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| FEO NEWS FOR AUTUMN 2025: - 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. |
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 1. You never have to be alone for the Holidays, and The world is both Beautiful and Dangerous: Move accordingly. And - SPECIES III is Old Enough to Drink
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. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
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. Well damn it, that settles it! Those damn Yanks made a box office hit about a giant blob of goo? Then, for an encore the Yanks 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 and there was a big fight, though not an exciting one! So what do I think of GAMERA? Plus - ALIEN: RESURRECTION is 27
That's right! ALIEN: RESURRECTION, once 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 43.
THE GHOUL is 92
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], OUTBREAK) is 59.
YOU DUG IT
1. WICKED: FOR GOOD made exactly its Production budget in U.S.A. and Canada theaters this weekend, $150 million. Obviously it made even more, over $225 million in world-wide ticket sales. Gregory Maguire's re-imagining of Frank L. Baum's Wizard of Oz creation, continues to mine gold in books, stage theater, and motion pictures. 3. PREDATOR BADLANDS in its 3rd weekend holds onto last weekend's #3 spot despite losing 51% in ticket sales against a 625 screen cut. Part of the reason this movie is holding on is because... 4. THE RUNNING MAN remake dropped a huge 65% in ticket sales in its 2nd weekend despite suffering no screen losses, sliding from last weekend's #2 position. 6. SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE, the sequel to the gore-soaked actioneer of 2024, debuts with $5.8 million in ticket sales. 9. BLACK PHONE 2 freefalls from last weekend's #5 spot with a 62% drop in ticket sales against a 1,192 screen cut. Universal should be happy though, as the movie has already made back nearly 5 times its Production budget at the box office. 13. CHAINSAW MAN - THE MOVIE: Rez Arc falls off the Top Ten in its 5th weekend, to the applause of bringing in nearly $170 million, swamping its meager $4 million production budget. We can expect more Chainsaw Man movies in the fiture at this rate. 14. BUGONIA dropped from the Top Ten in its 5th weekend, leaving with massive 66% drop in ticket sales against an 843 screen cut. That said, it brought in more per screen than any movie in the Top Ten from 6 on down. YOU BURIED IT 11. KEEPER falls off the Top Ten in only its second weekend with an Ouch of audience indifference big enough and a box office small enough, to make boutique distributor NEON cry. 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 - 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!
Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
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 67. SUNDAY -
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 66. THE ANGRY RED PLANET Turns 66
Ultra low budget movies often tend to be whacky because there's no money for endless retakes, reshoots, or a movie long enough to cut scenes that just don't work once viewed in the editing bay. You only have what you have and you have to have at least a 78 minute movie before end credits if you want a theater to run your flick. So if you can't make your serious movie scare folks, then make them laugh. Writer Ib Melchior, a decorated Hero of World War II, wanted success in movies so bad he could taste it. Hired by Sino Productions, and Producer Sidney Pink to fix Sidney's script, Ib was willing to work for Pink's peanuts and the movie's Director as well (the person who tells the story the Writer wrote). Ib was only given 9 days to shoot the thing! He never directed a feature film in his life! And this one was in expensive color! Then a mishap in developing the 35mm movie ruined a whole reel! Everything and everyone was falling apart! Except one person. When the shit hits the fan and everything goes to hell, the best person to have on your side was battle-tested and battle-hardened life-saving hero like Ib Melchior. This is how Ib fought the odds again to do the best he could in snatching Victory from the Jaws of Defeat while making THE ANGRY RED PLANET. He turned what would have been an unreleased loss into, even after 66 years, an immortal icon of 1950s SciFi Horror cinema. SCROOGED Turns 37
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? If it's a Christmas movie, it'll probably make bank. Okay, what's it called?" Producer: "Uh... SCROOGED? Because, you know, he kinda gets -" Studio: "Yeah, I got it." SATURDAY -
Actor Jamie Campbell Bower (SWEENEY TODD [2007], ROCKnROLLA, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON, THE PRISONER [TV - 2009], HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PART 1 & 2, THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES, FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDLEWALD, STRANGER THINGS [TV], WITCHBOARD, ) is 36. I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE is 46
In 1979, Rape became acceptable for Hollywood artists and the general consensus was that rape was wonderful, romantic, and a struggling Daytime television show on the brink of cancellation took that to heart, made an episode about a drug addled creep raping a gal, who fell in love with her rapist every time she remembered that day. The rape of Laura and her falling in love with her rapist, shot the show to #1 on Daytime television. Woman all over the Western world adored the Rape of Laura and how it began her and Luke's "Love Story of the Century". Except for Writer and Director Meir Zarchi, who was having none of it and was pushed, criticized, and saw his burgeoning career ruined for his stance (Oh, you rape is bad because you want your movie to make Money! My TV Series is making a more enlightened stance!). Through it all, Meir refused to back down from the statement I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE makes to this day. THE ADDAMS FAMILY is 33
Has a TV show ever become a hit movie and franchise? Yes! The awesomely powerful, seemingly unbreakable STAR TREK (which Disney smashed into shards). 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. UNBREAKABLE is 23
Director M. Night Shyamalan's break out hit, THE SIXTH SENSE, amassed 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 his next movie 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 their 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. COCO Turns 7
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.
Freakin' FRANKENSTEIN Turns 93 Today
After 93 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 53!
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 over half a century later. Plus - PREDATOR 2 Turns 34
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 Roger Murtaugh 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 23
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 18
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 17
Our reviewer, Actor Diane Matson, takes a view of the movie both as a fan of the Stephanie Meyer's series of novels, 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 27
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 50.
ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES is 31!
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 a series with Tim Curry as Gomez 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 - A Quarter Century of Tim Burton's SLEEPY HOLLOW
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 22
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 57.
AMITYVILLE 3-D Turns 41 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 35 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 23
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 19
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 19
What can I say about this movie that I haven't already said in my review of PENNY DREADFUL? Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer Stephen Moffat (Books: DOCTOR WHO: THE DAY OF THE DOCTOR.
YOU DUG IT
2. THE RUNNING MAN opens its weekend with over 100 more screens than its competitor which also opened this weekend. Despite its higher screen count it made less per screening and that's how these things work. 3. PREDATOR BADLANDS falls two places in only its second weekend, due to competition and the ticket sales drop is a staggering 68% despite losing no screens and, in fact, having the highest screen count of any movie on the Top Ten. 5. BLACK PHONE 2 falls two places with a 49% drop in box office against a 524 screen cut in its fifth weekend. Making back over 4 times its Production budget, expect more BLACK PHONE sequels in the future. 6. KEEPER opens on only 1,950 screens but with a much higher per screen average box office than #5. 10. CHAINSAW MAN - THE MOVIE: Rez Arc falls three place in its 4th weekend, but still brought in over $160 million. YOU BURIED IT 14. TRON ARES free falls off the Top Ten in its 6th weekend. It needed $360 million in the world box office just to break even on its Production budget - not counting Advertising/Marketing - yet never reached half that with a take of just over $141 million. With Star Wars, Marvel, ALIEN, PREDATOR, and now TRON, Disney is the studio where franchises go to die. 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 - UNREST is 19
For a while in the early 2000s there was a thing called AfterDark Pictures and it seemed to have a great concept. Have a traveling weekend of Horror movies that would have otherwise gone Direct to Home Video. You could buy an individual ticket or a whole weekend worth of passes. Unfortunately, and despite support from Lionsgate, AfterDark didn't know how to capture the magic and elevate the enthusiasm. Besides a table with a few looked through posters, there was no ringmaster or mistress - which it sorely needed and which many were offering to be for little more than the publicity. There were so many missed opportunities and they all multiplied to bring AfterDark down. UNREST was part of the 2006 line-up. That was then and this is now, and now, such a thing could begin again and succeed if done properly... Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
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, TIME BANDITS [TV]) is 47. SUNDAY - Actor Gemma Atkinson (NIGHT WOLF, AIRBORNE, DEVIL'S PASS, NIGHT OF THE LIVING 3D DEAD, FEVER, CAIN HILL) is 41. 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 24
That's right. A newborn on this day in 2001 is 24 and might be married and apparently a parent. And if you were 22 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 36! 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. SATURDAY -
Actor J.C. Brandy (HALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MEYERS, DOGSTAR, DEVIL IN THE FLESH, LUCINDA'S SPELL, PROMETHEUS BOUND, COMEDY HELL, PRANK, THE VICTIM, HAUNTED: 333) is 48. THE FROZEN DEAD is 59
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 23
14 year old kid when you first read this book in 1998, were ye? 18 when this movie came out and you were there on opening weekend. Now yer old enough to have grandkids. 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.
Out Today - THE RUNNING MAN
And - KEEPER
Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Sandahl Bergman (SHE, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, RED SONJA, PROGRAMMED TO KILL, HELL COMES TO FROGTOWN, RAW NERVE, REVENGE ON THE HIGHWAY, NIGHT OF THE ARCHER, POSSESSED BY THE NIGHT, INNER SANCTUM II, ICE CREAM MAN, SORCERESS II) is 73.
THE INVISIBLE MAN Turns 92!
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 still 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 33
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 90.
CREEPSHOW Turns 43
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 15
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. Strauss (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) but 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 is 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 58.
Celebrate MOVEMBER With The HULK!
I gotta admit: As bad ass and intimidating as The Incredible Hulk already is, he is off the chart horrifying with a Mustache! That Green Freaking Mustache! Speaking of mustaches, I'm raising awareness for the annual MOVEMBER! Follow the link and learn of this worthy cause! And - 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. Plus - 56 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 31
Yeah, that's right. 31! Remember when you were 19, fresh outta high school, and you took your date to this movie? Well now yer old! OLD! Yeah, 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 adapted for the screen ever before or 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.
Celebrate MOVEMBER With The Count!
Bela Lugosi didn't make many movies while covered in facial hair, but I suspect cinema would be a whole different place if Lugosi's most famous role of DRACULA entered our eyeballs while sporting a walrus mustache. Speaking of mustaches, I'm raising awareness for the annual MOVEMBER! Follow the link and learn of this worthy cause! And - YOU DUG IT A sixth weak weekend in a row. Brings what may be a Dead Cat Jump to a fast falling franchise -
1. PREDATOR BADLANDS not only snags the #1 position, but breaks the long theatrical dry spell that's been decimating newcomers to the box office since September 19. This movie opened with a North American BO of $40 million (the biggest in 7 weeks!) on 3,725 screens. With an $80 million total worldwide, it nearly matched its $105+ million Production budget in its opening weekend. No matter where it goes after this, one thing is certain, the franchise itself has legs! 3. BLACK PHONE 2 in its fourth weekend returns to its No. 3 position with a mild 36% drop in ticket sales against a 362 screen cut. It's worldwide take is 4 times its production budget so for fans that should mean more sequels to come. 6. CHAINSAW MAN - THE MOVIE: Reze Arc in its 3rd weekend, drop three places with a 43% drop in ticket sales against a 718 screen cut. That said, in only three weeks its the biggest money earner in the Top Ten. 7. BUGONIA drops three places from No. 4 this week with a 30% drop in ticket sales against no screen cuts. 8. DIE MY LOVE enters the Top Ten on 1,938 screens. Another Indie from a small distributor that could go anywhere. 10. TRON ARES, despite its 5th weekend on the top 10, remains far less than halfway from its break even just for its Production Budget. It dropped two places with a 41% loss in ticket sales against a 605 screen cut. It looks like audiences are going to bury this one. 14. STITCH HEAD fell a whopping 8 places from last week's #6. A release by boutique distributor, Briarcliff Entertainment, who made a valiant attempt to get this before theater audiences with little marketing, those same audiences worldwide are giving this no love. What few reviews there are from critics and fans alike (critics like it more than the fans), the general consensus is this family horror movie is just above mediocre. Meaning it might do well on streamers if its offered for free. As I did last week with SHELBY OAKS, I won't be giving a You Buried It for this tiny indie from a tiny distributor. That it made it to wide distribution at all against major players is an accomplished feat. You Buried Nothing This 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. Plus - MAYHEM Turns 8
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. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer Brandon Berntson (Various short stories) is 54. SUNDAY -
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, BORDERLINE) is 53. Nov. 9, 1984. Two Horror movies got limited releases. One successful, one less so... A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET Turns 41
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 41
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 37
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 35
And it took off! The franchise I hate to love and love to hate! CHILD'S PLAY 2. OVERLORD Turns 7
J.J. Abrams produced this movie, yet everything about it suggests, or maybe feels, is a better word, that he stayed "Hands off" creatively: He didn't write or direct it. Which, to me, makes OVERLORD a better than usual J.J. Abrams movie. SATURDAY - Writer Bram Stoker, creator of the first Vampire novel (DRACULA) and the first Zombie novel (THE JEWEL OF THE SEVEN STARS) was born today in 1847. Yes, he'd be pretty damn ripe for a vampire right about now.
Celebrate MOVEMBER With the High Priest Cenobite!
Few Horror icons possess such a brash mustache as Gomez Addams, which means they have to improvise with whatever is at hand. Clive Barker's High Priest Cenobite aka Pinhead, showed off his sense of humor starting with HELLRAISER 3 and Miramax/Dimension carried that forward through many a Direct to Video franchise. So why not have the High Priest hold a cigar with his nosetrum? Whatever it takes to keep this trainwreck of a concept going to raise awareness for the annual MOVEMBER Foundation! Follow the link and learn of this worthy cause! And - Guillermo Del Toro's FRANKENSTEIN Opens Wide Today
Plus - PREDATOR BADLANDS Opens Wide Today
Also - STARSHIP TROOPERS Turns 28
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 28 years of Verhoven's humiliating misstep and why it deserves a reboot: STARSHIP TROOPERS. Finale - HAPPY HORROR BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Celebrate MOVEMBER with Gomez!
Though THE ADDAMS FAMILY only lasted three seasons (the writers ran out of steam), the show remained in syndication ever since, winning new generations of fans along the way. Part of the secret sauce of its endurance is John Astin's aggressively unpredictable turn as Gomez Addams. Affectionate, loyal, and loving as anyone could ever hope for in a friend, boss, husband, or Father. Astin's Gomez was reserved and thoughtful, then suddenly erupt, inspired by unbridled passion and mercurial decision making, kept in check only by his equally loving, loyal, and affectionate wife, Morticia (Carolyn Jones). Enhancing his every mad cigar smoking expression is that cigar shaped mustache extending beyond his philtrum, framing every sanity bending smile. Which brings us to raising awareness for the annual MOVEMBER Foundation! Follow the link and learn of this worthy cause! And - TIME BANDITS Turns 42
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". ...AND IT STAYED AT #1 FOR FOUR STRAIGHT WEEKS! It not only became the best performing children's movie of the year, it was the top ten movie of 1981. But that was 42 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. Plus - THE FOURTH KIND Turns 16
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. Finale - HAPPY HORROR BIRTHDAYS TO -
Celebrate MOVEMBER with Jack!
Jack Nicholson (THE TERROR) wasn't author Stephen King's first choice to play Jack Torrance in Stanley Kubrick's movie, THE SHINING. In fact, King didn't want Nicholson as 2nd, 3rd, 4th choice, he didn't want him at all. Never-the-less, due to both Jack Nicholson's acting ability and him rebelling against Stanley Kubrick's daily aggravation, the character of Jack Torrance carries the full weight of the movie on his shoulders. To this day, over 40 years later, Jack remains embedded as the only Jack Torrance of Stephen King's THE SHINING (though King did helm a remake). Why the cigar nosetrum you may ask? To raise awareness for the annual MOVEMBER Foundation! Follow the link and learn of this worthy cause! And - 26 Years 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. Plus - THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS Is 22
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. Also - THE INCREDIBLES Is 21
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. Finale - 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], THEN YOU RUN) who is 60.
Celebrating MOVEMBER with VLAD TEPES!
Prince Vlad Tepes, known for his odd sense of humor (to put it charitably), and the inspiration for Vampires in general and Bram Stoker's Count Dracula in particular, was warmly regarded as VLAD THE IMPALER by his enemies. To celebrate the annual launch of Movember, here is Vlad sporting a fat cigar nosetrum. What? EGAD! You've never heard of the MOVEMBER Foundation? Well by golly you just follow that link and learn of this worthy cause! And - John Carpenter's THEY LIVE Turns 37
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 31
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 Lots of Gratuitous 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 - 20 Years Ago the Sky Fell on Disney
The growing cult-status of Director Mark Dindal's CHICKEN LITTLE. Wassmor - 9 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 39.
YOU DUG IT A sixth weak weekend in a row. Brings what may be a Dead Cat Jump to a fast falling franchise -
1. BLACK PHONE 2 in its third weekend, rebounds from third place despite a mild ticket sales loss of 35% against a 117 screen cut. Yes, the movies are so terrible in all genres for Fall that the whole of the Box Office Top Ten, save one, are in negative numbers going into November. 3. CHAINSAW MAN - THE MOVIE: Reze Arc, in its second weekend, drops two places with a huge 66% loss in ticket sales despite no screen losses. 4. BUGONIA flies out of limited release with a fantastic 608% increase in ticket sales and 2,026 additional screens. 7. TRON ARES drops two places in its fourth weekend with a mild 38% cut in ticket sales against an additional 365 screen cut. After a month of weekends, this movie remains less than halfway to its Production budget break even point and it looks like audiences are about to bury it. 8. STITCH HEAD, an International Independent animated family film, debuts at #8 on the Top Ten. 13. SHELBY OAKS from boutique distributor, NEON, drops off the Top Ten in only its second weekend. Normally this would place it in the You Buried It category, but this is a small low budget movie released by a tiny distributor with shallow pockets. It debuted last weekend on less than 1,900 screens and with big studio releases opening and sucking up screens by the thousands (BLACK PHONE 2, for example, suffered heavy screen losses in its three weekend run and still plays on over 3,300 screens), the odds were stacked against SHELBY OAKS from the jump. That said, both critics and audiences agree that this one is a Splat. That said, with so much already going against it, I'm giving this movie a judgment call and not putting it in the You Buried It category. You Buried Nothing This 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 - 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. Finale - DIA DE LOS MUERTOS FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS TO -
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. HAPPY HALLOWEEN: DAY 3... The Second Day of Dia de los Muertos:
Remembrance
Writer Peter Atkins (MORNINGSTAR, BIG THUNDER, HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER 2, HELLRAISER III, WISHMASTER, HELLRAISER: BLOODLINE, PRISONERS OF THE SUN) is 70. JACOB'S LADDER Turns 35
Review of JACOB'S LADDER by Bram Stoker award winning author and fellow Feo Amante alumni, Brian Keene. MONSTERS, INC. is 24
I was there on opening day to see it on the giant screen! Remembering MONSTERS, INC. SATURDAY - 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 Halloween1. Yet Hallowmass (revamped to All Saint's Day), which also begins on Nov. 1, bears striking similarities to the younger 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 1 Halloween comes from Hallowtide or Allhallowtide, which begins, not ends, on October 31 and continues through Nov. 2.
Actor Toni Collette (THE SIXTH SENSE, SHAFT, CHANGING LANES, THE NIGHT LISTENER, LIKE MINDS, THE DEAD GIRLS, JASPER JONES, FRIGHT NIGHT [2011], HITCHCOCK, HOSTAGES [TV], KRAMPUS [2015], UNLOCKED, HEREDITARY, VELVET BUZZSAW, KNIVES OUT, I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS, STOWAWAY, NIGHTMARE ALLEY, PIECES OF HER [TV], THE STAIRCASE [TV], THE POWER [TV], RUBY GILLMAN TEENAGE KRAKEN, JUROR #2, MICKEY 17, WAYWARD) is 53. DOWN TO THE BONE by René Castillo
Rene Castillo never directed an animated movie before. In fact, he'd never worked on anyone's stop motion animated movie before. Yet one day he got a fire to make one, and slowly over the course of a year taught himself how to do it, and came up with this world-wide award winning short movie that wowed all who saw it. More Rene Castillo and his movie, HASTA LOS HUESOS. Plus - PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE Turns 51
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. A NIGHTMARE ON ELMSTREET 2 Turns 40
It was the beginning of the "Odd Number Good, Even Number Bad" judgement on the A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 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 ELM STREET 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE, to find an audience.
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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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