWS FOR WINTER 2023: - DECEMBER - The detritus of old Horror/Thriller history can be found here.
These are archived news items, many of them linked outside of this website.
Eventually the links may not work. Everything's Eventual.
DEC. 29
From South Korea: THE HUMAN TRAP
The directing debut of Lee Moon-young. THE HUMAN TRAP debuts on Amazon Prime, January 12, 2024.
And -
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Actor Jude Law (GATTACA, FINAL CUT, THE WISDOM OF CROCODILES, eXistenZ, THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW, LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, SLEUTH, SHERLOCK HOLMES, REPO MEN, CONTAGION, SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS, SIDE EFFECTS, BLACK SEA, FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDLEWALD, CAPTAIN MARVEL, THE THIRD DAY [TV], THE RHYTHM SECTION, THE THIRD DAY: AUTUMN, THE THIRD DAY [TV], FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE) is 51.
Look for Jude's upcoming 2024 Thriller, EDEN.
Actor Jane Levy (EVIL DEAD, DON'T BREATHE, MONSTER TRUCKS, CASTLE ROCK [TV], WHAT/IF [TV], OFFICE UPRISING, THE TOXIC AVENGER [2023]) is 34.
Actor Barbara Steele (BLACK SUNDAY, THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM [1961], THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK, THE GHOST, CASTLE OF BLOOD, THE MONOCLE, THE LONG HAIR OF DEATH, NIGHTMARE CASTLE, SHE BEAST, AN ANGEL FOR SATAN, CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTAR, THEY CAME FROM WITHIN aka SHIVERS, PIRANHA [1978], THE SILENT SCREAM, THE PROPHET, HER MORBID DESIRES, THE BUTTERFLY ROOM, LOST RIVER, MINUTES PAST MIDNIGHT, CASTLEVANIA [TV]) is 86.
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Actor Thomas Dekker (VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED [1995], HEROES [TV], FROM WITHIN, TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES, LAID TO REST [both], A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET [2010], ALL ABOUT EVIL, KABOOM, ANGELS CREST, THE SECRET CIRCLE [TV], THE GOOD LIE, ENTER THE DANGEROUS MIND, PLUSH, FEAR CLINIC, MY ELEVENTH, TRANSFERENCE, MY ELEVENTH, WELCOME TO WILLITS, ONCE UPON A SUPERHERO, BODY BROKERS, BLUE CALL) is 36.
Actor Noomi Rapace (LABYRINT [TV], MILLENNIUM [TV - 2010], THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE, THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST, THE MONITOR, SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS, PROMETHEUS, PASSION, CHILD 44, RUPTURE, UNLOCKED, ALIEN: COVENANT, BRIGHT [2017], ANGEL OF MINE, LAMB, THE TRIP, YOU WON'T BE ALONE, BLACK CRAB) is 44.
Look for Noomi in the upcoming 2024 Thriller, CONSTELLATION [TV].
Actor Denzel Washington (A SOLDIER'S STORY, THE MIGHTY QUINN, RICOCHET, THE PELICAN BRIEF, CRIMSON TIDE, VIRTUOSITY, DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS, FALLEN, THE SIEGE, THE BONE COLLECTOR, MAN ON FIRE, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE [2004], INSIDE MAN, DEJA VU, THE BOOK OF ELI, SAFE HOUSE, THE LITTLE THINGS, THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH) is 69.
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Actor Olivia Cooke (THE SIGNAL [2014], THE QUIET ONES, OUIJA, THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM, BATES MOTEL [TV], READY PLAYER ONE, LITTLE FISH, SLOW HORSE, SLOW HORSES [TV], HOUSE OF THE DRAGON [TV], MOTHER'S MILK THE GOOD MOTHER) is 29.
Look for Olivia in the 2024 Horror Thriller, VISITATION.
Actor Barbara Crampton (FROM BEYOND, RE-ANIMATOR, BODY DOUBLE,
CHOPPING MALL, PUPPET MASTER, CASTLE FREAK, THE SISTERHOOD, THE LORDS OF SALEM, YOU'RE NEXT, THE LAST SURVIVORS, WE ARE STILL HERE, SUN CHOKE, TALES OF HALLOWEEN, ROAD GAMES [2015], BLOOD BROTHERS, BEYOND THE GATES, DAY OF RECKONING, REPLACE, DEATH HOUSE, DEAD NIGHT, PUPPET MASTER: THE LITTLEST REICH, CHANNEL ZERO, REBORN, STAY OUT STAY ALIVE, DEATHCEMBER, SACRIFICE, JAKOB'S WIFE, SUPERHOST, ALONE WITH YOU, ONYX THE FORTUITOUS AND THE TALISMAN OF SOULS, SUITABLE FLESH, BLACKOUT) is 65.
Look for Barbara in her upcoming 2022, 2023, 2024 Horror Thriller movie, SNOW VALLEY. Also in 2024, LITTLE BITES.
Barbara Shares a December birthday with her DEATHCEMBER alumni, AJ Bowen, her CHOPPING MALL alumni, the late Richard "Dick" Miller and her oft-time collaborator,
Writer / Director / Producer Charles Band (LASERBLAST, TOURIST TRAP, PARASITE, TERRORVISION, DOLLS, FROM BEYOND, PUPPET MASTER, DEMONIC TOYS, NETHERWORLD, EVIL BONG [all], PUPPET MASTER: THE LITTLEST REICH, and
that's as far as I'll go because the man has been involved with over 230
freaking Horror Thriller movies already!) who is 69.
Actor Maryam d'Abo (XTRO, THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS, NIGHTLIFE [1989], SOMETHING IS OUT THERE [TV], MONEY, IMMORTAL SINS, DOUBLE OBSESSION, TOMCAT: DANGEROUS DESIRES, STALKED, SAVAGE HEARTS, TIMELOCK, EVIL REMAINS, DORIAN GRAY [2009], LAST WORDS) is 63.
Actor Emilie de Ravin (BEASTMASTER [TV], ROSWELL [TV], CARRIE [2002], SANTA'S SLAY, THE HILLS HAVE EYES [2006], LOST [TV], ONCE UPON A TIME [TV]) is 39.
Actor Jessica Harmon (HOLLOWMAN II, BLACK CHRISTMAS [2006],
BATTLESTAR GALATICA: THE FACE OF THE ENEMY [TV], ENCOUNTER WITH DANGER, FEAR ISLAND, CHUPACABRA VS THE ALAMO, STOLEN FROM THE WOMB, ALONG CAME A NANNY, DEEPER: THE RETRIBUTION OF BETH, THE WHISPERS, STRANGER IN THE HOUSE, DEAD RISING: ENDGAME, iZOMBIE [TV], THE 100 [TV]) is 38.
The success of GOJIRA birthed Toho Pictures rise of Big Horror, or Kaiju movies. However, as popular as they were world-wide, the American distributor, The King Brothers, was lagging behind on release dates because they wanted to radically change the story from the editor's chair - even if that meant shooting extra B-Rolls in the U.S. and even going so far as to have a lead star spliced into the original film who never existed in any way before.
Because The King Brothers wanted to do this with every Toho Kaiju movie, they began falling way behind schedule. This meant they were losing more money than they were making on a movie that became a world-wide phenomenon - the Star Wars of its time! This is The King Brothers mess that was boiling and throwing up when, in the same year that GODZILLA finally appeared in North America - two years after its release in Japan - Toho released RODAN.
And -
THE EXORCIST Turns 49
What could I possibly say that hasn't been said before? I won't bother. Instead I'll let Horror author David Whitman, from Australia, give his unique perspective of growing up in the long shadow of THE EXORCIST.
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HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Actor Kit Harington (GAMES OF THRONES [TV], SILENT HILL 3D, SEVENTH SON, BRIMSTONE, ETERNALS) is 36.
Actor, Writer Joshua John Miller (HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH, RIVER'S EDGE, NEAR DARK, MEET THE HOLLOWHEADS, CLASS OF 1999, THE GHOST WRITER [1990], AND YOU THOUGHT YOUR PARENTS WERE WEIRD, THE WIZARD OF GORE) is 49.
Look for Joshua's upcoming 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Horror Thriller, THE GEORGETOWN PROJECT. IMDb lists this movie as Completed.
Musician Lars Ulrich (METALLICA: RIDE THE LIGHTNING, MASTER OF PUPPETS, ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL, S&M) is 59.
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS
On the 13th Day of X-MAS, Feo Fam gave to me,
13 Ghosts a-Scaring, 12 Mutant Rednecks, 11 Masked Killers, 10 Tanks of Toxic, 9 Imps Possessing, 8 Evil Aliens, 7 Cars not Starting, Murder of Crows Mobbing, 5 SCARY CLOWNS!
4 Chainsaws running, 3 Hands on shoulders, 2 Smart Rats, and A Cat That Ate The RATS!!!
Holiday Horror! A CHRISTMAS CAROL
by Charles Dickens
Dec. 1843
STAVE ONE.
MARLEY'S GHOST.
Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it: and Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.
Mind! I don't mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Country's done for. You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail.
Scrooge knew he was dead? Of course he did. How could it be otherwise? Scrooge and he were partners for I don't know how many years. Scrooge was his sole executor, his sole administrator, his sole assign, his sole residuary legatee, his sole friend, and sole mourner. And even Scrooge was not so dreadfully cut up by the sad event, but that he was an excellent man of business on the very day of the funeral, and solemnised it with an undoubted bargain.
Many movies are called "Mind blowing" but few live up to such a reputation. Sort of like all of the movies that claim to be "Beyond Your Imagination" fall far short for even the dimmest bulb in the audience. Yet not only did this movie blow everyone away, it was knocking the socks off of the adults in the audience at a time of year when few adults - outside of single people, were watching R-Rated movies.
It was released on Christmas Day?!? Did the cocaine flow so merrily that the board all agreed, "This is a Perfect Christmas movie!!!" ?
Who knows? Yet here we are, 43 years later and, when I gather the "old enough" fam around for a movie and play this, the teens and young adults who've been drenched in Superhero cgi for years talk about this one as the Mind Blower. The secret sauce here is, the Special Effects aren't the star, they only enhance the towering concepts. This is how they did it for ALTERED STATES.
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THE FACULTY Turns 24
And man is the cgi ever bad! It's 2022 Asylum Pictures bad. So, considering that we're talking about 24 year old technology let's just deal with it and see what remains so compelling, after nearly a quarter century, with Robert Rodriguez's throw-away contractual obligation, THE FACULTY.
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GALAXY QUEST Turns 24
Is it possible to make a SciFi Horror Comedy movie for grown-ups, with adult themes, that appeals to children?
Well apparently so since Writers David Howard, Robert Gordon, and Director Dean Parisot did exactly that. Read about one of the strongest cult movies ever made, that lovingly mocked cult movies: GALAXY QUEST.
Wassmor -
WOLF CREEK Turns 17
Possibly the most un-Christmas-ey movie the Weinstein brothers every released on Christmas Day, and (not for the first time with a foreign fim in their hands) they released it with virtually no fanfare. Yet it went into not just sequels, but a popular TV series to boot. This is why one of the most Horrific movies ever made remains a legend: Writer, Producer, and Director Greg McLean's WOLF CREEK.
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS
On the 12th Day of X-MAS, Feo Fam gave to me,
12 Mutant Rednecks, 11 Masked Killers, 10 Tanks of Toxic, 9 Imps Possessing, 8 Evil Aliens, 7 Cars not Starting, Murder of Crows Mobbing, 5 SCARY CLOWNS!
4 Chainsaws running, 3 Hands on shoulders, 2 Smart Rats, and A Cat That Ate The RATS!!!
Horror writer Robert Dunbar (THE PINES, TEMPLES OF JAGNNATH PURI, MARTYRS AND MONSTERS, THE SHORE, THE STREETS, WILLY) is gettin' purty old, but he's still purty!
Writer Nicholas Meyer (INVASION OF THE BEE GIRLS, JUDGE DEE AND THE MONASTERY MURDERS,THE SEVEN-PERCENT SOLUTION, TIME AFTER TIME, STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY, THE HUMAN STAIN, ORPHEUS) is 76.
Horror writer Stephenie Meyer (TWILIGHT [all], THE HOST) is 49.
Writer, Producer, Mark Millar (WANTED, KICK-ASS [all], KINGSMAN [all], CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, JUPITER'S LEGACY [TV], SUPER CROOKS [TV]) is 54.
Actor, Writer, Director, Producer, Scott Spiegel (THE EVIL DEAD, EVIL DEAD II, INTRUDER, THE DEAD NEXT DOOR, ROBOT NINJA, SKINNED ALIVE, DARKMAN, WHERE TRUTH LIES, FROM DUSK TILL DAWN 2, SPIDER-MAN [2002], 2001 MANIACS, HOSTEL II, DRAG ME TO HELL, HOSTEL III, DARK ASCENSION, DR. STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS) is 65.
SATURDAY -
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS
On the 11th Day of X-MAS, Feo Fam gave to me,
11 Masked Killers, 10 Tanks of Toxic, 9 Imps Possessing, 8 Evil Aliens, 7 Cars not Starting, Murder of Crows Mobbing, 5 SCARY CLOWNS!
4 Chainsaws running, 3 Hands on shoulders, 2 Smart Rats,
and a Cat that ate the Rats!
A fond and final farewell to -
Actor Frederic Forrest (THE CONVERSATION, THE EXECUTIONER, IT LIVES AGAIN, HAMMET, RETURN, WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN?, GOTHAM, CAT CHASER, MUSIC BOX, TWIN SISTERS, RAIN WITHOUT THUNDER, HIDDEN FEARS, FALLIN DOWN, TRAUMA, DOUBLE OBSESSION, THE END OF VIOLENCE, BOOGIE BOY, SHADOW LAKE, THE SPREADING GROUND, THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR) who would be 86 today.
Writer Stephen A. North (BENEATH THE MASK, DEAD TIDE, BARREN EARTH [with Eric S. Brown], DEAD TIDE: RISING) is around 63 or so.
Actor Joan Severance (THE RUNESTONE, WRITE TO KILL, ILLICIT BEHAVIOR, CRIMINAL PASSION, PAYBACK [1995], DANGEROUS INDISCRETION, HARD EVIDENCE, BLACK SCORPION, PROFILE FOR MURDER, BLACK SCORPION II: AFTERSHOCK, THE LAST SEDUCTION II, CAUSE OF DEATH, MYSTERY WOMAN, TAYLOR, LAST SUNSET, WICKED WICKED GAMES [TV], BORN [2007]) is 66.
Actor Alison Sudol (HERE DIES ANOTHER DAY, DIG [TV], FANTASTIC BEASTS [all]) is 38.
Actor Estella Warren (PLANET OF THE APES [2001], TANGLED [2001], I ACCUSE, TRESPASSING, PURSUED, TAPHEPHOBIA, LIES AND CRIMES, BLUE SEDUCTION, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST [2009], IRREVERSI, THE STRANGER WITHIN, NOCTURNA, DECOMMISSIONED, FEEL THE DEAD [TV], AGE OF THE LIVING DEAD [TV], THE BEGINNING: FEEL THE DEAD) is 45.
Actor Finn Wolfhard (STRANGER THINGS [TV], IT [2017], HOWARD LOVECRAFT AND THE KINGDOM OF MADNESS, IT CHAPTER TWO, THE ADDAMS FAMILY [2019], CARMEN SANDIEGO [TV - 2019], HOW IT ENDS, GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE, Guillermo Del Toro's PINNOCHIO [TV]) is 21.
Look for Finn in the upcoming 2024 Horror movie, HELL OF A SUMMER. Also in 2024, GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE.
HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II Turns 34
HELLRAISER is a deeply flawed movie. It moves awkwardly and stumbles through its pace. Cuts and scenes appear without lead or explanation and are gone without resolution. Yet it's fascinating enough that I've bought it in DVD and Bluray.
Then I saw HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II. It's a sequel that does something most sequels never do. It completes and finishes the story that the first HELLRAISER left undone in a way I've never seen a sequel do. This is how HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II does it.
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS
On the 10th Day of X-MAS, Feo Fam gave to me,
10 Tanks of Toxic, 9 Imps Possessing, 8 Evil Aliens, 7 Cars not Starting, Murder of Crows Mobbing, 5 SCARY CLOWNS!
4 Chainsaws running, 3 Hands on shoulders, 2 Smart Rats,
and a Cat that ate the Rats!
SON OF KONG Turns 90
SON OF KONG killed what could have been a wildly profitable franchise for RKO Pictures. Okay, so what lessons from that can possibly be of any use now? We live in a whole different world of the Internet, streaming, and theaters are only one option for the indie filmmaker, right?
As it turns out, what RKO chose to do with their sequel is probably the most damaging studio legacy to filmmakers that still endures today, and it all began with SON OF KONG.
And -
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS Turns 45
Why, it's half the age of Son of Kong!
In the early part of the 20th Century, studios understood that if you once had a low budget movie that was a hit long ago, then the safe money meant that it still had its fans. Logically, if you remade that hit movie but with the latest popular actors, and gave it a bigger budget, maybe improved those parts of the original that kinda sagged, it was a Safe Money Bet (not a sure thing, of course. Not even Christopher Nolan or Steven Spielberg can guarantee a Sure Thing).
Then, after World War II Hollywood forgot that and, particularly with Science Fiction and Horror, sequels and remakes suffered, getting cheaper and worse with every iteration.
In the mid-1970s though, the floundering United Artists was desperate and decided on a Hail Mary. The result was the box office hit, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS.
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DRACULA 2000 Turns 23
You ever see a movie that you don't like? Then later, circumstances (a date, something having to do with that and "chill") have you watching it again and you like it a little more. Much later still, you're bored, it's an option, what the hell, you give it another shot and find yourself liking it. That happened to me with Patrick Lussier's DRACULA 2000 and this is why.
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HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Actor Amelia Eve (THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR [TV], SHADOWLAND, THE DARKNESS, PHEA) is 29.
Writer, Producer David S. Goyer (DEMONIC TOYS, ARCADE, THE PUPPET MASTERS [1994], THE CROW: CITY OF ANGELS, SLEEPWALKERS [TV], DARK CITY, BLADE [all], BATMAN BEGINS, JUMPER, THE DARK KNIGHT, THRESHOLD [TV], THE UNBORN, GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE, DEVIL DOLLS, Da VINCI'S DEMONS [TV], THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, DEVIL DOLLS, CONSTANTINE [TV], TERMINATOR: DARK FATE, THE NIGHT HOUSE, ANTLERS [TV], THE TOMORROW WAR, FOUNDATION [TV], THE SANDMAN [TV], HELLRAISER [2022]) is 57.
Writer/ Actor Trent Haaga (TERROR FIRMER, CITIZEN TOXIE: THE TOXIC AVENGER IV, MULVA: ZOMBIE ASS KICKER!, KILLJOY [all], HELL ASYLUM, ZOMBIEGEDDON, THE GHOULS, DEVIL'S MOON, TALES FROM THE CRAPPER, DR. HORROR'S EROTIC HOUSE OF IDIOTS, GAG, THE DEVIL'S MUSE, GIMMIE SKELTER, DEAD GIRL, PSYCHO HOLOCAUST, JESSICKA RABID, FETCH, AMITYVILLE BIGFOOT, and way more) is 52.
Writer Rick Klaw (WEIRD BUSINESS, GEEK CONFIDENTIAL) is 56.
Writer Charles De Lint (THE ONION GIRL, MOONHEART, THE BLUE GIRL, LITTLE (GRRL) LOST, THE MYSTERY OF GRACE, MUSE AND REVERIE, THE PAINTED BOY) is 72.
Actor Dina Meyer (JOHNNY MNEMONIC, STARSHIP
TROOPERS, NOWHERE LAND, BATS, STRANGER THAN FICTION, TIME LAPSE, D-TOX, UNSPEAKABLE, STAR TREK: NEMESIS, SAW, SAW II, SAW III, SAW IV, CRAZY EIGHTS, DECOYS 2, THE LOST, PIRANHA [2010], UNDERTOW, UNBELIEVABLE!!!, NIGHTSHADE) is 55.
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS
On the 9th Day of X-MAS, Feo Fam gave to me,
9 Imps Possessing, 8 Evil Aliens, 7 Cars not Starting, Murder of Crows Mobbing, 5 SCARY CLOWNS!
4 Chainsaws running, 3 Hands on shoulders, 2 Smart Rats,
and a Cat that ate the Rats!
Epic Pictures Group Trailer Drop LAST NIGHT AT TERRACE LANES
The partially true, largely apocryphal tale of Sweeney Todd has been a fan favorite since he got in front of audiences. It works as a dramatic play, a comedic play, a musical, and even a musical comedy. What its always had difficulty with is successfully moving from stage to film.
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Actor AJ Bowen (CREEPSHOW III, THE SIGNAL, MAIDENHEAD, THE SEASON, THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, HATCHET 2, A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE, CHILLERAMA, RITES OF SPRING, AMONG FRIENDS, YOU'RE NEXT, THE SACRAMENT, Tom Holland's TWISTED TALES, THE RECONSTRUCTION OF WILLIAM ZERO, SYNCHRONICITY, DEAD NIGHT, EDGE OF INSANITY, SATANIC PANIC, NIGHT SKY, DEATHCEMBER, I TRAPPED THE DEVIL, NIGHT DRIVE, THE OLD WAYS, NIGHT SKY, EDGE OF INSANITY) is 47.
Editor and publisher Richard Chizmar (CEMETERY DANCE Magazine, SHIVERS anthologies, A LONG DECEMBER, WIDOW'S POINT [w/ Billy Chizmar], DARKNESS WHISPERS [w/Brian James Freeman], THE GIRL ON THE PORCH, GWENDY'S BUTTON BOX [w/Stephen King], GWENDY'S MAGIC FEATHER [w/Stephen King]) is 59.
Actor Samuel L. Jackson (THE
EXORCIST III, JURASSIC PARK, SPHERE, DEEP BLUE SEA, UNBREAKABLE, KILL BILL Vol. 2, THE INCREDIBLES, SNAKES ON A PLANE, 1408, JUMPER, LAKEVIEW TERRACE, THE SPIRIT, UNTHINKABLE, IRON MAN 2, CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, THE AVENGERS, MEETING EVIL, THE SAMARITAN, OLDBOY, ROBOCOP [2014], CAPTAIN AMERICA: WINTER'S SOLDIER, BIG GAME, KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE, AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, THE HATEFUL EIGHT, CELL, MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN, KONG: SKULL ISLAND, CELL, THE INCREDIBLES 2, GLASS, THE AVENGERS: ENDGAME, SPIRAL, THE PROTOGE, SECRET INVASION [TV], THE KILL ROOM) is 75.
Look for Samuel in the 2024 Thriller, ARGYLLE.
Producer Steven Mnuchin (WINTER'S TALE, EDGE OF TOMORROW, ANNABELLE, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, MIDNIGHT SPECIAL [2016], BATMAN VS SUPERMAN, THE CONJURING 2, LIGHTS OUT, SUICIDE SQUAD, THE MIDNIGHT MAN, UNFORGETTABLE) is 60.
Actor Jack Noseworthy (BARB WIRE, THE TRIGGER EFFECT, BREAKDOWN, EVENT HORIZON, IDLE HANDS, CECIL B DEMENTED, SURROGATES, JULIA, THE NURSE, NEEDLESTICK) is 54.
Actor Kiefer Sutherland (THE LOST BOYS, THE KILLING TIME, FLATLINERS, TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME, THE VANISHING, ARMITAGE III: POLY MATRIX, DARK CITY, AFTER ALICE, THE RIGHT TEMPTATION, PHONE BOOTH, TAKING LIVES, 24 [TV], MIRRORS, MONSTERS VS. ALIENS, TWELVE, MELANCHOLIA, THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST, TOUCH [TV], 24, TWIN PEAKS: THE MISSING PIECES, FLATLINERS [2017], DESIGNATED SURVIVOR [TV], THEY CLONED TYRONE) is 57.
Look for Kiefer in the Clint Eastwood 2024 Thriller, JUROR #2.
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS
On the 8th Day of X-MAS, Feo Fam gave to me,
8 Evil Aliens, 7 Cars not Starting, Murder of Crows Mobbing, 5 SCARY CLOWNS!
4 Chainsaws running, 3 Hands on shoulders, 2 Smart Rats,
and a Cat that ate the Rats!
59 Years of GHIDORA, THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER
By 1964 Gojira was undefeated by every monster they threw at it. Gojira needed more than its own version of kryptonite, the Kaiju needed an undefeatable enemy. Once Gojira got its mighty ass kicked, then it could make allies of former enemies against the common foe, and this is where the good monsters turned bad monsters good and the ones who stayed bad turned worse monsters* entered the GMU. *Monsters on the side of those damn Xian assholes from Planet Zero!
However, in the U.S.A., thanks to "presenter" Walter Reade-Sterling, it all started in 1965 with (the mispronounced) GHIDRAH, THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER.
And -
BLACK CHRISTMAS Turns 49
Director Bob Clark made two Horror movies, two Christmas movies, then washed his hands of both genres. But though BLACK CHRISTMAS floopty-flopped in U.S. theaters (poor distribution and bad movie trailer), it came back roaring on TV every Christmas and began finding shelf space at every video rental store. So how influential can a Horror dud out of Canada be?
Producer and Director Sean S. Cunningham has made it clear that would be no FRIDAY THE 13th movie, let alone franchise, if John Carpenter didn't make HALLOWEEN. And John Carpenter made it clear that there would be no HALLOWEEN if his buddy, Bob Clark, never made BLACK CHRISTMAS.
Plus -
SCREAM Turns 27
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET franchise was finished, other Wes Craven movies floundered, and by the mid 1990s Wes Craven was starting to flounder. Yet Wes wasn't the kind of guy to give up and rest on his laurels.
So in 1996 when studios were starting to think that Craven had peaked, Wes reminded everyone just who they were dealing with, when he stormed back into theaters with a SCREAM.
Also -
SANTA'S SLAY is 18
Brett Ratner, showing promise after 2002's RED DRAGON and a year away from torpedo'ing his career with X-MEN III, wanted to make an outrageous, scandalous, totally offensive - to Christians only - religious movie that in no way was risky. He wanted all the illusion of brave filmmaking with none of the consequences. So he hired writer and director David Steiman (his assistant on three of his features including, RED DRAGON), and wrestler Bill Goldberg.
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS
On the 7th Day of X-MAS, Feo Fam gave to me,
7 Cars not Starting, Murder of Crows Mobbing, 5 SCARY CLOWNS!
4 Chainsaws running, 3 Hands on shoulders, 2 Smart Rats,
and a Cat that ate the Rats!
INVASION OF THE ASTRO-MONSTER aka MONSTER ZERO Turns 58
It was 1965 and Toho was churning out GODZILLA movies in as many variants as possible. It was the time of GMU (Not George Mason University, but Godzilla Movie Universe: The GMU ain't GNU).
To most folks it was a case of diminishing returns, yet the Kaiju audience couldn't get enough even with the occassional misstep - like GODZILLA'S REVENGE or anything involving Godzilla's son, Minira.
Speaking of kids, they went Kaiju Goo Goo for these monstrous monsters. So with that in mind, let's dive into 1965's INVASION OF THE ASTRO-MONSTER aka MONSTER ZERO.
Plus -
Dario Argento's OPERA aka TERROR AT THE OPERA Turns 36
Mike Bracken aka The Horror Geek, is a devout Argento fan, yet always gives an honest review of the work of those he admires the most. 20 years ago he did with Dario Argento's OPERA.
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THE LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS Turns 23
In only two decades the world has changed with head-spinning speed.
In 1998 our cars weren't smart, our phones weren't smart, stations broadcasting in High Definition wasn't the norm (and HD was expensive and 720 - ick). DVDs were learning to walk and the Internet was still in diapers.
And there was New Zealander Peter Jackson, who made his name in Horror with DEAD-ALIVE and THE FRIGHTENERS (legal DVDs of his earlier Horror movies were nigh impossible to find in the states at that time). He'd actually got the greenlight to shoot all three THE LORD OF THE RINGS movies at once - something that an uncountable number of Producers and Directors had tried for well over half a century and failed.
For me, this movie was one of those happy accidents that sometimes happens with TV. You see it available for streaming or cable, you know nothing about it, but what the hell? Let's give it a shot.
WOW! Where did this come from and how did I not know about it? If you find enthusiasm infectious then let me tell you about my disease: ALTERED.
Finale -
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Illusionist Criss Angel (MINDFREAK [TV], HECKLER, PHENOMENON [TV], TRICK'D UP [TV]) is 56.
Actor Jennifer Beals (THE BRIDE, VAMPIRE'S KISS, DOCTEUR M., TERROR STALKS THE CLASS REUNION [TV], INDECENCY, NIGHT
OWL, DEAD ON SIGHT, DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS, THE PROHECY II, THE SPREE, WITHOUT MALICE, AFTER THE STORM, RUNAWAY JURY, TROUBLED WATERS, THE GRUDGE 2, THE BOOK OF ELI, LIE TO ME [TV], WIDOW DETECTIVE, A WIFE'S NIGHTMARE, PROOF [TV], BEFORE I FALL, WHITE ORCHID, SWAMP THING [TV]) is 60.
Look for Jennifer in the 2022 Mystery, LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE.
Actor/Production Designer Jack Fisk (MESSIAH OF EVIL, TERMINAL ISLAND, CARRIE, ERASERHEAD, PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE, DEATH GAME, MULHOLLAND DRIVE, INVASION) is 77.
Actor/Director John Gulager (FEAST [all], PIRANHA 3DD, DANCES WITH WEREWOLVES, ZOMBIE NIGHT, HELLRAISER: JUDGEMENT, CHILDREN OF THE CORN: RUNAWAY) is 65.
Look for John's 2022 Horror movie, SEVEN CEMETERIES. Also in 2022, UTERO.
Writer S.D. Hintz (THE OFFERING, BLOOD ORCHARD, VIGILANCE AND VENGEANCE, TALES FROM AN UNDERTAKER, STARVELINGS) is 48.
Actor Alyssa Milano (DOUBLE DRAGON, EMBRACE OF THE VAMPIRE, DEADLY SINS, POISON IVY II, FEAR, BODY COUNT, CHARMED [TV], PATHOLOGY, MISTRESSES) is 49.
Look for Alyssa's 2022 Thriller, DEADLY DESIRES.
Actor Kristy Swanson (DEADLY FRIEND, FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC, HIGHWAY TO HELL, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, SOUL ASSASSIN, ZEBRA LOUNGE, SILENCE, FORBIDDEN SECRETS, THE BLACK HOLE [2006], LIVING DEATH, SWAMP SHARK, A MOTHER'S SACRIFICE, BAD STEPMOTHER, KILLER UNDER THE BED, MIMESIS NOSFERATU, JUST ANOTHER DREAM) is 53.
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS
On the 6th Day of X-MAS, Feo Fam gave to me,
6 Murder of Crows Mobbing, 5 SCARY CLOWNS!
4 Chainsaws running, 3 Hands on shoulders, 2 Smart Rats,
and a Cat that ate the Rats!
GHOST STORY is 42
Among the few things I shared in common with my Pop, Horror movies was one of them, and we were both fans of Peter Straub's novel.
So we went together, Father and son to see GHOST STORY.
And -
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS Turns 21
Sequels get a deservedly bad rap so on this day in 2002, fans of LORD OF THE RINGS, who were smitten by THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, entered theaters under a dark cloud of trepidation. They needn't have worried. This movie isn't a sequel but a continuation. The second chapter in a full book. Kelly Parks was in the theater on opening night and this is how he reacted to THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS.
Plus -
HATCHET Turns 16
In the realm of low budget, indie cult movies, Adam Green's HATCHET has got to be the micro cult of a cult.
Yet, somebody(s) thought it was a sound enough investment to make a sequel. And then another.
On the chessboard of cinema, HATCHET is the pawn that takes the Queen, and this may be why.
Also -
AVATAR Turns 14
What a brilliant cgi world! It was a marvel to look at. Computer Graphic Images never looked better. It crossed the billion dollar threshold at a time when that was such a rare thing that its main competition was surpassing the billion plus level that director James Cameron made over a decade earlier with his movie, Titanic. James only had himself to compete against.
Audiences went back to see it again and again and, as repeat performances usually will, they noticed things they didn't catch the first time.
The more they looked the less they liked. Then it came out on disc and sold surprisingly poor.
What the hell happened? This is how the shine dulled for AVATAR's biggest fans.
Actor Casper Van Dien (THE COLONY, NIGHT SCREAM, CASPER: A SPIRITED BEGINNING, STARSHIP TROOPERS, MODERN VAMPIRES, SHARK ATTACK, THE COLLECTORS, THE OMEGA CODE, THE TIME SHIFTERS, SLEEPY HOLLOW, PYTHON, ROAD RAGE, SANCTIMONY, SKELETON MAN, DRACULA 3000, PREMONITION, MELTDOWN, THE CURSE OF KING TUT'S TOMB, SLAYER, STARSHIP TROOPERS 3, MASK OF THE NINJA, THE PACT, SHIVER, ASSUMED KILLER, HIGHER MISSION, FIRE TWISTER, SHARKTOPUS VS MERMANTULA, ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, G-LOC, and more) is 54.
Look for Casper in the upcoming 2020, 2021, 2022 Horror Thriller AAAH! ROACH!
Actor Katie Holmes (DISTURBING BEHAVIOR, TEACHING MRS. TINGLE, THE GIFT, PHONE BOOTH, ABANDON, BATMAN BEGINS, DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK, THE SON OF NO ONE, MISS MEADOWS, BRAHMS: THE BOY II) is 43.
Katie shares a December Birthday with her fellow DISTURBING BEHAVIOR alumni, Nick Stahl.
She also shares a December birthday with her fellow THE GIFT alumni, Giovanni Ribisi.
Writer / Director / Producer Steven Spielberg (NIGHT
GALLERY [TV], DUEL [TV], SOMETHING EVIL [TV], SAVAGE [TV], JAWS,
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK [all], POLTERGEIST, TWILIGHT ZONE: The Movie, JURASSIC PARK [all], MEN IN BLACK [all], SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, MINORITY REPORT, WAR OF THE WORLDS, MONSTER HOUSE, TRANSFORMERS, TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN, SUPER 8, COWBOYS AND ALIENS, FALLING SKIES [TV], TERRA NOVA [TV], THE RIVER [TV], JURASSIC WORLD [all], and more) is 76.
Steven shares a December birthday with his WAR OF THE WORLDS actor, Miranda Otto.
Steven has announced the upcoming sequels, JURASSIC WORLD: CAMP CRETACEAOUS [TV], HALO [TV], WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT 2, INDIANA JONES 5, and GREMLINS 3.
Daniel H. WIlson's ROBOPOCALYPSE enters its 12th year of In-Development with Amblin ENtertainment and Dreamworks. An anticipated release of 2020 came and went. As of 2018, Steven Spielberg is out of the director's chair, his minion, Michael Bay (TRANSFORMERS), is still in as of 2022. Steve remains Producer and Screenplay is still by Drew Goddard (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER [TV], ANGEL [TV], ALIAS [TV], CLOVERFIELD, LOST [TV], THE CABIN IN THE WOODS, WORLD WAR Z, BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE).
After 13 years of pre-Production, Steven Spielberg released the remake opportunity of WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE in 2020 to signed Producer and director, Stephen Sommers (DEEP RISING, THE MUMMY) who takes the Producer's chair. It's also left Announced status and is back up to In Development status where it remains in 2022.
Oh, and for those Indie filmmakers who think life would be "so much easier" if they were only Steven Spielberg? HA!
Just because you're successful movie billionaire like Steven Spielberg doesn't mean investors are throwing money at you.
So stop whining about who you Aren't and work on who You Want To Be!
SUNDAY -
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS
On the 5th Day of X-MAS, Feo Fam gave to me, 5 SCARY CLOWNS!
4 Chainsaws running, 3 Hands on shoulders, 2 Smart Rats,
and a Cat that ate the Rats!
Actor Milla Jovovich (THE FIFTH ELEMENT, RESIDENT EVIL [all], HOUSE ON TURK STREET, ULTRAVIOLET, A PERFECT GETAWAY, THE FOURTH KIND, STONE, FACES IN THE CROWD, FUTUREWORLD [2018], HELLBOY [2019], MONSTER HUNTER) who is 47.
Look for Milla in the upcoming 2023 Thriller, BREATHE.
Actor Bill Pullman (THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW, BRAIN DEAD [1990], LIEBESTRAUM, MALICE, CASPER, LOST HIGHWAY, THE END OF VIOLENCE, ZERO EFFECT, LAKE PLACID, THE GUILTY, 29 PALMS, THE GRUDGE [USA - 2004], REVELATIONS [TV], ALIEN AUTOPSY, SCARY MOVIE 4, SURVEILLANCE, THE KILLER INSIDE ME, PEACOCK, TORCHWOOD [TV], AMERICAN ULTRA, THE SINNER [TV], THE COLDEST GAME) is 67.
Bill shares a birthday with his LOST HIGHWAY alumni,
Actor Giovanni Ribisi (MIND RIPPER, THE GRAVE, LOST HIGHWAY, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, THE GIFT, BASIC, I LOVE YOUR WORK, SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW, 10th & WOLF, THE DEAD GIRL, PERFECT STRANGER, AVATAR, COLUMBUS CIRCLE, SNEAKY PETE [TV], THE BAD BATCH, AVATAR 2) is 48.
Look for Giovani
in all of the scheduled AVATARS 3 through 5 all currently in production at the same time.
Actor Sean Patrick Thomas (COURAGE UNDER FIRE, CONSPIRACY THEORY, CRUEL INTENTIONS, DRACULA 2000, HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION, BATMAN: MYSTERY OF THE BATWOMAN, THE BURROWERS [2007 - TV], THE BURROWERS, REAPER, RINGER [TV], MURDER ON THE 13TH FLOOR, THE SELECTION, DEEP IN THE DARKNESS, THE MURDER PACT, THE CURSE OF LA LLARONA, INFLUENCE, GHOST TAPE [TV], TEH TRAGEDY OF MACBETH, HORROR NOIRE, FOR ALL MANKIND) is 51.
KING KONG (1976) Turns 47
Dino De Laurentiis got audiences world wide worked up for KING KONG in 1976. The movie remained unbelievably hot after over 40 years and if there was one thing audiences would love to see - after the disappointing cartoonish Kong seen battling Godzilla - was a modern update in color and HiFi quadraphonic or Sensurround sound (what we call Surround Sound today)!
It's hard to describe the excitement that audiences felt and theaters were preparing themselves in America's Bicentennial year in an era without Internet, but this is what happened at the end of the Production road to KING KONG, in 1976.
LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING Turns 20
Many a successful franchise crashed and burned on the third movie. From INDIANA JONES and the LAST CRUSADE to ALIEN³, to TERMINATOR 3, HELLRAISER III, TREMORS 3, the landscape is strewn with refuse.
So J.R.R. Tolkien's final book, and a movie series already being derided by his heirs, hung in the balance. The story would end up not as a triumph, but a wound if Co-Writer and Director Peter Jackson failed. This is what my reviewer, Kelly Parks saw in the theaters on opening weekend not only on the screen, but among the audience and their reaction to LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING.
TRON LEGACY is 12.
Just as there are many successful franchises that fail at three, there are more that fail to launch the franchise with the very first disastrous sequel. The ones that blew up on the launch pad are too numerous to mention, but this is what I saw on opening weekend in 2010 when Disney snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, and so ultimately pulled the plug on their much desired TRON franchise, TRON LEGACY.
SATURDAY -
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS
On the 4th Day of X-MAS Feo Fam gave to me,
4 Chainsaws running, 3 Hands on shoulders, 2 Smart Rats,
and a Cat that ate the Rats!
Actor Theo James (BEDLAM [TV], UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING, DIVERGENT [all], UNDERWORLD: BLOODWARS, ZOE, HOW IT ENDS, LONDON FIELDS, Jeff Wayne's THE WAR OF THE WORLDS: A MUSICAL, ARCHIVE, CASTLEVANIA [TV], THE WITCHER: NIGHTMARE OF THE WOLF, DUAL) is 39.
Actor Miranda Otto (THE 13TH FLOOR [1988], WHAT LIES BENEATH, CLOSE YOUR EYES, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING, IN MY FATHER'S DEN, Steven Spielberg's WAR OF THE WORLDS [2005], IN HER SKIN, I AM YOU, I, FRANKENSTEIN, ANNABELLE: CREATION, ZOE, CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA [TV], THE SILENCE, TALK TO ME, AT THE GATES, THE PORTABLE DOOR, THE CLEARING [TV]) is 56.
Writer James L. Tamarin (various short stories) is 51.
BATTLE ROYALE Turns 23
Koushun Takami's infamous and controversial novel became manga became the movie and, in Japan, the son and father team of Writer Kenta Fukasaku (BATTLE ROYALE II, BLACK RAT) and Director Kinji Fukasaku (THE GREEN SLIME, MESSAGE FROM SPACE, VIRUS: THE END, SAMURAI REINCARNATION) kept the coldly brutal and blood soaked action, as well as heartache of the novel.
Shirley S. Muramoto gets you up to speed on Takami's BATTLE ROYALE novel, and I give you my take on Fukasaku's BATTLE ROYALE movie.
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS
On the 3rd Day of X-MAS Feo Fam gave to me,
3 Hands on shoulders, 2 Smart Rats, and a Cat that ate the Rats!
GAMERA (GAMMERA?) is 57
Like Gojira before it, an American distributor got ahold of GAMERA, made copious edits, B-shots, and added scenes and dialogue so the movie could have American actors, and that's what American audiences saw. And they did what the distributor didn't think they'd do. They laughed it out of the theater and regretted their ticket purchase. This is how Hollywood treated Japan and the Asian market in 1965 with GAMERA / GAMMERA.
And -
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is 49!
At 49, there are more years between the 1974 release of this movie today, than there were between it and the original SON OF FRANKENSTEIN from 1939. So what makes both movies so relevant and timeless even today?
1954's GOJIRA became a world-wide hit. But in the U.S., GOJIRA became a heavily re-edited, reshot GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS (1956) with a significantly different story and a new leading man, Raymond Burr.
30 years later, Toho and New Line Cinema could have rectified that. Instead New Line turned GOJIRA (1984) into the stale comedy, GODZILLA 1985, repeated past mistakes making the whole thing a tediously unfunny farce.
This is how I saw the Japanese GOJIRA (1984) and how Stoker Award winning author, Mike Oliveri saw GODZILLA 1985.
Also -
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Writer and Film maker Todd Tjersland (LEGION OF THE NIGHT, ANTI-HERO, THE NECRO FILES, FACES OF GORE [1 THRU 3], MISLED, NECRO FILES 2, MIDNIGHT MOVIE MADNESS) is 53.
Visit Todd at ZombieNovel.com.
Actor Brendan Fletcher (THE ADVENTURES OF SHIRLEY HOLMES [TV], CONTAGIOUS [TV], THE UNSAID, DE GROT, FREDDY VS. JASON, GINGER SNAPS: UNLEASHED, THE FINAL CUT, GINGER SNAPS BACK, TIDELAND, MOJAVE, ALONE IN THE DARK, Masters of Horror: THE DAMNED THING, RAMPAGE, BLOODRAYNE II, OGRE, BLOODRAYNE III: THE THIRD REICH, BLUBBERELLA, 13 EERIE, THE KILLING [TV], SUDDENLY, ALTERGEIST, LOST SOLACE, iZOMBIE [TV], DISTORTED, OPEN 24 HOURS, NOMIS, ARROW [TV], SIREN [TV], DANGEROUS, ATTACK OF THE KILLER CHICKENS THE MOVIE, VIOLENT NIGHT, THE DEEP WEB: MURDERSHOW, and way more) is 42.
Actor Ralph Ineson (FROM HELL, HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS Part 1, HARRY POTTER AN THE DEATHLY HALLOWS Part 2, INTRUDERS, GAME OF THRONES [TV], GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE, THE WITCH, ABSENTIA [TV], READY PLAYER ONE, THE DARK CRYSTAL: AGE OF RESISTANCE [TV, THE CAPTURE [TV], BRAHMS: THE BOY II, THE GREEN KNIGHT, THE LAST VICTIM, THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH, THE NORTHMAN, THE POPE'S EXORCIST, DIABLO IV [VG], THE CREATOR) is 53.
Look for Ralph in the upcoming 2023 Horror movie, LORD OF MISRULE. And in 2024, Robert Eggers NOSFERATU and THE FIRST OMEN.
Actor Stefania LaVie Owen (THE LOVELY BONES, KRAMPUS, CHANCE [TV], MESSIAH [TV], SWEET TOOTH [TV]) is 26.
Actor Stuart Townsend (RESURRECTION MAN, SIMON MAGUS, QUEEN OF THE DAMNED, TRAPPED, SHADE, THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN, NIGHT STALKER [TV], A STRANGER IN PARADISE, SALEM [TV]) is 51.
Look for Stuart in the 2024 Horror Thriller shark movie, INTO THE DEEP, starring Richard Dreyfuss.
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS
On the 2nd Day of X-MAS Feo Fam gave to me,
Two Smart Rats
And a Cat that ate the Rats!
Shinehouse Trailer Drop: PUNCH Arrives on VOD This Jan. 28, 2024
In the Horror movie tradition of Serial Killing Superhumans in a Goofy mask comes, PUNCH.
Written, Produced, and Directed by Andy Edwards, this is the story of a young girl, Frankie, celebrating her last night out in her hometown before returning to university. However, on this night she is stalked by the town's mysterious killer who wears a Mr Punch mask.
Production companies include Paranoid Android Films and FatContMan.
And -
TARANTULA Turns 69
Those damn mad scientists and their Do-It-Yourself at home research! That's how we got TARANTULA!
Plus -
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS is 33
Prior to this movie being released, it was reported that some 20th Century Fox studio heads were in tears by the end of this movie's first studio screening. Is that because its so good? Or because when it came time to greenlight it, they wanted no part of it, and it was only upon seeing it did they realize it was going to be a mega hit?
Peter Jackson loves the original KING KONG. The 1976 KING KONG updated for the 1970s? Not so much. So instead of updating KING KONG for the early 21st Century, he modernized KING KONG for the early 20th Century. I saw it on opening weekend in movie theaters and this was my take on Peter Jackson's KING KONG.
Wassmor -
I AM LEGEND Turns 17
There was a time when writer Richard Matheson said that he wasn't paid a dime for his work: a Steven Spielberg movie based on his novel of the same name. The reason being that Warner Bros. bought the movie rights to his novel back in the 1960s. Later, WB hired Matheson to contribute to the screenplay adaptation by Mark Protosevich (THE CELL) and Akiva Goldsman (I, ROBOT, FRINGE [TV]). Kelly Parks saw it on opening weekend in movie theaters and had this to say about I AM LEGEND.
As Well -
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY Turns 11
A lot of unexpected things happened to Peter Jackson with this franchise, all starting and in many ways, crumbling, with THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY.
Finale -
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Writer Azrael Paul Damien (CONVICT GRADE) is 44.
Writer Mike Korn (CONFESSIONS OF A GHOUL, SKIMMING THE GUMBO NUCLEAR,
ALL THE MUTANT TRASH IN ALL THE GALAXIES, RACHMANINOFF'S GHOST)
is 60.
Actor Ted Raimi (THE EVIL DEAD, BLOOD RAGE, STRYKER'S WAR, EVIL DEAD II, DARKMAN, CANDYMAN, ARMY OF DARKNESS, WISHMASTER, THE ATTIC EXPEDITIONS, SPIDER-MAN [all], THE GRUDGE, MAN WITH THE SCREAMING BRAIN, Masters of Horror: THE DAMNED THING, MY NAME IS BRUCE, MILLENNIUM CRISES, THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN, DRAG ME TO HELL, ANGEL OF DEATH, OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, MURDER OF A CAT, DARKNESS RISING, ASH VS THE EVIL DEAD [TV], DEADWAX [TV]) is 58.
SFX Artist Kevin Quattro (THE JACKYL, ROUGHNECKS: THE STARSHIP TROOPER CHRONICLES [TV], BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER [TV], ANGEL [TV], FIREFLY [TV], BATTLESTAR GALACTICA [TV-2003], SERENITY, THE INVASION, CSI [TV], TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNER CHRONICLES [TV], THE INVASION, FALLING SKIES [TV], LOVE [2011], ATLAS SHRUGGED II, BSG: BLOOD AND CHROME, STAR TREK BEYOND) is 49.
Writer Jeff Strand (SINGLE WHITE PSYCHOPATH SEEKS SAME, GRAVEROBBERS WANTED, THE SINISTER MR. CORPSE, PRESSURE, BENJAMIN'S PARASITE, ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES, and more) is 52.
Actor Dee Wallace (THE STEPFORD WIVES, THE HILLS HAVE EYES, THE HOWLING, CUJO, CRITTERS,
SHADOW PLAY, POPCORN, ALLIGATOR II, TEMPTRESS, THE
FRIGHTENERS, DEADLY DELUSIONS, KILLER INSTINCT, OUT OF THE BLACK, DEAD END ROAD, BOO!, SCAR, ABOMINABLE, VOODOO MOON, THE PLAGUE, THE LOST, LITTLE RED DEVIL, THE STALKER WITHIN, THE OCEAN, THE I SCREAM MAN, THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, STEM CELL, RAVEN, THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEASTO, THE RAIN, CAGE FREE, SEBASTIAN, POUND OF FLESH, FUZZ TRACK CITY, EXIT HUMANITY, THE LORDS OF SALEM, BEYOND, GRAND PIANO, HANSEL & GRETEL, UNHALLOWED, ALIENS FROM URANUS, HANSEL & GRETEL 2013, ROBO CROC, GRIMM [TV], HAUNTING OF CELLBLOCK 11, 2 BEDROOM 1 BATH, ZK: ELEPHANT'S GRAVEYARD, THE WHISPERS, RED CHRISTMAS, IMPURATUS, DEATH HOUSE, AYLA, OUIJA HOUSE, BEYOND THE SKY, THREE FROM HELL, 13 FANBOY, KILLER DESIGN, JEEPERS CREEPERS: REBORN, NIX, THE MUNSTERS, and way more) is 75.
Look for Dee in the 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Horror, BITS. Also expected in 2022, 2023, 2024, STREAM.
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS
On the 1st Day of X-MAS Feo Fam gave to me,
One Black Cat...
THE DEVIL BAT Turns - egad! - 83 Years Old
I have a dual rating system here. Shriek Girls and Negative Shriek Girls. Negative not as in minus numbers, but as in the film they were shot on. A Negative can contain an entertaining movie even though it doesn't have a positive. Negative Shriek Girls are where movies I feel are So Bad They're Good, dwell. I'm not saying you shouldn't watch them, only suggest an expectation. Like for example, the Bela Lugosi Poverty Row movie, THE DEVIL BAT.
And -
MARS ATTACKS! Turns 27
I generally love Tim Burton movies and one of my favorites is MARS ATTACKS! This is why.
Plus -
STAR TREK: NEMESIS Turns 21
Star Trek fans know that this was the last of the TV series Star Treks in theaters and 20 years later the old crews are in no danger of returning to the big screens. But Star Trek movies suffered underwhelming performance before and the franchise endured. What made STAR TREK: NEMESIS the death knell?
Read on.
Also -
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO - By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Writer Brett McBean (THE LAST MOTEL, THE MOTHER, TORMENT, TALES OF SIN AND MADNESS) is 44.
Actor Tanya van Graan (STARSHIP TROOPERS: MARAUDER, MAD COW, LOST BOYS: THE THIRST, DEATH RACE 2, DEATH RACE: INFERNO,
ZULU, DIE SPOOK VAN UNIONDALE, DEADLY LEAKS [all], 24 HOURS TO LIVE, THE DATING GAME KILLER, TREMORS: A COLD DAY IN HELL, DEAD IN THE WATER, CRITTERS ATTACK!, RAISED BY WOLVES [TV], THE EMPTY MAN) is 39.
Actor Charlotte Milchard (SUNSTROKE, MINDFLESH, THE FOURTH KIND) is 45.
Writer Norman Prentiss (FOUR LEGS IN THE MORNING, INVISIBLE FENCES) who is 62 or something.
82. In other words this movie, written by Curt Siodmak (DONOVAN'S BRAIN, EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS), which began as a modern retelling of old myths, is now so old itself that your Great-grandparents were kids when it came out!
Okay, but does it stand up? Not Special Effects-wise, of course. Yet amazingly the story and acting are superior to the 2010 remake (which was supposed to take place long before this version) in every way.
This is why you may enjoy THE WOLF MAN as a period piece movie.
And -
SCREAM 2 Turns 26
What would a Bram Stoker Award winning author tell you about SCREAM 2? Well, he might tell you that the movie didn't age well. And like, within months after release!
Horror author, Michael Oliveri will tell you why in his review of SCREAM 2.
Plus -
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Actor Mädchen Amick (THE BORROWERS, TWIN PEAKS [TV], SLEEPWALKERS, TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME, DREAM LOVER, LOVE, CHEAT & STEAL, WOUNDED, BOMBSHELL, TWIST OF FATE, THE HUNTED, THE LIST, THE HANGMAN [2001], THE RATS [2002], GLOBAL EFFECT, LIES AND DECEPTION, MY OWN WORST ENEMY [TV], DAMAGES [TV], PRIEST, TWIN PEAKS: THE MISSING PIECES, THE WITCHES OF EAST END [TV], AMERICAN HORROR STORY [TV], TWIN PEAKS [TV - 2017], RIVERDALE [TV]) is 53.
Actor Jennifer Connelly (PHENOMENA, LABYRINTH, MULHOLLAND FALLS, DARK CITY, WAKING THE DEAD, REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, HULK, DARK WATER, RESERVATION ROAD, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL [2008], 9, SALVATION BOULEVARD, WINTER'S TALE, SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING, ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, SNOWPIERCER The Series [TV]) is 52.
Look for Jennifer in the upcoming 2023 TV series Thriller, DARK MATTER.
Writer Howard Hopkins (NIGHT DEMONS, GRIMM, THE DARK RIDERS, PISTOLERO, SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE CROSSOVER CASEBOOK, THE GRAY NEMESIS, THE NIGHTMARE CLUB, THE SPIDER: JUDGEMENT NIGHT) is 60.
He's been acting since 1977, but it wasn't until 2003 that his career took a turn for Horror Thriller. We happily embraced him right back. Happy Birthday to -
Actor Bill Nighy (THE LITTLE DRUMMER GIRL, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA [1989], UNDERWORLD [all], SHAUN OF THE DEAD, ENDURING LOVE, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST, HOT FUZZ, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END, VALKYRIE, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS Part 1, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS Part 2, WRATH OF THE TITANS, TOTAL RECALL [2012], I, FRANKENSTEIN, THE WORLD'S END, THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM, Agatha Christie's ORDEAL BY INNOCENCE, CASTLEVANIA [TV], THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH [TV]) is 74.
Bill Nighy shares a December Birthday month with his UNDERWORLD alumni, Composer Paul Haslinger.
Writer, Director J.A. Steel (VERTEX, SALVATION, DENIZEN, BLOOD FARE, DENIZEN: DESCENT [TV]) is 52.
From William Brent Bell, Director of THE BOY and ORPHAN: FIRST KILL, and starring Tuppence Middleton (SENSE8 [TV], POSSESSOR) and Ralph Ineson (THE VVITCH).
Actor Ben Browder (A KISS BEFORE DYING, MARTIAN LAW, THE SKY'S ON FIRE, FARSCAPE [TV], FARSCAPE: THE PEACEKEEPER WARS, A KILLER WITHIIN, STARGATE SG-1 [TV], STARGATE: THE ARK OF TRUTH, STARGATE: CONTINUUM, BAD KIDS GO TO HELL, DEAD STILL, BAD KIDS OF CRESTVIEW ACADEMY, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Vol. 2, HOAX, BEING, IKÉ BOYS) is 61.
Actor Lynda Day George (FEAR NO EVIL, DEATH AMONG FRIENDS, DAY OF THE ANIMALS, ANTS, CRUISE INTO TERROR, BEYOND EVIL, PIECES, MORTUARY) is 79.
Music Performer, Composer Paul Haslinger (Band - Tangerine Dream: SORCERER, NEAR DARK, MIRACLE MILE, STRANGE BEHAVIOR, THE SOLDIER, KAMIKAZE 89, WAVELENGTH, THE KEEP, FIRESTARTER, LEGEND, ZONING, CITY OF SHADOWS.
Movie Composer: MIRACLE MILE, SPAWN, PITCH BLACK, RED PLANET, THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES, MINORITY REPORT, LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER, UNDERWORLD, CRANK, TURISTAS, UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION, VACANCY, PROM NIGHT (2008), DEATH RACE (2008), UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS, AFTER.LIFE, DEATH RACE 2, UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING, FEAR THE WALKING DEAD [TV], THE MESSENGERS [TV], RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER, WILDING, RIDE, THE PERFECTION, MONSTER HUNTER, THE OTHER ME. AMITYVILLE: AN ORIGIN STORY) is 60.
SUNDAY -
Actor Emmanuelle Chriqui (THE DONOR, ALIEN ABDUCTION: INCIDENT IN LAKE COUNTY, VAMPIRE PRINCESS MIYU, FUTURE SPORT, RICKY 6, WRONG TURN, THE CROW: WICKED PRAYER, DECEIT, 13 THIRTEEN, THE BORGIAS [TV], TRON: UPRISING [TV], MENTALIST [TV], MURDER IN THE FIRST [TV], SHUT EYE [TV], 7 SPLINTERS IN TIME, HOSPITALITY, THE PASSAGE [TV], COSMIC DAWN) is 48.
Actor Kyliegh Curran (DOCTOR SLEEP, SECRETS OF SULPHUR SPRINGS [TV]) is 17.
Look for Kyliegh in 2023 Horror Thriller mini-series, THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER.
Actor Monique Gata Dupree(POT ZOMBIES, BACHELOR PARTY IN THE BUNGALOW OF THE DAMNED, SKELETON KEY 2, TIMO ROSE'S BEAST, HEAVY MENTAL, ZOMBTHOLOGY, CAGED LESBOS A-GO-GO, BIKINI BLOOD BATH CHRISTMAS, THE HORROR VAULT 3, SPIRIT, SATAN HATES YOU, POST MORTEM AMERICA 2021, DEAD WOMAN'S HOLLOW, SKELETON KEY 3, THE CHAINSAW SALLY SHOW SEASON 2, NO STRINGS 2, LITTLE BIG BOY, PLAN 9, THE CREIGHTONVILLE TERROR, SHERIFF TOM VS. THE ZOMBIES, SEX, BLOOD, AND FAIRY TALES, SICKNESS, SHAKESPEARE SH*TSTORM, DEATH CARE and more) is 48.
Actor Nia Peeples (DEEPSTAR SIX, IMPROPER CONDUCT, DEADLOCKED: ESCAPE FROM ZONE 14, MR. STITCH, TERMINAL [1996], BLOODHOUNDS II, ALONE WITH A STRANGER, INSIDE OUT [2005], CONNOR'S WAR, BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES [2011], WEREWOLF: THE BEAST AMONG US, DARK DESIRE, 23 MINUTES TO SUNRISE, LAVALANTULA, MNEMOSYNE, DYING FOR A BABY) is 62.
Look for Nia in the 2022 Thriller, DANTE'S HELL.
Actor Xavier Samuel (THE LOVED ONES, ROAD KILL, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE, ANONYMOUS, BAIT, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PART 2, PLUSH, FRANKENSTEIN [2015], THE DEATH AND LIFE OF OTTO BLOOM, BAD BLOOD [2017], TELL ME YOUR SECRETS [TV]) is 36.
Look for Xavier in the upcoming 2023 TV series Thriller, THE CLEARING.
24 Years On THE GREEN MILE
Let the movie speak for itself. In 1999, I sat in the dark theater ready for anything and this is what Stephen King and Frank Darabont's THE GREEN MILE said to me.
SATURDAY -
Actor Michael Dorn (DEMON SEED, GARGOYLES [TV], STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT, STAR TREK: NEMESIS, THE PROPHET'S GAME, SHADOW HOURS, SHADE, DESCENT [TV], DANNY PHANTOM [TV], A.I. ASSAULT, FALLEN ANGELS, NIGHT SKIES, THE DEEP BELOW, STRANGE FRAME, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES [TV - 2012 - 2017], ARROW [TV], MAN FROM EARTH: HOLOCENE, UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!, AGENT REVELATION) is 68.
Actor Jesse Metcalf (INSANITARIUM, BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT, THE TORTURED, CHASE [TV], HARD TO KILL, COVER ME, MARTHA'S VINEYARD MYSTERIES: A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO DIE, FORTRESS [all]) is 42.
As you can probably tell by the poster, Toho studios were stumbling, on their knees with what they had done to their GODZILLA franchise and this one, featuring Minya again (Godzilla's kid) Godzilla Jr., was considered the worst up to that point. They had trouble finding a U.S. distributor and when they did, Maron Distributing gave it the bare minimum.
Original GOJIRA director Ishiro Honda fought with Toho as he wanted this to have a backdrop of realism to the fantastic. Toho wanted kid friendly to sell more toys and in their minds, "Kid Friendly" meant DUMB.
Dumb it down, Honda! Those stupid Gamera movies are kicking our ass!
So began Toho's Champion Festival Era of Godzilla: Cheap Kaiju movies made specifically for children. Every Godzilla movie of the 1970s was part of this and Toho studios went back and recut all previous hardcore Godzilla movies to be more kid friendly.
Toys! We gotta sell Godzilla toys, Honda! So help me if I see another damn shelf of those giant turtles!
The downshot to all of this is that audiences were confused as they couldn't tell the difference between the Japanese GODZILLA'S REVENGE (1969) and SON OF GODZILLA (1967).
Bram Stoker Award winning author, Mike Oliveri describes the disaster in detail of the U.S.A release of GODZILLA'S REVENGE. aka All Monsters Attack aka Minya: Son Of Godzilla.
And -
BLADE: TRINITY is 19
This was the movie that actor Wesley Snipes used to destroy the wildly successful franchise and his own career. To this day in various podcasts and interviews, he's still not sure why he made this choice, which permanently ruined his friendship with long time collaborator David S. Goyer (all the BLADE movies).
While Wesley may not know, it seems everyone else on the set is pretty sure of why Snipes did it, and depending on who tells it, their stories range from sad to hilarious. But this is what audiences saw on screen when they watched BLADE: TRINITY.
Plus -
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Make-up Artist Rick Baker (IT'S ALIVE, SQUIRM, KING KONG [1976], THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN, THE FURY, THE HOWLING, THE FUNHOUSE, AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, VIDEODROME, SOMETHING IS OUT THERE [TV], GREMLINS 2, WOLF, ED WOOD, THE FRIGHTENERS, MEN IN BLACK, MODERN VAMPIRES, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG [1998], PLANET OF THE APES [2001], MEN IN BLACK II, THE RING, HELLBOY, CURSED, THE RING II, X-MEN III, THE WOLFMAN, MEN IN BLACK 3, TRON: LEGACY, MALEFICENT, Damon Packard's TALES BEYOND MADNESS, and way more) who is 73.
Actor Dominic Monaghan (HOSTILE WATERS [TV], THE LORD OF THE RINGS [all], LOST [TV], I SELL THE DEAD, FLASH FORWARD [TV], THE DAY, THE MILLIONAIRE TOUR, THE UNKNOWN [TV], PET, QUANTUM BREAK [TV], ATOMICA, A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE, MUTE, BITE CLUB [TV], RADIOFLASH, LAST LOOKS) is 47.
Dominic shares a birthday with fellow LOST alumni,
Actor Ian Somerhalder (PULSE, THE LOST SAMARITAN, FIREBALL, LOST [TV], THE VAMPIRE DIARIES [TV], THE ANOMALY, V-WARS [TV]) is 45.
Actor Mary Woronov (KEMEK, SUGAR COOKIES, "SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT", SEIZURE, DEATH RACE 2000, JACKSON COUNTY JAIL, EATING RAOUL, NIGHT OF THE COMET, THE MOVIE HOUSE MASSACRE, HELLHOLE, TERRORVISION, CHOPPING MALL, WARLOCK, THE HALFWAY HOUSE, FROG-G-G!, THE DEVIL'S REJECTS, THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, and far more) is 80.
It's not a classic, it's just old. This is how Universal Pictures ignobly ended the legacy that created them and replaced it with nothing. The audience turned out in droves, only to be disappointed by HOUSE OF DRACULA.
Plus -
VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED Turns 63!
You can tell a fair amount of a country's culture by their thematic output in entertainment. In England, children in Horror Thriller, even romance movies are, not always, but usually, evil. This was reflected yet again in 1960's THE VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED.
Also -
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS Turns 33 Today
I was there at the theater on this day. Yeah I'm that old - Shut Yer Cakehole! Anyway, movie PR talked about Tim Burton's latest bringing tears to the eyes of 20th Century Fox executives. Whether or not that happened, who knows? But a few audience members that day were getting misty.
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Actor Shiri Appleby (THE KILLING TIME, THE BITE, THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR, ROSWELL [TV], SWIMFAN, THE SKIN HORSE, UNDERTOW, THRILL OF THE KILL, THE KILLING FLOOR, UNSTABLE, THE DEVIL'S CANDY, ROSWELL NEW MEXICO) is 43.
Actor Emily Browning (GHOST SHIP, DARKNESS FALLS, LEMONY SNICKET'S: A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, THE UNINVITED, SUCKER PUNCH, MAGIC MAGIC, PLUSH, AMERICAN GODS [TV]) is 33.
Actor Jennifer Carpenter (LETHAL EVICTION, THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE, DEXTER [TV], QUARANTINE, SEEKING JUSTICE, THE FACTORY, GONE, THE DEVIL'S HAND, THE ENEMY WITHIN [TV], DEXTER: NEW BLOOD [TV]) is 42.
Jennifer shares a December birthday with her GONE alumni, Amanda Seyfried.
Writer, Actor, Director Adam Gierasch (ASYLUM, SPIDERS, CROCODILE, PANIC, DERAILED, RATS, TOOLBOX MURDERS, THE HOLLOW, MORTUARY, MOTHER OF TEARS, AUTOPSY, ROMAN, RED SANDS, NIGHT OF THE DEMONS, FERTILE GROUND, FRACTURED, BIG ASS SPIDER!, EXTREMITY, HE KNOWS YOUR EVERY MOVE, ISOLATION) is 60 or something.
Actor C. Thomas Howell (THE HITCHER, TREACHEROUS, DARK REFLECTION, PAYBACK, KINDRED: THE EMBRACED [TV], PURE DANGER, ASYLUM DAYS, NURSIE, NET GAMES, THE HITCHER II, THE LOST ANGEL, THE HILLSIDE STRANGLER, A KILLER WITHIN, H.G. WELL'S WAR OF THE WORLDS, GLASS TRAP, TOXIC, THE THIRST: BLOOD WAR, HOME INVASION, RESTITUTION, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, WEDDING DAY, MoniKa, THE DEVIL'S DOZEN, AN AMISH MURDER, BIGFOOT WARS, GRIMM [TV], THE SIN SEER, BLOOD LUST, ATTACK OF THE KILLER DONUTS, THE SHADOW PEOPLE, SICK PEOPLE, OUTCAST [TV], STICHERS [TV], THE PUNISHER [TV], BEAST MODE, THE WRONG PATH, THE WALKING DEAD [TV], and more) is 56.
Gives off a THE VOID / MIDSOMMAR vibe, if you ask me.
And -
EQUILIBRIUM is 21
Bob Weinstein at Dimension Films had the distribution right to it, but so soon after 9/11 he didn't know what to do with it. After all, the movie was about a rebellion against a Fascist Totalitarian dictatorship. Did audiences really want to see a movie where a Totalitarian Temptation was painted as a bad thing?
After all, we just want to end war! It's for the Greater Good!
What did parent company, The Walt Disney Company think? Perhaps someone suggested, "How about we just quietly release it to theaters with only the bare minimum contractual promotion?"
They went for that, the movie showed up on single screens, and Christian Bale's star power, so soon after AMERICAN PSYCHO, attracted a trickle that, thanks to Kurt Wimmer's screenplay and direction, by Christmas became a wave. By the time it hit home video, that wave of audience became a Tsunami for EQUILIBRIUM.
Plus -
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Visual Effects Artist Richard Edlund(THE MANITOU, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, THE CHINA SYNDROME, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, POLTERGEIST, GHOSTBUSTERS, FRIGHT NIGHT, 2010: THE YEAR WE MAKE CONTACT, POLTERGEIST II, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, THE MONSTER SQUAD, GHOST, ALIEN3, TALES FROM THE CRYPT: DEMON KNIGHT, SPECIES, THE STEPFORD WIVES [2004], ANAMORPH, BULLET TO THE HEAD) who is 83.
Actor Ryan Kennedy (CATEGORY 6: DAY OF DESTRUCTION, SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM, THE INVISIBLE, WHISTLER, OGRE [2008], STORM CELL, POISON IVY: THE SECRET SOCIETY, ICE TWISTERS, SUPER HYBRID, EMBRACE OF THE VAMPIRE, DEFIANCE [TV], FOR ALL MANKIND [TV]) is 41.
Actor Colin Salmon (TOMORROW NEVER DIES, IMMORTALITY, THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, RESIDENT EVIL, DIE ANOTHER DAY, THE STATEMENT, FREEZE FRAME, AVP: ALIEN VS PREDATOR, SEA OF SOULS [TV], HEX [TV], CREDO, PUNISHER: WAR ZONE, BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE, EXAM, ANNIHILATION EARTH, K, DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND, STALKER, MOVING TARGET, RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION, ARROW [TV], LONDON HAS FALLEN, KRYPTON [TV], MORTAL ENGINES, DEATHSTROKE KNIGHTS AND DRAGONS: THE MOVIE, ZONE 414, THE DEVIL'S LIGHT PREY FOR THE DEVIL, THE LAZARUS PROJECT [TV]) is 61.
Actor C.J. Thomason (TRANSFORMERS, HARPER'S ISLAND [TV], SUTURES, HUSK, THE MONKEY'S PAW, AFTERMATH) is 41.
Writer, Director Tommy Wirkola (DEAD SNOW, KURT JOSEF WAGLE OG LEGENDEN OM FJORDHEKSA, HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS, DEAD SNOW 2: RED VS DEAD, THE TRIP) is 44.
Audiences knew of FORBIDDEN PLANET, STAR TREK, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, space movies that took themselves seriously. Hell, even Star Wars largely took itself seriously. So they were unprepared for the madcap trip to Cosmic Crazytown that was the fun loving FLASH GORDON. Like many 1980s classics, this flick by the late Dino De Laurentiis developed a strong dedicated cult following which eventually became an ever expanding audience.
Actor Amy Acker (THE ACCIDENT, GROOM LAKE, ANGEL [TV], ALIAS [TV], A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE, DOLLHOUSE [TV], HAPPY TOWN [TV], THE CABIN IN THE WOODS, PERSON OF INTEREST [TV], THE GIFTED [TV], THE WATCHFUL EYE [TV]) is 47.
Actor Amara Zaragoza aka Tamara Feldman (HATCHET, PERFECT STRANGER, SOMETHING'S WRONG IN KANSAS, REZ BOMB, ECHELON CONSPIRACY, ALYCE, A WOMAN CALLED JOB, STRANGE ANGEL [TV], SHADOW WOLVES) is 43.
Amara shares a November Birthday with her HATCHET alumni, Tony Todd.
Writer, Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (INTACTO, 28 WEEKS LATER, INTRUDERS, PROTOTYPE) is 56.
Actor Lisa Marie (ED WOOD, MARS ATTACKS!, SLEEPY HOLLOW, PLANET OF THE APES [2001], SILENT NIGHT [2012], THE LORDS OF SALEM, WE ARE STILL HERE, TALES OF HALLOWEEN, DOMINION) is 56.
Actor Nick Stahl (DEAD RUN [TV], DISTURBING BEHAVIOR, TABOO, BOOKIES, TERMINATOR 3, CARNIVÁLE [TV], SIN CITY, QUID PRO QUO, THE CHAMELEON, KALAMITY, DEAD AWAKE, MIRRORS 2, ON THE INSIDE, THE SPEED OF THOUGHT, FEAR THE WALKING DEAD [TV], HUNTER HUNTER, WHAT JOSIAH SAW, DEAD IN THE WATER [TV], LET THE RIGHT ONE IN [TV]) is 44.
Look for his upcoming 2022, 2023, 2024 Thriller, WHAT YOU WISH FOR. Also in 2024, VIOLENT ENDS.
It would have been so easy for some untalented hacks who cared nothing for the potential of this myth, only for trying to make a quick cash grab off the rubes (like the jerk Producers of SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT did). We know how easy it would have been because a number of such movies all came out around the same time.
But this one is different. This one looks, sounds, and feels like the writers, producers, director, actors, SFX team, Production Designer, Art Director, and crew not only cared about making a good creative Horror movie, but they wanted to hit a home run for Horror fans.
I write and say this because the folks who brought us KRAMPUS, knocked this ball out of the park!
Writer, Producer, Director Mick Garris (CRITTERS 2, THE FLY II, SHE-WOLF OF LONDON [TV], PSYCHO IV: THE BEGINNING, SLEEPWALKERS, HOCUS POCUS, THE STAND [TV], THE SHINING [TV], QUICKSILVER HIGHWAY, HOST [1998], RIDING THE BULLET, DESPERATION, MASTERS OF HORROR [TV], Masters of Horror: VALERIE ON THE STAIRS, GHOST CAT, POST MORTEM [TV], FEAR ITSELF [TV], POST MORTEM [TV]) is 72.
Visit Mick at PostMortem Podcast.
Mick shares a birthday with Masters of Horror alumni, Tony Todd.
Look for Producer Mick Garris upcoming Thriller for 2023, GHOST CAT.
Writer, Director, Producer Álex de la Iglesia (ACCION MUTANTE, THE DAY OF THE BEAST, PERDITA DURANGO, MUERTOS DE RISA, LA COMMUNIDAD, THE PERFECT CRIME, 6 FILMS TO KEEP YOU AWAKE: THE BABY'S ROOM, THE OXFORD MURDERS, THE LAST CIRCUS, WITCHING AND BITCHING, EL BAR, VENECIAFRENIA) is 59.
Zombie Model and artist, Raven-MacLean (KITTEN KOFFIN ZOMBIES Calenda) is 48.
Look for her page at DeviantArt.
Writer and feoamante alumni Harry Shannon (BAD SEED, NIGHT OF THE BEAST, NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF, THE PRESSURE OF DARKNESS, and Book and Movie, DEAD AND GONE) is 75.
Check him out at Harry Shannon.com.
Actor Tony Todd (SLEEPWALK, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD [1990], VOODOO DAWN [1991], CANDYMAN [all], THE CROW, THEM [1996], SABOTAGE, STIR, WISHMASTER, SHADOW BUILDER, THE PANDORA PROJECT, FINAL DESTINATION [all], SILENCE, SCARECROW SLAYER, MURDER-SET-PIECES, HEART OF THE BEHOLDER, HOUSE OF GRIMM, CONTROL FACTOR, THE PROPHECY: FORSAKEN, SHADOW: DEAD RIOT, MINOTAUR, HATCHET, THE ABSCENCE OF LIGHT, THE EDEN FORMULA, Masters of Horror: VALERIE ON THE STAIRS, CHICAGO MASSACRE: RICHARD SPECK, SHADOW PUPPETS, iMURDERS, DARK REEL, BRYAN LOVES YOU, NITE TALES: THE MOVIE, BLOOD WARS, DEAD IN LOVE, VAMPIRE IN VEGAS, 24 [TV], PENANCE, TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN, THE GRAVES, SPLATTER [TV], THE QUIET ONES, JACK THE REAPER, CUT, BEG, SUSHI GIRL, TRANSFORMERS PRIME [TV], DEAD OF NITE, DISCIPLES, DUST OF WAR, ARMY OF THE DAMNED, SCREAM AT THE DEVIL, VANish, LIVE-EVIL, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: ORIGINS 3D, CANDY CORN, STOKER HILLS, CANDYMAN [2021], THE LOCKDOWN HAUNTINGS, REALM OF SHADOWS, INSIGHT, DESTINATION MARFA, THE CHANGED, THE REENACTMENT, HORROR NOIRE, NIGHT NIGHT, HELLBLAZERS, BITCH ASS, SPIDER-MAN 2 [VG], and more) is 69.
Look for Tony in the upcoming 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Horror Thriller REQUIEM. Also in 2022, 2023, 2024, 30 TO 45, THE OATH: OUTBREAK, THE BUNKER.
SUNDAY -
Actor Brendan Fraser (THE PASSION OF DARKLY NOON, GODS AND MONSTERS, THE MUMMY [1999], THE MUMMY RETURNS, JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE NIGHT, JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR, BREAKOUT [2013], CONDOR [TV], THE POISON ROSE, DOOM PATROL [TV], NO SUDDEN MOVE, BATGIRL) is 55.
Look for Brendan in the upcoming Thriller 2019, 2021, 2022 - Now changed from Thriller to Horror, 2023 - Now changed from Horror to SciFi, 2024, BEHIND THE CURTAIN OF NIGHT.
Actor Daryl Hannah (THE FURY, BLADE RUNNER, THE FINAL TERROR, HIGH SPIRITS, ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN, THE TIE THAT BINDS, THE GINGERBREAD MAN, ADDAMS FAMILY REUNION, REAR WINDOW [1998], HIDE AND SEEK aka CORD, DANCING AT THE BLUE IGUANA, FIRST TARGET, THE BIG EMPTY, KILL BILL 1 & 2, SILVER CITY, LOVE IS THE DRUG, FINAL DAYS OF PLANET EARTH, VICE, SHARK SWARM, THE CYCLE, DARK HONEYMOON, A CLOSED BOOK, BLIND REVENGE, ELDORADO, ZOMBIE NIGHT, AWAKEN [2015], SICILIAN VAMPIRE, SENSE8 [TV], THE AMERICAN CONNECTION) is 63.
Hannah shares a December birthday with KILL BILL alumni, Lucy Lui and Larry Bishop.
Actor Julianne Moore (sLAUGHTERHOUSE II, TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE, CAST A DEADLY SPELL, THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE, BODY OF EVIDENCE, THE FUGITIVE, SAFE, THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK, PSYCHO [1998], HANNIBAL, EVOLUTION, THE FORGOTTEN, FREEDOMLAND, CHILDREN OF MEN, NEXT, BLINDNESS, CHLOE, SHELTER, CARRIE [2013], NON-STOP, THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY Part 1 & 2, SEVENTH SON, KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE, THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW, LISEY'S STORY [TV]) who is 63.
Fear not, metal fans. His real name is not Ozzy so his birth name was never Oswald. Happy Birthday to
Musician Ozzy Osbourne (band BLACK SABBATH: Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath. OZZY: Blizzard of Ozz, Bark At The Moon, Ultimate Sin. Soundtracks: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, ZOMBIE JA KUMMITUSJUNA, HELLRAISER III, GHOST RIDER, IRON MAN, Actor: TRICK OR TREAT, GHOSTBUSTERS [2016], WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING) is 73.
Actor Amanda Seyfried (VERONICA MARS [TV], SOLSTICE, JENNIFER'S BODY, CHLOE, RED RIDING HOOD, IN TIME, GONE, TWIN PEAKS [TV - 2017], FIRST REFORMED, ANON, SCOOB, YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT, SCOOB!, THINGS HEARD AND SEEN) is 38.
SATURDAY -
Actor Alfred Enoch (HARRY POTTER [all]), TRUST ME [TV], HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER [TV], EXECUTIVE ORDER, THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GREY [2021], FOUNDATION [TV]) is 35.
Actor Lucy Lui (CITY OF INDUSTRY, FLYPAPER, PAYBACK, TRUE CRIME, BALLISTIC: Ecks vs. Sever, CYPHER, KILL BILL: Vol. 1, KILL BILL Vol. 2, RISE: BLOOD HUNTER, AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION, THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS, FUTUREWORLD, ELEMENTARY [TV], STRANGE WORLD) is 54.
Lucy shares a December birthday with fellow KILL BILL alumni, Larry Bishop.
Writer Ray Garton (Books: WARLOCK, INVADERS FROM MARS: A NOVEL, IN A DARK PLACE: THE STORY OF A TRUE HAUNTING, ALL THAT GLITTERS
[Sabrina the Teenage Witch Series #12], THE SECRET WORLD OF ALEX MACK, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: RAVANNA, LOT LIZARDS, ZOMBIE LOVE, SEX AND VIOLENCE IN HOLLYWOOD, and more) is 61.
Actor Keith Szarabajka (SIMON, WARNING SIGN, MEMORIES OF MANON, THE EQUALIZER [TV], 3X3 EYES [TV], Stephen King's GOLDEN YEARS, UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS, THE COLONY [TV], AAAHH!!! REAL MONSTERS [TV], GRIM FANDANGO [VG], ESCAPE FROM MONKEY ISLAND, MAX STEEL [TV], ANGEL [TV], GOTHIC 3 [VG], GUILD WARS: NIGHTFALL [VG], THE DARK KNIGHT, DEAD SPACE: DOWNFALL, DARKSIDERS [VG], MASS EFFECT 2 [VG], BIOSHOCK 2 [VG], COLD CASE [TV], TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON, BIOSHOCK 3 [VG], HALO 4 MOVIE, SUPERNATURAL [TV], ENCOUNTER, over 265 acting credits and more on the way!) is 71.
THE RETURN OF DOCTOR X Turns 84
Humphrey Bogart had a contract with Warner Bros., see? Yeah. But Bogart don't do no cornball Horror or Science Fiction movies, see?1 Those kind of movies are for Boris Karloff or Bela Lugosi. Those movies are for rubes, see? Bogie's a sophisticated intellectual, see? Bogie likes Thug Theater: Playing the mobster, the villain, the psycho, the monstrous killer.
Basically Bogart was the scary Horror in every villain he ever played and everybody from his fans to Studio Bosses to his actor collegues knew that - except Bogie. So when he found himself forced to play this role, Humphrey, being 40 years old at the time, threw the kind of high drama actor's petulent temper tantrum you'd expect of an UN-sophisticated, Anti-Intellectual. Finding no way to get out of is contractual obligations, he demanded more money.
Well that's one way to negotiate, I guess, but did it work? Whether or not the Warner Brothers gave Humphrey that bigger paycheck is a matter of anecdotes and opinion, but what he did have to do was play in THE RETURN OF DOCTOR X.
1Humphrey's turn as 'Rocks' Valentine in Warner Bros. 1938 THE AMAZING DR. CLITTERHOUSE*wasn't Horror or Science Fiction, see? Even if it was about mad scientist Dr. Clitterhouse (played by Edward G. Robinson)! That movie was... erm ... a Crime Drama! Yeah!
Universal Pictures had run out of ideas, which is bizarre in itself when you think of all of the monster movies that have come since.
How was it that none of the hundreds of screenwriters inspired to go in new directions with Universal Pictures stable of monsters had any good ideas?
They did. The problem was with the untalented, unvisionary studio stooge bosses who, with legal loopholes and chicanery, practically stole the studio from the world Carl Laemmle and family built. Universal Pictures went from exploring and taking chances to killing, stuffing, and mounting their franchise with Tried and True. For this began with HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN.
That said, the actor they got to play Frankenstein's Monster was certainly Strange.
And a Final Farewell to
Actor Treat Williams (FLASHPOINT, ECHOES IN THE DARKNESS, DEAD HEAT, VAULT OF HORROR I, IN THE SHADOW OF EVIL, MULHOLLAND FALLS, DEEP RISING, THE CIRCLE, SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET, VENOMOUS, THE CIRCLE, THE HIDEOUT, MASKERADE, EVE OF DESTRUCTION, and more) who died this year in June, but would have celebrated his 72nd birthday today.
E.C. McMullen Jr.
Author page at Amazon
(Amazon.com)
Listed at GoodReads
Internet Movie Database resume (IMDb.com),
Stage 32 listing (stage32.com),
Listed at Academia.edu and is a
19 year member of the San Diego Comic Convention (SDCC).
Wikipedia 1, 2, 3, 4 Starbucks Cup #118
E.C. McMullen Jr. / Feo Amante is quoted throughout the Internet and print as a resource on,
