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| FEO NEWS FOR SPRING 2026: - MARCH - The detritus of old Horror/Thriller history can be found here. These are archived news items, many of them linked outside of this website. |
THE MATRIX is 27
Lana Warchowski brought nothing new to the table with MATRIX RESURRECTIONS, it was just revisiting characters for auld lang syne. It didn't fix any of the problems with the two sequels (but thankfully it didn't introduce bonehead nonsense like General Jar Jar Binks, Midichlorians, a dysfunctional galactic family, or Mary Sue saviors). The 5th in the series made its money, and now its a DVD 5 pack in Walmart. Ah, but in 1999, the future was a whole other story for the freshly minted and deliriously excited fans of THE MATRIX. Plus - SLITHER is 20 Today
Aliens taking control of human bodies and turning them into a living Something Else isn't new. There's a whole Heck'in substrate of Horror known as Body Horror. That said, most of it is deadly serious (John Carpenter's THE THING, David Cronenberg's ... Nearly Everything) and rarely as hilarious as James Gunn's SLITHER. Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
YOU DUG IT
1. PROJECT HAIL MARY retains its first place in the Top Ten and, as I predicted last week, has surpassed its Production budget in only its 2nd weekend. Everything after this is profit and with only a 33% drop in ticket sales in the second weekend against an additional 70 screens, raising its total from last weekend to 4,077 screens, Mark Weir's best selling novel turned 2nd hit movie in a row will likely cement his status as a Top selling Science Fiction author for years to come. 3. THEY WILL KILL YOU is a low budget foreign indie from movie (funded in) South Africa, but produced by Andy and Barbara Muschietti under their Nocturna Production company. Production wrapped in 2024 and this movie premiered in Texas at the SXSW film festival. Distributed in the U.S. through New Line via its parent company, Warner Bros., earned $10 million so far, 1/2 of its production budget, despite two heavy hitters occupying 1 and 2 on the Top Ten. 6. READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME, in its 2nd weekend, drops from last weekend's #4 debut with a 54% loss in box office against a mild 20 screen cut. 7. SCREAM 7 continues to slow its massive second weekend drop with only a 39% loss in ticket sales against a 215 screen cut. This results in a box office to date of over 4 times its Production budget, likely making it profitable (marketing, advertising, etc. figures unknown at this time). Profit also makes it likely to have a SCREAM 8. 9. UNDERTONE steps down from its place last week at #8. In its third weekend on the Top ten, it's horrific 68% drop in ticket sales by its second weekend slowed to 45% in this weekend despite losing 718 screens. However, this Horror movie with a Production budget of $500K has made over 36 times its budget during its theatrcial release, which is an auspicious debut in anyone's ledger! THE MUMMY RETURNS is back in theaters for its 25th Anniversary.
You Buried Nothing This Week Figures calibrated from reporting 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 - BEETLEJUICE Turns 38
For fans of Tim Burton and Neil Gaiman, this movie seemed to cement in place the idea that these two need to work together. Yet in 38 years its never happened. Oh sure, a Burton collaborator, Henry Selick (THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS) worked with Neil on CORALINE, but Burton and Gaiman? Nope. What is the roadblock after 38 years? Is it subtle artistic differences? Is it possible that Tim is too morbidly whacky for Neil's nightmarish whimsy (I'm leaning in that direction)? Whatever the case, Tim Burton probably never came closer to making a Neil Gaiman movie than he did with BEETLEJUICE. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor John Astin (THE ADDAMS FAMILY [TV], THE SPIRIT IS WILLING, TEEN WOLF TOO, RETURN OF THE KILLER TOMATOES!, NIGHT LIFE, GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH, KILLER TOMATOES STRIKE BACK!, ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES! [TV], EERIE, INDIANA [TV], KILLER TOMATOES EAT FRANCE!, STEPMONSTER, THE ADDAMS FAMILY [Animated - TV], THE FRIGHTENERS) is 96. SUNDAY -
Actor Brendan Gleeson (TURBULANCE, LAKE PLACID,
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE II, THE TAILOR OF PANAMA, 28 DAYS LATER, DARK BLUE, THE VILLAGE, HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE, HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, BEOWULF [2007], HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1, SAFE HOUSE, THE RAVEN, EDGE OF TOMORROW, STONEHEARST ASYLUM, ASSASSIN'S CREED, MR. MERCEDES [TV], THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH) is 71. GORGO is 65
I don't know how old that is in megafauna terms but this movie nearly holds its own against the original GODZILLA. Something that most Big Horror movies can't do including many Godzilla flicks! This is how GORGO wowed your Great-grandparents! PANIC ROOM is 24
David's previous work was on ALIEN3, which few liked (and for good reason). His movie after that was SE7EN, which nearly everyone liked, but what he needed now, with his next movie, was to prove he wasn't a One Hit wonder. David didn't get that with Fight Club. Oh sure, you may love it now, but where were you when it was in theaters? Huh? Uh huh. So if you've never seen this movie this is why you should: Actor Jodie Foster was already The Jodie Foster, but PANIC ROOM is where David Fincher became The David Fincher. SATURDAY -
Writer, Actor, Producer, Nick Frost (SPACED [TV], SHAUN OF THE DEAD, HOT FUZZ, GRINDHOUSE, HYPERDRIVE, ATTACK THE BLOCK, SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN [both], THE WORLD'S END, MONSTER FAMILY [both], TRUTH SEEKERS [TV], SCOOBY-DOO: THE SWORD AND THE SCOOB, THE NEVERS [TV], TIMESTALKER, GETAWAY, BLACK CAB, WHISTLE) is 54. PHANTASM Turns 47
This movie in acting, directing, editing, and more is as rough and unpolished as it gets. There is nothing developed and committee compromised, and all of the other professional major studio gloss to this one. No big city artistry here in expensive rigs, lighting, sight or sound. And yet, creator Don Coscarelli did the impossible. He somehow committed an actual nightmare to film. A movie that continues in your dreams to haunt and threaten you for years to come. I've met so many people who told me they weren't scared the entire time they watched it, yet it came back in their memories to give them scariest nightmares they ever had. Crazier still: over the years when they least expect it, it returns in their dreams. Once you watch Don Coscarelli's masterpiece, it may haunt you for the rest of your life. This is the uncanny power of PHANTASM. But it's just a movie...
THEY WILL KILL YOU Starts Today!
And - HALLOWEEN The Game set to play on September, 2026
Plus - HUNTER: THE RECKONING Set to Play this Summer
Also - MONSTERS VS ALIENS Turns 17
It doesn't have everything animation fans cherish in a Pixar movie, but it also doesn't have all of the fast aging, topical preachy trendy pop-culture see it coming a mile away jokes (well, okay, it has some) of a Dreamworks movie (which this is). Instead it has Illumination-style surprise, cheese, and cornball humor lightly scented with Dreamworks' brand of Eu de fluvia. It's not great, but it's fun and you might even laugh out loud a few times. Even better, you can watch it more than once without muttering, "Why did I buy this shit?" like you've probably done so many times with various other Dreamworks animation. We know that Dreamworks can bring it when they want to, so why don't they want to do it more? You know, like they did with MONSTERS VS ALIENS? Wassmor - THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT Turns 17
Okay, just what the hell was going on in 2009 on March 27? Because theaters opened the weekend with MONSTERS VS ALIENS for the leedle kiddies and this movie for the older young'uns and the adults. Yet both were Family Monster Movies! I enjoyed both, though I never understood the whole bit about how to tell who is possessed by sitting around a table until someone pukes up a bedsheet. Don't get me wrong, you don't see that every day, or at least I don't. But that's only one of the mysteries in THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Nathan Fillion (DRACULA 2000, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER [TV], FIREFLY [TV], WATER'S EDGE, SERENITY, SLITHER, WHITE NOISE 2: THE LIGHT, DR. HORRIBLE'S SING-ALONG BLOG, SUPER, CASTLE [TV], PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY [all], GRAVITY FALLS [TV], YAMASONG: MARCH OF THE HALLOWS, A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS [TV], THE VENTURE BROS. [TV], SANTA CLARITA DIET [TV], THE SUICIDE SQUAD, RESIDENT ALIEN [TV], MONSTERS AT WORK [TV], DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE, SKINCARE, ) is 55.
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
UPDATE: Production has stopped on CONSTANTINE 2 and the work has shifted into reverse and is back to its Pre-Production bay. Lawrence remains onboard.
HUNGER GAMES: SUNRISE ON THE REAPING is in Post-Production and expected for a November 20, 2026
release.
Zack Snyder's SUCKER PUNCH Turns 15
Which makes it a freaking teenager! Dang ol' teenagers! But it's okay! Because Zack Snyder, who wrote the story, co-wrote screenplay, produced it with his wife and friends, and directed this movie, would later "fix it" with, not a Director's Cut, but an Extended Cut! Because, OMG! That was the problem, right? At ten minutes shy of 2 hours, it needed to Take More Time! It needed to be well OVER 2 hours, right? Then it would have been freaking awesome, right? 15 years ago I sat there in the GD theater watching SUCKER PUNCH. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Thriller, Suspense, and Mystery Writer, Lawrence Dagstine (ESPIONAGE FIRST, SPENER PRAGUE, DEATH OF THE COMMON WRITER, VISITATION RIGHTS, ALLEGIANCE TO ARMS) is 47.
THE HUMAN MONSTER Turns 86 or 87 Depending
On whether you live in England or the U.S.A. In any case, Bela Lugosi the actor is still talked about among Horror fans - and gets movies made about his life - because while forever considered the "Ultimate Dracula", he was no one-off actor. Unfortunately, Bela chose to let his one time shot as Dracula with Universal dominate and damage his life. Which is too bad because Bela died in poverty with a treasure chest of Horror movies that are every bit the equal of Universal Pictures DRACULA, even if they'll never have the Big Studio push that U.P. can afford. Bela just would not call it in no matter how low the budget. The man was Consumate! For example, from Edgar Wallace, the writer who created the original KING KONG, came this creeper of a feature, THE HUMAN MONSTER. And - BLOODSHOT Turns 6
Only six? What a cute little movie! And what a lost opportunity to be something awesome. That's how I feel about Vin Diesel's BLOODSHOT. Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
YOU DUG IT
1. PROJECT HAIL MARY debuts in first place and it looks like Andy Weir's second NYT bestseller-made-movie is also headed to box office bonanza. It opened wide on 4,007 screens, bringing in over $80 million in North America alone and over $60 million in the world market. At this point it's box office could easily match its Production budget before next weekend's ticket sales and its all gravy after that. 4. READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME debuts at #4 with a $16 million world-wide box office. With a $14 million budget that's a damn good start. 6. SCREAM 7 experienced a slowing of descent in its 4th weekend, dropping down from last weekend's #4 with a 49% loss of ticket sales against a 683 screen cut. Still, thanks to its enormous opening first weekend, it made over 4 times its budget so prepare yourselves for SCREAM 8 next year. 8. UNDERTONE dropped into freefall from last weekend's #3 with a staggering loss of 68% in ticket sales despite no cut in screens. YOU BURIED IT 11. THE BRIDE! went into a free fall of five places, right off the Top Ten in only its 3rd weekend. With a whopping 83% loss in box office against a 2,596 screen cut, I don't believe I've ever seen such a massive loss of screens for a major release feature film in a single week before. This movie needed $160 million at the world box office just to break even with its Production Budget, but leaves the top ten with $23 million and a $708 dollar per screen average. Whew! Figures calibrated from reporting 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 - THE HUNGER GAMES Turns 14
This was a difficult sell to Science Fiction Horror fans as well as fans of Dystopian stories (and what a fun bunch THEY are!). All of us who are into what NYT Best Selling author, Suzanne Collins, was selling in her books and what Lionsgate was selling in their movie, felt that we'd already read it in Koushun Takami's brutal novel or seen it in the movie of the book, BATTLE ROYALE. The fact that this Battle would take place for basically the same reasons (suppress rebellious youth), but in a toned-down domesticated Hollywood glitzy cgi liberal future of happily blithe celebrities and excitedly indifferent journalists, all parroting the faux compassion that we saw in Roger Corman's DEATH RACE 2000, didn't compel many of us. However, I saw it and liked it. For a fact it was no BATTLE ROYALE, nowhere close, but this is what I enjoyed about THE HUNGER GAMES. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor, Writer, Producer, Director Larry Fessenden (HABIT [1982], NO TELLING, HABIT [1995], WENDIGO, SESSION 9, THE LAST WINTER, DEPRAVED, BENEATH, ZOMBIE HONEYMOON, AUTOMATONS, SISTERS [2006], TRIGGER MAN, I SELL THE DEAD, BITTER FEAST, SATAN HATES YOU, STAKE LAND, HYPOTHERMIA, THE INNKEEPERS, STRAY BULLETS, LIKE ME, MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLAND, PSYCHOPATHS, THE RANGER, HEADSPACE, CABIN FEVER: SPRING FEVER, YOU'RE NEXT, HELLBENDERS, THE MIND'S EYE, NIGHT OF THE WOLF, THE TRANSFIGURATION, CLARA'S GHOST, JAKOB'S WIFE, and way more!) is 63. SUNDAY -
Actor Kandyse McClure (THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE, RETURN TO THE CABIN BY THE LAKE, JEREMIAH [TV], CARRIE [2002], DA VINCI'S INQUEST [TV], WHISTLER [TV], REAPER [TV], SANCTUARY [TV], CHILDREN OF THE CORN [2009], PERSONS UNKNOWN [TV], MOTHER'S DAY [2010], HEMLOCK GROVE [TV], SEVENTH SON, CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR, GHOST WARS [TV], V-WARS [TV], CHARMED [TV - 2018], DEMONIC) is 46. FRIDAY THE 13th Part V: A NEW BEGINNING Is 41
That's right, this was the 5th in the franchise! The Fifth and it's over 40 years old! 41 years old and though there hasn't been a F13 movie in over 15 years, Jason is still going strong in our culture! Wow! So what did my inveterate FRIDAY THE 13th fan and movie reviewer, Ken "The Fan Behind the Mask" King think of FRIDAY THE 13th Part V: A NEW BEGINNING? BLADE II is XXIV
Some of you may not have been alive when this movie came out. You've heard that it's awesome, but you've yet to discover why. This is why you should see BLADE II. US Turns 7
Fans who watched the Key and Peele show never saw an episode go by where there wasn't a vignette or three that deconstructed a facet of Hollywood tropes. Whether it was the progression of the villain in movies, narrative TV or Reality TV, Key and Peele would bring the cliches with hilarious and sometimes even chilling results: proving that the cliches still had power even when you could see behind their curtain. No wonder at all then, that Jordan Peele was able to tap into that in all the ways we grew up watching, to deliver the mystery, shocks, scares, and wonder in US. SATURDAY -
Writer Jason Brannon (PUZZLES OF FLESH, FIVE DAYS ON THE BANKS OF ARCHERON, WINDS OF CHANGE, THE CAGE, LAKE OCTOBER, QUARTET, RUSTY NAILS, THE ORDER OF THE BULL, THE MISUNDERSTOOD AND OTHER MISFIT HORRORS, THE MAZE) is 48 years old today. MAD MAX is 46
The first time I saw this movie was in an Arthouse theater while waiting for midnight and THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (and yes, more than a few of my stories start that way). I was knocked on my ass! No Car movie was ever like this. Not even my then beloved VANISHING POINT (I have many beloved movies). Since that time, creator George Miller, with sequel after sequel, has never let me down. But though they are all good to great, there is only one MAD MAX. DREAMCATCHER is 23
"You just don't understand Stephen King!" I was told by an SK fan when, after reading King's novel, DREAMCATCHER. I found it to be among his weakest work. It happens. When you're as prolific as King they can't all be winners. We all have good days and bad days, but the fan made the point that I didn't understand King. Which is nuts! You don't get to be the best selling Horror writer on earth, and maintain that reputation for half a century, by writing prose that's difficult for people to grasp. King has always been an outstanding communicator, among the most easily accessible. So when the movie came out I went out to see it like the SK fan I am, and... well, the book was better for what that's worth. The same SK fan who said I couldn't "get" SK praised the movie to the skies as well. Why, if it doesn't sweep the Oscars, something's wrong! Then Stephen King came forward to impugn the movie and the self-certified "genius" fan could only sit down and shut up. As for me, I smugly smiled in schadenfreude at the shaded shit-head. Because of my view, I didn't want to review either the book or movie, but I had two reviewers who did and this is the movie review of DREAMCATCHER.
THE OMEN 3: THE FINAL CONFLICT is 44
Filming wrapped on this, the second sequel to 20th Century Fox's wildly successful THE OMEN, in 1979. So why was it released in 1981? Read how the suits at 20th Century Fox put all the pieces into place, only to puzzle over their own picture. Read my article on THE FINAL CONFLICT. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
DAWN OF THE DEAD Is 22
By 2004 George A. Romero's DEAD trilogy was more than canon, it was the template by which all subsequent zombie movies adhered, nearly to the letter. And yet, then Troma famous writer, James Gunn (SLITHER), looking to fend off the stain of being the Scooby-Doo live action movie writer, took a monologue from Ben in the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and expanded on it. "...a big gasoline truck came screaming right across the road! There must've been ten, fifteen of those things chasing after it, grabbing and holding on." Gunn used that for a movie with zombies that wouldn't slowly walk or crawl toward you, but run at breakneck speed as if they felt no pain or exhaustion. Romero didn't like it and made it clear in interview after interview that he'd forgotten that part of his movie that put him on the map. But George did co-write it, he did shoot it, and he never challenged it for the decades before 2004 when the world saw the way that Zack Snyder directed what James Gunn wrote. It's now 22 years later and this is why DAWN OF THE DEAD [2004], remains the only worthy remake or sequel of the original trilogy. And - REPO MEN Turns 16
What if you were a Monty Python fan and you wanted to make a dystopian Terry Gilliam/Python-esque movie (Like Terry himself made with BRAZIL)? It's 2003, you have the unpublished novel, and you work on the screenplay. The wheels turn slow for newbies but, by Cthulhu, come 2010 you've got your A-List actors and your movie release! Only then do you realize that your distributor doesn't get what the movie is about and doesn't know how to sell it. So Universal released what appears to be trailers that encapsulate the whole story, Beginning to End, in 3 minutes. Even if there might be a twist ending, who is going to pay theater prices for a 30 second denouement before end credits? That's kind of how it went for the folks who made REPO MEN.
116 Years Ago Today the Creature Came To Life On Screen: FRANKENSTEIN
Watch the restored version of FRANKENSTEIN at Feo Amante Theater. And - THE RING 2 is Old Enough to Drink Alky-hall
Dreamworks/Paramount had a full, layered, and deep backstory both from the novel and the many Japanese sequels that expanded the world of Sadako / Samara (U.S.). Would Dreamworks make the superior sequel to their hit or would they go full Hollywood and crank out a paint by numbers sequel in a cynical grab for those first weekend box office receipts? This is the direction they chose with THE RING 2. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Lily Collins (PRIEST, ABDUCTION, MIRROR MIRROR, THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES, EXTREMELY WICKED SHOCKINGLY EVIL AND VILE, INHERITANCE, WINDFALL, MAXXXINE) is 37.
Oscar Winning Horror Thriller Mystery and Suspense!
Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan - SINNERS And - FINAL DESTINATION Turns 26! Over A Quarter Century of FINAL DESTINATION! This Horror classic ushered in the new millennium with a smart style, concept, and of all things, the ultimate unseen killer: Death itself! E.C. McMullen Jr. takes you back to the cinema and how the original SCREAM generation reacted to the first ever nationwide theatrical showing of FINAL DESTINATION! And - V FOR VENDETTA Turns 20
What V FOR VENDETTA, the Alan Moore comic was? A protest against Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Everything he accused Magaret Thatcher of being is who, in reality, Moore is. We know this because in 2019, for the first time in 40 years, Alan voted for the Labour Party, who welcomed in all the Horrors he projected onto Thatcher England, the Tories, and then some. Alan saw it all with open eyes, wanted it, and now the nightmare is his to love. However, Magaret Thatcher retired her role as Prime Minister of England in 1990 and all the evil she would have supposedly ushered in never happened because Thatcher was never anything like Alan wanted her to be. Which made Moore's story outdated and obsolete: A relic forever buried in the 1980s. Any movie to be made needed major turns from what the comic was and in 2004, Moore hated what his V FOR VENDETTA was turning into. The movie was reimagined into a 2000s heavy handed protest against President George W. Bush - except it still took place in England. In a distant future many presidents past the Bush era, which never-the-less somehow created a fever dream England that is ruled by The Chancellor (heavy-handed hint), the U.K. becomes an authoritarian, Socialist fascist state. One that oppresses its population with endless wars (staggering into Orwell) where fundamentalist Islam and the LGBT+ community are equally oppressed and so, Best Friends Forever! Which makes no sense either. So Warner Bros. took it away from, who were then the Warchowski Bros., re-edited the movie and added or re-shot some scenes, causing a long delay in release. Did this make the movie version of V FOR VENDETTA better? Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Mark Boone Jr. (BORN IN FLAMES, FILM HOUSE FEVER, FORCE OF CIRCUMSTANCE, FEVER, THE PAINT JOB, SE7EN, THE GAME, HACK [1997], John Carpenter's VAMPIRES, I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, MEMENTO, ORDINARY MADNESS, DEAD BIRDS, FRANKENFISH, SAWTOOTH, BATMAN BEGINS, THE LEGEND OF LUCY KEYES, WRISTCUTTERS: A LOVE STORY, UNKNOWN, 30 DAYS OF NIGHT, THE DONNER PARTY, Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN II, GHOST HOUSE, AMERICAN SATAN, BY THE RIVERS OF BABYLON, IDA RED, PARADISE CITY [TV], THE GATEWAY, ATRIBILIOUS, BY THE RIVERS OF BABYLON, O'DESSA) is 70.
YOU DUG IT
3. UNDERTONE from A24 debuts just shy of $10 million in its opening weekend. 4. SCREAM 7 steps down from last weekend's massive drop to #3. This weekend, the fall was significantly less with a 50% loss in ticket sales, which isn't great, against a 297 screen cut, which is to be expected. 6. THE BRIDE! drops from last weekend's #3 with a massive 70% loss in ticket sales. You might be ready to bury this one. 9. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES II: THE SECRET OF THE OOZE, gets a 1,372 screen re-release courtesy of Fandango and actually makes the Top Ten. 13. SEND HELP, in its 7th weekend, drops off the Top Ten with a 54% loss in ticket sales against a 720 screen cut, free falling 5 places from last weekend's #8. You Buried Nothing Figures calibrated from reporting 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 - 47 Years of TOURIST TRAP
46 years: Never a Remake. Never a Sequel. Never an Equal. This is why TOURIST TRAP is one of the best Horror movies ever made. Plus - RAVENOUS Turns 27
Cannibal zombies, Cannibal primitive tribes, Cannibal criminals hiding in plain sight. What about just Cannibals as a pronoun? Someone may not have been born a cannibal but feels as though they are a Cannibal and that has to be respected. Because only food wouldn't accept cannibalism and who cares what your food thinks? This movie came out back in 1999, takes place in the century before that, and if it wasn't for the dark humor, it likely would have made Horror fans even more uncomfortable. Mike Bracken The Horror Geek, saw it in the theater lo these many moons ago and this is his take on RAVENOUS. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Tara Buck (TRUE BLOOD [TV], THE LIFE ZONE, TOMORROW YOU'RE GONE, THE NIGHT VISITOR, AT THE DEVIL'S DOOR, NOISE IN THE MIDDLE) is 50. SUNDAY -
Director / Actor David Cronenberg (SHIVERS aka THEY CAME FROM WITHIN, RABID, THE BROOD, SCANNERS, VIDEODROME, THE FLY, THE DEAD ZONE, DEAD RINGERS, NIGHTBREED, LAST NIGHT, RESURRECTION, eXistenZ, JASON X, SPIDER, A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, EASTERN PROMISES, A DANGEROUS METHOD, DISAPPEARANCE AT CLIFTON HILL, SLASHER [TV], CRIMES OF THE FUTURE, THE SHROUDS) is 83. FORBIDDEN PLANET is 70
I watch this and I see a Nayfack movie that compells me, but one that was flawed even for its time, and I'm not only talking about it being nearly half exposition. "Here is where the Krells would come to to play a game remarkably similar to our Bowling. Their extraordinary skill at ball handling was millions of years in advance of our own. They accomplished this stunning achievement through the use of..." GAH! Its flaws grow larger with age, and if it was at all possible to make things right without adding more wrong, this is a story that could be ageless. Of course, some folks already think FORBIDDEN PLANET is ageless. RESIDENT EVIL is 24
There came a point in the genesis of this movie where George A. Romero, who'd been attached throughout its long gestation, left the project, not wanting to have anything to do with it: At all. That's when the guy who apparently didn't want to direct it, Writer and Producer, Paul W.S. Anderson, found he wasn't able to get anyone else on such short notice. Nearly everyone on this picture was hired, waiting, Production was about to begin, the money clock was ticking and spending, and a quick, cheap, nobody director would need investor approval. So, not wanting to but needing to get this movie made under contractual obligations, Paul directed it himself. This was the result with 2002's RESIDENT EVIL. TERRIFIER Turns 8 (or maybe 10?)
Have you resisted this movie because you've heard about "that" scene and you're not sure if you can "handle" it? Or maybe you started watching it, saw the woman visitor and told yourself, "Nope! Nope! NOPE!" If that happened? Sucks to be you! This is how Ken King, the Fan Behind the Mask, reacted to TERRIFIER. SATURDAY -
Actor Michael Caine (THE IPCRESS FILE, FUNERAL IN BERLIN, BILLION DOLLAR BRAIN, THE MAGUS, GET CARTER, SLEUTH, THE BLACK WINDMILL, PEEPER, THE EAGLE HAS LANDED, THE SWARM, THE ISLAND [1980], DRESSED TO KILL, THE HAND, DEATHTRAP, THE JIGSAW MAN, THE FOURTH PROTOCOL, THE WHISTLE BLOWER, JAWS: THE REVENGE, WITHOUT A CLUE, A SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM, BLUE ICE, ON DEADLY GROUND, BLOOD AND WINE, QUILLS, GET CARTER [2000], THE QUIET AMERICAN, QUICKSAND, THE STATEMENT, BATMAN BEGINS, CHILDREN OF MEN, THE PRESTIGE, FLAW, LESS, SLEUTH [2007], THE DARK KNIGHT, HARRY BROWN, INCEPTION, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, NOW YOU SEE ME, ELIZA GRAVES, INTERSTELLAR, KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE, THE LAST WITCH HUNTER, COME AWAY, TENET) is 93. THE PROPHECY 3 is 26
With this movie, actor Christopher Walken was able to wrap up his three picture deal in a nice, bright, packag-Ah! He left the franchise, which continued to stumble on without him for another two pictures. If he ever had anything bad to say about the movies I'm unaware of it. I'm also unaware of Christopher ever having anything good to say about THE PROPHECY 3: THE ASCENT. WILLARD is 23
Did you read the bestseller, RATMAN'S NOTEBOOKS? No? Did you see the first WILLARD movie from 1971? No? Well in the 2003 remake, actor Crispin Glover (FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER, ALICE IN WONDERLAND [2010]), who handles comedy and sinister with equal aplomb, brought on the full force of alienating creepiness, as only he can turn on whenever he wants to. Holy Crap! This is why Glover IS WILLARD! DOOMSDAY is Old Enough to Vote
If you ever wanted to escape Back to New York, if you were ever Mad for Max, and you didn't want to wait 28 Days Later for it to happen, this is a Neil Marshall (DOG SOLDIERS, THE DESCENT) movie you are going to want to see but quick. That's the opinion of reviewer Bishop Bettini and I can vouch for DOOMSDAY.
UNDERTONE Opens Today
And - THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN Turns 84
1942 and Horror movie icon, Boris Karloff turned in his Frankenstein creature flat top. Gone forever was the gaunt, towering, death come to life, monster that he portrayed. Universal Pictures, under a new and confused management that wanted Monster Movie money without the stain of making monster movies, brought in Lon Chaney Jr. Junior's old man did Horror, Junior did Horror, and who was going to tell the difference between a wasted, sunken cheeked creature and one built like a 2 years after retirement pro football linebacker? Plus, it had Bela Lugosi as Igor!* More to the point, who cared? Not the new owners who practically stole Universal Pictures from the Laemmle family after their own Junior acquired a seriously bad loan deal to make a picture. Early 20th Century Universal Pictures has so many grim lessons to teach modern filmmakers. THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (now the name of the creature itself) may have run on fumes, but they were powerful enough to represent Mary Shelly Wollstone's monster in our cultureal zeitgiest nearly a century later. *It also had Cedric Hardwicke and Lionel Atwill, who were monster movie masters back then, lending a gravitas touch of sophisticated theater acting to these otherwise Young Adult movies much the same way Christopher Lee did to Count Dooku or Peter Cushing did for Grand Moff Tarkin or Alec Guinness with Obi-Wan Kenobi, or... Plus - THE EVIL DEAD II is 38
Though Sam Raimi still attempts to have you believe otherwise, this is not a sequel. Ash comes upon the cabin in the woods for the first time, he's not returning to it for a second time. If anything the story was changed from a serious Horror movie to a cornball comedy satirizing itself just enough to be a remake, or a reboot, or a reimagininginginging. You can believe what you like, but since this movie is old enough to be your Father, let's get past all that and treat EVIL DEAD II as a seqboot remock! Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN Turns 55
There are a lot of science fiction movies out there, but extremely few that get the science right. Author Michael Crichton (JURASSIC PARK) was a scientist, as well as a genius, and like other Scientists who were also fiction writers, from Robert A. Heinlein (STARSHIP TROOPERS) to Arthur C. Clarke (2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY) to Isaac Asimov (I, ROBOT), Michael was a stickler for hard science: for reality when faced with the fantastic or unbelievable. When you have a Science Fiction story that sticks to that reality, it sets up the roadblocks that creates suspense and drama that need never occur in any other form of storytelling. No Dues ex machina of the Supernatural, Wizards, Spirits, Angels, or Gods will step in at the last second to save you. So here we are over a half century later and this movie repeatedly makes lists as one of the most intense, suspenseful movies ever made in the history of cinema. The History of Cinema! And yet in 1971 it was rated G! In its era, the 1970s was also known as the "Me Generation" and that significantly-sized herd of self-medicating narcissists went on to raise a generation of wusses. Even four years later in 1975 JAWS was rated only PG. So Michael Crichton (THE TERMINAL MAN) and Director Robert Wise (THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL [1951]) were on the same page and they wanted this movie to grab the audience by the throat. Which meant no distractions: like everyone angrily F-bombing each other like cable Teevee drug-addled street addicts. No side-trips into romance or navel gazing over who in the group might like you. No, in this movie the clock is ticking and the people who are going to save us all have no time for bullshit. As in movies like COLOSSUS, if these scientists can't solve this crisis and quick, we'll all die from THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN. Plus - Charles Band's PARASITE Turns 44
What can be said about this movie that hasn't already been said? Besides the fact that it stars Demi Moore and was released in 3D? Besides the fact that she was such a nobody when this came out that Charles Band kept her off the poster? Or the fact that when she became a somebody years later, Chuck put her on the DVD cover. In fact, she was the only person or thing on the DVD cover who/that is actually in the movie. If you're wondering whether or not you should see it, then for what it's worth, this is my take on 1982's PARASITE 3D. Also - DEMONIC TOYS Turns 34
Few bad Horror movies age into classics. That doesn't mean they don't have their fans. It's just that their fans would rather watch the movie stream free than pay for it. What does that mean? Movies that fans won't pay to see is what a Producer or Director or Agent calls "Interesting". In its own way through just the right skew of the eye and cock of the head, DEMONIC TOYS is Interesting. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Jaimie Alexander (THE OTHER SIDE, REST STOP, HALLOWED GROUND, KYLE XY [TV], THOR, INTERSECTIONS, THOR: THE DARK WORLD, BLIND SPOT [TV], BROKEN VOWS, LONDON FIELDS, THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER, THE MINUTE YOU WAKE UP DEAD) is 41.
THX 1138 is 55
Star Wars fans are used to seeing this title in everything George Lucas does, and I don't mean just his theater sound system. Here's a look into the movie behind the title THX 1138. Plus - OUTPOST is Old Enough to Vote
There's a subset of Horror movies and that's Zombie. There's a subset of that and it's Cannibal Killer Zombie. But there's even a subset of that and it's called Cannibal Killer Nazi Zombie. And that's where the OUTPOST franchise came in. Also - BATTLE: LOS ANGELES is 15
Return to a time when *Shaky Cam* was at its zenith! And nobody liked it! But Hollywood wanted audiences to prefer it over choreographed fight scenes which cost more money to stage. But audiences still said no! So the fight was on and one of the last Hollywood outposts of *Shaky Cam* was BATTLEFIELD: LOS ANGELES. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor David Anders (ALIAS [TV], THE SOURCE, CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION [TV], CHARMED [TV], LEFT IN DARKNESS, REVENANT, CHILDREN OF THE CORN [TV - 2009], 24 [TV], HEROES [TV], THE VAMPIRE DIARIES [TV], ONCE UPON A TIME [TV], 24 [TV], iZOMBIE [TV]) is 44.
THE CHURCH is 36
Hang on! This movie was co-wrote by Franco Ferrini (PHENOMENA), Michele Soavi (DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE), and Dario Argento (THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMMAGE)? Damn! I'll take it! It was Produced by Dario Argento (INFERNO) and Directed by Michele Soavi (CEMETERY MAN)? I said I'll take it! It stars Asia Argento (THE STENDHAL SYNDROME)? Hey you MF! Stop F'n teasing me and give me the GD movie already! That's kinda how I am with some Horror movies like THE CHURCH. And - DAWN OF THE DEAD is 22
The fast running zombies that George A. Romero could only write about and have Ben describe to the others in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, was shot in stunning full color apocalyptic fury by Zack Snyder and happens in the first ten minutes of his and James Gunn's remake. I was lucky to have Zack Snyder show that ten minute clip to me and a small roomful of others at a convention, back when most folks never heard of Zack Snyder and he needed Guillermo Del Toro to introduce him. Can you believe that Universal Pictures were going to release DAWN OF THE DEAD Direct to Video? Plus - THE HILLS HAVE EYES is 20
I was there, at the 2006 Hollywood premiere! As blind luck would have it, I rode the car park elevator alone with practical SFX grandmaster, Greg Nicotero (DAY OF THE DEAD, FROM BEYOND, PREDATOR, ARMY OF DARKNESS, IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS, FROM DUSK TILL DAWN, SCREAM, THE NIGHT FLIER, MEN IN BLACK, THE FACULTY, HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, THE CELL, KILL BILL, SIN CITY, PLANET TERROR, MIRRORS, THE WALKING DEAD [TV], way more!). We had met and attended the same parties more than a few times over the years at that point, but when you're in Greg's line of business, you meet So! Many! Damn! People! Every single day, so I wasn't miffed that he didn't remember me. In fact, pity the poor bastard that, out of the tons of new people he must meet every week, he kept running into me! We went our separate ways at floor level, I got in the special line reserved exclusively for general audience, and while I chatted with my fellow Horror geeks we saw actor Michael Berryman (DEADLY BLESSING, THE DEVIL'S REJECTS, PENNY DREADFUL, way more!) cut the line - as Pluto has every right to do. A young security guard blocked him and we fans were immediately incensed. "Hey! That's Michael Berryman! You can't block Pluto!" we shouted, the whole line sharing the alarm. Someone with a bigger wig rushed forward and guided Michael inside. He turned and waved to us all for our help. And of course, we cheered like the Mutants we are. So that put me in a good mood for watching the reboot that night and this is what I thought of THE HILLS HAVE EYES - 2006. Also - KONG: SKULL ISLAND is 10
In the original KING KONG, they were all sailing on their merry way to Skull Island! Then KING KONG 1976 came out and they were all sailing and sniping on their misbegotten way to a mysterious cloud covered island with the most racist "woke" hero you ever saw. Then KING KONG 2005 came out and they were all forced by circumstance to go and probably die on a godforsaken island of genetically damaged inbreds. But at least they filled the hour or so of sea travel with tedious conversations of sophomore philosophy. If the next reboot was going to avoid being even worse, it had to stop pandering to the inherent sexism and racism of the latest celebrity and Ivy League activist trend and embrace what the original KING KONG was all about! And did it ever! This is the tale of how the wildly popular new KING KONG - GODZILLA franchise was born right under the noses of Disney's once thriving MCU and Amateur Hour Star Wars re-Moot. It all began with KONG: SKULL ISLAND. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Ever since IT CHAPTER TWO, today's birthday girl has become the IT girl for Horror! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to
YOU DUG IT Last weekend's phenomenal win of #1 didn't do so great in its 2nd weekend. That said, its still the highest ranking movie in our favorite genres
2. SCREAM 7 in only its second weekend, dropped a staggering 72% in ticket sales despite losing no screens. 3. THE BRIDE! is a "Holy crap!" moment for Warner Bros. and IMAX. They turned a few chapters of Mary Shelley Wollstonecraft's FRANKENSTEIN into a 1930s Bonnie and Clyde analogy replete with all of the Ken Russell-isms that director Maggie Gyllenhall could throw at her first "Horror" feature film. The precipitous drop of SCREAM 7 gave it plenty of room for at least a #2 position, but fans didn't respond well to the trailers or the concept. 8. SEND HELP in its 6th weekend, holds onto its #8 position for the 2nd weekend in a row. It fell only 46.2% in box office against an 850 screen cut. 10. DEMON SLAYER -KIMETSU NO YAIBA- THE MOVIE: INFINITY CASTLE jumps back into the Top Ten on a total of 853 screens in its 26th weekend on the Top 50. You Buried Nothing Figures calibrated from reporting 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 - CHILDREN OF THE CORN Turns 42
Not my thing. Not my thing at all. Maybe it's your thing, but this is why CHILDREN OF THE CORN (1984) is not my thing. Plus - 300 Turns 20
If I wasn't already a Zack Snyder fan with DAWN OF THE DEAD (2004), I damn sure became one with Zack's 300. The wildest ride in the theater since I saw THE MATRIX in theaters in 1999, was the whooping and hollering that the audience got into with this movie in 2006. They went bananas for 300 and this is why. Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Horror Writer Stuart Neild (A HAUNTED MAN, SPRING HEELED JACK AWAKES, TALES TO UNNERVE AND DISTURB, THE FIRST GHOST TOWN, GIANT KILLER EELS, SHOOT) is 56. SUNDAY -
Actor Nora-Jane Noone (THE DESCENT, DOOMSDAY, BEYOND THE RAVE, INSATIABLE [2008], LEGEND OF THE BOG, SAVAGE, THE DESCENT 2, DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS [2009 - TV], JACK TAYLOR [all], DECEPTION [TV], ESTRANGED, IDENTICALS, 12 FEET DEEP, THE CAPTURE, DARLIN', I HATE THE MAN IN MY BASEMENT, THE IPCRESS FILE [TV], BRING THEM DOWN) is 42. TALES FROM THE CRYPT Is 54
The old Educational Comics Code (E.C.) TALES FROM THE CRYPT, born in 1950, could not stay buried. At 76 years old in its original form, this isn't your parents or grandparents comicbook movie. This is your Great-grandparents comic book and your grandparent's Horror movie, with all of the grim grins you discovered from everything that came after. Not only the old and still popular HBO TALES FROM THE CRYPT, but even R.L. Stine's Goosebumps, which took its cues from TFtC and gave them a bump. Marvel comics struggled so long to adapt their titles before they found their winning formula (which, amazingly enough, was a stricter adherence to the old comics and not dryhumping the latest windy trendy to blow through the ears of the studio experts). TFtC never struggled to find an audience in cinema or TV. This is how TALES FROM THE CRYPT hit the ground running with a 1970s Me Generation full of rebellion and contempt for the 1950s. HELLRAISER: BLOODLINE Is 30
It surprises no Horror fan to read or hear that Horror movies are the profitable red-headed step child of the Hollywood studios. Clive Barker's HELLRAISER found its cult theater audience, gained more traction in home video, and could have easily grown their audience with subsequent sequels. But such is the Hollywood culture of that era that suits only sought to butcher their golden goose instead of thrive on it. After all, Studio heads are a revolving door job. And the value of what you ushered in will be remembered for crashing and burning without you when you leave. Some have the mindset that, as they move to their next job, it pays to have the movies that were profitable under you, fail without you. Or such appears to be said mindset. I could be wrong. Maybe the studio bosses just had no imagination or creativity at all. It certainly feels like one of those two when watching the first Alan Smithee sequel in the Hellraiser franchise (and the final Alan Smithee movie to date). Yet, there's an audience for everything, even formulaic cut & paste assembled by committee. Since we're already talking about HELLRAISER: BLOODLINE... SATURDAY -
Horror Writer T.G. Arsenault (FORGOTTEN SOULS) is 50. NOMADS is 40
Imagine that your movie you've spent years writing and developing is finally made and released. And! It! Tanks! Everybody hates it and your nascent movie career is stillborn. Elsewhere, an A-List actor is attached to a movie that has funding but is going nowhere. All the big time genre directors have been approached and turned it down. Not because of the script, the script is great, but because the movie has to be shot in a sweltering hot jungle. This A-lister watches your movie because he likes the two lead actors. The next thing you know, you are getting calls because this actor convinced the producers to approach you. You say yes, sign the contracts, and in a flash you are whisked off to the foreign set! You do your time in that sweltering jungle, despite all the problems in production (which become legendary), and deliver that movie! This is your 2nd feature film! Your 2nd movie period! The producers love it, the studio loves it, it gets released and its a hit! Now you're contracted to work with another A-Lister on his movie, which is released the following year. That one is a Mega-Hit and your career is made! And to think it was all built upon the foundation of your one movie that no one liked, called NOMADS.
THE BRIDE Opens Today
And - THE LAST MAN ON EARTH Turns 62
After over half a century, Horror fans remain divided over this movie. New audiences watching it for the first time are no exception. They either think its a dull dragged out slog, or find it a compelling slow burn that builds to a powerful punch of an ending. Considering that nearly the entire movie rests on the shoulders of a single actor, THE LAST MAN ON EARTH remains a testament to the riveting character command of Vincent Price. Plus - ANGEL HEART is 38
When it comes to slow burn creepiness I can't think of any movie that beats this one. The only misstep is a corny special effect applied at the wrong to an actor who was already effectively commanding the threat of the moment. Other than that, this is why ANGEL HEART is classic Scary Horror. Also - WATCHMEN is 16
The task was called impossible. Warner Bros. developed for years trying to bring Alan Moore's comic to the big screen. Yet that was the thing: it was a comic book. Every panel drawn by Dave Gibbons, every page: It was practically a storyboard! An excellent, New York TImes Bestselling blueprint in full color! The only impossible thing about making a movie of it was accepting all of the changes a revolving door of untested, uncreative WB suits, unfamiliar with the book but wanting to make it a better story, demanded. All of the changes the disposable Post-It Noters wanted were all garbage And They Knew It. When Writer Alan Moore got wind of it, and after he endured years of endlessly dealing with it, he wanted nothing to do with the nascent movie, broke ties with Warner owned DC comics forever, and sued to have his name removed (it was, eventually). It appeared, to an outsider like myself, that Warner would have thrown in the towel except, stinging at every major Comic Convention and ceaselessly booed by Alan Moore fans, they stubornly held on just to have the last word. This damn movie had to be made if for no other reason than to spite Alan Moore. We can't let talent get away with having the upper hand like this! Zack Snyder was brought on board and the only way the WB could do that was give him relatively free reign with this movie and make pie in the sky promises. Which, in fact, they followed through upon. Which means that THE WATCHMEN we got in 2009 is as good as it will ever look through WB. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
82 Years of FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN
"Meets" being the key word, nearly a misnomer, here. After all, "Meets" implies meeting each other, as in "A cordial meeting." HA! This was no polite introduction over drinks at a party. There's no, "Oh, how do you do?" and "Charmed, I'm sure!" No, this was all ARGH! GRR! ROAR! and "YOUR MOTHER!" Yet, for a Universal Pictures sequel at that time in their history, FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN is surprisingly good and this why. And - 72 Years of CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON
Like many movie franchise monsters (FRANKENSTEIN, GODZILLA, HALLOWEEN, FRIDAY THE 13th), more than one actor played the Creature in its run. Ricou Browning played the Creature in the water in all three movies and Ben Chapman played the Creature on land in the first one. Ricou also paid the rent and put food on the table by being the creator and writer of the popular Flipper movies and TV shows. In case you hadn't already guessed, the Creature design inspired Director Guillermo Del Toro (MIMIC, THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, BLADE II, HELLBOY, PAN'S LABYRINTH) when he made THE SHAPE OF WATER. Del Toro's "creature" was actor Doug Jones (HELLBOY, UNIVERSAL DEAD, PAN'S LABYRINTH). While Creature Feature fans wait for an amazing reboot, this is what created the enduring legacy of THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. Plus - 16 Years of ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Whew! If any story could could find a home in Tim Burton's wheelhouse, it had to be this one. Although this is a third and different nearly Lewis Carroll tale of what happened after all of the adventures Through The Looking Glass and in ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
SCARY MOVIE 6 Trailer Hits
And - RINGU Turns 28
This movie has reached the age where you're not a kid anymore and you're closing in on 30 so get your act together! The masterful novel by Author Kôji Sozuki (HONOGURAI MIZU NO SOKO KARA aka DARK WATER, JU-ON aka THE GRUDGE) has always had its act together. Made as a TV and movie franchise in Japan, it launched franchise remakes in other countries from the U.S. to South Korea. Its become at least two Video Games and its powerful influence still echoes in non-Sozuki work ranging from 2013's EVIL DEAD to 2022's SMILE. This is the frightening magic of 1998's RINGU. Plus - THE BATMAN is 4
This baby hasn't had a chance to have any history yet, but this is what I thought of 2022's THE BATMAN. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer / Director / Producer, Paul W.S. Anderson (MORTAL KOMBAT, EVENT HORIZON, RESIDENT EVIL, RESIDENT EVIL 2, ALIEN VS PREDATOR, RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION, DEATH RACE, PANDORUM, DEATH RACE 2, RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION, DEATH RACE INFERNO, RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER, DEATH RACE 4: BEYOND ANARCHY, MONSTER HUNTER, IN THE LOST LANDS) is 61.
GOG Game Trailer for REANIMAL
And - AUDITION Turns 27
For me, this is the movie where Director Takashi Miike gained enough critical mass in the U.S. that when I spoke of him, other people recognized the name. It drove me crazy that nearly every poster and every trailer was full of spoilers. So while you can find those online, this is why you shouldn't before you see AUDITION. Plus - ULTRAVIOLET Turns 20
This Milla Jovovich starring role was... Was... ... in a very Milla Jovovich movie: ULTRAVIOLET. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Jessica Biel (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE [2003], CELLULAR, BLADE: TRINITY, STEALTH, THE ILLUSIONIST, NEXT, THE A-TEAM, THE TALL MAN, TOTAL RECALL [2012], HITCHCOCK, EMANUEL AND THE TRUTH ABOUT FISHES, LIMETOWN [TV], CANDY [TV]) is 44.
YOU DUG IT The movie created to expose all of Wes Craven's toys in one movie, never to be repeated, released its 6th sequel this weekend and earned first place.
1. SCREAM 7 was released on 3,540 screens and earned the biggest opening weekend of the year at $64 million domestic and $94 million world-wide, thus tipping well past its $45 million Production budget. By the end of this week, SCREAM 8 will already be loaded into the chamber. 8. SEND HELP, meanwhile in its 5th weekend, fell three spaces on a 48% drop in box office against a 300 screen cut. 9. HOW TO MAKE A KILLING from A24 dropped 3 places and lost 55% in ticket sales in its 2nd weekend despite adding 101 screens to last weekend's debut. This is not the hit that lead actor Glen Powell needed, as it earned the lowest screen average of all the movies on the Top Ten. 11. AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH, after 11 weekends, gracefully leaves the Top Ten with a 30% drop in ticket sales against a 110 screen cut. It earned 3.7 times its $400 million Production Budget and outperformed expectations on every single weekend of its stay on the Top Ten. You Buried Nothing Figures calibrated from reporting 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 -
Actor Ingrid Bolsø Berdal (COLD PREY, CODENAME HUNTER, COLD PREY 2, BETRAYAL [2009], CHERNOBYL DIARIES, THE ABCs OF DEATH, ESCAPE [2012], HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS, WESTWORLD [TV], WITCH HUNT [TV], BLASTED, THE SEED [TV]) is 47. SUNDAY -
Actor Jensen Ackles (DARK ANGEL [TV], DEVOUR, MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D, SUPERNATURAL [TV], THE BOYS [TV], THE WINCHESTERS [TV]) is 47. SATURDAY - 1/6th of 2026 Is Over
Actor Ali Larter (HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL [1999], FINAL DESTINATION, FINAL DESTINATION 2, CONFESS, HEROES [TV], RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION, RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE, LEGENDS [TV], THE DIABOLICAL, RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER) is 50. As for Tomorrow, Feb. 29... There IS no Feb. 29 tomorrow! So I gotta include everybody's favorite friendly hulking giant of Horror, who was born on Leap Year, February 29. Since 2026 isn't a Leap Year, today we wish a Happy Horror birthday to,
Actor Ken Foree (DAWN OF THE DEAD, TERROR AMONG US, FROM BEYOND, TERROR SQUAD, DEATH SPA, PHANTOM OF THE MALL: ERIC'S REVENGE, LEATHERFACE: TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE III, FATAL CHARM, SLEEPSTALKER, THE DENTIST, DAWN OF THE DEAD [2004], THE DEVIL'S REJECTS, THE DEVIL'S DEN, BRUTAL MASSACRE: A COMEDY, SPLATTER DISCO, Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN, BROTHERHOOD OF BLOOD, ZONE OF THE DEAD, THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEASTO, SAMURAI PRIEST: VAMPIRE HUNTER, THE LORDS OF SALEM, BLOOD BROTHERS, THE RIFT, THE MIDNIGHT MAN, and way more) who is 77. HOUSE Turns 40
If you're a fan of 1980s Horror, and there's a lot of you wo were born long after the 1980s who are, the folks who made this one are always in your thoughts. After all, it was written by Fred Dekker (THE RETURN OF GODZILLA, NIGHT OF THE CREEPS, THE MONSTER SQUAD), Produced by Sean S. Cunningham (THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THE DARK, FRIDAY THE 13th [all], DEEPSTAR SIX), Directed by Steve Miner (FRIDAY THE 13th Part 2, FRIDAY THE 13th 3D [introduced the hockey mask], WARLOCK), and the music is by Composer Harry Manfredini, who composed the iconic music for FRIDAY THE 13th [all], ZOMBIE ISLAND MASSACRE, SLAUGHTER HIGH, CAMERON'S CLOSET, DEEPSTAR SIX, and this one, HOUSE.
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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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