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| FEO NEWS FOR SPRING 2026: - MAY - The detritus of old Horror/Thriller history can be found here. These are archived news items, many of them linked outside of this website. |
5/12ths Of 2026 Is Over DEAD & BURIED is 45
How good was Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusetts' first major motion picture after ALIEN? You'll never know until you read my review of DEAD & BURIED. And - DRAG ME TO HELL Turns 17
Americano brothers, Sam and Ivan Raimi, made their movie to fullfill a contract with Lionsgate. Up to 2009, Raimi's Ghosthouse company gave Direct to Video titles of other people's movies to Lionsgate, and saved what the Raimi's felt was the good stuff, their stuff, with their Ghosthouse "shingle" at Columbia / TriStar Pictures for theatrical release. But in 2008 it was time to pay the piper, so the Raimi's pulled one of their old scripts out (written right after ARMY OF DARKNESS), and produced this theatrical release through Lionsgate. Yet the nature of contracts is "all demons have their devils" and Lionsgate had to allow their associates in the United Kingdom to get first release two days before the U.S.A. In 2009 I was in Hollywood, and this is how I saw DRAG ME TO HELL. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Justin Chon (HACK!, THE TWILIGHT SAGA [all], DETENTION OF THE DEAD, INNOCENT BLOOD [2013], LIKE LAMBS, SATANIC, DEAD TRIGGER, DECEPTION [TV]) is 45.
HAPPY ROLAND EMMERICH DAY! THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR Turns 27
Columbia Pictures was putting them up against Warner Bros. highly anticipated THE MATRIX - which wound up opening a month earlier and dominating the world. Could a Roland Emmerich movie, fresh off of the disaster of Roland's GODZILLA, compete? The movie was already finished, the money already spent, the screen and release slots at the theaters already fixed. This is what happened upon release of THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR. And - THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW is 22
Roland Emmerich Wrote, Produced, and Directed this movie, based largely on Michael Oppenheimer (Environmental Defense Fund) and Robert H. Boyle (Sports Illustrated)'s "Science" book, DEAD HEAT and Al Gore's movie, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH. DEAD HEAT was entirely based on Oppenheimer and Boyle's understanding of the Dr. James Hansen (Goddard Institute for Space Studies) computer models of the era, for which Dr. Hansen enthusiastically praised the book. AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH was entirely based on Gore's misunderstanding of Dr. Hansen's Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) computer model theories, for which Hansen apologized (for Gore's misrepresenting Hansen's work, not the work itself). Roland, true to character, never got Al Gore far. Whether by not understanding or not caring, Emmerich only came by either book and movie as filtered through the novel, The Coming Global Superstorm, by UFO conspiracy theorists, Art Bell and Whitley Strieber. This is why you are likely to enjoy Emmerich's failure at grade-school science, THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Laura Bailey (DRAGON BALL [TV, VG, everything!], DEVIL SUMMONER: SOUL HACKERS [VG], BLUE GENDER [TV], BLOODRAYNE [VG], SPIRAL: BONDS OF REASONING [TV], DUES EX: INVISIBLE WAR [VG], GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE, FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST [TV], GENESIS OF AQUARION [TV], MONSTER [TV - 2004 - 2010], MR. BROOKS, EVANGELION: 1.0, UNDERBELLY, VAMPIRE KNIGHT [TV], RESIDENT EVIL: DEGENERATION, DUSK, FROM THE DARK, DREAMKILLER [VG], IRON MAN [TV 2010], MONSTER HIGH: SCREAM BUILDING, X-MEN [TV - 2011], HELLSING ULTIMATE [TV], SPIDER-MAN [TV - 2017], and so much more! With 456 credits, Laura is likely the most recognizable voice you've heard in every anime you've ever seen and game you've ever played!) is 45.
KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE Turns 39
The Chiodo Brothers worked on everyone else's movies, often finding themselves on par with Jim Henson's HA and occasionally surpassing the abilities of Disney itself. But that was the thing, you see? They were always recreating someone else's creation. Creating animatronic Henson creations, suits and puppetry for Eastman and Laird's TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, CRITTERS, and so on. And sure, that brings in the money, but why not make a movie showcasing their own practical effect creations? From such a desire, KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE was born. And - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer Joseph D'Lacey (MEAT, THE GARBAGE MAN, BLOOD FUGUE, THE KILL CREW, BLACK FEATHERS, ROAD KILL, SPLINTERS, WEED) says he's 1043 but I think he doesn't look a day over 105.
BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES is 56
Back in 1970, Charlton Heston (THE OMEGA MAN, SOYLENT GREEN) wanted out. Of making any more THE PLANET OF THE APES movies, that is. The studios bosses pushing it were daft as a brush, but they also had Heston under contract. Okay, he'd make it under one condition. That condition caused THE PLANET OF THE APES franchise to retconn and each movie was so much worse than the one before. And of all things, this became 20th Century Fox's corporate culture for the rest of its existence. The dumpster fire of making shitty sequels at Fox seems to have begun with BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES. And - X-MEN 3: THE LAST RATNER is 20
Thanks to many people involved and especially Co-writer and Director Bryan Singer, X-MEN and X-MEN 2 were massive hits. Then Bryan was inexplicably dismissed from the franchise he built. Well, these things happen, creative differences and all. Gore Verbinski left PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN after the second sequel so he could work on 2013's THE LONE RANGER. Chris Columbus left HARRY POTTER after the first sequel so he could direct PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF (and for his encore, Chris directed PIXELS). In retrospect, the suits at 20th Century Fox may have learned something about Bryan the rest of us didn't know, and cut their losses early. Maybe, but did they have to hire Brett Ratner to direct X-MEN 3: THE LAST STAND? Plus - PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES Turns 9
R! May be the month o' releasin' ye PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN! Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer didn't need to make a sequel after THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, but they did. They didn't need to make a trilogy, but they did. They didn't need to make a 4th movie but they did and all of it was so much fun! Then they went and made a 5th movie called PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES. Was it worth the trip? Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Helena Bonham Carter (FRANKENSTEIN, FIGHT CLUB, PLANET OF THE APES [2001], WALLACE & GROMIT IN THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT, CORPSE BRIDE, HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, SWEENEY TODD, TERMINATOR: SALVATION, HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS Part 1, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS Part 2, DARK SHADOWS, ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, THE DARK CRYSTAL: THE AGE OF RESISTANCE [TV], ENOLA HOLMES [all], THE HOUSE) is 60.
YOU DUG IT
2. OBSESSION added 39 screens and actually took a jump UP in the box office (a rarity, nearly unique) in its 2nd weekend. It entered the Top Ten in its first weekend by earning over 17 times its Production budget in the U.S. alone. I said "Wow!" at the time. But now in its 2nd weekend, its earned over 75 times its Production Budget! 6. PASSENGER opens this week with a world-box office of over $13 million on 2,534 screens. 7. MORTAL KOMBAT II drops from last weekend's #4 with a 55% loss in box office and a huge 808 screen cut. 10. PROJECT HAIL MARY, after 10 weeks, drops from last week's #7 position with a mild 33% loss in ticket sales against a massive 856 screen cut. The MGM Amazon Studios movie has brought in 3.4 times its Production Budget. It did well with a total cume of just over $675 million in global box office, but it had to overcome its $200 million budget and, with half of its total going to theaters in the first 3 weekends and increasing to the theater for every weekend after, this movie's theoretical take of $375+ million before its Advertising/marketing, may just cover the break even point. 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 - R! May be the month of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END as she turns 18
According to Johnny Depp, Tim Burton's old alma mater, Disney, was paying Johnny "Stupid Money" for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN franchise. And who could blame them? Johnny was the gold egg-laying goose for that franchise. Disney struggled for years to make hit movies based on their theme park rides and this was the only one that struck gold: Again and Again! Johnny hit 40 the year THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL became a box office smash. With the success of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST, Johnny used that stupid money to invest in all of his vices. He bought an island, bought thousands of dollars of wine a week: he was living the indulgent, vice-ridden life of Friedrich Engels! It seemed like nothing could derail the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN franchise. If Johnny did something unsavory in real life? Well hell, that just makes his pirate character all the more relevant! Yes, we all know about the damn divorce! But that epic disaster was unknown and unpredictable when PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END set sail in 2007. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Zazie Beets (GEOSTORM, DEADPOOL 2, SLICE, WOUNDS, THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY, SEBERG, JOKER, LUCY IN THE SKY, NINE DAYS, STILL HERE, INVINCIBLE [TV], BULLET, THE DUTCHMAN, THEY WILL KILL YOU) is 33. SUNDAY -
Horror Bookstore owner, Alan Beatts (Owner of SF / Fantasy / & Horror Bookstore, Borderlands) who is about 67. DAWN OF THE DEAD is 47
There are so many times, too many times, the audience was blown away by the first movie and comes back for the sequel, all giddy and excited. The house lights go down and you hear the whole audience go "Wooo!" as they settle into watching the further adventures of their latest favorite. At the end of the movie, the people in line for the next show see the "Bleh" expressions as the audience coming out of the theater somberly move past like dejected zombies (and is there anything sadder than a dejected zombie?). But hey! I know of at least one first sequel movie that blew its audience away! They came out of the theater jumping and talking and the line of people waiting for the next show saw this and their anticipation level shot through the roof! OMG this is going to be a great movie! Holy Shit! Hurry! Hurry! And apparently that's how it was for the 1978 audience who went to see George A. Romero and Dario Argento's DAWN OF THE DEAD. SATURDAY -
Actor Mark Arnold (TEEN WOLF, TRANCERS 4, TRANCERS 5, ALIEN ENCOUNTER, JACK RIO, EAARLY BIRD, MILE END, ABDUCT, LAST STOP, IT CAME FROM THE DESERT, KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE, BLADE RUNNER 2049, ANAMORPHOSIS, RIDE, DADDY'S GIRL, CRYSTAL'S SHADOW, ANGEL HAS FALLEN, ABSENTIA [TV], WRATH OF MAN, THE KRAMPUS CALENDAR, FEAR THE INVISIBLE MAN, WEREWOLF SANTA, ADVENT, THE MAN IN MY BASEMENT) is 69. THE SHINING is 46
This was the movie that spelled disaster, and could have ended, Stanley Kubrick's career. At least in the U.S. Changing the script nearly every day, Stanley had no idea what he was doing, was trying everything, was satisfied with little to none of it, and took his anger out on his lead actors and many of his crew. The movie went over budget, over schedule and by the time Warner Bros. suits finally stepped in and made Stanley stop, he threw up his hands, signed off for the editor to do what he could, and ran back to England to make his next movie as fast as possible, before the release of this one killed his career. Warner Bros. released it and it tanked so badly that WB pulled it from the theaters. The blood in the water was Stanley's. Here is the inane tale of And - THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK Turns 29
John Michael Crichton, best-selling author. Everybody wanted to play in Michael's sandbox including Steven Spielberg. Steven is renown for bringing a kind of cinema magic to movies that few can match. Throughout his career, however, he can rarely do it twice in a row, and just as rarely tries. But hey, LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK had the drive of Michael's original sequel novel behind it! So how did it turn out?
OUTLAND is 45
You want to give your Space Thriller movie that "used" ALIEN look? Well you go right on ahead! You want to give your movie that chilling ALIEN soundtrack? Well, you go right ahead and hire the same composer then! You want to make your movie "High Noon" In Space and shoot it nearly scene for scene? Uh, dude? There's a difference between inspiration and outright copying, like Writer and Director Peter Hyams did with his movie OUTLAND. And - ALIEN³ is 34
Internet was in its infancy and few had so much as Compuserve (and if you don't know what that is, don't worry about it). The fans believed they were getting a new ALIEN movie and, so far, each one got better. Although at that point, there'd only been one sequel and 20th Century Fox had no idea where to go next. What the ALIEN audience didn't know is that the people who owned the property, the stewards guiding the franchise, hadn't clue one as to what the audience wanted or where the movie could go. This became painfully obvious when audiences first saw ALIEN³. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Camren Bicondova (GIRL HOUSE, GOTHAM [TV], GOTHAM STORIES [TV], FESTIVAL OF THE LIVING DEAD) is 24.
GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN is 71
GOJIRA was a huge hit and the money didn't stop coming. While Director Ishiro Honda was busy with sales and trying to get it into the U.S. market, Toho Pictures rushed to deliver a second Gojira move for their newborn fans. What Toho got was what they asked for: A rush job. Yet it could have been so much worse, and Hollywood proved it by... by... ugh! Just read about 1955's GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN. And - THE GREEN SLIME is 58
The same year that MGM released Stanley Kubrick's epic and awe inspiring 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, the studio also brought audiences, THE GREEN SLIME! The contrast between the two could not be starker. Plus - EMBRYO is 50
So in the 1970s there was this aging actor named Rock Hudson. His handsome features were growing more distinguished with age but he successfully moved from hit movies to a hit TV show while in his 40s. If you've ever watched 1970s movies you've probably been surprised at how people in their 40s back then looked like people in their 60s now, but that was a time when everyone on earth was breathing na tmosphere heavily loaded with lead, drinking water, also heavily loaded with lead as well as PFAS, and if that wasn't enough, they compounded it all by chain-smoking as many packs of cigarettes day as they could afford. At the height of his success, fame, and his hit TV show, actor Rock Hudson chose to star in a cheap-o movie produced by Sandy Howard. Sandy's biggest claim to success and fame at that point was directing children's shows like Howdy-Doody in the 1940 - 50s and Captain Kangaroo in the 1960s - 70s. As it turned out, Sandy loved Horror movies and took a shot at making them with the American edit of GAMMERA THE INVINCIBLE (2 "M"s in the USA edit), THE NEPTUNE FACTOR and THE DEVIL'S RAIN. When those failed he didn't give up but tried again with EMBRYO. Also - MAD MAX: THE ROAD WARRIOR Turns 44
From time to time a movie comes along that defines its genre like no other movie can. James Bond defined the Spy movie. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD defined the Zombie sub-genre. Star Wars defined the Space Opera. ALIEN defined the Evil Aliens Horror genre. THE TERMINATOR defined the Killer robot genre. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK defined the Adventure genre, and John Wick defined the Thriller, Mob, Assassin, and Revenge genre all at once - stealing the crown from a few previous definers from the past. What all of those movies had in common was that they all came from the Northern hemisphere. Yet down in the middle of nowhere on the island continent of Australia, 35 year old Writer, Producer, and Director, George Miller and his crew - on the smallest of shoe string budgets - made the cinema franchise that defined the road movie. But just like all movies that define their genre, the first movie, still racing around the world for attention, needed that hit second movie to solidify its legacy. MAD MAX2: THE ROAD WARRIOR gave it all the horsepower it needed! Wassmor - TERMINATOR SALVATION Turns 17
Once in a while a person comes out of nowhere, makes splash, and then fizzles out. They have great opening Chess move, and nothing after that. And when that happens to a movie Director? If they're savvy like McG, who begin as a Music Video Director Pawn, they sacrifice their Feature Film Director Knight and switch their power over the board to Producer Bishop. After all, once you've arrived you want to play the Long game. You'll never be satisfied with the past glories of your famous opening move back in 2000. Of course, if you're not careful, you can think you're seeing a Chessboard without realizing that you're no longer playing major theatrical release Chess, but TV streaming Checkers: where all of your pieces are pawns and you can never be king. If you're going cross-eyed over my analogies, fine: TERMINATOR SALVATION is where McG's name brand stopped selling movies. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Fairuza Balk (DECEPTIONS, RETURN TO OZ, DISCOVERY, DEADLY INTENTIONS... AGAIN?, THE DANGER OF LOVE: THE CAROLYN WARMUS STORY, MURDER IN THE HEARTLAND, TOLLBOOTH, THE CRAFT, THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU, AMERICAN PERFEKT, GRINDSTONE ROAD, ORPHEUS, WHAT IS IT?, Masters of Horror: PICK ME UP, DOSE OF REALITY, AUGUST FALLS, TRESPASSERS, PARADDISE CITY [TV], THE CRAFT: LEGACY) is 52.
GODZILLA (1998) Turns 28
Yet it's still not a classic after all of these years. But why? Weren't there worse Godzillas throughout the decades? Oh, hell yeah! And in the U.S. they went straight to TV! However, when you make a slew of promises that this time will be different; when you swear that this will be the ultimate GODZILLA; when you want people to spend their time and money at the theater, you don't get to pull a bait switch and puke an over-priced, late night, Asylum Picture in their lap. You have to deliver the pricey theatrical experience you're promising and charging for. So why isn't this movie forgiven and allowed to become a classic after a quarter of a century? Oh, we'll tell you why! GODZILLA fans and filmmakers everywhere, this is where the audience is right and the makers of GODZILLA (1998) were wrong. And - R! May be the Month of THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES, as she Turns 15
Director Gore Verbinski left the franchise he created after AT WORLD'S END and talk began about ending the series at three. But Disney was strongly attached to the franchise, was certain they could keep it going and, besides, it was now their most popular ride at their theme parks. Like Barbossa and Sparrow, they had to keep the series alive and Rob Marshall was contracted to direct it. Could Rob "Skipper" the franchise Captain Verbinski left behind? This is what happened with THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer Adam-Troy Castro (LOST IN BOOTH NINE, SPIDER-MAN: THE GATHERING OF THE SINISTER SIX, SPIDER-MAN: REVENGE OF THE SINISTER SIX, SPIDER-MAN: THE SECRET OF THE SINISTER SIX, EMISSARIES FROM THE DEAD [Andrea Cort Series], THE SHALLOW END OF THE POOL) is 66.
THE VIRGIN SUICIDES Turn 26
I've a strong lean into the idea that Director Sofia Coppola found more inspiration in the work of Richard Linklater's Slacker than she did in the work of her Pop. I'm willing to argue that 2000's THE VIRGIN SUICIDES had as much to do with the short-lived "Mumblecore" experimental cinema that began in 2005, as Linklater's 1990s work. And - ALIEN COVENANT Turns 9
There was a time when fans were begging to have Ridley Scott back in the director's chair for the ALIEN franchise. After decades of Producer created crap from ALIEN³ to ALIEN RESURRECTION, how could it get any worse? ALIEN fans had no idea that Ridley would go the way of George Lucas and George A. Romero with the very franchises that created their careers. But Scott did with PROMETHEUS. Then with ALIEN COVENANT, he sunk ever deeper into the depths. Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Drew Fuller (VOODOO ACADEMY, ANGELS DON'T SLEEP HERE, VAMPIRE CLAN, CHARMED [TV], NUMBERED WITH THE DEAD, 911 NIGHTMARE, TEST PATTERN) who is 42.
YOU DUG IT
3. OBSESSION enters the Box Office Top Ten this weekend earning over 17 times its Production budget in the U.S. alone. Wow! 4. MORTAL KOMBAT II drops from #2 in its second weekend with a massive 65% drop in ticket sales despite an added 35 screens. 7. PROJECT HAIL MARY in its 9th weekend, holds steady at #7 with a 39% drop in ticket sales against a whopping 240 screen cut. It's current world-wide box office is over $668 million dollars, 3.3 times its Production budget. 11. HOKUM falls off the Top Ten in its 3rd weekend with a 60% loss in ticket sales against a 700 screen cut. That said, it only took that long for this movie to earn 3.5 times its Production budget. A better budget to box office margin than $200 million PROJECT HAIL MARY has achieved in 9 weekends. That profit margin keeps this movie from being buried. YOU BURIED IT 17. DEEP WATER from Renny Harlin (DEEP BLUE SEA) and starring Oscar winning actor, Ben Kingsley (SPECIES, A SOUND OF THUNDER, SHUTTER ISLAND), lost 82% of its box office in its 3rd weekend, free falling from last weekend's #9. 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 - THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES Turns 54
In retrospect, Vincent Price's acting career seems indestructible and THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES is one of the reasons why. HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO - SUNDAY -
Writer Yvonne Mason (SILENT SCREAM, BRILLIANT INSANITY, WHEN FATES COLLIDE, A VOICE FROM THE GRAVE) is 68. SHE-WOLF OF LONDON Turns 80
From the start, this movie was made to be a low budget B-Movie, shot entirely on Universal's studio lot, a Western town facade built for shitkickers but fogged and re-lighted at night to pass for London, then distributed to theaters as a double-feature. But film was not only costly, it was finicky, unstable: it needed careful guidance throughout the process from factory to shoot to develop, and entire reels could wind up not quite right, or poorly shot in the first place (Fire that damn cinematographer! Or camera loader! Or delivery boy! Or ... Somebody!). If the studio heads could have only imagined what a Long Life this movie would have, they may not have overlooked the One Big SPOILER issue with SHE-WOLF OF LONDON. SATURDAY -
Actor David Boreanaz (MACABRE PAIR OF SHORTS, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER [TV], ANGEL [TV], VALENTINE, THE CROW: WICKED PRAYER, BONES [TV], SUFFERING MAN'S CHARITY) is 56. FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES Turns 1!
It's the sequel that reignited the franchise! Jeffrey Reddick's brilliant creation in the hands of Directors of Screenwriters Guy Busick, Lori Evans, TaylorJon Watts, and Directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein brought us FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES.
INVISIBLE INVADERS is 67
Everybody has their scary monsters. What the monsters can do outweighs what the monster is or looks like. CHILD'S PLAY Chucky is just a Good Guy until he goes full blown homicidal. For many people, the scariest monster is the killer you can't see, because there's no way to know when its there: When It Is Near! That's the secret sauce of some of cinema's scariest Horror movies from THE INVISIBLE MAN to FORBIDDEN PLANET to FINAL DESTINATION. But it also worked in INVISIBLE INVADERS. And - THE MATRIX RELOADED is 23
In 2003, the excitement for the first THE MATRIX sequel felt like a rescue. George Lucas let fans down with his Phantom Menace, but the (then) Warchowski Bros. would set the blockbuster year off right! They won't let us down! Genre movies are going to be fun again! Hell, by 2003 it seemed as if nearly every MATRIX fan on earth was chattering about the many directions the first MATRIX sequel could go and all the new coolness we'll probably see! Then we packed the theaters for a massive opening weekend, the lights went down, and this is what we saw, watching THE MATRIX RELOADED. Plus - MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Turns 11
George Miller was back behind the wheel of his most famous and awesome franchise. He brought along Hugh Keyes-Byrne, as Toe-Cutter in the promos but as Immortan Joe in the movie. But there was a new actor playing Max and, unlike the plethora of actors playing James Bond through the many decades, actor Tom Hardy was justifiably concerned. He didn't want his career to wind up scorched as the George Lazenby of Max. That was just one of the problems George Miller had to contend with while going through the Herculean effort of making MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Director/Producer Rob Bowman (WEREWOLF [TV - 1987], DARK SHADOWS [TV - 1991], THE X-FILES [TV], REIGN OF FIRE, ELEKTRA, NIGHT STALKER [TV-2005], NIGHTMARES AND DREAMSCAPES: From The Stories of Stephen King [2006], CASTLE [TV]) is 66.
CONAN THE BARBARIAN Turns 44
Italian movie Producer, Dino De Laurentiis was already impressed with Arnold Schwarzenegger as someone who could fill the sandals of Robert E. Howard's heroic anti-hero, Conan. But musclebound weightlifters grafted into movies and TV shows where they couldn't act had many box office bombings and few box office flights. Arnold stood apart because he was taking acting lessons and wanted to be good at it. Arnold was so serious about it, that he impressed fellow actors Max von Sydow and James Earl Jones, who both gave him lessons on the set during downtime while shooting CONAN THE BARBARIAN. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor, Director Danny Huston (THE HUMAN FACTOR, MISTER CORBETT'S GHOST, THE MADDENING, SUSAN'S PLAN, 21 GRAMS, SILVER CITY, BIRTH, THE CONSTANT GARDENER, CHILDREN OF MEN, FADE TO BLACK, THE NUMBER 23, THE KINGDOM, 30 DAYS OF NIGHT, X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, EDGE OF DARKNESS, CLASH OF THE TITANS, THE WARRIOR'S WAY, A MONSTER IN PARIS, WRATH OF THE TITANS, MAGIC CITY [TV], HITCHCOCK, TIGERS, JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE FLASHPOINT PARADOX, AMERICAN HORROR STORY [TV], PRESSURE, FRANKENSTEIN [2015], PARANOID [TV], IO, ANGEL HAS FALLEN, MARLOWE, CONSECRATION, RED BIRD LANE, THE CROW [2024]) is 64. Expected in 2026 is the Suspense Mystery Thriller, THE LAST MRS. PARRISH.
WEREWOLF OF LONDON Turns 91
Universal Picture's first Werewolf. They went for a fuzzy Science Fiction angle over superstition and, while this dapper Werewolf is never seen drinking Pina Coladas down at Trader Vic's, his hair is indeed, Perfect! WEREWOLF OF LONDON again. And - Today marks 49 Years of THE CAR
"Okay, here's the pitch. Ready?" "You're in my office. You got this far, yeah, get on with it." "An evil killer car drives across America randomly killing people." "Hm. Hmm... Okay, sure, but where's the conflict?" "The frightened but tenacious small town cop who hunts it down." "Hmm... Okay. JAWS, but with a car. Got it. But where's the hook? Everybody's making their JAWS. They've got bears, killer whales, mutant bears, dogs..." "It's based on the best selling novel." "Based on a novel?" "Baked in, Best Selling novel audience." "Let's do this." The George Barris design is why this is a classic and the Concept is why its ripe for remake: THE CAR. Plus - FRIDAY THE 13th: Part VII - THE NEW BLOOD is 38
As the entire franchise aims only to hack and slash in one movie after the next, forever looping, it leaves a lot of Horror, Thriller, and genuine creepy as hell scares on the table. We cover the storyline often visually hinted at but never explored in screenwriter Ken "The Fan Behind The Mask" King's review of FRIDAY THE 13th Part VII: THE NEW BLOOD. Also - THE CROW is 32
Because of the tragic killing on set of Brandon Lee, the screenplay needed a doctor. It had to be fixed. Changes needed to be made. Otherwise, Miramax would have to count it a loss and no one would ever see Lee's last movie. But what they did have was gold. Brandon loved the script and loved his role. So they re-wrote James O'Barr's story with his blessing. Brandon had become his friend during the time leading up to production and during it. O'Barr's story was a cathartic journey through hell for a real life personal tragedy involving the woman he loved. With Lee's death on set, he had to go through it all over again. The subsequent sequels made it all worse. Now they've had a 2024 remake which was one of the biggest studio crash and burns of the 21st Century, earning the distributor less than $8 million of the movie's $50 million Production budget. As of 2026, no fans of the movie have seen O'Barr's original story on the screen, and that's all because of the death of Lee. Between a thoroughly reworked script and a different final edit that had to put it all together and make sense of everything, O'Barr's masterwork became something else. So let's remember 1994's original THE CROW. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor, Producer, Director, Editor Bryan Coyne (SILENT NIGHT ZOMBIE NIGHT, HE, THE BLACK BOX, ORGY OF THE DAMNED, THE HUMAN RACE, INFERNAL, BAD APPLES) is 66 or something.
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Stephen Baldwin (BITTER HARVEST, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, DEAD WEEKEND, MR. MURDER, SCARRED CITY, X CHANGE, DEAD AWAKE, SPIDER'S WEB, SHELTER ISLAND, FALLACY, BOUND BY LIES, DARK STORM, THE GENIUS CLUB, SHARK IN VENICE, SHOOT THE DUKE, LET THE GAME BEGIN, MISSION: THE PROPHET, 2047: SIGHTS OF DEATH, MAGI, BLOOD PAGEANT, NOVA VITA [TV]) is 57.
YOU DUG IT
2. MORTAL KOMBAT II day-bewz in second place in the world market with 3,503 screens and a $60 million opening weekend. Which would be great if it had a $60 million Production budget. It would have been fantastic if it had a $30 million budget. But it has an $80 million budget. Still it wouldn't be the first movie to jump up from openingin 2nd in its first weekend to jumping up to #1 in its 2nd. You know, if that happens. 7. PROJECT HAIL MARY in its 8th weekend, fell three spots from last weekend's #4 with a tiny 22% drop in ticket sales against a whopping 600 screen cut. The fact that this movie is doing so well after 8 weekends, despite the screen cuts, means that someone isn't paying attention. screen cut. It's current world-wide box office is over $650 million dollars, 3.3 times its Production budget. 8. HOKUM also fell three spots this weekend. But this is its 2nd weekend so that's not good. The movie suffers a 49% loss despite adding 15 more screens, bringing its show total to 1,900. 9. DEEP WATER steps down from last weekend's #8. But baby steps down the top ten don't tell the whole story when it was hit with a huge 60% loss in ticket sales against a 374 screen cut. 11. Lee Cronin's DRACULA falls off the Top Ten in only oits 4th weekend. But thanks to its relatively low $22 million Production budget, the $88 million it made in the world box office keeps this from being buried. 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 - 28 WEEKS LATER Turns 18
28 MONTHS LATER is in pre-production with original creator, Danny Boyle, back in the Director's chair . . An-nd.... Now it's called 28 YEARS LATER! Once in a Murder Moon, the third movie in a Horror franchise is known to save the trilogy if the first sequel nearly killed it (THE OMEN III, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3, THE EXORCIST III, PHANTASM III, not many saves). More often than not, however, it's the third movie that's usually the final nail in the franchise, or at best, an oblique shift to any further movies in the franchise (CHILD'S PLAY 3 - last of the "Child's Play" titles) or at worst, the urine soaked passage to Direct to Home Video (AMITYVILLE 3D, HELLRAISER 3, CANDYMAN 3, HOUSE 3, THE CROW: SALVATION). Anyway, we saw 28 WEEKS LATER. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO - Actor Thomas Downey (HITTERS, JOLLY ROGER: MASSACRE AT CUTTER'S COVE, H.G. WELLS WAR OF THE WORLDS [2005], FRANKENSTEIN REBORN, THE BEAST OF BRAY ROAD, SHAPESHIFTER, KING OF THE LOST WORLD, EXORCISM: THE POSSESSION OF GAIL BOWERS, HILLSIDE CANNIBALS, DRACULA'S CURSE, TRANSMORPHERS, PARANORMAL INCIDENT, MIRROR IMAGE, 616: PARANORMAL INCIDENT, AXE GIANT: THE WRATH OF PAUL BUNYAN, SORORITY PARTY MASSACRE, ZEDD, THE BURNING DEAD, BETHANY, #CAPTURED, ZOMBIE, DARK IMAGE, DOLLS, ZOMBIE [2019], BEAST MODE, BLACK NOISE) is 56. SUNDAY -
Editor, DP, Actor, Director, and pretty much everything else
in film, Danny Draven (HORRORVISION, THE FRIGHTENING, CRYPTZ,
HELL ASYLUM, DEATHBED, DARK WALKER, WITCHES OF THE CARIBBEAN, DARK WALKER, GHOST MONTH, SKULL HEADS, THE EVIL BONG 3D, ZOMBIES VS STRIPPERS, DANNY DRAVEN'S MATERS OF TERROR [TV], and a lot more) is 49. Boris Karloff's BEDLAM Turns 80
Is a picture really worth a thousand words? Artist William Hogarth's painting of Bedlam, Plate 8: "A Rake's Progress" was the inspiration used by screenwriters Carlos Keith and Mark Robson. Robson was Producer Val Lewton's goto guy for directing as well as writing. In 1946, while Bela Lugosi's career was sliding, Boris Karloff, thanks in part to his association with the wildly popular Val Lewton, was rising. With Lewton, Boris made respectable Horror for discerning adults. But how many people do you know who have ever heard of Val Lewton today? And how many do you know who have ever heard of what is considered one of Val Lewton and Boris Karloff's best, BEDLAM? Neil Marshall's DOG SOLDIERS is 24
If you don't know, this movie is either a Werewolf story involving soldiers, or a Soldier story involving werewolves. One of the best things (among many) about it, is its economy of story that lends itself to the audience's suspension of disbelief. Like the moment where the soldiers are confronted with the impossible idea of being surrounded by werewolves. They may have the guns and ammunition to fight their way out and live another day, but then Megan says, "If this is true then what else is true? You'll never have another good night's sleep as long as you live." This is the brutal beauty of DOG SOLDIERS. URBAN WOLF is 16
Looking for Cinema Obscura? Looking for amazing movies that fell through the cracks? Once you can watch if you only knew where? This super low budget indie is the suspense-filled thriller you didn't know you needed and you didn't know existed because URBAN WOLF is a feature film spread out across 15 episodes. SATURDAY -
Actor Rosario Dawson (MEN IN BLACK II, SIN CITY, GRINDHOUSE, DEATH PROOF, DESCENT, EAGLE EYE, GEMINI DIVISION [TV], KILLSHOT, THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEASTO, PERCY JACKSON AND THE LIGHTNING THIEF, UNSTOPPABLE, TRANCE, RAZE, PARTS PER BILLION, SIN CITY 2: A DAME TO KILL FOR, THE CAPTIVE, LUKE CAGE [TV], DAREDEVIL [TV], IRON FIST [TV], THE DEFENDERS [TV], ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP, BRIARPATCH [TV], DMZ, HAUNTED MANSION, GHOSTS OF RUIN, TERMINATOR ZEO [TV], OPUS) is 47. SOYLENT GREEN Happened 4 Years Ago Today
The fact that political dystopian science fiction books and movies miss their date of expiration never means that their warning is obsolete. George Orwell's 1984 forever hangs over our heads and the very people who want a Big Brother government are often the same ones irritably telling us to ignore that "Orwell stuff". This movie's due date was 2022. Are the lessons of SOYLENT GREEN also outdated or coming true? Plus - FRIDAY THE 13th Is 45
Sean S. Cunningham saw John Carpenter's success with HALLOWEEN and he really wanted a piece of that! God, how he wanted to copy Carpenter! Sean's movie would also have teens having sex and being stalked and butchered by a knife wielding killer. He didn't have a mask idea in mind so, you'd only see the killer's big hairy hands, see? Now he just needed a holiday. No good Holidays worth his time (Arbor Day Massacre? Surely you jest!) but lots of people are superstitious about the number 13 and ... and ... Friday the 13th! Well there you go! With this in mind he commissioned a movie poster, then put that sucker in a newspaper ad. Paramount Pictures took the bait. Now all Sean needed was a script! A FRIDAY THE 13th script that would haunt Sean for ... A Very Long Time... 45 years to be exact. Also - THE FIFTH ELEMENT Turns 29
29 Years! Can you believe I saw this movie in the same year I launched this website? ...Yes, I'm that old. Shut yer f*ckin' piehole! Anyway, it's a SciFi Action Thriller, not Science Fiction and by that I mean FLASH GORDON comic book-style Space Opera over hardcore Science Fiction like FORBIDDEN PLANET, 2001, ALIEN, or John Carpenter's THE THING. This is why THE FIFTH ELEMENT is such fun!
THE CORPSE VANISHES Turns 83
Look, let's not quibble, shall we? I don't like quibbling and I like quarreling and arguing even less. The fact is you could remake this movie with a bigger budget and better script but since it won't have Bela Lugosi to carry the weight, you'll be spinning your wheels and losing money by the minute. On the other hand, if you've never seen it and you love old Bela, you're going to be entertained when THE CORPSE VANISHES. This is why...! And - J.J. Abrams "Kelvin Timeline" STAR TREK Turns 16
The stewards of Star Trek TNG the TV show were poor stewards of the Star Trek TNG movie franchise and it slowly slid into ignominy as the actors went onto better careers or fan conventions. No, Paramount felt what the movie really needed was a guy who successfully made his mark in television shows that started hot and prematurely fizzled out. Paramount needed someone like J.J.Abrams who openly didn't like Star Trek because he couldn't understand it: it was over his head. And because he couldn't understand it, what was the point of making a movie that a massive world-wide fanbase could understand?
So, Abrams wanted to play to the lowest common denominator: A small slice of movie audience who didn't like Star Trek but might like the franchise he was selling because he dumbed it down. The desperate Star Trek fans were a bunch of rubes who only understood lame-brain science stuff, so they'd turn out en mass and maybe even convince themselves they enjoyed it (like I did. Mea culpa)! At first. Which meant they could get two, maybe three movies out of the way before audiences turned their backs on it. That's why the studio bean counters gave their cynical greenlight to J.J. Abrams STAR TREK. Yet Star Trek fans were happy with his first one and it made the most money. So naturally Abrams didn't like it. If he made Trekkies happy, he did something wrong. Abrams would go on to fall in love with the diminishing box office returns of his Star Trek sequels. Plus - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor, Producer Stephen Amell (ReGENESIS [TV], SCREAMERS: THE HUNTING, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS, VIXEN: THE MOVIE, CODE 8, ARROW [TV], THE FLASH [TV], CODE 8: PART II) is 45.
May is MARVEL and MUMMY Movie Month THE MUMMY is 27
Universal Pictures decided it was high time they relaunched their Monsters that put them on the map in the first place and remains their most recognized calling card (Monsters remain to Universal Pictures what a rodent remains to Disney World). Actually, it had been "high-time" for some time but Universal was looking for the right director for way too much time. They'd already attached and detached Joe Dante, Clive Barker, and George A. Romero. Wes Craven was offered the job but didn't jump. Disney Director, Stephen Sommer, did so well with 1994's live action Jungle Book that the mouse let him direct a Horror movie he wrote called Tentacle, through their Hollywood Pictures appendage. Before it hit the screens as DEEP RISING, word was getting out that this would be both a fun and scary ride. And word was getting out a lot because Disney kept cutting the budget (We can't get Harrison Ford? Cut the budget! Jim Carrey isn't replacing Ford? Cut it some more!) which contributed to a longer, not shorter, production schedule. So when Stephen mentioned in passing that he'd love to take on the famous Universal Mummy Monster franchise, UP sat up and took notice. Once DEEP RISING made fat profit, despite playing in theaters against James Cameron's box office gigantic TITANIC, there was no going back on Stephen Sommers THE MUMMY. Plus - IRON MAN 2 is 16
Stan Lee and Marvel Productions couldn't afford to do the standard knee-jerk crap sequel. The only way to support Stan's vision of an MCU was to make each sequel better than the preceding movie. It didn't get to have a lower budget, cheaper writers and directors and run off opening weekend fumes as it crawled to its trilogy disc pack and faded from memory. It had to rock! So this is what happened with IRON MAN 2. Also - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Carrie Henn (ALIENS, THUNDER ISLAND) is 49.
BLACK SABBATH Turns 64
Yes, this is the movie that legendary musician and Boris Karloff fan, Tony Iommi, chose to name his new band after. That's right, the band that launched the career of the late Ozzy Osbourne. The band that introduced the dearly departed Stan Lee's Marvel comics IRON MAN movie and the MCU to the world with Black Sabbath playing their hit, Iron Man.
And yes, the same Mario Bava whose movies stylistically, in both design and story, heavily influenced everything from STAR TREK (TOS) to ALIEN to FRIDAY THE 13th and who knows what else? When it comes to modern Horror and Heavily Metal, there is a falling domino line from Mario Bava to the present, making him, if not the father, then at least the Godfather of it all. And that all began about 60 years ago with BLACK SABBATH. Plus - PHANTASM III Turns 31
The ball was back and so was a cheer from the Phans when a grown-up A. Michael Baldwin returned to play his character Mike (PHANTASM, PHANTASM IV) in PHANTASM III: Lord Of The Dead. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Emily Alyn Lind (ENTER THE VOID, EASTWICK [TV], THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUTT 2, MOCKINGBIRD, REVENGE [TV], HIDDEN [2015], LIGHTS OUT, THE BABYSITTER [2017], REPLICAS, DOCTOR SLEEP, SACRED LIES [TV], THE BABYSITTER: KILLER QUEEN, EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE, GHOSTBUSTERS; FROZEN EMPIRE, WE WERE LIARS [TV]) is 25.
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor John Rhys-Davies (SPHINX, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, WAXWORK, THE LOST WORLD, THE UNAMEABLE II, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, CHUPACABRA TERROR, TAINTED LOVE, ANACONDA 3, ANACONDA 4, 31 NORTH 62 EAST, FEROCIOUS PLANET, MEDIUM RAW: NIGHT OF THE WOLF, FEROCIOUS PLANET, ESCAPE, 100 DEGREES BELOW ZERO, PRISONERS OF THE SUN, TIME LAPSE [2014], AUX, AQUAMAN, G-LOC, THE GATES, BONEKEEPER, over 270 movies and TV episodes in all!) is 81.
YOU DUG IT
4. PROJECT HAIL MARY in its 7th weekend, stepped down from last weekend's #3 with a mere 34% drop in ticket sales against a large 493 screen cut. It's world-wide box office is over $640 million dollars, 3.2 times its Production budget. 5. HOKUM debuted from NEON on 1,885 screens this week. The highest Horror opening this weekend. 7. Lee Cronin's THE MUMMY suffered an even bigger drop in ticket sales in its third weekend: 60%. This against a 1,221 screen cut, signaling that theaters are voting No Confidence in this one. Yet with that said? It's made 3.7 times its Production budget. In only its 3rd weekend, its more profitable than PROJECT HAIL MARY is in 7 weekends. 8. DEEP WATER, a shark attack movie if you didn't guess from the title, opened on 1,675 screens. YOU BURIED IT 14. MOTHER MARY from A24, dropped 5 places, with an 82% loss in box office, falling off the Top Ten in its 3rd weekend. 15. OVER YOUR DEAD BODY from IFC dropped 7 places with astaggering 89% loss in ticket sales, falling off the Top Ten in only its 2nd 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 - A Quarter Century of THE MUMMY RETURNS
Aw man! It was great to see the fun cast together again! And The Rock was at his prime and he was going to be... The Scorpion King (we had no idea but it sounded cool and we were there for it!). What a great movie this was going to be! All building up to the appearance of the Scorpion King! Then... we saw it, and that utterly changed the direction of THE MUMMY RETURNS. Plus - SPIDER-MAN 3 is 19
There could have been many more SPIDER-MAN movies with the Sam Raimi cast. Unfortunately the only actor who got out of it unscathed was J.K. Simmons. My first watch was pure geek giddiness. But some movies cannot withstand repeated viewings and that's what happened with most of us who saw SPIDER-MAN 3. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Nicholas Hamilton (STRANGERLAND, THE DARK TOWER, IT [2017], IT: CHAPTER 2, ENDLESS, GEN V, DO NOT ENTER) is 25. SUNDAY -
Director Joseph Kosinski (TRON: LEGACY, OBLIVION, SPIDERHEAD) is 51. Mario Bava's A BAY OF BLOOD is 54
Just as George Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD had a profound influence on Italian zombie/cannibal movies for decades, so Italian Cinematographer turned Director, Mario Bava had a profound influence on American Cinema. Once you see Bava's 1965, PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES, you immediately recognize its influence on STAR TREK, ALIEN, John Carpenter's THE THING, and more. Once you watch Bava's 1972 A BAY OF BLOOD you'll recognize its influence on FRIDAY THE 13th and all of the movies that copied it. SPIDER-MAN is 24
It was 2001! Hot Marvel movies like BLADE broke ground to Box office gold and X-MEN laid the foundation. It was no fluke! A BLADE sequel was in the works and a Horror director was signed on. An X-MEN sequel was in the works and it began with a Horror director! Columbia Pictures was ready to release their own Marvel superhero property and it too was directed by a Horror director! One who already proved himself in the Superhero realm with DARK MAN! Then on September 9, 2001, a day that changed the world for the worse, put the brakes on Sam Raimi and Marvel Studios' ascent. It would be a new year before Columbia Picture's SPIDER-MAN would be released. IRON MAN 3 is 13 Years Old
How to put this? By 2013 the MCU was off and running. CAPTAIN AMERICA was a hit. THE AVENGERS were a bigger hit. It was as if Paramount had found the secret formula (which they did) for making Superhero movies that were basically legal machines for printing money. And whatever box office the movie made in theaters, that would be doubled or more in home video. Then came the second sequel. In hindsight, some point to Disney buying out Paramount's Marvel properties of THE AVENGERS and IRON MAN in 2012, leaving Paramount with plenty of cash and nothing to lose if they poisoned Disney's new well. On the other hand, maybe it was to Disney's benefit if the property lost some value before all the monetary transactions were complete? When you rule out all possibilities then whatever is left, however improbable, has an ocean of its own possibilities. Sour grapes coming from unexpected corners are legendary in Hollywood, and who knows really when everybody wants credit for a hit and nobody takes credit for a miss? For whatever reason(s) which are none too clear, somewhere in the chain they threw away everything they learned that far in making hit, fan pleasing Marvel movies, and made a parody IRON MAN 3 so mediocre that it destroyed the franchise for the next ten years and damaged the MCU brand. SATURDAY -
Writer Angeline Hawkes (THE COMMANDMENTS, THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY, THE SWAN ROAD, BLOOD ALONE, INFERNO: TALES OF HELL AND HORROR) is 55. THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS Turns 65
In 1961 it was the worst movie ever released in the U.S.A.! But that's a highly competitive field and it lost that emblem a long time ago. Never-the-less, this movie once occupied such a lowly perch and reviewer Kelly Parks forced himself to watch THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS out of sheer masochism. Like It Or Not, May Is Marvel Month So Let's Get To It: X-MEN 2 is 23
Over a quarter Century ago, New Line Cinema's BLADE blew off the door for Marvel movies. When it did, Columbia Pictures stopped sitting on their hands and finally committed to their SPIDER-MAN property. To top Sony's Columbia, 20th Century Fox finally roused from their moribund business model: their decade plus of fence sitting on their X-MEN property, and tried to shove as many X-Men through that doorway as possible. Columbia has one Marvel Superhero? Well we've got a whole school of them! The first X-MEN, in 2000, led by a cast of TV show and character actors, was a surprising smash hit. Let's make that sequel! Holy shit! Columbia Picture's much delayed SPIDER-MAN (2002) is a smash! Sony is rushing forward on the sequel! Will director and co-writer Bryan Singer make lightning strike twice with X-MEN 2? IRON MAN Turns 18
By many accounts, Universal Pictures and the producers who owned Marvel's HULK franchise, didn't stand by Marvel icon Stan Lee and his Marvel Comics Universe. They went their own, non-Stan Lee way with HULK, Stan wished them well, and the movie crashed and burned to ash. This is how Stan actually turned Universal's loss to his gain and used it as a launch pad for his MCU, with two Marvel movies released within months of each other, starting with IRON MAN!
HOKUM is released nationwide today
And - Renny Harlin's DEEP WATER 2026 Opens Today
Plus - ONE FRIGHTENED NIGHT is 91
Here is a movie that starred people who were likely younger than you when it was made, and are all long dead - seeing as they would be into their hundred plus years by now. It it even possible that such an old movie could be as entertaining as a modern movie, what with the benefits of nearly a century of practice and lessons? Well, have you seen a recent movie lately? I'd say 90% of them have got nothing on ONE FRIGHTENED NIGHT. Also - FRIDAY THE 13th Part 2 Is 45
Critics be damned! The movie was a hit! Movie critic, Chicago's Gene Siskel tried to destroy it and was forced to face how little integrity he had among horror fans and only slightly more trust among film fans - even ones who also didn't like the original F13. You don't intentionally reveal spoilers to control a movie's box office! Period. The New Yorker's Pauline Kael chose to reassess and glow over how much she liked F13 (she's with it! She's hip!) which, horribly for her, revealed that she had slammed the movie without ever actually seeing it. Fortunately for Pauline, then as now the The New Yorker isn't that fussy about their staff cooking stories. No, For the next decade and then some, F13 movies were going to be a powerful Horror juggernaut where only the fans would have the final say, and they said plenty about FRIDAY THE 13th Part 2. Wassmor - X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE is 17
To the suits at 20th Century Fox's utter surprise, the first X-MEN was a far bigger hit than they anticipated. Then X2 was a bigger hit than that. Well if there was one thing 20th Century Fox despised in the 1990s and early 2000s it was producers, writers, and directors increasing their value (and so their paycheck) in the world with Fox properties. Fox soon made things unbearable for their hit director so he left, leaving a hole that Fox suits at that time didn't know how to fill and, from an outsider's view, didn't care. We saw this contemptable lack of care throughout the young millennium's Golden Age of Marvel movies. Everyone from Disney to Columbia Pictures figured out how to make a winning Marvel movie. Only 20th Century Fox threw themselves off of a cliff, nearly every single time they made one. X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE was no exception. Finale - HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
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INTERVIEWS Matt Jarbo's interview with Feo Amante at The Zurvivalist. James Cheetham's Q&A with Feo Amante at Unconventional Interviews *. Megan Scudellari interviews Feo Amante and Kelly Parks (of THE SCIENCE MOMENT) in The Scientist Magazine. Check out our interview at The-Scientist.com. REFERENCES Researcher David Waldron, references my review of UNDERWORLD in the Spring 2005, Journal of Religion and Popular Culture entry, Role-Playing Games and the Christian Right: Community Formation in Response to a Moral Panic (downloadable pdf). E.C. McMullen Jr.
*Linked to archive.org |
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