On Friday nights, IndieWire After Dark takes a feature-length beat to honor fringe cinema in the streaming age.
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: After Dark but Make It for Gays of a Certain Age
When I was pressed into service for IndieWire After Dark, I hesitated all of five seconds before I screamed, “What’s the Matter With Helen?” at Ali. Partly because it’s a truly bonkers hagsploitation movie but mostly because I greedily grasp at every excuse to discuss Curtis Harrington’s examination of what the mothers of thrill killers Leopold and Loeb might have done with their lives after their sons’ convictions.
Move from the Midwest to Los Angeles to...
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: After Dark but Make It for Gays of a Certain Age
When I was pressed into service for IndieWire After Dark, I hesitated all of five seconds before I screamed, “What’s the Matter With Helen?” at Ali. Partly because it’s a truly bonkers hagsploitation movie but mostly because I greedily grasp at every excuse to discuss Curtis Harrington’s examination of what the mothers of thrill killers Leopold and Loeb might have done with their lives after their sons’ convictions.
Move from the Midwest to Los Angeles to...
- 4/27/2024
- by Mark Peikert and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
One of the curious things about "The Twilight Zone's" enduring popularity is that Rod Serling's classic anthology series has been rebooted three separate times, and even spun off into movies, and yet the original series is still considered the gold standard. You'll hear "Star Trek" fans sing the praises of "The Original Series," sure, but you'll also find lots of them who think the franchise peaked with "The Next Generation," "Deep Space Nine," or "Enterprise." But the reboots of the "Twilight Zone" aren't nearly as well remembered or celebrated as the original series, no matter how many great filmmakers or actors appeared in them.
Take the first TV reboot, for example. That version of "The Twilight Zone" aired for three seasons between 1985 and 1989 — peak, influential pop culture years — and featured episodes directed by cinematic luminaries like Wes Craven, Joe Dante, John Milius, Curtis Harrington, Bill Duke, Martha Coolidge,...
Take the first TV reboot, for example. That version of "The Twilight Zone" aired for three seasons between 1985 and 1989 — peak, influential pop culture years — and featured episodes directed by cinematic luminaries like Wes Craven, Joe Dante, John Milius, Curtis Harrington, Bill Duke, Martha Coolidge,...
- 10/21/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
A lot of TV show theme songs become famous without ever becoming hit singles. However, these classic rock TV theme songs are the exception to the rule. Notably, one of the songs in question was supposed to sound like The Lovin’ Spoonful.
Batman and Robin | Silver Screen Collection / Contributor 4. ‘Welcome Back’ from ‘Welcome Back Kotter’
According to Stereogum, TV producer Alan Sacks created the premise of the show Welcome Back, Kotter. He decided the theme song for the show should sound like The Lovin’ Spoonful, enlisting The Lovin’ Spoonful’s John Sebastian to write a song for the series.
Sebastian wanted to write a song called “Kotter” but this proved impossible, as the only word that rhymes with “Kotter” is “otter.” Sebastian wrote a tune called “Welcome Back” that stuck with the show. In addition, “Welcome Back” became a No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100. The track became Sebastian’s...
Batman and Robin | Silver Screen Collection / Contributor 4. ‘Welcome Back’ from ‘Welcome Back Kotter’
According to Stereogum, TV producer Alan Sacks created the premise of the show Welcome Back, Kotter. He decided the theme song for the show should sound like The Lovin’ Spoonful, enlisting The Lovin’ Spoonful’s John Sebastian to write a song for the series.
Sebastian wanted to write a song called “Kotter” but this proved impossible, as the only word that rhymes with “Kotter” is “otter.” Sebastian wrote a tune called “Welcome Back” that stuck with the show. In addition, “Welcome Back” became a No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100. The track became Sebastian’s...
- 3/10/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Tl;Dr:
A pair of jazzy Motown songs inspired The Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Daydream.” Both of the Motown songs in question were famous songs by The Supremes. Paul McCartney said all of The Beatles were fans of The Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Daydream.” The Supremes | Charlie Gillett Collection / Contributor
Motown was a significant influence on a number of classic rock bands. For example, two Supremes songs inspired The Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Daydream.” Notably, it was difficult to put the latter song together in the studio.
Jazzy Motown songs inspired The Lovin’ Spoonful’s ‘Daydream’
Steve Boone is a member of The Lovin’ Spoonful. In his 2014 book Hotter Than a Match Head: My Life on the Run with The Lovin’ Spoonful, Boone said bandmate John Sebastian was dealing with romantic troubles one day. “Looking to cheer himself up, he was plucking his guitar in the ‘straight eight’ Motown style that we’d...
A pair of jazzy Motown songs inspired The Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Daydream.” Both of the Motown songs in question were famous songs by The Supremes. Paul McCartney said all of The Beatles were fans of The Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Daydream.” The Supremes | Charlie Gillett Collection / Contributor
Motown was a significant influence on a number of classic rock bands. For example, two Supremes songs inspired The Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Daydream.” Notably, it was difficult to put the latter song together in the studio.
Jazzy Motown songs inspired The Lovin’ Spoonful’s ‘Daydream’
Steve Boone is a member of The Lovin’ Spoonful. In his 2014 book Hotter Than a Match Head: My Life on the Run with The Lovin’ Spoonful, Boone said bandmate John Sebastian was dealing with romantic troubles one day. “Looking to cheer himself up, he was plucking his guitar in the ‘straight eight’ Motown style that we’d...
- 3/4/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania is bookended by two montages of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) wandering through San Francisco to John Sebastian's Welcome Back. You might recognise John as the lead singer of The Lovin' Spoonful, and the song as the theme for late Seventies sitcom 'Welcome Back Kotter'. The show was originally going to be called 'Kotter', but they changed the name to reflect the theme song, which though it was commissioned for the series ended up changing its name because there weren't any good rhymes for the name of the character.
"Why...", you might ask, "not change the name of the character?". Teacher Gabe Kotter was played by stand-up comedian Gabe Kaplan so there was already precedent. "Why...", I hear you continue, "are you bringing this up?" Mostly because it's an example of the compromises of one set of creative decisions and commitments...
"Why...", you might ask, "not change the name of the character?". Teacher Gabe Kotter was played by stand-up comedian Gabe Kaplan so there was already precedent. "Why...", I hear you continue, "are you bringing this up?" Mostly because it's an example of the compromises of one set of creative decisions and commitments...
- 2/17/2023
- by Andrew Robertson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
With Avengers: Endgame now history and its place in the box office realm currently challenged more by Avatars than any one Marvel character, the MCU, under orders from Marvel chief Kevin Feige, is now entering Phase 5 and using the third cinematic incarnation of Ant-Man and the full-blooded emergence of multi-villain Kang the Conqueror to carry it forward in what is essentially a stand-alone transition movie.
As such Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a mixed bag, still containing the lighter comedy of the 2015 original and 2018 follow-up, both set in San Francisco, but now taking us deep into a subatomic universe where the familial characters will experience both good and evil forces, some wacky new creatures that look like they are straight out of a Star Wars bar, and a mission to save this dizzying community of colorful beings who are being terrorized by another comic book legend now embodied by...
As such Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a mixed bag, still containing the lighter comedy of the 2015 original and 2018 follow-up, both set in San Francisco, but now taking us deep into a subatomic universe where the familial characters will experience both good and evil forces, some wacky new creatures that look like they are straight out of a Star Wars bar, and a mission to save this dizzying community of colorful beings who are being terrorized by another comic book legend now embodied by...
- 2/14/2023
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI, and sign up for our weekly email newsletter by clicking here.NEWSNo Bears.Jafar Panahi was released on bail last Friday, two days after starting a hunger strike to protest his seven-month imprisonment. “His next fight is to have the cancellation of his sentence officially recognized,” said Michèle Halberstadt, his French distributor. “He’s outside, he’s free, and this is already great.”Recommended VIEWINGPersonal Problems.Maya Cade of the Black Film Archive has chosen 28 films for the 28 days of Black History Month in the US and compiled online streaming links for each. The lineup includes films by Saundra Sharp, Bill Gunn, and many others.Filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun (We're All Going to the World's Fair)'s A Self-Induced Hallucination, their archival documentary about the Slenderman, is available for free on Vimeo. For more on the project,...
- 2/7/2023
- MUBI
Celebrated cartoonist and screenwriter Daniel Clowes discusses his favorite formative films with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Baxter (1989)
Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1966) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Ghost World (2001) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Art School Confidential (2006)
Help! (1965) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s review
The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (1966) – John Landis’s trailer commentary,
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
Gone With The Wind (1939)
Mudhoney (1965) – John Badham’s trailer commentary
Finders Keepers, Lovers Weepers! (1968)
Common Law Cabin (1967)
Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls (1970) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Seven Minutes (1971)
Black Snake (1973)
An American Werewolf In London (1981) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray reviews
Lady In A Cage (1964) – Darren Bousman’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
The Wild One (1953)
Hush…...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Baxter (1989)
Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1966) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Ghost World (2001) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Art School Confidential (2006)
Help! (1965) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s review
The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (1966) – John Landis’s trailer commentary,
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
Gone With The Wind (1939)
Mudhoney (1965) – John Badham’s trailer commentary
Finders Keepers, Lovers Weepers! (1968)
Common Law Cabin (1967)
Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls (1970) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Seven Minutes (1971)
Black Snake (1973)
An American Werewolf In London (1981) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray reviews
Lady In A Cage (1964) – Darren Bousman’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
The Wild One (1953)
Hush…...
- 11/15/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
What’s the matter with Pearl? Plenty, as it turns out in Ti West’s terrifically enjoyable postscript to his spring release X, which saw a 1970s film crew fall brutally afoul of an elderly farmer and his wife while shooting a porno in their barn. Unusually for a horror film, X had the same actress — Mia Goth — as both the final kill (the farmer’s psychotic wife Pearl) and the final girl (sex-film starlet Maxine), and this intelligent, not to mention almost indecently hasty prequel explains the reasons.
Pearl, screening out of competition at the Venice Film Festival, is that rare horror franchise follow-up that, while mindful of expectations from its predecessor’s core gore audience, has considered artful new ways to drill down into the essence of the original.
First, a quick digression into the appeal of X and Ti West’s films in general: West has an...
Pearl, screening out of competition at the Venice Film Festival, is that rare horror franchise follow-up that, while mindful of expectations from its predecessor’s core gore audience, has considered artful new ways to drill down into the essence of the original.
First, a quick digression into the appeal of X and Ti West’s films in general: West has an...
- 9/4/2022
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Film history places certain artists at pivotal points where everything changes – and sometimes, if those artists stick around long enough, when everything changes again.
Considering the passing of James Caan on Wednesday, it becomes clear that he was one of those artists. An actor who had an early breakthrough appearing opposite Olivia de Havilland, he went on to take key roles in films that would define the New Hollywood of the 1970s and played a role in the emergence of auteurs like Wes Anderson, James Gray and Michael Mann.
Born in the Bronx to German-Jewish immigrant parents, Caan played college football at Michigan State for two years before transferring to Hofstra. He never graduated, but he did befriend classmate Francis Ford Coppola, who would be one of the actor’s most essential collaborators. It was at Hofstra that Caan became interested in acting, eventually applying to and being accepted at...
Considering the passing of James Caan on Wednesday, it becomes clear that he was one of those artists. An actor who had an early breakthrough appearing opposite Olivia de Havilland, he went on to take key roles in films that would define the New Hollywood of the 1970s and played a role in the emergence of auteurs like Wes Anderson, James Gray and Michael Mann.
Born in the Bronx to German-Jewish immigrant parents, Caan played college football at Michigan State for two years before transferring to Hofstra. He never graduated, but he did befriend classmate Francis Ford Coppola, who would be one of the actor’s most essential collaborators. It was at Hofstra that Caan became interested in acting, eventually applying to and being accepted at...
- 7/7/2022
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
On-set still photographer Lorey Sebastian, who worked on such movies as Crash, Twilight, Wild Hogs, Blow, St. Elmo’s Fire, I Am Sam, In the Valley of Elah and A Million Ways to Die in the West died May 9 in New Mexico after a brief illness. She was 78.
Sebastian was born in 1944 in New York City where she lived until she moved to Los Angeles. She started her career in 1977 when she was the still photographer on the set of Joan Micklin Silver’s film Between The Lines. With over 100 credits to her name, she worked with the likes of Sam Mendes, Joel and Ethan Coen, and Taylor Sheridan–the latter is documented as her last known photography job.
Sebastian was briefly married to John Sebastian of the Loving Spoonful and spent her last years in Truchas, Nm where she moved for retirement.
Sebastian was born in 1944 in New York City where she lived until she moved to Los Angeles. She started her career in 1977 when she was the still photographer on the set of Joan Micklin Silver’s film Between The Lines. With over 100 credits to her name, she worked with the likes of Sam Mendes, Joel and Ethan Coen, and Taylor Sheridan–the latter is documented as her last known photography job.
Sebastian was briefly married to John Sebastian of the Loving Spoonful and spent her last years in Truchas, Nm where she moved for retirement.
- 6/26/2022
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Ok, so the actor Anthony Perkins is best known for his legendary role as Norman Bates in Hitchcock’s Psycho and its sequels… but that part is not the sum total of this superb actor’s career. That’s not to say he didn’t trade on his status as cinema’s seminal psycho, and starred in plenty of chiller thrillers, instantly lending them Batesian cachet… for example Edge of Sanity, a delirious conflation of Robert Louis Stephenson’s classic horror novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Jack the Ripper’s real-life reign of terror over Victorian London, where Perkins plays the unhinged lead role with aplomb. To celebrate the release of Edge of Sanity on Blu-ray from Arrow Video, here’s a round-up of some of Perkins’ finest non-Bates roles…
Pretty Poison (1968)
In this wonderful cult classic black comedy thriller, Perkins plays Dennis Pitt,...
Pretty Poison (1968)
In this wonderful cult classic black comedy thriller, Perkins plays Dennis Pitt,...
- 6/24/2022
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
The Cohen Film Collection brings to Region A its beautifully remastered disc of American fringe filmmaking’s weirdest, most obsessively arty shock-fest — a loving return to silent expressionist horror. The New York censors scuttled its commercial chances, and it wound up as a movie-within-a-movie footnote for Steve McQueen. We never thought we’d see the show look this good — John Parker memorialized Venice, California five years before Orson Welles. But the overall package packs a big disappointment, as I’ll explain.
Dementia
Blu-ray
Cohen Media Group
1955 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 56 min. / Street Date April 26, 2022 / Available from Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Adrienne Barret, Ben Roseman, Bruno VeSota, Ben Roseman, Angelo Rossitto.
Cinematography: William C. Thompson
Film Editor: Joseph Gluck
Original Music: George Antheil
Music director: Ernest Gold
Featured Vocal: Marni Nixon
New Concepts in Modern Sounds: Shorty Rogers and his Giants
Written, Produced and Directed by John J. Parker
The BFI first...
Dementia
Blu-ray
Cohen Media Group
1955 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 56 min. / Street Date April 26, 2022 / Available from Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Adrienne Barret, Ben Roseman, Bruno VeSota, Ben Roseman, Angelo Rossitto.
Cinematography: William C. Thompson
Film Editor: Joseph Gluck
Original Music: George Antheil
Music director: Ernest Gold
Featured Vocal: Marni Nixon
New Concepts in Modern Sounds: Shorty Rogers and his Giants
Written, Produced and Directed by John J. Parker
The BFI first...
- 5/3/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Writer/director Guillermo del Toro discusses a few of his favorite movies with Josh and Joe.
Show Notes:
Movies Referenced In This Episode
Nightmare Alley (2021)
Nightmare Alley (1947) – Stuart Gordon’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Drive My Car (2021)
Wicked Woman (1953) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)
Modern Times (1936)
City Lights (1931)
The Great Dictator (1940)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Dennis Cozzalio’s review, Dennis Cozzalio’s Muriel Awards capsule review
Vertigo (1958) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary, Brian Trenchard-Smith’s review
The Man Who Would Be King (1975) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
The Young And The Damned (1950)
Gone With The Wind (1939)
The Golem (1920) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans (1927)
Alucarda (1977)
Greed (1924) – Dennis Cozzalio’s Muriel Awards capsule review
Taxi Driver (1976) – Rod Lurie’s trailer commentary
District 9 (2009) – John Sayles...
Show Notes:
Movies Referenced In This Episode
Nightmare Alley (2021)
Nightmare Alley (1947) – Stuart Gordon’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Drive My Car (2021)
Wicked Woman (1953) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)
Modern Times (1936)
City Lights (1931)
The Great Dictator (1940)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Dennis Cozzalio’s review, Dennis Cozzalio’s Muriel Awards capsule review
Vertigo (1958) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary, Brian Trenchard-Smith’s review
The Man Who Would Be King (1975) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
The Young And The Damned (1950)
Gone With The Wind (1939)
The Golem (1920) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans (1927)
Alucarda (1977)
Greed (1924) – Dennis Cozzalio’s Muriel Awards capsule review
Taxi Driver (1976) – Rod Lurie’s trailer commentary
District 9 (2009) – John Sayles...
- 1/25/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
The November 12, 1958 edition of The Village Voice featured the first installment of the column “Movie Journal” by Jonas Mekas.
“Movie Journal” would become what the Underground Film Journal would argue was the most significant organizing tool of avant-garde cinema created by Jonas, even more so than the Film-makers’ Cooperative and the Anthology Film Archives he helped found. But what was the column like before it gained such notoriety?
Well, we don’t have to guess. The book collection Movie Journal doesn’t start reprinting Jonas’s columns until 1959, but the entire archives of the Voice are online.
As a weekly publication, the Voice only published twelve “Movie Journal” columns in 1958. The Underground Film Journal has read all twelve and extracted what films Jonas reviewed each week; as well as made notes of significant avant-garde film happenings.
Jonas reviewed only a few avant-garde films those first two months, including Maya Deren...
“Movie Journal” would become what the Underground Film Journal would argue was the most significant organizing tool of avant-garde cinema created by Jonas, even more so than the Film-makers’ Cooperative and the Anthology Film Archives he helped found. But what was the column like before it gained such notoriety?
Well, we don’t have to guess. The book collection Movie Journal doesn’t start reprinting Jonas’s columns until 1959, but the entire archives of the Voice are online.
As a weekly publication, the Voice only published twelve “Movie Journal” columns in 1958. The Underground Film Journal has read all twelve and extracted what films Jonas reviewed each week; as well as made notes of significant avant-garde film happenings.
Jonas reviewed only a few avant-garde films those first two months, including Maya Deren...
- 11/28/2021
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The Criterion Channel has unveiled their lineup for next month and it’s another strong slate, featuring retrospectives of Carole Lombard, John Waters, Robert Downey Sr., Luis García Berlanga, Jane Russell, and Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman. Also in the lineup is new additions to their Queersighted series, notably Todd Haynes’ early film Poison (Safe is also premiering in a separate presentation), William Friedkin’s Cruising, and Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Teorama.
The new restorations of Manoel de Oliveira’s stunning Francisca and Francesco Rosi’s Christ Stopped at Eboli will join the channel, alongside Agnieszka Holland’s Spoor, Bong Joon Ho’s early short film Incoherence, and Luc Dardenne & Jean-Pierre Dardenne’s Rosetta.
See the lineup below and explore more on criterionchannel.com.
#Blackmendream, Shikeith, 2014
12 Angry Men, Sidney Lumet, 1957
About Tap, George T. Nierenberg, 1985
The AIDS Show, Peter Adair and Rob Epstein, 1986
The Assignation, Curtis Harrington, 1953
Aya of Yop City,...
The new restorations of Manoel de Oliveira’s stunning Francisca and Francesco Rosi’s Christ Stopped at Eboli will join the channel, alongside Agnieszka Holland’s Spoor, Bong Joon Ho’s early short film Incoherence, and Luc Dardenne & Jean-Pierre Dardenne’s Rosetta.
See the lineup below and explore more on criterionchannel.com.
#Blackmendream, Shikeith, 2014
12 Angry Men, Sidney Lumet, 1957
About Tap, George T. Nierenberg, 1985
The AIDS Show, Peter Adair and Rob Epstein, 1986
The Assignation, Curtis Harrington, 1953
Aya of Yop City,...
- 5/24/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
This bizarre, creepy and maudit masterpiece of silent expressionist horror is an independent 1950s production that never had a chance commercially. Butchered by a second distributor, its ignominious fate was to wind up as a movie-within-a-movie footnote for Steve McQueen. Cohen/BFI’s ‘rescue’ remastering of John Parker’s picture does some things great — we never thought we’d see it look this good. But the overall package packs a big disappointment, as I’ll explain.
Dementia (1955)
Region B Blu-ray + Pal DVD
BFI
1955 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 56 min. / Street Date October 19, 2020 / £15.89
Starring: Adrienne Barret, Ben Roseman, Bruno VeSota, Ben Roseman, Angelo Rossitto.
Cinematography: William C. Thompson
Film Editor: Joseph Gluck
Original Music: George Antheil
Music director: Ernest Gold
Featured Vocal: Marni Nixon
New Concepts in Modern Sounds: Shorty Rogers and his Giants
Written, Produced and Directed by John J. Parker
I screened John Parker’s Dementia at UCLA in 1972, at...
Dementia (1955)
Region B Blu-ray + Pal DVD
BFI
1955 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 56 min. / Street Date October 19, 2020 / £15.89
Starring: Adrienne Barret, Ben Roseman, Bruno VeSota, Ben Roseman, Angelo Rossitto.
Cinematography: William C. Thompson
Film Editor: Joseph Gluck
Original Music: George Antheil
Music director: Ernest Gold
Featured Vocal: Marni Nixon
New Concepts in Modern Sounds: Shorty Rogers and his Giants
Written, Produced and Directed by John J. Parker
I screened John Parker’s Dementia at UCLA in 1972, at...
- 11/3/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This past weekend, the world got a little less entertaining with the passing of veteran actor John Saxon, whose career spanned over an impressive seven decades. A truly singular onscreen presence, Saxon was teen idol turned character actor with a penchant for playing authority figures throughout his diverse career.
If you look at Saxon’s Hollywood résumé, John’s contributions to both the cinema and small screen entertainment are endless, with roles in timeless classics like The Plunderers, Posse from Hell, Summer Love, The Appaloosa, Death of a Gunfighter, Gunsmoke, Fantasy Island, The Big Score, Fast Company (which was directed by an up-and-coming David Cronenberg), Falcon Crest, Running Scared (1980), Beverly Hills Cop III, Dynasty, Melrose Place (playing Daphne Zuniga’s lawyer for multiple episodes), and of course, Enter the Dragon, opposite Bruce Lee.
In terms of his genre output, the variety of films that Saxon was a part of is equally impressive,...
If you look at Saxon’s Hollywood résumé, John’s contributions to both the cinema and small screen entertainment are endless, with roles in timeless classics like The Plunderers, Posse from Hell, Summer Love, The Appaloosa, Death of a Gunfighter, Gunsmoke, Fantasy Island, The Big Score, Fast Company (which was directed by an up-and-coming David Cronenberg), Falcon Crest, Running Scared (1980), Beverly Hills Cop III, Dynasty, Melrose Place (playing Daphne Zuniga’s lawyer for multiple episodes), and of course, Enter the Dragon, opposite Bruce Lee.
In terms of his genre output, the variety of films that Saxon was a part of is equally impressive,...
- 7/30/2020
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Movies to watch when you’re staying in for a while, featuring recommendations from Dana Gould, Daniel Waters, Scott Alexander, and Allison Anders.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Destroy All Monsters (1969)
Planet Of The Apes (1968)
Beneath The Planet of the Apes (1970)
Escape From The Planet Of The Apes (1971)
Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (1972)
Battle For The Planet Of The Apes (1973)
Suparpie
The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
Hello Down There (1969)
Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
Thirteen Days (2000)
Stalker (1979)
Last Year At Marienbad (1961)
No Exit (1962)
The Exterminating Angel (1962)
Sleeper (1973)
The Tenant (1976)
Final Cut: Ladies And Gentlemen (2012)
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990)
La classe américaine (1993)
The Sex Adventures of a Single Man a.k.a. The 24 Hour Lover (1968)
The Omega Man (1971)
Soylent Green (1973)
Knives Out (2019)
The Hunt (2020)
Banana Split (2020)
The Cocoanuts (1929)
Animal Crackers (1930)
Monkey Business (1931)
Horse Feathers (1932)
Duck Soup (1933)
A Night At The Opera (1935)
The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant (1971)
Susan Slade (1961)
My Blood Runs Cold...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Destroy All Monsters (1969)
Planet Of The Apes (1968)
Beneath The Planet of the Apes (1970)
Escape From The Planet Of The Apes (1971)
Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (1972)
Battle For The Planet Of The Apes (1973)
Suparpie
The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
Hello Down There (1969)
Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
Thirteen Days (2000)
Stalker (1979)
Last Year At Marienbad (1961)
No Exit (1962)
The Exterminating Angel (1962)
Sleeper (1973)
The Tenant (1976)
Final Cut: Ladies And Gentlemen (2012)
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990)
La classe américaine (1993)
The Sex Adventures of a Single Man a.k.a. The 24 Hour Lover (1968)
The Omega Man (1971)
Soylent Green (1973)
Knives Out (2019)
The Hunt (2020)
Banana Split (2020)
The Cocoanuts (1929)
Animal Crackers (1930)
Monkey Business (1931)
Horse Feathers (1932)
Duck Soup (1933)
A Night At The Opera (1935)
The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant (1971)
Susan Slade (1961)
My Blood Runs Cold...
- 3/27/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Night Tide
Blu ray
Powerhouse/Indicator
1960/ 1:85:1 / 86 min.
Starring Dennis Hopper, Linda Lawson
Directed by Curtis Harrington
During the early fifties, an anxious era that leaned on fanciful songs like Faraway Places, Beyond the Sea and Robert Maxwell’s Ebb Tide, Curtis Harrington wrote a similarly dreamy fable called The Girl from Beneath the Sea. The 34 year old director’s script was finally produced in 1960 and premiered as Night Tide at the Spoleto Film Festival in 1961. Thanks to Filmgroup, Roger Corman’s distribution company, the movie reached American theaters in 1963. Instead of the windswept romance of Maxwell’s song, ticket buyers were treated to a fatalistic thriller with the unpredictable qualities of a New Wave film.
Dennis Hopper plays Johnny Drake, a navy recruit from the arid climes of Oklahoma. Though he looks seaworthy in his white uniform and cap he still seems pretty landlocked, ambling through the beachfront...
Blu ray
Powerhouse/Indicator
1960/ 1:85:1 / 86 min.
Starring Dennis Hopper, Linda Lawson
Directed by Curtis Harrington
During the early fifties, an anxious era that leaned on fanciful songs like Faraway Places, Beyond the Sea and Robert Maxwell’s Ebb Tide, Curtis Harrington wrote a similarly dreamy fable called The Girl from Beneath the Sea. The 34 year old director’s script was finally produced in 1960 and premiered as Night Tide at the Spoleto Film Festival in 1961. Thanks to Filmgroup, Roger Corman’s distribution company, the movie reached American theaters in 1963. Instead of the windswept romance of Maxwell’s song, ticket buyers were treated to a fatalistic thriller with the unpredictable qualities of a New Wave film.
Dennis Hopper plays Johnny Drake, a navy recruit from the arid climes of Oklahoma. Though he looks seaworthy in his white uniform and cap he still seems pretty landlocked, ambling through the beachfront...
- 1/21/2020
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
The Only God Forgives director has made his first foray into TV with a supernatural noir series, and it’s just as horrible and upsetting as you’d expect
When I spoke to Nicolas Winding Refn at the Lumiere film festival in Lyon a while back, he told me that though cinema would find a way to return in the digital multiplatform age: “Television is dead. And television will not be reborn.” He can only of course have meant that mischievously, because Refn has just completed a huge new TV show, a quasi-supernatural La horror-thriller noir entitled Too Old to Die Young, two episodes of which premiered on the bigger-than-big screen of the Grand Theatre Lumiere at Cannes. The programme is produced by Amazon, with whom Cannes’s relations are considerably better than with Netflix. It incidentally contains a clip of Curtis Harrington’s cult thriller Night Tide, starring Dennis Hopper,...
When I spoke to Nicolas Winding Refn at the Lumiere film festival in Lyon a while back, he told me that though cinema would find a way to return in the digital multiplatform age: “Television is dead. And television will not be reborn.” He can only of course have meant that mischievously, because Refn has just completed a huge new TV show, a quasi-supernatural La horror-thriller noir entitled Too Old to Die Young, two episodes of which premiered on the bigger-than-big screen of the Grand Theatre Lumiere at Cannes. The programme is produced by Amazon, with whom Cannes’s relations are considerably better than with Netflix. It incidentally contains a clip of Curtis Harrington’s cult thriller Night Tide, starring Dennis Hopper,...
- 5/18/2019
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Scream Factory sent Mike and myself a bunch of B-Movie horror and science fiction titles and we're covering them all here under the moniker of B-Movie Christmas. Forgotten body horror Brain Dead starring Bill Pulman and Bill Paxton, anyone? Surprisingly compelling early 70s apocalyptic sci-fi Colossus the Forbin Project? Nearly lost William Castle thriller The Night Walker? Early 90s vampire movie Rockula featuring an undead teen desperate to woo and rock alongside his mom, played by Toni Basil of "Mickey" fame, and Thomas Dolby as the film's villain? Other films here include the fantastic Amicus 70s horror anthology The House That Dripped Blood, the Joseph Stefano penned Eye of the Cat, the Curtis Harrington shocker Games starring Simone Signoret, The Four...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 12/18/2018
- Screen Anarchy
Orson Welles’ final, nearly lost film has been completed and restored. Is it worth the wait?
In 1970, legendary filmmaker Orson Welles began filming what would end up being his final cinematic project: The Other Side of the Wind, a semi-mockumentary look at an aging Hollywood director named Jake Hannaford (played by fellow legendary director and actor John Huston) whose 70th birthday celebration becomes both a showcase for his experimental new film (also called The Other Side of the Wind) and an acidic gauntlet of Tinseltown characters, real and fictional.
But Welles was a long way from his stunning 1941 directorial debut, Citizen Kane, and had spent much of his career scrambling to finance many of his later movies, a number of which were abandoned due to lack of funds. Although filming on The Other Side of the Wind continued on and off through 1976 as Welles was able to obtain money, the...
In 1970, legendary filmmaker Orson Welles began filming what would end up being his final cinematic project: The Other Side of the Wind, a semi-mockumentary look at an aging Hollywood director named Jake Hannaford (played by fellow legendary director and actor John Huston) whose 70th birthday celebration becomes both a showcase for his experimental new film (also called The Other Side of the Wind) and an acidic gauntlet of Tinseltown characters, real and fictional.
But Welles was a long way from his stunning 1941 directorial debut, Citizen Kane, and had spent much of his career scrambling to finance many of his later movies, a number of which were abandoned due to lack of funds. Although filming on The Other Side of the Wind continued on and off through 1976 as Welles was able to obtain money, the...
- 11/2/2018
- Den of Geek
The matriarchal psychodramas of the ’60s bled into the ’70s with alliteration-laden (and questioning) efforts such as Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?, What’s the Matter With Helen?, and the sole directorial effort from noted horror author John Farris, Dear Dead Delilah (1972). Vinegar Syndrome has brought this entertaining Southern Gothic back from the grave with a solid new Blu-ray release that's sure to please fans of ripe, pithy dialogue and surprising splatter.
Dear Dead Delilah starts out with the reveal that teenaged Luddy has murdered her mom because she didn’t want her heading out to see any fellas; we then flash forward 25 years and a now middle-aged Luddy (Patricia Carmichael – Petticoat Junction) has been released from the sanitarium; walking around, she is hit by a stray football in a park belonging to a member of the wealthy Charles clan, and whisked back to their estate. There Luddy is introduced to the family,...
Dear Dead Delilah starts out with the reveal that teenaged Luddy has murdered her mom because she didn’t want her heading out to see any fellas; we then flash forward 25 years and a now middle-aged Luddy (Patricia Carmichael – Petticoat Junction) has been released from the sanitarium; walking around, she is hit by a stray football in a park belonging to a member of the wealthy Charles clan, and whisked back to their estate. There Luddy is introduced to the family,...
- 9/14/2018
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Sure, bees can be scary under the right circumstances; say, you’re allergic for instance, or you accidentally knock over a hive, or someone fills your mattress with them. But do you know what’s even scarier? Family. This brings us to Killer Bees (1974), an interesting yet generically titled TV movie that has more to do with the ties that bind than the stings that kill.
Originally broadcast on Tuesday, February 26th as an ABC Tuesday Movie of the Week, Killer Bees had killer competition with CBS’ smash lineup of M*A*S*H/Hawaii Five-o and NBC had their World Premiere Movie. Any guesses as to who won that night? No matter, because ABC had a secret weapon in Kate Jackson, my favorite Angel and first boyhood crush; she is more than enough reason for a recommendation from moi.
Crack open your trusty fake TV Guide and see what...
Originally broadcast on Tuesday, February 26th as an ABC Tuesday Movie of the Week, Killer Bees had killer competition with CBS’ smash lineup of M*A*S*H/Hawaii Five-o and NBC had their World Premiere Movie. Any guesses as to who won that night? No matter, because ABC had a secret weapon in Kate Jackson, my favorite Angel and first boyhood crush; she is more than enough reason for a recommendation from moi.
Crack open your trusty fake TV Guide and see what...
- 9/9/2018
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Nicolas Winding Refn announced last October he was launching a free curated website of films and essays, and now it’s almost time for that website to launch. The Guardian reports byNWR.com is set to launch later this July, and Refn celebrated his upcoming website debut by telling the publication the first four films that will be made available to stream for free. Refn handpicked Curtis Harrington’s “Night Tide,” Bert Williams’ “The Nest of the Cuckoo Birds,” Ron Ormond’s “The Burning Hell,” and Dale Berry’s “Hot Thrills and Warm Chills.”
The Guardian asked Refn to write a bit about why he chose each title, which provides some very Refn insight into each cult movie. The filmmaker explained the reason for creating a website by saying, “Over recent years, I’ve bought and had restored scores of old movies as a hobby. I wondered what to do with them.
The Guardian asked Refn to write a bit about why he chose each title, which provides some very Refn insight into each cult movie. The filmmaker explained the reason for creating a website by saying, “Over recent years, I’ve bought and had restored scores of old movies as a hobby. I wondered what to do with them.
- 7/5/2018
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
As he gears up byNWR.com, a new curated platform of films and more that’s billed as “An Unadulterated Expressway for the Arts,” Drive helmer Nicolas Winding Refn described the reasoning behind the site, telling me it’s “like a Rubik’s Cube in outer space, full of culture inspiring the world to be a better place.”
In a piece he earlier penned for The Guardian, timed to the July 4th holiday, Refn wrote, “This is a frightening time to be alive,” but “certainly, we have to embrace such an apocalyptic time, because the alternative is hand-wringing inertia and that’s perfect for those in power.” And what’s needed, “is art: good, challenging art, not good-taste art, which is the chief enemy of creativity.”
An expert on cinema of different genres and eras — he’s developing remakes of some classic horror pics — Refn has acquired and restored old movies as a hobby.
In a piece he earlier penned for The Guardian, timed to the July 4th holiday, Refn wrote, “This is a frightening time to be alive,” but “certainly, we have to embrace such an apocalyptic time, because the alternative is hand-wringing inertia and that’s perfect for those in power.” And what’s needed, “is art: good, challenging art, not good-taste art, which is the chief enemy of creativity.”
An expert on cinema of different genres and eras — he’s developing remakes of some classic horror pics — Refn has acquired and restored old movies as a hobby.
- 7/5/2018
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Curtis Harrington’s Ruby (1977) is a perfect example of what I like to call a or something film, to wit: Piper Laurie follows up her Academy Award nominated turn in Carrie (’76) to headline as a former gun moll haunted by her dead ex while she runs a drive-in and her 16 year old becomes possessed by said dead ex. Or something. Fractured and scattered but a whole lot of fun, Ruby is positively littered with or something’s and I kind of love it for that.
Released by Dimension Pictures in late June, Ruby was a big hit with audiences, returning $16 million off of a sub million dollar budget. This was clearly the Carrie effect; I remember the trailer playing on TV at the time, and my wee mind was blown by the final image – a woman in a red dress being dragged underwater. For a kid with an early thirst for horror,...
Released by Dimension Pictures in late June, Ruby was a big hit with audiences, returning $16 million off of a sub million dollar budget. This was clearly the Carrie effect; I remember the trailer playing on TV at the time, and my wee mind was blown by the final image – a woman in a red dress being dragged underwater. For a kid with an early thirst for horror,...
- 3/24/2018
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
A major horror hit from ’77, Ruby surprised all that made it including its director Curtis Harrington, who struggled with an interfering producer for control of the set. Despite everything, star Piper Laurie still shines, and there’s some good atmosphere — for an Exorcist rip-off, it’s not bad.
Ruby
Special Elite Edition Blu-ray + DVD
Vci
1977 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 85 min. / Street Date September 12, 2017 / available at Vci Entertainment / 29.95
Starring: Piper Laurie, Stuart Whitman, Roger Davis, Janit Baldwin, Crystin Sinclair, Sal Vecchio, Len Lesser, Fred Kohler.
Cinematography: William Mendenhall
Film Editor: William P. Magee
Original Music: Don Ellis
Written by George Edwards, Barry Schneider story by Steve Krantz
Produced by George Edwards, Steve Krantz
Directed by Curtis Harrington
Curtis Harrington had as rough a directing career as anyone, but not without an artistic triumph or two. Fascinated by fantasy and horror, he was filming avant-garde short subjects while still a teenager. He also...
Ruby
Special Elite Edition Blu-ray + DVD
Vci
1977 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 85 min. / Street Date September 12, 2017 / available at Vci Entertainment / 29.95
Starring: Piper Laurie, Stuart Whitman, Roger Davis, Janit Baldwin, Crystin Sinclair, Sal Vecchio, Len Lesser, Fred Kohler.
Cinematography: William Mendenhall
Film Editor: William P. Magee
Original Music: Don Ellis
Written by George Edwards, Barry Schneider story by Steve Krantz
Produced by George Edwards, Steve Krantz
Directed by Curtis Harrington
Curtis Harrington had as rough a directing career as anyone, but not without an artistic triumph or two. Fascinated by fantasy and horror, he was filming avant-garde short subjects while still a teenager. He also...
- 12/23/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
With Halloween only a week away now (how in the heck did that happen?), of course there are a ton of horror and sci-fi home entertainment offerings arriving on Tuesday, ready to get you primed for all your spooky shenanigans leading up to October 31st. In terms of new titles, both War of the Planet of the Apes and Annabelle: Creation hit various formats, and Criterion has put together a stellar release for Olivier Assayas’ Personal Shopper as well.
On the cult side of the genre spectrum, we have a myriad of movies to look forward to, including a quartet of titles from Vinegar Syndrome: The Corpse Grinders, Demon Wind, Blood Beat, and the double feature of Prime Evil and Lurkers. Arrow Video has assembled a special edition set for Herschell Gordon Lewis’ Blood Feast that’s a must-own for any splatter fans out there, and the Warner Archive Collection...
On the cult side of the genre spectrum, we have a myriad of movies to look forward to, including a quartet of titles from Vinegar Syndrome: The Corpse Grinders, Demon Wind, Blood Beat, and the double feature of Prime Evil and Lurkers. Arrow Video has assembled a special edition set for Herschell Gordon Lewis’ Blood Feast that’s a must-own for any splatter fans out there, and the Warner Archive Collection...
- 10/24/2017
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Nicolas Winding Refn has announced he is launching a curated website of films, essays, photography, and more art in February 2018. The website, entitled “byNWR.com,” will be completely free for users, including the streaming films. Refn made the announcement during an appearance at the Lumière Film Festival in Lyon, France, where he described the project as “an unadulterated cultural expressway of the arts” that will “create a modern idea of what cinema will become.”
Read More:Nicolas Winding Refn Teases ‘Too Old To Die Young’ TV Series With Punk Track
The website’s mission statement reads: “byNWR shares Nicolas Winding Refn’s passion for the rare, the forgotten and the unknown, breathing new life into the culturally intriguing and influential. Quarterly volumes of content divide into three monthly chapters, each featuring a fully-restored film. These revived cinematic gems inspire a wealth of original content, curated by special Guest Editors.”
The...
Read More:Nicolas Winding Refn Teases ‘Too Old To Die Young’ TV Series With Punk Track
The website’s mission statement reads: “byNWR shares Nicolas Winding Refn’s passion for the rare, the forgotten and the unknown, breathing new life into the culturally intriguing and influential. Quarterly volumes of content divide into three monthly chapters, each featuring a fully-restored film. These revived cinematic gems inspire a wealth of original content, curated by special Guest Editors.”
The...
- 10/16/2017
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
It’s a genuine Universal horror classic that to my knowledge has never been available in a decent presentation — but The Cohen Group has come through with a nigh-perfect Blu-ray, both image and sound. Karloff is creepy, Gloria Stuart lovely and Ernest Thesiger is at his most delightfully fruity. And the potato lobby should be pleased, too.
The Old Dark House (1932)
Blu-ray
The Cohen Group
1932 / B&W / 1:37 flat full frame / 72 min. / Street Date October 24, 2017 / 25.99
Starring: Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Lilian Bond, Ernest Thesiger, Rebecca Femm, Raymond Massey, Gloria Stuart, John (actually Elspeth) Dudgeon, Brember Wills.
Cinematography: Arthur Edeson
Film Editor: Clarence Kolster
Special Makeup: Jack Pierce
Written by Benn W. Levy, from the novel by J. B. Priestley
Produced by Carl Laemmle Jr.
Directed by James Whale
I suppose fans of horror films will forever hope that some pristine copy of the lost 1927 London After Midnight will someday appear.
The Old Dark House (1932)
Blu-ray
The Cohen Group
1932 / B&W / 1:37 flat full frame / 72 min. / Street Date October 24, 2017 / 25.99
Starring: Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Lilian Bond, Ernest Thesiger, Rebecca Femm, Raymond Massey, Gloria Stuart, John (actually Elspeth) Dudgeon, Brember Wills.
Cinematography: Arthur Edeson
Film Editor: Clarence Kolster
Special Makeup: Jack Pierce
Written by Benn W. Levy, from the novel by J. B. Priestley
Produced by Carl Laemmle Jr.
Directed by James Whale
I suppose fans of horror films will forever hope that some pristine copy of the lost 1927 London After Midnight will someday appear.
- 10/14/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
An essential must-see for horror fans who enjoy films set in eerie abodes on dark and stormy nights, The Dark Old House (1932), co-starring the legendary Boris Karloff, is coming to select theaters like never before this October in a stunning 4K digital restoration from Cohen Media Group, and we've been provided with an exclusive reveal of the new poster for the film and a clip that offers a look at the eye-popping makeover given to the classic shadow puppet scene.
Below, you can watch the creepy clip and check out the new poster, which will be included in the Blu-ray / DVD booklet for the film's new home media release on October 24th. We also have the previous press release with full details on The Old Dark House 4K restoration, and keep an eye out for the film in select theaters beginning Friday, October 6th, including the Quad theater in New York City.
Below, you can watch the creepy clip and check out the new poster, which will be included in the Blu-ray / DVD booklet for the film's new home media release on October 24th. We also have the previous press release with full details on The Old Dark House 4K restoration, and keep an eye out for the film in select theaters beginning Friday, October 6th, including the Quad theater in New York City.
- 10/4/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Director Curtis Harrington always offered up solid, unassuming genre fare on the small screen (How Awful about Allan, the wonderfully goofy Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell); and when he collaborated with noted scribe Robert Bloch (Psycho), the result was NBC’s The Dead Don’t Die (1975), an effective throwback to the Lewton/Turneur era beloved by both, shot through with a big dose of pulpy goodness.
Originally broadcast on January 14th as an NBC World Premiere Movie, Tddd didn’t stand a chance against the likes of the ABC Tuesday Movie of the Week or the ironclad CBS lineup of M*A*S*H/Hawaii Five-o, and Bloch is on the record as not being a fan. Oh well; I still dig its entertaining mashup of neo noir and old fashioned zombies even if he doesn’t. And you might too if that particular elixir peaks your interest.
Crack...
Originally broadcast on January 14th as an NBC World Premiere Movie, Tddd didn’t stand a chance against the likes of the ABC Tuesday Movie of the Week or the ironclad CBS lineup of M*A*S*H/Hawaii Five-o, and Bloch is on the record as not being a fan. Oh well; I still dig its entertaining mashup of neo noir and old fashioned zombies even if he doesn’t. And you might too if that particular elixir peaks your interest.
Crack...
- 10/1/2017
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
He played iconic roles like Frankenstein's monster and Imhotep (aka The Mummy), but Boris Karloff also instilled life in so many other intriguing characters, including Morgan in The Old Dark House, coming to Blu-ray (in a 4K restoration), DVD, and digital platforms this October from the Cohen Film Collection:
Press Release: Charles S. Cohen, Chairman and CEO of Cohen Media Group, today announced that the landmark thriller The Old Dark House, starring Boris Karloff, will be released by the Cohen Film Collection on Blu-ray, DVD and digital platforms on October 24, 2017. The home video release features the dazzling new 4K digital restoration that was screened to wide acclaim at the 2017 Venice Film Festival.
Based on J.B. Priestley's popular novel Benighted, this legendary classic was directed by James Whale in the fertile period between his Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. In The Old Dark House, Whale puts a surprising spin on...
Press Release: Charles S. Cohen, Chairman and CEO of Cohen Media Group, today announced that the landmark thriller The Old Dark House, starring Boris Karloff, will be released by the Cohen Film Collection on Blu-ray, DVD and digital platforms on October 24, 2017. The home video release features the dazzling new 4K digital restoration that was screened to wide acclaim at the 2017 Venice Film Festival.
Based on J.B. Priestley's popular novel Benighted, this legendary classic was directed by James Whale in the fertile period between his Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. In The Old Dark House, Whale puts a surprising spin on...
- 9/26/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
If Hollywood’s horror offerings this October have you feeling unperturbed and disappointed, a restoration of a classic in the genre will help to provide your spook-filled fix. A year after Frankenstein and a year before The Invisible Man, James Whale directed an adaptation of J. B. Priestley’s Benighted, titled The Old Dark House.
Ahead of a screening at Nyff, theatrical run at Quad Cinema, and a Blu-ray release, Cohen Media Group has unveiled a trailer for the restoration, which looks hauntingly gorgeous. Starring Boris Karloff, Charles Laughton, Eva Moore, Gloria Stuart, Melvyn Douglas, and Raymond Massey, the film follows a group stranded at a mysterious mansion. Check out the trailer and poster below.
Cast from the mold of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” and the many gothic tales in its wake, J. B. Priestley’s 1927 novel Benighted was one of the most...
Ahead of a screening at Nyff, theatrical run at Quad Cinema, and a Blu-ray release, Cohen Media Group has unveiled a trailer for the restoration, which looks hauntingly gorgeous. Starring Boris Karloff, Charles Laughton, Eva Moore, Gloria Stuart, Melvyn Douglas, and Raymond Massey, the film follows a group stranded at a mysterious mansion. Check out the trailer and poster below.
Cast from the mold of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” and the many gothic tales in its wake, J. B. Priestley’s 1927 novel Benighted was one of the most...
- 9/25/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
It’s a given that their Main Slate — the fresh, the recently buzzed-about, the mysterious, the anticipated — will be the New York Film Festival’s primary point of attraction for both media coverage and ticket sales. But while a rather fine lineup is, to these eyes, deserving of such treatment, the festival’s latest Revivals section — i.e. “important works from renowned filmmakers that have been digitally remastered, restored, and preserved with the assistance of generous partners,” per their press release — is in a whole other class, one titanic name after another granted a representation that these particular works have so long lacked.
The list speaks for itself, even (or especially) if you’re more likely to recognize a director than title. Included therein are films by Andrei Tarkovsky (The Sacrifice), Hou Hsiao-hsien (Daughter of the Nile, a personal favorite), Pedro Costa (Casa de Lava; trailer here), Jean-Luc Godard (the rarely seen,...
The list speaks for itself, even (or especially) if you’re more likely to recognize a director than title. Included therein are films by Andrei Tarkovsky (The Sacrifice), Hou Hsiao-hsien (Daughter of the Nile, a personal favorite), Pedro Costa (Casa de Lava; trailer here), Jean-Luc Godard (the rarely seen,...
- 8/21/2017
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
If anyone wrote the book on complicated parental relations, it’s Anthony Perkins. While Mother is nowhere to be found, this time around Tony is having Daddy issues in How Awful About Allan (1970), an effective, low key TV thriller directed by Curtis Harrington (The Dead Don’t Die). As long as you can leave Norman up in his room, you should have a good time.
Originally airing as an ABC Movie of the Week (because of course) on Tuesday, September 22nd, Allan had to contend with Hee Haw/All in the Family on CBS and the NBC Tuesday Night at the Movies. At the time however, ABC had this format on lockdown with audiences, and for good reason – they always brought in top shelf talent to display on the small screen, and How Awful About Allan is certainly no exception.
Let’s dig out our trusty and totally unreal TV...
Originally airing as an ABC Movie of the Week (because of course) on Tuesday, September 22nd, Allan had to contend with Hee Haw/All in the Family on CBS and the NBC Tuesday Night at the Movies. At the time however, ABC had this format on lockdown with audiences, and for good reason – they always brought in top shelf talent to display on the small screen, and How Awful About Allan is certainly no exception.
Let’s dig out our trusty and totally unreal TV...
- 7/23/2017
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Okay fantasy film fans, here’s a quick memory quiz for you (if you’re well past twenty). You recall what you were doing on that first weekend of May fifteen years ago (can’t be that long ago)? There’s a very good chance that you were making movie history by smashing the existing three-day box office total for a new film. Its title? Why the biggest film of 2002, Sony Pictures’ Spider-man directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire. For fans of superhero cinema, that year has the same importance as 1978 (Superman The Movie directed by Richard Donner and starring Christopher Reeve) and 1989 (Batman directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton…more about him soon). Sure, Superman and Batman had been the subject of low-budget movie serials, a story shown in weekly installments, usually a staple of “kiddie” matinees until the mid 1950’s. The Dark Knight had...
- 7/7/2017
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Thanks to The Omen (1976) and little Damien’s watchdog, Hollywood figured they could mine some horror from our canine friends, on the assumption that there’s something inherently evil to exploit. Except…they’re not. Are they sometimes vicious? Definitely. But I would hardly call dogs evil, especially ones allegedly in favor with Satan. Which brings us to todays’ Tube, as TV naturally had to take a shot at demonizing our four legged friends, a task at which Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell (1978) fails spectacularly. It is however, a blast and more fun than a bowl full of kibble.
Originally airing on Halloween night of 1978 on CBS, Devil Dog was up against Linda Blair and her demonic cousin in Summer of Fear over on NBC, a true dilemma for horror fans as both satisfy in different ways. But since I’ve already covered that Wes Craven helmed Ya adaptation...
Originally airing on Halloween night of 1978 on CBS, Devil Dog was up against Linda Blair and her demonic cousin in Summer of Fear over on NBC, a true dilemma for horror fans as both satisfy in different ways. But since I’ve already covered that Wes Craven helmed Ya adaptation...
- 6/11/2017
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
As Scream Factory continues to release pared-down catalogue titles on their now five-year-old label, the brand keeps expanding to include all different kinds of movies. Once known for releasing deluxe special editions of horror fan favorites, the company has diversified over the last half decade and begun releasing new films (as part of their deal with IFC midnight), unknown (and sometimes previously unavailable) cult films, a handful of classics, and even their own in-house productions. This last batch of catalogue titles, the majority of which have been released with only minimum bonus features but new HD scans, continues to broaden the reach of the Scream Factory brand to include a range of titles from secretly successful ’70s sexploitation sci-fi to well-intentioned failures of the 1990s.
First up is the 1958 cult classic I Bury the Living, directed by Albert Band (father of low-budget horror legend Charles Band, who would go on...
First up is the 1958 cult classic I Bury the Living, directed by Albert Band (father of low-budget horror legend Charles Band, who would go on...
- 5/19/2017
- by Patrick Bromley
- DailyDead
Long before movies routinely created ‘worlds’ with their own twisted fantasy logic, only a few paranoid thrillers, usually odd genre items, tried out twisted stories of deceptive ‘hidden realities.’ Like an extended Twilight Zone entry, this lively James Garner war pic morphs into a bizarre conspiracy worthy of Philip K. Dick. If only it weren’t so “L-a-o” — Literal And Obvious.
36 Hours
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1965 / B&W / 2:35 widescreen / 115 min. / Street Date April 11, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Rod Taylor, Werner Peters, John Banner, Russell Thorson, Alan Napier, Oscar Beregi, Ed Gilbert, Sig Ruman, Celia Lovsky, Karl Held, James Doohan.
Cinematography Philip H. Lathrop
Art Direction Edward Carfagno, George W. Davis
Film Editor Adrienne Fazan
Original Music Dimitri Tiomkin
Written by George Seaton, Carl K. Hittleman, Luis H. Vance from a story by Roald Dahl
Produced by William Perlberg
Directed by George Seaton
Released...
36 Hours
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1965 / B&W / 2:35 widescreen / 115 min. / Street Date April 11, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Rod Taylor, Werner Peters, John Banner, Russell Thorson, Alan Napier, Oscar Beregi, Ed Gilbert, Sig Ruman, Celia Lovsky, Karl Held, James Doohan.
Cinematography Philip H. Lathrop
Art Direction Edward Carfagno, George W. Davis
Film Editor Adrienne Fazan
Original Music Dimitri Tiomkin
Written by George Seaton, Carl K. Hittleman, Luis H. Vance from a story by Roald Dahl
Produced by William Perlberg
Directed by George Seaton
Released...
- 4/11/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
"So you met someone and now you know how it feels. Goody, goody." Starring Shelley Winters and the great Debbie Reynolds, What's the Matter with Helen (1971) is coming to Blu-ray on March 28th from Scream Factory, and we've been provided with three Blu-ray copies to give away to lucky Daily Dead readers.
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Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) Blu-ray copy of What's the Matter with Helen?
How to Enter: We're giving Daily Dead readers multiple chances to enter and win:
1. Instagram: Following us on Instagram during the contest period will give you an automatic contest entry. Make sure to follow us at:
https://www.instagram.com/dailydead/
2. Email: For a chance to win via email, send an email to contest@dailydead.com with the subject “What's the Matter with Helen Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01am Est on April 2nd.
————
Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) Blu-ray copy of What's the Matter with Helen?
How to Enter: We're giving Daily Dead readers multiple chances to enter and win:
1. Instagram: Following us on Instagram during the contest period will give you an automatic contest entry. Make sure to follow us at:
https://www.instagram.com/dailydead/
2. Email: For a chance to win via email, send an email to contest@dailydead.com with the subject “What's the Matter with Helen Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01am Est on April 2nd.
- 3/27/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
All that glitters is not gold in Curtis Harrington's What's the Matter with Helen, starring Shelley Winters and the late Debbie Reynolds, and you can heck out high-def Blu-ray clips and the original trailer for the film ahead of its new home media release on March 28th from Scream Factory.
What's the Matter with Helen Blu-ray: "Debbie Reynolds and Shelley Winters star in this stylish shocker set in 1930s Hollywood about two women who come to Tinseltown to start an idyllic new life and end up in a terrifying nightmare. Directed by Curtis Harrington (Queen Of Blood, Games), this relentlessly frightening film also stars Dennis Weaver (McCloud), Agnes Moorehead (Bewitched, Dear Dead Delilah) and Yvette Vickers (Attack of the Giant Leeches, Attack of the 50ft Woman).
Bonus Features
New High-Definition Transfer From The Interpositive Original Theatrical Trailer Original Radio Spot Still Gallery"
The post What’S The Matter With Helen?...
What's the Matter with Helen Blu-ray: "Debbie Reynolds and Shelley Winters star in this stylish shocker set in 1930s Hollywood about two women who come to Tinseltown to start an idyllic new life and end up in a terrifying nightmare. Directed by Curtis Harrington (Queen Of Blood, Games), this relentlessly frightening film also stars Dennis Weaver (McCloud), Agnes Moorehead (Bewitched, Dear Dead Delilah) and Yvette Vickers (Attack of the Giant Leeches, Attack of the 50ft Woman).
Bonus Features
New High-Definition Transfer From The Interpositive Original Theatrical Trailer Original Radio Spot Still Gallery"
The post What’S The Matter With Helen?...
- 3/27/2017
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Ryan Lambie Feb 21, 2017
Before he made The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola got his start by editing monsters into a Soviet sci-fi film...
Everyone loves a good success story, and Hollywood history's full of them. Actors sleeping in their cars until they get their first lucky break. Writers papering the walls of their lodgings with rejection letters until they finally get a script in front of a receptive producer. Filmmakers who've spent years paying their dues before a studio finally comes calling.
See related Robot Wars interview: presenter Angela Scanlon Robot Wars episode 6 review Robot Wars episode 5 review Robot Wars episode 4 review Robot Wars episode 3 review
Director Francis Ford Coppola, before he shot to fame - and, for a time, considerable wealth - with such films as The Godfather, The Conversation and Apocalypse Now, scrabbled around at the lower end of the industry like just about everyone else.
Before he made The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola got his start by editing monsters into a Soviet sci-fi film...
Everyone loves a good success story, and Hollywood history's full of them. Actors sleeping in their cars until they get their first lucky break. Writers papering the walls of their lodgings with rejection letters until they finally get a script in front of a receptive producer. Filmmakers who've spent years paying their dues before a studio finally comes calling.
See related Robot Wars interview: presenter Angela Scanlon Robot Wars episode 6 review Robot Wars episode 5 review Robot Wars episode 4 review Robot Wars episode 3 review
Director Francis Ford Coppola, before he shot to fame - and, for a time, considerable wealth - with such films as The Godfather, The Conversation and Apocalypse Now, scrabbled around at the lower end of the industry like just about everyone else.
- 2/20/2017
- Den of Geek
Two mothers seeking an escape from the murderous deeds of their sons settle down in Hollywood, but the horrors they left behind soon follow them to their new home in Curtis Harrington's What's the Matter with Helen? This past Halloween, Scream Factory announced that they would release the 1971 horror thriller on Blu-ray, and they've now revealed a March release date and cover art for the film.
From Scream Factory: "We are now taking pre-orders for our upcoming release of the 1971 psychological What’S The Matter With Helen? which makes its Blu-ray format debut in the U.S. & Canada! Release date is planned for March 28th.
Debbie Reynolds and Shelley Winters star in this stylish shocker set in 1930s Hollywood about two women who come to Tinseltown to start an idyllic new life and end up in a terrifying nightmare. Directed by Curtis Harrington (Queen Of Blood, Games), this...
From Scream Factory: "We are now taking pre-orders for our upcoming release of the 1971 psychological What’S The Matter With Helen? which makes its Blu-ray format debut in the U.S. & Canada! Release date is planned for March 28th.
Debbie Reynolds and Shelley Winters star in this stylish shocker set in 1930s Hollywood about two women who come to Tinseltown to start an idyllic new life and end up in a terrifying nightmare. Directed by Curtis Harrington (Queen Of Blood, Games), this...
- 12/7/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Piper Laurie, still flush with her success in 1976’s Carrie, is mother to another supernatural trouble-child in this 1977 possession potboiler from director Curtis Harrington (Night Tide). Laurie plays the titular Ruby whose deaf-mute daughter begins to show signs that her personality has been taken over by the spirit of her dead father, a sleaze-ball mobster executed by his own associates. Perennial tough-guy Stuart Whitman plays Laurie’s current lover and Janit Baldwin, who left acting in 1984, plays the levitating teen.
- 12/5/2016
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
Fox’s first official monster movie is a terrific-looking but mostly flat mystery that tries its utmost not to be a horror film at all. It’s a head scratcher that will interest fans of the expressive John Brahm, and help completists scratch another werewolf film off their gotta-see lists.
The Undying Monster
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1942 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 62 min. / Street Date December 13, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring James Ellison, Heather Angel, John Howard, Bramwell Fletcher, Heather Thatcher, Aubrey Mather, Halliwell Hobbes, Alec Craig, Holmes Herbert, Eily Malyon, Charles McGraw.
Cinematography Lucien Ballard
<Film Editor Harry Reynolds
Original Music Emil Newman, David Raksin
Written byLillie Hayward, Michel Jacoby from a novel by Jessie Douglas Kerrruish
Produced by Bryan Foy
Directed by John Brahm
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
After the heyday of Universal horror in the first half of the 1930s, horror pictures went on the decline for over twenty years.
The Undying Monster
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1942 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 62 min. / Street Date December 13, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring James Ellison, Heather Angel, John Howard, Bramwell Fletcher, Heather Thatcher, Aubrey Mather, Halliwell Hobbes, Alec Craig, Holmes Herbert, Eily Malyon, Charles McGraw.
Cinematography Lucien Ballard
<Film Editor Harry Reynolds
Original Music Emil Newman, David Raksin
Written byLillie Hayward, Michel Jacoby from a novel by Jessie Douglas Kerrruish
Produced by Bryan Foy
Directed by John Brahm
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
After the heyday of Universal horror in the first half of the 1930s, horror pictures went on the decline for over twenty years.
- 11/29/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This kitty needs no introduction: Simone Simon is the purring-sweet immigrant with a dark atavistic secret. It's Val Lewton's debut smash hit. The real hero is director Jacques Tourneur, who conveys a feeling of real life being lived that won over audiences of 1942 and drew them into his web of fantasy. Cat People Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 833 1942 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 73 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date September 20, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph, Jack Holt, Elizabeth Russell, Theresa Harris. Cinematography Nicholas Musuraca Art Direction Albert S. D'Agostino, Walter E. Keller Film Editor Mark Robson Original Music Roy Webb Written by De Witt Bodeen Directed by Jacques Tourneur
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Val Lewton never had to be 'discovered,' actually. Life magazine awarded him his own photo layout and the critics praised him as the maker of a new brand of psychologically based horror films.
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Val Lewton never had to be 'discovered,' actually. Life magazine awarded him his own photo layout and the critics praised him as the maker of a new brand of psychologically based horror films.
- 9/2/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This four-feature set is the weirdest cinematic treasure box of the year, a sort of anti-matter film school. Three of the films are derived from a single Yugoslavian picture rejected by Roger Corman. His acolytes Jack Hill and Stephanie Rothman proceeded to add serial killings, supernatural hauntings, a goofy vampire, and an ending that could be called 'Zombies In The Wax Museum.' Tim Lucas tells the whole story in a fascinating feature-length extra docu. Blood Bath Blu-ray Arrow Video (USA) 1963 - 1966 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen / 95 - 81 - 62 - 75 min. / 2-Disc Limited Edition / Street Date May 30, 2016 / 49.95 Starring William Campbell, Patrick Magee, Rade Marcovic, Miha Baloh, Irena Prosen; Marissa Mathes, Linda Saunders, Sandra Knight, Carl Schanzer, Biff Elliot, Sid Haig, Jonathan Haze. Cinematography Nenad Jovicic, Dan Telford, Alfred Taylor. Original Music Bojan Adamic, Ronald Stein, Written by Vlasta Radovanovic, Vic Webber, Jack Hill & Stephanie Rothman Directed by Rados Novakovic, Michael Roy,...
- 5/24/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
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