FORBIDDEN ZONE, the 1980 black-and-white cult film written and directed by Richard Elfman, is getting a new lease on life, courtesy of digital colorization by Legend films (the company responsible for recently releasing such neglected titles on DVD as THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH and THE SKULL). To promote the July 29 release of the colorized FORBIDDEN ZONE on DVD, Elfman will attend an American Cinematheque screening of the film on Wednesday, July 30 at 8:00pm in the Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood, along with other guests to be announced. Cult movie fans and fans of Oingo-Boingo will certainly want to pick up a copy of the DVD (the director’s brother, Oingo-Boingo front-man Danny Elfman, provided the music and appears in a small role), but the movie is such a wild ride that a cinema screening, along with a theatre full of like-minded fans, adds an extra layer to the entertainment.

Click below the fold to read the press release. Continue Reading »

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Great news for fans of Ridley Scott: Starting Sunday, July 6, the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles will be screening a double bill of BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT and ALIEN: THE DIRECTOR’S CUT. Although both are out on DVD, these are films that really deserve to be seen on the big screen; this is an especially important chance to see the final cut of BLADE RUNNER in a theatre, since this version received only a token theatrical release last year before arriving on home video.

As an extra, added inducement, former Cinefantastique writer Paul M. Sammon will be in attendance at the 7:00pm Sunday screening of BLADE RUNNER. The author of Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner (Harper) will discuss the film and answer questions from the audience. He will also bring along some behind-the-scene photos of the making of the film.

Showtimes:

• BLADE RUNNER: Sun: 2:20 & 7:00; Mon-Thu: 7:30 only
  ALIEN: Sun: 4:40 only; Mon-Thu: 9:50

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Actress Adrienne Barbeau is known to fans of cinefantastique for her roles in such films as THE FOG, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, CREEPSHOW, and TWO EVIL EYES. She is also, now, a novelist, with a book coming out on July 8. (She published her autobiography last year, There Are Worse Things I Could Do.) Written in collaboration with Michael Scott, the novel is title Vampyres of Hollywood. In support of the publication, Barbeau will be doing a book tour, with stops around the country but mostly in Southern California. The premise is that vampires - excuse me, vampyres - work in the Hollywood film industry, churning out disinformation that misleads humans as to the true strengths and weaknesses of the undead (for example, the novel’s vampires are immune to sunlight). The official description from Publishers Weekly goes on:

One of the biggest bamboozlers is Ovsanna Moore, a seductive centuries-old vampire currently producing and acting in B-movies with titles like Vatican Vampyres. When humans and vampires in her studio entourage begin dying spectacularly gruesome deaths, Ovsanna knows that someone is specifically targeting her. Since it’s just a matter of time before investigating detective Peter King uncovers Ovsanna’s vampire pedigree, she must solve the mystery or “die” and resurface somewhere else. Alternate chapters from Peter and Ovsanna’s limited points of view build narrative tension. Briskly paced and full of fang-in-cheek humor, this novel is one of the more entertaining recent works of supernatural noir.

Barbeau’s ex-husband, writer-director John Carpenter, apparently enjoyed the book enough to provide a funny, favorable quote: “Sexy, funny and gory - and that’s just the first chapter. If I’d known she could write like this, I would’ve stuck around a little longer.”

Read a list of Bareau’s Southern California book tour appearances below the fold. Continue Reading »

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The Hollywood Film Festival will be returning to the ArcLight Cinemas on October 22. Unlike many major mainstream festivals, this one shows a certain respect for fantasy, horror and science fiction. The festival, a joint venture between STARZ and Film Threat, has announced its Call for Entries for these often neglected genres:

• “Film festivals have always been very supportive of independents. Unfortunately, indie sci-fi, fantasy and horror genres often get left out of typical festival programs. How will we discover the next Peter Jackson if festivals do not support young filmmakers who create fantastic visions? I’m ecstatic to team up again with the Hollywood Film Festival to showcase cutting-edge new work from indie genre filmmakers. I’m proud that Film Threat’s editor-in-chief Mark Bell as well as the Film Threat staff, will be involved in the selection process with the goal to feature the best of the next generation of filmmakers,” said Film Threat founder Chris Gore.

Read the full press release here. For more information on submissions, go here.

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 The Los Angeles Film Festival revs up this week, starting on June 19 and running through June 29. A combination of independent films and Hollywood blockbusters, the fest includes numerous science fiction, fantasy, and horror titles, such as JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH and HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY.

Events include conversations with director Guillermo del Toro (HELLBOY 2), cinematographer Guillermo Navarro (PAN’S LABYRINTH), and director Edgar Wright, who will celebrate the U.S. DVD debut of the British cult comedy SPACED by screening two complete episodes. Continue Reading »

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The American Cinematheque will be presenting a tribute to filmmaker John Carpenter this month, showcasing some of his best horror and science fiction films: THE THING, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, the original HALLOWEEN, and more. Carpenter will be in person at several of the screenings to answer questions, so here’s a chance to meet your hero in person!

Below is the schedule:

• THE THING/THE FOG - Friday, June 13 @ 7:30pm (Discussion with Carpenter between films)
• ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK/ESCAPE FROM L.A. - Saturday, June 14 @ 7:30pm (Discussion with Carpenter between films)
• HALLOWEEN/CHRISTINE - Sunday June 15 @ 7:30pm
• BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA/ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 - Wednesday, June 18 @ 7:30pm (Discussion with actor Austin Stoker between films)

All screenings will be held at the Aero Theatre. Get more information at the theatre’s official website.

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By now you have all read about or seen the news of the big fire that closed Universal Studios yesterday. Initially, the park had hoped to have the fire stopped in time to open its doors by afternoon; ultimately, that had to turn guests away, announcing that the part would not open Sunday.

Just in case you haven’t already seen it, here is footage of the fire, which burned down the building housing the King Kong attraction:

According to this article in the Los Angeles Times, the park re-opened at 10am this morning.

The official Universal Studios website has no news of the fire on its homepage, only an announcement that the park will be open for regular hours on Monday.

There is no listing of which attractions may not be back in operation. Since I haven’t heard anything about damage to the House of Horrors walk-through maze, I assume it survived the inferno.

RELATED ARTICLES:

• Interview: John Murdy discusses Halloween Horror Nights and the year-round House of Horrors attraction.

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Jack Pierce created the makeup for Universal Studios’ rogue’s gallery of classic movies monsters in the 1930s and 1940s: Frankenstein’s Monster, the Mummy, the Wolf Man, etc. These images are firmly embedded in our minds: even if you haven’t seen the movies, you know what the monsters look like. Some of them have even been immortalized on U.S. postage stamps. In spite of all this, Pierce does not have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Why this is, I don’t know. Presumably, the difficulty is getting someone to pick up the $5,000 tab for planting a new star in the sidewalk.

Now you have a chance to do something about that: here is a petition asking Universal Studios to fund a star for Jack Pierce. Add your name, and help bestow a little recognition on a man who gave so much to monster fans everywhere.

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As part of their tribute to producer Rober Evans, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will presents a 40th anniversary screening of ROSEMARY’S BABY.

The film was actually produced by William Castle, with Roman Polanski writing and directing, but according to the AMPAS website, Evans brought the property to Paramount and “oversaw” its production.

There will be a discussion panel featuring a rather odd assortment of guests. Besides Robert Evans, there will also be Peter Bart (former Paramount producer and editor of Variety), Brett Ratner (director of summer popcorn movies), and Slash (of Guns and Roses fame). What they could have to say to each other is hard to imagine.

Get more information here.

If you are not so fortunate as to live in Los Angeles, the film will also screen on June 6 and 7 in San Francisco, as part of the Landmark After Dark festival. More info here.

NOTE: The film got a mention in our list of the Top 20 Chick Flick Horror Movies.

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presents this 40th anniversary tribute which will take you behind-the-scenes of Stanley Kubrick’s monumental science-fiction epic, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.

Tom Hanks and Douglas Trumbull host the event, which will take place at the Samuel L. Goldwyn Theatre (8949 Wilshire Blvd in Beverly Hills). Trumbull is the special effects expert who worked on the film and went on to provide effects for CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND and STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE.

The program will include rare behind-the-scenes images and clips only recently released by the Kubrick archives, providing an in-depth look at the making of the film never before possible, thanks to Kubrick’s penchant for secrecy.

Get more information here.

While you’re at the AMPAS website, you might want to check out their “Great to Be Nominated” series, showcasing films nominated for Best Picture. Upcoming screenings included CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON on June 23 and LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING on June 30.

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I didn’t make it down to the Fangoria convention, but you can read all about it at these links from Horror Movie a Day:

• Fango Con - Day 1
• Fango Con - Day 2

If (like me) you are too lazy to click through links, here are the highlights:

1. Producer Rob Tapert says that BOOGEYMAN 3 is in the editing room and production begins on GRUDGE 3 this Monday. Can’t say I’m excited about either one. Basically, the second GRUDGE sequel will have a new creative team, meaning the American producers have jettisoned those pesky Japanese filmmakers so that they can totally waterdown the franchise.
2. Clive Barker has several projects in the works, including one called DREAD, from the producer of MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN.
3. John Landis (AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON) and Larry Fessenden (HABIT) will be directing episodes of NBC’s upcoming FEAR ITSELF (sort of MASTERS OF HORROR toned down for network television)
4. Actor Tony Todd has not been signed for FINAL DESTINATION 4, but he will be back for HATCHET 2 (director Adam Green included him in the first one on the assumption that any sequel could use him to develop the back story further).

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The Fangoria Weekend of Horrors is coming to the Los Angeles Convnetion Center next month. Guests include: George Romero, Clive Barker, Angus Scrimm, Sid Haig, Ray Wise, Ken Foree, Michael Pare, Corbin Bernsen, and over 70 other horror celebrities. There will be a 40th anniversary cast-and-crew reunion screening of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (like the one that took place at the Texas Frightmare Weekend earlier this month, which we covered here).

Hollywood Gothique and Cinefantastique are teaming up to get you into the convention - for free. We are giving away six general admission passes to the convention, which takes place on the weekend of April 25-27.

To enter the contest, simply go to our World Of Horror Contest Page and post a comment saying you would like to participate. You will be prompted to register as a (free) Subscriber if you are not already registered. When you register, make sure to include a working e-mail address, so that we may contact you if you win. Your first comment will not appear on the page until it has been approved by the administrator (subsequent comments on this website do not require approval).

Six winners will be selected at random on April 18, one week before the convention. You will not receive a ticket; your name will be on a list at the door. Affiliates, friends and family of Cinefantastique and Hollywood Gothique are not eligible.

For more information on the convention, click here.

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Four months since the West Coast premiere of DIARY OF THE DEAD at Screamfest, I took advantage of the opportunity to see it again at the American Cinematheque’s preview on Wednesday night, in the Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. This is the theatre where I saw ALIEN during its initial run, so the venerable venue has many pleasant monster movie memories for me. As if that were not reason enough to see the film two days before it officially opens, there was an additional inducement: George A. Romero would be in attendance to discuss the film. Of course, I had just had a one-on-on interview with him the day before, but I wasn’t able to squeeze every question in during the limited time, so why not check out what he had to say the fans at the Egyptian?

I’ve heard some complaints about the film, allegations that it hits its political points too squarely on the nose; the acting is overdone; the dialogue is bad. Concerned that I had overlooked some flaws during the initial excitement of seeing a brand new DEAD movie from Romero, I was eager for a second viewing, and I have to say that I still do not see most of what people are complaining about. The dialogue and performances are strong if not always outstanding. There are some moments that hit false notes, when an actor overdoes a bit or plays a scene without the polish one would expect from a seasoned professional, but overall these elements work together in the context of the film that is supposed to have an almost hand-made feel. Continue Reading »

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After all the pre-release hype, CLOVERFIELD seemed like the kind of movie worthy of a trip to Hollywood, where one could enjoy the experience in a truly grand theatre, in this case Graumann’s Chinese on Hollywood Boulevard. Besides a wonderful setting and state of the art projection, this has the added advantage of allowing you to immerse onself in the film while surrounded by an enthusiastic opening night audience, eager and pumped up - the sort of people who not only could not wait another minute to see the film but also chose to see it in the finest theatre available.

Continue Reading »

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They say you can’t go home again - meaning either that the place has changed in your absence or, perhaps more profoundly, that reality can never live up to nostalgic memories of how good it used to be. Sadly, this sometimes seems true of movies, especially horror movies: those great fright flicks of your impressionable youth turn out to be not so scary when seen as an adult; in fact, many are outright ludicrous. Fortunately, there are rare exceptions, films that failed to shock you as a child but which reveal perhaps more subtle chills to your more mature mind. For me, personally, this has happened a few times. THE BLACK CAT (1934) seemed dull when I was an avid young monster-movie fan (it has Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, but no monsters); only later did the aura of perversity reveal itself in its full glory. THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (1964) was watchable, but only later did the profound nature of its clash of faith (between Christianity and Satanism) reach out of the screen with a force that made me release I was seeing a truly great film. Another good example is HOUSE OF WAX, the 1953 3-D classic starring Vincent Price. Continue Reading »

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