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| FEO NEWS FOR SPRING 2024: - MAY - The detritus of old Horror/Thriller history can be found here. These are archived news items, many of them linked outside of this website. |
THE ARRIVAL Turns 28
Writer and Director David Twohy (PITCH BLACK, IMPOSTOR, BELOW, THE PERFECT GETAWAY) has spent his career bubbling just below the surface of "Breakout". He's written and directed some good movies, with some great moments, but as of this date, no great movies. That said, there's always just enough about his stories to keep you coming back and THE ARRIVAL is no exception. And - THE SUM OF ALL FEARS is 22
In his life, Tom Clancy had a huge following for his best selling novels. Novels so minutely accurate to the intricacies of real world governments and their various weapons programs and technology, that the CIA and NSA found themselves both intimidated by and attracted to his fiction. But as often happens, once you gain an expertise on a subject, there will be those who are peddling a narrative that won't like your facts and they won't like your freely speaking about them. But in life, Tom was so huge that everything that had his touch turned to gold. Not just his novels, but when he turned his attention to making the most realistic Video War Games anyone had ever seen, those too became bestsellers. Holy shit how Hollywood wanted a piece of that action! And it worked! One Tom Clancy movie after the next was a hit: I'm talking world-wide market hit. Unfortunately, the actors in Tom Clancy movies would catch such flack from their peers that they'd back off making any more. Which is why, during Paramount Pictures run of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan movies, the titular character is played by a different actor every time. Further, every actor who played Jack would, at some point, badmouth Tom Clancy and so their role. This is what happened when Harrison Ford left the franchise with SUM OF ALL FEARS. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr. Nearly all of his crime movies have a Science Fiction or Supernatural element or, in some cases, a borderland of cryptozoology that exists between Science and Supernatural - whether by intent or extraordinary circumstance. So without further ado, a Happy Birthday welcome to Actor Colin Farrell (THE WAR ZONE, MINORITY REPORT, PHONE BOOTH, THE RECRUIT, DAREDEVIL, TRIAGE, ONDINE, FRIGHT NIGHT, TOTAL RECALL [2012], WINTER'S TALE, THE LOBSTER, TRUE DETECTIVE [TV], SOLACE, FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM, THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER, THE BEGUILED, LEGEND OF CAMBRIA [TV], THE GENTLEMEN, ARTEMIS FOWL, AVA, VOYAGERS, AFTER YANG, THE NORTH WATER [TV], THE BATMAN, THIRTEEN LIVES) is 47.
WRONG TURN Can Legally Drink
Let's say you were a big fan of Tobe Hooper's THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE or Wes Craven's THE HILLS HAVE EYES. You've been a fan so long you dreamed up your own story of cannibal rednecks that you feel is just different enough to be welcomed by Horror fans. Are you right? The only way to be sure is to put it all on the line and find out for yourself. Practical SFX artist, Stan Winston, who won an Emmy for his creature creations in GARGOYLES, won an Oscar for his creations in TERMINATOR 2, won a 2nd Oscar for his creations in JURASSIC PARK, and created the Hockey Mask for Jason in FRIDAY THE 13th 3D (was rewarded for his years in the franchise by being left uncredited), Produced and Created the inbred rednecks for WRONG TURN. It would be his last Slasher movie. And - THE STRANGERS Turn 16
Horror writer Monica J. O'Rourke (SUFFER THE FLESH, Editor of DECADENCE ONE, DECADENCE TWO) wrote the movie review for THE STRANGERS way back in 2008. But did she like it? Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
DEAD & BURIED is 43
Melody Anderson's very next movie after FLASH GORDON was this. Before Robert Englund was in this movie, he was Buck in Tobe Hooper's EATEN ALIVE. The same year Robert was in this movie he was also in GALAXY OF TERROR and he was on the cusp of becoming his lifelong alter ego, Freddy Kruger in A NIGHTMARE ON ELMSTREET. Before Lisa Blount was in John Carpenter's PRINCE OF DARKNESS, she was in this movie. Practical make-up artist, Stan Winston (TERMINATOR, ALIENS, PREDATOR), after nearly ten years in the business and plenty of uncredited jobs in movies from BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES to FRIDAY THE 13th Part 2, was finally starting his own SFX house and getting top billing in a major (if not big) studio production written by the top writers of the day. And while everyone else was walking into their careers and even cinema history? Well, for the big name stars in this flick were all walking out. Jack Albertson would die the year of this movie's release. It was James Farentino and Jack Albertson's only Horror movie. In retrospect, it was an open career door for those entering and exiting the stage. But how good was Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusetts' first major motion picture after ALIEN. Read DEAD & BURIED. And - DRAG ME TO HELL Turns 15
Americano brothers, Sam and Ivan Raimi, made their movie to fullfill a contract with Lionsgate. Up to 2009, Raimi's Ghosthouse company gave Direct to Video titles of other people's movies to Lionsgate, and saved what the Raimi's felt was the good stuff, their stuff, with their Ghosthouse "shingle" at Columbia / TriStar Pictures for theatrical release. But in 2008 it was time to pay the piper, so the Raimi's pulled one of their old scripts out (written right after ARMY OF DARKNESS), and produced this theatrical release through Lionsgate. Yet the nature of contracts is "all demons have their devils" and Lionsgate had to allow their associates in the United Kingdom to get first release two days before the U.S.A. In 2009 I was in Hollywood, and this is how I saw DRAG ME TO HELL. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Justin Chon (HACK!, THE TWILIGHT SAGA [all], DETENTION OF THE DEAD, INNOCENT BLOOD [2013], LIKE LAMBS, SATANIC, DEAD TRIGGER, DECEPTION [TV]) is 43.
HAPPY ROLAND EMMERICH DAY! THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR Turns 25
Columbia Pictures was putting them up against Warner Bros. highly anticipated THE MATRIX - which wound up opening a month earlier and dominating the world. Could a Roland Emmerich movie, fresh off of the disaster of Roland's GODZILLA, compete? The movie was already finished, the money already spent, the screen and release slots at the theaters already fixed. This is what happened upon release of THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR. And - THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW Turns 20
Roland Emmerich Wrote, Produced, and Directed this movie, based largely on Michael Oppenheimer (Environmental Defense Fund) and Robert H. Boyle (Sports Illustrated)'s DEAD HEAT and Al Gore's movie, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH. DEAD HEAT was entirely based on Oppenheimer and Boyle's understanding of the Dr. James Hansen (Goddard Institute for Space Studies) computer models of the era, for which Dr. Hansen enthusiastically praised the book. AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH was entirely based on Gore's understanding of Dr. Hansen Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) computer model theories, for which Hansen apologized (for Gore's misrepresenting Hansen's work, not the work itself). Roland, true to character, never got Al Gore far. Whether by not understanding or not caring, Emmerich only came by either book and movie as filtered through the novel, The Coming Global Superstorm, by UFO conspiracy theorists, Art Bell and Whitley Strieber. This is why you are likely to enjoy Emmerich's failure at grade-school science, THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Laura Bailey (DRAGON BALL [TV, VG, everything!], DEVIL SUMMONER: SOUL HACKERS [VG], BLUE GENDER [TV], BLOODRAYNE [VG], SPIRAL: BONDS OF REASONING [TV], DUES EX: INVISIBLE WAR [VG], GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE, FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST [TV], GENESIS OF AQUARION [TV], MONSTER [TV - 2004 - 2010], MR. BROOKS, EVANGELION: 1.0, UNDERBELLY, VAMPIRE KNIGHT [TV], RESIDENT EVIL: DEGENERATION, DUSK, FROM THE DARK, DREAMKILLER [VG], IRON MAN [TV 2010], MONSTER HIGH: SCREAM BUILDING, X-MEN [TV - 2011], HELLSING ULTIMATE [TV], SPIDER-MAN [TV - 2017], and so much more! With 456 credits, Laura is likely the most recognizable voice you've heard in every anime you've ever seen and game you've ever played!) is 43.
KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE Turns 37
The Chiodo Brothers worked on everyone else's movies, often finding themselves on par with Jim Henson's HA and occasionally surpassing the abilities of Disney itself. But that was the thing, you see? They were always recreating someone else's creation. Creating animatronic Henson creations, suits and puppetry for Eastman and Laird's TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, CRITTERS, and so on. And sure, that brings in the money, but why not make a movie showcasing their own practical effect creations? From such a desire, Killer Klowns From Outer Space was born. And - X3: THE LAST STAND is 18
It was the second sequel of a surprise hit first movie and bigger surprise of the hit first sequel. It was also a Marvel property under control of 20th Century Fox and they wanted to wrest control of the franchise away from the folks who made it a hit (the folks they hire to do the job). So out with the director, let's kill off plenty of the X-MEN and how about we get Brett Ratner (Rush Hour) to direct? With a record setting blockbuster first week opening (to no one's surprise), Director Brett Ratner took full credit, crowing over how he'd even beaten Steven Spielberg's first weekend record (his mentor). But the movie took a nose down in its second week and went into free fall, leaving Brett stuck with that too. Fan anticipation of all future X-MEN movies would never peak as high as they did in the months leading up to X3. From then to the present, Brett never had another big opening weekend that came anywhere close to X3 THE LAST STAND and he never directed another Marvel movie for any studio again. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer Joseph D'Lacey (MEAT, THE GARBAGE MAN, BLOOD FUGUE, THE KILL CREW, BLACK FEATHERS, ROAD KILL, SPLINTERS, WEED) says he's 102 but I think he doesn't look a day over 103. SUNDAY -
Actor Helena Bonham Carter (FRANKENSTEIN, FIGHT CLUB, PLANET OF THE APES [2001], WALLACE & GROMIT IN THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT, CORPSE BRIDE, HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, SWEENEY TODD, TERMINATOR: SALVATION, HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS Part 1, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS Part 2, DARK SHADOWS, ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, THE DARK CRYSTAL: THE AGE OF RESISTANCE [TV], ENOLA HOLMES [all], THE HOUSE) is 58. BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES is 54
Back in 1970, Charlton Heston (THE OMEGA MAN, SOYLENT GREEN) wanted out. Of making any more THE PLANET OF THE APES movies, that is. The studios bosses pushing it were daft as a brush, but they also had Heston under contract. Okay, he'd make it under one condition. That condition caused THE PLANET OF THE APES franchise to retconn and each movie was so much worse than the one before. And of all things, this became 20th Century Fox's corporate culture for the rest of its existence. The dumpster fire of making shitty sequels at Fox seems to have begun with BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES. SATURDAY -
Actor Zazie Beets (GEOSTORM, DEADPOOL 2, SLICE, WOUNDS, THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY, SEBERG, JOKER, LUCY IN THE SKY, NINE DAYS, STILL HERE, INVINCIBLE [TV], BULLET) is 32. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END be 17
According to Johnny Depp, Tim Burton's old alma mater, Disney, was paying Johnny "Stupid Money" for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN franchise. And who could blame them? Johnny was the gold egg-laying goose for that franchise. Disney struggled for years to make hit movies based on their theme park rides and this was the only one that struck gold. Again and Again! Johnny hit 40 the year THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL became a box office smash. With the success of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST, Johnny used that stupid money to invest in all of his vices. He bought an island, bought thousands of dollars of wine a week: he was living the indulgent, vice-ridden life of Friedrich Engels! It seemed like nothing could derail the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN franchise. If Johnny did something unsavory in real life? Well hell, that just makes his pirate character all the more relevant! Yes, we all know about the damn divorce! But that epic disaster was unknown and unpredictable when PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END set sail in 2007.
THE EXECUTION Goes Live in the U.S., May 28
And - DAWN OF THE DEAD is 45
There are so many times, too many times, the audience was blown away by the first movie and comes back for the sequel, all giddy and excited. The house lights go down and you hear the whole audience go "Wooo!" as they settle into watching the further adventures of their latest favorite. At the end of the movie, the people in line for the next show see the "Bleh" expressions as the audience coming out of the theater somberly move past like dejected zombies (and is there anything sadder than a dejected zombie?). But hey! I know of at least one first sequel movie that blew its audience away! They came out of the theater jumping and talking and the line of people waiting for the next show saw this and their anticipation level shot through the roof! OMG this is going to be a great movie! Holy Shit! Hurry! Hurry! And apparently that's how it was for the 1978 audience who went to see George A. Romero and Dario Argento's DAWN OF THE DEAD. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
THE SHINING is 43
This was the movie that spelled disaster, and could have ended, Stanley Kubrick's career. At least in the U.S. Changing the script nearly every day, Stanley had no idea what he was doing, was trying everything, was satisfied with little to none of it, and took his anger out on his lead actors and many of his crew. The movie went over budget and over schedule and by the time Warner Bros. suits finally stepped in and made Stanley stop, he threw up his hands, signed off for the editor to do what he could, and ran back to England to make his next movie as fast as possible, before the release of this one could kill his career. Warner Bros. released it, it tanked so badly that WB pulled it from the theaters, and the blood in the water was Stanley's. Here is the inane tale of And - THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK Turns 27
John Michael Crichton, best-selling author. Everybody wanted to play in Michael's sandbox including Steven Spielberg. Steven is renown for bringing a kind of cinema magic to movies that few can match. Throughout his career, however, he can rarely do it twice in a row, and just as rarely tries. But hey, LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK had the drive of Michael's original sequel novel behind it! So how did it turn out? Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
ALIEN³ is 22
Internet was in its infancy and few had so much as Compuserve (and if you don't know what that is, don't worry about it). The fans believed they were getting a new ALIEN movie and, so far, each one got better. Although at that point, there'd only been one sequel and 20th Century Fox had no idea where to go next. What the ALIEN audience didn't know is that the people who owned the property, the stewards guiding the franchise, hadn't clue one as to what the audience wanted or where the movie could go. This became painfully obvious when audiences first saw ALIEN³. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Camren Bicondova (GIRL HOUSE, GOTHAM [TV], GOTHAM STORIES [TV]) is 22.
GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN is 69
GOJIRA was a huge hit and the money didn't stop coming. While Director Ishiro Honda was busy with sales and trying to get it into the U.S. market, Toho Pictures rushed to deliver a second Gojira move for their newborn fans. What Toho got was what they asked for: A rush job. Yet it could have been so much worse, and Hollywood proved it by... by... ugh! Just read about 1955's GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN. And - THE GREEN SLIME is 56
The same year that MGM released Stanley Kubrick's epic and awe inspiring 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, the studio also brought audiences, THE GREEN SLIME! The contrast between the two could not be starker. Plus - MAD MAX: THE ROAD WARRIOR Turns 42
From time to time a movie comes along that defines its genre like no other movie can. James Bond defined the Spy movie. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD defined the Zombie Horror movie,. Star Wars defined the Space Opera. ALIEN defined the Evil Aliens Horror genre. THE TERMINATOR defined the Killer robot genre. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK defined the Adventure movie, and John Wick defined the Mob movie, Assassin movie, and Revenge genre all at once - stealing the crown from a few previous definers from the past. What all of those movies had in common was that they all came from the Northern hemisphere. Yet down in the middle of nowhere on the island continent of Australia, 35 year old Writer, Producer, and Director, George Miller and his crew - on the smallest of shoe string budgets - made the cinema franchise that defined the road movie. But just like all movies that define their genre, the first movie, still racing around the world for attention, needed that hit second movie to solidify its legacy. MAD MAX2: THE ROAD WARRIOR gave it all the horsepower it needed! Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Fairuza Balk (DECEPTIONS, RETURN TO OZ, DISCOVERY, DEADLY INTENTIONS... AGAIN?, THE DANGER OF LOVE: THE CAROLYN WARMUS STORY, MURDER IN THE HEARTLAND, TOLLBOOTH, THE CRAFT, THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU, AMERICAN PERFEKT, GRINDSTONE ROAD, ORPHEUS, WHAT IS IT?, Masters of Horror: PICK ME UP, DOSE OF REALITY, AUGUST FALLS, TRESPASSERS, THE CRAFT: LEGACY) is 50.
GODZILLA (1998) Turns 26
Yet it's still not a classic after all of these years. But why? Weren't there worse Godzillas throughout the decades? Oh, hell yeah! And in the U.S. they went straight to TV! However, when you make a slew of promises that this time will be different; when you swear that this will be the ultimate GODZILLA; when you want people to spend their time and money at the theater, you don't get to pull a bait switch and puke an over-priced, late night, Asylum Picture in their lap. You have to deliver the pricey theatrical experience you're promising and charging for. So why isn't this movie forgiven and allowed to become a classic after a quarter of a century? Oh, we'll tell you why! GODZILLA fans and filmmakers everywhere, this is where the audience is right and the makers of GODZILLA (1998) were wrong. And - THE VIRGIN SUICIDES Turns 24
I've a strong lean into the idea that Director Sofia Copolla found more inspiration in the work of Richard Linklater's Slacker than she did in the work of her Pop. I'm willing to argue that 2000's THE VIRGIN SUICIDES had as much to do with the short-lived "Mumblecore" experimental cinema that began in 2005, as Linklater's 1990s work. Plus - THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES Turns 13
Director Gore Verbinski left the franchise he created after DEAD MAN'S CHEST and, despite his best effort, Rob Marshall dropped the ball with AT WORLD'S END and talk began about ending the series at three. But Disney was strongly attached to the franchise, was certain they could save it and, besides, it was now their most popular ride at their theme parks. Like Barbossa and Sparrow, they had to resurrect the series and Rob was already contracted for a second movie. Could Rob Skipper the franchise he nearly scuttled? This is what happened with THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES. Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer Adam-Troy Castro (LOST IN BOOTH NINE, SPIDER-MAN: THE GATHERING OF THE SINISTER SIX, SPIDER-MAN: REVENGE OF THE SINISTER SIX, SPIDER-MAN: THE SECRET OF THE SINISTER SIX, EMISSARIES FROM THE DEAD [Andrea Cort Series], THE SHALLOW END OF THE POOL) is 64. SUNDAY -
Actor Drew Fuller (VOODOO ACADEMY, ANGELS DON'T SLEEP HERE, VAMPIRE CLAN, CHARMED [TV], NUMBERED WITH THE DEAD, 911 NIGHTMARE, TEST PATTERN) who is 41. ALIEN COVENANT Turns 7
There was a time when fans were begging to have Ridley Scott back in the director's chair for the ALIEN franchise. After decades of Producer created crap from ALIEN³ to ALIEN RESURRECTION, how could it get any worse? ALIEN fans had no idea that Ridley would go the way of George Lucas and George A. Romero with the very franchises that created their careers. But Scott did with PROMETHEUS. Then with ALIEN COVENANT, he sunk ever deeper into the depths. SATURDAY - THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES Turns 53
In retrospect, Vincent Price's acting career seems indestructible and THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES is one of the reasons why.
SHE-WOLF OF LONDON Turns 78
From the start, this movie was made to be a low budget B-Movie, shot entirely on Universal's studio lot, a Western town facade built for shitkickers but fogged and re-lighted at night to pass for London, then distributed to theaters as a double-feature. But film was not only costly, it was finicky, unstable: it needed careful guidance throughout the process from factory to shoot to develop, and entire reels could wind up not quite right, or poorly shot in the first place (Fire that damn cinematographer! Or camera loader! Or delivery boy! Or Somebody!). If the studio heads could have only imagined what a Long Life this movie would have, they may not have overlooked the One Big SPOILER issue with SHE-WOLF OF LONDON. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
INVISIBLE INVADERS are Ready for Social Security!
Everybody has their scary monsters. What the monsters can do outweighs what the monster is or looks like. CHILD'S PLAY Chucky is just a Good Guy until he goes full blown homicidal. For many people, the scariest monster is the killer you can't see, because there's no way to know when its there: When It Is Near! That's the secret sauce of some of cinema's scariest Horror movies from THE INVISIBLE MAN to FORBIDDEN PLANET to FINAL DESTINATION. But it also worked in INVISIBLE INVADERS. And - THE MATRIX RELOADED can Legally Drink
In 2003, the excitement for the first THE MATRIX sequel felt like a rescue. George Lucas let fans down with his Phantom Menace, but the (then) Warchowski Bros. would set the blockbuster year off right! They won't let us down! Genre movies are going to be fun again! Hell, by 2003 it seemed as if nearly every MATRIX fan on earth was chattering about the many directions the first MATRIX sequel could go and all the new coolness we'll probably see! Then we packed the theaters for a massive opening weekend, the lights went down, and this is what we saw, watching THE MATRIX RELOADED. Plus - MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Turns 9
George Miller was back behind the wheel of his most famous and awesome franchise. He brought along Hugh Keyes-Byrne, as Toe-Cutter in the promos but as Immortan Joe in the movie. But there was a new actor playing Max and, unlike the plethora of actors playing James Bond through the many decades, actor Tom Hardy was justifiably concerned. He didn't want his career to wind up scorched as the George Lazenby of Max. That was just one of the problems George Miller had to contend with while going through the Herculean effort of making MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Director/Producer Rob Bowman (WEREWOLF [TV - 1987], DARK SHADOWS [TV - 1991], THE X-FILES [TV], REIGN OF FIRE, ELEKTRA, NIGHT STALKER [TV-2005], NIGHTMARES AND DREAMSCAPES: From The Stories of Stephen King [2006], CASTLE) is 64.
Arrow Video Shoots PANDEMONIUM to May 27
French Macabre Horror Movie, PANDEMONIUM played the major genre film festivals and now comes to VOD, SVOD, TVOD, Apple, and Prime this May 27. Written and Directed by Quarxx (ALL THE GODS IN THE SKY), it stars Hugo Dillion (MORTEL [TV], THE FIVE DEVILS) and Arben Bajraktaraj (HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, TAKEN). And - CONAN THE BARBARIAN Turns 42
Italian movie Producer, Dino De Laurentiis was already impressed with Arnold Schwarzenegger as someone who could fill the sandals of Robert E. Howard's heroic anti-hero, Conan. But musclebound weightlifters grafted into movies and TV shows where they couldn't act had many box office bombings and few box office flights. Arnold stood apart because he was taking acting lessons and wanted to be good at it. Arnold was so serious about it, that he impressed fellow actors Max von Sydow and James Earl Jones, who both gave him lessons on the set during downtime while shooting CONAN THE BARBARIAN. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor, Director Danny Huston (THE HUMAN FACTOR, MISTER CORBETT'S GHOST, THE MADDENING, SUSAN'S PLAN, 21 GRAMS, SILVER CITY, BIRTH, THE CONSTANT GARDENER, CHILDREN OF MEN, FADE TO BLACK, THE NUMBER 23, THE KINGDOM, 30 DAYS OF NIGHT, X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, EDGE OF DARKNESS, CLASH OF THE TITANS, THE WARRIOR'S WAY, A MONSTER IN PARIS, WRATH OF THE TITANS, MAGIC CITY [TV], HITCHCOCK, TIGERS, JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE FLASHPOINT PARADOX, AMERICAN HORROR STORY [TV], PRESSURE, FRANKENSTEIN [2015], PARANOID [TV], IO, ANGEL HAS FALLEN, MARLOWE, CONSECRATION) is 62.
WEREWOLF OF LONDON Turns 88
Universal Picture's first Werewolf. They went for a fuzzy Science Fiction angle over superstition and, while this dapper Werewolf is never seen drinking Pina Coladas down at Trader Vic's, his hair is indeed, Perfect! WEREWOLF OF LONDON again. And - Today marks 47 Years of THE CAR
The George Barris design is why its a classic and the concept is why its ripe for remake: THE CAR. Plus - FRIDAY THE 13th: Part VII - THE NEW BLOOD is 36
As the entire franchise aims only to hack and slash in one movie after the next, forever looping, it leaves a lot of Horror, Thriller, and genuine creepy as hell scares on the table. We cover the storyline often visually hinted at but never explored in screenwriter Ken "The Fan Behind The Mask" King's review of FRIDAY THE 13th Part VII: THE NEW BLOOD. Also - It's Been 30 Years Since THE CROW
Because of the tragic killing on set of Brandon Lee, the screenplay needed a doctor. It had to be fixed. Changes needed to be made. Otherwise, Miramax would have to count it a loss and no one would ever see Lee's last movie. But what they did have was gold. Brandon loved the script and loved his role. So they re-wrote James O'Barr's story with his blessing. Brandon had become his friend during the time leading up to production and during it. O'Barr's story was a cathartic journey through hell for a real life personal tragedy involving the woman he loved. With Lee's death on set, he had to go through it all over again. The subsequent sequels made it all worse. Now they're talking remake and fans of the original aren't happy about it, as you'd expect. But those fans of the movie never saw O'Barr's original story. Between a thoroughly reworked script and the final edit that had to put it all together and make sense of everything, O'Barr's masterwork became something else. So before we boo remake, let's remember 1994's original THE CROW. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor, Producer, Director, Editor Bryan Coyne (SILENT NIGHT ZOMBIE NIGHT, HE, THE BLACK BOX, ORGY OF THE DAMNED, THE HUMAN RACE, INFERNAL, BAD APPLES) is 62 or something. SUNDAY -
Actor Stephen Baldwin (BITTER HARVEST, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, DEAD WEEKEND, MR. MURDER, SCARRED CITY, X CHANGE, DEAD AWAKE, SPIDER'S WEB, SHELTER ISLAND, FALLACY, BOUND BY LIES, DARK STORM, THE GENIUS CLUB, SHARK IN VENICE, SHOOT THE DUKE, LET THE GAME BEGIN, MISSION: THE PROPHET, 2047: SIGHTS OF DEATH, MAGI, BLOOD PAGEANT, NOVA VITA [TV]) is 57. SATURDAY -
Actor Thomas Downey (HITTERS, JOLLY ROGER: MASSACRE AT CUTTER'S COVE, H.G. WELLS WAR OF THE WORLDS [2005], FRANKENSTEIN REBORN, THE BEAST OF BRAY ROAD, SHAPESHIFTER, KING OF THE LOST WORLD, EXORCISM: THE POSSESSION OF GAIL BOWERS, HILLSIDE CANNIBALS, DRACULA'S CURSE, TRANSMORPHERS, PARANORMAL INCIDENT, MIRROR IMAGE, 616: PARANORMAL INCIDENT, AXE GIANT: THE WRATH OF PAUL BUNYAN, SORORITY PARTY MASSACRE, ZEDD, THE BURNING DEAD, BETHANY, #CAPTURED, ZOMBIE, DARK IMAGE, DOLLS, ZOMBIE [2019], BEAST MODE, BLACK NOISE) is 55. 28 WEEKS LATER Turns 17
28 MONTHS LATER is in pre-production with original creator, Danny Boyle, back in the Director's chair. Once in a Murder Moon, the third movie in a Horror franchise is known to save the trilogy if the first sequel nearly killed it (THE OMEN III, A NIGHTMARE ON ELMSTREET 3, THE EXORCIST III, PHANTASM III, not many). More often than not, however, it's the third movie that's usually the final nail in the franchise, or at best, an oblique shift to any further movies in the franchise (CHILD'S PLAY 3 - last of the "Child's Play" titles) or at worst, the urine soaked passage to Direct to Home Video (AMITYVILLE 3D, HELLRAISER 3, CANDYMAN 3, HOUSE 3, THE CROW: SALVATION). Still, after all of these years, Danny hasn't given up on a second sequel to his most profitable franchise, turning that ship around to former glory! But maybe he shouldn't give up after we saw, 28 WEEKS LATER.
Boris Karloff's BEDLAM Turns 78
Is a picture really worth a thousand words? Artist William Hogarth's painting of Bedlam, Plate 8: "A Rake's Progress" was the inspiration used by screenwriters Carlos Keith and Mark Robson. Robson was Producer Val Lewton's goto guy for directing as well as writing. In 1946, while Bela Lugosi's career was sliding, Boris Karloff, thanks in part to his association with the wildly popular Val Lewton, was rising. With Lewton, Boris made respectable Horror for discerning adults. But how many people do you know who have ever heard of Val Lewton today? And how many do you know who have ever heard of what is considered one of Val Lewton and Boris Karloff's best, BEDLAM? And - Neil Marshall's DOG SOLDIERS is 22
If you don't know, this movie is either a Werewolf story involving soldiers, or a Soldier story involving werewolves. One of the best things (among many) about it, is its economy of story that lends itself to the audience's suspension of disbelief. Like the moment where the soldiers are confronted with the impossible idea of being surrounded by werewolves. They may have the guns and ammunition to fight their way out and live another day, but then Megan says, "If this is true then what else is true? You'll never have another good night's sleep as long as you live." This is the brutal beauty of DOG SOLDIERS. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
SOYLENT GREEN Turns 51 in the U.S.A.
The fact that political dystopian science fiction books and movies miss their date of expiration never means that their warning is obsolete. George Orwell's 1984 forever hangs over our heads and the very people who espouse a Big Brother government are often the same ones irritably telling us to ignore that "Orwell stuff". This movie's due date was 2022. Are the lessons of SOYLENT GREEN also outdated? And - FRIDAY THE 13th Is 43
Sean S. Cunningham saw John Carpenter's success with HALLOWEEN and he really wanted a piece of that! God, how he wanted to copy John Carpenter! Sean's movie would also have teens having sex and being stalked and butchered by a knife wielding killer. He didn't have a mask idea in mind so, you'd only see the killer's big hairy hands, see? Now he just needed a holiday. No good Holidays worth his time (Arbor Day Massacre? Surely you jest!) but lots of people are superstitious about the number 13 and ... and ... Friday the 13th! Well there you go! With this in mind he commissioned a movie poster, then put that sucker in a newspaper ad. Paramount Pictures took the bait. Now all Sean needed was a script! A FRIDAY THE 13th script that would haunt Sean for ... A Very Long Time... 43 years to be exact. Plus - THE FIFTH ELEMENT Turns 27
27 Years! Can you believe I saw this movie in the same year I launched this website? ...Yes, I'm that old. Shut yer f*ckin' piehole! Anyway, it's a SciFi Action Thriller, not Science Fiction and by that I mean FLASH GORDON comic book-style Space Opera over hardcore Science Fiction like FORBIDDEN PLANET, 2001, ALIEN, or John Carpenter's THE THING. This is why THE FIFTH ELEMENT is such fun! Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
THE CORPSE VANISHES Turns 82
Look, let's not quibble, shall we? I don't like quibbling and I like quarreling and arguing even less. The fact is you could remake this movie with a bigger budget and better script but since it won't have Bela Lugosi to carry the weight, you'll be spinning your wheels and losing money by the minute. On the other hand, if you've never seen it and you love old Bela, you're going to be entertained when THE CORPSE VANISHES. And - J.J. Abrams "Kelvin Timeline" STAR TREK Turns 15
The stewards of Star Trek TNG the TV show were poor stewards of the Star Trek TNG movie franchise and it slowly slid into ignominy as the actors went onto better careers or fan conventions. No, Paramount felt what the movie really needed was a guy who successfully made his mark in television shows that started hot and prematurely fizzled out. Paramount needed someone like J.J.Abrams who openly didn't like Star Trek because he couldn't understand it: it was over his head. And because he couldn't understand it, what was the point of making a movie that a massive world-wide fanbase could understand?
So, Abrams wanted to play to the lowest common denominator: A small slice of movie audience who didn't like Star Trek but might like the franchise he was selling because he dumbed it down. The desperate Star Trek fans were a bunch of rubes who only understood lame-brain science stuff, so they'd turn out en mass and maybe even convince themselves they enjoyed it (like I did. Mea culpa)! At first. Which meant they could get two, maybe three movies out of the way before audiences turned their backs on it. That's why the studio bean counters gave their cynical greenlight to J.J. Abrams STAR TREK. Yet Star Trek fans were happy with his first one and it made the most money. So naturally Abrams didn't like it. If he made Trekkies happy, he did something wrong. Abrams would go on to fall in love with the diminishing box office returns of his Star Trek sequels. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Nora Arnezeder (LES DUEX MONDES, MANIAC [2012], ZOO [TV], IN THE CLOUD, ORIGIN [TV], BERSERK, FARAWAY EYES, RIVIERA [TV], THE COLONY, ARMY OF THE DEAD, THAT COLD DEAD LOOK IN YOUR EYES) is 35.
May is Mummy Month THE MUMMY is 25
Universal Pictures decided it was high time they relaunched their Monsters that put them on the map in the first place and remains their most recognized calling card (Monsters remain to Universal Pictures what a rodent remains to Disney World). Actually, it had been "high-time" for some time but Universal was looking for the right director for way too much time. They'd already attached and detached Joe Dante, Clive Barker, and George A. Romero. Wes Craven was offered the job but didn't jump. Disney Director, Stephen Sommer, did so well with 1994's live action Jungle Book that the mouse let him direct a Horror movie he wrote called Tentacle, through their Hollywood Pictures appendage. Before it hit the screens as DEEP RISING, word was getting out that this would be both a fun and scary ride. And word was getting out a lot because Disney kept cutting the budget (We can't get Harrison Ford? Cut the budget! Jim Carrey isn't replacing Ford? Cut it some more!) which contributed to a longer, not shorter, production schedule. So when Stephen mentioned in passing that he'd love to take on the famous Universal Mummy Monster franchise, UP sat up and took notice. Once DEEP RISING made fat profit, despite playing in theaters against James Cameron's box office gigantic TITANIC, there was no going back on Stephen Sommers THE MUMMY. And - May is Marvel Month IRON MAN 2 is 14
Stan Lee and Marvel Productions couldn't afford to do the standard knee-jerk crap sequel. The only way to support Stan's vision of an MCU was to make each sequel better than the preceding movie. It didn't get to have a lower budget, cheaper writers and directors and run off opening weekend fumes as it crawled to its trilogy disc pack and faded from memory. It had to rock! So this is what happened with IRON MAN 2. Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Carrie Henn (ALIENS, THUNDER ISLAND) is 47.
Author E.C. McMullen Jr., creator of Feo Amante's Horror Thriller, found getting his short stories published in mags and anthos was great at first. Then, after years of this, he realized his stories were spread out everywhere in limited magazine runs and their availability vanished over time, lost to any readers who would look. Even worse was his life being wasted on glacial response from publishers even when eventually accepted! This despite the fact that his stories often received critical acclaim time and again. PERPETUAL BULLET is his collection of previously published shorts plus a few bonuses. Available in a new Special Edition Hardcover, Paperback, and Kindle now! And - INSANE LIKE ME gets a June 4 VOD / Digital Release
Plus - BLACK SABBATH Turns 62
Yes, this is the movie that legendary musician and Boris Karloff fan, Tony Iommi, chose to name his new band after. That's right, the band that launched the career of Ozzy Osbourne. The band that introduced Stan Lee's Marvel comics IRON MAN movie and the MCU to the world with Black Sabbath playing their hit, Iron Man.
And yes, the same Mario Bava whose movies stylistically, in both design and story, heavily influenced everything from STAR TREK (TOS) to ALIEN to FRIDAY THE 13th and who knows what else? When it comes to modern Horror and Heavily Metal, there is a falling domino line from Mario Bava to the present, making him, if not the father, then at least the Godfather of it all. And that all began about 60 years ago with BLACK SABBATH. Also - PHANTASM III Turns 30
The ball was back and so was a cheer from the Phans when a grown-up A. Michael Baldwin returned to play his character Mike (PHANTASM, PHANTASM IV) in PHANTASM III: Lord Of The Dead. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer Nancy Kilpatrick (THE VAMPIRE STORIES OF NANCY KILPATRICK, THE GOTH BIBLE, ETERNAL CITY, POWER OF THE BLOODWORLD series, BLOOD LOVER, EVOLVE: VAMPIRE STORIES OF THE NEW UNDEAD) is 63 or something. SUNDAY -
Actor John Rhys-Davies (SPHINX, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, WAXWORK, THE LOST WORLD, THE UNAMEABLE II, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, CHUPACABRA TERROR, TAINTED LOVE, ANACONDA 3, ANACONDA 4, 31 NORTH 62 EAST, FEROCIOUS PLANET, MEDIUM RAW: NIGHT OF THE WOLF, FEROCIOUS PLANET, ESCAPE, 100 DEGREES BELOW ZERO, PRISONERS OF THE SUN, TIME LAPSE [2014], AUX, AQUAMAN, G-LOC, THE GATES, over 270 movies and TV episodes in all!) is 79. SATURDAY -
Actor Nicholas Hamilton (STRANGERLAND, THE DARK TOWER, IT [2017], IT: CHAPTER 2, ENDLESS, GEN V) is 23. May Is Mummy Month THE MUMMY RETURNS is 23
Aw man! It was great to see the fun cast together again! And The Rock was at his prime and he was going to be... The Scorpion King (we had no idea but it sounded cool and we were there for it!). What a great movie! All building up to the appearance of the Scorpion King! Then... we saw it, and that utterly changed the direction of THE MUMMY RETURNS. May Is Marvel Month SPIDER-MAN 3 is 17
There could have been many more SPIDER-MAN movies with the Sam Raimi cast. Unfortunately the only actor who got out of it unscathed was J.K. Simmons. My first watch was pure geek giddiness. But some movies cannot withstand repeated viewings and that's what happened with most of us who saw SPIDER-MAN 3.
May Is Marvel Month SPIDER-MAN is 22
It was 2001! Hot Marvel movies like BLADE opened the door to Box office gold and X-MEN laid the foundation. It was no fluke! A BLADE sequel was in the works and a Horror director was signed on. An X-MEN sequel was in the works and it began with a Horror director! Columbia Pictures was ready to release their own Marvel superhero property and it too was directed by a Horror director! One who already proved himself in the Superhero realm with DARK MAN! Then on September 9, 2001, a day that changed the world for the worse put the brakes on Sam Raimi and Marvel Studios' ascent. It would be a new year before Columbia Picture's SPIDER-MAN would be released. And - IRON MAN 3 is 11 Years Old
How to put this? By 2013 the MCU was off and running. CAPTAIN AMERICA was a hit. THE AVENGERS were a bigger hit. It was as if Paramount had found the secret formula (which they did) for making Superhero movies that were basically legal machines for printing money. And whatever box office the movie made in theaters, that would be doubled or more in home video. Then came the second sequel. In hindsight, some point to Disney buying out Paramount's Marvel properties of THE AVENGERS and IRON MAN in 2012, leaving Paramount with plenty of cash and nothing to lose if they poisoned Disney's new well. On the other hand, maybe it was to Disney's benefit if the property lost some value before all the monetary transactions were complete? When you rule out all possibilities then whatever is left, however improbable, has an ocean of its own possibilities. Sour grapes coming from unexpected corners are legendary in Hollywood, and who knows really when everybody wants credit for a hit and nobody takes credit for a miss? For whatever reason(s) which are none too clear, somewhere in the chain they threw away everything they learned that far in making hit, fan pleasing Marvel movies, and made a parody IRON MAN 3 so mediocre that it destroyed the franchise for the next ten years and damaged the MCU brand. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS Turns 63
In 1961 it was the worst movie ever released in the U.S.A.! But that's a highly competitive field and it lost that emblem a long time ago. Never-the-less, this movie once occupied such a lowly perch and reviewer Kelly Parks forced himself to watch THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS out of sheer masochism. And - Like It Or Not, May Is Marvel Month So Let's Get To It: X-MEN 2 is Old Enough to Legally Drink
A quarter Century ago, New Line Cinema's BLADE opened the door for Marvel movies. When it did, Columbia Pictures stopped sitting on their hands and finally committed to their SPIDER-MAN property. To top Sony's Columbia, 20th Century Fox finally roused from their moribund business model: their decade plus of fence sitting on their X-MEN property, and tried to shove as many X-Men through that doorway as possible. Columbia has one Marvel Superhero, we've got a whole school of them! The first X-MEN, in 2000, led by a cast of TV show and character actors, was a surprising smash hit. Let's make that sequel! Holy shit! Columbia Picture's much delayed SPIDER-MAN (2002) is a smash! Sony is rushing forward on the sequel! Will director and co-writer Bryan Singer make lightning strike twice with X-MEN 2? Plus - IRON MAN Turns 16
By many accounts, Universal Pictures and the producers who owned Marvel's HULK franchise, didn't stand by Marvel icon Stan Lee and his Marvel Comics Universe. They went their own, non-Stan Lee way with HULK, Stan wished them well, and the movie crashed and burned to ash. This is how Stan actually turned Universal's loss to his gain and used it as a launch pad for his MCU, with two Marvel movies released within months of each other, starting with IRON MAN! Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
May 28: 4DM will Release Psychological Thriller
And - FRIDAY THE 13th Part 2 Turns 43
It was meant to be nothing more than an "also ran". Producer Sean S. Cunningham had the poster before he had the script. In fact before he was sure what the story was going to be. All he knew is that he wanted to copy John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN, which meant a mysterious maniac hacking barely legal kids. Except John Carpenter's movie was practically a sequel of Bob Clark's BLACK CHRISTMAS. Would a copy of a copy work? It's not as sharp as... well... the original.* Though Cunningham had the low budget of Clark and Carpenter's indie slashers, he also had something the other two directors didn't have: the big studio clout of Paramount Pictures. And that, kiddies, is part of the reason that we still have FRIDAY THE 13th Part 2, today. *Michael Keaton in Multiplicity. Plus - X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE
To the suits at 20th Century Fox's utter surprise, the first X-MEN was a far bigger hit than they anticipated. Then X2 was a bigger hit than that. Well if there was one thing 20th Century Fox despised in the 1990s and early 2000s it was producers, writers, and directors increasing their value (and so their paycheck) in the world with Fox properties. Fox soon made things unbearable for their hit director so he left, leaving a hole that Fox suits at that time didn't know how to fill and didn't care. We saw this contemptable lack of care throughout the young millennium's Golden Age of Marvel movies. Everyone from Disney to Columbia Pictures figured out how to make a winning Marvel movie. Only 20th Century Fox threw themselves off of a cliff, nearly every single time they made one. X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE was no exception. Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
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INTERVIEWS Matt Jarbo's interview with Feo Amante at The Zurvivalist. James Cheetham's Q&A with Feo Amante at Unconventional Interviews *. Megan Scudellari interviews Feo Amante and Kelly Parks (of THE SCIENCE MOMENT) in The Scientist Magazine. Check out our interview at The-Scientist.com. REFERENCES Researcher David Waldron, references my review of UNDERWORLD in the Spring 2005, Journal of Religion and Popular Culture entry, Role-Playing Games and the Christian Right: Community Formation in Response to a Moral Panic (downloadable pdf). E.C. McMullen Jr.
*Linked to archive.org |
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