|
 |
| FEO NEWS FOR SPRING 2024: - MARCH - The detritus of old Horror/Thriller history can be found here. These are archived news items, many of them linked outside of this website. |
GORGO is 62
I don't know how old that is in megafauna terms but this movie nearly holds its own against the original GODZILLA. Something that most Big Horror movies can't do including many Godzilla flicks! This is how GORGO wowed your grandparents! And - PANIC ROOM is 22
David's previous work was on ALIEN3, which few liked (and for good reason). His movie after that was SE7EN, which nearly everyone liked, but what he needed now, with his next movie, was to prove he wasn't a One Hit wonder. So if you've never seen this movie this is why you should: Actor Jodie Foster was already The Jodie Foster, but PANIC ROOM is where David Fincher became The David Fincher. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Trailer Drop: Prime 2nd Season of
And - PHANTASM Turns 45
This movie in acting, directing, editing, and more is as rough and unpolished as it gets. There is nothing developed and committee compromised, and all of the other professional major studio gloss to this one. No big city artistry here in expensive rigs, lighting, sight or sound. And yet, creator Don Coscarelli did the impossible. He somehow committed an actual nightmare to film. A movie that continues in your dreams to haunt and threaten you, for years to come. I've met so many people who told me they weren't scared the entire time they watched it, yet it came back in their memories to give them scariest nightmares they ever had. Crazier still: over the years when they least expect it, it returns in their dreams. Once you watch Don Coscarelli's masterpiece, it may haunt you for the rest of your life. This is the uncanny power of PHANTASM. But it's just a movie... Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer, Actor, Producer, Nick Frost (SPACED [TV], SHAUN OF THE DEAD, HOT FUZZ, GRINDHOUSE, HYPERDRIVE, ATTACK THE BLOCK, SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN [both], THE WORLD'S END, MONSTER FAMILY [both], TRUTH SEEKERS [TV], SCOOBY-DOO: THE SWORD AND THE SCOOB, THE NEVERS [TV], TIMESTALKER) is 52.
Author Page of James A. Moore. James A. Moore's Wikipedia entry. Garrett Peck's review of James A. Moore's FIREWORKS. And - MONSTERS VS ALIENS Turns 15
It doesn't have everything animation fans cherish in a Pixar movie, but it also doesn't have all of the fast aging, topical preachy trendy pop-culture see it coming a mile away jokes (well, okay, it has some) of a Dreamworks movie (which this is). Instead it has Illumination-style surprise, cheese, and cornball humor lightly varnished with the Dreamworks' brand Eu de fluvia. It's not great, but it's fun and you might even laugh out loud a few times. Even better, you can watch it more than once without muttering, "Why did I buy this shit?" like you've probably done so many times with various other Dreamwork animation. We know that Dreamworks can bring it when they want to, so why don't they want to do it more? You know, like they did with MONSTERS VS ALIENS? Plus - THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT Turns 15
Okay, just what the hell was going on in 2009 on March 27? Because theaters opened the weekend with MONSTERS VS ALIENS for the leedle kiddies and this movie for the older young'uns and the adults. Yet both were family monster movies! I enjoyed both, though I never understood the whole bit about identifying who is possessed by sitting at a table for a seance until someone suddenly pukes up a bedsheet. But that's only one of the mysteries in THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT. Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Nathan Fillion (DRACULA 2000, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER [TV], FIREFLY [TV], WATER'S EDGE, SERENITY, SLITHER, WHITE NOISE 2: THE LIGHT, DR. HORRIBLE'S SING-ALONG BLOG, SUPER, CASTLE [TV], PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, GRAVITY FALLS [TV], YAMASONG: MARCH OF THE HALLOWS, A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS [TV], THE VENTURE BROS. [TV], SANTA CLRIATA DIET [TV], THE SUICIDE SQUAD, BRIDGEWATER [Pod], RESIDENT ALIEN [TV]) is 53.
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Zack Snyder's SUCKER PUNCH Turns 13
Which makes it a freaking teenager! Dang ol' teenagers! But it's okay! Because Zack Snyder, who wrote the story, co-wrote screenplay, produced it with his wife and friends, and directed this movie, would later "fix it" with, not a Director's Cut, but an Extended Cut! Because, OMG! That was the problem, right? At ten minutes shy of 2 hours, it needed to Take More Time! It needed to be well OVER 2 hours, right? Then it would have been freaking awesome, right? 13 years ago I sat there in GD the theater watching SUCKER PUNCH. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Thriller, Suspense, and Mystery Writer, Lawrence Dagstine (ESPIONAGE FIRST, SPENER PRAGUE, DEATH OF THE COMMON WRITER, VISITATION RIGHTS, ALLEGIANCE TO ARMS) is 45. SUNDAY - THE HUMAN MONSTER Turns 84 or 85 Depending
On whether you live in England or the U.S.A. In any case, Bela Lugosi the actor is still talked about among Horror fans - and gets movies made about his life - because while forever considered the "Ultimate Dracula", he was no one-off actor. Unfortunately, Bela chose to let his one time shot as Dracula with Universal dominate and damage his life. Which is too bad because Bela died in poverty with a treasure chest of Horror movies that are every bit the equal of Universal Pictures DRACULA, even if they'll never have the Big Studio push that U.P. can afford. Bela just would not call it in no matter how low the budget. The man was Consumate! For example, from Edgar Wallace, the writer who created the original KING KONG, came this creeper of a feature, THE HUMAN MONSTER. BLOODSHOT Turns 4
Only four? What a cute little movie! And what a lost opportunity to be something awesome. That's how I feel about Vin Diesel's BLOODSHOT. SATURDAY -
Actor, Writer, Producer, Director Larry Fessenden (HABIT [1982], NO TELLING, HABIT [1995], WENDIGO, SESSION 9, THE LAST WINTER, DEPRAVED, BENEATH, ZOMBIE HONEYMOON, AUTOMATONS, SISTERS [2006], TRIGGER MAN, I SELL THE DEAD, BITTER FEAST, SATAN HATES YOU, STAKE LAND, HYPOTHERMIA, THE INNKEEPERS, STRAY BULLETS, LIKE ME, MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLAND, PSYCHOPATHS, THE RANGER, HEADSPACE, CABIN FEVER: SPRING FEVER, YOU'RE NEXT, HELLBENDERS, THE MIND'S EYE, NIGHT OF THE WOLF, THE TRANSFIGURATION, CLARA'S GHOST, JAKOB'S WIFE, and way more!) is 61. THE HUNGER GAMES Turns 12
This was a difficult sell to Science Fiction Horror fans as well as fans of Dystopian stories (and what a fun bunch THEY are!). All of us who are into what NYT Best Selling author, Suzanne Collins, was selling in her books and what Lionsgate was selling in their movie, felt that we'd already read it in Koushun Takami's brutal novel or seen it in the movie of the book, BATTLE ROYALE. The fact that this Battle would take place for basically the same reasons (suppress rebellious youth), but in a toned-down domesticated Hollywood glitzy cgi liberal future of happily blithe celebrities and excitedly indifferent journalists, all parroting the faux compassion that we saw in Roger Corman's DEATH RACE 2000, didn't compel many of us. However, I saw it and liked it. For a fact it was no BATTLE ROYALE, nowhere close, but this is what I enjoyed about THE HUNGER GAMES.
Starts Today in the USA -
They return, but they're rehashing the original. Please be good! Please be good! Please be good! And - FRIDAY THE 13th Part V: A NEW BEGINNING Is 39
That's right, this was the 5th in the franchise! The Fifth and it's nearly 40 years old! Nearly 40 years old and though there hasn't been a F13 movie in over 10 years, Jason is still going strong in our culture! Wow! So what did my inveterate FRIDAY THE 13th fan and movie reviewer, Ken "The Fan Behind the Mask" King think of FRIDAY THE 13th Part V: A NEW BEGINNING? Plus - BLADE II is XXII
Some of you may not have been alive when this movie came out. You've heard that it's awesome, but you've yet to discover why. This is why you should see BLADE II. Also - US Turns 5
Fans who watched the Key and Peele show never saw an episode go by where there wasn't a vignette or three that deconstructed a facet of Hollywood tropes. Whether it was the progression of the villain in movies, narrative TV or Reality TV, Key and Peele would bring the cliches with hilarious and sometimes even chilling results: proving that the cliches still had power even when you could see behind their curtain. No wonder at all then, that Jordan Peele was able to tap into that in all the ways we grew up watching, to deliver the mystery, shocks, scares, and wonder in US. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
The new trailer for the sequel to my beloved classic, BEETLEJUICE! And - MAD MAX is 44
The first time I saw this movie was in an Arthouse theater while waiting for midnight and THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (and yes, more than a few of my stories start that way). I was knocked on my ass! No Car movie was ever like this. Not even my then beloved VANISHING POINT (I have many beloved movies). Since that time, creator George Miller, with sequel after sequel, has never let me down. But though they are all great, there is only one MAD MAX. Plus - DREAMCATCHER is Old Enough to Drink
"You just don't understand Stephen King!" I was told by an SK fan when, after reading King's novel, I found it to be among his weakest work. It happens. When you're as prolific as King they can't all be winners. We all have good days and bad days, but the fan made the point that I didn't understand King. Which is nuts! You don't get to be the best selling Horror writer on earth, and maintain that reputation for half a century, by writing prose that's difficult for people to grasp. King has always been an outstanding communicator, among the most easily accessible. So when the movie came out I went out to see it like the SK fan I am, and... well, the book was better for what that's worth. The same SK fan who said I couldn't "get" SK praised the movie to the skies as well. Why, if it doesn't sweep the Oscars, something's wrong! Then Stephen King came forward to impugn the movie and the self-certified "genius" fan could only sit down and shut up. As for me, I smugly smiled in schadenfreude at the shaded shit-head. Because of my view, I didn't want to review either the book or movie, but I had two reviewers who did and this is the movie review of DREAMCATCHER. Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
THE OMEN 3: THE FINAL CONFLICT is 43
Filming wrapped on this, the second sequel to 20th Century Fox's wildly successful THE OMEN, in 1979. So why was it released in 1981? With THE OMEN they hired Richard Donner, who worked in the trenches of episodic TV for over a decade, scratching by and getting nowhere. He took command of Harvey Bernard and 20th Century Fox's big budget feature and made it a box office hit! Then, proving it was no fluke, his next project, 1977's Superman, was a box office smash! Now Donner was too busy to return for the sequel. Well, we got lucky with Richard and amazing movie directors don't grow on TV trees. Let's hire a successful feature film director like Mike Hodges (THE TERMINAL MAN)! Mike took Fox over schedule and so, overbudget. Mike left over his expensive artistic differences and Fox, in their desperation, found Don Taylor (ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES, THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU [1977]), who promised to hurry up and deliver the movie within budget and time contraints. DAMIEN: OMEN 2 wasn't exactly a hit, but it didn't lose money or damage the franchise. Feeling they needed to get a tighter grip on THE OMEN property, they wanted a nobody director with little output: one they could control. Who they wound up with, they didn't want, but Producer Harvey Bernard owned the movie rights to the property while Fox only owned distribution rights, and Harvey wanted obscure nobody Graham Baker (who would go on to direct ALIEN NATION). In 1979 the note pushing suits sat in the dark and watched the result of their ideas and... were appalled. Is this our fault? No, it must be Bernie's fault! Over the course of the next nearly two years of limbo, they chose to remove OMEN from the title and finally release it in 1981 as, THE FINAL CONFLICT. Also, in some foreign markets, it was distributed as a sequel to ROSEMARY'S BABY. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
DAWN OF THE DEAD Turns 20
By 2004 George A. Romero's DEAD trilogy was more than canon, it was the template by which all subsequent zombie movies adhered, nearly to the letter. And yet, then Troma famous writer, James Gunn (SLITHER), looking to fend off the stain of being the Scooby-Doo live action movie writer, took a monologue from Ben in the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and expanded on it. "...a big gasoline truck came screaming right across the road! There must've been ten, fifteen of those things chasing after it, grabbing and holding on." Gunn used that for a movie that had zombies that wouldn't slowly walk or crawl toward you, but run at breakneck speed as if they felt no pain or exhaustion. Romero didn't like it and made it clear in interview after interview that he'd forgotten that part of his movie that put him on the map. But George did co-write it, he did shoot it, and he never challenged it for the decades before 2004 when the world saw the way that Zack Snyder directed what James Gunn wrote. It's now nearly 20 years later and DAWN OF THE DEAD [2004], remains the only worthy remake or sequel of the original trilogy. This is why. And - REPO MEN Turns 14
What if you were a Monty Python fan and you wanted to make a dystopian Terry Gilliam/Python-esque movie (Like Terry himself made with BRAZIL)? It's 2003, you have the unpublished novel, and you work on the screenplay. The wheels turn slow for newbies but, by Cthulhu, come 2010 you've got your A-List actors and your movie release! Only then do you realize that your distributor doesn't get what the movie is about and doesn't know how to sell it. So Universal released what appears to be trailers that encapsulate the whole story, Beginning to End, in 3 minutes. Even if there might be a twist ending, who is going to pay theater prices for a 30 second denouement before end credits? That's kind of how it went for the folks who made REPO MEN.
114 Years Ago Today the Creature Came To Life On Screen: FRANKENSTEIN
Watch the restored version of FRANKENSTEIN at Feo Amante Theater. And - THE RING 2 is 19
Dreamworks/Paramount had a full, layered, and deep backstory both from the novel and the many Japanese sequels that expanded the world of Sadako / Samara (U.S.). Would Dreamworks make the superior sequel to their hit or would they go full Hollywood and crank out a paint by numbers sequel in a cynical grab for those first weekend box office receipts? This is the direction they chose with THE RING 2. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Lily Collins (PRIEST, ABDUCTION, MIRROR MIRROR, THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES, EXTREMELY WICKED SHOCKINGLY EVIL AND VILE, INHERITANCE, WINDFALL) is 35. SUNDAY -
By E.C. McMullen Jr. FINAL DESTINATION Turns 24! This Horror classic ushered in the new millennium with a smart style, concept, and of all things, the ultimate unseen killer: Death itself! E.C. McMullen Jr. takes you back to the cinema and how the original SCREAM generation reacted to the first ever nationwide theatrical showing of FINAL DESTINATION! V FOR VENDETTA Turns 18
What V FOR VENDETTA, the Alan Moore comic was: a protest against Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. However, Magaret Thatcher ended her role as Prime Minister of ENgland in 1990. The comic wasn't and couldn't be what V FOR VENDETTA the 2006 movie was. And originally the movie was supposed to be a heavy handed protest against President George W. Bush - except in England. And in the distant future. Which makes no sense. So Warner Bros. took it away from the then Warchowski Bros., re-edited the movie and added or re-shot some scenes, causing a long delay in release. But did this make the movie version of V FOR VENDETTA better? SATURDAY -
Actor Tara Buck (TRUE BLOOD [TV], THE LIFE ZONE, TOMORROW YOU'RE GONE, THE NIGHT VISITOR, AT THE DEVIL'S DOOR, NOISE IN THE MIDDLE) is 49. 45 Years of TOURIST TRAP
45 years: Never a Remake. Never a Sequel. Never an Equal. This is why TOURIST TRAP is one of the best Horror movies ever made. RAVENOUS Turns 25
Cannibal zombies, Cannibal primitive tribes, Cannibal criminals hiding in plain sight. What about just Cannibals as a pronoun? Someone may not have been born a cannibal but feels as though they are a Cannibal and that has to be respected. Because only food wouldn't accept cannibalism and who cares what your food thinks? This movie came out back in 1999, takes place in the century before that, and if it wasn't for the dark humor, it likely would have made Horror fans even more uncomfortable. Mike Bracken The Horror Geek, saw it in the theater lo these many moons ago and this is his take on RAVENOUS.
FORBIDDEN PLANET is 68
I watch this and I see a Nayfack movie that compells me, but one that was flawed even for its time, and I'm not only talking about it being nearly half exposition. "Here is where the Krells would come to to play a game remarkably similar to our Bowling. Their extraordinary skill at ball handling was millions of years in advance of our own. They accomplished this stunning achievement through the use of..." GAH! It's flaws grow larger with age, and if it was at all possible to make things right without adding more wrong, this is a story that could be ageless. Of course, some folks already think FORBIDDEN PLANET is ageless. And - RESIDENT EVIL is 22
There came a point in the genesis of this movie where George A. Romero, who'd been attached throughout its long gestation, left the project, not wanting to have anything to do with it: At all. That's when the guy who apparently didn't want to direct it, Writer and Producer, Paul W.S. Anderson, found he wasn't able to get anyone else on such short notice. Nearly everyone on this picture was hired, waiting, Production was about to begin, the money clock was ticking and spending, and a quick, cheap, nobody director would need investor approval. So, not wanting to but needing to get this movie made under contractual obligations, Paul directed it himself. This was the result with 2002's RESIDENT EVIL. Plus - TERRIFIER Turns 6 (or maybe 8?)
Aw...! It's still jest a cute li'l Bay-bee! Have you resisted this movie because you've heard about "that" scene and you're not sure if you can "handle" it? Sucks to be you! This is how Ken King, the Fan Behind the Mask, reacted to TERRIFIER. Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
THE PROPHECY 3 is 24
With this movie, actor Christopher Walken was able to wrap up his three picture deal in a nice, bright, packag-Jah! He left the franchise which continued to stumble on without him or another two pictures. If he ever had anything bad to say about the movies I'm unaware of it. I'm also unaware of Christopher having anything good to say about THE PROPHECY 3: THE ASCENT. And - WILLARD is Old Enough for his Inheritance
Did you read the bestseller, RATMAN'S NOTEBOOKS? No? Did you see the first WILLARD movie from 1971? No? Well in the 2003 remake, actor Crispin Glover (FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER, ALICE IN WONDERLAND [2010]), who handles comedy and sinister with equal aplomb, brought on the full force of alienating creepiness, as only he can turn on whenever he wants to. Holy Crap! This is why Glover IS WILLARD! Plus - DOOMSDAY Turns 16
If you ever wanted to escape Back to New York, if you were ever Mad for Max, and you didn't want to wait 28 Days Later for it to happen, this is a Neil Marshall (DOG SOLDIERS, THE DESCENT) movie you are going to want to see but quick. That's the opinion of reviewer Bishop Bettini and I can vouch for DOOMSDAY. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN Turns 82
1942 and Horror movie icon, Boris Karloff turned in his Frankenstein creature flat top. Gone forever was the gaunt, towering, death come to life, monster that he portrayed. Universal Pictures, under a new and confused management that wanted Monster Movie money without the stain of making monster movies, brought in Long Chaney Jr. Junior's old man did Horror, Junior did Horror, and who was going to tell the difference between a wasted, sunken cheeked creature and one built like a 2 years after retirement pro football linebacker? Plus, it had Bela Lugosi as Igor!* More to the point, who cared? Not the new owners who practically stole Universal Pictures from the Laemmle family after their own Junior acquired a seriously bad loan to make a picture. Early 20th Century Universal Pictures has so many grim lessons to teach modern filmmakers. THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (now the name of the creature itself) may have run on fumes, but they were powerful enough to represent Mary Shelly Wollstone's monster in our cultureal zietgiest nearly a century later. *It also had Cedric Hardwicke and Lionel Atwill, who were monster movie masters back then, lending a gravitas touch of sophisticated theater acting to these otherwise Young Adult movies much the same way Christopher Lee did to Count Dooku or Peter Cushing did for Grand Moff Tarkin or Alec Guinness with Obi-Wan Kenobi, or... And - THE EVIL DEAD II is 37
Though Sam Raimi still attempts to have you believe otherwise, this is not a sequel. Ash comes upon the cabin in the woods for the first time, he's not returning to it for a second time. If anything the story was changed from a serious Horror movie to a cornball comedy satirizing itself just enough to be a remake, or a reboot, or a reimaginging. You can believe what you like, but since this movie is old enough to be your Father, let's get past all that and treat EVIL DEAD II as a seqboot remock! Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN Turns 53
There are a lot of science fiction movies out there, but extremely few that get the science right. Author Michael Crichton (JURASSIC PARK) was a scientist, as well as a genius, and like other Scientists who were also fiction writers, from Robert A. Heinlein (STARSHIP TROOPERS) to Arthur C. Clarke (2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY) to Isaac Asimov (I, ROBOT), Michael was a stickler for hard science: for reality when faced with the fantastic or unbelievable. When you have a Science Fiction story that sticks to that reality, it sets up the roadblocks that creates suspense and drama that need never occur in any other form of storytelling. No Dues ex machina of the Supernatural, Wizards, Spirits, Angels, or Gods will step in at the last second to save you. So here we are over a half century later and this movie repeatedly makes lists as one of the most intense, suspenseful movies ever made in the history of cinema. The History of Cinema! And yet in 1971 it was rated G! In its era, the 1970s was also known as the "Me Generation" and that significantly-sized herd of self-medicating narcissists went on to raise a generation of wusses. Even four years later in 1975 JAWS was rated only PG. So Michael Crichton (THE TERMINAL MAN) and Director Robert Wise (THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL [1951]) were on the same page and they wanted this movie to grab the audience by the throat. Which meant no distractions: like everyone angrily F-bombing each other like cable Teevee drug-addled street addicts. No side-trips into romance or navel gazing over who in the group might like you. No, in this movie the clock is ticking and the people who are going to save us all have no time for bullshit. As in movies like COLOSSUS, if these scientists can't solve this crisis and quick, we'll all die from THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN. And - Charles Band's PARASITE Turns 42
What can be said about this movie that hasn't already been said? Besides the fact that it stars Demi Moore and was released in 3D? Besides the fact that she was such a nobody when this came out that Charles Band kept her off the poster? Or the fact that when she became a somebody years later, Chuck put her on the DVD cover. In fact, she was the only person or thing on the DVD cover who/that is actually in the movie. If you're wondering whether or not you should see it, then for what it's worth, this is my take on 1982's PARASITE 3D. Plus - DEMONIC TOYS Turns 32
Few bad Horror movies age into classics. That doesn't mean they don't have their fans. It's just that their fans would rather watch the movie stream free than pay for it. What does that mean? Movies that fans won't pay to see is what a Producer or Director or Agent calls "Interesting". In its own way through just the right skew of the eye and cock of the head, DEMONIC TOYS is Interesting. Also - RESIDENT EVIL Turns 22
I dunno. Maybe somebody cursed March 12? Because George A. Romero was going to direct this and he dropped out. So instead as I sat there in the theater, hoping for the best, I got Paul W.S. Anderson as a director. As it turns out, he got Milla Jovovich as his lead and wife. I wound up watching his movie, RESIDENT EVIL. Read on to see who got the better deal! Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Jaimie Alexander (THE OTHER SIDE, REST STOP, HALLOWED GROUND, KYLE XY [TV], THOR, INTERSECTIONS, THOR: THE DARK WORLD, BLIND SPOT [TV], BROKEN VOWS, LONDON FIELDS, THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER, THE MINUTE YOU WAKE UP DEAD) is 40.
After 70 Years GODZILLA WINS OSCAR!
On March 10, 2024, the Gojira franchise won its first Academy Award! Continued at, GODZILLA MINUS ONE. And - THX 1138 is 53
Star Wars fans are used to seeing this title in everything George Lucas does, and I don't mean just his theater sound system. Here's a look into the movie behind the title THX 1138. Plus - OUTPOST is 16
There's a subset of Horror movies and that's Zombie. There's a subset of that and it's Cannibal Killer Zombie. But there's even a subset of that and it's called Cannibal Killer Nazi Zombie. And that's where the OUTPOST franchise came in. Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor David Anders (ALIAS [TV], THE SOURCE, CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION [TV], CHARMED [TV], LEFT IN DARKNESS, REVENANT, CHILDREN OF THE CORN [TV - 2009], 24 [TV], HEROES [TV], THE VAMPIRE DIARIES [TV], ONCE UPON A TIME [TV], 24 [TV], iZOMBIE [TV]) is 42. SUNDAY -
Ever since IT CHAPTER TWO, today's birthday girl has become the IT girl for Horror! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to THE CHURCH is 34
Hang on! This movie was co-wrote by Franco Ferrini (PHENOMENA), Michele Soavi (DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE), and Dario Argento (THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMMAGE)? Damn! I'll take it! It was Produced by Dario Argento (INFERNO) and Directed by Michele Soavi (CEMETERY MAN)? I said I'll take it! It stars Asia Argento (THE STENDHAL SYNDROME)? Hey you MF! Stop F'n teasing me and give me the GD movie already! That's kinda how I am with some Horror movies like THE CHURCH. DAWN OF THE DEAD is 20
The fast running zombies that George A. Romero could only write about and have Ben describe to the others in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, was shot in stunning full color apocalyptic fury by Zack Snyder and happens in the first ten minutes of his and James Gunn's remake. I was lucky to have Zack Snyder show that ten minute clip to me and a small roomful of others at a convention, back when most folks never heard of Zack Snyder and he needed Guillermo Del Toro to introduce him. Can you believe that Universal Pictures were going to release DAWN OF THE DEAD Direct to Video? THE HILLS HAVE EYES is 18
I was there, at the 2006 Hollywood premiere! As blind luck would have it, I rode the car park elevator alone with practical SFX grandmaster, Greg Nicotero (DAY OF THE DEAD, FROM BEYOND, PREDATOR, ARMY OF DARKNESS, IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS, FROM DUSK TILL DAWN, SCREAM, THE NIGHT FLIER, MEN IN BLACK, THE FACULTY, HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, THE CELL, KILL BILL, SIN CITY, PLANET TERROR, MIRRORS, THE WALKING DEAD [TV], way more!). We had met and attended the same parties more than a few times over the years at that point, but when you're in Greg's line of business, you meet So! Many! Damn! People! Every single day, so I wasn't miffed that he didn't remember me. In fact, pity the poor bastard that, out of the tons of new people he must meet every week, he kept running into me! We went our separate ways at floor level, I got in the special line reserved exclusively for general audience, and while I chatted with my fellow Horror geeks we saw actor Michael Berryman (DEADLY BLESSING, THE DEVIL'S REJECTS, PENNY DREADFUL, way more!) cut the line - as Pluto has every right to do. A young security guard blocked him and we fans were immediately incensed. "Hey! That's Michael Berryman! You can't block Pluto!" we shouted, the whole line sharing the alarm. Someone with a bigger wig rushed forward and guided Michael inside. He turned and waved to us all for our help. And of course, we cheered like the Mutants we are. So that put me in a good mood for watching the reboot that night and this is what I thought of THE HILLS HAVE EYES - 2006. KONG: SKULL ISLAND is 8
In the original KING KONG, they were all sailing on their merry way to Skull Island! Then KING KONG 1976 came out and they were all sailing and sniping on their misbegotten way to a mysterious cloud covered island with the most racist "woke" hero you ever saw. Then KING KONG 2005 came out and they were all forced by circumstance to go and probably die on a godforsaken island of genetically damaged inbreds. But at least they filled the hour or so of sea travel with tedious conversations of sophomore philosophy. If the next reboot was going to avoid being even worse, it had to stop pandering to the inherent sexism and racism of the latest celebrity and Ivy League activist trend and embrace what the original KING KONG was all about! And did it ever! This is the tale of how the wildly popular new KING KONG - GODZILLA franchise was born right under the noses of Disney's once thriving MCU and Amateur Hour Star Wars re-Moot. It all began with KONG: SKULL ISLAND. SATURDAY -
Horror Writer Stuart Neild (A HAUNTED MAN, SPRING HEELED JACK AWAKES, TALES TO UNNERVE AND DISTURB, THE FIRST GHOST TOWN, GIANT KILLER EELS, SHOOT) is 55. CHILDREN OF THE CORN Turns 40
Not my thing. Not my thing at all. Maybe it's your thing, but this is why CHILDREN OF THE CORN (1984) is not my thing. 300 Turns 18
If I wasn't already a Zack Snyder fan with DAWN OF THE DEAD (2004), I damn sure became one with Zack's 300. The wildest ride in the theater since I saw THE MATRIX in theaters in 1999, was the whooping and hollering that the audience got into with this movie in 2006. They went bananas for 300 and this is why.
Latest Video Drop:
And - IMAGINARY Hits Theaters Today
Will you Bear the Fright tonight? Plus - DAMSEL Hits Netflix Today
Judging by the trailer, everything about this movie shouts, "Theatrical Experience!", yet it gets released to Netflix. Oh well. I guess Netflix didn't trust the SFX. Even in 740p that dragon looks cgi as all hell. Just because it IS cgi doesn't mean it should LOOK cgi. Seriously! We've had realistic cgi since at least AVATAR! And that was way back in 2009! Software and hardware have all advanced in the last 15 Freaking Years! What's with that dragon? Anyway, DAMSEL stars Millie Bobby Brown (STRANGER THINGS [TV], GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS) at her pluckiest and Robin Wright (UNBREAKABLE, BLADE RUNNER 2049) at her villainous-iest! Also - TALES FROM THE CRYPT Is 52
The old Educational Comics Code (E.C.) TALES FROM THE CRYPT, born in 1950, could not stay buried. At 73 years old in its original form, this isn't your parents or grandparents comicbook movie. This is your Great-grandparents comic book and your grandparent's Horror movie, with all of the grim grins you discovered from everything that came after. Not only the old and still popular HBO TALES FROM THE CRYPT, but even R.L. Stine's Goosebumps, which took its cues from TFtC and gave them a bump. Marvel comics struggled so long to adapt their titles before they found their winning formula (which, amazingly enough, was a stricter adherence to the old comics and not dryhumping the latest windy trendy to blow through the heads of the studio experts). TFtC never struggled to find an audience in cinema or TV. This is how TALES FROM THE CRYPT hit the ground running with a 1970s Me Generation full of rebellion and contempt for the 1950s. Wassmor - HELLRAISER: BLOODLINE Is 28
It surprises no Horror fan to read or hear that Horror movies are the profitable red-headed step child of the Hollywood studios. Clive Barker's HELLRAISER found its cult theater audience, gained more traction in home video, and could have easily grown their audience with subsequent sequels. But such is the Hollywood culture of that era that suits only sought to butcher their golden goose instead of thrive on it. After all, Studio heads are a revolving door job. And the value of what you ushered in will be remembered for crashing and burning when you leave. Some have the mindset that, as they move to their next job, it pays to have the movies that were profitable under you, fail without you. Or such appears to be said mindset. I could be wrong. Maybe the studio bosses just had no imagination or creativity at all. It certainly feels like one of those two when watching the first Alan Smithee sequel in the Hellraiser franchise. Yet, there's an audience for everything, even formulaic cut & paste assembled by committee. Since we're already talking about HELLRAISER: BLOODLINE... Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
THE LAST MAN ON EARTH Turns 60
After over half a century, Horror fans remain divided over this movie. New audiences watching it for the first time are no exception. They either think its a dull dragged out slog, or find it a compelling slow burn that builds to a powerful punch of an ending. Considering that nearly the entire movie rests on the shoulders of a single actor, THE LAST MAN ON EARTH remains a testament to the riveting character command of Vincent Price. And - ANGEL HEART is 36
When it comes to slow burn creepiness I can't think of any movie that beats this one. The only misstep is a corny special effect applied at the wrong time when the actor was already commanding the threat of the moment. Other than that, this is why ANGEL HEART is classic Scary Horror. Plus - WATCHMEN is 15
The task was called impossible. Warner Bros. developed for years trying to bring Alan Moore's comic to the big screen. It was a comic book. Every panel drawn by Dave Gibbons. It was practically a storyboard! The only impossible thing about making a movie of it was accepting all of the changes WB wanted to make, and make it a better story at the same time. All of the changes the Memo Suits wanted were all garbage and they knew it. When Writer Alan Moore got wind of it he wanted nothing to do with it, broke ties with Warner owned DC comics forever, and sued to have his name removed (it was, eventually). Zack Snyder was brought on board and the only way the WB could do that was give him relatively free reign with this movie and make pie in the sky promises. Which, in fact, they followed through upon. Which all means that THE WATCHMEN we got in 2009 is as good as it will ever look. Wassmor - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
80 Years of FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN
And it wasn't a cordial meeting either! This was no polite introduction over drinks at a party. There was no, "Oh, how do you do?" and "Charmed, I'm sure!" No, this was all ARGH! GRR! ROAR! and "YOUR MOTHER!" Yet, for a Universal Pictures sequel at that time in their history, FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN is surprisingly good and this why. And - 70 Years of CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON
Like many movie franchise monsters (FRANKENSTEIN, GODZILLA, HALLOWEEN, FRIDAY THE 13th), more than one actor played the Creature in its run. Ricou Browning played the Creature in the water in all three movies and Ben Chapman played the Creature on land in the first one. Ricou paid the rent and put food on the table by being the creator and writer of the popular Flipper movies and TV shows. In case you hadn't already guessed, the Creature also inspired Director Guillermo Del Toro (MIMIC, THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, BLADE II, HELLBOY, PAN'S LABYRINTH) when he made THE SHAPE OF WATER. Del Toro's "creature" was actor Doug Jones (HELLBOY, UNIVERSAL DEAD, PAN'S LABYRINTH). While Creature Feature fans wait for an amazing reboot, this is what created the enduring legacy of THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. Plus - 14 Years of ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Whew! If any story could could find a home in Tim Burton's wheelhouse, it had to be this one. Although this is a third and different nearly Lewis Carroll tale of what happened after all of the adventures Through The Looking Glass and in ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
RINGU Turns 26
This movie has reached the age where you're not a kid anymore and you're closing in on 30 so get your act together! The masterful novel by Author Kôji Sozuki (HONOGURAI MIZU NO SOKO KARA aka DARK WATER, JU-ON aka THE GRUDGE) has always had its act together. Made as a TV and movie franchise in Japan, it launched franchise remakes in other countries from the U.S. to South Korea. Its become at least two Video Games and its powerful influence still echoes in non-Sozuki work ranging from 2013's EVIL DEAD to 2022's SMILE. This is the frightening magic of 1998's RINGU. And - THE BATMAN is in its Terrible 2s
This baby hasn't had a chance to have any history yet, but this is what I thought of 2022's THE BATMAN. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer / Director / Producer, Paul W.S. Anderson (MORTAL KOMBAT, EVENT HORIZON, RESIDENT EVIL, RESIDENT EVIL 2, ALIEN VS PREDATOR, RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION, DEATH RACE, PANDORUM, DEATH RACE 2, RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION, DEATH RACE INFERNO, RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER, DEATH RACE 4: BEYOND ANARCHY, MONSTER HUNTER) is 59. SUNDAY -
Actor Jessica Biel (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE [2003], CELLULAR, BLADE: TRINITY, STEALTH, THE ILLUSIONIST, NEXT, THE A-TEAM, THE TALL MAN, TOTAL RECALL [2012], HITCHCOCK, EMANUEL AND THE TRUTH ABOUT FISHES, LIMETOWN [TV], CANDY [TV]) is 42. Audition Turns 25
For me, this is the movie where Director Takashi Miike gained enough critical mass in the U.S. that when I spoke of him, other people recognized the name. It drove me crazy that nearly every poster and every trailer was full of spoilers. So while you can find those online, this is why you shouldn't before you see AUDITION. ULTRAVIOLET Turns 18
This Milla Jovovich starring role was... Was... in a very Milla Jovovich movie: ULTRAVIOLET. SATURDAY -
Actor Ingrid Bolsø Berdal (COLD PREY, CODENAME HUNTER, COLD PREY 2, BETRAYAL [2009], CHERNOBYL DIARIES, THE ABCs OF DEATH, ESCAPE [2012], HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS, WESTWORLD [TV], WITCH HUNT [TV], BLASTED, THE SEED [TV]) is 45.
Magnet Releases AMELIA'S CHILDREN Today
And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
|
| FEO'S BRAGGADOCIO | ||||||||
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 |
NEWS? |
FAIR USE - |