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| FEO NEWS FOR FALL 2024: - NOVEMBER - The detritus of old Horror/Thriller history can be found here. These are archived news items, many of them linked outside of this website. |
GODZILLA: FINAL WARS is 20
This was it. Toho had allowed GODZILLA movies to cross the great Pacific and play on TV for too long. There were plenty of GODZILLA fans in North America, more than in Japan. But to cover the costs of a GODZILLA movie required theatrical release. If this movie didn't get a wide release in the U.S.A., it would be a long time before Toho could afford another GODZILLA movie. Maybe never. After the disastrous Sony Pictures U.S. reboot of GODZILLA 1998, Toho's 2000 Japanese made, USA release of GODZILLA showed it could be done! ... but the four GODZILLA movies released after went direct to video. So they needed a big budget, but also a serious script, but also the funky fun that GODZILLA fell into in the 1960s that attracted a television fan base different from the sober and serious GODZILLAs of the 1950s. If their newest movie didn't cut it, this would be GODZILLA: FINAL WARS. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
SPECIES III Turns 20
A long time ago, reviewer Kelly Parks, chased this brief franchise all the way down to its Direct to Video doom. Probably the best thing you can say about it is that actor Natasha Henstridge successully used it to get out of her contract of having to remain part of it. The rest you can say about SPECIES III, Kelly posits in his review. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
HEAVY METAL Kicks Off on Kickstarter
From Artist and Publisher Franke Forte (SATAN'S POWDER ROOM) comes the rebirth relaunch of the all new HEAVY METAL #1. This is not a reprint of the original April, 1977 issue, but all new graphic stories! In mere days this all new issue of HM has gone more than 50 times its original $5,000 goal! And that's with 33 days left in the fundraiser! Frank Forte is the current Editor-In-Chief of HEAVY METAL magazine. Check out the Heavy Metal Kickstarter Page! And - GAMERA is 59, yo!
In the 1960s, with the staggering success of Toho's GODZILLA franchise, others had to get in on the Big Horror act, and they were! From the U.S.A. and THEM, THE DEADLY MANTIS, TARANTULA, and DINOSAURUS! to the U.K. and GORGO, audiences were Koo Koo for Kaiju. Problem was, every studio and their little sister were making Big Horror varmints and the fledging Daiei Studios needed a critter that Godzilla's studio, Toho, couldn't say "No, no." to. It also had to play in the U.S. and damn but those Yanks had everything from THE GIANT GILA MONSTER, to rather large sea slugs, to just a pink blob of goo. That's it! Those damn Yanks made a box office hit about a giant blob of goo! Then for an encore they made a hit movie about giant rocks! Not rock monsters, mind you. Just some freaking rocks that grow, break, and fall on things. So Daiei Studios needed to get creative, by golly, and that's when writer Niisan Takahashi said, "Hey, let's make a movie about a Giant freaking turtle!" (or words to that effect. It was all in Japanese and I wasn't there). His pitch was a giant slow moving turtle that was super fast - when it wanted to be - because it could fly on rocket power! And it was even more dangerous than a regular looking turtle because, to really spice things up, instead of a beak it would have tusks! Director Noriaki Yuasa agreed that spicy turtle was the way to go and they broke for lunch (I guess. Again, I wasn't there). Whether or not it happened this way will never be known, because after the movie was a box office smash, most everybody associated with the production insisted they thought of it first! So what do I think of GAMERA? Plus - ALIEN: RESURRECTION is 26
That's right! ALIEN: RESURRECTION, the worst of the sequels that killed the original franchise is over a quarter century older, but still no better! Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Jessica Camacho (LAST RESORT [TV], NIKITA [TV], VERONICA MARS, SUBURBAN GOTHIC, SLEEPY HOLLOW [TV], CRAVE: THE FAST LIFE, TAKEN [TV], ANOTHER LIFE [TV], WATCHMEN [TV]) is 42.
YOU DUG IT Three new major studio movies entered the top ten this week, sweeping away last week's heavy hitters.
1. WICKED Frank L. Baum's series of fantasy books was reimagined into Gregory Maguire's WICKED Dark Fantasy novel, which became a Broadway hit and has now opened at #1 in the U.S. Box Office. In the world market, it blew past its $145 million budget to bring in a BO of $162 million, most of that from the U.S., bringing in the largest BO of the Fall. 3. RED ONE, with a staggering budget of $200 million, fell from #1 in only its 2nd weekend, and without losing any screens, with a 59% drop in ticket sales. Audiences might bury this one. 5. VENOM: THE LAST DANCE dropped from #2 to #5 as it sailed into its 5th weekend with a 47% drop in ticket sales against an 863 screen cut, meaning fans went out of their way to find it and see it again. Its approaching, but probably won't hit, the half billion mark before it leaves theaters. 7. HERETIC in its 3rd weekend, fell from #4 to #7 with a painful 55% drop in BO against a whopping 1,608 screen cut (the largest screen cut this weekend). 8. THE WILD ROBOT in its 9th weekend (!) fell 3 places from #5 to #8 with a 50% drop in ticket sales against a 784 screen cut. 10. SMILE 2 in its 6th weekend, dropped 4 places to #10 with a surprising 62% drop in ticket sales against a 1,510 screen cut. You Buried Nothing This Week Figures calibrated from reportings by Box Office Mojo and The Numbers. Should there be differences between the two, I err on the side of caution and post the most positive numbers. And - THE GHOUL is 91
Nearly a century ago, Boris Karloff served up ghoulish delight as a man gambling against damnation in hell for a chance at immortality. My review of the recently discovered lost print and its restoration, THE GHOUL. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Billy Burke (DON'T LOOK DOWN, KOMODO, AFTER IMAGE, ALONG CAME A SPIDER, 24 [TV], FORFEIT, FRACTURE, UNTRACEABLE, TWILIGHT [all], LUSTER, REMOVAL, DRIVE ANGRY, RED RIDING HOOD, TICKET OUT, FREAKY DEAKY, REVOLUTION [TV], LIGHTS OUT, ZOO [TV], BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN [Part 1 & 2], SUNDAY -
Actor Denise Crosby (ELIMINATORS, MIRACLE MILE, PET SEMATARY, DOLLY DEAREST, RELATIVE FEAR, MUTANT SPECIES, DREAM MAN, PUMPKIN MAN [TV], DEEP IMPACT, LEGEND OF THE PHANTOM RIDER, MORTUARY, BORN, INVASION ROSWELL, THE WALKING DEAD [TV], DARK INTENTIONS, THE WATCHER [2016], X-COM 2: WAR OF THE CHOSEN [VG], THE DOCTOR'S CASE, ITSY BITSY) is 66. Forrest J Ackerman Was Born This Day
We were everywhere! We just had to find each other, and thanks to Uncle Forrey, we did! Comic, Horror, and SciFi conventions burst forth as people came from all over a city, a state, even the earth to attend.
One fan magazine wasn't enough. There were too many fans and too much money to make. Eventually there were Starlog, Fangoria, and more!
All of it born from the spark of mad passion that was Forrey Fandom!
SATURDAY -
Actor Maxwell Caulfield (THE SUPERNATURALS,
MIND GAMES, PROJECT ALIEN, SUNDOWN: The Vampire In Retreat, DANCE WITH
DEATH, WAXWORK II, ANIMAL INSTINCTS, MAXIMUM FORCE 2, ALIEN INTRUDER,
THE PERFECT TENANT, FACING THE ENEMY, CRY OF THE WINGED SERPENT, NIGHTMARE CITY: 2035, DIRE WOLF, AXECELLERATOR) is 65. SCROOGED Turns 36
In 1988 it was a big enough risk making another movie adaptation of Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. There were plenty of movies already made of it in one form or another, including genres of Horror, Comedy, and Musical. What's more, all of those adaptations will be on TV every December. Every 1988 city and town that had a stage theater - even if its just a high school - will have A Christmas Carol in December. But this was probably the pitch in 1986. Producer: "Yeah, but ours will be a modern retelling!" Studio: "It's been done." Producer: "And a comedy!" Studio: "Been done." Producer: "Yeah, but this is zen! Our protagonist is a TV executive putting on a televised stage play of A Christmas Carol only to find that he's actually living it in reality!" Studio: ". . ." Producer: "And it stars Bill Murray from GHOSTBUSTERS." Studio: "You got Bill to come out of retirement?" Producer: "Ye-es." Studio: "Oh, what the hell? It's a Christmas movie. Okay, what's it called?" Producer: "Uh... SCROOGED? Because, you know, he kinda gets -" Studio: "Yeah, I got it."
I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE is 46
There are times when more people talk about a movie than actually see it, and in 1978, Director and Writer Meir Zarchi's most renown movie was the hardcore Horror that people weren't talking about: DAY OF THE WOMAN. Due to its controversial nature and content, no established distributors or studios would touch it, theaters were wary of playing it, and it garnered plenty of advance talk before it was finally released to a few skittish movie houses on November 22, 1978, where it quietly sank. By 1980, exploitation distributor Jerry Gross convinced Meir to change the title to I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE and the exact same movie became a box office smash. Because people were already talking about rape, discussing it, it sank into the identity of Western culture that rape isn't an act of love: People can be raped even if they're in a consensual relationship, like marriage. Rape isn't a joke: the era's stereotypical cartoons of the boss chasing his clearly frightened assistant or secretary around the desk sexually force her against her will, were slowly washed away as the tide turned against them. This was important to the culture because it was still in the thick of another conversation America was having over the 1977 case of quasi-popular director (who was already famous for a directing a few movies that focused on rape and rapists who got away with it: CHINATOWN, ROSEMARY'S BABY), Roman Polanski. He was arrested for drugging and raping a child, and as if that wasn't bad enough mentally and emotionally, Roman intentionally made it physically painful for the girl. He not only wanted to humiliate her, but physically hurt her as well. Pedophiles and rape aficionados fell over each other crawling out from beneath their dumpsters to defend Roman Polanski. To his utter surprise, he was going to be arrested. Roman fled to France, where he had citizenship, and began a media campaign for enthusiastic French interviewers who wished to hear him gloat about raping a child in the U.S., painting himself as the victim, and getting away with it. Which he was mre than happy to do. Way to sock it to the Yanks! Further, Roman made it clear that he had raped children before, he enjoyed it, and would do it again (which would later be verified by some of his victims, former stars who suddenly found themselves without a career after they came forward). Why? Because acording to Roman in these interviews, everybody wants to have sex with children, even those who wanted him in prison. By 1979, America's re-assessment of Rape as a serious crime fueled a struggling daytime soap opera called General Hospital. They scripted and shot a scene where their popular teen idol of the show, Laura, is raped by a drunken lout, Luke: A creep who was there (according to the story arc) to destroy Laura's life and wreck her relationship with her husband, Scotty. That's when the weird got weirder. While DAY OF THE WOMAN was having its re-titled re-release, underage teen girls, young women, and women into their middle ages were responding favorably to the rapist character and were unhappy with Laura's husband, Scotty, fighting to defend his wife and bring Luke to justice. General Hospital became a hit and women by their millions were eagerly tuning in, including new fan, Academy Award winning actor, Elizabeth Taylor, who was suddenly eager to have a role on a soap opera. They were all enthusiastic about Laura being raped by a sinister guy, played by an actor who was cast, dressed, made-up, and written to play a slimy creep, out to commit a disgusting crime, and look the part. The hell? Our female audience actually loves this asshole?!? What to do? Well the showrunners changed Luke's character arc so that he was like, really, really sorry he did it, y'know? His sister put him up to it. Yeah, that's the ticket. Luke is a troubled but innocent victim of circumstance, see? Oy, the remorse! Laura's rape trauma story arc was changed to where she secretly really dug getting raped by Luke and can't stop having sexual fantasies over it. So Laura forgives Luke, they have a romantic Luke and Laura "Love Story of the Century" (Ugh! The 20th Century!), she dumps her husband Scotty for like, not being cool with her affair, and the Scotty character arc turns him into a villain for hating Luke, feeling betrayed by Laura, and standing in the way of true I mean, okay, soap operas are notoriously F'd in the head, but GodDAMN! Rape became fodder for Daytime TV Dramas and talk shows of the era and the whole issue remained a confused mess for well over a decade to come. Except for Writer and Director Meir Zarchi, who was pushed and criticized for his stance (and saw his career damaged) but refused to back down from the statement I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE makes to this day. And - THE ADDAMS FAMILY is 32
Has a TV show ever become a hit movie and franchise? Yes! The awesomely powerful, seemingly unbreakable STAR TREK. Of course, that has the full force of generations of "Trekkies". Yet there is also this movie, born of an even shorter lived original TV show. Unlike STAR TREK, none of the original actors came back. And yet, despite new everyone from Director to Producers to Writers to Actors, the one thing this movie did do that even the mighty STAR TREK had trouble finding: the magic that made the original so wonderful. This is how I felt when I first saw THE ADDAMS FAMILY in the theater. And - UNBREAKABLE is 22
Director M. Night Shyamalan's break out hit, THE SIXTH SENSE, amassed him a great following, a huge audience, tons of good will, and a media that was so over-hyping him (The next Hitchcock! The next Spielberg!), solely on the basis of a single movie, that it seemed they were intentionally setting him up for a fall if not an outright crash. The press wasn't alone in this. Shyamalan, possibly seeing the success of BLADE, wanted to promote it as a Comic Book Superhero origin movie. Disney (Touchstone), however, wanted to create a rut for Shyamalan and marketed it as a Supernatural Thriller like THE SIXTH SENSE, even going so far as to cut 15 minutes out of the movie so it wouldn't conflict with the Supernatural angle. So when this movie was released the following year, many saw it as a stumble and despite it being a box office hit, M. Night Shyamalan was crushed by the bad press. Yet there were still many others who saw UNBREAKABLE as a step up. Plus - COCO Turns 6
What a Pixar idea! Bring the whole family into the world of the dead where skeletons exist as sentient beings who can die again when people don't remember them ("We call it the death of death") that will play on everyone's heartstrings! How were they able to UN Gruesomely bring life to the dead and make it work in a family film? That's the secret of COCO. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
FRANKENSTEIN Turns 92 Today
After 92 years and copious research tomes dedicated to just this one movie, what more is there left to say? Well, if you've never read Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN Or THE MODERN PROMETHEUS, you should. It's uncanny how a Science Fiction novel over 200 years old is becoming more, not less relevant, over the centuries. Bear in mind, however that the movie is certainly not the book. This is why you should see the movie FRANKENSTEIN. And - WESTWORLD Turns 52!
Over 50 Years of Artificial Intelligence! Can you believe it? I can't believe it because it's not true. Yet the concept not only works for 1973, it still works today when driverless cars can't "see" the red light and run through an intersection. If its sensors can't see the world around it, even Asimov's 3 Laws of Robotics won't save you. Which is why Michael Crichton's work from JURASSIC PARK to WESTWORLD remains prophetic and relevant half a century later. Plus - PREDATOR 2 Turns 33
Yes, I was there to see it in theaters. No, I couldn't believe it did so poorly at the box office and I wound up being one of those people who defends it to all who will listen. Just as I did with John Carpenter's THE THING and as I continue to do with a few other movies. "This is exactly where the sequel should have gone!" I'd say. "Once the Predator was defeated in the jungle, the trophy hunters have to step up their game! And Danny Glover is outstanding in this. Mike Harrigan is the hard core city cop he would be if he wasn't about to retire and didn't have to babysit a traumatized man-child!" Then I'd calm down and say something like this about PREDATOR 2. Also - GOTHIKA is 22
Have you ever watched a movie that had lots of possibilities? A great concept? In short, a movie that you really wanted to like? And yet, watching it through, it felt as if the Writer (?), Director(s?), and/or Producer(s?) didn't actually want you to like it? Maybe that movie you saw was GOTHIKA? Wassmor - THE MIST Turns 17
Frank Darabont's movie has its defenders and I get that. I sure as hell would have loved to love it. I also get why some folks find something special to like in a movie and love it enough that they'd like you to enjoy it from their perspective. I'm the same way myself about certain movies. Yet there's a reason The Weinstein Company gave this flick a kick to the curb with a weak release, and Horror audiences turned out in the first week for it, then turned away. Here is why I don't personally see myself ever being a defender of THE MIST. Further - TWILIGHT Turns 16
Our reviewer, Actor Diane Matson, takes a view of the movie both as a fan of the Stephanie Meyer's series, as well as a professional thespian. What did she think of TWILIGHT? Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
For a while I've been skipping past this actor. She has a varied eclectic mix of movies she's chose over the years and doesn't seem to aim her acting toward genre, which is great but not what this site is about: I don't want to "niche" anyone. However, after well over 25 years, her career is long enough to notice a pattern. Her most popular or memorable movies are consistently genre. So with this in mind I'm wishing a Happy Birthday to
Dario Argento's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Turns 26
Even an openly hardcore Dario Argento fan like The Horror Geek, Mike Bracken, was sorely tortured between his admiration for the director and what he endured watching a typically poor A-Pix DVD transfer of IL FANTASMA DELL'OPERA. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Laura Harris (IT [TV], FOR THOSE WHO HUNT THE WOUNDED DOWN, MURDER AT MY DOOR, HABITAT, SUICIDE KINGS, THE FACULTY, THE MANOR, THE HIGHWAY MAN, THE CALLING, 24 [TV], DEAD LIKE ME [TV], A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY, SEVERANCE, Stephen King's DEAD ZONE [TV], WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB [TV], DEFYING GRAVITY [TV], FINAL SALE, THE PRIVILEGED) is 49.
ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES Hits the Big 3-0!
THE ADDAMS FAMILY TV Show spent decades in syndication building up a loyal following, but all of the original actors were too old and every attempt to replicate their magic with other actors fell flat on its face. Even an actor like Tim Curry couldn't save it. And yet, somehow, lightning struck again with Barry Sonnenfeld's THE ADDAMS FAMILY. When the sequel came out the only way it could succeed was if Barry figured out a way to bottle that lightning. Did he? Read about THE ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES. And - Tim Burton's SLEEPY HOLLOW Turns 24 Today
With movies like BEETLEJUICE, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, and MARS ATTACKS, Tim Burton spent years square dancing around the Horror genre for some time without ever actually jumping in. That all changed with SLEEPY HOLLOW. Plus - HOOD OF HORROR is Old Enough to Vote
Snoop Dog has an eclectic mix of movies in his catalog, but he's never done Horror unless he can Bring the Horror. With this anthology movie, Snoop did just that with HOOD OF HORROR. Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
SFX Artist Paul Campion (THE LORD OF THE RINGS [all], CONSTANTINE, SIN CITY, THE DA VINCI CODE, X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, 4: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER, 30 DAYS OF NIGHT, DORIAN GRAY, CLASH OF THE TITANS [2010], THE DEVIL'S ROCK, KINGSMEN: THE SECRET SERVICE, CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, DETOUR [2016], FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM, PYLON) is 56.
YOU DUG IT
1. RED ONE Halloween is truly past when a Christmas movie in November wins the first spot in the Box Office. This Comedy Thriller with its all star cast of Dwayne Johnson (also Production Partner), Chris Evans, Lucy Lui, and as the Elf himself, Oscar winner J.K. Simmons, nabbed it with a $34 mil B.O. U.S. gross across over 4,000 screens. 2. VENOM: THE LAST DANCE, was finally wrenched out of its Number 1 spot in its 5th weekend, stepping down to #2 with a 54% drop in BO from last week against a 484 screen cut. With a world-wide box office four times its budget, and only at #2 after four full weeks, the suits at Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) must surely be reconsidering their "official" last dance with this character. 4. HERETIC dropped 54% and two places down from its 2nd place opening in only one week, despite an additional 9 screens. Are audiences ready to Bury this one? 5. THE WILD ROBOT is still wild after 8 weeks on the Top Ten and stepping down only one place from #4 last week. With a mere 34% drop in ticket sales against a small 157 screen cut, Director and Co-Writer, Chris Sanders, remains at the top of his game in feature film animation after over 30 years! 6. SMILE 2 is in the black with its 5th week in the Top Ten, stepping down from last week's #5 spot with a 42% drop in ticket sales against a 363 screen cut. Odds are favorable for a SMILE 3 in the near future. You Buried Nothing This Week Figures calibrated from reportings by Box Office Mojo and The Numbers. Should there be differences between the two, I err on the side of caution and post the most positive numbers. And - AMITYVILLE 3-D Turns 40 Today
This movie is uh.... That is, it's uh... uh. Um... Well, why don't you just go to my review? AMITYVILLE 3-D Plus - IT Was 34 Years Ago Tonight!
The Network made pie in the sky promises, then due to their own incompetence, butchered nearly every one. Only money matters in Hollywood so they still retained the rights to make the movie. How bad was the confidence in this movie? King's hopes were now in the basement and nobody wanted producer credit. To this day the only Producer credits listed on this TV movie belong to the "hands off" titles of Associate and Executive Producer, and the rarely seen in the wild or captivity, "Supervising Producer". No actual decision making Producers. Was there anything that could possibly save this TV disaster in the making? Yes. One hell of a scary, wicked, yet somehow delightful clown. The legendary Tim Curry as Pennywise in IT. Also - HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE is 22
A long, long time ago, Warner Bros. decided to make November a Very Harry month. Shirley Muramoto's review of HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE. Wassmor - THE GRAVEDANCERS Turns 18
A Rock 'em, Sock 'em, Supernatural Action Horror movie? Writer Director Mike Mendez did just that in 2006 and you'll recognize a ton of memes based on this movie you may have never seen: THE GRAVEDANCERS. Further - PENNY DREADFUL Turns 18
What can I say about this movie? Well let's start here: PENNY DREADFUL. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer Stephen Moffat (Books: DOCTOR WHO: THE DAY OF THE DOCTOR. SUNDAY -
Actor/Stuntwoman Zoe Bell (KILL BILL [both], POSEIDON [2006], DEVIL'S DEN, PENNY DREADFUL, DEATH PROOF, PLANET TERROR, LOST [TV], REFLECTIONS, GAMER, THE FINAL DESTINATION, HANSEL AND GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS, RAZE, IRON MAN 3, OBLIVION, THOR: RAGNAROK, FRESHWATER, PARADOX, THE BIG TAKE, MALIGNANT) is 46. SATURDAY - Actor Gemma Atkinson (NIGHT WOLF, AIRBORNE, DEVIL'S PASS, NIGHT OF THE LIVING 3D DEAD, CAIN HILL, FEVER) is 40. A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET Turns 40 and was Based on an Actual Incident
It was happening in Los Angeles and shocked Wes Craven so much he was inspired to make this movie: A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. November's Getting Harry as HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE is 23
That's right. A new born on this day in 2001 is 23 and might be married and apparently a parent. And if you were 23 on this day and in the theater watching a movie from your beloved childhood book? That means yer 45 and old! 45 isn't the new 35! Actor Daniel Radcliff is 35! You? You're 45, which is 5 years from 50 and You're F'n Old! So walk your creaky joints down memory lane as my reviewer, Shirley Muramoto, who was but a child in the 1990s when she fell in love with J.K. Rowling's books, saw Rowling's literary visions come to life on the theater screen. HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE.
THE FROZEN DEAD is 58
There are three types of Horror movie fans in the world. Those who know nothing of this movie, those who have only seen stills and don't know what the fuss is about, and those who have seen it and will never forget it. I'll tell you what makes THE FROZEN DEAD unforgettable. And - HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS is 22
That's right. Yer old! Yes you! Yer f'n OLD! Anyway, Shirley Muramoto is here to tell you about a kid, a chamber, and she shan't be spoiling the secrets of HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
THE INVISIBLE MAN Turns 91!
In the 1930s, Carl Lammele's Universal Pictures had over a century of classic Horror literature, esteemed in the Western world, to draw upon (mostly for free) and none of the other big studios realized that there was a vast audience out there hungering for more than boilerplate mobsters and shitkickers (Westerns). Further, that audience would make stars out of directors like Todd Browning and James Whale who were directing the scary. In homerun after homerun, Universal Pictures made its name, legacy, and owes its success as a major studio to Horror movies, much to the embarrassment of future Universal Pictures CEOs who tried and failed to live it down or live up to such past glories. This is what 1933 audiences saw in THE INVISIBLE MAN. And - Bram Stoker's DRACULA Turns 32
In the 1990s, and thanks to Actor Winona Ryder, Producer/Director Francis Ford Coppola got ahold of a television script for Dracula: The Untold Story. Reeling from several film failures that put his studio, Zoetrope, deep into debt and trouble, Coppola desperately needed a hit. But by the 1990s, Dracula movies had been done to death: including vampire movies that brought Dracula into modern times (which in fact, is exactly what Bram Stoker's Dracula did - for its time). One thing that no one had really tried to do, however, was actually make Bram Stoker's Dracula the way that old Bram really wrote it. So this is what Coppola did in making Bram Stoker's DRACULA. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Tom Atkins (THE DEADLY CARGO, THE FOG, THE NINTH CONFIGURATION, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, HALLOWEEN III, CREEPSHOW, NIGHT OF THE CREEPS, MANIAC COP, DUE OCCHI DIABOLICHI, STRIKING DISTANCE, BRUISER, OUT OF THE BLACK, MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D, DRIVE ANGRY, APOCALYPSE KISS, ENCOUNTER, TRICK) is 89.
CREEPSHOW Turns 42
Stephen King and George A.Romero wanted to make a fun Horror anthology movie. Fun like TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE would have been had some of the actors not died while making it. The result was CREEPSHOW. And - SKYLINE Turns 14
Whew! What more can I say about this movie that audiences haven't already said? The fact that its two sequels went Direct to Video and the discs were being sold in Dollar Trees within a year after release should tell you what you need to know about this movie. Yet it was made by The Bros. Kraus (Colin & Greg): A-List cgi SFX artists who can and have created outstanding visual eye candy (their partial list includes, GALAXY QUEST, TERMINATOR 3, THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, CONSTANTINE, THE FOG, ÆON FLUX, X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, 300, THE INVASION, ALIENS VS PREDATOR: REQUIEM, X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, AVATAR, THE BOOK OF ELI, IRON MAN 2, BATTLE LOS ANGELES, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES, THE PREDATOR, SMILE 2) yet can't tell a moderately decent script from a crap one or direct worth a damn. Yet they thought they could with ALIENS VS PREDATOR: REQUIEM and again with SKYLINE. This movie would be the last directing feature for both men from 2010 to now, and the meager franchise it spawned the only thing still keeping the two writers who created this, afloat in deep waters. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer Greg F. Gifune (NIGHT WORK, JUDAS GOAT, THE LIVING AND THE DEAD, DOWN TO SLEEP, A VIEW FROM THE LAKE, HERETICS, SORCERER, DEEP NIGHT, DOMINION, KINGDOM OF SHADOWS, BLOOD IN ELECTRIC BLUE, THE BLEEDING SEASON, SAYING UNCLE, LONG AFTER DARK, CHILDREN OF CHAOS, DRAGO DESCENDING) is 57.
NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST
It took a lot of work and dedication (and of course, money) but Film Masters continues their dedication to Obscure Horror movie cinema in general and Roger Corman's cataloge in particular. That's right, it's their 4K scan and restoration of the Corman Brothers (Roger and Gene) NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST, starring nearly forgotten Horror movie stalwart Ed Nelson. Don't ever forget Ed. Dude was in a ton of Horror movies and a lot of them with the Cormans. And - HE NEVER LEFT Movie trailer (Dread Central)
Plus - 55 Years Ago We Took a JOURNEY TO THE FAR SIDE OF THE SUN
And that's where we met our earth doppleganger! An entirely preposterous premise treated with enough serious gravitas to make Roland Emmerich blush. You too may find yourself swept away in the Rod Serling twists and turns of this bygone Cold War epic. Created by Gerry Anderson, who brought us television shows like THUNDERBIRDS, UFO, and SPACE 1999 whether we wanted them or not, this is our review of DOPPLEGANGER aka JOURNEY TO THE FAR SIDE OF THE SUN. Also - INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE Turns 30
Yeah, that's right. 30! When the lights went down and the opening movie credits came up, nobody had more apprehension than the late Anne Rice regarding what she was about to see. Yet actor Tom Cruise and Director Neil Jordan won her over in a way that never happened with any of her work onscreen again. This is how an adaptation seduced its toughest critic. Our review of INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Artist Laurie Lipton - in accordance with typical female vanity stereotypes - will not mention her age. SUNDAY -
Writer Brandon Berntson (Various short stories) is 53. MAYHEM Turns 7
Director Joe Lynch (WRONG TURN 2, CHILLERAMA) struggled for a long time in Hollywood, but in 2017 he showed us that he was finally ready for the Big Time with MAYHEM. SATURDAY -
Actor Eric Dane (CHARMED [TV], FEAST, PAINKILLER JANE, X-MEN III: THE LAST STAND, OPEN WATER 2: ADRIFT, GREY LADY, THE LAST SHIP [TV], AMERICAN CARNAGE, DANGEROUS WATERS) is 52. Nov. 9, 1984. Two Horror movies got limited releases. One successful, one less so... A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET Turns 40
Over 20 years since the last of the Robert Englund Freddy Kruger movies (2003's FREDDY vs JASON), and Wes Craven's creation continues to storm at the front of Horror icons. Wes Craven's nightmare creation was actually the tamest, most Hollywood accessible movie he'd made by that point. Yet at the same time, he based it on actual events happening in Los Angeles. Paul V. Wargelin saw it in the theater in 1984: A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT Turns 40
It had the gore, it had the nudity, it had everything to win an audience in 1984 except for two things. It was up against Wes Craven's A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and it had possibly the worst salesman/marketer of the 1980s. The movie that lost to Wes? SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT. CHILD'S PLAY Turns 36
The 1980s was the decade of cute little killer monsters. From GREMLINS to CRITTERS to DOLLS and more, your grandparents couldn't get enough. Then Don Mancini and Tom Holland's CHILD'S PLAY came along and, despite the eventual rebrand to "Chucky" and the rapid descent into Direct to Video - like Clive Barker's HELLRAISER of the era - an enduring franchise was born. CHILD'S PLAY 2 Turns 34
And it took off! The franchise I hate to love and love to hate! CHILD'S PLAY 2. OVERLORD Turns 6
J.J. Abrams produced this movie, yet everything about it suggests, or may be feels, is a better word, that he stayed "Hands off" creatively: He didn't write it or direct it. Which, to me, makes OVERLORD a better than usual J.J. Abrams movie.
Out & About Shout!
From Tomball, Texas comes this photo of a Mail & More Etc owner still celebrating Halloween on November 8, 2024! Whoever you are, you Rock! And - DEVON Hits the Internet Tuesday, Nov. 12
DEVON is a Found Footage Horror movie written and Directed by Jennie Farley aka JWoww from the old MTV show, Jersey Shore. This is her first feature. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO - By E.C. McMullen Jr.
STARSHIP TROOPERS Turns 27
A box office flop and one of the worst rated movies at this site, which is a damn shame because Phil Tippet's outstanding creature design, the practical and cgi artists and their SFX, all put so much damn heart into into this movie that - a quarter century later - many of the alien "bugs" remain amazing to look at. But this was the movie that eventually broke Paul Verhoven and sent him scurrying out of America and Hollywood to lick his wounds back home. And not because it tanked at the box office, not because of fan appreciation, but because of Paul's own personal character. This movie review, originally posted in 1997 after the weekend release of the movie, chronicles 26 years of Verhoven's humiliating misstep and why it deserves a reboot: STARSHIP TROOPERS. And - HAPPY HORROR BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
TIME BANDITS Turns 41
It was the ostensible "Monty Python" movie no studio wanted to make... ... until someone else made it as a low budget indie... ... and it shot to #1, crushing all the big studios who "went with someone else". It not only became the best performing children's movie of the year, it was one of the top ten movies of 1981. But that was 41 years ago! Why does this movie remain a fan favorite among people whose parents weren't even born at that time? To start, every single movie is its own business. An actual business with its own business license, investors, employees, and so on. Read about the enduring appeal of one of the most convoluted movies in history in a business filled with convoluted movie histories. Terry Gilliam's TIME BANDITS. And - THE FOURTH KIND Turns 15
Have you ever waited for the release of a movie you want to enjoy? It's all Spooky UFOs, alien abduction, and the trailer appears to be as CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND-y, X-FILES-ie, and FRINGE as it wants to be, DAMN, do you ever want to See This Movie? That's how I felt going into theaters to watch THE FOURTH KIND. Plus - HAPPY HORROR BIRTHDAYS TO -
Over a Quarter Century of THE BONE COLLECTOR
Thomas Harris is far from the only author writing Horrific and twisted detective novels, he was only fortunate enough to have two great movies that also did great at the theater box office, based on his novels. Jeffery Deaver is another bestselling author, but movie adaptions to his Lincoln Rhyme novels, while good to great, didn't garner big box office. Still, it's easy to see why actors at the top of their game like Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, and Michael Rooker were eager to get onboard with screenwriter, Jeremy Iacone's adaption. If you've never seen it, this is why THE BONE COLLECTOR is worth the hunt. And - THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS Is Old Enough to Legally Drink
Right after the encyclopedic ANIMATRIX one off, the Warchowski's franchise stumbled with the first sequel, then crawled to a stop with the second sequel. Practically a textbook of what Not to do, this is what went wrong with THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS. Plus - THE INCREDIBLES Is 20
Brad Bird (THE IRON GIANT) sold Disney a Fantastic Four entry into the Superhero era before 20th Century Fox had the opportunity to churn out their craptastic Fantastic Four a year later. 4 years before Marvel finally hit their stride with 2008's IRON MAN and long before Disney bought into Marvel. Read about Pixar Disney's gateway drug into the Superhero universe, THE INCREDIBLES. Atlas! - HAPPY HORROR BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Famke Janssen (LORD OF ILLUSIONS, GOLDENEYE, DEEP RISING, THE FACULTY, HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, X-MEN, X2, X3: Death of a Franchise, TAKEN [all], 100 FEET, THE CHAMELEON, HANSEL AND GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS, HEMLOCK GROVE [TV], THE WOLVERINE, THE BEING, X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER [TV], THE BLACKLIST [TV], THE BLACKLIST: REDEMPTION [TV], THE POISON ROSE, THE CAPTURE [TV], PRIMAL, THE POSTCARD KILLINGS, THE VAULT, DANGEROUS, KNIGHTS OF THE ZODIAC, BOY KILLS WORLD, LOCKED IN [TV]) who is 59.
YOU DUG IT
1. VENOM: THE LAST DANCE wins the #1 spot for the second weekend in a row. A feat not seen since the previous Marvel movie, DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE. Despite belated Halloween parties and Dia de los Muertos throughout the weekend, VENOM suffered a 49% drop in ticket sales without any loss of screens. After over a quarter century of cinema success, its safe to say that Marvel and the MCU has buried Warner Bros. DCU. There will be successful Batman movies in the future, but the MCU has beaten the DCU to death. 2. THE WILD ROBOT, in its 6th weekend, jumped back up to #2 with a +9 in ticket sales this week despite a 190 screen cut. 3. SMILE 2 slips from #2 to #3 with a mere 29% drop in box office in its 3rd weekend against a 389 screen cut. 4. CONCLAVE holds onto #4 for the second weekend in a row. This Horror Thriller from boutique distributor, Focus Films, had only a 24% drop in B.O with an addition of 43 new screens. Having nearly half the number of screens as the movies in the #3 and #2 position, CONCLAVE earned more per screen than THE WILD ROBOT or SMILE 2. 7. TERRIFIER 3 slips from last weekend's #6 with only a 33% drop in ticket sales against a 363 screen cut. Not bad for a low budget indie after 4 weekends! 8. BHOOL BHULAIYAA 3, a Horror comedy from India, makes an impressive debut on the Top Ten despite a small 754 screen release. With a per screen average of $2,259 in the U.S.A. alone, it outperformed every Top Ten movie's per screen take except for #1. 10. BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE, in its 9th weekend, made it through Halloween with a small 33% drop in B.O. against a 623 screen cut. YOU BURIED IT 16. TRANSFORMERS ONE, despite hanging onto the Top Ten for 6 weekends, brought in a worldwide total of less than half its production budget before post production and advertising. It's rare to see a movie hold on for well over a month in the Top Ten and not at least break even. Figures calibrated from reportings by Box Office Mojo and The Numbers. Should there be differences between the two, I err on the side of caution and post the most positive numbers. And - John Carpenter's THEY LIVE Turns 36
It's flawed but cool and more than a little hypocritical. The evergreen pop-influence of John Carpenter's THEY LIVE. Plus - Kenneth Branaugh's FRANKENSTEIN is 30
Francis Ford Copolla, hot off the success of Bram Stoker's DRACULA, wanted this to be prefaced with Mary Shelley's name to indicate that this movie would be closer to the original intent of the novel same as he did with Bram. He bought a script from Steph Lady (her only produced screenplay), and soon realized that the undertaking was too huge to be both a Director and Producer. So Francis eventually hired Kenneth Branaugh who, once hired, disagreed with Copolla's vision. Ken brought in screenwriter Frank Darabont who at that time was best known for his work on sequels and remakes (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3, THE BLOB [1988], THE FLY II) to make changes. What changes? To Kenneth, what this movie really needed is something to spice it up! Something Mary Shelley's book never had and what Kenneth never dared to do to his own Productions and that's Way More Sex: featuring his new girlfriend, Helena Bonham Carter. The fights between Copolla and Branaugh weren't epic but the wounds inflicted were apparently deep, as Francis wound up publically denouncing his own movie, Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN, as did Frank Darabont when he said in later interviews that Branaugh mishandled the movie. Also - 19 Years Ago the Sky Fell on Disney
The growing cult-status of Director Mark Dindal's CHICKEN LITTLE. Wassmor - 8 Years of DOCTOR STRANGE
It built great box office, but despite the fan popular actors, the character isn't building much following. What's going on with DOCTOR STRANGE? Finale - HAPPY HORROR BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Olivia Taylor Dudley (CHILLERAMA, CHERNOBYL DIARIES, TRANSENDENCE, THE BARBER [2014], DUDE BRO PARTY MASSACRE III, THE VATICAN TAPES, APPLETON, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE GHOST DIMENSION, THE MAGICIANS [TV], SHE DIES TOMORROW, CRAWLSPACE, ONYX FORTUITOUS AND THE TALISMAN OF SOULS) is 38. SUNDAY -
Actor Debbie Rochon (NEGATIVES, BANNED, VALERIE, BLACK EASTER, REGENERATED MAN, ABDUCTED II, SHRIEK OF THE LYCANTHROPE, DEPRAVED, TROMEO AND JULIET, SANTA CLAWS, EVIL AMBITIONS, CYBER VENGEANCE, THE VAMPIRE'S SEDUCTION, ALIEN AGENDA, RAGE OF THE WEREWOLF, TERROR FIRMER, HELLBLOCK 13, CITIZEN TOXIE: THE TOXIC AVENGER IV, THE RESURRECTION GAME, MULVA: ZOMBIE ASS KICKER!, KILLJOY 2, VAMPIRE QUEEN, DEADLY STINGERS, CHAINSAW CHEERLEADERS, DEAD END [2010], SINEATERS, IMAGO, SICK, DEATH HOUSE, ALTERSCAPE, FANTASMA [2018], SHAKESPEARE'S SH*TSTORM, and a whole lot more) is 56. What Began in Japan 70 Years Ago Became a World-Wide Phenomenon
Believe it or not, Japan's GOJIRA didn't reach U.S. shores until 2004: 50 Years! This is why: GODZILLA - 1954. CARRIE Turns 48
It was 1976, Hollywood movie public schools were segregated, and White kids preyed on White. Which was a foolish thing to do if you bullied CARRIE White. It was 19 Years Ago When We Danced After Dark
Great Script, Great Direction, Great Acting, and Great Practical Effects. Then the investors saw all that and decided to go with a crap cheap cgi finale. Why one of the scariest movies you may have never watched (though you've probably seen a ton of its freaky movie stills through years of Social Media memes) got limited release and why you should seek out Mike Mendez' THE GRAVEDANCERS. HAPPY HALLOWEEN Part 3... The Second Day of Dia de los Muertos: Remembrance.
SATURDAY DIA DE LOS MUERTOS FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS TO -
Writer Peter Atkins (MORNINGSTAR, BIG THUNDER, HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER 2, HELLRAISER III, WISHMASTER, HELLRAISER: BLOODLINE, PRISONERS OF THE SUN) is 69. JACOB'S LADDER Turns 34
Review of JACOB'S LADDER by Bram Stoker award winning author and fellow Feo Amante alumni, Brian Keene. MONSTERS, INC. is 23
I was there on opening day to see it on the giant screen! Remembering MONSTERS, INC.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN: DAY 2...
Countries adopt a wide variety of foreign holidays and make them their own, instilling their own customs into them, and world-wide the examples are many: HALLOWEEN, Christmas, Mardi Gras, Easter, St. Patrick's Day, and more. Even in China, their resolutely non-religious government still celebrates Christmas and goes to great expense to hire Caucasian men to fly in and cosplay as Santa for the children. Purists say Day of the Dead, which begins on November 1 and ends on November 2, is not a Mexican version of Halloween*. Yet Hallowmass (revamped to All Saint's Day), which also begins on Nov. 1, bears striking similarities to the Latin America version. Moreover no one can deny the obvious, that down through the years children and adults from both cultures increasingly celebrate with dressing up in costume and, depending on the state/cuidad, going door to door asking for dulce (candy). HALLOWEEN and DÍA de los MUERTOS are no longer the somber Catholic Feast for the Dead the European church created centuries ago. 33 Days of HALLOWEEN! Day 32 *Halloween comes from Hallowtide or Allhallowtide, which begins, not ends, on October 31 and continues through Nov. 2. And - DOWN TO THE BONE by René Castillo
Plus - PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE Turns 50
I was a kid when I saw this movie playing at a Science Fiction convention. They had a huge screen set-up and a far better sound system than I've heard at any subsequent conventions. I'd gone to the screening room to catch a different movie and Brian De Palma's passion project was so good I still can't remember the name of the movie I originally went to see! Even stranger than the fact that this movie tanked at the theaters, is how this experimental 20th Century Fox movie spent decades being the midnight movie event to see in One Small Town, years before 20th Century Fox's next experimental Horror Comedy Musical, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. How on earth did a twisted comedic riff on the cut-throat recording industry and a morally corrupt and self-praising Hollywood so resonate with a backwoods farming community deep in the middle-of-nowhere - somewhere - Canada? Discover the bizarre life and times of Writer and Director Brian De Palma's PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE. Also - A NIGHTMARE ON ELMSTREET 2 Turns 39
It was the beginning of the "Odd Number Good, Even Number Bad" judgement on the A NIGHTMARE ON ELMSTREET movies. New Line Cinema Producer, Robert Shaye took full credit for this sequel and Wes Craven's name was nowhere to be seen. It would take decades and a lot of effort, and so money, for A NIGHTMARE ON ELMSTREET 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE, to find an audience. Finale - DIA DE LOS MUERTOS FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS 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.
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