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| FEO NEWS FOR FALL 2024: - OCTOBER - The detritus of old Horror/Thriller history can be found here. These are archived news items, many of them linked outside of this website. |
Rue Dangeau Drops Their Trailer: SÉANCE
And - Today's October Ride Through Feo Amante's Theater THE BACKWATER GOSPEL
There's a town where everybody says they're good but knows they're evil. So they look for the worst among them to sacrifice to the Undertaker. For if the Undertaker is appeased, the Angel of Death will pass them by. They can't afford to fool themselves. They must sacrifice the worst among them in THE BACKWATER GOSPEL, but who among the many sinners is the worst? Today's short Horror movie at Feo Amante Theater. Plus - THE ADDAMS FAMILY Turns an Animated 5
The original THE ADDAMS FAMILY TV show came directly from the source material, as Charles Addams himself was the "Showrunner" and co-wrote most of the episodes, laying the groundwork for all of those shows he didn't write. When Barry Sonnenfeld's delightful, THE ADDAMS FAMILY came to the theater screen, writers Caroline Thompson (EDWARD SCISSORHANDS) and Larry Wilson (BEETLEJUICE), with their Tim Burton pedigrees, took greater creative liberties. After all, they had to walk a tightrope between what the fans expected and how the characters had grown in their imaginations. Further, young actor Cristina Ricci brought an energy to her character that Wednesday never had before and it was worth exploring. The animated movie didn't base itself on the source material, it based itself on Sonnenberg's movie. Then screenwriter Matt Lieberman (SCOOB) made the odd decision of robbing Wednesday of her self-assured confidence and making her a weak, whiney narcissitic Hollywood goth kid, surrounded by love and despising every second of it to support her dramatic Tragedienne fantasy. This is how that choice worked out for 2019's THE ADDAMS FAMILY and how it crippled what could have been a great franchise. Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Take a Walk Through Today's October Short Film John Smith's STONE
Way back in 2014, VFX artist, John Smith finally completed, after 3 months and 300 hours of rendering, 2.5 minutes of FEAR he called, STONE. And - KILL BILL is Old Enough to Drink
Quentin Tarantino had an idea for one long movie: his 4th film. Harvey Weisenheimer at Miramax didn't want to say no, but, a three hour movie is like that Bonnie Tyler song: it's a Butt-ache! Nothin' but a Butt-ache! No matter how you look at it. Quentin finally cut a deal and made his one movie into two. This is what we got for his trouble. Jump back to 2003 when reviewer E.C. McMullen Jr. saw KILL BILL Vol. 1 on the giant silver screen! Plus - QUARANTINE Turns 16 Can a Hollywood remake be better than the original? Screenwriter, Ken King tells you why the REC remake rocks in his review of QUARANTINE. Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Lovecraftian Cosmic Horrors, Oh My!
You won't be short changed by this award winning animated short movie, embedded at Feo Amante Theater, CRUISE PATROL. And - WRONG TURN 2: DEAD END is 17
There are some low budget, flawed movies that came so close to great that you want to love them anyway. You look forward to the sequels, in the futile hope they'll be better. Unfortunately the stewards of the franchise have other ideas, as we saw in WRONG TURN 2: DEAD END. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer, Producer, Director Guillermo del Toro (CRONOS, MIMIC, THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, BLADE II, HELLBOY, CRONICAS, PAN'S LABYRINTH, HELLBOY: ANIMATED [all], THE ORPHANAGE, HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY, SPLICE, DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK, LOS OJOS DE JULIA, THE HOBBIT [all], PACIFIC RIM, THE BOOK OF LIFE, MAMA, CRIMSON PEAK, THE SHAPE OF WATER, THE STRAIN [TV], SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK, THE WITCHES, ANTLERS, GUILLERMO del TORO'S CABINET OF CURIOSITIES [TV], THE HAUNTED MANSION [2023]) is 60.
There's Horror In These Shorts
The 1993 short film calling card that got writer and director, Mark Pavia (NIGHT FLIER), an audience with King: DRAG. And - OMG! 56 Years Ago Mario Bava Hit U.S. Theaters With KILL BABY KILL
Mario Bava died 43 years ago. His films were distributed throughout the U.S. in small towns, big city arthouse cinemas, and rarely saw wide release. Yet a fandom of collectors, many whose own parents weren't old enough to see Mario Bava movies in first run theaters, keep this director's work at premium prices to this day. What's more, any major fans of movie franchises as disparate as STAR TREK, ALIEN, and FRIDAY THE 13th, find their way back to the conceptual, visual and story source of those movies, all of which converge on Mario Bava. Reviewer Nicholas Kaufman revels in their evergreen legacy that is Mario Bava in his review of KILL BABY KILL. Plus - OMEGA! 46 Years Ago On This Day John De Bello Foisted Upon the Earth...
Actor John Astin (THE ADDAMS FAMILY [TV], THE SPIRIT IS WILLING, SKYWAY TO DEATH, NIGHT GALLERY, HALLOWEEN WITH THE NEW ADDAMS FAMILY, RETURN OF THE KILLER TOMATOES, NIGHT LIFE, STEP MONSTER, GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH, KILLER TOMATOES STRIKE BACK!, ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES [TV], KILLER TOMATOES EAT FRANCE!, THE FRIGHTENERS) revived his career in the sequels. 10 years into his movie career, George Clooney (GRIZZLY II: REVENGE, RETURN TO HORROR HIGH, RETURN OF THE KILLER TOMATOES, THE HARVEST, FROM DUSK TILL DAWN, BATMAN AND ROBIN) starred in the sequel! But of course, nothing compares to the original movie that was so cheap its budget nearly killed its Star! Find out how in E.C. McMullen Jr.'s retro review of ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES. Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr. The most kick-ass movie heroine ever!
There's Horror In These Shorts Nothing is as it Seems in 3 VERSOS
Before he was OutTV's Production Designer on 19 episodes of The Boulet Brothers, DRAGULA (2017 - 2019), Antonio Yee wrote, Directed, Edited, and Produced this unlucky 13 minute long movie: 3 VERSOS. And - YOU DUG IT
1. JOKER: FOLIE À DUEX Enters the Top Ten in first place with just over 4,000 screens in the USA. That said, WB didn't release the budget, expecting lackluster earnings, which is what it got in its first weekend, except: JOKER performed surprisingly well in the foreign market with UK, Germany, Italy, and Mexico being the top earners and an leading an overall worldwide box office of over $113 million in its opening weekend! 2. THE WILD ROBOT gained 35 screens yet dropped 47% in ticket sales to lose its #1 spot. 3. BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE slid to #3 with a healthy 35% drip in ticket sales in its 5th weekend against a 228 screen loss. 4. TRANSFORMERS ONE in its 3rd weekend hasn't broke $100 million in the worldwide box office yet. With a 41% drop in BO against an 864 screen loss, this movie is holding on remarkably well above the Top 10 mark. 5. SPEAK NO EVIL and speaking of doing remarkably well, this low budget indie holds onto #5 in its 4th weekend with a mere 35% drop in BO against a 392 screen loss. 6. DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE, as I predicted, experienced a Dead Cat bounce back from last week's #7 to this week's #6. The movie still had a drop of 43% against a 30 screen loss, but it, like BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE might just stay in the Top 10 by Halloween. 9. THE SUBSTANCE bounced back from off the Top Ten to land at #9. This with only a 36% box office drop in ticket sales despite a whopping 1,026 screen loss! Sales per screen average means THE SUBSTANCE outperformed the #4 movie in this list and is outperforming expectations. 10. MEGAPOLIS went into free fall from last weekend's #6. In only its second weekend it dropped a staggering 73% in ticket sales despite no loss of screens. YOU BURIED IT NEVER LET GO fell with a whopping 70% drop in BO this weekend against a 1,686 screen loss. In only its 3rd weekend NEVER LET GO falls out of the Top Ten. BUBBLING UNDER
A DIFFERENT MAN, in its 3rd weekend, continues its upward climb, rising from 23 to 21 with a leap up to +191% in ticket sales and an additional 242 screens. Figures calibrated from reportings by Box Office Mojo and The Numbers. Should there be differences between the two, I err on the side of caution and post the most positive numbers. Plus - 65 Years of the 4D MAN
It's rare, bordering on unique, that a Science Fiction Horror movie isn't obsolete after 65 years, but that's how good the writing, acting, and direction was for this movie. In fact, a lot of SF fans would likely hold it in higher esteem if it wasn't for just one thing... Leap back to 1959 with E.C. McMullen's review of 4D MAN. Also - 36 Years of ALIEN NATION
Time has made this movie an alt-history or maybe a multiverse movie, in that its touchstones, modern for their time, are all obsolete. In fact, it was outdated by the time it hit video stores a year after its theatrical release. Somebody at 20th Century Fox must have realized this wasn't the fault of the movie, but of the suits, because despite mediocre theater performance, this movie found enough rent and sales in home video to warrant a successful TV show. Through no fault of the writer, actors, or director, or really anyone on the crew, boardroom decisions were made that doomed the little SciFi Horror movie that almost could, only to find redemption on television. For the next wave of filmmakers, this is the cautionary history of ALIEN NATION. Wassmor - 19 Years Since THE CALL OF CTHULHU
Here is a microbudget Indie that got more attention than most Horror movies of this scale, all because the title was well-known and so is the author. Yet with that said, it's developed its cult audience because it's genuinely good. Reviewer Kelly Parks tells us why it's worth watching THE CALL OF CTHULHU. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr. SUNDAY -
Producer Al Bravo (LA LLARONA [THE WAILER], GURDIAN, LA LLARONA 2 [THE WAILER 2], PRIMITIVE RECALL, GURDIAN, REALITY TERROR NIGHT, 2 BEDROOM 1 BATH, PROJECT LEGION) is 48. David Lynch's MULHOLLAND DR. is 22
Like all of David Lynch's work, this one falls into the camps of Love It or Dismiss It. I can't think of a single movie David has made where such lines have not been drawn and sometimes by his biggest fans who Love This and Hate That. David Lynch fan and reviewer David Kauffman explains where he feels MULHOLLAND DR. falls on his Lynchometer. And - TRICK 'r TREAT Turns 15
Now in broad strokes I wasn't technically there and my memory of any events and who said them may be a bit fuzzy after all of these years and experiences. So imagine this 2008 Warner Bros. Board meeting: "Hey everyone. This Direct to Video Horror movie we have? It is really tearing up the film festivals." "Great! That's just what we need! An audience popular title for our VOD and DtV line." "No, I mean it is REALLY tearing it up at the film festivals. Audiences are going bonkers. Online word is hot. People are raving about it on Social Media, and its playing to packed houses. They're turning people away at the film festivals." "Which is exactly why we need it in our DtV line. You think maybe we should make it the product leader of this year's DtV Horror releases?" "I'm thinking we should consider theatrical release." "Oh, you said the same thing about ALIEN RAIDERS!" "Yes! We have two unexpected hits at these film festivals and we should at least discuss theatrical releases!" "Fine! We've discussed it! Now put 'em on DtV!" This then, is our review of 2009's Direct to Video release of Warner Bros. TRICK 'r TREAT. SATURDAY -
Actor Daniel Baldwin (KNIGHT MOVES, DEAD ON SIGHT, BODILY HARM, THE INVADER, THE PANDORA PROJECT, FALLOUT, STEALING CANDY, KING OF THE ANTS, PAPARAZZI, VEGAS VAMPIRES, BORN OF EARTH, THE DEVIL'S DOMINOS, LITTLE RED DEVIL, A DARKER REALITY, NINE DEAD, THE TRUTH, DEATH AND CREMATION, STRIPPERLAND, AFTER EFFECT, CELL COUNT, THE UNBROKEN, LADY PSYCHO KILLER, SICILIAN VAMPIRE, THE GUEST HOUSE, DEADLY SANCTUARY, ANABOLIC LIFE, TWO FACED, CROSSBREED, ATTACK OF THE 50 FT. WOMAN, CHRISANDER, ENCHANTRESS) is 65. VENOM Turns 6
It's a comic book movie from a kid's comic, yet its rated R. That said, my kids were already reading the comic books so, with my adult supervision, we went to see what it was all about. For an "R-rated, No One Under 17 without Adult Supervision" movie, they loved it. On the other hand, I AM that supervising adult and I was ... whelmed over VENOM.
Today's Scary October Movie: the 2009 short, WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
You've never saw a movie like this before 2009 and you might never again. Tim Smit and Steven Roeters's WHAT'S IN THE BOX? And - Magnolia's THINGS WILL BE DIFFERENT Hits Theaters and Digital Today
Plus - Shout Studios' FRANKIE FREAKO hits Theaters Today!
From Steven Kostanski (MANBORG, THE VOID, PSYCHO GOREMAN) comes... THIS! Also - 56 Years of the Dead
To his grave George Romero groused over "fast zombies" like the kind we saw in RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD and DAWN OF THE DEAD (2004). "Zombies cannot run, I say this definitively, as the grandfather of zombies." But the facts are, Zombie movies throughout the world as well as the U.S., existed way before Romero. He tried many times to re-invent his legacy (which is why his version of events changes in interview after interview throughout the decades), and why the only folks who took his side on this matter were those who never watched his original more than once, if at all. He began with various undead, slow and fast, and nobody who knows the movie would honestly ever argue any different. But there's more than that to be found in Bram Stoker winning Horror writer Brian Keene's retro review of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Then - RED DRAGON is 22
In 1991, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS was a huge hit for Orion. It did boffo box office and a treasure trove of awards. Only problem was, Orion was so busy filing for bankruptcy (you would not believe the cavalcade of crap movies they greenlit back then!), and trying to remain solvent, there was little to nothing they could do with their potential cash cow. In 1997 - 1999 the revitalized MGM finally, mercifully, bought them out, laid off all but 25 workers, and put HANNIBAL on the fast track. They had to. Anthony Hopkins turned 60 in 1997 and at that age, the human body starts its own fast tracking in aging. The ten years from 50 to 60 are a lot more remarkable than the "slow aging" of 40 to 50. New problem? Hannibal Lector was the villain but Clarice Starling was the hero and star. That's Jodie Foster's face on the poster and Jodie Foster refused to return to the role that put her on the map. If for no other reason but that she didn't want to be part of the cheaper faster diminishing returns of a Horror movie franchise (which is how big studios treated their cash cows back then). Despite their new Clarice, HANNIBAL was a hit. Rock on! Let's finish this trilogy! Wait! What? Another problem? Can't anything go right? See, the trilogy of books didn't begin with THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, it began with Red Dragon. In that novel there was no Clarice, the movie starts with Hannibal Lector, and it was already made and called MANHUNTER, and with another actor in the role. Worse, MGM had the rights to Thomas Harris's novel but no rights to the movie MANHUNTER. It was immediately decided that they had to round off their trilogy with the prequel that starts the whole thing. Except Hannibal Lector had to look 20 years younger than Anthony Hopkins and he was looking 20 years older than when he started this. Okay, we can do this! We'll just get a little make-up, the right lighting, and - Oh, I know! We'll get some music video guy to direct it! This then, is how it all played out in 2002's RED DRAGON. Wassmor - BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR is 22
Three movies deep! Brian Yuzna had his trilogy and he never let us down! This is one of the rare movie trilogies that is great from start to finish and this is how Brian Yuzna won the day with BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
On October 18, Buffalo 8 will stream QUANTUM SUICIDE
And - Your Scary October Ride continues with the 2014 short movie, THRESHER
I guess I'm not the only one who has woke up to see a strange naked black man smiling at me from the corner of my room. Yeah, it's always awkward, and This short movie is always THRESHER. Plus - TERROR TRAIN Turns 44
It was 1980 and Jamie Lee Curtis had a great Horror movie run with 1978's surprise hit, John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN. There she play innocent and naive Laurie who, since she didn't have pre-marital sex, substantially increased her odds of survival. But that became the only script she was offered. In 1980 Jamie was in three different Slasher movies at the age of 22 and it was time to stop playing an under-age naif. You know, like she did in John Carpenter's THE FOG. So when Canadian producers came around Jamie Lee decided it was time to show some cleavage. For the rest of the 1980s Jamie was going to be sexy and desirable, like Kimberly in PROM NIGHT and Alana in TERROR TRAIN. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
An October Month of Scary Short movies!
A child enjoys the snow of a Winter's day and discovers a toy store she never saw before. This is the award winning adventure of ALMA. And - STRANGELAND Turns 26
It's the first and only feature film Dee Snider ever Wrote and Produced. It's the last movie Director John Pieplow ever made, as of this writing. 1998's STRANGELAND wasn't a good movie, but it could have been a great start. Plus - FLIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD Turns 17
Every so often you see a big budget movie with an actor or three who have made their mark in some of the worst, dullest low-budget garbage you wasted valuable minutes of your life watching. Big Budget Directors from Robert Rodriguez to Quentin Tarantino to Christopher Nolan are well-known for recognizing solid dependable actors who can deliver despite their track record of crap. What is rare though, is when a low-budget Horror indie fills its call sheet with such actors and actually makes a fun and enjoyable movie. Yet in 2006, that's exactly what Co-Writer, Producer, and Director Scott Thomas did with FLIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Also - ZOMBIELAND Turns 15
I had a friend who used to love Zombie Horror movies. Then came the onscreen "fast Zombies" of Zack Snyder and James Gunn's DAWN OF THE DEAD 2004. He loved that too. He doesn't like ZOMBIELAND, though. ZOMBIELAND took fast zombies to their logical conclusion regarding survivability (Survival Rule #1: CARDIO). If you were out of shape and didn't get in shape real quick, you were on the menu. Well, the beeg boi didn't like that. He felt he was smart enough to outwit any brain dead zombie. And yah, in the movies pretty much everyone is smart enough to outwit a zombie. But sooner or later you're going to wind up in a situation that requires physical exertion, not sitting in a La-Z-Boy and firing a gun at whatever revenant busts down your door and interrupts Minecraft. My old friend found exercise boring. That's puzzling to me, as a writer, because I can really get into the Movie-In-My-Head experience of the story I'm formulating whenever I'm exercising. It's one of the few times in urban life when people will leave you TFA. Soon THE WALKING DEAD came along and, once again he loved it. Right up until the moment the show made it clear that obesity wasn't a survival skill in a Zombie Apocalypse. And this came from showrunner Robert Kirkman, who is quite the teddy bear himself! His loss. Personally I have a great time with ZOMBIELAND ever since the first day I saw it on the huge theater screen. Wassmor - SAVE YOURSELVES! Turns 4
Awww! An adorable little 4 years old for an adorable little movie. And you can tell a movie doesn't take itself too seriously when the title ends with an exclamation mark. This comedy would be too cute to be mentioned here if not for, tucked warmly away in all of the sweetness, there were showstopping Holy Shit moments of Horror and Terror. Yes, made all the more WTF! by being so out of place to the tone of the movie while being so necessary to the story. Heh! Heh! Heh! It's a shame it went DtV in the U.S., but I'm here to tell you about the creepy cuddly charm of SAVE YOURSELVES! Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor, Director Camilla Belle (DECONSTRUCTING SARAH, POISON IVY II, THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK, THE QUIET, WHEN A STRANGER CALLS, PUSH, THE AMERICAN SIDE, THE MAD WHALE, PHOBIAS, CARTER) is 38.
It's Tuesday! October 1! Start your scary ride with the animated short film, THE PASSENGER
I don't know about you, but I like animals and they all seem to like me. Don't get me wrong, I don't push my luck with it. I don't jump into someone's backyard to pet their Doberman or go out in the wild to tickle Grizzlies. But I generally get along with animals. Still, just as there are those days when you can't seem to please anyone, there are those days when every animal you meet has a problem with you. This kid in Chris Jones' THE PASSENGER has a fun solution. What else happened on October 1? THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS Is 65
You fans of cheesy SciFi Horror movies know exactly who you are and you may even know that actor John Agar threw himself into these movies with gusto. And who can blame him? The 1950s Hollywood money machine churned out daily gangster & shitkicker movies all considered high-falutin' by the major and poverty row studios. While, at the same time, looking down their noses at Science Fiction and Horror creature feature audiences with unbridled contempt. Yeah? And who's watching those dusty old Shoot-em-Ups now, see? Nyah! It's all looking to the future now, see? Nyah! And if that 1950s future never happened, why, that's just an alternate history! Yeah! Or maybe a multi-universe! So in 1957 the alien brain, Gor, was a hyper-sexualized futuristic threat in THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
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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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