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| FEO NEWS FOR WINTER 2025: - DECEMBER - 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 CRAWLING EYE aka THE TROLLENBERG TERROR Turns 67
How does a SciFi Horror movie from the 1950s, whose special effects were dismissed by critics of the day (who were into SciFi monster movies) as sub par, become so influential when so many better movies faded into obscurity? John Carpenter was inspired by this movie to make THE FOG, and became one of the Horrors the creature manifested to terrify Richie Tozier in Stephen King's novel, IT. This was spoofed in the first Comedy Central season (1989) of MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 and in the 1990s animated series FREAKAZOID (The Cloud episode). Read about the enduring appeal of 1958's THE CRAWLING EYE. And - HORROR 201: THE SILVER SCREAM Turns 13
In 2011 Joe Mynhardt asked me if I would contribute my meager experience to his filmmaker's guidebook, HORROR 201: THE SILVER SCREAM. Joe had plenty of Old Guard in there: Wes Craven, John Carpenter, George A. Romero, Tom Holland, and he was looking for possible vanguards. Though I was a latecomer in contributing and nearly bashful about giving my opinion in a book filled with the expertise of so many giants in the field, I just couldn't say no to such an exciting opportunity! It's 13 years later and the book remains in print. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer/Editor Ellen Datlow (THE DARK, TWISTS OF THE TALE, POE: 19 NEW TALES INSPIRED BY EDGAR ALLEN POE, INFERNO, LOVECRAFT UNBOUND,
BEST HORROR OF THE YEAR 1, LETHAL KISSES, DARKNESS: TWO DECADES OF MODERN HORROR, TALES OF WONDER AND IMAGINATION, BEST HORROR OF THE YEAR Anthology and way more) is 76.
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Eliza Dushku (SOUL SURVIVORS, WRONG TURN, ANGEL [TV], BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER [TV], TRU CALLING [TV], THE ALPHABET KILLER, THE THACKER CASE, OPEN GRAVES, THE DOLL HOUSE [TV], TORCHWOOD [TV], LOCKED IN, HULK AND THE AGENTS OF S.M.A.S.H., THE SCRIBBLER, ELOISE) is 46.
YOU DUG IT While some of the drops on the Top Ten this week were huge, none of the losses in ticket sales were damaging. It's just that the No. 1 spot is taking up most of the oxygen in the room. That movie being...
1. AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH wins for the second weekend in a row with a mere 28% cut in ticket sales against no change in screen count. Never bet against JC. 4. THE HOUSEMAID, also in its second weekend, stepped down from last weekend's #3 with the slightest of ticket loss, suffering only a 19% cut while adding 27 more screens. 5. ANACONDA [2025] opened in the middle and, with expectations this low, Sony hid the Production budget's dollar amount. 9. WICKED FOR GOOD gained an 8% increase in ticket sales from last weekend, despite getting a 905 screen cut. 10. FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S 2 fell from last weekend's #6 with a 43% drop in ticket sales against a 732 screen cut. Despite earning below expectations, it still made 4.3 times its budget. You Buried Nothing This Week Figures calibrated from reporting by Box Office Mojo and The Numbers. Should there be differences between the two, I err on the side of caution and post the most positive numbers. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Jude Law (GATTACA, FINAL CUT, THE WISDOM OF CROCODILES, eXistenZ, THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW, LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, SLEUTH, SHERLOCK HOLMES, REPO MEN, CONTAGION, SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS, SIDE EFFECTS, BLACK SEA, FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDLEWALD, CAPTAIN MARVEL, THE THIRD DAY [TV], THE RHYTHM SECTION, THE THIRD DAY: AUTUMN, THE THIRD DAY [TV], FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE) is 53. SUNDAY -
Actor Thomas Dekker (VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED [1995], HEROES [TV], FROM WITHIN, TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES, LAID TO REST [both], A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET [2010], ALL ABOUT EVIL, KABOOM, ANGELS CREST, THE SECRET CIRCLE [TV], THE GOOD LIE, ENTER THE DANGEROUS MIND, PLUSH, FEAR CLINIC, MY ELEVENTH, TRANSFERENCE, MY ELEVENTH, WELCOME TO WILLITS, ONCE UPON A SUPERHERO, BODY BROKERS, BLUE CALL) is 38. SATURDAY -
Actor Olivia Cooke (THE SIGNAL [2014], THE QUIET ONES, OUIJA, THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM, BATES MOTEL [TV], READY PLAYER ONE, LITTLE FISH, SLOW HORSE, SLOW HORSES [TV], HOUSE OF THE DRAGON [TV], THE GOOD MOTHER) is 31.
RODAN Turns 69
The success of GOJIRA birthed Toho Pictures rise of Big Horror, or Kaiju movies. However, as popular as they were world-wide, the American distributor, The King Brothers, was lagging behind on release dates because they wanted to radically change the story from the editor's chair - even if that meant shooting extra B-Rolls in the U.S. and even going so far as to have a lead star spliced into the original film who never existed in any way before. Because The King Brothers wanted to do this with every Toho Kaiju movie, they began falling way behind schedule. This meant they were losing more money than they were making on a movie that became a world-wide phenomenon - the Star Wars of its time! This is The King Brothers mess that was boiling and throwing up when, in the same year that GODZILLA finally appeared in North America - two years after its release in Japan - Toho released RODAN. And - THE EXORCIST Turns 51
What could I possibly say that hasn't been said before? I won't bother. Instead I'll let Horror author David Whitman, from Australia, give his unique perspective of growing up in the long shadow of THE EXORCIST. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS And -
STAVE ONE. Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it: and Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail. Mind! I don't mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Country's done for. You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail. Scrooge knew he was dead? Of course he did. How could it be otherwise? Scrooge and he were partners for I don't know how many years. Scrooge was his sole executor, his sole administrator, his sole assign, his sole residuary legatee, his sole friend, and sole mourner. And even Scrooge was not so dreadfully cut up by the sad event, but that he was an excellent man of business on the very day of the funeral, and solemnised it with an undoubted bargain. Plus - ALTERED STATES Turns 45
Many movies are called "Mind blowing" but few live up to such a reputation. Sort of like all of the movies that claim to be "Beyond Your Imagination" fall far short for even the dimmest bulb in the audience. Yet not only did this movie blow everyone away, it was knocking the socks off of the adults in the audience at a time of year when few adults - outside of single people - were watching R-Rated movies. It was released on Christmas Day?!? Did the cocaine flow so merrily that the board all agreed, "This is a Perfect Christmas movie!!!" ? Who knows? Yet here we are, 45 years later and, when I gather the "old enough" fam around for a movie and play this, the teens and young adults who've been drenched in Superhero cgi for years talk about this one as the Mind Blower. The secret sauce here is, the Special Effects aren't the star, they only enhance the towering concepts. This is how they did it for ALTERED STATES. Also - THE FACULTY Turns 27
And man is the cgi ever bad! It's 2022 Asylum Pictures bad! So, considering that we're talking about 26 year old technology let's just deal with it and see what remains so compelling, after nearly a quarter century, with Robert Rodriguez's throw-away contractual obligation, THE FACULTY. Wassmor - GALAXY QUEST Turns 26
Is it possible to make a SciFi Horror Comedy movie for grown-ups, with adult themes, that appeals to children? Well apparently so since Writers David Howard, Robert Gordon, and Director Dean Parisot did exactly that. Read about one of the strongest cult movies ever made, that lovingly mocked cult movies: GALAXY QUEST. AnThen - WOLF CREEK Turns 19
Possibly the most un-Christmas-ey movie the Weinstein brothers ever unleashed on Christmas Day, and (not for the first time with a foreign fim in their hands) they released it with virtually no fanfare. Yet it went into not just sequels, but a popular TV series to boot. This is why one of the most Horrific movies ever made remains a legend: Writer, Producer, and Director Greg McLean's WOLF CREEK. AnYet - SHERLOCK HOLMES is 16
Over a century of stage performances are strewn with Sherlock Holmes plays. A Century of Cinema is strewn ('strewth!) with Sherlock Holmes movies. Nearly as long as Radio and Television has existed, those formats have made and remade episodic Sherlock Holmes radio and TV shows. In fact, at the same time actor Benedict Cumberbatch (DOCTOR STRANGE) was on television as Sherlock Holmes and preparing to move to Marvel movies, Robert Downey moved from Marvel to SHERLOCK HOLMES. Finale - Robert Eggers NOSFERATU Is 1
There are times when a director who comes from another field, like Production Designer, is more concerned with how good the Production Design is than being a Director, which is about telling a good story. This thought occurred to me yet again when I saw Robert Eggers NOSFERATU.
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Horror writer Robert Dunbar (THE PINES, TEMPLES OF JAGNNATH PURI, MARTYRS AND MONSTERS, THE SHORE, THE STREETS, WILLY) is, like, 66?
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS And - HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II Turns 36
HELLRAISER is a deeply flawed movie. It moves awkwardly and stumbles through its pace. Cuts and scenes appear without lead or explanation and are gone without resolution. Yet it's fascinating enough that I've bought it in DVD and again in Bluray. Then I saw this movie. It's a sequel that does something most sequels never do. It completes and finishes the story that the first HELLRAISER left undone in a way I've never seen a sequel do. This is how HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II does it. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer Stephen A. North (BENEATH THE MASK, DEAD TIDE, BARREN EARTH [with Eric S. Brown], DEAD TIDE: RISING) is around 65 or something.
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS And - YOU DUG IT
1. AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH by the unstoppable James Cameron, wins the weekend to no one's surprise. U.S. box office for a movie with a production budget of $400 million aren't spectacular, but the world box office is beating U.S. figure at around 4 to 1, which is rare in itself but only unusual for anyone whose name isn't James Cameron. It will likely do well throughout the week and may even be doubled in its second weekend, as de Cameron's box office decathalon has only begun. 6. 5 NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S in its third weekend, freefalls a staggering four places from last weekend's #2 with a 61% drop in box office against a 567 screen cut. This is to be expected in a week which sees no less than four blockbusters open on the same weekend. This movie may experience a bounce back up if even one of the four fail and its likely that two out of four will. The reason for saying this lies in the fact that it quadrupled its Production budget at the box office in only 2 weeks (this weekend begins its 3rd week), so everything after this should be all profit as On Average, a movie makes at least half of its theatrical total in the first three weeks. 7. WICKED FOR GOOD also went into freefall against stiff competition from four strong openers taking the top spots, dropping from last weekend's #3 with a 43% loss against a 567 screen cut. While this movie has surpassed its Production budget at the box office by this 5th weekend, Universal spent close to that production budget again in marketing and advertising (exact figures unknown). Where that leaves this movie, I've no idea, but it too could see a bounce up next weekend. YOU BURIED IT 13. JUJUTSU KAISEN: EXECUTION, in its 3rd weekend, went into freefall as well, falling right off the Top Ten with a 79% loss in ticket sales despite no screen cuts. 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. Plus - SON OF KONG Turns 92
This movie killed what could have been a wildly profitable franchise for RKO Pictures. Okay, so what lessons from that can possibly be of any use now? We live in a whole different world of the Internet, streaming, and theaters are only one option for the indie filmmaker, right? As it turns out, what RKO chose to do with their sequel is probably the most damaging studio legacy to filmmakers that still endures today, and it all began with SON OF KONG. Also - INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS Turns 47
Why, it's nearly half the age of SON OF KONG! In the early part of the 20th Century, studios understood that if you once had a low budget movie that was a hit long ago, then the safe money meant that it still had its fans. Logically, if you remade that hit movie but with the latest popular actors, and gave it a bigger budget, maybe improved those parts of the original that kinda sagged, it was a Safe Money Bet (not a sure thing, of course. Not even Christopher Nolan or Steven Spielberg can guarantee a Sure Thing). Then, after World War II Hollywood forgot that and, particularly with Science Fiction and Horror, sequels and remakes suffered, getting cheaper and worse with every iteration. In the mid-1970s though, the floundering United Artists was desperate and decided on a Hail Mary. The result was the box office hit, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. Wassmor - A Quarter Century of DRACULA 2000
You ever see a movie that you don't like? Then later, circumstances (a date, something having to do with that and "chill") have you watching it again and you like it a little more. Much later still, you're bored, it's an option on TV, what the hell, you give it another shot and find yourself liking it. That happened to me with Patrick Lussier's DRACULA 2000 and this is why. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Amelia Eve (THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR [TV], SHADOWLAND, THE DARKNESS, PHEA) is 32. SUNDAY - Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS
Actor AJ Bowen (CREEPSHOW III, THE SIGNAL, MAIDENHEAD, THE SEASON, THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, HATCHET 2, A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE, CHILLERAMA, YOU'RE NEXT, RITES OF SPRING, SUN DON'T SHINE, AMONG FRIENDS, THE SACRAMENT, THE GUEST, FAULTS, Tom olland's TWISTED TALES, THE RECONSTRUCTION OF WILLIAM ZERO, SYNCHRONICITY, DEAD NIGHT, I TRAPPED THE DEVIL, SATANIC PANIC, NIGHT DRIVE, DEATHCEMBER, THE OLD WAYS, NIGHT SKY, EDGE OF INSANITY, TRAUMATIKA) is 49. Tim Burton's SWEENEY TODD is Old Enough to Vote
The partially true, largely apocryphal tale of Sweeney Todd has been a fan favorite since he got in front of audiences. It works as a dramatic play, a comedic play, a musical, and even a musical comedy. What its always had difficulty with is successfully moving from stage to film. It just never really works. Yet Tim Burton was sure he could do it. So on this day in 2007 I took the family to see SWEENEY TODD: DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET. SATURDAY - Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS
Actor Jenny Agutter (LOGAN'S RUN, THE EAGLE HAS LANDED, EQUUS, DOMINIQUE, THE RIDDLE OF THE SANDS, THE SURVIVOR [1981], AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, DARK TOWER, CHILD'S PLAY 2, MI-5 [TV], NUMBER ONE, LONG. NUMBER TWO, REGRET, MARPLE: WHAT MRS. MCGILLICUDDY SAW, THE MAGIC DOOR, ACT OF GOD, GLORIOUS 39, BURKE AND HARE, THE AVENGERS, CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER) is 73. 60 Years of GHIDORA, THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER
By 1964 Gojira was undefeated by every monster they threw at it. Gojira needed more than its own version of kryptonite, the Kaiju needed an undefeatable enemy. Once Gojira got its mighty ass kicked, then it could make allies of former enemies against the common foe, and this is where the good monsters turned bad, bad monsters good, and the ones who stayed bad turned worse monsters*, entered the GMU. However, in the U.S.A., thanks to "presenter" Walter Reade-Sterling, it all started in 1965 with (the mispronounced) GHIDRAH, THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER. BLACK CHRISTMAS Turns 50
Director Bob Clark made two Horror movies, two Christmas movies, then washed his hands of both genres. But though BLACK CHRISTMAS floopty-flopped in U.S. theaters (poor distribution and bad movie trailer), it came back roaring on TV every Christmas and began finding shelf space at every video rental store. So how influential can a Horror dud out of Canada be? Producer and Director Sean S. Cunningham has made it clear that would be no FRIDAY THE 13th movie, let alone franchise, if John Carpenter didn't make HALLOWEEN. And John Carpenter made it clear that there would be no HALLOWEEN if his buddy, Bob Clark, never made BLACK CHRISTMAS. SCREAM Turns 28
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET franchise was finished, other Wes Craven movies floundered, and by the mid 1990s Wes Craven was starting to flounder. Why? Well one reason was that youner directors, instead of blazing their own trails, were imitating Wes's trademarks. Wes's strong female lead in nearly all of his movies became the standard. His consistent "Final Girl" in nearly all of his movies became the standard. His consistent "deformed villains" became the standard. One day Wes Craven, busy on developing a remake of THE HAUNTING - as he was burnt out on making violent gory movies (everybody was copying his and John Carpenter's style!) - was approached by Miramax. They bought a screenplay from some nobody named Kevin Williamson and it had all of Craven's tropes. Are you kidding me? Wes strongly declined the offer. Later, as random fans will do, a young boy approached Wes and enthused about his early movies. Then the child complained that Craven was "going soft." (!). That Mr. Craven "had more guts" (!!) when he made THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and THE HILLS HAVE EYES. How could Craven argue and defend himself to a child? He immediately contacted Miramax to negotiate their offer and was told that actor Drew Barrymore (ALTERED STATES, CAT'S EYE) had signed on. Well now he just HAD to make the damned movie! So in 1996 when studios were starting to think that Craven had peaked, Wes reminded everyone just who they were dealing with, when he stormed back into theaters with a SCREAM. SANTA'S SLAY is 20
Brett Ratner, showing promise after 2002's RED DRAGON and a year away from torpedo'ing his career with X-MEN III, wanted to make an outrageous, scandalous, totally offensive - to Christians only - religious movie that was in no way risky. He wanted all the illusion of brave filmmaking with none of the consequences. So he hired writer and director David Steiman (his assistant on three of his features including, RED DRAGON), and wrestler Bill Goldberg. But Brett wasn't about comedy only, his movie had to be a Horror movie! So he brought on famed lensman, Matthew F. Leonetti. (THE BAT PEOPLE, POLTERGEIST, STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT, THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT, DAWN OF THE DEAD [2004], EVIL DEAD [2013]) as Cinematographer, and his son Jr., as Producer. What was the result? The best damn Horror Comedy David Steiman ever wrote and directed is what you get with SANTA'S SLAY.
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS And - INVASION OF THE ASTRO-MONSTER aka MONSTER ZERO Turns 60
It was 1965 and Toho was churning out GODZILLA movies in as many variants as possible. It was the time of GMU (Not George Mason University, but Godzilla Movie Universe: The GMU ain't GNU). To most folks it was a case of diminishing returns, yet the Kaiju audience couldn't get enough even with the occassional misstep - like GODZILLA'S REVENGE or anything involving Godzilla's son, Minira. Speaking of kids, they went Kaiju Goo Goo for these monstrous monsters. So with that in mind, let's dive into 1965's INVASION OF THE ASTRO-MONSTER aka MONSTER ZERO. Plus - Dario Argento's OPERA aka TERROR AT THE OPERA Turns 38
Mike Bracken aka The Horror Geek, is a devout Argento fan, yet always gives an honest review of the work of those he admires the most. 22 years ago he did with Dario Argento's OPERA. Also - THE LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS Turns 23
In only two decades the world has changed with head-spinning speed. In 1998 this site was in its second year and our cars & phones weren't smart. Our TVs certainly weren't smart and most of the shows on them were dumb. TV stations didn't broadcast in widescreen and 16:9 High Definition wasn't the norm. Those willing to pay an expensive price for a cable High Definition were treated to 720dpi instead of the usual 400dpi (Yeah kids, that's why those old TV shows your parents go on about look like smeary crap). DVDs were learning to walk and the Internet was a toddler in 33kb speed diapers. And there was New Zealander Peter Jackson, who made his name in Horror with DEAD-ALIVE and THE FRIGHTENERS (legal DVDs of his earlier Horror movies were nigh impossible to find in the states at that time). He'd actually got the greenlight to shoot all three THE LORD OF THE RINGS movies at once - something that an uncountable number of Producers and Directors had tried for well over half a century to accomplish and failed. On this day in 2001 the first result of that trilogy went into wide release in the U.S. and reviewer Kelly Parks was in the movie theater on opening night when he saw THE LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS. Wassmor - ALTERED Turns 19
For me, this movie was one of those happy accidents that sometimes happens with TV. You see it available for streaming or cable, you know nothing about it, but what the hell? Let's give it a shot. WOW! Where did this come from and how did I not know about it? If you find enthusiasm infectious then let me tell you about my disease: ALTERED. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS GHOST STORY is 44
Among the few things I shared in common with my Pop, was Horror movies, and we were both fans of Peter Straub's novel. So we went together, Father and son to see GHOST STORY. And - THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS Turns 23
Sequels get a deservedly bad rap so on this day in 2002, fans of LORD OF THE RINGS, who were smitten by THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, entered theaters under a dark cloud of trepidation. They needn't have worried. This movie isn't a sequel but a continuation. The second chapter in a full book. Kelly Parks was in the theater on opening night and this is how he reacted to THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS. Plus - HATCHET Turns 17
In the realm of low budget, indie cult movies, tihs Adam Green movie has got to be the micro cult of a cult. Yet, somebody(s) thought it was a sound enough investment to make a sequel. And then another. On the chessboard of cinema, HATCHET is the pawn that takes the Queen, and this may be why. Also - AVATAR Turns 16
What a brilliant cgi world! It was a marvel to look at. Computer Graphic Images never looked better. It crossed the billion dollar threshold at a time when that was such a rare thing that its main competition was surpassing the billion plus level that director James Cameron made over a decade earlier with his movie, Titanic. James only had himself to compete against. Audiences went back to see it again and again and, as repeat performances usually will, they noticed things they didn't catch the first time. The more they looked the less they liked. Then it came out on disc and sold surprisingly poor. What the hell happened? This is how the shine dulled for AVATAR's biggest fans. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Casper Van Dien (THE COLONY, NIGHT SCREAM, CASPER: A SPIRITED BEGINNING, STARSHIP TROOPERS, MODERN VAMPIRES, SHARK ATTACK, THE COLLECTORS, THE OMEGA CODE, THE TIME SHIFTERS, SLEEPY HOLLOW, PYTHON, ROAD RAGE, SANCTIMONY, SKELETON MAN, DRACULA 3000, PREMONITION, MELTDOWN, THE CURSE OF KING TUT'S TOMB, SLAYER, STARSHIP TROOPERS 3, MASK OF THE NINJA, THE PACT, SHIVER, ASSUMED KILLER, HIGHER MISSION, FIRE TWISTER, SHARKTOPUS VS MERMANTULA, ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, G-LOC, and more) is 56.
Daniel H. Wilson's ROBOPOCALYPSE enters its 14th year of In-Development with Amblin Entertainment and Dreamworks. As of 2018, Steven Spielberg was out of the director's chair, and his minion, Michael Bay (TRANSFORMERS), got ready for a 2020 release. An anticipated release of 2020 came and went. It's 2025 and Steve remains Producer and Screenplay is still by Drew Goddard (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER [TV], ANGEL [TV], ALIAS [TV], CLOVERFIELD, LOST [TV], THE CABIN IN THE WOODS, WORLD WAR Z, BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE).
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS And - KING KONG (1976) Turns 49
Dino De Laurentiis got audiences world wide worked up for KING KONG in 1976. The movie remained unbelievably hot after over 40 years and if there was one thing audiences would love to see - after the disappointing cartoonish Kong seen battling Godzilla - was a modern update in color and HiFi quadraphonic or Sensurround sound (what we call Surround Sound today)! It's hard to describe the excitement that audiences felt and theaters were preparing themselves for in America's Bicentennial year: an era without Internet. But this is what happened at the end of the Production road to KING KONG, in 1976. Plus - LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING is 22
Many a successful franchise crashed and burned on the third movie. From ALIEN³ to TERMINATOR 3, HELLRAISER III, TREMORS 3, the landscape is strewn with refuse. So J.R.R. Tolkien's final book, and a movie series already being derided by his heirs, hung in the balance. The story as a whole and the two movies before it, would end up as a wound, not a triumph, if Co-Writer and Director Peter Jackson failed. This is what my reviewer, Kelly Parks saw in the theaters on opening weekend not only on the screen, but among the audience and their reaction to THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING. Also - TRON LEGACY is 15
Just as there are many successful franchises that fail at three, there are more that fail to launch the franchise with the very first disastrous sequel. The ones that blew up on the launch pad are too numerous to mention, but this is what I saw on opening weekend in 2010 when Disney snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, and so ultimately pulled the plug on their much desired TRON franchise, TRON LEGACY. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Milla Jovovich (THE FIFTH ELEMENT, RESIDENT EVIL [all], HOUSE ON TURK STREET, ULTRAVIOLET, A PERFECT GETAWAY, THE FOURTH KIND, STONE, FACES IN THE CROWD, FUTUREWORLD [2018], HELLBOY [2019], MONSTER HUNTER, BREATHE, IN THE LOST LANDS, WORLD BREAKER) who is 48.
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS And - BATTLE ROYALE Turns 25
Koushun Takami's infamous and controversial novel became manga became the movie and, in Japan, the son and father team of Writer Kenta Fukasaku (BATTLE ROYALE II, BLACK RAT) and Director Kinji Fukasaku (THE GREEN SLIME, MESSAGE FROM SPACE, VIRUS: THE END, SAMURAI REINCARNATION) kept the coldly brutal and blood soaked action, as well as heartache of the novel. Shirley S. Muramoto gets you up to speed on Takami's BATTLE ROYALE novel, and I give you my take on Fukasaku's BATTLE ROYALE movie. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Theo James (BEDLAM [TV], UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING, DIVERGENT [all], UNDERWORLD: BLOODWARS, ZOE, HOW IT ENDS, LONDON FIELDS, Jeff Wayne's THE WAR OF THE WORLDS: A MUSICAL, ARCHIVE, CASTLEVANIA [TV], THE WITCHER: NIGHTMARE OF THE WOLF, DUAL, THE MONKEY) is 41.
Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS And - YOU DUG IT
2. FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S 2, despite a 167 screen increase, suffered a staggering 70% drop in ticket sales in its second weekend. That said, the movie has nearly quadrupled its Production budget in this time. 3. WICKED FOR GOOD, despite a 51% loss in ticket sales against a 505 screen cut, holds onto its #3 position for the second weekend in a row of its 4 weekend run. 6. JUJUTSU KAISEN: EXECUTION drops from last weekend's opening at #4 with a huge 79% loss in ticket sales despite an additional 67 screens. 8. HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, the 2000 Jim Carrey movie bows back in for the holidays and, for its release, surpasses expectations on2,250 screens YOU BURIED IT 13. PREDATOR BADLANDS falls off the Top Ten after 6 weekends. Getting word of mouth attention only after its initial 2 weekends and dismal results, Disney's poor marketing of this movie is reminiscent of how they butched the theatrical run of JOHN CARTER. 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. Plus - GAMERA (GAMMERA?) is 59
Like Gojira before it, an American distributor got ahold of GAMERA, made copious edits, B-shots, and added scenes and dialogue so the movie could have American actors, and that's what American audiences saw. And they did what the distributor didn't think they'd do. They laughed it out of the theater and regretted their ticket purchase. This is how Hollywood treated Japan and the Asian market in 1965 with GAMERA / GAMMERA. Also - YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is 51!
At 50, there are more years between the 1974 release of this movie and today, than there were between it and the original SON OF FRANKENSTEIN from 1939. So what makes both movies so relevant and timeless? To find out, let's dive into Roland V. Lee's SON OF FRANKENSTEIN and Mel Brooks' YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. Wassmor - GOJIRA (1984) is 41
1954's GOJIRA became a world-wide hit. But in the U.S., GOJIRA became a heavily re-edited, reshot GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS (1956) with a significantly different story and a new leading man, Raymond Burr. 30 years later, Toho and New Line Cinema could have rectified that. Instead New Line turned GOJIRA (1984) into the stale comedy, GODZILLA 1985, then repeated past mistakes making the whole thing a tediously unfunny farce. This is how I saw the Japanese GOJIRA (1984) and how Stoker Award winning author, Mike Oliveri saw GODZILLA 1985. Azwel - ALIEN: THE ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY is 5
Imagine! In 2020 we not only got Dan O'Bannon's original ALIEN screenplay, but we got it as a graphic novel! It's as close as you can get to the storyboards of a lost ALIEN movie without ever losing the movie! What's more, the original screenplay holds up with no plotholes! Well, except for the tiny planetoid itself, which is only slightly wider in diameter than the length of the San Diego Freeway or, for you history buffs, slightly wider than the length of Hadrian's Wall. If you're a fan, this is why you will want to explore the imagination of one of Science Fiction cinema's most influential writers! Dan O'Bannon's ALIEN: THE ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer and Film maker Todd Tjersland (LEGION OF THE NIGHT, ANTI-HERO, THE NECRO FILES, FACES OF GORE [1 THRU 3], MISLED, NECRO FILES 2, MIDNIGHT MOVIE MADNESS) is 55. Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS On the 2nd Day of X-MAS Feo Fam gave to me,
Writer Azrael Paul Damien (CONVICT GRADE) is 46. TARANTULA Turns 71
Those damn mad scientists and their Do-It-Yourself at home research! That's how we got TARANTULA! EDWARD SCISSORHANDS is 35
Prior to this movie being released, it was reported that some 20th Century Fox studio heads were in tears by the end of this its first studio screening. Is that because its so good? Or because when it came time to greenlight it, they wanted no part of it, and it was only upon seeing it did they realize it was going to be a mega hit? I was there in the theater to see Tim Burton's EDWARD SCISSORHANDS. Peter Jackson's KING KONG Is Old Enough To Buy Liquor
Peter Jackson loves the original KING KONG. The 1976 KING KONG updated for the 1970s? Not so much. So instead of updating KING KONG for the early 21st Century, he modernized KING KONG for the early 20th Century. I saw it on opening weekend in movie theaters and this was my take on Peter Jackson's KING KONG. I AM LEGEND Is 19
There was a time when writer Richard Matheson said that he wasn't paid a dime for his work: a Steven Spielberg movie based on his novel of the same name. The reason being that Warner Bros. bought the movie rights to his novel back in the 1960s. Later, WB hired Matheson to contribute to the screenplay adaptation by Mark Protosevich (THE CELL) and Akiva Goldsman (I, ROBOT, FRINGE [TV]). Kelly Parks saw it on opening weekend in movie theaters and had this to say about I AM LEGEND. THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY Turns 13
A lot of unexpected things happened to Peter Jackson with this franchise, all starting and in many ways, crumbling, with THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY. Feo's 13 DAYS OF X-MAS On the 1st Day of X-MAS Feo Fam gave to me, HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO - THE DEVIL BAT Turns - egad! - 85 Years Old
I have a dual rating system here. Shriek Girls and Negative Shriek Girls. Negative not as in minus numbers, but as in the film they were shot on. A Negative can contain an entertaining movie even though it doesn't have a positive. Negative Shriek Girls are where movies I feel are So Bad They're Good, dwell. I'm not saying you shouldn't watch them, only suggest an expectation. Like for example, the Bela Lugosi Poverty Row movie, THE DEVIL BAT. MARS ATTACKS! Turns 29
I generally love Tim Burton movies and one of my favorites is MARS ATTACKS! This is why. Plus - STAR TREK: NEMESIS Turns 23
Star Trek fans know that this was the last of the TV series Star Treks in theaters and 23 years later the old crews are in no danger of returning to the big screens. But Star Trek movies suffered underwhelming performance before and the franchise endured. What made STAR TREK: NEMESIS the death knell? Read on.
THE WOLF MAN Turns 84
84. In other words this movie, written by Curt Siodmak (DONOVAN'S BRAIN, EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS), which began as a modern retelling of old myths, is now so old itself that your Great-grandparents were kids when it came out! Okay, but does it stand up? Not Special Effects-wise, of course. Yet amazingly the story and acting are superior to the 2010 remake (which was supposed to take place long before this version) in every way. This is why you may enjoy THE WOLF MAN as a period piece movie. And - SCREAM 2 Turns 28
Over a quarter century old and still... well, there. What would a Bram Stoker Award winning author tell you about SCREAM 2? Well, he might tell you that the movie didn't age well. And like, within months after release! Horror author, Michael Oliveri explains in his review of SCREAM 2. Plus - THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL Turns 17
Fortunately for director Scott Derrickson, its been all up from here. In some ways, his remake of the original THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, was like a Direct to Syfy channel version. In other ways it was like an Asylum Pictures version, dumbed down for the Syfy channel. Keanu Reeves has made good movies and bad movies, but all of his biggest fans seem to agree: THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL remains one of his worst. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
HACK! is Old Enough to Vote
Okay, let's get this over with. Yes, there exists a real Slash 'Em Up movie called HACK! It had roles for William Forsyth, Kane Hodder, and Burt Young. Not that it helped. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Ben Browder (A KISS BEFORE DYING, MARTIAN LAW, THE SKY'S ON FIRE, FARSCAPE [TV], FARSCAPE: THE PEACEKEEPER WARS, A KILLER WITHIIN, STARGATE SG-1 [TV], STARGATE: THE ARK OF TRUTH, STARGATE: CONTINUUM, BAD KIDS GO TO HELL, DEAD STILL, BAD KIDS OF CRESTVIEW ACADEMY, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Vol. 2, HOAX, BEING, IKÉ BOYS) is 63.
26 Years On THE GREEN MILE
Let the movie speak for itself. In 1999, I sat in the dark theater ready for anything and this is what Stephen King and Frank Darabont's THE GREEN MILE said to me. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Emmanuelle Chriqui (THE DONOR, ALIEN ABDUCTION: INCIDENT IN LAKE COUNTY, VAMPIRE PRINCESS MIYU, FUTURE SPORT, RICKY 6, WRONG TURN, THE CROW: WICKED PRAYER, DECEIT, 13 THIRTEEN, THE BORGIAS [TV], TRON: UPRISING [TV], MENTALIST [TV], MURDER IN THE FIRST [TV], SHUT EYE [TV], 7 SPLINTERS IN TIME, HOSPITALITY, THE PASSAGE [TV], COSMIC DAWN) is 50.
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Michael Dorn (DEMON SEED, GARGOYLES [TV], STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT, STAR TREK: NEMESIS, THE PROPHET'S GAME, SHADOW HOURS, SHADE, DESCENT [TV], DANNY PHANTOM [TV], A.I. ASSAULT, FALLEN ANGELS, NIGHT SKIES, THE DEEP BELOW, STRANGE FRAME, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES [TV - 2012 - 2017], ARROW [TV], MAN FROM EARTH: HOLOCENE, UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!, AGENT REVELATION) is 70.
YOU DUG IT
1. FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S 2 opens and destroys all the blockbusters in its path to claim the top position. Opening on 3,400 screens it made nearly twice as much per screen as Disney's former #1, pushing it down to #2. 3. WICKED FOR GOOD stepped down from last weekend's #3 to this weekend's #4, but did so with a whopping 72% loss in ticket sales against a 130 screen cut. 4. JUJUTSU KAISEN: EXECUTION opens with a $10 million North American box office, which is damn good considering that boutique distributor, GKIDS, could only negotiate 1,833 screens for it. 6. KILL BILL: THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR, After over 20 years, QT's re-cut without the Weinsteins in the way, opens this week on 1,198 screens. 9. PREDATOR: BADLANDS went into freefall in its 5th weekend, dropping from last weekend's #4 position with a 72% drop in ticket sales against a 670 screen cut. Fans agree that the trailer for this movie is crap and many are saying it kept them away (how many are fans and how many are just Looking for Likes, who knows?) were kept away for the first two weeks until word of mouth brought them back. Disney will have to overcharge big time for this movie on physical media, like they did with PREY, to stop Dan Trachtenberg's masterpiece from seeing any profit. YOU BURIED IT 11. THE RUNNING MAN in its 4th weekend dropped off the Top Ten with a massive 70% drop in ticket sales against a 1,200 screen cut. 19. SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE, despite enormous critical and audience acclaim, didn't draw enough people to the theaters and fell nearly ten places from last weekend's #10 with decapitating 87% loss in box office against a 1,811 screen cut in its third weekend. 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 - GODZILLA'S REVENGE is 54
As you can probably tell by the poster, Toho studios were stumbling, on their knees with what they had done to their GODZILLA franchise and this one, featuring Minya again (Godzilla's kid) Godzilla Jr., was considered the worst up to that point. They had trouble finding a U.S. distributor and when they did, Maron Distributing gave it the bare minimum. Original GOJIRA director Ishiro Honda fought with Toho as he wanted this to have a backdrop of realism to the fantastic. Toho wanted kid friendly to sell more toys and in their minds, "Kid Friendly" meant DUMB. Dumb it down, Honda! Those stupid Gamera movies are kicking our ass! So began Toho's Champion Festival Era of Godzilla: Cheap Kaiju movies made specifically for children. Every Godzilla movie of the 1970s was part of this and Toho studios went back and recut all previous hardcore Godzilla movies to be more kid friendly. Toys! We gotta sell Godzilla toys, Honda! So help me if I see another damn shelf of those giant turtles! The downshot to all of this is that audiences were confused as they couldn't tell the difference between the Japanese GODZILLA'S REVENGE (1969) and SON OF GODZILLA (1967). Bram Stoker Award winning author, Mike Oliveri describes the disaster in detail of the U.S.A release of GODZILLA'S REVENGE. aka All Monsters Attack aka Minya: Son Of Godzilla. Plus - BLADE: TRINITY is Old Enough To Drink!
21 years later and fans are still lamenting how Wesley Snipes destroyed BLADE and his career along with it. Actor Wesley Snipes and Writer David S. Goyer took Marv Wolfman's creation and, in 1998, blazed the trail that would lead into the new millennium of Marvel movie superheroes: a cinema Golden Age that Marvel Comics had never known in its 50 years of existence. This was the movie that made actor Snipes a powerful A-list actor, and one he used to butcher the coolest Vampire franchise ever made. To this day no one has been able to repeat it. In various podcasts and interviews, Wesley is still not really sure why he made this choice. One which also permanently ruined his friendship with long time collaborator David S. Goyer (all the BLADE movies). While Wesley may not know, or guesses, or searches for an answer, it seems everyone else on the set is pretty sure why Snipes did it. Depending on who tells it, their stories range from sad to hilarious. But this is what audiences saw on screen when they watched BLADE: TRINITY. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Make-up Artist Rick Baker (IT'S ALIVE, SQUIRM, KING KONG [1976], THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN, THE FURY, THE HOWLING, THE FUNHOUSE, AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, VIDEODROME, SOMETHING IS OUT THERE [TV], GREMLINS 2, WOLF, ED WOOD, THE FRIGHTENERS, MEN IN BLACK, MODERN VAMPIRES, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG [1998], PLANET OF THE APES [2001], MEN IN BLACK II, THE RING, HELLBOY, CURSED, THE RING II, X-MEN III, THE WOLFMAN, MEN IN BLACK 3, TRON: LEGACY, MALEFICENT, Damon Packard's TALES BEYOND MADNESS, and way more) who is 74. SUNDAY - "A DAY THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY!"
Actor Shiri Appleby (THE KILLING TIME, THE BITE, THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR, ROSWELL [TV], SWIMFAN, THE SKIN HORSE, UNDERTOW, THRILL OF THE KILL, THE KILLING FLOOR, UNSTABLE, THE DEVIL'S CANDY, ROSWELL NEW MEXICO [TV]) is 45. HOUSE OF DRACULA is 80
It was 1945 and the new management of Universal Pictures, realized they were incompetent and killing the studio. Current Universal fans like to rewrite history, pointing out that THE MUMMY, THE INVISIBLE MAN, and THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON were also part of the canon, but no. Over and again Universal had battles and movies featuring only Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula, and The Wolf Man. Everything else was sundry, even if they did wind up adding other monsters to their line up 50 years later. So this movie is not a classic, it's just old. This is how Universal Pictures ignobly ended the legacy that created them and replaced it with nothing. The audience turned out in droves, only to be disappointed by final nail in the coffin of Universal's original trio of classic Monsters in HOUSE OF DRACULA. VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED Turns 65
Want to make a powerful movie about an alien invasion and on a low budget? Forget expensive practical or cgi effects. Have your humans turn into aliens when nobody's looking. Maybe they slept too close to a strange plant. Or ate a seemingly familiar plant. Perhaps they inhaled something. In fact, the more unexplainable the alien invasion is, the scarier it is, because you can't defend yourself from the unknown! This was the basis for author John Wyndham's THE MIDWICH CUCKOOS, a tale of - Ach, du lieben: Killer Kinder! Y'know, you can tell a fair amount of a country's culture by their thematic output in entertainment. In England, children in Horror Thriller, even romance movies are, not always, but usually, evil. This was reflected yet again in 1960's THE VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED. EDWARD SCISSORHANDS Turns 34 Today
I was there at the theater on this day. Yeah I'm that old - Shut Yer Cakehole! Anyway, movie PR talked about Tim Burton's latest bringing tears to the eyes of 20th Century Fox executives. Whether or not that happened, who knows? But a few audience members that day in the theater where I sat were getting misty. This is how Tim Burton brought the magic with EDWARD SCISSORHANDS. SATURDAY -
Visual Effects Artist Richard Edlund (THE MANITOU, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, THE CHINA SYNDROME, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, POLTERGEIST, GHOSTBUSTERS, FRIGHT NIGHT, 2010: THE YEAR WE MAKE CONTACT, POLTERGEIST II, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, THE MONSTER SQUAD, GHOST, ALIEN3, TALES FROM THE CRYPT: DEMON KNIGHT, SPECIES, THE STEPFORD WIVES [2004], ANAMORPH, BULLET TO THE HEAD) who is 85. EQUILIBRIUM is 23
Bob Weinstein at Dimension Films had the distribution rights to it, but so soon after 9/11 he didn't know what to do with it. After all, the movie was about a rebellion against a Fascist Totalitarian dictatorship. Did audiences really want to see a movie where a Totalitarian Temptation was painted as a bad thing? After all, we just want to end war! What's so bad about ending war if It's for the Greater Good? And what's so bad about a Totalitarian Solution as long as its not fascist? What did parent company, The Walt Disney Company think? Perhaps someone suggested, "How about we just quietly release it to theaters with only the bare minimum contractual promotion?" So they went for that, the movie showed up on single screens - 301 max. world-wide, and Christian Bale's star power, so soon after AMERICAN PSYCHO, attracted a trickle that, thanks to Kurt Wimmer's screenplay and direction, by Christmas became a wave. By the time it hit home video, that wave of audience became a Tsunami for EQUILIBRIUM.
FLASH GORDON Turns 45
Audiences knew of FORBIDDEN PLANET, STAR TREK, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, space movies that took themselves seriously. Hell, even Star Wars largely took itself seriously. So they were unprepared for the madcap trip to Cosmic Crazytown that was the fun loving FLASH GORDON. Like many 1980s classics, this flick by the late Dino De Laurentiis (BARBARELLA) developed a strong dedicated cult following which eventually became an ever expanding audience. So what's the secret sauce behind FLASH GORDON? And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Amy Acker (THE ACCIDENT, GROOM LAKE, ANGEL [TV], ALIAS [TV], A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE, DOLLHOUSE [TV], HAPPY TOWN [TV], THE CABIN IN THE WOODS, PERSON OF INTEREST [TV], THE GIFTED [TV], THE WATCHFUL EYE [TV]) is 49.
KRAMPUS Turns 10
It would have been easy for some untalented hacks - who cared nothing for rising to the potential of this myth - trying only to make a quick cash grab off the rubes (like the jerk Producers of SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT did). We know how easy it would have been because a number of such movies all came out around the same time. But this one is different. This one looks, sounds, and feels like the writers, producers, director, actors, SFX team, Production Designer, Art Director, and crew not only cared about making a good creative Horror movie, but they wanted to hit a home run for Horror fans. I write and say this because the folks who brought us KRAMPUS, knocked this ball out of the park! And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer, Producer, Director Mick Garris (CRITTERS 2, THE FLY II, SHE-WOLF OF LONDON [TV], PSYCHO IV: THE BEGINNING, SLEEPWALKERS, HOCUS POCUS, THE STAND [TV], THE SHINING [TV], QUICKSILVER HIGHWAY, HOST [1998], RIDING THE BULLET, DESPERATION, MASTERS OF HORROR [TV], Masters of Horror: VALERIE ON THE STAIRS, POST MORTEM [TV], FEAR ITSELF [TV], POST MORTEM [TV], ELI ROTH'S HISTORY OF HORROR) is 74.
HORROR EXPRESS is 52
I know that the poster above kinda looks like a Killa Gorilla, but no. No gorillas in this movie: Only human primates and the non-simian creature. I don't want to lead all you Horror movie Ape fans astray. With that out of the way, Do you love John Carpenter's THE THING? Well here's a 1973 movie with a British view of John W. Campbell's Who Goes There? (the original novella that inspired THE THING). It stars Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee and this is why you might love watching HORROR EXPRESS. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Brendan Fraser (THE PASSION OF DARKLY NOON, GODS AND MONSTERS, THE MUMMY [1999], THE MUMMY RETURNS, JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE NIGHT, JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR, BREAKOUT [2013], CONDOR [TV], THE POISON ROSE, DOOM PATROL [TV], NO SUDDEN MOVE,
THE RETURN OF DOCTOR X Turns 86
Humphrey Bogart had a contract with Warner Bros., see? Yeah. But Bogart don't do no cornball Horror or Science Fiction movies, see?1 Those kind of movies are for Boris Karloff or Bela Lugosi. Those movies are for rubes, see? Bogie's a sophisticated intellectual, see? Bogie likes Thug Theater: Playing the mobster, the villain, the psycho, the monstrous killer. Basically Bogart was the scary Horror in every villain he ever played and everybody from his fans to Studio Bosses to his actor colleagues knew that - except for Humphrey. So when he found himself forced to play this role, Hump, being 40 years old at the time, threw the kind of high drama actor's petulant temper tantrum you'd expect of an UN-sophisticated, Anti-Intellectual. Finding no way to get out of is contractual obligations, he demanded more money. Well that's one way to negotiate, I guess, but did it work? Whether or not the Warner Brothers gave Bogie that bigger paycheck is a matter of anecdotes and opinion, but what he did have to do was play in THE RETURN OF DOCTOR X. 1 Humphrey's turn as 'Rocks' Valentine in Warner Bros. 1938 THE AMAZING DR. CLITTERHOUSE* wasn't Horror or Science Fiction, see? Even if it was about mad scientist Dr. Clitterhouse (played by Edward G. Robinson)! That movie was... erm ... a Crime Drama! Yeah! *stop laughing! Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Alfred Enoch (HARRY POTTER [all]), TRUST ME [TV], HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER [TV], EXECUTIVE ORDER, THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GREY [2021], FOUNDATION [TV]) is 36.
YOU DUG IT
2. WICKED: FOR GOOD has a surprising fall in its second weekend. Though still at a respectable 2nd place, its ticket sales dropped by 58%. Being unexpected, theaters didn't cut any screens. Moreover, having made its Production Budget at the box office in its first weekend, its more than doubled its $150 million budget in the second, landing it in a possible profit zone, depending on how much was spent on promotion for it. 4. PREDATOR BADLANDS, despite being pummeled by WICKED's blockbuster weekend and now a second and new #1 that outperforms WICKED's first weekend, #4 had a surprisingly small ticket loss of only 26% in its fourth weekend despite losing 350 screens. 5. THE RUNNING MAN also slowed its massive descent, despite dropping below PREDATOR last weekend. This remake suffered a mild 35% loss in ticket sales despite a large 785 screen cut. 8. WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY debuts at #8 from distributor Netflix. 10. SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE, went into free fall in its 2nd weekend, dropping from its opening weekend at #6 with a 68% loss in ticket sales against no screen cut. The enthusiastic critical and audience response is through the roof, but clearly not enough people are going to the theater to see it. 15. BLACK PHONE 2, after 7 weeks, finally drops off the Top Ten. It more than quadrupled its Production Budget at the box office so its likely profitable and this Intellectual Property may have long legs. You Buried Nothing Figures calibrated from reporting by Box Office Mojo and The Numbers. Should there be differences between the two, I err on the side of caution and post the most positive numbers. And - HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN Turns 81
After control of Universal Pictures was wrested from the creative control of the Laemmle family, the suits at the banks that owned it had nothing to work with. The bean counters, who only knew how to creatively balance the books, didn't want their new addition to be the House of Monsters, yet that was Universal Pictures strongest Intellectual Property. They not only didn't know how to move forward, they couldn't figure out who to hire to do the job for them, either. Losing money fast, they reluctantly returned to their monster franchise, having no idea what to do with it. Which is bizarre in itself when you think of all of the monster movies that have come since. How was it that none of the hundreds of screenwriters in Hollywood, inspired to go in new directions with Universal Pictures stable of monsters, had any good ideas? Well, they did have good to great screenwriters, that wasn't the problem. The problem was with the new untalented, unvisionary banker stooge suits who, with legal loopholes and chicanery, practically stole the studio from what Carl Laemmle and his family built. So the buffoon banker bosses at Universal Pictures went from a culture of exploring and practical risk taking to the sloppy killing, stuffing, and mounting their franchise with "Keep repeating". This collapse began with HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. All of that said however, the actor they got to play Frankenstein's Monster was certainly Strange. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Zoë Kravitz (X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, AFTER EARTH, DIVERGENT [all], GOOD KILL, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM [all], GEMINI, KIN, SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, KIMI, THE BATMAN, BLINK TWICE) is 37. SUNDAY -
Actor Larry Bishop (WILD IN THE STREETS, THE DEVIL'S 8, ANGEL UNCHAINED, SHANKS, THE BIG FIX, C.H.O.M.P.S., MAD DOG TIME, UNDERWORLD [1996], KILL BILL VOL. 2, HELL RIDE, FORGOTTEN PILLS, ADRENOCHROME, ADRENOCHROME II) is 77. SATURDAY -
Actor Kim Delaney (HUNTER'S BLOOD, THE DRIFTER, SOMETHING IS OUT THERE, HANGFIRE, BODY PARTS, THE FIFTH CORNER, THE DISAPPEARANCE OF CHRISTINA, THE FORCE, PROJECT: METALBEAST, TALL, DARK AND DEADLY, DARKMAN II, SERIAL KILLER, TEMPTRESS, CLOSER AND CLOSER, ALL LIES END IN MURDER, THE DEVIL'S CHILD, MISSION TO MARS, CSI: MIAMI [TV], 10.5, 10.5: APOCALYPSE, NIGHTMARES AND DREAMSCAPES [TV], TONE DEAF) is 64. GODZILLA: FINAL WARS is Old Enough to Drink!
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.
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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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