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| FEO NEWS FOR FALL 2024: - SEPTEMBER - The detritus of old Horror/Thriller history can be found here. These are archived news items, many of them linked outside of this website. |
Magnolia and Magnet Releasing Bring Us SLEEP
And - YOU DUG IT
1. THE WILD ROBOT enters the Top 10 at #1 on nearly 4,000 screens in the U.S. Created and directed by the legendary Chris Sanders (Disney's Beauty and the Beast [1991], Disney's Aladdin [1992], Disney's The Lion King [1994], Disney's Mulan [1998], Disney's Lilo and Stitch [2002], Disney's Lilo and Stitch: The Series [TV], How to Train Your Dragon [2010], The Croods [2013]), THE WILD ROBOT surpassed expectations, bringing in $35 million in Domestic Box Office alone. 2. BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE slips to #2 in its 4th weekend with a healthy 38% drop in ticket sales against a 368 screen cut. Despite only performing at its lowest expectation margin, BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE still brought in over $373 million in ticket sales against its $100 million budget. Can it hold onto the Top 10 through Halloween and Dia de los Muertos? 3. TRANSFORMERS ONE slides from last week's #2 to #3 despite a hemorrhaging 62% drop in ticket sales though losing only 8 screens. The competition of two animated giant robot movies released a week apart may have bearing on this drop among audiences. TRANSFORMERS ONE has performed significantly below lowest expectations. Audiences may be about to bury this one. 4. DEVARA PART 1 enters the Top 10 at #4 and performing above expectations despite playing on only 1,040 screens. This Indie movie's per screen average outperformed the #3 and #2 movies on this list, so this is one to watch for. 5. SPEAK NO EVIL drops from #3 to #5 on the Top 10 with a healthy 26% drop in ticket sales as it lost a whopping 716 screens. It's still performing within expectations. SPEAK NO EVIL has brought in over $57 million worldwide against a $15 million production budget. 6. MEGALOPOLIS enters the Top 10 at #6. This low budget Indie distrbuted by Lionsgate was released to 1,854 sccreens with a per screen average nearly double that of #5. 7. DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE is the Summer box office winner of 2024 and currently the most robust Marvel franchise of the 2020s as it approaches the $1.5 billion mark in ticket sales against a $200 million production budget. With a modest 30% drop in ticket sales in its 10th weekend after a cut of 475 screens, this movie slips from #5 to #7 against heavy opening competition. It could see a Dead Cat Bounce before it leaves the Top 10. 9. NEVER LET GO falls from its debut at #4 to #9 with a 51% drop in ticket sales despite no screen loss. 10. THE SUBSTANCE from tiny boutique distributor, MUBI, drops a healthy 44% in ticket sales from #6 to #10 after a 237 screen cut. Despite this, THE SUBSTANCE outperformed #9 in per screen sales. ALIEN ROMULUS drops off the Top 10, falling from 10 to 16 with a 63% drop in ticket sales and a 775 screen cut. With a world-wide box office of over $342 million against an $80 million budget, audiences didn't exactly Bury It, but this is the least performing ALIEN sequel to date. You Buried nothing this week Bubbling Under
AZRAEL from IFC Films and Shudder enters the Top 50 at #17. This low budget Indie starring Samara Weaving may be one to watch for, though it might be hard to find on only 754 screens in North America. A DIFFERENT MAN from A24 and starring Sebastian Stan moves up from its last weekend opening at 26 to 23 with a 29% gain in ticket sales and an additional 19 screens, bringing the total to 23 screens. A difficult film to find but with a per screen average surpassing #3 on this list, it might be worth your while. 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 - DONOVAN'S BRAIN is 71
The prolific Mathematician, Science Fiction Writer, and Hugo Award winning screenwriter, Curt Siodmak, practically created the modern Werewolf or Wolf man mythos out of whole cloth with his screenplay for Universal Pictures, THE WOLF MAN. From full moons to silver bullets, it was Curt who laid down the strengths and weaknesses of lycanthropy that nearly all have followed and modified ever since. However, Curt was an admirer of Harry Houdini and scoffed at the idea of the supernatural. Like Universal's WEREWOLF OF LONDON from 6 years earlier, he made it clear that while the irrational people around Lawrence Talbot thought of magic and spells, his affliction was infection, not hokum. In his wildly successful 1942 novel, DONOVAN'S BRAIN, researchers of the era thought Telepathy was still a more likely candidate for science than superstition, and in 1944's tepid THE LADY AND THE MONSTER, Siodmak had people believing: Except Curt didn't like the movie. After a successful radio show re-enactment by Orson Wells a few years later, Curt was given more creative control over his story, the remake (and nearly directed, except for the fact that first time Producer, Tom Gries, despised the fact that Siodmak, a mere writer, was more experienced, famoose, and successful than him, and so torpedoed Curt), titled after the novel, DONOVAN'S BRAIN. Also - SERENITY is 22
Remember when you were 20 and the beloved TV show of your childhood, FIREFLY, found its end and wrap up in a feature film and on theater screens? Well now you're 42, you freaking Browncoat! What have you done with your life, huh? You do anything that measures up to a Browncoat? Huh? Anywho, let's recapture the romanticized magic of the Thrilling, Suspenseful Mystery that is SERENITY. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO - SUNDAY -
Actor Mackenzie Crook (THE GATHERING [2002], PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, THE BROTHERS GRIMM, LAND OF THE BLIND, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END, CITY OF EMBER, ABRAHAM'S POINT, SOLOMON KANE, IRONCLAD, GAME OF THRONES [TV], IN SECRET, ALMOST HUMAN [TV], BRITANNIA [TV], TALES FROM THE LODGE) is 54. SATURDAY -
Actor Naomi Watts (THE WYVERN MYSTERY, DOWN, MULHOLLAND DR., THE RING, 21 GRAMS, THE RING TWO, STAY, KING KONG, INLAND EMPIRE, EASTERN PROMISES, FUNNY GAMES [U.S.], THE INTERNATIONAL, DREAM HOUSE, THE IMPOSSIBLE, INSURGENT, ALLEGIANT, SHUT IN, TWIN PEAKS [TV - 2017], THE WOLF HOUR, BOSS LEVEL, THE DESPERATE HOUR, GOODNIGHT MOMMY, INFINITE STORM, THE WATCHER [TV]) who is 51.
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Daeg Faerch (DARK MIRROR, Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN, DITCH PARTY, RUN! BITCH RUN!, SEBASTIAN, JOSIE, KILLER THERAPY) is 28.
Vertical Drops ELEVATION Into Theaters Nov. 8
And - THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW is 49
A long, long time ago in this galaxy when it was far, far away (from where we are at this moment)... SAUL WARS or Saul Warred against early Christians. Well maybe war is too harsh. Let's just say he persecuted them. Anyway, years after the alleged day of death of Jesus Christ as a human being, Saul (of Tarsus) stopped persecuting early Christians and annointed himself The Apostle Paul (he never met Jesus, never knew, never cared, but he wasn't about to let THAT stop him!). By taking this upon himself Saul/Paul became the 13th Apostle (or the replacement for Judas if you prefer - this is not the time to re-open this hoary old debate) and gathered together what he felt was the definitive scripture of Jesus (and if it wasn't definitive enough to suit his tastes, it's out!). This radical turnabout in Nu-Paul's life happened, so the story he created goes, as he traveled on the Road to Damascus. In short, it was largely on the Road to Damascus that he had the epiphany that led to his conversion. So mere words, whether spoken or on paper can change the course of lives and nations. Well that's no surprise. That is, in fact, what makes Free Speech so damn dangerous: Because it's liberating. And all of these words spoken or otherwise come from our fellow humans. I've had several such roads in my life, realizations if you will, and one of my earliest - one that set me on This Road instead of That Road - was my watching and audience participation in, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
INNOCENT BLOOD is 32
Struggling to regain his career, Director John Landis tried to do with Vampires what he successfully did with Werewolves (AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON), as well as Zombies and Werecats (Michael Jackson's THRILLER). INNOCENT BLOOD was the result. And - PARANORMAL ACTIVITY is 17
Oh, go on! Dare! This low budget Independent Horror movie got its Limited release in the U.S.A. on this day. By October it blew up to wide release on thousands of screens and enjoyed its brief moment as a "Phenomenon". This is how I felt coming out of the theaters after the first time I saw PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. Plus - SURROGATES is 15
From the Director who brought you TERMINATOR 3: DIMINISHING RETURNS comes a movie that should not be confused with Alex Proyas I, ROBOT or Steven Spielberg's MINORITY REPORT, but often is. This is the difference in Jonathan Mostow's SURROGATES. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Clea Duvall (LITTLE WITCHES, THE FACULTY, THE ASTRONAUT'S WIFE, GHOSTS OF MARS, HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER, IDENTITY, THE GRUDGE, CARNIVÀLE [TV], HEROES [TV], THE KILLING ROOM, VIRTUALITY, AMERICAN HORROR STORY [TV], THE LIZZIE BORDEN CHRONICLES [TV], THE HANDMAID'S TALE) is 46.
AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION is 42
1982 was both a great year and bad year for writer, Tommy Lee Wallace. The good part was two of his scripts were made into movies and were both released in this year, back to back! The bad part was both were sequels and they both flopped, back to back. The first to sink was AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION. And - SHAUN OF THE DEAD is 20 Today!
That's right! You're Old! Ahh... remember back when you were 21 and saw SHAUN OF THE DEAD in the theaters when it first came out? Well now you're 41 and you're fucking OLD! What have you done with your life? Still working as a miserable "Associate" at Foree Electric, you fucking old Geezer? And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer Deborah Turrell Atkinson (PRIMITIVE SECRETS, THE GREEN ROOM, FIRE PRAYER, PLEASING THE DEAD) is, I suspect, older than me.
In Theaters Now: Magnolia Pictures - OMNI LOOP
And - YOU DUG IT
1. BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE holds onto #1 for the 3rd weekend in a row, winning the slow month of September and narrowly beating out #2. Nearly $330 million in world-wide ticket sales, making it technically profitable, BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE sees a 49% drop in ticket sales against a 403 screen cut. Whether it can hold onto the Top 10 through Halloween and Dia de los Muertos remains to be seen. 2. TRANSFORMERS ONE lived up to its low expectations bringing in a $25 million domestic weekend to open at 2nd place. Next weekend will tell if audiences Dig this animated movie or are Burying it. Even so, with fewer opening screens than #1, it still had a better per screen average. 3. SPEAK NO EVIL moves to #3 with a 48% drop in ticket sales. That said, this medium low budget Universal Pictures Horror Thriller made nearly 3 times its budget in the world market by its second weekend and, if it can maintain this slow momentum, it can reach hit status despite not breaking $100 million at the box office. 4. NEVER LET GO enters the Top 10 at #4. This low budget Indie Horror Thriller is directed by Alexander Aja. NEVER LET GO is produced by Halle Berry, who also stars. Distributed by Lionsgate and opening on 2,667 screens, NEVER LET GO could go anywhere and at its budget, might be a surprise.
5. DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE slow rides into the halfway mark after 9 weeks on the Top 10, with over $1.3 billion in worldwide ticket sales, it's now the healthiest Marvel movie franchise of the 2020s, seeing only a 25% drop in ticket sales despite a hefty 600 screen loss. 6. THE SUBSTANCE enters the Top 10 at #6 and 1,949 screens. Like #4, this is a low budget Horror Thriller. Distributed by the tiny boutique distributor, MUBI, could go anywhere. 10. ALIEN ROMULUS in its 6th weekend made far over its $80 million budget despite performing well under expectations the whole time. It sees a 44% drop in ticket sales against a 600 screen loss. YOU BURIED nothing this weekend. DIG IT UP A DIFFERENT MAN from A24 enters the Top 30 at 26. 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 - Tim Burton's CORPSE BRIDE is Old Enough to Vote
Leading up to its theatrical release, fans thought Tim was going to reveal a Victorian Gothic version of the undead world, an older view of what we saw in BEETLEJUICE. But Producer Tim, sharing the helm as co-writer and co-director, had something else in mind. Shirley Muramoto reviews CORPSE BRIDE. Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer and Feo Amante alumni, Brian Keene (Books: NO REST FOR THE WICKED, THE RISING [series], GHOUL, DARK HOLLOW [Levi Stoltzfus series including GHOST WALK], EARTHWORM GODS [Earthworm Gods series], THE LOST LEVEL [The Lost Level series], KING OF THE BASTARDS [Bastards series], THE SEVEN [Labrinth series], ALONE, and way more. SUNDAY -
Actor Daniella Alonso (HOOD OF HORROR, THE HILLS HAVE EYES II, WRONG TURN 2, THE COLLECTOR, RE-KILL, REVOLUTION [TV], RE-KILL, DARKNESS FALLS) is 44. 28 Years of SE7EN
I was there to see SEVEN in the theater! What's so great about watching it in the theater? You don't have a spouse, significant other, or family member telling you to "Pause It" while they go to the bathroom, make popcorn, answer this call, or all the other BULLSHIT that interrupts a movie night! That's what so great about theaters! KISS: PSYCHO CIRCUS Turns 26
And I was on top of it! My KISS: PSYCHO CIRCUS review from 1998! FEAST is 18
I saw the trailers and I was ready for it, but the theatrical release was exceedingly limited. That said, the day it hit the shelves I was There for the Scare! Our review of FEAST. SATURDAY - Eli Roth's THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS turns an adorable 6
But can you enjoy it with your kids? Well, can you enjoy Jack Black? My review of THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS.
It's Been 73 Years Since ...
As you'd expect of a Hollywood film, 20th Century Fox's movie was a 180° turn from author Harry Bates' short story, Farewell To The Master. Through the script by Edmund H. North (METEOR) and the direction of Robert Wise (THE HAUNTING [1963], THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN), the human appearing alien, Klaatu and the robot, Gort, were benevolent fascists, "Join us and live in a peaceful police state, or pursue your present course and we'll destroy your planet." For this the aliens were supposed to be the "good guys". It grew worse and more ridiculous with the 2008 reboot. This is how reviewer Kelly Parks saw 1951's, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
S&R Films COME HOME to VOD & Digital on Oct. 1
And - THINGS WILL BE DIFFERENT in Theaters On Oct. 4, From Magnet
Plus - I! UNDERWORLD B Old Enough to Legally Drink in the USA!
There are at least two Danny McBrides writing in Hollywood today. One Danny McBride writes comedies but he also wrote the HALLOWEEN 2018 trilogy and as a Producer is leading the EXORCIST trilogy addendums as well as developing the HELLRAISER TV series. The other Danny McBride co-adapted into a screenplay, the Kevin Grevioux story, UNDERWORLD and kept at it for five movies and now an upcoming TeeVee series! So! Howz the original holding up after 20 years? About the same as when it was released in 2003. Read my review of UNDERWORLD. Also - R! Sure n' this B HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
38 Years Ago Today Clive Barker Brought Us Hell On Earth: HELLRAISER
38 years later and the story isn't over. There's a new HELLRAISER TV movie that may usher in a series on the horizon, ready to be shown on Disney's Hulu streamer no less! Go to a time of humble yet blood-soaked beginnings. E.C. McMullen Jr. saw it on the big theater screen when he first watched HELLRAISER. And - JENNIFER'S BODY is 15
Oscar winning writer, Diablo Cody has her fans, but they don't all follow her to Horror. Nobody in the pipeline saw that coming when they made this movie and as it approached release, the star, Megan Fox, began to fall out of audience favor. Okay, but we're over a decade past all that drama now. How does the actual movie hold up? JENNIFER'S BODY holds up surprisingly well! In fact, probably better now than it did on its release. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA Turns 60
The politically sordid story of Cool Japanese Kaiju movies re-edited for American audiences in order to minimize or outright even remove any mention of Atomic Bombs, continued well into the 1960s with MOSULA TAI GOJIRA aka MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA aka GODZILLA VS THE THING! And - SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW is 20
Critics loved it, the trailers looked awesome, what a perfect way to end the summer! One more etravagant big budget movie as we headed into fall. I was there to see it, embrace it, and love it, and boy did I ever want to. There was just this problem, looping, repeating, with SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO - Writer, Director Neill BlomKamp (DISTRICT 9, ELYSIUM, RAKKA, DEMONIC) is 42.
YOU DUG IT
1. BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE surpassed its astoundingly high budget ($100 million) in the world-wide box office, knocked the #1 movie of the 2024 Summer, DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE off of its perch, and held onto the #1 spot for the 2nd weekend in a row. That said, it dropped 54% in box office ticket sales, but without a major competitor it holds it's spot. 2. SPEAK NO EVIL enters the Top 10 at #2, which is pretty good for this medium low budget ($15 million) Horror Thriller starring James McAvoy (SPLIT). 3. DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE slowly descends to #3 with a 25% drop in ticket sales against a 325 screen cut for this week. Its strong showing proves it remains wildly popular in the opening month of Autumn. 7. ALIEN ROMULUS, in its 5th weekend, holds onto its Top 10 status with only a 39% drop in ticket sales against a 610 screen loss. Its $100 million budget gets a $101 million in domestic ticket sales and about twice that figure in world sales, pushing it into profit territory. YOU BURIED IT AFRAID after two disastrous weekends, is pulled from first run theaters. 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. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO - There are those actors who have a long and eclectic catalog of roles they've played and yet, thankfully for us, it's their Horror, Thriller, Mystery, and Suspense roles over everything else, that is most remembered.
Actor Jennifer Tilly (REMOTE CONTROL, HIGH SPIRITS, FAR FROM HOME, EMBRACE OF THE VAMPIRE, BOUND, THE WRONG GUY, BRIDE OF CHUCKY, DO NOT DISTURB, DANCING AT THE BLUE IGUANA, RELATIVE EVIL, MONSTERS, INC., JERICHO MANSIONS, THE HAUNTED MANSION, SEED OF CHUCKY, TIDELAND, THE INITIATION OF SARAH, THE CARETAKER, CURSE OF CHUCKY, CULT OF CHUCKY, MONSTERS AT WORK [TV], CHUCKY [TV]) is 65. SUNDAY -
By E.C. McMullen Jr. SATURDAY -
Writer, Producer, Director Bong Joon ho (PHANTOM: THE SUBMARINE, ANTARCTIC JOURNAL, THE HOST, SNOWPIERCER, SEA FOG, PARASITE, SNOWPIERCER [TV]) is 55. THE PREDATOR Turns 6
"Officially" released on this day in 2018, I took the kids to the Sep. 13 midnight IMAX show of THE PREDATOR.
It's FRIDAY THE 13th!
Run through the entire franchise with our reviewer Ken "The Fan Behind the Mask" King, starting with the original FRIDAY THE 13th. And - KING GHIDORAH: THE 3-HEADED MONSTER is 59
By 1961, toy sales of GOJIRA, which were expected to be moderate and for a limited time, y'know, just long enough to promote the movie, went through the roof! So they made more! Then in the world-wide market toy sales went into orbit! Toho Pictures reaction to all of this was to turn GODZILLA from a villain into a hero. Otherwise kids are admiring evil, right? Which meant GODZILLA needed a villain to battle. So GODZILLA battled MOTHRA, but then they wound up as friends. GODZILLA battled RODAN but then they kinda wound up as friends (those damn lucrative toy sales are kiling our franchise!). Then GODZILLA Director Honda hit upon a great idea! What if we stopped turning all of our monsters into Good Guys? How about we have a Kaiju that will ALWAYS be a bad guy? By golly, that's just crazy enough to work! And boy did it ever with KING GHIDORAH: THE 3-HEADED MONSTER. Plus - FREDDY'S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE is 33
The tagline for this anticlimatic end to the franchise, "They Saved the Best... for Last" remains up for debate with every newly minted fan who chooses to binge the series. The debate centers on just what degree of how awful it is and I've yet to read or hear of any fans of FREDDY'S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE. Also - ONE HOUR PHOTO Turns 22
For the most part, every Robin Williams comedy was the same movie and taken as a whole they got so tedious that he wore his audience down to dwindling. But not all Robin Williams movies were comedies and it was here that, for me, he excelled. He could play characters of depth and layers that weren't endlessly "On". What's more, he could play villains like nobody else ever has. Whenever Robin was called upon to go into the depths of humanity, he could plumb so many levels past the comfort zone I wasn't sure if he would ever come up. For example, his chilling turn in ONE HOUR PHOTO. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Freestyle Digital Media Drops THE ZOMBIE WEDDING at Theaters and VOD on Septic 13
Vertical Drops YOUR MONSTER Trailer Today
Plus - HORROR HOTEL is 62 in the U.S.
Right off the bat, I gotta tell you; if you be into that there Wiccan stuff, you sure as hell ain't gonna like this Christopher Lee movie. For one thing, it paints all witches as them whats in league with the DEVIL! The Devil! For Another Thing . . . well, no... there is no other thing, that's pretty much it in this heavily influential Horror movie, CITY OF THE DEAD (US) aka HORROR HOTEL (UK). Also - CABIN FEVER Can Legally Drink in the USA
Yes it was released before this date at film festivals, but today it hit wide release and Kelly Parks was there to see it in the theater! What did he think? Read his review of Eli Roth's box office hit, CABIN FEVER.
This Septic 24, Gravitas Ventures and Carter Ink Unleash to VOD
And - This Oct. 4, Shudder and AMC+ Unleash to Stream,
Plus - KISS OF THE VAMPIRE Turns 61
It's weird to think that Hammer Studios has enough value to make a comeback and has a movie in preproduction already. Hammer made a lot of vampire movies. You had the Christopher Lee as Dracula and all the other vampires were largely played by someone else. Hammer's non-Dracula Vampire movies were the most experimental, always inventing new types of Vampires as well as their individual ways of getting what they wanted. KISS OF THE VAMPIRE is one of their inventions that worked. Also - CUBE is 26
I didn't get to see this in theaters when I first reviewed it. It was made in Canada so the distribution in the U.S.A. was negligible beyond the odd art house theater and was set to circle the drain as a Direct to Video title. Even now this movie is without a Bluray release, let alone a 4K one. What DVDs you can find of it are nearly 20 years old. It's sad. It's bad. That's why so many talented Canadians come to the U.S.A. to make their mark in movies. This is why CUBE deserved a wide release. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
This Septic 20 Lionsgate Unleashes to Theaters
And - Magnolia and Magnet Trailer Drop:
Plus - These Two Movies Turn 25 Today STIGMATA
Sometimes you reach for the heights. You may fall, but no one can accuse you of not trying. On that note, back in 1999 I saw two Horror movies, released on the same day, and back to back. I reviewed STIGMATA. Also - STIR OF ECHOES
This Kevin Bacon starrer made some bold moves on the SFX front by incorporating cgi in a significant way. In the 1990s, cgi was hit or miss even in the biggest budget movies, but it pulled it off so believably, on the Big Theater Screen, that audiences could only marvel at the result. This is what reviewer Michael Oliveri thought of STIR OF ECHOES. Wassmor - RESIDENT EVIL: APOCALYPSE
If there was ever a movie franchise that struggled, picture after picture, to make the thinnest of profit, it had to be the RESIDENT EVIL ip. Madly popular game, lukewarm box office reception resulting in a die-hard cult-ish audience that slowly dissapated over the years. And yet, it valiantly held onto theatrical releases instead of going the embarassing Direct to Video way. Understand, it's one thing to start in television and stay there, periodically getting your favorite time slot and being eagerly anticipated by your loyal TV fans. It's quite another to make each sequel cheaper and cheaper until even SyFy Channel won't show it until after 1 in the morning on a Tuesday, and a YouTube premier will only pay royalties. So was RESIDENT EVIL: APOCALYPSE at least As good as the first movie? This2 - MALIGNANT is 3
Have you ever watched a theater trailer that was compelling, maybe even exciting, from Writers, Producers, and a Director whose works you enjoy? And the added frosting of starring actors whose past performances you like? Wait! This ain't over! Hang on! So you patiently wait for the movie to come out, you go to the theater to see it, so full of anticipation that you sprung for overpriced drinks and popcorn just to perfectly set the mood of this wonderful theater experience? And then you see the movie? On this day in 2021 I saw MALIGNANT. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Lionsgate's NEVER LET GO Hits Theaters this SEPTic 20!
Directed by the Regent of Remakes, Alexandre Aja, who has recently forked into originals (CRAWL). NEVER LET GO is an original produced and starring Halle Berry (GOTHIKA). And - YOU DUG IT
1. BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE as with the original, this first sequel had its critical naysayers and performed below expectations. Yet, despite that negativity, found its audience and in a big way. BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE surpassed its astoundingly high budget ($100 million) in the world-wide box office, finally knocking off the #1 movie of the 2024 Summer, DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE. So far you are digging it, though its the second weekend that will determine if this latest Tim Burton outing has legs you can run on. 2. DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE, the #1 movie of the Summer, had a steep fall this week 55% drop in ticket sales, but that still landed this mega hit at #2 on the box office this week. Well into profit in US ticket sales alone, it's made 6.4 times its budget in the world market, far surpassing the $1 billion mark, and might leave theaters hovering around the $2 billion mark before Home video. 4. ALIEN: ROMULUS despite temporarily knocking #2 off its #1 status for a single weekend, had a terrible, but not surprising, 2nd weekend drop of 57% in ticket sales, prompting 560 theater screen to drop it. With an $80 million production budget, its squeeking into profit only with a worldwide cume of $315 million. It's still in the Top 10 but the next two weeks will tell if you are Digging this or Burying it. TWISTERS drops off the Top 10 from #7 to #12 after a 9 week run. It isn't a hit in the theater Box Office market but it did well enough to expect healthy returns in the Home Video market. YOU BURIED IT AFRAID falls with a breathtaking 90% drop in ticket sales and a remarkable cut of 2,597 screens in only its second week! Damn! THE CROW, after 3 disastrous weekends, is pulled from all first run theaters. 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 - THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE is 19
Stop me if you've read this before - Have you ever watched a movie trailer that was compelling, exciting, and looked like it had everything going for it? Hang! On! You patiently waited for the movie to come out, made time on your Friday night because you wanted that theater experience? So much so that you paid for overpriced drinks and popcorn in order to Perfectly Set the Moo-ood? And then you saw the movie? All of the above remains my most memorable experience of watching THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE. Also - CONTAGION Turns 13
Any movie about a global pandemic is going to draw comparisons to any eventual global pandemic that comes along. How close did this one come to the mark? I was in the theater to see 2011's CONTAGION. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Jeffrey Combs (FRIGHTMARE, THE MAN WITH TWO BRAINS, RE-ANIMATOR [all], FROM BEYOND, CELLAR DWELLER, DOCTOR MORDRID, NECRONOMICON, CASTLE FREAK, THE FRIGHTENERS, HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, THE ATTIC EXPEDITIONS, FEAR DOT COM, VOODOO MOON, ABOMINABLE, RETURN TO THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, PARASOMNIA, DARK HOUSE, THE WITCHES OF OZ [TV], NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD 3D: RE-ANIMATION, EDMOND, WOULD YOU RATHER, MOTIVATIONAL GROWTH, FAVOR, THE PENNY DREADFUL PICTURE SHOW, HOLIDAY HELL, AGE OF STONE AND SKY, STREAM, and way more!) is 70. SUNDAY - Alfred Hitchcock's PSYCHO is 64 Today
This is the day that this (once) controversial movie finally opened wide across the nation. Picture after picture, Hitchcock had been working in glorious technicolor with big A-List actors, STARS, all of whom were clamoring to be in one of his movies, and he was contracted with Universal to direct the full color THE BIRDS. But first he really wanted to direct PSYCHO. He was contracted with Paramount for one more picture and they didn't like it. But Alfred was too big a director to say "No" to and he was going to the competition to make his next, Technicolor picture. Best make sure that Alfred will want to come back one day. It was 1959. Since 1935 Alfred Hitchcock had directed at least one movie every year and every single one was a hit: A Smash Hit! Hitchcock turned his attention to television and his TV show was a smash hit. There were times in the early years when no studio would fund Alfred's big budget movie so he raised the funding himself, made a startlingly great movie, and studios fought with each other over distribution rights. Moreover, every movie Hitchcock made for Paramount was a box office bonanza: Every Single One. Yet the Paramount suits were locked into the belief that sooner or later even the best directors go bust, they felt they were savvy enough to foresee it, and on paper PSYCHO looked to be it. So they gave Hitchcock a budget so small that he went out of pocket for what he needed. The movie would have to be shot in black and white. Paramount was going to give it a limited run in only a few major cities. So as not to damage their relationship with him, they deferred most of the box office take to Hitchcock and let him market it as he pleased. He's made us a fortune in money and prestige, so let Alfred make his vainglorious baby, his artsy passion project, and get it out of his system. PSYCHO got its tiny release. New York City for its June 16th premiere, and Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia on June 22 for its limited run. Initially, Critics openly reviled it. Walt Disney himself called it "disgusting" and refused to ever allow Hitchcock to film anything on Disney sets, for having made PSYCHO. Paramount suits were all ready to say, "You see, Alfred? You can't let success go to your head. Sometimes you gotta listen to us experts." However, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, running on TV since 1955, was a top rated show and Alfred was permitted to advertise PSYCHO on his show, in his own inimitable way, which meant that all of the critical bad-mouthing had fans lining up around the block, waiting hours in line, in the sweltering summer, to see what the Hub Bub over PSYCHO was all about. That made news. News is Free publicity. Which meant that folks were sending letters wanting the movie in THEIR town! Week after week after week, Hitchcock's low budget little black and white movie with small name talent beat all Star powered technicolor competition and stayed at #1. Theaters across the nation were demanding it. Theater owners were making threats over having not got it. Paramount had to go wide release! That day was today - 63 years ago and Alfred wound up making a fortune. By the end of the year the critics who slammed it, looking like idiots who were out of touch with their audience, had a "change of heart". And Walt Disney? He apologetically ate crow and his studio provided special effects for Alfred's next movie, THE BIRDS. Alfred remembered, though, and didn't give them screen credit. But why, in the brand new 1960 space age of free television, did audiences keep suffering in the hot summer months, standing outside to see PSYCHO over and over? There was a canny dynamic that Alfred Hitchcock created to insure that his movies would remain hits and in theaters long after their initial theater run - even after his death - decades before the movie term "Easter Egg" was coined. Read contributor James Futch's review of the first DVD disc release of Alfred Hitchcock's PSYCHO. Plus - IT is Older Than Georgie will ever be
The novel is so emotionally wrenching that loyal members of the Loser's Club will either return to visiting these characters over and over or, like the characters themselves, distance themselves from the events and never want to revisit the Horrors. I'm in the latter category but only where the novel is concerned. I've watched the TV movie with Tim Curry and the feature film with Bill Skarsgård more than a few times. So why won't I revisit the book if I love to read so much? For the same reason that many people are afraid, in general, to read fiction at all. Unlike a movie you don't have someone else's vision of what's happening. When you read you aren't given the luxury of picking apart the special effects, your eye/brain connection instantly noticing the tiny details that warms you with the thought that this isn't really happening. When you read your mind creates the world, drawing upon your own experiences to fill in the blanks. In the space of a single sentence you can be surprised, alarmed even, at the card shuffle construction your mind performs in a snap: reminding you of an experience you'd prefer to forget, to remain locked away. When that moment comes as it often does to those who love fiction, you are no longer reading what happens in the story, the story is happening to you. When I re-read a novel, especially a novel as huge as IT, there are moments in there, terrible moments, that I forgot. In movies, the story is always happening to someone else: One point of removal. If you know of the actor, two points of removal. For the sake of editing they may have even removed the Horrific moment that turned its face away from the page and spoke directly to you. That's my problem with Stephen King's IT, see? Reading fiction, the characters, makes me start to identify with one of them. I start to become part of the story and my mind fills in all of the blanks, things that aren't there, to complete this world. Stephen King seemingly knew his readers would do that. So there are moments in IT where King leads you to the point where your mind would fill in the blank with your own, personal horrors, and in that second, often with a mere sentence, King's empty space is where your monster lives. Now let me tell you about the 2017 movie, IT. SATURDAY -
Writer, Producer, Director Dario Argento (L' UCCELLO DALLE PIUME DI CRISTALLO, IL GATTO A NOVE CODE, DEEP RED, SUSPIRIA, INFERNO, TENEBRE, PHENOMENA, TERROR AT THE OPERA, TWO EVIL EYES, THE STENDHAL SYNDROME, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA [1998], TRAUMA, DO YOU LIKE HITCHCOCK?, MOTHER OF TEARS, GIALLO, DRACULA [2012], OCCHIALI NERI aka BLACK GLASSES) is 83. CAST A DEADLY SPELL Turns 33
Long before 2017 and Noomi Rapace, Will Smith, and Joel Edgerton starred in David Ayers' BRIGHT, there was a movie you likely never saw. It had Fred Ward (TREMORS)! David Warner (THE OMEN, TRON), Clancy Brown (JOHN DIES AT THE END)! It was produced by Gale Anne Hurd (THE TERMINATOR, ALIENS, TREMORS, THE WALKING DEAD)! Read why you really want to see CAST A DEADLY SPELL! HATCHET is Old Enough To Vote
Through the years, I've seen a lot of people in Social Media post stills and gifs from this movie. Lots of Horror fans know of it, talk about it, yet few have seen it. So let's give you a much needed kick in the ass to Actually Watch it. Because I was there! At the October 2006 Screamfest film festival when I saw HATCHET!
IT Was Only Five Years Ago When...
... some Losers killed a clown. I was there in the theater to see it happen! IT: Chapter 2 And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Buffalo 8's MOTHER NOCTURNA Hits VOD 09/27
And - THE BRIDES OF DRACULA is 64
Let's pause to consider that the long deceased corpse of Hammer Films has risen again! "Where's the value in that?" you might ask. Back in 1960, Hammer wanted to make more vampire movies than actor Christopher Lee could star in. Plus, you didn't want to go to the well too many times with Chris in the role of Dracula. Especially since Hammer had him doing triple-time as the Frankenstein Creature and Mummy to boot! So they made their vampire movie and David Peel played the young Baron in THE BRIDES OF DRACULA. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Paddy Considine (CLOSE YOUR EYES, DEAD MAN'S SHOES, BOSQUE DE SOMBRAS, HOT FUZZ, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, RED RIDING: IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 1980, BLITZ, THE WORLD'S END, HONOUR, CHILD 44, THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS, THE OUTSIDER [TV], THE THIRD DAY [TV], WOLF, HOUSE OF THE DRAGON [TV]) is 50.
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Wes Bentley (BELOVED, SOUL SURVIVORS, GHOST RIDER, THE UNGODLY, P2, DOLAN'S CADILLAC, THE TOMB [2009], JONAH HEX, RITES OF PASSAGE, THE HUNGER GAMES, THE TIME BEING, PIONEER, INTERSTELLAR, AMNESIAC, FINAL GIRL, BROKEN VOWS, AMERICAN HORROR STORY [TV], BROKEN VOWS, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE FALL OUT, BLADE RUNNER: BLACK LOTUS [TV]) is 45.
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
A final farewell to Writer James A. Moore (FIREWORKS, POSSESSIONS, BLOOD RED, SLICES, DEEPER, THE LAST SACRIFICE, THIS IS HALLOWEEN) who would have celebrated his 59th birthday today. Actor / Producer Clare Kramer (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER [TV], THE SKULLS III, MUMMY AN' THE ARMADILLO, THE GRAVEDANCERS, THE THIRST, ROAD TO HELL, ENDURE, BIG ASS SPIDER, THE GRIM SLEEPER, MONSTER HIGH, TALES OF HALLOWEEN, THE LOST TREE, THE WRONG HOUSE, ZER0 TOLERANCE, DATING TO KILL, STRANGE ONES [TV], THE DEAD ONES, CHAOS ON THE FARM) is 50.
Actor Holt McCallany (CREEPSHOW 2, ALIEN3, THE PEACEMAKER, FIGHT CLUB, BELOW, TOXIC, RISE, A PERFECT GETAWAY, THE GANZFELD EXPERIMENT, CRUSH, WHITE SPACE, THE GANZFELD HAUNTING, MONSTER TRUCKS, MINDHUNTER [TV], BEYOND WHITE SPACE, GREENLAND, NIGHTMARE ALLEY, WOLVES) is 61.
YOU DUG IT
1. DEAD POOL & WOLVERINE bounces back to #1 with a minute 17% drop in box office sales and a loss of 210 screens. DP&W wins the Summer box office for 2024. DP&W has surpassed the half billion mark in domestic Box Office ticket sales and is well over $1.2 billion in the World B.O., earning 6.3 times its budget. Of the Top Ten Highest Grossing Superhero movies of all time (9 of which were all made prior to 2020/COVID), Marvel occupies 9 spots (THE INCREDIBLES 2 is at #9). DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE, currently at #7, and at its current rate, could become the #1 Marvel Comics movie franchise. 2. ALIEN ROMULUS, with a box office drop of 43% and a screen loss of 795, stays in the game at #2 for the second weekend in a row, earning 3.5 times its budget. 5. TWISTERS, holds onto its 5th place for the 2nd weekend in a row with a Plus 17% in Box Office and has earned 2.3 times its budget. 9. AFRAID enters the Top Ten at #9 in its first weekend, which is not uncommon for a low budget Indie. AFRAID is produced by Depth Of Field (PROSPECT) and Blumhouse Pictures (US) and distributed by Columbia Pictures (Sony). YOU BURIED IT
11. THE CROW falls from its opening weekend at #8 to #13 with a staggering 61% drop in Box Office sales and losing 2,176 screens in just one week. It's worldwide box office of $10 million is a 0.2% earn against its $50 million budget. 14. TRAP falls in its 5th weekend to #15 with a 54% drop in sales, a loss of 872 screens, and a top box office earn of $73 million world wide. BACK FROM THE DEAD -
Old releases making a special limited return to theaters, and on the Top 20, include the 15th Anniversary of CORALINE (remastered in 3D and opens at #10 this weekend) followed by the 20th Anniversary of SHAUN OF THE DEAD (opens at #18). 3 day holiday weekend in the U.S. means final figures are not in. 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 by posting the most positive numbers. And - Weekly World News Movie Trailer Drop
Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr. SUNDAY -
Actor Boyd Holbrook (THE HOST [2013], GONE GIRL, RUN ALL NIGHT, MORGAN, LOGAN, THE PREDATOR, IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON, THE CURSED, VENGEANCE, THE SANDMAN: IMPERFECT HOSTS [TV], INDIANA JONES AND THE MILK OF MAGNESIA) is 43. ISLE OF THE DEAD is 79
For a guy who worked almost exclusively in Horror movies, Boris Karloff handled the dismissive 20th Century attitudes toward his genre so well, and was so acute at choosing the right scripts, that he lived as an A-List actor alongside the likes of his fellow A-List contemporaries like Humphrey Bogart (who refused to work in Horror despite often being the scariest guy in his movies), Ingrid Bergman, and Bette Davis. Karloff's willingness to go low budget without ever going schlock paved the way for those who took their craft seriously, like Vincent Price and, to some extent, Alfred Hitchcock. Boris was fine working for small studios like RKO, as long as the scripts had, what he referred to as, "Substance". Substance is what indie Producers like Val Lewton thrived upon and this is why movies like ISLE OF THE DEAD still reign after nearly a century. THE PROPHECY is 29
We've been here before. A movie that's so good as to be nearly great in some respects, while completely dropping the ball in others. This movie has great dialogue, memorably delivered by some of the best actors alive today, but the story itself is Just. So. Weak. Their motivations are puerile considering that they come from immortal creatures who should have wisdom far beyond any age we could possibly live. The only thing that keeps me watching through repeated viewings is that the director and actors fully embraced their characters. This is my Love/Hate relationship with THE PROPHECY. SATURDAY - C.H.U.D. is 40
On the poster it says C.H.U.D. stands for Cannabalistic Humanoid Underground Dweller. Those who have watched the movie know what those letters really stand for and that misdirection is just one of the many clever ways this movie surprises you, knows your expectations, and goes against them in a manner most Chuddly. It's only part of the fun of C.H.U.D. JEEPERS CREEPERS is 23
As retro as it wants to be. In the same vein of 1960s monster movie mayhem as classics like CRITTERS and TREMORS, this is why JEEPERS CREEPERS remains a must see!
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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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