Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Deal me in!
When a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, a young woman (Sydney Chandler) and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat in FX’s highly anticipated TV series Alien: Earth from creator Noah Hawley. FX’s Alien: Earth original series coming in 2025, only on Hulu.
The poster and full trailer for Smile 2 have arrived. I enjoyed the original Smile, so I’m looking forward to the sequel.
Would it kill you to smile? Watch the New Trailer for #Smile2 – Only in theatres October 18. #SmileMovie
About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.
I love seeing artists’ takes on Mike Mignola’s Hellboy. This one was created by Tony Moore!
The Living Ghost (1942)
Director: William Beaudine
Screenplay: Joseph Hoffman; Howard Dimsdale (original story)
Stars: James Dunn, Joan Woodbury, Paul McVey, J. Farrell MacDonald.
Tagline: SPOOK CHASER… A reckless sleuth follows the trail of a white ZOMBIE!
The Plot…
When wealthy banker Walter Craig disappears, his best friend, Ed Moline (McVey) hires retired PI, Nick Trayne (Dunn) to find him. Trayne has his hands full. Everyone is suspect and that includes Craig’s ex-wife Helen, his daughter Tina and her fiance Arthur, his sister Delia, her husband George, Craig’s friend Tony, Craig’s secretary and even Cedric the butler
When Walter Craig turns up in a zombie-like state, the case changes from a missing person to a who dunnit.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
What could have been a fun old dark house murder mystery/comedy ends up being a lackluster affair. The title indicates a ghost but we end up with more of a zombie. Not that a ghost would have livened things up.
The Living Ghost (1942) rates 2 of 5 stars.
The classic Universal Monsters by Eric “The Goon” Powell.
Jonathan Maberry recently directed fans to Nellie Andreeva’s Deadline article ‘John Wick’s Chad Stahelski To Develop Jonathan Maberry’s Joe Ledger Novels As TV Series. Here are a few highlights before you click over…
I’ve been a fan of Maberry’s Joe Ledger tales since the very first. They are all excellent. I hope the series adapts one novel each season.
Vampyr (1932)
Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Screenplay: Christen Jul, Carl Theodor Dreyer; based on the story In a Glass Darkly by Sheridan Le Fanu
Stars: Julian West, Maurice Schutz, Rena Mandel, Jan Hieronimko, Sybille Schmitz and Henriette Gerard.
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
Allan Gray, a drifter walking through the countryside takes a room at an inn. Late that night he is awakened from his sleep by a stranger in his room. The man leaves a note, “To Be Opened Upon My Death” and quickly leaves. Gray attempts to follow the man and arrives at a castle. Looking in he sees an old woman and shadows of people although no one else is seen. The shadows appear to move on their own.
As Gray investigates further he will find the old man shortly before the gent is murdered. Gray opens the note which speaks of demons called vampyrs. Gray believes that the old man’s young daughter is becoming a vampyr.
Can she be saved? Must she be destroyed? Gray must decide. The clock is ticking.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Many consider Vampyr a classic. For whatever reason it didn’t resonate with me. Your mileage, as always, may vary.
Although it was created when sound films had arrived, it still presents much information in title cards used in silent films.
Most of the characters in this film were not played by professional actors.
Vampyr (1932) rates 2 of 5 stars.
I’ve been looking forward to the poster and trailer for Apartment 7A starring Julia Garner, Dianne Wiest and Kevin McNally. I’m not disappointed.
Deal me in.
An ambitious young dancer Terry Gionoffrio (Julia Garner, Ozark) dreams of fame and fortune in New York City, but after suffering a devastating injury, an older, wealthy couple (Dianne Wiest, I Care a Lot, and Kevin McNally, Pirates of the Caribbean film series) welcomes her into their home in the luxury apartment building the Bramford.
When fellow resident and influential Broadway producer (Jim Sturgess, Across the Universe) offers her another chance at fame, it seems that all her dreams are finally coming true. However, after an evening she can’t fully remember, disturbing circumstances soon have her second-guessing the sacrifices she’s willing to make for her career as she realizes that something evil is living not only in Apartment 7A, but in the Bramford itself.
Additional supporting cast includes Marli Siu (Everything I Know About Love), Andrew Buchan (All the Money in the World), Rosy McEwen (Blue Jean) and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Wonka).
Apartment 7A is streaming on Paramount+ on September 27 in the U.S. and Canada, Latin America and Brazil and on September 28 in the U.K., France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Australia. Availability in additional international Paramount+ markets to come at a later date. The film will also be available for purchase on digital beginning Friday, September 27.
Zeke King by Bernie Gonzalez. Are you a Midnight Mystery fan? I am.
We have the poster and trailer for Die Alone starring Carrie-Anne Moss, Douglas Smith, Kimberly-Sue Murray, and Frank Grillo.
Deal me in.
Lost in a world reclaimed by nature and overrun by mysterious creatures, a young man with amnesia teams up with an eccentric survivalist to find his missing girlfriend.
Cast: Carrie-Anne Moss, Douglas Smith, Kimberly-Sue Murray, Frank Grillo
In THAEATERS, On DEMAND and On DIGITAL October 18th, 2024
Curucu, Beast of the Amazon (1956)
Director: Curt Siodmak
Screenplay: Curt Siodmak
Stars: John Bromfield, Beverly Garland, Larri Thomas, Ray Barlow, Sue Bernard, Stuart Lancaster, John Furlong (voice) and Paul Trinka.
Tagline: Actually filmed in the Amazon Jungle in spectacular Eastman Color!
The Plot…
Rock Dean (Bromfield) and Dr. Andrea Romar (Garland) are on an expedition deep into the jungles of the Amazon. Dean hopes to discover a legendary beast. Dr. Romar wants to get samples of a drug used by natives to shrink heads. She believes the drug could be used to reduce cancerous tissue.
As Dean and Dr. Romar venture into areas never seen by white men, they must be prepared for wild animals, head hunters and Curucu, Beast of the Amazon.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Curt Siodmak who wrote and directed Curucu, Beast of the Amazon was a novelist (DONOVAN’S BRAIN; THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS; FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN); screenwriter (The Wolfman; Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman; Tarzan’s Magic Fountain) and director (Bride of the Gorilla; Love Slaves of the Amazon; The Magnetic Monster).
Curucu, Beast of the Amazon was shot on location in the Amazon River in Brazil. Siodmak shot so much footage that he couldn’t use, he brought back some of the actors. He created a new screenplay, Love Slaves of the Amazons and used the leftover footage in the new film.
Curucu, Beast of the Amazon uses quite a bit of what feels like stock footage of wild animals. Except for the final shot, the movie is very run of the mill.
Curucu, Beast of the Amazon (1956) rates 1 of 5 stars.
Greg Luzniak created this cool Creature from the Black Lagoon painting.
I’ve been a fan of The Creature from the Black Lagoon since I first saw the movie when I was a young boy. While the sequels, books, and comics never lived up to the bar set by the original film, legions of fans have continued to show support and love for The Creature. Now that James Wan is set to helm a new Creature from the Black Lagoon movie, fans are excited again.
When someone brings up the character Blade, two people come to mind: Wesley Snipes and Howard Chaykin. Snipes because he perfectly brought the Daywalker to the silver screen and Chaykin because, well, check out the drawing above.
EERIE Archives Volume 8 will be released on October 22, 2024. This bad boy will clock in at 312 pages! Here’s what we get…
The first name in sci-fi, fantasy, and horror continues its spectacular run, now in an affordably priced, oversized paperback! Warren Publishing’s outlet for everything fantastic, sinister and otherworldly travels into the early ‘70s at light speed!
Eerie Archives Volume 8 collects issues #37-#41 of the original Eerie magazine series. This excursion features the work of comic book luminaries Ernie Colón, Mike Ploog, and Dave Cockrum, as well as fan-favorite Eerie creators Doug Moench, Don Glut, Tom Sutton, Sanjulian, Esteban Maroto, and Steve Skeates.
Collects Eerie magazine #37–#41.
Deal me in. Pre-Orders are available now.
MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKESTEIN STARRING BORIS KARLOFF adapted by Kerry Gammill and El Garing is coming on October 22, 2024.
Horror fans will want to check this out…
Mary Shelley’s iconic masterpiece is brought to life with the definitive on-screen Frankenstein, Boris Karloff, in this stunning new graphic novel!
Decades before the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Jules Verne, and H.G. Wells, 18-year-old Mary Shelley wrote what many regard as the first work of science fiction when she penned FRANKENSTEIN: or, the MODERN PROMETHEUS, which was published in 1818.
Over one hundred years later, in 1931, a hard-working but relatively unknown actor named Boris Karloff was cast to play Frankenstein’s monster in James Whale’s now classic movie adaptation. The film made Karloff a star and solidified Frankenstein’s monster as an icon of the silver screen.
In 2024, Legendary Comics is proud to bring Shelley and Karloff together for the first time in a faithful adaptation of the novel starring the iconic actor in the lead role of the fully reimagined monster. In partnership with Sara Karloff of Karloff Enterprises, and featuring the artistic talents of Kerry Gammill and El Garing, the team behind the award-winning BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA STARRING BELA LUGOSI, this new graphic novel is certain to delight and terrify old and new fans alike.
