Category: Horror

Bela Lugosi in “Arsenic and Old Lace”!

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Arsenic and Old Lace is one of my all-time favorite movie comedies.  Made in 1944, Arsenic and Old Lace was directed by Frank Capra and starred Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey, Jack Carson, Peter Lorre, Josephine Hull, Jean Adair and John Alexander.

Arsenic and Old Lace got its start on Broadway running from January 1941 to June 1944.  The popular play starred Josephine Hull, Jean Adair and Boris Karloff.  When it was time to make the movie, the play’s producers wouldn’t give Karloff the time off fearing that losing him would hurt the play’s attendance.  Raymond Massey took over Karloff’s part for the film.

Although Massey did an excellent job, I’d have loved to have seen Karloff in the movie.

Another thing I’d have loved to have seen is Bela Lugosi in the stage play of Arsenic and Old Lace.  As you can see from the ad above, Lugosi played the part originated by Karloff (and later Masey) when the show went on the road!

Source: Barnabas Collins.

Did You Know John Carpenter Was Set to Direct “Creature from the Black Lagoon” Remake?

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At one point a few years ago, John Carpenter was scheduled to direct a remake of The Creature from the Black Lagoon.  In preparation for the film, Rick Baker was brought on board to re-design the Creature based on Milicent Patrick’s original work for the 1954 film.  Although Carpenter’s update was never made, he does have several of the models on display in his home.   

The 50 Best Zombie Movies of All Time

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Jim Vorel at Paste came up with his list of The 50 Best Zombie Movies of All Time.  Vorel’s list is a good one.  Here’s his top ten and mine (using just the films on his list).

The 50 Best Zombie Movies of All Time

Jim Vorel

Craig

10.  Dawn of the Dead (2004) 

10.  Day of the Dead (1985)

09.  Zombi 2 (1979) 

09. Planet Terror (2007)

08.  Night of the Living Dead (1968)

08.  28 Weeks Later (2007)

07.  Evil Dead 2 (1987) 

07.  Shaun of the Dead (2004) 

06.  Shaun of the Dead (2004) 

06. Zombieland (2009)

05.  Day of the Dead (1985) 

05. Dawn of the Dead (2004)

04.  28 Days Later (2002)

04. Train to Busan (2016)

03.  Re-Animator (1985) 

03. 28 Days Later (2002) 

02.  Return of the Living Dead (1985) 

02. World War Z (2013)

01.  Dawn of the Dead (1978) 

01.  Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Although it didn’t make the list, I’d have added The Crazies.

Deep Silence by Jonathan Maberry / Z-View

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Deep Silence by Jonathan Maberry

Hardcover: 480 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

First sentence…

“We’re coming up on it,” said the pilot.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A series of earthquakes rock the eastern seaboard and are accompanied by outbreaks of temporary madness causing people to attack each other or commit suicide.  Joe Ledger and his team soon learn that terrorists using advanced technology are behind the strikes. The terrorist have plans that will leave the United States and much of the world helpless unless they can be stopped and the clock is ticking!

Maberry’s latest outing for the DMS team is perhaps their toughest yet and will lead to the end of the Joe Ledger series as we know it.  As you can imagine, series regulars (who survive) will be forever changed.

Deep Silence is another great Joe Ledger tale and like all of the others in the series is highly recommended.

Rating: 5 of 5 stars.

The “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark poster and trailer are here!

From the dark imaginations of Academy Award®-winner Guillermo del Toro and acclaimed director André Øvredal, based on the iconic book series, comes Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark — in theaters this summer.

It’s 1968 in America. Change is blowing in the wind…but seemingly far removed from the unrest in the cities is the small town of Mill Valley where for generations, the shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large. It is in their mansion on the edge of town that Sarah, a young girl with horrible secrets, turned her tortured life into a series of scary stories, written in a book that has transcended time—stories that have a way of becoming all too real for a group of teenagers who discover Sarah’s terrifying home.

Maberry’s & Milnes V-Wars: God of Death Preview!

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Jonathan Maberry’s V-Wars is being adapted into a Netflix series starting this fall.  V-Wars concerns humans facing a potential apocalypse not of zombies but of vampires!

As a companion piece and direct tie-in to the V-Wars series, creator Maberry and IDW Publishing are teaming up once more for a fanged foray into this horrific universe with the V-Wars: God of Death one-shot coming to comic shops May 29.

If this sounds like something you’d like SyfyWire has an advanced look: EXCLUSIVE: THE VAMPIRE APOCALYPSE GETS REAL IN IDW’S V-WARS: GOD OF DEATH.