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| FEO NEWS FOR WINTER 2025: - APRIL - 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 FORBIN PROJECT Turns 55
Yes, in 2025 we've finally entered the long predicted age of Artificial Intelligence (AI). What's more, the people who are inventing / creating the AI age are the same ones warning us that AI will destroy humanity. The ones who are seemingly the most eager to invent AI, and are most likely to put humanity beneath "digital life", possibly like Larry Page or Sam Altman, are the actual problem. The problem isn't that AI will rise up and destroy us, but that the people who fund and own it are the ones creating AI to rise up and destroy us. Presumably with the intent that they will be saved, through safeguards they've put into place. However, the best laid safeguards don't go quite as planned in the 1970 movie, COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT. And - David Cronenberg's RABID Turns 48
Before Producer Ivan Reitman made GHOSTBUSTERS, he was often the guiding light of Writer and Director, David Cronenberg. And before he did that, Ivan made pornography - but not using his real name. By 1971 he released his first straight picture, a sexy comedy starring Andrea Martin (CANNIBAL GIRLS, BLACK CHRISTMAS, EARTHWORM JIM [TV]), Eugene Levy (CANNIBAL GIRLS, HEAVY METAL), and Art Hindle (BLACK CHRISTMAS, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, THE BROOD, THE VOID). And because of this, Ivan had among his group of friends folks involved with Porn, Comedy, and Horror. Now connected to Chicago's Second City Comedy, Toronto, Canada's Second Comedy Troupe, and Second City TV series (SCTV), Ivan was well positioned for access to Lorne Michaels' Saturday Night Live (SNL), as Michaels hired many comics who began in Chicago and, later, Toronto. But in the new creeping garden of 1970s Canadian Horror, David Cronenberg was stirring. And boy, could Ivan bring a heady mix of actors to a project! So he got A-List porn actor, Marilyn Chambers, to be the lead in David Cronenberg's RABID. But that's not all... Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor / Stuntman Kane Hodder (HOUSE, HOUSE II, FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VII, FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VIII, DEEPSTAR SIX, ALLIGATOR II, JASON GOES TO HELL, PUMPKINHEAD II, PROJECT: METALBEAST, SCANNERCOP II, SE7EN, WISHMASTER, CHILDREN OF THE CORN V, WATCHERS REBORN, JASON X, DARKWOLF, THE DEVIL'S REJECTS, 2001 MANIACS, HATCHET [all], BEHIND THE MASK: THE RISE OF LESLIE VERNON, ROOM 6, FALLEN ANGELS, BORN, ED GEIN: THE BUTCHER OF PLAINFIELD, HACK!, DEAD NOON, B.T.K., MONSTERPIECE THEATER VOL. 1, OLD HABITS DIE HARD, FROZEN, AFFLICTED, MONSTERPIECE THEATER, CUT, EXIT 33, CHILLERAMA, ROBIN HOOD: GHOSTS OF SHERWOOD 3D, AMONG FRIENDS, EXIT TO HELL, LOVE IN THE TIME OF MONSTERS, SMOTHERED, ALICE D, FIELDS OF THE UNDEAD, MUCK, FURY: THE TALES OF RONAN PIERCE, OLD 37, CHARLIE'S FARM, CANNIBALS, SHED OF THE DEAD, KNIFECORP, ROOM 9, and way more) is 75.
YOU DUG IT
1. MINECRAFT is this weekend's #1 movie. It blew the box office away, earning nearly twice its expected take in the North American domestic market alone and over its budget at the theaters. Did the fact that much of the trailer looks like a Horror movie, contribute to its success? I don't know, but it obviously didn't HURT! 5. THE WOMAN IN THE YARD steps down from last weekend's #4 opening, despite dropping 52% in ticket sales and adding 3 more screens. 6. THE LAST UNICORN steps down from last weekend's #5 opening, with a 53% loss in ticket sales against a 55 screen cut. 8. HELL OF A SUMMER from boutique distributor, Neon, opens on 1,255 screens. That said, its per screen average outperformed this week's 6th place winner. 10. CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD drops from last week's #7. An underperformer from the start, this movie has spent two months on the Top Ten and finally surpassed its break even point by a thin margin with the worst per screen average on the Top Ten. It has an audience, just not one that will make it a hit at a $188 million budget. If there's a sequel, it will probably do great launching from an $88 million budget. YOU BURIED IT 12. MICKEY 17, never grew its audience despite getting a critics 77% Fresh and an audience 73% Popcorn from Rotten Tomatoes. It leaves the Top Ten falling from #9 and a steep 60% drop in ticket sales against a whopping 1,005 screen cut. That said, it too had a better per screen average than this week's 6th place winner. Figures calibrated from reporting by Box Office Mojo and The Numbers. Should there be differences between the two, I err on the side of caution and post the most positive numbers. And - KING KONG is 92
And still an active franchise! In fact, KING KONG is the world's oldest active film franchise to date! In addition to its tons of sequels, tons of spin-offs, many with their own sequels, KING KONG has been remade three freaking times! KING KONG (1976), KING KONG (2005), and KONG: SKULL ISLAND, were all remade from the original movie as source material: not an adaptation of a novel in the bunch! Holy Mackerel! How on earth can such a movie franchise endure? To know that, let's deep dive into what KING KONG started. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO - Actor Kyle Labine (DARKSTALKERS [TV], MR. RICE'S SECRET, SPOOKY HOUSE, HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION, I WAS A TEENAGE FAUST, FREDDY VS. JASON, OGRE, 388 ARLETTA AVENUE, SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK) is 42. SUNDAY -
Actor Candace Cameron Bure (I SAW WHAT YOU DID, MONSTER MASH: THE MOVIE, SHARON'S SECRET, VISITORS OF THE NIGHT, NO ONE WOULD TELL, NIGHT SCREAM, AURORA TEAGARDEN MYSTERIES [all]) is 48. Howard Hawks THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD is 74
It was 1951. The Giant Monkey Movie studio, RKO Pictures, was nearly broke. Which gave Director Howard W. Hawks room to negotiate with them when he wanted to launch his own production company, Winchester (The "W" in Hawk's name), something the major studios didn't want to negotiate. Howard's budget was so low, only $40,000, that even today this movie would be considered low-budget at an inflation adjusted $462,000. So Howard went super cheap on everything and, probably because he was raised in the era of U.S. public schools teaching children to talk with the artificial "Trans-Atlantic" accent, he had the actors use that linguistic argot for his movie (unfortunately for the government, it didn't stick. Damn smart-ass teenage kids going off and making up their own slang and argot!). It wasn't just a gimmick for Howard, as it worked well for low sound quality audio, which Howard also likely had. And if you don't believe me, why, then you're stuffed full of wild blueberry muffins! Yet despite all of these roadblocks, Producer Hawks and Director Christian Nyby's movie outperformed the Big studio budget SciFi movies of that year, WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE and THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. Both this movie and John Carpenter's THE THING share the same Top 100 American Movies list, and this is how THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD got there. GRINDHOUSE: PLANET TERROR and DEATH PROOF are 17
By 2007, good friends Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino made enough box office winners that they wanted to make a double feature. A Retro-Throwback to the cheap and sleazy cinemas of their youth: the ones that inspired them to be filmmakers. Robert would make one (that starred QT) and Quentin would make the other, and both would be shown together and include lots of short films by their friends, presented as trailers. Nobody in Hollywood wanted to say no, but no one wanted to be the first to say yes. This was an over three hour movie they were talking about. In addition to the high budget, such a flick would also have fewer shows per day to make that return. Nobody could talk them out of it. QT and RR had their budget and would shoot the whole movie under their production companies. Finally a distribution deal was made with Dimension Films (subset of the long dead Miramax), and the rest his history: 17 years of history with GRINDHOUSE. SATURDAY -
A Final Farewell to
Producer Larry J. Franco (ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, THE THING [1982], CHRISTINE, STARMAN, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS, THEY LIVE, THE ROCKETEER, BATMAN RETURNS, MARS ATTACKS!, SLEEPY HOLLOW, JURASSIC PARK III, HULK, BATMAN BEGINS, DISCARNATE) is 76. Disney Drops TRON ARES Trailer
Will it be better than TRON or worse than TRON LEGACY? TRON ARES will be released 1010 2025. EVIL DEAD is 12
Have you seen Sam Raimi's original THE EVIL DEAD? Have you seen Diablo Cody's version of Sam Raimi's THE EVIL DEAD? Did you like it? Well, I reviewed it! Yes, I reviewed EVIL DEAD! MEGAN 2.0 Trailer Drop
I loved the first MEGAN. How do I feel about this trailer? Cautiously optimistic.
From A24 and the Directors of TALK TO ME Comes
And - PHONE BOOTH Turns 22
Writer, Producer, and Director Joel Schumaker was a mixed bag. He could crash and burn, boy could he ever: big time make no mistake. But he approached movie making as an artist and when the studios trusted their instincts for hiring him in the first place, and kept their meddling to a minimum, Joel at his best created classics like THE LOST BOYS, FALLING DOWN, THE CLIENT, A TIME TO KILL, 8MM, and this one, PHONE BOOTH. Plus - John Everson's VIGILANTES OF LOVE is 21
Read why our reviewer, Jimmy Z, gave Everson's collection of VooDoo and Sex Magic all 5 Bookwyrms when he reviewed, VIGILANTES OF LOVE. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Imagine this Twofer your Grandparents had back on this date in 1968! Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY Turns 57
What happens when you choose to make a hardcore futuristic Science Fiction movie, as accurate as possible on the science? You get a movie that not only outlasts the built-in obsolescence of its title, but remains futuristic and relevant decades after its forecasted due date. What's more, as Stanley admitted in several promotional interviews at the time, he not only wanted this to be as true as possible to the science in the fiction, but terrifying as well. In many ways, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY is Kubrick's first Horror movie. AsWell - PLANET OF THE APES Turns 57
It's the world's longest running SciFi motion picture franchise from the studio that brought you the 2nd (Star Wars) and 3rd (ALIEN) longest running SciFi motion picture franchises. The movie bore little if any resemblance to the Pierre Boulett novel of the same name (which happens A. Lot. in Hollywood), but under the guidance of WWII hero, Rod Serling, it was suffused with modern day (late 20th Century) analogies and parables, among them being the threat of nuclear annihilation and racism. And that's when an odd thing happened on the set. Dressed in various ape costumes, the actors - themselves of different ethnicities - would eat their lunch with other actors who wore the same ape costumes as them. Actors dressed as Gorillas, Orangutans, and Chimpanzees quietly self-segregated to eat their meals with each other, regardless of the race or nationality of the person inside. This was only one of the odd things that happened in PLANET OF THE APES. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Actor Sofia Boutella (MONSTERS: DARK CONTINENT, KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE, STAR TREK BEYOND, ATOMIC BLONDE, THE MUMMY [2017], FARENHEIT 451 [2018], CLIMAX, HOTEL ARTEMIS, SETTLERS, PRISONERS OF GHOSTLAND, SETTLERS [TV], ARGYLE) is 43.
Mario Bava's LISA AND THE DEVIL Turns 53
This is a Horror movie by Mario Bava. But behind the camera, it is a sad tale of a friendship destroyed by a director who made a vanity project and his good friend who funded it, because he was convinced that he could sell any movie with his friend, Bava's name on it. Reality, as reality does, smashed their faith in each other and in so doing, the friendship based upon it. Once 1972's LISA AND THE DEVIL was partially re-shot and fully re-edited to become 1975's THE HOUSE OF EXORCISM, the once wonderful friendship was damaged beyond repair. This is a review of the movie and its real world outcome, LISA AND THE DEVIL. Plus - Dario Argento's INFERNO Turns 45
The Horror Geek himself, Mike Bracken, weighed in on what makes Dario Argento's masterpiece work. Mike's review of INFERNO. Also - Paul Schrader's CAT PEOPLE Turns 43
Was the remake doomed from the start? It had everything going for it. Great cast, great writer, bit of a newbie director, but Paul Schrader had his successes before. And even if it was his first Horror movie, so what? Lots of first time Horror movie directors hit a home run with their first Horror movie. But why was a Horror movie remake like this released during 1980s Comedy movie month for Spring Break? And rated R, keeping a sizeable chunk of those public school Spring Breakers out of it? Like the same year's THE THING, CAT PEOPLE crashed and burned in theaters, only to find the untapped audience that was always there, in home video. WassMor - HELLBOY Turns 21
Guillermo del Toro loves to bring the human element to his stories. His Monsters in particular are usually flawed, emotionally damaged, but worthy of grace. Comic book writer and artist, Mike Mignola excels at this throughout his comics, with characters every bit as puzzling and fascinating as anything by Tim Burton. So what happened with the fusion of these two talents that resulted in an Un-Mignola, Un-Del Toro movie HELLBOY? FurthrMor - CLASH OF THE TITANS is 15
It must have taken the greatest of care to create a remake to the 1981 original that was just as flawed in writing, direction, and acting, without being better or worse. Is that what my reviewer, Mark Worthen found with 2010's CLASH OF THE TITANS? Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Lindy Booth (EERIE INDIANA [TV], TEENAGE SPACE VAMPIRES, THE SKULLS II, AMERICAN PSYCHO 2, ODYSSEY 5, WRONG TURN, DAWN OF THE DEAD [2004], CRY WOLF, DARK HONEYMOON, BEHIND THE WALL, BRAIN TRUST, KICK-ASS 2, THE LIBRARIANS) is 45 today.
SIN CITY is 20
Director Robert Rodriguez put so many roadblocks in front of himself it's amazing this movie got made at all. He cheesed off the Director's Guild by having three different directors all work on the same single movie story (anthology movies are different). True, Rodriguez didn't belong to the guild, but neither did the movie's original creator Frank Miller, who was also brought onboard as a director, and Robert's good friend, Quentin Tarantino. For the Directors Guild, that combination was a "And that's another thing!" Yet despite everything that could have gone wrong, this is how everything goes right with SIN CITY. And - DEAD MOON RISING is 17
At some point it seems that Writer, Producer, Cinematographer, Editor, Digital Compositor, and Director Mark E. Poole, living in the middle of nowhere Louisville, Kentucky (a town so awkward its native citizenry still furiously argue over how to pronounce Louisville!), decided he wanted to make a movie! - and not just any movie! Mark E. Poole: "Hey everybody! Let's put on a Zombie movie!" Proto-Extra: "Hey, can I be a zombie?" Mark E. Poole: "Why sure as shit you can!" Proto-SFX MUA: "Can I do the Special Effects?" Mark E. Poole: "Why sure as shit you can!" Proto-Crew: "Gosh! This will be the best zombie holocaust movie ever!" ...is probably how it started. Of course, the most difficult thing about this movie or any movie was, as always, getting paid enough for it to cover the cost of making it and making another movie. Many involved were able to use this movie (to greater and lesser success) as their launch pad to greater movie work. Many, that is, except for the guy who put the whole furshlugginer thing together in the first place, Mark E. Poole. As near as I can figure, that pretty much is what launched 2008's DEAD MOON RISING. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
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INTERVIEWS Matt Jarbo's interview with Feo Amante at The Zurvivalist. James Cheetham's Q&A with Feo Amante at Unconventional Interviews *. Megan Scudellari interviews Feo Amante and Kelly Parks (of THE SCIENCE MOMENT) in The Scientist Magazine. Check out our interview at The-Scientist.com. REFERENCES Researcher David Waldron, references my review of UNDERWORLD in the Spring 2005, Journal of Religion and Popular Culture entry, Role-Playing Games and the Christian Right: Community Formation in Response to a Moral Panic (downloadable pdf). E.C. McMullen Jr.
*Linked to archive.org |
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