Francisco Francavilla Presents Dracula!
Francisco Francavilla presents Dracula!
Category: Horror
“Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time”Parts 1-3” (2020): Part 1 – “Midnight Madness”; Part 2 – “Horror & Sci-Fi”; Part 3 – “Comedy & Camp” / Z-View
Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time, Parts 1 – 3 (2020)
Director: Danny Wolf
Writers: Paul Fishbein, Irv Slifkin, Danny Wolf
Stars: Kevin Pollak, John Waters, Illeana Douglas, Joe Dante, Jeff Goldblum, Michael McKean, Bruce Campbell, Jeff Bridges, Rob Reiner, Gina Gershon, Fran Drescher, John Turturro, Pam Grier, Amy Heckerling, Roger Corman, Joe Morton, Ed Neil, John Sayles, Rob Zombie, John Cleese, Kevin Smith and Sean Young.
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
Joe Dante, Illeana Douglas, John Waters and Kevin Pollack talk about the all-time best cult movies in a three part series. Clips from interviews with those who starred in the films are included.
- Episode 1: Midnight Madness.
Films covered include: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Pink Flamingos, The Big Lebowski, Eraserhead, The Warriors, Point Break, and Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!.
- Episode 2: Horror and Sci-Fi
Films covered include: Horror – Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead , The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Evil Dead, The Devil’s Rejects, Re-Animator, The Human Centipede, Blade Runner, A Clockwork Orange, Death Race 2000, The Brother from Another Planet, Liquid Sky and The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.
- Episode 3: Comedy and Camp
Films covered include: Comedy – Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Office Space, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Napoleon Dynamite, Clerks, Kingpin and Super Troopers. Camp – The Room, Showgirls, Plan 9 From Outer Space, Glen or Glenda, Female Trouble, and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Phantom of the Paradise.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Episode 1 brought back great memories of midnight showings that were popular in the 70s and 80s. Films that never found an audience, got a second chance with these late night showings. Fans of the films made them hits.
Episode 2 looks at films that often didn’t do great on their initial release due to bad or little marketing, but found a hard core audience over time. This was my favorite episode — although I’ll never understand how (and hope to never see) The Human Centipede was greenlit.
Episode 3 explores cult comedies and camp films — movies so bad that they are “good”. While I don’t think a movie can be so bad it becomes good, Ed Wood’s films are hard to not keep watching once you start. It’s hard to believe that they’re not comedies and even better to watch with the right crowd.
Time Warp: The Best Cult Films of All-Time, Parts 1 – 3 (2020) rates 4 of 5 stars.
“Sinners” Alt Poster by Bartos Gyorgy!
One of the most chilling lines in Sinners is spoken by Mary. Bartos Gyorgy has created an ominous alt poster featuring Mary that is one of my favorites. I love the black and white feel of an old-time horror movie. The muted red blood color takes the poster to the next level.
“We gonna kill every last one of ya.” – Mary
“Sinners” Alt Poster by Avery Droumtsekas!
Sinners is one of my all-time favorite movies and I love seeing creative alt posters for it. Avery Droumtsekas has come through with a banger.
“You know something? Maybe once a week, I wake up paralyzed, reliving that night. But before the sun went down, I think that was the best day of my life… And for a few hours, we was free” – Sammie
“The Breed” (2001) starring Adrian Paul, Bokeem Woodbine and Bai Ling / Z-View
The Breed (2001)
Director: Michael Oblowitz
Screenplay: Christos N. Gage, Ruth Fletcher
Stars: Adrian Paul, Bokeem Woodbine, Bai Ling, James Booth, Ming Lo, Paul Collins, Reed Diamond, John Durbin, Zen Gesner and William Hootkins.
Tagline: Vampires Live Amongst Us
The Plot…
Another time. Another place.
Detective Stephen Grant’s partner is killed when the two are following leads on a recent series of bizarre murders. The murderer, a tale pale man, is shot several times to no effect. The killer escapes by climbing up a sheer building wall.
After Detective Grant files his report, he is brought in for a secret meeting. Grant learns that the killer is a vampire. Although reluctant to believe, Grant is introduced to his new partner, Detective Aaron Gray. Detective Gray is also a vampire.
Grant learns that vampires live among us. Most want to live among humans in peace. To that end, they have made themselves known to government leaders. However a minority of vampires don’t trust humans. The murderer is one of them.
Grant and Gray are assigned to track down the serial killing vampire and put an end to him. What Grant and Gray don’t know is that a conspiracy to wipe-out all vampires is being put in place by humans distrustful of the vampires’ intent.
Neither the humans plotting to kill all vampires nor the vampires distrustful of humans want Detectives Grant and Gray to succeed.
That makes them expendable.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
I like the premise and setting of the film. Vampires living among us and wanting a peaceful integration while some vampires and humans are fearful of that seems logical. Having the film take place in a recognizable but slightly different future worked for me.
The Breed is an interesting mash-up of a buddy movies, conspiracy films, horror, a touch of romance, sci-fi, and alternate reality that just misses the mark for being better than good. But good isn’t bad. I enjoyed The Breed, but hoped it would be better.
The Breed (2001) rates 3 of 5 stars.
“Nosferatu” (2024) Alt Poster by Juan Ramos!
Although I enjoyed Robert Egger’s Nosferatu, I like this alt poster by Juan Ramos even better!
“And I tell you, if we are to tame darkness, we must first face that it exists.” – Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994), directed by Kenneth Branagh, starring Robert De Niro, Kenneth Branagh and Helena Bonham Carter / Z-View
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Screenplay: Steph Lady, Frank Darabont; based on FRANKENSTEIN: or THE MODERN PROMETHEUS by Mary Shelley
Stars: Robert De Niro, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hulce, Helena Bonham Carter, Aidan Quinn, Ian Holm, Robert Hardy, Cherie Lunghi and John Cleese.
Tagline: Be warned. It’s alive.
The Plot…
1794. Captain Walton, leading an expedition to the North Pole, is in a bad way. His ship has become trapped in ice. While attempting to free the vessel, the crew hears a frightening scream somewhere in the mist that surrounds them. Suddenly a man appears and calls for the men to grab their weapons and come with him.
The crew grab their guns and begin to move forward. Their dogs run ahead, disappearing into the mist. Within seconds they hear the cries of their dogs being killed.
The men retreat to the ship. As his crew stands guard Captain Walton and the man talk. The stranger says that he created the creature in the mist, and that his name is Victor Frankenstein.
This is his (and the creature’s) story…
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein earned a 1995 Academy Award nomination for Best Makeup – Daniel Parker, Paul Engelen, Carol Hemming
Francis Ford Coppola bought Steph Lady’s screenplay with the intent to direct the film as a follow-up to his Dracula film. When Coppola decided to just serve as the film’s producer, he insisted that Robert DeNiro play the creature.
DeNiro chose Kenneth Branagh to direct. Branagh brought in Frank Darabont to create a second draft of the screenplay. Branagh wanted the film to include a “recreated bride” which doesn’t happen in Shelley’s novel.
Coppola didn’t like many of the choices Branagh made and their were multiple disagreements during filming. Coppola wanted to recut the film, but Branagh refused. Coppola went on record denouncing the film.
Coppola wasn’t the only creative who worked on the film that didn’t care for the finished movie. Frank Darabont said in interviews that he didn’t care for the movie and that Kenneth Branagh mishandled the material, and made changes to the screenplay.
Kenneth Branagh was married to actress Emma Thompson, but during filming of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, began an affair with his co-star Helena Bonham Carter. Thompson divorced Branagh in 1997 and he continued his affair with Carter until their breakup in 1999.
A four-issue comic book adaptation was published by Topps. It was written by Roy Thomas and drawn by Rafael Kayanan.
DeNiro as the creature didn’t work for me. I could only see DeNiro in make-up and not a creature reanimated from dead bodies.
The screen loves Helena Bonham Carter, so her rebirth as “the Bride” is shocking — especially since she doesn’t (and legally couldn’t) look like the classic Universal Bride.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994) rates 3 of 5 stars.
“Halloween” Alt Poster by Chris Koehler!
How about this cool Halloween alt poster by Chris Koehler?
“The Shining” Alt Poster by Vlad Rodriguez!
Vlad Rodriguez is a Miami based illustrator. Rodriguez has a passion for film. Here’s his alt poster for The Shining!
“The Last of Us” Alt Poster by Doaly!
Doaly has done it again, with this cool alt poster for The Last of Us!
Every path has a price. – Tagline
Rich Davies Haunting “Sinners” Art!
If you’re following Rich Davies, you might have already seen his haunting Sinners art. Even so, it’s worth another look.
“You keep dancing with the devil… one day he’s gonna follow you home.” – Jedidiah
“The Mist” Alt Poster by Creepy Duck Design!
The Mist has one of the most horrifying and brutal endings ever. I love how this alt poster by Creepy Duck Design captures the scene. If you know, you know.
“It appears we may have a problem of some magnitude.” – Bud Brown
James Byron Huggins’ THE LAST HUNT is a HIT and the Sly Stallone Connection!
James Byron Huggins’ THE LAST HUNT (the third in the Hunter trilogy) is a hit! It currently has a 4.5 / 5 star rating at Amazon. Its Goodreads rating is even better – 4.65 / 5 stars.
Perhaps even more impressive is that THE LAST HUNT sits in Goodreads’ Listopia #1 spot on the list of Best Action & Thrillers Ever. Huggins is in the company of legends (Child, Clancey, Lundlum and Evanovich) and leads the pack! (See chart below.)
Long time readers of this site know that James Byron Huggins wrote HUNTER with Sylvester Stallone in mind as the lead character. In fact Sly discussed ideas with Byron prior to the novel being written and the second edition is dedicated to Sylvester Stallone.
Sly Stallone has held the movie rights to HUNTER since the start. A couple of times it appeared that the movie adaptation of Hunter would be soon on Sly’s agenda. But the movie business proceeds in mysterious ways, and HUNTER has yet to reach the production stage. Sly’s Balboa Productions still has the rights and hopefully fans will get to HUNTER as a feature film or television series.
Every book in the HUNTER trilogy gets my highest recommendation.
“The Bride of Frankenstein” Alt Poster by Stephen Andrade!
It is rare for a sequel to be considered a better film that the one that spawned it. The Bride of Frankenstein is one that gets that honor. Stephen Andrade gives us an alt poster with a Bride that would definitely get a rise out of the monster.
“Woman… Friend… Wife…” – The Monster
“Night of the Hunter” by Mat Peg!
I love Mat Peg’s art. Look at the thought put into this Night of the Hunter poster.
It’s in the style of an old time photograph. Mitchum, the serial killer preacher has his love/hate finger tats in view. He’s holding both his knife and the little girl he threatens with it. She’s holding the doll that secretly carries the money Mitchum’s character is willing to kill for. The title of the movie and stars’ names are scratched in as if with the knife.
Brilliant.
