Category: Horror

CREEPY Archives Volume 9 featuring Richard Corben, T. Casey Brennan, Tom Sutton & Steve Skeates!

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CREEPY Archives Volume 9 will be released on November 26, 2024.  It will contain 256 pages of horror, science fiction and fantasy! Here’s what we get…

Now available in a value-priced paperback edition, Creepy Archives Volume 9 features the prime cuts fresh from the chopping block of horror, fantasy, and science fiction served up by a sterling set of slaughterhouse chefs including Richard Corben, T. Casey Brennan, Tom Sutton, Steve Skeates, and many more.

This era of Creepy featured the influx of talented Spanish artists such as José Bea, Jaime Brocal, Luis Garcia, Martin Salvador, and Felix Mas, whose work would bring the standard of illustration in comics to new highs. Take the stake from your heart, climb out of your casket, and take a bite of Creepy Archives!

Collects Creepy issues #42–#45.

EERIE Archives Volume 7 featuring Tom Sutton, Ken Kelly, Richard Corben, Doug Moench, Basil Gogos, Carlos Garzon, Nicola Cuti & more!

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EERIE Archives Volume 7 will be released on September 24, 2024.  If you wonder what the 288 pages will contain, here’s the lowdown…

Take a ride on the river Styx with your jovial boatman Cousin Eerie in the panic-packed Eerie Archives Volume 7, now in a value-priced paperback edition.

Remove the pennies from your eyes long enough to take in the dastardly dramas from creators Tom Sutton, Ken Kelly, Richard Corben, Doug Moench, Basil Gogos, Carlos Garzon, Nicola Cuti, and more. Also includes an illustrated foreword by comics creator Guy Davis and the first US appearance of comic great Esteban Maroto!

Collects Eerie magazine issues #32–#36.

  Deal me in.  Pre-Orders are available now.

“Grotesquerie” starring Niecy Nash-Betts, Courtney B. Vance, Lesley Manville, and Travis Kelce – The Teaser is Here!

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Here’s the teaser for Grotesquerie starring Niecy Nash-Betts, Courtney B. Vance, Lesley Manville, and Travis Kelce.  I plan to check it out.

In FX’s Grotesquerie, a series of heinous crimes have unsettled a small community. Detective Lois Tryon feels these crimes are eerily personal, as if someone—or something—is taunting her. With no leads and unsure of where to turn, she accepts the help of Sister Megan. However, they find themselves ensnared in a sinister web that only seems to raise more questions than answers.

Fear the worst. FX’s GROTESQUERIE. OFFICIAL TEASER. 9.25 on FX. Stream on Hulu. Starring Niecy Nash-Betts, Courtney B. Vance, Lesley Manville, and Travis Kelce.

“Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992) directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins & Keanu Reeves / Z-View

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Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Screenplay: James V. Hart, based on DRACULA by Bram Stoker

Stars: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves, Richard E. Grant, Billy Campbell, Sadie Frost, Tom Waits, Monica Bellucci, Jay Robinson, Laurie Franks and Cary Elwes.

Tagline: Love Never Dies

The Plot…

1462.  When Vlad Dracula (Oldman) returns from a victorious war campaign, he learns that his defeated enemies sent messages that they had killed Dracula in battle.  His wife Elisabeta became so distraught that she committed suicide.

Vlad Dracula is beside himself.  How could God let this happen?  A Priest tells Dracula that Elisabeta committed a cardinal sin by killing herself.  Her soul will be damned to hell.  Dracula loses it.  He renounces his Christian God and vows to use the powers of darkness to avenge her!  Dracula drives his sword into the chapel’s huge crucifix. When blood begins flowing from the cross, Dracula drinks it.

Four hundred years pass. Feeling the need to leave his homeland, Dracula has settled on London as his new home.  When Dracula sees a photograph of Mina Harker, he is convinced she is the reincarnation of Elisabeta.

Dracula will have her at all costs.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Bram Stoker’s Dracula was nominated for four Academy Awards and won three…

  • nominee Best Art Direction-Set Decoration: Thomas E. Sanders, Garrett Lewis
  • winner Best Costume Design – Eiko Ishioka
  • winner Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing – Tom C. McCarthy, David E. Stone
  • winner Best Makeup – Greg Cannom, Michèle Burke, Matthew W. Mungle

Francis Ford Coppola was determined to use only effects available when movies first started (since this was the time period of most of this movie).  He used no CGI.  Coppola made use of forced perspective, rear projection, miniatures, matte paintings and more.  For instance, to create a sense of increasing claustrophobia, he gradually had the walls move in during a scene.  For some vampire scenes the film was run in reverse to make their movements seem off.  One of my favorite of Coppola’s effects is how Dracula’s shadow moves independently of him!

Liam Neeson wanted the role of Van Helsing, but Anthony Hopkins was riding a popularity wave after Silence of the Lambs, so it went to him.  Steve Buscemi turned down the role of Renfield.  Tom Waits was a perfect choice.

Actors who auditioned for the part of Dracula include: Armand Assante, Gabriel Byrne, Antonio Banderas, Viggo Mortensen and Andy Garcia.  Of that group I’d have given the nod to Assante or Banderas.

Coppola wanted Johnny Depp to play Jonathan Harker.  Charlie Sheen auditioned for the role.  The studio wanted an actor more popular with young girls.  Keanu Reeves was awarded the part.

I’m a fan of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.  I love that Coppola swung for the fences.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) rates 4 of 5 stars.

Alfred Hitchcock: His Ten Best Films!

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Alfred Hitchcock was the first director that I knew by name.  He remains one of my favorite film makers.  He made a number of great movies over his career.  Here are my top ten…

01. “North by Northwest” (1959) – A mild mannered advertising executive goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by foreign spies. Now he’s targeted for death by the enemy agents and wanted for (a framed) murder by US officials.  Nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Writing, Story and Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen; Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color and Best Film Editing.

02. “Psycho” (1960) – A crime movie that morphs into a horror film.  Groundbreaking. Nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Actress in a Supporting Role; Best Director; Best Cinematography, Black-and-White and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White.

03. “The Birds” (1963) – One of the movies that I could “stay up late” to watch when I was a kid.  Birds begin attacking and killing humans.  The concept in a lesser director’s hands would be ridiculous.  Not in Hitchcock’s.  Nominated for one Academy Award: Best Effects, Special Visual Effects.

04. “Rope” (1948) – Two intellectuals think that they’ve committed the perfect murder. Through creative planning and editing, Hitchcock creates a film that appears to be done in one continuous shot. 

05. “Lifeboat” (1944) – During World War II nine survivors end up in the same lifeboat. Eight are American or British.  One is German from the U-Boat that sank their ship. Nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Director; Best Writing, Original Story and Best Cinematography, Black-and-White.

06. “Rear Window” (1954) – A man confined to a wheelchair believes that he witnessed a murder in the apartment across the way. Nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Director; Best Writing, Screenplay; Best Cinematography, Color and Best Sound, Recording.

07. “Notorious” (1946) – The daughter of a Nazi spy is recruited by the U.S. government to go undercover.  How far will she go to get the needed info?  And what will the Nazis do to her if she is discovered? Nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Writing, Original Screenplay.

08. “Foreign Correspondent” (1940) – A bored New York reporter is sent to London.  There he discovers a group of foreign agents working to prepare Germany for war.  Nominated for six Academy Awards: Best Picture; Best Actor in a Supporting Role; Best Writing, Original Screenplay; Best Cinematography, Black-and-White; Best Art Direction, Black-and-White and Best Effects, Special Effects.

09. “The 39 Steps” (1935) – This one has it all.  Mistaken identity, spies, a man on the run, suspense, comedy and romance.  

10. “Saboteur” (1942) – During World War II, when a U.S. aircraft factory is blown up, the wrong man is accused.  Now on the run, the man must find a way to prove his innocence.

“House of Usher” aka “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1960) directed by Roger Corman, written by Richard Matheson, starring Vincent Price / Z-View

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House of Usher aka The Fall of the House of Usher (1960) 

Director: Roger Corman

Screenplay: Richard Matheson based on “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe

Stars: Vincent Price, Mark Damon, Myrna Fahey and Harry Ellerbe.

Tagline: He buried her alive… to save his soul!

The Plot…

Philip Winthrop (Damon) travels to the remote Usher estate.  Philip intends to leave with his fiancée Madeline Usher (Fahey) so they can be married.  Madeline’s brother Roderick (Price) warns Philip that the Usher bloodline is cursed.  All of the Usher ancestors went mad and committed evil deeds.  Roderick wants the Usher bloodline to end.  If Philip and Madeline marry, Roderick feels that the curse will continue.

Both Philip and Roderick are determined to have their way… only one will.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Prior to House of Usher, American International Pictures (AIP) focused on low budget black and white films destined to be second (or third) features at drive-ins.  The demand for these type of films was in decline so AIP rolled the dice.  House of Usher was given a higher budget and made in color.  The gamble paid off.

House of Usher was the first of eight films based on Edgar Allan Poe short stories directed by Roger Corman.

House of Usher aka The Fall of the House of Usher (1960) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Alien: Romulus” – The Final Trailer is Here!

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The final trailer for Alien: Romulus has arrived.

“Alien: Romulus” takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.

The film stars Cailee Spaeny (“Civil War”), David Jonsson (“Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy”), Archie Renaux (“Shadow and Bone”), Isabela Merced (“The Last of Us”), Spike Fearn (“Aftersun”), Aileen Wu.

Fede Alvarez (“Evil Dead,” “Don’t Breathe”) directs from a screenplay he wrote with frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues (“Don’t Breathe 2”) based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett.

“Alien: Romulus” is produced by Ridley Scott (“Napoleon”), who directed the original “Alien” and produced and directed the series’ entries “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant,” Michael Pruss (“Boston Strangler”), and Walter Hill (“Alien”), with Fede Alvarez, Elizabeth Cantillon (“Charlie’s Angels”), Brent O’Connor (“Bullet Train”), and Tom Moran (“Unstoppable”) serving as executive producers.

John Carpenter Presents “Body Bags” (1993) / Z-View

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Body Bags (1993) 

Directors: John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, Larry Sulkis

Screenplay:  Billy Brown, Dan Angel

Stars: John Carpenter, Tom Arnold, Tobe Hooper, Robert Carradine, Alex Datcher, Peter Jason, Molly Cheek, Wes Craven, Sam Raimi, David Naughton, George ‘Buck’ Flower, David Warner, Sheena Easton, Greg Nicotero, Debbie Harry, Mark Hamill, Twiggy, John Agar, Roger Corman, Charles Napier and Stacy Keach.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

A scary coroner (Carpenter) introduces three tales…

  • The Gas Station.  A serial killer is operating in an area where a young woman has her first night working at a remote gas station.
  • Hair.  Richard Coberts (Keach) is a vain man concerned about losing his hair.  Nothing he’s tried so far as worked.  Then he learns about a new procedure guaranteed to grow hair.
  • Eye.  A pro baseball player (Hamill) on the verge of being called up to the big league gets into an accident that destroys one of his eyes.  Thinking he has nothing to lose, he agrees to an experimental eye transplant…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Body Bags was developed as a series for Showtime.  It would be their answer to HBO’s Tales from the Crypt.  Ultimately Showtime decided to not go forward with the project.

Body Bags is full of famous people showing up in cameos.

I would rank the three segments: The Gas Station (3 of 5), Hair (2 of 5) and Eye (2 of 5).

Body Bags (1993) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Amityville Uprising” (2022) / Z-View

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Amityville Uprising (2022) 

Director: Thomas J. Churchill

Screenplay: Thomas J. Churchill

Stars: Scott C. Roe, Mike Ferguson, Kelly Lynn Reiter, Troy Fromin.

Tagline: To Serve. To Protect. And to Fight the Undead.

The Plot…

An explosion at a military base produces a cloud that releases acid rain over Amityville.  The contaminated downpour turns town folk into zombies.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Amityville Uprising sounded like a low budget drive-in movie that might be a fun way to spend an hour and a half.  I tapped out after 31 minutes.  I was still waiting to see a zombie.

Amityville Uprising (2022) rates 1 of 5 stars.

“Life” (2017) starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson & Ryan Reynolds / Z-View

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Life (2017) 

Director: Daniel Espinosa

Screenplay: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick

Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ariyon Bakare

Tagline: Fear life. Not death.

The Plot…

An unmanned probe returns to the International Space Station with soil samples from Mars.  The six astronauts aboard the station are surprised to find a single cell organism in the soil.  As they experiment with the sample it begins to grow exponentially.  It escapes it’s container and devours a lab rat. Then the creature turns its sights on the astronauts.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Director Daniel Espinosa said the twist ending is in the spirit of The Twilight Zone and Night of the Living Dead.

I hate it when movie characters repeatedly make stupid decisions.  Especially when they’re supposed to be intelligent.

Life (2017)  rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Interview with the Vampire”: Season 2 (2024) starring Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Eric Bogosian, Delainey Hayles & Assad Zaman / Z-View

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Interview with the Vampire: Season 2 (2024)

Directors:  Craig Zisk (eps. 1, 5); Levan Akin (eps. 2-4, 8); Emma Freeman (eps. 6-7)

Teleplay: Hannah Moscovitch (ep. 1); Jonathan Ceniceroz & Shane Munson (ep. 2); Heather Bellson (ep. 3); Coline Abert & A. Zell Williams (ep. 4); Jonathan Ceniceroz & Hannah Moscovitch (ep. 5); Hannah Moscovitch & Shane Munson (ep. 6); Kevin Hanna & Rolin Jones (ep. 7); Rolin Jones (ep. 8)

Stars: Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Eric Bogosian, Assad Zaman, Delainey Hayles, Ben Daniels, Esme Appleton, Christopher Geary, Khetphet Phagnasay, Andrew Van Wilpe, Jan Hofman, Ben Bradshaw, Roxane Duran, Luke Brandon Field, Elander Moore, Justin Kirk, Blake Ritson, Stanislav Callas, Ed Birch, Roxane Duran and Bally Gill

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Interview with a Vampire is an adaptation of Anne Rice’s novel, Interview with a Vampire.

Through a series of interview flashbacks we learn that in World War II’s final years Louis (Anderson) and Claudia’s (Hayles) search for other vampires lead to Romania and Paris.  They are discovered by a vampire coven in Paris.  All is not what it seems.  Jealously, lies and betrayals abound.  Most will not survive.

Daniel Malloy (Bogosian) discovers government agents are aware of the vampires.  Malloy also determines that he’s not being told the truth throughout the interview.  Malloy realizes with increasing certainty that his life is in danger.

When the interview concludes lies will be uncovered, truths revealed.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Interview with the Vampire Season 1 was a tour de force.  Season 2 meets and exceeds the bar that it set.  The series continues to be well written with wonderful actors joined by top notch directors.

Delainey Hayles who replaced Bailey Bass as Claudia does an excellent job.

There are more twists and surprises in season two.

I love the idea of a coven of vampires hiding in plain sight.  The vampire pretend to be human actors playing vampires on stage nightly.  The audience has no idea that the victims killed on stage are not actors.

Ben Daniels as Santiago provides a riveting performance as Santiago.

I have no idea how season 3 can live up to, let alone surpass season 2… but I’ll be ready to find out.

Interview with the Vampire: Season 2 (2024) earns 5 of 5 stars.