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| FEO NEWS FOR SUMMER 2024: - AUGUST - 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 First Horror Novel and the First Science Fiction Novel - Are the Same Novel!
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Here's to the person who created them both. The powerfully influential Mother of Horror and Science Fiction, is none other than Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, who would be 226 today.
Read my Fan Fic tribute, THE BRIDE AFIRE at Wordpress. Art by permission of Elvin Hernandez. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
THE FLY is 66
Writer, Producer, and Director, Kurt Neumann, made over 100 movies in his life. Horror movies like SECRET OF THE BLUE ROOM; Mysteries like ISLAND OF THE LOST MEN; Thrillers like ROCKETSHIP X-M. Science Fiction Horror like KRONOS and SHE DEVIL. But of all the movies Kurt made, this was his biggest box office success ever, and he would never know it. Kurt died one week before THE FLY went into wide release. And - JEEPERS CREEPERS 2 is Old Enough to Drink
It's rare that a good Horror movie gets an equal or better sequel, but that's exactly what happened with Producer Francis Ford Coppola and Writer & Director Victor Salva's JEEPERS CREEPERS 2. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Gravitas and Carter Ink Films Indie Trailer Drop of
And - HOUSE 2 is 37
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, New Line Cinema, like 20th Century Fox, had a horrible track record of butchering every single successful franchise they started (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, CRITTERS, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, JASON [their contracted buyout ownership of the FRIDAY THE 13th franchise]). By the late 1990s NLC boss, Robert Shaye began a different approach, shepherding surprise hit, BLADE toward a successful a future successful sequel. So when Peter Jackson came to his in this era, with the idea of making the books of THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy as two movies, Shaye suggested making the book trilogy a movie trilogy. When Peter wanted to shoot them all at once, Shaye agreed, upping Jackson's projected $160.00 million budget for 2 movies into $300 million for three. Over 20 years later to date, THE LORD OF THE RINGS remains the most successful trilogy New Line Cinema ever made, but there were so many other franchise opportunities that fell by the wayside by the second movie, including HOUSE 2. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
DOCTOR X Turns 92
To this day this movie is so wild and off the wall it can compete with modern Japanese movies. Back in its day, Warner Bros. made it to grab a piece of that Universal Monsters box office. They had no monsters of their own so instead of just making a new one or finding one from historical myth, they went with cannabalism! This movie is so whacked out it wound up as part of a song in THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. This is the nutso factor Horror known as DOCTOR X. And - On This Day in 1999 Two Movies Opened on the Same Weekend THE 13th WARRIOR is 25
This was a troubled production. The usually reliable Director, John McTiernan (PREDATOR), turned in a finished movie that the studio deemed "unwatchable". Author Michael Crichton (also producer) felt forced to step in, take over, and direct most of the reshoots of the film. Original composer Graeme Revell (THE CROW, FROM DUSK TILL DAWN) composed a movie soundtrack that accentuated the McTiernan version, and so had to be scrapped. Crichton hired Jerry Goldsmith (PLANET OF THE APES, THE OMEN, COMA, THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL, POLTERGIEST, PSYCHO II, GREMLINS, LEVIATHAN, STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT, DEEP RISING, THE MUMMY [1999], THE HAUNTING [1999]) to compose for the "new" movie. From Michael Crichton's novel, Eaters of the Dead, starring Antonio Banderas, this is what eventually became of THE 13th WARRIOR. THE ASTRONAUT'S WIFE is 25
Does a smooth sailing Production make for a better movie? The troubled Michael Crichton picture faced off against the untroubled Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron Science Fiction Horror movie, THE ASTRONAUT'S WIFE. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
GODZILLA 1985 turns 39
By 1985 the original 1954 GOJIRA, despite all of its immense popularity in the U.S.A., remained unreleased. So Toho made the decision to bring back an actor who was never in the original GOJIRA, only the U.S.A. edit. To Toho's utter surprise the all new GODZILLA Did Not live up to their lofty expectations. This is what happened to GODZILLA 1985 on the way to America. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
MIMIC is 25
All Horror fans have been there. You see a good movie but the trailer promised more. It's not a bad movie, but with only a little effort it could have been better: Good could have been great. It wouldn't have required more money for more special effects or more screen time. There's just that one moment where the movie went against its own logic. Where the characters needlessly, foolishly put themselves at risk. Or maybe there were old worn out tropes that, despite being mocked in better movies for over 30 years, are played with serious gravitas: A hand on the shoulder, a cat suddenly leaping out, a foreground shadow moving past the screen with a sting of ridiculously loud noise from out of the silence. Too many cheap Jump Scare "Boos!" Nobody is ever scared by a cheap jump scare, only surprised at the loud noise. If they'd only not shot, or at least cut out, all the inept, incompetent, and dreary bullshit that went nowhere. A few seconds here, there, a minute at most. But they didn't and after it went into sequels, every subsequent movie magnified the negatives and disposed of the best. Anyway, Guillermo Del Toro's MIMIC turns 24 today. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON is 43
There are some great Werewolf movies out there: THE HOWLING, GINGER SNAPS, DOG SOLDIERS and more. But this movie from John Landis, who doesn't even consider himself a Horror movie director, let alone a Master of Horror, remains a beautiful, compelling beast that is somehow able to be wonderfully unique even within the massive pantheon of Werewolf stories. If you still haven't seen AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, this is why you should. And - BLADE is 27
This is where it really started. This movie and year was the moment that Hollywood realized a Marvel Superhero movie could be a winner. New Line Cinema wasn't going to treat this like they treated THE MASK. The success of this movie made them take a different direction. They were going to make each sequel better, not cheap and trash them like Miramax did with THE CROW sequels. This time it could work! This could be a franchise like James Bond! If they could just get three hits in a row they'd have their trilogy and could build on that! All they needed was a lead actor who respected the character and the fans and at first, that's exactly what we got with BLADE. Plus- ONE HOUR PHOTO is 22
Robin Williams made plenty of comedies. If they were his recorded live stand-up, he was on solid ground. If they were narrative fiction, they were a crapshoot tilting toward more worse than better. This was especially true if Robin was the lead in the movie. On the other hand, Robin had a chilling ability to bring the Creep factor and big time when the role called for it. This is why ONE HOUR PHOTO is worth the watch. Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
THE EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING is 20
This is Director Renny Harlan's grown-up version of Chris Columbus' THE GOONIES. And like THE GOONIES, THE EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING isn't great, but its Good Enough! And - PIRANHA 3D is a Teenager
It was a fun little summer movie back in 2010. Telling though, that Joe Dante's original 1978 PIRANHA still sells so well at premium prices, was upgraded to 4K in 2022 and that's into at least its 2nd pressing, while the Regent of Remakes, Alexander Aja, still has his original 2011 pressing of PIRANHA 3D taking up warehouse space. Plus - BLOOD CONSCIOUS Turns 3
Like all good monsters, it came out of nowhere. Like all good Horror its finding its audience. Unfortunately, and despite doing well at film festivals, it never got the wide theatrical release it deserved. For the moment, the theater chain's loss is Tubi's gain. This is BLOOD CONSCIOUS. Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Colin Cunningham (THE X-FILES, DEAD FIRE, FIVE DESPERATE HOURS, THE 6TH DAY, ANTITRUST, Da VINCI'S INQUEST [TV], STARGATE SG-1 [TV], Da VINCI'S CITY HALL [TV], Masters of Horror: WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM, THE COLLECTOR [TV], THE ENTRANCE, STARGATE: CONTINUUM, CENTIGRADE, THE CRUSADER, FIREBALL, FALLING SKIES [TV], THE ELEVENTH VICTIM, FALLING SKIES: THE ENEMY WITHIN, NUMB, BLOOD DRIVE [TV], PREACHER [TV], BASHIRA, CURSE OF CROM: THE LEGEND OF HALLOWEEN, HE NEVER LEFT) is 58.
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4 is 35.
Author Paul V. Wagelin reviewed all of Wes Craven's NIGHTMARE creations. What was it like when audiences saw this movie in theaters for the first time? Paul Was There! A NIGHTMARE ON ELMSTREET 4: THE DREAM MASTER, Directed by Renny Harlin (DEEP BLUE SEA, THE EXORCIST IV). And - RED EYE is 19
By 1994, New Line Cinema destroyed the A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET franchise and allowed Wes Craven the grace to return one last time to give Freddy a decent burial with Wes Craven's NEW NIGHTMARE. While the franchise played out over the 1980s, Wes staggered through a series of moderate hits and embarrassing misses. SCREAM was supposed to be Wes Craven's comeback. Especially after the crash with Eddie Murphy and Angela Bassett in A VAMPIRE IN BROOKLYN. Now all Wes had to do was pick up the spare with SCREAM already in the pipeline and Wow, did it clear the deck! Which launched a whole new franchise that Wes never intended. A franchise which promptly crapped on itself with SCREAM 2. Like many successful directors with a long track record, Wes Craven knew what worked and how to work his magic when he had to. But he also loved to, needed to, experiment with the form: give his audience something fresh if not new (and boy did Wes ever love his audience! He had a chemistry with us that was palpable. We'd all come out of a Wes Craven panel yapping to each other, making new friends, crackling with energy and enthusiasm). Like any experiments, Wes's weren't always successful. Let me be clear on this. I came out of DEADLY FRIEND thinking, 'What a piece of Shit!' I came out of his movie SHOCKER thinking, 'What a piece of Shit!' Then later I'd watch Wes in an interview or if I could, on a panel. There, the ever humorous and self-effacing Wes would own up to his mistep. He never made excuses, but he'd explore what he was attempting, taking us through his journey, even if he failed to achieve it. Later I'd go back and watch those movies again, and while they weren't any better, I liked them now that I see them through Wes' vision! I've seen DEADLY FRIEND and SHOCKER many times over since. Wes Craven is one of the reasons (there are a few) I have the So Bad It's Good Negative ShriekGirl rating. Wes is one of the reasons that I'll buy discs of movies I Don't Like, if they have lots of extras - especially if they have a second disc of extras. So Wes got it into his head that maybe he should step back from Horror Thriller and just work with a Thriller. That's when Wes, age 66 and still experimenting and trying something new, gave us RED EYE. Plus - 12 Years of FRIGHT NIGHT
The first FRIGHT NIGHT is a classic for all the right reasons, but outdated 20th Century 1980's era plot devices hit a brick wall in the 21st Century's Information age of Internet. In the new Millennium, nobody needs to "find" a phone. Both still and video cameras, as well as sound recording, are in every phone and virtually everyone has one. Modern Vampires like Jerry had to make a big step up. Does it work? Read my review of FRIGHT NIGHT - 2011. Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Greg Bryk (NEIL, LIVING DEATH, WEIRDSVILLE, THE ROBBER BRIDE, SHOOT 'EM UP, THE GATHERING [TV], GRINDSTONE ROAD, ReGENESIS [TV], THE INCREDIBLE HULK, SAW V, SCREAMERS: THE HUNTING, DOLAN'S CADILLAC, HAPPY TOWN, SAW 3D, RED: WEREWOLF HUNTER, IMMORTALS, UNLUCKY, JETT [TV], THE EXPANSE [TV], LOST & FOUND, CHANNEL ZERO [TV], THE HANDMAID'S TALE [TV], BITTEN [TV], V-WARS [TV], AD ASTRA, CODE 8, RABID [2019], DEPARTURE [TV], PARALLEL MINDS, BLOODTHIRSTY, TRIGGER POINT, CASCADE) is 52. SUNDAY -
Actor Christian Slater (SHERLOCK HOLMES [TV], TWISTED, THE NAME OF THE ROSE, TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE: THE MOVIE, INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, HARD RAIN, MINDHUNTERS, PURSUED, ALONE IN THE DARK, HOLLOW MAN II, SLIPSTREAM, HE WAS A QUIET MAN, IGOR, MY OWN WORST ENEMY [TV], THE RIVER MURDERS, PLAYBACK, RITES OF PASSAGE, STRANDED, WAY OF THE WICKED, MR. ROBOT, THE SUMMIT, WE CAN BE HEROES, DOCTOR DEATH, LEGO STAR WARS: TERRIFYING TALES, INSIDE JOB [TV]) is 54. GODZILLA 2000 is 24
Columbia Tri-Star Pictures had their own ideas for an Americanized Godzilla. They'd bring it up to date. Make it believably realistic like Steven Spielberg did with Michael Crichton's JURASSIC PARK. And you know, that's a perfectly legitimate course to take with Godzilla. Providing of course, that you have some idea of what reality is and you aren't Dean Devlin or Roland Emmerich BUT THEY WERE the Screenwriters, Producers, and Dean was the Director, so... Despite excellent movie trailers that were made without any of Dean or Roland's "help", what we got was the fart face embarrassment of GODZILLA 1998. That's when Toho Pictures asserted itself and got right to work on their OWN Godzilla movie. Cool! So Toho was going to make a realistic Godzilla movie and show those Hollywood idiots how its done? HELL NO! Toho represents Japan! Their newest update would be Gonzo Bonkers to the freaking wall and that's what we got with GODZILLA 2000. THE CELL is 24
This is one of my favorite movies, but I'm speaking as Feo Amante. My reviewer, Bram Stoker Award winning poet Linda Addison is not as easy to impress. This was her view of Director Tarsem Singh's THE CELL, starring Jennifer Lopez (ANACONDA), Vincent D'Onorfio (MEN IN BLACK, THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR), and Vince Vaughn (THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK). SNAKES ON A PLANE is 18
Here is a movie that knows exactly what it is! Samuel L. Jackson got it off the ground simply because he loved the title (he's been known to do that: Black Snake Moan, anyone?). Everyone from Producers to the Writer to the Director was ready for hilarious, stupid, fun. So why did Jackson treat SNAKES ON A PLANE so seriously? SATURDAY -
Actor Robert Joy (AMITYVILLE 3-D, TERMINAL CHOICE, SHE'S BACK, SHADOWS AND FOG, THE DARK HALF, FALLEN, RESURRECTION, LAND OF THE DEAD, THE HILLS HAVE EYES [2006], ALIENS VS PREDATOR: REQUIEM, DON'T LOOK UP) is 73. BLACK SABBATH Turns 61
This was the inspirational title for the legendary British Heavy Metal band and one of Quentin Tarantino's biggest influences. An ever experimental Mario Bava did more than make one of the first "Giallos" with this film. He broke every rule and the fourth wall in making this meta movie long before Mel Brooks would follow suit with Blazing Saddles. Wracked with agony from a lifetime of injuries, an aged Boris Karloff was never-the-less committed to delivering a masterful bravura performance, working through the pain under the assumption that he'd physically be unable to ever do it again. This is BLACK SABBATH. THE EXORCIST III is 34
Director William Friedkin showed a different cut of THE EXORCIST to Author William Peter Blatty, than what he released to the world (a last minute edit that Friedkin considered his "Director's Cut"), thus driving a wedge between the two men that Friedkin regretted. It was only after Warner Bros. tried and failed to launch the movie into a franchise, with the bitterly bad THE EXORCIST II, that a change in the WB suits at the top decided to give Blatty a chance at both writing a directing his sequel. After all, how could it be any worse? As good a writer as Blatty was, however, he was no director and despite his vision, THE EXORCIST III forever lies somewhere between not as good as the first but nowhere near as bad as the second: THE EXORCIST II being as bad as the franchise ever got. THE INVASION
This expensive movie was beset with problems and when the director turned in the final cut, the studio bosses decided they didn't like the script they paid for and greenlit in the first place. So they had all new scenes written and a new director. That's just a few of the inept management decisions that cursed INVASION.
THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD is 40
In 1985, this was your grandma's idea of punk! Now anyone can make a humorless, cheeseball sappy satire of a successful movie and two producers more than most immediately come to recent memory, thus allowing Uwe Boll to hold his head up high by comparison. But this movie took the opposite tack. "How about we make a satire Horror movie that doesn't view the audience with contempt, but instead is great, goofy, funny, and culturally relevant, as well as being gory?" Why, that's just crazy enough to work! This movie not only had co-writer of the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, John A. Russo on it, but NotLD alumni Russell Streiner (Johnny) and Rudy Ricci as well. And on top of that, A-List writer Dan O' Bannon (DARK STAR, ALIEN, DEAD & BURIED, HEAVY METAL, LIFEFORCE) as Screenwriter and Director, plus the producers who were coming in hot from the gamble they took and won on James Cameron's THE TERMINATOR. Damn! If THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD wasn't a hit, it damn sure would not be from lack of trying! And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
A Creepy Double Dose of 'Euro-Kinski' ROCKPORT, Mass. — August 15, 2024 — For Immediate Release — For those craving a taste of "Euro-Kinski"—and just in time for Halloween—two of Klaus Kinski's (CREATURE) European features are now available in one creepy package., scanned in 4K from original 35mm archival elements, available Oct. 22 in a special two-disc collector's edition on Blu-ray and DVD from Film Masters. Creature With the Blue Hand (1967) Originally released in Germany as Die Blaue Hand, the film was bought by Roger Corman's New World Pictures and released in the U.S. in 1967 as the alternate version, Creature With the Blue Hand. This release is presented for the first time on Blu-ray in North America. A mystery-thriller about a series of grisly murders. It's one of several German films based on the novels of Edgar Wallace, many adaptations of which starred Kinski. Directed by Alfred Vohrer, the film also stars Harald Leipnitz (THE BRIDES OF FU MANCHU) and Carl Lange (THE TORTURE CHAMBER OF DR. SADISM). Web of the Spider (1971) A classic haunted house tale from Italian maestro, Antonio Margheriti, with Kinski as none other than Edgar Allan Poe! It's a diabolical double dose from one of cinema's most controversial and unique figures! Web of the Spider also stars Anthony Franciosa (TENEBRAE) and Michèle Mercier (BLACK SABBATH) and is a remake of director Margheriti's earlier film, Castle of Blood (1964). This version of Web of the Spider is the 92-minute U.S. version of the original Italian version of Nella Stretta Morsa del Ragno. Creature With the Blue Hand and The Bloody Dead are presented with an aspect ratio of 1.66:1; and Web of the Spider is presented with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Discs are region locked to North America and include English SDH. Audio is DTS-HD/Dolby AC3s. And - THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is 62
There are a great many versions of author Gaston Leroux's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, and by Eric! This 1962 flick from Universal International Pictures, and Horror movie director Terence Fisher, isn't great, but it's not too bad, either! And - MANHUNTER Turns 38
Before Anthony Hopkins Oscar winning turn as Hannibal Lector, there was another. Actor Brian Cox (THE RING, X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE) took hold of the character and gave it his own stamp so chilling and unique that most fans put both actors on the same level. The problem is, though it came out at theaters, most people only saw MANHUNTER on cable. That's because two Thrillers came out that weekend in that year. Both had budgets of $15 million. Unfortunately, Director Michael Mann's last movie, THE KEEP, based on a best selling novel, tanked and tanked hard at the theaters, wiping out the promise and profit of his first hit, THIEF. Now here he was with another Horror movie and no stars, so little advertising was spent on it, most people knew little about it, and its ad budget was trifling compared to what was spent on THE FLY Turns 38
David Cronenberg made a low budget Canadian Horror movie called SHIVERS, and it was a surprise hit. He followed that with RABID and it too, was a surprise hit. When he made the low budget THE BROOD and then SCANNERS he was able to step up with two Internationally recognized actors. Oh, and they were hits. The Canadian Film Board at that time could be fickle and if you didn't make your movies their way, you could do worse than not get a commercial release, you could go to prison. Like so many talented Canadians, David was ready to make a run for the border. He directed two Hollywood movies released in 1983, VIDEODROME and THE DEAD ZONE. Big time actors, bigger budgets, and they were both hits. You see where this is going, right? At that point David gets whatever he wants and he wanted to make a movie even gorier than what had come before. He also admired John Carpenter's THE THING and wanted to do his own "Re-imagining" of an old 1950s classic: in this case, THE FLY. Of course, David felt he had to outdo Carpenter's blood & guts factor on THE THING, and when the 20th Century Fox studio suits saw the final cut they were aghast at the gore. After seeing it, Horror icon Vincent Price himself benevolently opined, "...it went a little too far." Understand that, coming from Vincent Price, that may have been a compliment. Something else happened too. This was a movie chiefly made for young male gore hounds - David's presumed audience. But at test screenings of the movie it performed remarkably well with women. Why? Women someow saw it as a tear-jerking tragic love story, which flummoxed the prevailing wisdom of the largely all male studio heads. Fox wasn't certain what they had but the press was already turning Gawky Jeff Goldblum into a Sex Symbol and the suits weren't going to let the money get away. So they threw a big pile of ad & marketing dollars at it. However, that was already after us Horror fans saw David Cronenberg's 1986 THE FLY! Plus - EVENT HORIZON Turns 26
A good movie so close to great that on repeated viewings fan's adoration grew alongside their frustration. How could a movie so good, so kissing close to greatness, fall short? Years later we found out, and no one was surprised by the answer. If anything, we are even more infuriated by what was actually shot, then cut, and could have been! Judging by the stills, the SFX artists gave this one their all! And All of the fans, and Director Paul W.S. Anderson himself, wants his Director's Cut of EVENT HORIZON. Also - FREDDY VS. JASON Can Legally drink in the U.S.
Say, remember when you were 18 and you saw this movie for the first time in theaters? The long awaited "Battle Royale" between Freddy and Jason? Remember that? Well now you're 38! You're old enough to be a Grandparent! FREDDY VS JASON came out in 2003! Wassmor - MIRRORS is 16
Since 2008 this Keifer Sutherland movie, directed by the Regent of Remakes, Alex Aja, keeps flying just under the radar. Yet it sells just enough to keep its fanbase. And that makes sense because on its release, the studio heads had little faith in it, which is why they hired Aja in the first place. Overall, 2008's THE DARK KNIGHT was pulling in more money than this one, but there's a caveat to that. So as it approaches adulthood culthood, it's time to see what makes MIRRORS so compelling. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
DEADLY BLESSING is 43
Before Wes Craven gave us A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and long before SCREAM, he was thinking about how to tone his Horror movie intensity down a notch so his movies would be more accessible, more first run theaters would show his work. With this in mind he gave us his DEADLY BLESSING. And - THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY is 40
However, that age is in United States of America release years. It actually came out in Italy in June of 1981, predating Wes Craven's DEADLY BLESSING by a tad. Lucio was at his prime then and THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY is full of Fulci fun! Plus - DISTRICT 9 Turns 15
This is a movie that's spent a long time waiting for the sequel it deserved, but never got. One of my favorite alien Horror movies of all time is DISTRICT 9, and this is why. Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Halle Berry (X-MEN, SWORDFISH, DIE ANOTHER DAY, X2, GOTHIKA, X3, PERFECT STRANGER, DARK TIDE, CLOUD ATLAS, THE CALL, X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, EXTANT [TV], KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE, JOHN WICK 3, BRUISED, MOONFALL) is 58.
Ark Entertainment Trailer Drop -
And - FRIDAY THE 13th Part 3D Turns 42
This was the movie when Jason got his Hockey mask. That's right, you may be all about Jason, but this movie came out in 1982! That means that this is probably not your Father's Jason, more likely your then 20 year old Grandfather's Jason, and you're gonna love it because when it comes to silent hulking supernatural homicidal maniacs, Hollywood still doesn't know how to do it any better than Michael, Freddy, and Jason from FRIDAY THE 13th Part 3D! Plus - JASON GOES TO HELL is 31
Arguably one of the worst FRIDAY THE 13th movies had one of the best characters (I know they had to remove the F13th and rebrand it as "JASON" due to contractual shenanigans, but we all know it's still a FRIDAY THE 13th flick!) . The one saving grace that fans liked so much they still wish he'd been kept around. And if you've seen this movie, you know exactly which character I'm talking about in Also - ALIEN VS PREDATOR Turns 20
This polarizing spin-off largely divides audiences into Love it or Hate it mobs and we're on the side of Love it! When you know why, you might even agree! Read our ALIEN VS PREDATOR movie review. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM Turns 63
Looking back a half century or more, audiences are likely to look at Vincent Price's body of work through a romantic lens. Compared to today he made "Comfort Horror", right? Well that's a point of view. As with any artist, some of his movies are stronger than others and, after 60 years, Vincent's Roger Corman movie, the end of THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM, may still be a bit too strong for a family film. And - SUSPIRIA Turns 47
The Horror Geek himself, Mike Bracken, came to Feo Amante's Horror Thriller to tell us about Dario Argento's 1977 magnum opus, SUSPIRIA. Also - THE SKELETON KEY Turns 19
Some movies get worse with additional viewings. Others, however, actually get better. Where does THE SKELETON KEY fall? Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer / Director / Producer Stefan Avalos (THE GAME, THE LAST BROADCAST, THE
TRUE LEGEND OF THE NEW JERSEY DEVIL, THE GHOSTS OF EDENDALE, HEADHUNTER, TERROR 5) is 54. SUNDAY -
Actor Embeth Davidtz (MUTATOR, SWEET MURDER, ARMY OF DARKNESS, LAST RITES, FALLEN, THE GINGERBREAD MAN, THE HOLE, THIR13EN GHOSTS, FRACTURE, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO [2011], THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, EUROPA REPORT, PARANOIA, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2, OLD) is 59. A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 5: THE DREAM CHILD Turns 35
"We wanted to do what I thought would be legitimately cool stuff. But Hollywood being what it is, they hire you to do a thing, and the second they got you they proceed to dismantle everything that you're there to do. So you're basically engaging this highly paid form of torture." PULSE Turns 18
This remake of the original Japanese movie, KAIRO, hit the U.S. movie screens and shot direct to video for X number of sequels. I say X number because they are probably going to make another one, although at the diminishing rate they've been going, the next sequel budget will probably only buy you a Toyota Highlander. But, that was Dimension for you! Pity. There was so much room for improvement in 2006's PULSE. SATURDAY -
Actor Rick Otto (PHANTOMS, R.S.V.P., THE WIRE [TV], THE WALKING DEAD [TV], ALWAYS WATCHING: A MARBLE HORNETS STORY, TROUBLE SLEEPING, DINOSAURUS! is 64
Movie Director and Producer Jack H. Harris (THE BLOB, 4D MAN, EQUINOX, SCHLOCK, THE BLOB [1988]) didn't demand much from his audience and his audience didn't expect much of him. So when you went to see a movie with Jack H. Harris's named blazoned across it, you knew what you were getting: A fun time at the movies. You weren't going to get a Debbie Downer ending and a sanctimonious social awareness plea to better Yourselves. Jack was a Producer with benefits. He wasn't going to make your favorite movies of all time, but he wasn't going to waste your money and time either. That's right, we're talking Big Horror time and on this day in 1960, your Great Grandpa knew that Jack's best was DINOSAURUS! THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE Turns 62
Could this really be? Could you remove a human head keep it alive? Back in the mid 20th century, Dr. Robert White successfully proved the efficacy of the first head transplant of a mammal. He and others were able to repeat his method, making it fact. The very idea that it worked so well and so relatively easy made many an ethical surgeon's skin crawl. It also launched a Plethora of cheapo schlocky brain and head transplant movies, like THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE. PROPHECY Turns 45
Long before Jason grabbed a camper, snug in their sleeping bag, and slammed her against a tree in 1988's FRIDAY THE 13th VII: THE NEW BLOOD, a mutant bear did the same thing to a child and with a far grislier effect. Not that it was a grizzly bear, mind you. No, it was 1979's THE PROPHECY. THE OTHERS Turns 23
M. Night Shyamalan's THE SIXTH SENSE with its ghosts, undead, and people who could psychically "see" (The kid's name was Cole Seer. It needed to be underlined?) was a big surprise hit in 1999. So much so that other major studios suddenly went digging through their mountains of bought and discarded screenplays looking for their own Ghost Story with a twist ending. That's totally cool, don't get me wrong, but hey, produce the script that's as far removed from the current most popular ghost story as possible. Don't be all Miramax about it, "Hey! Can you believe that audiences are still tuning into THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and THE SIXTH SENSE? WE need a low budget Ghost movie with a twist ending that stars an single A-lister and is directed by a swarthy kinda guy!" That's what audiences got in 2001 from THE OTHERS, and they strongly responded with enough enthusiasm to rebirth The Undead in movies, books, and psychics on TeeVee for the next 22 years and counting. Thus all the hope for a new dawn in the new millennium was drowned in a tsunami resurge of Supernatural, psychic Charlatans, and with 9/11, Religious fervor.
The HOUSTON HORROR FILM FESTIVAL In honor of the Houston Horror Film Fest this weekend, let's jump back to some of our interviews with Horror movie directors who all started as Independent filmmakers with that first feature film Began their franchise empire with micro-budget movie, SAW.
And - Began his career with CRONOS and soon splashed in the world with BLADE II and PAN'S LABYRINTH.
Plus - Began his career with DOG SOLDIERS.
Also - James Cameron started Independent with his first feature film, THE TERMINATOR. And on this day in 1989, THE ABYSS opened to wide release in the U.S.A. THE ABYSS is 35
By 1987, James Cameron Directed and co-wrote two box office smash movies back to back, TERMINATOR and ALIENS. 20th Century Fox loved him as much as they could love any filmmaker whose movies could bring in a ton of profit, which is to say, it was complicated. After all, if you're releasing a science fiction action thriller you can't say, "From the studio that brought you one of two hit James Cameron movies comes a picture that's not from James Cameron." 20th Century Fox already had that problem of putting too much studio control in the hands of George Lucas. So a stumble would be nice. Not a huge one. Not a break the bank one, but a stumble which is profitable for teh distribution arm of the studio yet doesn't live up to artificially invented high expectations. One that will absolutely be all on the Director if it trips and and comes up short. With this in mind, the studio bosses gave James Cameron Carte Blanc with caveats. A Blank Check with Caveats... I know that appears contradictory but you may be surprised by how many big studio movie directors would read that and nod: They've been in that position. Within the contraints of the budget: Huge, but the unbridled cocaine-fueled days of Michael Cimino movies were in the past (Coke might still be on the set in 1988, but so were the bridles), James could say and do what he wanted, "unfiltered". THE ABYSS was the result. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
FRANKENSTEIN VS BARAGON is 58
When it comes to Bonker-Ass-Cinema, Japan is second to none. Even the grand and legendary Toho Pictures, nearly since its inception, built its reputation on gonzo. Before the U.S.A. got their turn to witness that first hand in 1966, Japanese audiences luxuriated in director Ishiro Honda's 1965 Nippon release of FRANKENSTEIN VS BARAGON. When it was released in the USA nearly a year later, it was retitled to FRANKENSTIEN CONQUERS THE WORLD. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
HEAVY METAL Turns 43
When this movie opened on this day, 43 years ago, your 17 year-old Grandpa, seeing his first R-rated movie, knew what was coming. An R-Rated movie based on stories from the insane monthly comic book, Heavy Metal! It was going to have hard-core animated gore, nudity, foul language, and it was going to be hilarious because it featured the voices of the top stand-up comics of its day including SCTV and Saturday Night Live. He had no idea that this magazine-based movie would usher in a future of what would affectionately be known - 40 years later (!!!) - as 1980s Horror, and all of the ground-breaking movies that were made or conceived in that decade. What's more, above all, it would have a sound track featuring some of the best Heavy Metal bands of the era. Bands whose music continues to lay the backdrop sound tracks to the hottest movies and video games of the 2020s! My reviewer, Horror writer Steven Woeste, was only 17 when he hit the theaters that heady weekend to see HEAVY METAL. Now he's 60! Look at him now! Look! At! Him! And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer, Director, Producer Alexandre Aja (FURIA, HAUTE TENSION, THE HILLS HAVE EYES [2006], P2, MIRRORS [2008], PIRANHA [2010], MANIAC [2012], HORNS, THE 9th LIFE OF LOUIS DRAX, CRAWL, OXYGEN) is 46.
Two Classic Movies Were Released on This Day in 1999 THE SIXTH SENSE is 25
1999 was going to be a big year for George Lucas and Star Wars sequels, so the rest of Hollywood wasn't even going to try to mess with Space Opera or Science Fiction. Instead, Hollywood turned to haunted stories. Then Steven Spielberg's A-List actor lead, cgi remake extravaganza, THE HAUNTING, crashed and burned. This at a time when newbie boutique studio, Artisan, was seeing its no-name, newbie director, ultra-indie, micro-budget THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, soaring and Kevin Bacon was waiting in Artisan's wings with A STIR OF ECHOES to finish off the summer. Disney also had a low budget, newbie director movie. This feature featured a single A-list actor in the lead, and Disney played their cards close to the chest. Disney passed this movie over to their "little" studio, Hollywood Pictures, which then Chief Mouse-cap Michael Eisner, co-created with Jeffrey Katzenberg, to take small losses while it nurtured creativity among those new rising executives that showed promise. Oh this picture from a nobody director? Psh! This is just one of Bruce Willis's "little" pictures. One of those occasional arthouse movies big name actors like to do from time to time. Nobody, not even Disney, knew how huge THE SIXTH SENSE was going to be. And - THE IRON GIANT is 25
Disney's THE SIXTH SENSE had a Big A-List star who was at the top of his game with Bruce Willis. It also had an intriguing, mystifying movie trailer that drew auiences into the theater. Opening on the same weekend, Warner Bros. had a little animated movie, set to go up against Summer Blockbusters, starred nobodies, was directed by a nobody, and had one of the worst movie trailers I've ever seen from a major studio (and I'm a man who has seen some awful trailers. I even live in one!). The trailer for this movie was so bad in fact that it pushed me away from the theater that showed it. It was only years later, when it hit DVD, that I rented it and - wonder of wonders! - regretted having missed the theater experience of it. This then is the tale of a nobody director who became a somebody under Disney Pixar, and a major studio owning major brands that had no idea what they had or how to market it and sell it: inevitably leading to their demise and rebranding as Warner Bros. Discovery. This is my review of THE IRON GIANT. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Vera Farmiga (TOUCHING EVIL [TV], THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE [2004], NEVERWAS, JOSHUA, ORPHAN, SOURCE CODE, BATES MOTEL [TV], THE CONJURING, THE CONJURING 2, THE COMMUTER, THE NUN, CAPTIVE STATE, GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS, ANABELLE COMES HOME, THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT) is 50.
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES is 13
This was a risk and a long shot. 20th Century Fox had decades and a corporate culture to overcome and part of that culture was to trash every potential franchise they had with garbage sequels for that first weekend scam on the loyal audience they built. Genuinely great sequels like ALIENS were outliers and the studio loved the money but viewed the outcome as a mistake, making sure not to repeat it. To be sure, 20th Century Fox wasn't alone in this. Universal Pictures were hot to destroy their popular JAWS franchise, Warner Bros. went apparently cross-eyed with joy over gutting their popular THE EXORCIST franchise, and MGM fell into gleeful freefall as they fed POLTERGIEST into a woodchipper. Paramount Pictures, which didn't aim that high with FRIDAY THE 13th, were able to keep the franchise going with decent enough sequels and few misteps. There was always a good chance that the next movie would be better. They never tarnished themselves. United Artists never established a Horror movie franchise. Instead they were largely high-risk takers with every nearly every stand-alone venture (a crazy method which inexplicably worked nearly every time) but when it did come time to make a sequel, they stood far above all other studios with their long running and wildly successful James Bond and Rocky franchises. So it was only ten years after the 20th Century Fox disaster of PLANET OF THE APES in 2001 that the latest studio leaders decided to give it another shot. This time with cgi! CGI Apes way back in 2011! Did it work? This is what happened to RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. And - PREY Turns 2
A year later and Disney/Hulu is still kicking itself in the ass for releasing this movie Direct to Video instead of to theaters. Also, it took well over a year for Disney/Hulu to release PREY to disk. nearly twice the retail price for a single disc! This is why a competent company, consortium, or conglomerate should buy Disney and begin layoffs. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer, Producer, Director James Gunn (TROMEO AND JULIET, TERROR FIRMER, THE SPECIALS, SCOOBY-DOO [2002], DAWN OF THE DEAD [2004], SCOOBY-DOO 2 [2004], SLITHER, SUPER, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY [all], THE BELKO EXPERIMENT, THE SUICIDE SQUAD [2021], PEACEMAKER [TV], CREATURE COMMANDOS [TV]) is 57. SUNDAY -
By E.C. McMullen Jr. WHITE ZOMBIE is 92
Holy crap! 92 years ago actor Bela Lugosi rocked Horror movies so powerfully that he's still remembered, revered, and remains the dominant icon of Dracula movies. He could and did play believable Jesus Christ, heroes, villains, and monsters. How the hell did he do it? And why do his performances continue to echo nearly a century later? You'll understand the moment you watch him in WHITE ZOMBIE. HOLLOW MAN is 24
In 1999 Paul Verhoven wrapped up his contractual obligations to Hollywood with this movie. It was his last hurrah in the U.S. and after its release in 2000 and a year's worth of junket promoting it world wide, he left L.A. with his middle finger extended as he headed back to his Mudderland to make the low budget drama thrillers he loved so well. Why did he do that? Because it was with this movie that Paul felt he directed something anyone could do. Paul felt drained by Hollywood and he needed to do Verhoven movies. Movies that only he could do, like ROBOCOP or even TOTAL RECALL. This movie was merely HOLLOW MAN. THE RUINS is 16
Warts and all. Some movies are like that. Great concept, story kind of gets lost, but actors, director, crew all gave it their best shot. You feel a sincerity there. They did their best to make a great movie, they aren't looking down on you for liking this kind of movie: there's none of that unfunny self-referential nonsense. Yes, it's not a great movie, but its just good enough that you'll watch it when its on. Maybe you'll even buy it. There's just enough there to capture you. That's how I feel whenever I watch THE RUINS. SATURDAY -
Actor Jon Foster (MURDER IN GREENWICH, TERMINATOR 3, THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR, STAY ALIVE, PANDORUM, MR. JONES,
FRIGHT NIGHT is 39!
Dive into the original 1985 FRIGHT NIGHT with this review by Bram Stoker Award winning Horror author, Mike Oliveri. And - Dario Argento's PHENOMENA aka CREEPERS is 39!
Argento purists will debate forever as to whether TENEBRE, SUSPIRIA, or DEEP RED is his best film, but one thing's for certain: PHENOMENA is the one that's the most fun. Plus - SIGNS Turns 22
It was the start of the crash of M. Night Shyamalan. Two feature films with producer Frank Marshall (THE SIXTH SENSE, UNBREAKABLE), and frequent media plaudits of being the next Hitchcock or Spielberg (all high praise indeed, but imagine being a young and new director, and being saddled with such expectations), embedded into Night's psyche that, by golly he had to, HAD TO, have a twist freaking ending in every movie whether it required one or not. No, scratch that, his movies absolutely required a twist. So the moment Shyamalan was free of Frank, he made this movie, telegraphed the twist in the first scene and kept tapping that telegraph key all the way to the end, making it the most expected twist I've ever seen. However, reviewer Kelly Parks also saw SIGNS and this is what he experienced. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
THE OMEGA MAN is 53
Tim Burton wasn't the first to do a re-imagining rather than a re-make. But of course when I mention Tim Burton and his re-imagining of PLANET OF THE APES you immediately assume the category is "Movies that Suck". Well, we'll see when you read Kelly Parks review of THE OMEGA MAN. And - 37 Years of the Arguable Best of the F13 Franchise: JASON LIVES
Why is it that the 5th sequel still holds the entire FRIDAY THE 13th movie franchise together? From screenwriter Ken King (the Fan Behind the Mask) comes his review of FRIDAY THE 13th VI: JASON LIVES. Plus - SPAWN is 27
A surprise hit reboot of a Marvel character (VENOM) means the artist and writer, Todd McFarlane, could go it alone with his own comic book line, right? And his surprise hit character in comic books means that he has a shot at turning it into a hit toyline, right? And the favorable early response to a SPAWN animated series, means we launch a surprise hit live action movie, right? OMG! While we're putting the finishing touches on the live action movie, the animated series is a runaway train! There's no stopping this, right? A look back at why all the dominos didn't fall for Todd McFarlane's SPAWN motion picture and what those lessons still mean over a quarter century later. Also - THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR is 16
The production designers took this movie seriously: you can see it right there on the screen. The Art Director and set builders, the costumers, nearly everyone took this as serious as if it was going to be the best Mummy movie - possibly the best movie - Universal Pictures ever made. Unfortunately, it seems that Universal Pictures didn't take THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR or the audience they had built for it, seriously, and about half the cast that Universal wanted to return, refused because the script was just that awful. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO - By E.C. McMullen Jr.
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INTERVIEWS Matt Jarbo's interview with Feo Amante at The Zurvivalist. James Cheetham's Q&A with Feo Amante at Unconventional Interviews *. Megan Scudellari interviews Feo Amante and Kelly Parks (of THE SCIENCE MOMENT) in The Scientist Magazine. Check out our interview at The-Scientist.com. REFERENCES Researcher David Waldron, references my review of UNDERWORLD in the Spring 2005, Journal of Religion and Popular Culture entry, Role-Playing Games and the Christian Right: Community Formation in Response to a Moral Panic (downloadable pdf). E.C. McMullen Jr.
*Linked to archive.org |
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