Rare Publicity Shot of Lon Chaney, Jr. for “The Wolfman”
Today we have a rare publicity shot of Lon Chaney, Jr. for The Wolfman courtesy of Retro Horror where you can see a larger version!
Category: Horror
Stephan Franck Talks “Silver 3” and the Ever-Expanding Silver Universe
Stephan Franck is currently the Head of Story for Lionsgate’s Playmobile. Franck also served as supervising animator on The Iron Giant and key story contributor to Despicable Me, and co-created the award-winning animated series Corbeil & Bernie. When Franck needs a break from animation, he works on his fantastic graphic novel series, Silver.
Silver is a…
…a high-concept, super fun genre-blender, featuring pulp-era conmen and a troubled female vampire-hunter as they try to steal a mystical treasure from a castle full of vampires — what could go wrong with that plan?!
As I posted here, Franck’s Kickstarter for Silver 3 is now live. I’m on board. If Silver sounds like your kind of fun, please consider joining.
As you can imagine, there’s been quite a bit of interest in Silver 3. Davey Nieves of Comics Beat spoke with Franck about the ever-growing Silver universe… as does Derek Anderson at Daily Dead… and Stefan Blitz at Forces of Geek.
“The Snowman” Poster and Trailer are Here!
“He calls himself ‘The Snowman Killer’… he’s completely insane.”
George Romero Interview ‘Road of the Dead,’ & More!
George (Night of the Living Dead) Romero was working to arrange financing for Road of the Dead, a proposed new installment in Romero’s zombie franchise before he passed on. Romero pitched Road of the Dead by saying…
“In the darkest days of the zombie apocalypse, the last safe place on earth is anything but, as a mad despot uses the spectacle of high-octane carnage to keep control of his populace… “It’s ‘Fast and the Furious’ with zombies at the wheel”…
While Road of the Dead doesn’t sound like the zombie film that I’d like to see, I’d give it a go and hope to be pleasantly surprised. Romero is the man who redefined the genre.
You can check out Romero’s thoughts on Road of the Dead, modern zombie films and more by clicking over to George Romero Talks ‘Road of the Dead,’ His Disdain for ‘World War Z’ and Why He Liked ‘La La Land’ More Than ‘Moonlight’.
Source: IndieWire.
45 Things We Learned from Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg’s ‘This Is the End’ Commentary.
Rob Hunter and Film School Rejects recently posted 45 Things We Learned from Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg’s ‘This Is the End’ Commentary. Here are three of my favorites…
8. The front of James Franco‘s house is mostly CG. The interior was built in a coffee bean warehouse. There were so many movies filming in New Orleans at the time that there were no proper sound stages available.
41. Franco fought them on his character dying as he didn’t think it should happen. Once he realized it was a losing argument he suggested the false rapture bit instead. “That joke’s literally from a Bugs Bunny cartoon.”
43. The movie originally ended with Seth and Jay rising up into heaven as the final shot, but early audiences demanded to see heaven.
RIP – George Romero
George Romero passed away today at the age of 77 from a “brief but aggressive battle with lung cancer.” I was shocked and saddened to read those words. Romero is one of my movie heroes.
Most of you know that Romero co-wrote (with John Russo) and directed Night of the Living Dead, the movie that redefined zombies and created a horror sub-genre. Romero always did things his way and followed NOTLD with several other “…of the Dead” zombie films. He was currently working to get financing for Road of the Dead, which was set to become the next feature in his zombie franchise.
Although Mr. Romero was a bit older, I was truly surprised by his passing. Just last weekend I listened to Jonathon Maberry talking about the joy of working with George Romero on Nights of the Living Dead: An Anthology. I couldn’t wait to order my copy. Now I want to get it in my mitts even more. I have a post scheduled to go live in a couple of days about Mr. Romero working on financing for Road of the Dead. There was no hint that he’d been ill.
Romero died peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by his family while the score of one his favorite films, 1952’s “The Quiet Man,” played in the background. I can’t think of a much nicer way to go. Thanks to George Romero for not only all of the movies he created but also for those his work inspired.
My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.
Source: Los Angeles Times.
Stephen Franck’s Silver Volume 3 Kickstarter is Live!
Stephen Franck, the creative genius behind Silver is back with Volume 3 and his Kickstarter for the project is live. Franck is the writer and artist for Silver which can be summed up as…
…a high-concept, super fun genre-blender, featuring pulp-era conmen and a troubled female vampire-hunter as they try to steal a mystical treasure from a castle full of vampires — what could go wrong with that plan?!
Silver is great fun. Franck is a talented writer/artist who has created a tale that meshes a horror story with a heist yarn pitting an unlikely team consisting of a rouge thief, his two partners, a con man, a old forger, a ten year old who can catch glimpses of the future and young woman who hunts vampires against Dracula and a castle full of the undead.
If you like what you see, you can jump on board with Franck’s Kickstarter for Silver Volume 3. Volume 1 and 2 are also available through the Kickstarter, if needed.
Man, I can’t wait to get my mitts on Volume 3!
Dan Brereton Talks The Nocturnals!
Fans of the Dan Brereton interview we posted earlier this week will love Dan’s interview with Vince Brusio for Previews. The main focus of this interview is Dan’s The Noturnals!
Which “Twilight Zone” is Your Personal Nightmare?
MeTV presents Which Twilight Zone is Your Personal Nightmare?
As you can see I came out with Eye of the Beholder. EotB is an excellent episode but if I was to pick my own personal nightmare it would have been…
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet – Not much could be worse than seing a creature on the wing of the plane you’re flying on…DURING A STORM… AT NIGHT… TEARING UP THE ENGINES… AND NO ONE ELSE SEES IT!
Ok. Maybe there is something worse…
To Serve Man – Trapped on a spaceship piloted by giants who are taking you to their planet to EAT YOU!
‘Dracula’: 7 Things A Series About the World’s Most Famous Vampire Should Have
A new tv series based on Dracula is in the work. Seems there has been a lot of grumbling from fans worried about the potential success of a new series based on the infamous Count…
…these concerns aren’t unjustified — Dracula-centered television shows are notoriously short-lived, and while there are a multitude of shows centered around the supernatural, there aren’t that many dedicated to the main vamp himself. NBC took a stab at it in 2013 with “Dracula,” a British-American horror drama… Though promising, the series only lasted one season.
Gabrielle Kiss and IndieWire came up with ‘Dracula’: 7 Things A Series About the World’s Most Famous Vampire Should Have. Here are the three that I think are most important…
5. Make Dracula a Bit Ruthless
Rumor has it that Dracula was based off of Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, better known as Vlad the Impaler. It’s said that Vlad Dracula (meaning son of the dragon, or son of the devil) would dip chunks of bread into buckets of blood drained from the people he killed, usually after he invited them to a feast and then immediately impaled them at the dinner table (he always finished his dinner afterwards, bodies and all, in case you were wondering). So it would be nice if that same sense of ruthlessness could be brought to the new adaptation of “Dracula.” There’s no rule that states you can’t be suave and merciless (just ask Klaus Mikaelson of “The Vampire Diaries” and “The Originals”). (I agree. Dracula didn’t become King of the Vampires and live as long as he did without being ruthless. He’s a vampire!)
6. Give Him a Sense of Humor
Speaking of “The Originals,” let’s bring in some of that dark humor and wit that makes characters like Klaus Mikaelson a baddie that we love to hate (but just can’t). That same natural charisma and use of offhanded sardonic remarks should be applied to our newest Dracula, because that’s what the audience connects to. It’s also what keeps people coming back for more, everyone needs a tension breaker once in awhile. (His sense of humor should arise from the fact that he’s amusing himself. Saying things and making jokes not for others but his own amusement. He believes himself to be above mere humans. So it will be very interesting when a human catches his innuendo and responds. Dracula will know he’s perhaps met his match.)
3. Tell the Original Story
While a lot of vampire stories have spawned from the original “Dracula,” there haven’t been nearly as many that actually tell Dracula’s story. Bring back characters like Jonathan Harker and Van Helsing! They don’t have to share the spotlight with Dracula, but they’re relatively new characters to the younger generation, and they would help inspire interesting plot points for the new show (something the previous “Dracula” series lacked). (While I go back on forth on the era – modern or 1890’s, I do believe that the original story, even if slightly modified should be the basis for the series.)
Cat People (1942)
Cat People (1942)
Director: Jacques Tourneur
Screenplay: DeWitt Bodeen
Stars: Simone Simon, Tom Conway, Kent Smith
The Pitch: “Hey, let’s make a sensual monster movie!”
Tagline: A Kiss Could Change Her Into a Monstrous Fang-and-Claw Killer!
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Kent Smith meets, falls in love and quickly marries Irena Dubrovna only to discover that Irena believes she is cursed to turn into a panther when her passions rise. I kid you not.
As with all reviews, your mileage may vary, but I think that most people will like Cat People better than me. I found it to be slow and silly (but not funny). Meow.
Rating:
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Director: Don Siegel
Screenplay: Daniel Mainwaring based on a story by Jack Finney
Stars: Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, Larry Gates, Carolyn Jones, Sam Peckinpah, Whit Bissell and Richard Deacon
The Pitch: “Hey, let’s make a smart monster movie!”
Tagline: “Something is happening! Send your men of science quick!” The panic stricken cry went over the phone to Washington D. C. until the lines went dead!……
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
When a couple of Dr. Miles Bennell’s patients show up with the concern that their family members have been replaced by identical look-alikes, he becomes concerned. He wants to find out what is causing the delusions, but discovers that they ARE being replaced by things from outer space. Now Bennell is their next target!
Rating:
The Curse of the Werewolf (1961)
The Curse of the Werewolf (1961)
Director: Terence Fisher
Screenplay: Anthony Hinds (as John Elder) based on the novel by Guy Endore
Stars: Clifford Evans, Oliver Reed and Yvonne Romain
The Pitch: “Hey, let’s make a werewolf movie!”
Tagline: Even the innocent girl who loved him was not safe… once the full moon rose!
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Leon (Reed), the son of a nobleman, is born with the curse of the werewolf.
Rating:
Nosferatu (1922) directed by F.W. Murnau, starring Max Schreck / Z-View
Nosferatu (1922)
Director: F.W. Murnau
Screenplay: Henrik Galeen; based on DRACULA by Bram Stoker
Stars: Max Schreck, Greta Schröder, Ruth Landshoff
Tagline: A thrilling mystery masterpiece – a chilling psycho-drama of blood-lust.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Nosferatu is an unauthorized retelling of Bram Stoker’s DRACULA.
Thoughts…
Nosferatu was based on Bram Stoker’s novel. The filmmakers changed characters’ names in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid a lawsuit. Stoker’s wife sued and won. All prints of Nosferatu were supposed to be destroyed. Luckily enough survived for film restoration.
Nosferatu was banned in Switzerland until 1972.
Considered a classic, your mileage may vary, as I find it to be good but not great.
Rating:
Top 10 Greatest Movie Monsters of All Time
Alex Maidy and JoBlo.com posted their choices for the Top 10 Greatest Movie Monsters of All Time. Using just their list here are my top three in alpha order…
- Creature from the Black Lagoon
- Dracula
- Xenomorphs
