Category Archives: Horror Movies

Zombie Icon George Romero Has Died

17 Monday Jul 2017

Posted by in Famous People, Horror Movies, In the News, R.I.P., Uncategorized, Zombies

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Zombie Icon George Romero Has Died

George Romero turned zombies into box office magic in 1968 with his Night of the Living Dead. Mr. Romero succumbed to complications from lung cancer on Sunday, July 16, 2017. He was 77 years old. He loved attending horror conventions, and his fans adored him. He will be missed.

NightoftheLivingDead

Check out some of the in-depth tributes from these publications:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-me-george-romero-20170716-story,amp.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/16/movies/george-romero-dead.html?_r=0

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/07/16/537589005/george-romero-night-of-the-living-dead-director-dies-at-77

The Crooked Man is Greenlighted

22 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by in Horror Movies, In the News, Movies, Uncategorized

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The Crooked Man is Greenlighted

The Conjuring 2 contained an eerie children’s nursery rhyme, “There Was a Crooked Man.” It’s based on a real person, Scottish General Sir Alexander Leslie (1582-1661). The rhyme is about relations between Scotland and England. In the movie, it played when a children’s toy was wound and displayed a tall, slender hunched man. It was announced last week that the movie The Crooked Man has been greenlighted with pre-production beginning. It becomes the 4th movie spin-off in the Conjuring franchise. Although a tentative release date has not been released, it will follow The Nun, which hits theaters July 2018.

CrookedMan

Mike Van Waes is attached as the writer. His IMDb.com profile lists two writing projects; neither finished. James Wan will produce for New Line Cinemas. It is unclear if the historical “Crooked Man” will be tied to the movie or if the political tensions between England and Scotland addressed. Audiences will have to patiently wait. In the meantime, enjoy the rhyme.

 

Lyrics:

There was a crooked man,
And he walked a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence
Upon a crooked stile:
He bought a crooked cat,
Which caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together
In a crooked little house.

SourceL http://www.rhymes.org.uk/there_was_a-crooked_man.htm

Dry Spell in Horror Movies

27 Monday Mar 2017

Posted by in Horror Movies, Movie Reviews, Movies, Uncategorized

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Dry Spell in Horror Movies

Seems we’ve hit the doldrums for horror movies. A dry spell has taken over. The much anticipated, and over-hyped, 13th installment of Friday the 13th has been shelved—indefinitely. That’s never a good sign. The spell will lift by late April; however, there are 5 movies to plan for.

This summer brings 5 large budget horror movies to the big screen.

  1. The first is the highly anticipated franchise horror film Alien: Covenant, debuting on May 19. Fassbender
  2. The Mummy, reboot of the 1932 Boris Karloff movie of the same name opens June 9th and stars Tom Cruise. Casting is skeptical, which may tank the film before it even opens. BorisKarloff
  3. Stephen King’s book adaptation The Dark Tower arrives July 28, 2017. Idris Elba stars as “The Gunslinger.” He is the actor to watch break out in this genre.  IdrisElba
  4. In the sequel category is Annabelle 2, opening August 11, 2017. This date is tentative as the movie has already been pushed back once. Watch to see if “The Nun” in this movie tied into “The Nun” painting from The Conjuring 2 (2016) and will be a separate storyline in next year’s The Nun. James Wan may have created his own universe where his movies are interwoven more than Patrick Wilson cross-over roles. Annabelle2
  5. Finally, It has a release date of September 8th. This marks Stephen King’s 2nd summer movie and probably most anticipated from his legion of fans. “Pennywise” terrified viewers in the 1990 mini-series. Now he gets the large screen effects to scare a new generation into therapy for coulrophobia. Pennywise

There are other movies to hold us over until summer—just barely. They’re low-budget films that don’t have much star power. However, if the reviews are solid, then check them out.

Cloverfield—9 Years Later

20 Monday Feb 2017

Posted by in Binge this Movie, Horror Movies, Movie Reviews, Movies, Uncategorized

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Cloverfield—9 Years Later

Cloverfield (2008) opened 9 years ago last month, precisely January 18, 2008. Granted, most of the $25 million dollar budget was spent on special effects; however, it rocked the box office. The movie grossed over $80 million in the US alone. It raked in over $170 million worldwide. After all these years, Cloverfield endures as a pretty darn good horror/science fiction hybrid.

creature

When a monster awakens and attacks Lower Manhattan, a group of friends set out on a rescue mission capturing the event on a handheld camcorder. Roger Ebert gave it 3 stars. Other film critics enjoyed the simplistic plot catering to the growing YouTube generation. Comparisons to The Blair Witch Project were eventual; however, this movie fares better. According to Rotten Tomatoes, 68% of users liked it. Further, it garnered a solid 7/10 on IMDB.com.

bad-robot

The only negative is the title. Producer JJ Abrams should have spent more time conceiving a better title. Instead, he attempted to shroud the film in secrecy, like the Godzilla-inspired monster. Bad Robot, where Abrams serves as CEO, is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, where there is a Cloverfield Boulevard. A rural landing strip was renamed “Clover Field” in 1922 to honor fallen fighter pilot Greayer Clover, killed in France during WWI. When the city of Santa Monica purchased the airfield from the US Army in 1927, they renamed it Santa Monica Airport. Abrams took the “Cloverfield” exit on his commute and thought it a good temporary name. Ultimately, what was initially the code word for the film became a nonsensical title.

Cloverfield is streaming on Hulu. Despite its name, it’s worth a binge.

Opening Today: Cure for Wellness

18 Saturday Feb 2017

Posted by in Castles, Horror Movies, Movie Reviews, Uncategorized

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Opening Today: Cure for Wellness

One of this year’s anticipated films Cure for Wellness opened in US theaters today. A young Wall Street employee (played by Dane DeHaan) is sent to a “mysterious wellness center” to fetch the missing company CEO (Harry Groener). Seems simple enough. However, this $40 million epic production clocks in at 2 hours and 26 minutes. That’s nearly 30 minutes longer than most motion pictures. Judging by the mixed reviews, it may be too long to endure.

eels

Filmed in 5 months, the movie features the picturesque Castle Hohenzollern located in Germany. Director Gore Verbinski is known for epics and box-office blunders. Depending on the review, he may have scored both. The New York Times calls it a “riot of film references. With eels.” Deadline.com claims it to be an “overloooooooong saga.” Seriously. They had all those Os. Finally, Vox offers “The 5 Stages of Watching…” stating that it is a “thoroughly distracting film.” Time will tell—say like Tuesday—if it’s worth the ticket price.

 

Rated R for adult content, graphic scenes, nudity, and an overabundance of eels.

 

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Opens at #4

31 Tuesday Jan 2017

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Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Opens at #4

The sixth, and presumably the final, installment in the Resident Evil franchise opened at #4 in the US this past weekend. The film grossed $13.8 million; however, it has already grossed $64.5 million on foreign screens. Although weak for the franchise, the movie has already recouped its production budget of $40 million. The franchise remains incredibly popular and immensely profitable. To date, the franchise has grossed over $994 million worldwide. Don’t be surprised to see another sequel, possibly spinning off the storyline with a new cast.

The Rings Emerges 3 Years Late

30 Monday Jan 2017

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Rings Emerges 3 Years Late

Rings, the third film in the Ring franchise, opens this weekend, Friday, February 3, 2017. Although it wrapped up filming three years ago, the film has endured numerous delays. With a jam packed opening listing, this may be one to miss.

The Ring (2002) was based on the Japanese film, Ringu (1998). A journalist, played by Naomi Watts, investigates the deaths of four teenagers who died after watching a video recording. Shot on a $48 million dollar budget, the film grossed $128 million in the US alone. Worldwide, it grossed over $249 million. The first offering was wildly popular and profitable.

The Ring 2 (2005) followed shortly after. New clues emerge surrounding the curse of a videotape after the killings begin again. Filmed for $50 million, this sequel was not as popular. It only grossed $75 million in the US and $161 million worldwide. Still, it was very profitable.

Rings (2017) is also known as The Ring 3. Due to a curse, a woman will die seven days after watching a video. It brings a new cast to the franchise. Its budget was $33 million. The post-production delays are troublesome. Postponements such as this indicate a weak film. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Bruce Campbell Is Seeking A Few Horror Freak Fans

18 Wednesday Jan 2017

Posted by in Casting Calls, Famous People, Horror Movies, In the News, Reality TV, Uncategorized

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Bruce Campbell Is Seeking A Few Horror Freak Fans

 

Comic-Con royalty Bruce Campbell is making a call. Are you prepared to answer? Last month Mr. Campbell posted a teaser about his new competition reality show centered on the horror movie genre. Several entertainment sites have posted brief summaries with a link to the Pitman Casting application. Be prepared; it’s thorough. For any horror movie aficionado, applying is mandatory. Heck. I did it.

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In 1979, Bruce Campbell with his friends Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert raised $300,000 to produce the low-budget horror classic The Evil Dead (1981). Written and directed by Raimi, The Evil Dead is set in a cabin deep in the wilderness where five college friends head for a mini-vacation only to encounter an evil entity, who kills them off one-by-one. Bruce Campbell played Ashley “Ash” J. Williams, a role that garnered him horror fan royalty. The movie earned $2.4 million in the US in its first run. Since then, it has earned over $29 million worldwide and spawned several sequels and the reboot TV series Ash vs Evil Dead on STARZ. Bruce Campbell brings a campiness to the character of Ash. He’s quirky, odd, with just enough bravado to save his life. He would be the perfect host for a locked-in group horror experience. Luckily, he will host and produce the series.

ashvevildead

The firm deadline is February 1, 2017 at 6 PM PST; however, early submissions are encouraged. Take a day or two to complete. There are short and long form questions, plus you must supply three people to provide character references, as well as two photographs and a copy of your driver’s license. Only people above the age of 18 will be considered. Pitman Casting reserves the right to request a psych and mental evaluations in the second round of casting.

Specifically, the production company is looking for people who are horror fans. Filmmakers, bloggers, cosplay actors/actresses, make-up people, paranormal enthusiasts, horror experts, and people who have growing paranormal collections. The ad does not state how many people will be selected, nor the number of locations for filming. Ultimately, the “horror freak fan will spend the night in a haunted location with Bruce Campbell.” And for a horror fan-girl like me, it would be groovy!

 

Follow the link to apply: http://ihorror.com/want-cast-horror-house-reality-show-bruce-campbell-heres/

The Bye Bye Man: First Horror Film of 2017

04 Wednesday Jan 2017

Posted by in Books, Colleges & Universities, Conspiracy Theories, Demonic Possession, Ghost Stories, Horror Movies, Movie Reviews, Movies, Ouija Boards, Paranormal, Uncategorized, Universities, Urban Legends

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Movie Poster.

The Bye Bye Man: First Horror Film of 2017

Tagline: Don’t think it; don’t say it.

Time to blame the Ouija Board. Again. The Bye Bye Man (2017) debuts on Friday the 13th, January 2017. It is the first horror movie of 2017 (Amityville: The Awakening was moved from January 6 until June). The trailer portrays a menacing creature who is a cross between Candyman and Slender Man, two contrived characters to seem like an urban legend. The Bye Bye Man media package wants viewers to believe this is based on a true story. That would be a stretch.

byebyemanbook

Republished book cover.

Robert Damon Schneck published The President’s Vampire: Strange-But-True Tales of the United States of America, a collection of short tales, in 2005. It has been republished as The Bye Bye Man: And Other Strange-But-True Tales coinciding with the movie. The movie builds off of the short story “The Bridge to Body Island,” set in the 1990s when three college students move into a house and discover a cursed Ouija Board. Of course they begin to experiment with the board and eek out the story of an abandoned blind albino boy born in rural Louisiana and left on the stoop of an orphanage. The boy, ultimately known as “The Bye Bye Man,” escapes the orphanage traveling vagabond style leaving corpses in his wake. He pines for a “friend” and begins sewing eyes and a tongue together. The creature sets the “friend” down so it may identify the next victim. The doll whistles when a victim is found. The urban legend stops shortly after this and the movie presumably picks up the tale.

The trailer and brief write-ups describe the plot as a mesh of Ouija Board antics, tied to a creature who comes when his name is called or thought (hence the Candyman reference), photobombing pictures like Slender Man, and then leading to possession. Originally rated R, the movie is PG-13. The production budget is $6 million, making it a low-budget movie, but certainly not fatal for a horror movie. Stay tuned for my review after opening weekend. In the meantime…don’t think his name, nor dare say it.

The Bye Bye Man

Kim stands in front of the train.

Amityville: The Awakening—Release Date Postponed. Again

03 Tuesday Jan 2017

Posted by in Demonic Possession, Famous Locations, Haunted Houses, Horror Movies, Movie Reviews, Movies, Paranormal, Paranormal History, Real Estate, Residences, Uncategorized

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Amityville: The Awakening—Release Date Postponed. Again

Originally announced to debut in 2012, Amityville: The Awakening (ATA) has been postponed. Again. This does not bode well for the film, part of the Amityville franchise. Production completed nearly 3 years ago and has endured 7 release date changes. Seven! If this movie does hit the theaters, save your money. The drama surrounding post-production is an indicator that this movie is a dud.

ATA comes 38 years after The Amityville Horror (1979) jolted theater-goers by claiming it was “based on a true story.” With a production budget of $4.7 million dollars, the movie made $86 million in the US alone. As a staple on cable TV stations, the movie continues to generate income. The 1970s ushered in a new form of horror movie: those loosely based on potentially true events. The budget for the 1973 The Exorcist was $12 million dollars. It raked in over $204 million in the United States alone. Likewise, it continues to generate income through cable TV revenue. Arguably, both movies were cutting edge and advanced the horror genre. Most importantly they came from incredibly popular books. Both films successfully bridged the text to celluloid. Although both stories claimed to be based on true events, the stories continue to unravel—more so with Amityville.

The Amityville franchise is successful. By keeping production budgets low, companies can produce a profitable film. This, in turn, leads to more sequels. Not all of them are as successful. This is the case with Amityville. Three motion picture sequels were not as successful. One barely broke even. But the “legend” surrounding the house endures. Unfortunately, it is time to shutter the house and move to a new location.

Initially titled Amityville: The Lost Tapes, this reboot occurs in the infamous Long Island home. The most alert viewer will notice some discrepancies, though. The house is a private residence located at 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville. After the film’s release throngs of tourists would linger in the yard. The owners successfully petitioned to change the address to 108 Ocean Avenue in the hopes of confusing tourists. The owners also made extensive renovations to the house so it would not resemble the house at 18 Brooks Road, Toms River, New Jersey, which was used to for filming. Most notably removed were the quarter pie-shaped windows, pretty much the most haunting feature.

amityville

The official movie trailer opens with the old house and lots of land around it. The real house sits on a densely populated street with a canal in the back. There is very little similarities between the two.

The story-line could stand on its own. The mental thoughts of “Kill, kill, kill” is the only visible link to the original movie. The producers should have created a new, fresh horror film franchise. I’ll have to wait until June to see it. That’s if 7 release date changes are the charm! Stay tuned!