When Donald Cammell's techno-horror "Demon Seed" crept into theaters in 1977, critics were not impressed. From being described as utterly nonsensical to being viciously torn apart as a film with no right to exist, "Demon Seed" was mostly reviled as unwatchable garbage that relied on flagrant shock value to capture audience attention.
Today, the film's critical reappraisal does not quite elevate "Demon Seed" into a cult classic but does approach it with a more balanced lens, where there is some value to be found in its social commentary about technological singularity and the uprooting of female autonomy. Cammell's film is an uncomfortable look into the extent to which those in power wish to control bodily autonomy — a theme that feels especially poignant now. Apart from this, "Demon Seed" also underlines the horrifying extremes of unchecked artificial intelligence, and how it preys on those it perceives as easily exploitable.
Despite being...
Today, the film's critical reappraisal does not quite elevate "Demon Seed" into a cult classic but does approach it with a more balanced lens, where there is some value to be found in its social commentary about technological singularity and the uprooting of female autonomy. Cammell's film is an uncomfortable look into the extent to which those in power wish to control bodily autonomy — a theme that feels especially poignant now. Apart from this, "Demon Seed" also underlines the horrifying extremes of unchecked artificial intelligence, and how it preys on those it perceives as easily exploitable.
Despite being...
- 5/5/2024
- by Debopriyaa Dutta
- Slash Film
Barbara O. Jones, an actress in the independent Black cinema of 1970s Los Angeles in such films as Bush Mama and Daughters of the Dust, has died at her home in Dayton, Ohio. She was 82.
Her brother, Marlon Minor, confirmed her April 8 death to The New York Times and said the cause had not been determined.
Jones moved from the Midwest in search of a film career, and became active in the UCLA film school, a movement that has been called the L.A. Rebellion.
She appeared in several short student films, including Child of Resistance (1973), in which she played an imprisoned activist loosely based on Angela Davis, and Diary of an African Nun (1977), adapted from a short story by Alice Walker.
Her first leading role in a feature film was in Bush Mama (1979). The movie’s story followed the daily life of Dorothy, played by Jones. The film was...
Her brother, Marlon Minor, confirmed her April 8 death to The New York Times and said the cause had not been determined.
Jones moved from the Midwest in search of a film career, and became active in the UCLA film school, a movement that has been called the L.A. Rebellion.
She appeared in several short student films, including Child of Resistance (1973), in which she played an imprisoned activist loosely based on Angela Davis, and Diary of an African Nun (1977), adapted from a short story by Alice Walker.
Her first leading role in a feature film was in Bush Mama (1979). The movie’s story followed the daily life of Dorothy, played by Jones. The film was...
- 5/5/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Barbara O. Jones, the admired actress who emerged from the L.A. Rebellion movement of Black filmmakers at UCLA in the 1970s to star in Haile Gerima’s Bush Mama and Julie Dash’s Daughters of the Dust, has died. She was 82.
Jones died Tuesday at her home in Dayton, Ohio, her brother, Raymond Minor, told The Hollywood Reporter.
“Rest In Peace & Power,” Dash wrote on Instagram.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Julie Dash (@dash_julie)
For Gerima, Jones portrayed an imprisoned woman fighting for social justice in the 36-minute short film Child of Resistance (1973) — the character was inspired by activist Angela Davis — and a welfare recipient in Watts who undergoes an ideological transformation in the filmmaker’s feature debut, Bush Mama (1979). Both films were made at UCLA.
Jones starred as a Ugandan nun questioning her faith in Dash’s 13-minute student film Diary of an...
Jones died Tuesday at her home in Dayton, Ohio, her brother, Raymond Minor, told The Hollywood Reporter.
“Rest In Peace & Power,” Dash wrote on Instagram.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Julie Dash (@dash_julie)
For Gerima, Jones portrayed an imprisoned woman fighting for social justice in the 36-minute short film Child of Resistance (1973) — the character was inspired by activist Angela Davis — and a welfare recipient in Watts who undergoes an ideological transformation in the filmmaker’s feature debut, Bush Mama (1979). Both films were made at UCLA.
Jones starred as a Ugandan nun questioning her faith in Dash’s 13-minute student film Diary of an...
- 4/18/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
I was a kid just as the drive-in craze was coming to a close. I can recall packing into our giant boat of a Chrysler station wagon and trekking out to see some first-run movies with my family back in the early 80s. I vividly remember seeing The Muppets Take Manhattan, Superman III (which terrified young me to no end), and Return of the Jedi on the massive screens of the Starlight Drive-In that stood for decades after the projectors were shut down and the lot converted into a gigantic swap-meet. Unfortunately, I was far too young to take in the legendary exploitation fare of the period. Sometimes I wish I had been born fifteen or twenty years earlier so I could have experienced the heyday of Aip, New World, and their ilk firsthand, but living through the dawn of the home video boom wasn’t a bad trade off.
- 1/29/2024
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
In the age of Alexa and Siri, it’s not hard to imagine a world where machines rule. But what if they weren’t as friendly as our favorite virtual assistants? If you’re fascinated by the chilling prospect of tech taking over (or just love a good cinematic robo thrill!), then this list of killer robots and malicious machine movies is tailored just for you. Be warned, though; you might think twice before asking Siri to play your playlist after watching these!
The Terminator (1984) | Orion The Terminator (1984)
In this sci-fi classic, a buff cyborg is sent from the future with a singular mission: end Sarah Connor’s existence. It’s an action-packed roller coaster that introduced us to Arnie’s iconic phrase, “I’ll be back.” Oh, and spoiler alert: he wasn’t just talking about returning from a grocery run. The quintessential killer machine.
Where to Watch: Powered...
The Terminator (1984) | Orion The Terminator (1984)
In this sci-fi classic, a buff cyborg is sent from the future with a singular mission: end Sarah Connor’s existence. It’s an action-packed roller coaster that introduced us to Arnie’s iconic phrase, “I’ll be back.” Oh, and spoiler alert: he wasn’t just talking about returning from a grocery run. The quintessential killer machine.
Where to Watch: Powered...
- 10/19/2023
- by Ian Banks
The episode of The Test of Time covering Motel Hell was Written by Andrew Hatfield, Narrated by Niki Minter, Edited by Mike Conway, Produced by John Fallon and Tyler Nichols, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
Copycat movies have been a thing forever. You can look at the broader scope and consider that most slasher movies became copycat in one way or another. A supernatural killer, excessive gore and nudity, and even the high body counts. That style of horror movies could become a dime a dozen. Twin films are similar, but they are made at roughly the same time and actually trying to release first to beat the other to market so as to not be seen as an attempted clone of the other studios idea. Boiling it down even further, some copycats go beyond just the themes and even try to take direct elements from the previous movie that made money.
Copycat movies have been a thing forever. You can look at the broader scope and consider that most slasher movies became copycat in one way or another. A supernatural killer, excessive gore and nudity, and even the high body counts. That style of horror movies could become a dime a dozen. Twin films are similar, but they are made at roughly the same time and actually trying to release first to beat the other to market so as to not be seen as an attempted clone of the other studios idea. Boiling it down even further, some copycats go beyond just the themes and even try to take direct elements from the previous movie that made money.
- 9/28/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
One of last year’s most resonant films, Aftersun looks at the scratchy dynamics between a father and daughter while on vacation. It’s about memory, the finite nature of the relationships in our lives, and the difficulties of a parent’s diminishing mental health. Charlotte Wells knows where to put the camera in her debut—undeterred from taking risks, from placing her characters outside of the frame, from looking at shadows instead of the people themselves. Aftersun is a rare, tremendous first film, full of heart and focused melancholy; it breaks you down and fills you up simultaneously. The consistent inclusion of camcorder footage, and the fact that it enhances the story rather than becoming a distraction, further...
Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
One of last year’s most resonant films, Aftersun looks at the scratchy dynamics between a father and daughter while on vacation. It’s about memory, the finite nature of the relationships in our lives, and the difficulties of a parent’s diminishing mental health. Charlotte Wells knows where to put the camera in her debut—undeterred from taking risks, from placing her characters outside of the frame, from looking at shadows instead of the people themselves. Aftersun is a rare, tremendous first film, full of heart and focused melancholy; it breaks you down and fills you up simultaneously. The consistent inclusion of camcorder footage, and the fact that it enhances the story rather than becoming a distraction, further...
- 7/7/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
I honestly never expected Steven Spielberg in a Criterion Channel series––certainly not one that pairs him with Kogonada, anime, and Johnny Mnemonic––but so’s the power of artificial intelligence. Perhaps his greatest film (at this point I don’t need to tell you the title) plays with After Yang, Ghost in the Shell, and pre-Matrix Keanu in July’s aptly titled “AI” boasting also Spike Jonze’s Her, Carpenter’s Dark Star, and Computer Chess. Much more analog is a British Noir collection obviously carrying the likes of Odd Man Out, Night and the City, and The Small Back Room, further filled by Joseph Losey’s Time Without Pity and Basil Dearden’s It Always Rains on Sunday. (No two ways about it: these movies have great titles.) An Elvis retrospective brings six features, and the consensus best (Don Siegel’s Flaming Star) comes September 1.
While Isabella Rossellini...
While Isabella Rossellini...
- 6/22/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Stars: Eliza Taylor, Bob Morley, Hannah Fierman, Bryan Batt, David Keith | Written by Elisa Manzini, Sara Sometti Michaels | Directed by Erik Bernard
As I’ll Be Watching opens, Julie is having a terrible day. Her husband Marcus is having problems with connecting flights and is going to miss the showing of her latest paintings. Even worse, her sister Rebecca (Hannah Fierman; Dead by Midnight (11pm Central), Evil Little Things) goes to Julie’s apartment to give her cat Pepper her meds, while she’s there she’s killed by an intruder.
Months later Julie is still suffering from guilt over her death and lets herself be pressured into moving to a new home in the middle of nowhere by Marcus and their therapist Dr. Tate. They tell her not living in the place where her sister died should help her recover. Marcus can work from home so she won’t be alone,...
As I’ll Be Watching opens, Julie is having a terrible day. Her husband Marcus is having problems with connecting flights and is going to miss the showing of her latest paintings. Even worse, her sister Rebecca (Hannah Fierman; Dead by Midnight (11pm Central), Evil Little Things) goes to Julie’s apartment to give her cat Pepper her meds, while she’s there she’s killed by an intruder.
Months later Julie is still suffering from guilt over her death and lets herself be pressured into moving to a new home in the middle of nowhere by Marcus and their therapist Dr. Tate. They tell her not living in the place where her sister died should help her recover. Marcus can work from home so she won’t be alone,...
- 5/4/2023
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
We’ve lost another Hollywood legend. The Hollywood Reporter has broken the news that cinematographer Bill Butler, best known for his work on the 1975 Steven Spielberg classic Jaws, has passed away at the age of 101. Butler died on Wednesday evening, according to the American Society of Cinematographers. He would have turned 102 on Friday – today.
Born on April 7, 1921 in Cripple Creek, Colorado, Butler earned his first entertainment industry credit by working as a camera operator on the 1959 film 1001 Arabian Nights. His first cinematographer credit came when his friend, director William Friedkin, hired him to shoot the 1962 TV movie The People vs. Paul Crump. He never attended film school, he just taught himself cinematography by watching movies and referring to the ASC manual. That approach definitely worked out for him. Over the next fifty-four years, he served as the cinematographer on eighty-four more projects, including Jack Nicholson’s Drive, He Said; The Bold Men,...
Born on April 7, 1921 in Cripple Creek, Colorado, Butler earned his first entertainment industry credit by working as a camera operator on the 1959 film 1001 Arabian Nights. His first cinematographer credit came when his friend, director William Friedkin, hired him to shoot the 1962 TV movie The People vs. Paul Crump. He never attended film school, he just taught himself cinematography by watching movies and referring to the ASC manual. That approach definitely worked out for him. Over the next fifty-four years, he served as the cinematographer on eighty-four more projects, including Jack Nicholson’s Drive, He Said; The Bold Men,...
- 4/7/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The legendary, Oscar-nominated cinematographer of Steven Spielberg’s horror classic Jaws, Bill Butler passed away Wednesday at the age of 101 years old, THR reports this morning.
The site notes, “He would have turned 102 on Friday.”
It was back in 1976 that Bill Butler was co-nominated for a “Best Cinematography” statue at that year’s Academy Awards for his work on One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a film released just one year after Butler served as Cinematographer on the horror classic Jaws.
“His iconic shots included the early dawn attack of the first victim that opens the film, the Vertigo-inspired dolly zoom that accompanies Chief Brody’s shock at witnessing a shark attack from the beach and the extreme close-ups of panicking swimmers,” THR explains, detailing Bill Butler’s integral role in the making of the game-changing summer blockbuster.
Bill Butler later served as Cinematographer/Director of Photography on the original...
The site notes, “He would have turned 102 on Friday.”
It was back in 1976 that Bill Butler was co-nominated for a “Best Cinematography” statue at that year’s Academy Awards for his work on One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a film released just one year after Butler served as Cinematographer on the horror classic Jaws.
“His iconic shots included the early dawn attack of the first victim that opens the film, the Vertigo-inspired dolly zoom that accompanies Chief Brody’s shock at witnessing a shark attack from the beach and the extreme close-ups of panicking swimmers,” THR explains, detailing Bill Butler’s integral role in the making of the game-changing summer blockbuster.
Bill Butler later served as Cinematographer/Director of Photography on the original...
- 4/7/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Oscar-nominated Cinematographer Wilmer C. Butler, whose work included a series of landmark films such as The Conversation (1974), Jaws (1975) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), has died. He was 101. The American Society of Cinematographers confirmed Butler’s passing.
Butler was the ASC’s most senior member, and he had a resume to match. He worked with directors such as Philip Kaufman, Francis Ford Coppola, William Friedkin, Richard Donner, Jack Nicholson, Sylvester Stallone, Ivan Reitman, Tobe Hooper, Joseph Sargent, Mike Nichols, John Cassavetes and Steven Spielberg.
Friedkin convinced Butler to be the cinematographer on The People vs. Paul Crump, a documentary about a prisoner slated for execution in Illinois. The project got Crump’s death sentence commuted.
He got his start in features with Philip Kaufman’s 1967 film Fearless Frank. Two years later, Friedkin introduced Butler to Francis Ford Coppola, with whom he shot The Rain People before going on to...
Butler was the ASC’s most senior member, and he had a resume to match. He worked with directors such as Philip Kaufman, Francis Ford Coppola, William Friedkin, Richard Donner, Jack Nicholson, Sylvester Stallone, Ivan Reitman, Tobe Hooper, Joseph Sargent, Mike Nichols, John Cassavetes and Steven Spielberg.
Friedkin convinced Butler to be the cinematographer on The People vs. Paul Crump, a documentary about a prisoner slated for execution in Illinois. The project got Crump’s death sentence commuted.
He got his start in features with Philip Kaufman’s 1967 film Fearless Frank. Two years later, Friedkin introduced Butler to Francis Ford Coppola, with whom he shot The Rain People before going on to...
- 4/6/2023
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Bill Butler, the Oscar-nominated cinematographer whose career in Hollywood spanned five decades, has passed away. The news comes to us via The Hollywood Reporter, with the American Society of Cinematographers confirming his death. Butler was 101 years old, and mere days away from 102. The celebrated filmmaker leaves behind a body of work that is sure to outlive us all.
Born in 1921, Butler got his start in the early '60s serving as the director of photography on TV movies such as "The People vs. Paul Crump" and "The Bold Men." But it wasn't long before he was making a name for himself, shooting Francis Ford Coppola's first feature "The Rain People" in 1969. Butler was also behind the camera working with Coppola again for one of cinema's all-time classics a handful of years later with 1974's "The Conversation."
It was, however, the following year when Butler would arguably make his biggest...
Born in 1921, Butler got his start in the early '60s serving as the director of photography on TV movies such as "The People vs. Paul Crump" and "The Bold Men." But it wasn't long before he was making a name for himself, shooting Francis Ford Coppola's first feature "The Rain People" in 1969. Butler was also behind the camera working with Coppola again for one of cinema's all-time classics a handful of years later with 1974's "The Conversation."
It was, however, the following year when Butler would arguably make his biggest...
- 4/6/2023
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Emmy-winning cinematographer Bill Butler, who was Oscar nominated for shooting “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” and was also the D.P. on Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws,” died Wednesday, according to the American Society of Cinematographers. He was 101.
Spielberg remembered Butler in a statement, saying, “On ‘Jaws,’ Bill Butler was the bedrock on that rickety, rocking boat called the Orca. He was the only calm in the middle of that storm, and as we went into a battle against nature and technology that wore both of us down, the audience eventually won the war. Bill’s outlook on life was pragmatic, philosophical and so very patient, and I owe him so much for his steadfast and creative contributions to the entire look of ‘Jaws.’”
In addition to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” Butler served as d.p. on a number of other high-profile films of the 1970s, including Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation,...
Spielberg remembered Butler in a statement, saying, “On ‘Jaws,’ Bill Butler was the bedrock on that rickety, rocking boat called the Orca. He was the only calm in the middle of that storm, and as we went into a battle against nature and technology that wore both of us down, the audience eventually won the war. Bill’s outlook on life was pragmatic, philosophical and so very patient, and I owe him so much for his steadfast and creative contributions to the entire look of ‘Jaws.’”
In addition to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” Butler served as d.p. on a number of other high-profile films of the 1970s, including Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation,...
- 4/6/2023
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Bill Butler, the self-taught, Oscar-nominated cinematographer whose work on the landmark 1975 horror film Jaws unleashed a wave of anxiety for beachgoers that lasts to this day, has died. He would have turned 102 on Friday.
Butler died Wednesday evening in Los Angeles, according to the American Society of Cinematographers. He is survived by five daughters and his wife, Iris.
During his five-decade career, Butler also shot Francis Ford Coppola’s The Rain People (1969) and The Conversation (1974); Peter Hyams’ Capricorn One (1977); Randal Kleiser’s hit musical Grease (1978); and Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982) and Rocky IV (1985), all written and directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone.
On another noteworthy 1975 release, Butler replaced the fired Haskell Wexler midway through production on Milos Forman‘s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Both shared an Oscar cinematography nomination for their work.
Butler also had replaced Wexler on The Conversation after creative differences forced Wexler off that production early on.
Butler died Wednesday evening in Los Angeles, according to the American Society of Cinematographers. He is survived by five daughters and his wife, Iris.
During his five-decade career, Butler also shot Francis Ford Coppola’s The Rain People (1969) and The Conversation (1974); Peter Hyams’ Capricorn One (1977); Randal Kleiser’s hit musical Grease (1978); and Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982) and Rocky IV (1985), all written and directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone.
On another noteworthy 1975 release, Butler replaced the fired Haskell Wexler midway through production on Milos Forman‘s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Both shared an Oscar cinematography nomination for their work.
Butler also had replaced Wexler on The Conversation after creative differences forced Wexler off that production early on.
- 4/6/2023
- by Rhett Bartlett
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Stars: Lochlyn Munro, Brittany Mitchell, Madison Pettis, Vanessa Morgan, Jedidiah Goodacre, Phoebe Miu, Jordan Buhat, Richard Harmon, Susan Bennett | Written by Chris Beyrooty, Chris Sivertson, Nick Waters | Directed by Steven C. Miller
Margaux takes its title from the name of the sophisticated AI that runs the smart home serving as the film’s main location, And, as films from Demon Seed to Dark Cloud have told us, putting a computer in charge of your house never ends well. And judging by the prologue featuring Lochlyn Munro and Brittany Mitchell this will be no exception.
A group of college friends, Hannah, Lexi, Drew, Kayla, Devon, and Clay feel that they’ve grown apart in the four years since they left high school. So the former Nerd Herd decide to get together for a weekend party before graduation.
Director Steven C. Miller and writers Chris Beyrooty (Shelter in Place), Chris Sivertson and...
Margaux takes its title from the name of the sophisticated AI that runs the smart home serving as the film’s main location, And, as films from Demon Seed to Dark Cloud have told us, putting a computer in charge of your house never ends well. And judging by the prologue featuring Lochlyn Munro and Brittany Mitchell this will be no exception.
A group of college friends, Hannah, Lexi, Drew, Kayla, Devon, and Clay feel that they’ve grown apart in the four years since they left high school. So the former Nerd Herd decide to get together for a weekend party before graduation.
Director Steven C. Miller and writers Chris Beyrooty (Shelter in Place), Chris Sivertson and...
- 9/13/2022
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
The taut and terrifying thriller Held is being released on DVD & Digital platforms April 25th and to celebrate we are giving away a DVD!
Directed by Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing (the pair behind the Blumhouse horror sensation The Gallows and its hit sequel), with an assured script by Jill Awbrey, who also stars, Held is a sleekly-shot shocker, where a couple’s weekend getaway in an isolated, high-tech house turns into a nightmare after the phone rings and voice says “Obey US!”
The film, which premiered at the Arrow Video FrightFest in London, features a marvellous lead performance by Awbrey in her debut feature role, with Bart Johnson (High School Musical) a charismatic screen presence as her husband. Cluff himself can be heard as the sinister voice that tells the couple “we know everything you did”.
With elements of the Saw films, The Collector, and Demon Seed (the 70s...
Directed by Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing (the pair behind the Blumhouse horror sensation The Gallows and its hit sequel), with an assured script by Jill Awbrey, who also stars, Held is a sleekly-shot shocker, where a couple’s weekend getaway in an isolated, high-tech house turns into a nightmare after the phone rings and voice says “Obey US!”
The film, which premiered at the Arrow Video FrightFest in London, features a marvellous lead performance by Awbrey in her debut feature role, with Bart Johnson (High School Musical) a charismatic screen presence as her husband. Cluff himself can be heard as the sinister voice that tells the couple “we know everything you did”.
With elements of the Saw films, The Collector, and Demon Seed (the 70s...
- 4/12/2022
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Ahead of Horror Channel’s UK TV Premiere of Peripheral, director Paul Hyett talks about directorial ambitions, twisted technology, and why aliens aren’t interested in us.
How did you become attached to Peripheral?
The producer Craig Touhy and I had been friends for a while and we’d nearly done another movie together. He’d liked the claustrophobia and tension of The Seasoning House so we met up to discuss Peripheral. When he pitched it to me, very much a low budget, contained movie, in one apartment. I must say I was a little hesitant. I wanted to broaden my directing and do bigger scope. Craig persuaded me to at least read it. I did and loved the script. The story, the character of Bobbi, of this writer blocked, being forced to adjust to what is wanted of her, and having to succumb to a technology that ultimately fucks...
How did you become attached to Peripheral?
The producer Craig Touhy and I had been friends for a while and we’d nearly done another movie together. He’d liked the claustrophobia and tension of The Seasoning House so we met up to discuss Peripheral. When he pitched it to me, very much a low budget, contained movie, in one apartment. I must say I was a little hesitant. I wanted to broaden my directing and do bigger scope. Craig persuaded me to at least read it. I did and loved the script. The story, the character of Bobbi, of this writer blocked, being forced to adjust to what is wanted of her, and having to succumb to a technology that ultimately fucks...
- 2/18/2022
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
October’s here and it’s time to get spooked. After last year’s superb “’70s Horror” lineup, the Criterion Channel commemorates October with a couple series: “Universal Horror,” which does what it says on the tin (with special notice to the Spanish-language Dracula), and “Home Invasion,” which runs the gamut from Romero to Oshima with Polanski and Haneke in the mix. Lest we disregard the programming of Cindy Sherman’s one feature, Office Killer, and Jennifer’s Body, whose lifespan has gone from gimmick to forgotten to Criterion Channel. And if you want to stretch ideas of genre just a hair, their “True Crime” selection gets at darker shades of human nature.
It’s not all chills and thrills, mind. October also boasts a Kirk Douglas repertoire, movies by Doris Wishman and Wayne Wang, plus Manoel de Oliveira’s rarely screened Porto of My Childhood. And Edgar Wright gets the “Adventures in Moviegoing” treatment,...
It’s not all chills and thrills, mind. October also boasts a Kirk Douglas repertoire, movies by Doris Wishman and Wayne Wang, plus Manoel de Oliveira’s rarely screened Porto of My Childhood. And Edgar Wright gets the “Adventures in Moviegoing” treatment,...
- 9/24/2021
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
David Gutnik’s debut feature “Materna” starts with an all-too familiar scene: a woman on a train, obviously desiring to be left alone, is being talked to by a highly aggressive man. He’s shouting, causing a scene, and the more the woman ignores him, the more frustrated he becomes. It’s unfortunate that the rest of “Materna” simultaneously never lives up to that opening intensity nor authenticity with regards to women in contemporary society,
Gutnik utilizes the technique of telling four separate stories, each spotlighting one woman on the train that day. We’ve seen this method of storytelling done so often in other independent features and when done poorly it feels like what it is: a gimmick. Here, there’s never a feeling of unity between the women at any point — outside of them being women with motherhood issues — so they play like four disparate stories with a...
Gutnik utilizes the technique of telling four separate stories, each spotlighting one woman on the train that day. We’ve seen this method of storytelling done so often in other independent features and when done poorly it feels like what it is: a gimmick. Here, there’s never a feeling of unity between the women at any point — outside of them being women with motherhood issues — so they play like four disparate stories with a...
- 8/6/2021
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
Felix Silla, best known as the gibberish-spouting Cousin Itt on the 1960s TV sitcom The Addams Family, died today from pancreatic cancer. He was 84 and died in Las Vegas, according to a tweet from Gil Gerard, who costarred with him on the 1979-81 NBC series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
Silla donned a full-body hairpiece, sunglasses and a bowler hat to achieve the role of Cousin Itt, who could only be understood by members of the Addams Family, thanks to his strange mumbling. The role was one of several where Silla’s face went unseen, including appearances as robot Twiki on Buck Rogers and as a hang-gliding Ewok in Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi.
One role where he could be seen was as the villain Litvak, who took on George Segal’s Sam Spade Jr. in The Maltese Falcon sequel The Black Bird (1975).
Born in Italy,...
Silla donned a full-body hairpiece, sunglasses and a bowler hat to achieve the role of Cousin Itt, who could only be understood by members of the Addams Family, thanks to his strange mumbling. The role was one of several where Silla’s face went unseen, including appearances as robot Twiki on Buck Rogers and as a hang-gliding Ewok in Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi.
One role where he could be seen was as the villain Litvak, who took on George Segal’s Sam Spade Jr. in The Maltese Falcon sequel The Black Bird (1975).
Born in Italy,...
- 4/16/2021
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
It took me a long time to realize why I'm afraid of Katey Sagal. The talented actor seems like a lovely person, but whenever I hear her voice in an episode of Futurama or catch sight of her in a Married... with Children rerun, I get a little jolt of fear. It wasn't until Disney+ launched with a fully stocked back catalog of Disney Channel original movies (DCOMs) that I realized my Sagal fear stems from Smart House, the scariest Dcom ever made.
Somehow my tween brain and my adult brain failed to make the connection between Sagal and Pat, the voice (and later physical embodiment) of the smart house at the center of the film. For the uninitiated, Smart House is centered on the Cooper family - Ben, Angie, and their dad, Nick. At 13, Ben is committed to preserving his late mother's memory by ensuring that his father doesn't start dating again.
Somehow my tween brain and my adult brain failed to make the connection between Sagal and Pat, the voice (and later physical embodiment) of the smart house at the center of the film. For the uninitiated, Smart House is centered on the Cooper family - Ben, Angie, and their dad, Nick. At 13, Ben is committed to preserving his late mother's memory by ensuring that his father doesn't start dating again.
- 10/10/2020
- by Sabienna Bowman
- Popsugar.com
Ahead of the digital release, on August 3rd, of his latest film Peripheral, director Paul Hyett talks about the importance of creative freedom, the lockdown and future projects…
Peripheral is your fourth feature as director. When you started on The Seasoning House back in 2011, did you ever imagine your career would be this successful?
Back when I decided I wanted to make my own movie I had my prosthetics company and was doing very well, but I really wanted to tell my own stories. I said to myself, get The Seasoning House made, see if it’s any good. If it’s a success then I would close my workshop and concentrate on directing. When it was selected as opening film for FrightFest 2012, I was elated and decided to go that path. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have directed four films and never would have thought that would happen.
Peripheral is your fourth feature as director. When you started on The Seasoning House back in 2011, did you ever imagine your career would be this successful?
Back when I decided I wanted to make my own movie I had my prosthetics company and was doing very well, but I really wanted to tell my own stories. I said to myself, get The Seasoning House made, see if it’s any good. If it’s a success then I would close my workshop and concentrate on directing. When it was selected as opening film for FrightFest 2012, I was elated and decided to go that path. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have directed four films and never would have thought that would happen.
- 7/30/2020
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Heady. Intellectual. Gassy. These are some of the terms applied to the wave of brain-based sci-fi started by 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), and lasting until the arrival of more action led material, namely Star Wars (1977). Coming hot on the heels of Kubrick’s epic was Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970), an awkwardly titled yet fascinating and suspenseful look at the perils of AI sentience. Damn you, computers. All the way to cyberhell.
Released by Universal in April, Colossus actually received good notices from critics who appreciated the film’s attempts at suspense crossed with intelligent discourse on the wages of war; audiences simply shrugged and moved on, denying the film the sequel it deserved. Oh well - Colossus standing alone is apropos considering the events that transpire.
We open on a Colorado mountainside, as Dr. Charles Forbin (Eric Braeden - The Young and the Restless) triple checks the gargantuan banks of...
Released by Universal in April, Colossus actually received good notices from critics who appreciated the film’s attempts at suspense crossed with intelligent discourse on the wages of war; audiences simply shrugged and moved on, denying the film the sequel it deserved. Oh well - Colossus standing alone is apropos considering the events that transpire.
We open on a Colorado mountainside, as Dr. Charles Forbin (Eric Braeden - The Young and the Restless) triple checks the gargantuan banks of...
- 5/30/2020
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Tony Sokol May 28, 2019
Medium Amy Allan and ex-homicide detective Steve Dischiavi check out gruesome hauntings for homeowners on Travel Channel’s The Dead Files.
Murder-suicides, brutal homicides, a secret prison and a possible possession go under the magnifying glass and in front of the camera on The Dead Files. Former NYPD homicide detective Steve Dischiavi and physical medium Amy Allan help frightened homeowners suffering from dangerous paranormal activity in a brand-new season of Travel Channel’s hit series, The Dead Files. Season 11 will air 10 one-hour episodes of season 11 starting on Thursday, July 11 at 10 p.m.
The invesigators examine unexplained and dangerous paranormal activity from their unique viewpoints to uncover the truth behind their clients’ startling claims, and ultimately decide if it’s safe for them to stay. “I’ve seen a lot of things throughout my career, but the cases this season shock even me,” Dischiavi, who has 21 years of active service to the Nycpd,...
Medium Amy Allan and ex-homicide detective Steve Dischiavi check out gruesome hauntings for homeowners on Travel Channel’s The Dead Files.
Murder-suicides, brutal homicides, a secret prison and a possible possession go under the magnifying glass and in front of the camera on The Dead Files. Former NYPD homicide detective Steve Dischiavi and physical medium Amy Allan help frightened homeowners suffering from dangerous paranormal activity in a brand-new season of Travel Channel’s hit series, The Dead Files. Season 11 will air 10 one-hour episodes of season 11 starting on Thursday, July 11 at 10 p.m.
The invesigators examine unexplained and dangerous paranormal activity from their unique viewpoints to uncover the truth behind their clients’ startling claims, and ultimately decide if it’s safe for them to stay. “I’ve seen a lot of things throughout my career, but the cases this season shock even me,” Dischiavi, who has 21 years of active service to the Nycpd,...
- 5/28/2019
- Den of Geek
Tenille Townes looks for a clean start in “I Kept the Roses,” Chance McCoy takes a spacey turn in “No One Loves You (The Way That I Do),” Honey County pay tribute to victims of the Route 91 Festival massacre in “Country Strong” and more must-hear songs this week.
Honey County, “Country Strong”
An anthemic tribute to those affected by the mass shooting at 2017’s Route 91 Harvest Festival and last year’s deadly attack at the Borderline bar in Southern California, “Country Strong” made its live premiere this past weekend when...
Honey County, “Country Strong”
An anthemic tribute to those affected by the mass shooting at 2017’s Route 91 Harvest Festival and last year’s deadly attack at the Borderline bar in Southern California, “Country Strong” made its live premiere this past weekend when...
- 4/29/2019
- by Robert Crawford
- Rollingstone.com
Jim Knipfel Mar 4, 2019
We look at some of the lesser-remembered but influential evil artificial intelligence computer movies, Colossus and Demon Seed.
The ugly turns taken by assorted historical vectors in the late 1960s and early ‘70s—a string of high-profile assassinations, race riots, Manson, the Weather Underground, Vietnam, Nixon, a broader awareness of impending environmental collapse—made the 1970s a particular golden era for dystopian cinema. All the above mentioned forces and more gave us the likes of Soylent Green, No Blade of Grass, Thx-1138, Frogs, The Omega Man, and countless other visions of our doomed future. In and amongst all our other inescapable anxieties and paranoias was an increasing awareness of the role computers were playing in our daily lives.
Technoparanoid fears of dehumanization and power-mad machines can of course be traced back to the silent era in cinema, and much earlier than that in literature and legend, but...
We look at some of the lesser-remembered but influential evil artificial intelligence computer movies, Colossus and Demon Seed.
The ugly turns taken by assorted historical vectors in the late 1960s and early ‘70s—a string of high-profile assassinations, race riots, Manson, the Weather Underground, Vietnam, Nixon, a broader awareness of impending environmental collapse—made the 1970s a particular golden era for dystopian cinema. All the above mentioned forces and more gave us the likes of Soylent Green, No Blade of Grass, Thx-1138, Frogs, The Omega Man, and countless other visions of our doomed future. In and amongst all our other inescapable anxieties and paranoias was an increasing awareness of the role computers were playing in our daily lives.
Technoparanoid fears of dehumanization and power-mad machines can of course be traced back to the silent era in cinema, and much earlier than that in literature and legend, but...
- 2/14/2019
- Den of Geek
Performance, the 1970 British crime drama best known as Mick Jagger’s acting debut, had a challenging route to screen. But despite troubles with studio Warner Bros, the film, which defines the bohemian London of the 1960s, has gone on to be considered one of the best British films of all time.
A new book, Performance: The 50th Anniversary, written and compiled by Jay Glennie, tells the story of its chaotic production, gives a glimpse behind-the-scenes with over 500 images including many never seen before, and looks at its legacy through the eyes of star Jagger, as well as Nic Roeg, who directed the film alongside Donald Cammell and producer Sandy Lieberson. Glennie has given Deadline an exclusive look at the book, which is released via Coattail Publishing on December 1.
Jagger says, “It’s actually hard to believe that we’re still talking about the film 50 years later. Not many films stick around that long.
A new book, Performance: The 50th Anniversary, written and compiled by Jay Glennie, tells the story of its chaotic production, gives a glimpse behind-the-scenes with over 500 images including many never seen before, and looks at its legacy through the eyes of star Jagger, as well as Nic Roeg, who directed the film alongside Donald Cammell and producer Sandy Lieberson. Glennie has given Deadline an exclusive look at the book, which is released via Coattail Publishing on December 1.
Jagger says, “It’s actually hard to believe that we’re still talking about the film 50 years later. Not many films stick around that long.
- 10/30/2018
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Daniel Kurland Oct 9, 2018
We pick out the best of what the Warner Archive has to offer in terms of top shelf Halloween programming so that you don’t have to!
This article is brought to you by Warner Archive.
As we once again enter the Halloween season, there are more services than ever that cater to scary season programming. In fact, there are almost too many macabre programming blocks to choose from. While there are many available streams out there—and a true horror savant will utilize multiple services to consumer as much content as possible—the ever-growing Warner Archive offers up a robust lineup of material. Whether this Warner Bros. service has been on your radar or not, it’s time to take it seriously because it covers a wide array of horror-friendly films. In order to assure that you spend more time watching horror films than you do searching for them,...
We pick out the best of what the Warner Archive has to offer in terms of top shelf Halloween programming so that you don’t have to!
This article is brought to you by Warner Archive.
As we once again enter the Halloween season, there are more services than ever that cater to scary season programming. In fact, there are almost too many macabre programming blocks to choose from. While there are many available streams out there—and a true horror savant will utilize multiple services to consumer as much content as possible—the ever-growing Warner Archive offers up a robust lineup of material. Whether this Warner Bros. service has been on your radar or not, it’s time to take it seriously because it covers a wide array of horror-friendly films. In order to assure that you spend more time watching horror films than you do searching for them,...
- 10/4/2018
- Den of Geek
While tech-horrors run the risk of dating as quickly as the malevolent malware/equipment they feature, many provide fascinating insights into products gone awry and how they can be utilised as weapons/ to petrify. Recently, Unfriended: Dark Web, i-Lived, Open Windows and Selfie From Hell have all employed web tech/ platforms as tools to terrorise, while the riper likes of Videodrome, Demon Seed, Poltergeist and sci-fi siblings Tron, Brainscan and The Lawnmower Man offer (in retrospect) intriguing insights into corrupt/ defective tech of the time.
With Cam, writer/director Daniel Goldhaber collaborates on a screenplay with former sex worker Isa Mazzei, and crafts a fretful, uncanny tech thriller that taps into a prevalent paranoia of identity theft, profile cloning and public humiliation via social media. In an age of net analytics and ad targeting software, Goldhaber and Mazzei shrewdly explore an embryonic weakness and how it connects with our inherent...
With Cam, writer/director Daniel Goldhaber collaborates on a screenplay with former sex worker Isa Mazzei, and crafts a fretful, uncanny tech thriller that taps into a prevalent paranoia of identity theft, profile cloning and public humiliation via social media. In an age of net analytics and ad targeting software, Goldhaber and Mazzei shrewdly explore an embryonic weakness and how it connects with our inherent...
- 10/3/2018
- by Daniel Goodwin
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Classic horror film lovers get excited, as Turner Classic Movies just unveiled its movie lineup for the Halloween season. I’d run through and list all the classics that will be popping up throughout the month, but there’s just too many to list. This is Turner Classic Movies after all. Check out the full lineup below, and let us know if you’re excited for any of these! (via Bloody Disgusting)
Wednesday October 3, 2018
8:00 Pm The Unknown (1927) Dir: Tod Browning
9:00 Pm The Phantom of the Opera (1925) Dir: Rupert Julian
10:45 Pm The Monster (1925) Dir: Roland West
Thursday October 4, 2018
12:30 Am The Penalty (1920) Dir: Wallace Worsley
2:15 Am The Unholy Three (1925) Dir: Tod Browning.
4:00 Am He Who Gets Slapped (1924) Dir: Victor Seastrom
Saturday October 6, 2018
2:00 Am Deadly Friend (1986) Dir: Wes Craven
3:45 Am Demon Seed (1977) Dir. Donald Cammell
Sunday October 7, 2018
8:00 Pm The Mummy’s Hand (1940) Dir: Christy...
Wednesday October 3, 2018
8:00 Pm The Unknown (1927) Dir: Tod Browning
9:00 Pm The Phantom of the Opera (1925) Dir: Rupert Julian
10:45 Pm The Monster (1925) Dir: Roland West
Thursday October 4, 2018
12:30 Am The Penalty (1920) Dir: Wallace Worsley
2:15 Am The Unholy Three (1925) Dir: Tod Browning.
4:00 Am He Who Gets Slapped (1924) Dir: Victor Seastrom
Saturday October 6, 2018
2:00 Am Deadly Friend (1986) Dir: Wes Craven
3:45 Am Demon Seed (1977) Dir. Donald Cammell
Sunday October 7, 2018
8:00 Pm The Mummy’s Hand (1940) Dir: Christy...
- 9/16/2018
- by Mick Joest
- GeekTyrant
Andy, Mike, Josh and Josh’s girlfriend, Janna fire up the microphones to have a discussion about Adam Wingard’s Death Note, the 2017 adaptation of It and we pay tribute to the late Tobe Hooper. Also, just when you thought it was safe…Horrorlimination!
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Show Notes:
00:02:50 – What We’ve Been Watching
Josh & Janna – Blood: The Last Vampire, Adam Wingard’s Death Note (discussion starts at 00:03:56), Firestarter, Miracle Mile, Sorcerer, The Good Son, Cat’s Eye, Die, Monster, Die, Shin Godzilla, The Killing of America, Stagefright (1988), Deranged, Demon Seed, The Boy (2016), Toolbox Murders (2004), Ghosts of Mars, The Hunger, Avgn X, Josh is also reading Bruce Campbell’s Hail to the Chin book and was called a genius. Janna started “Stranger Things” because Josh is procrastinating. Janna also watched Shiki and is reading “Ax Murders of Saxtown: The Unsolved Crime That Terrorized a Town...
Join our Facebook Group!
Show Notes:
00:02:50 – What We’ve Been Watching
Josh & Janna – Blood: The Last Vampire, Adam Wingard’s Death Note (discussion starts at 00:03:56), Firestarter, Miracle Mile, Sorcerer, The Good Son, Cat’s Eye, Die, Monster, Die, Shin Godzilla, The Killing of America, Stagefright (1988), Deranged, Demon Seed, The Boy (2016), Toolbox Murders (2004), Ghosts of Mars, The Hunger, Avgn X, Josh is also reading Bruce Campbell’s Hail to the Chin book and was called a genius. Janna started “Stranger Things” because Josh is procrastinating. Janna also watched Shiki and is reading “Ax Murders of Saxtown: The Unsolved Crime That Terrorized a Town...
- 9/12/2017
- by Andy Triefenbach
- Destroy the Brain
Famous Monsters of Filmland is paying tribute to the horror genre's past while also celebrating the present at this year's San Diego Comic-Con:
Press Release: "Famous Monsters has come to San Diego Comic-Con once again, and we've scheduled several panels featuring special guests and announcements!
Famous Monsters Stake of the Union 2017
Friday July 21, 2017 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Room 26Ab
Famous Monsters of Filmland has spanned nearly 60 years with its game-changing genre magazine, groundbreaking cover art, record-setting fan events, original comic books, and more. And 2017 promises to be the most exciting year yet as FM expands into new forms of media, including syndicated television! Publisher Philip Kim, editor Holly Interlandi, and associate editor Joe Moe will welcome special panelists to tease future projects, give exclusive art reveals, and maybe wax a little philosophical on Frankenstein.
From Comics to Virtual Reality with American Gothic Press
Saturday July 22, 2017 7:00pm - 8:...
Press Release: "Famous Monsters has come to San Diego Comic-Con once again, and we've scheduled several panels featuring special guests and announcements!
Famous Monsters Stake of the Union 2017
Friday July 21, 2017 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Room 26Ab
Famous Monsters of Filmland has spanned nearly 60 years with its game-changing genre magazine, groundbreaking cover art, record-setting fan events, original comic books, and more. And 2017 promises to be the most exciting year yet as FM expands into new forms of media, including syndicated television! Publisher Philip Kim, editor Holly Interlandi, and associate editor Joe Moe will welcome special panelists to tease future projects, give exclusive art reveals, and maybe wax a little philosophical on Frankenstein.
From Comics to Virtual Reality with American Gothic Press
Saturday July 22, 2017 7:00pm - 8:...
- 7/20/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
In today's Horror Highlights, we have a Q&A with The Gracefield Incident at Mathieu Ratthe, new stills from Volumes of Blood: Horror Stories, and details on Famous Monsters of Filmland's presence at this year's San Diego Comic-Con.
Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us, Mathieu. How and when did you first come up with the idea for The Gracefield Incident?
Mathieu Ratthe: First of all, thank you, Derek, for your interest in our film. I wanted to create a suspenseful story that scared the crap out of the audience, but also made them emotionally involved, which is really tough to do in this kind of movie, but I think we achieved it pretty well in our film.
The conceptual idea (or I liked to call it the “technique”) came after I realized how many days I was given to shoot our film with the budget that I had.
Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us, Mathieu. How and when did you first come up with the idea for The Gracefield Incident?
Mathieu Ratthe: First of all, thank you, Derek, for your interest in our film. I wanted to create a suspenseful story that scared the crap out of the audience, but also made them emotionally involved, which is really tough to do in this kind of movie, but I think we achieved it pretty well in our film.
The conceptual idea (or I liked to call it the “technique”) came after I realized how many days I was given to shoot our film with the budget that I had.
- 7/17/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
“Pimples are the Lord’s way of chastising you.”
Carrie (1976) screens Midnights this weekend (April 28th and 29th) at The Moolah Theater and Lounge (3821 Lindell Blvd, St. Louis, Mo 63108) as part of Destroy the Brain’s monthly Late Night Grindhouse film series.
Over the past few decades, almost everything ever written by Stephen King has been filmed for either TV or the silver screen; however, very few of these adaptations have come close to matching the extremely high standard set by Carrie the first King novel to receive the movie treatment, way back in 1976 (which is when I first saw it at the old Webster Groves Cinema – double feature with Demon Seed!).
Directed by Brian De Palma, this superb supernatural horror stars Sissy Spacek as Carrie White, a shy and awkward teenage girl who is mercilessly bullied at high-school and further tormented at home by her overbearing, religious zealot mother...
Carrie (1976) screens Midnights this weekend (April 28th and 29th) at The Moolah Theater and Lounge (3821 Lindell Blvd, St. Louis, Mo 63108) as part of Destroy the Brain’s monthly Late Night Grindhouse film series.
Over the past few decades, almost everything ever written by Stephen King has been filmed for either TV or the silver screen; however, very few of these adaptations have come close to matching the extremely high standard set by Carrie the first King novel to receive the movie treatment, way back in 1976 (which is when I first saw it at the old Webster Groves Cinema – double feature with Demon Seed!).
Directed by Brian De Palma, this superb supernatural horror stars Sissy Spacek as Carrie White, a shy and awkward teenage girl who is mercilessly bullied at high-school and further tormented at home by her overbearing, religious zealot mother...
- 4/24/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
This Week in Home VideoGet Ready to Fall in Love With the Funny, Sexy, and Beautifully Independent ‘The Love Witch’Plus 13 more new releases to watch at home this week on Blu-ray/DVD.
Welcome to this week in home video! Click the title to buy a Blu-ray/DVD from Amazon and help support Fsr in the process!
Pick of the WeekThe Love Witch
What is it? A witch visits a small coastal community in search of love with a side of unintended consequences.
Why buy it? Writer/director/producer/composer/editor/production designer/art director/set decorator/costume designer Anna Biller delivers a singular experience with this incredibly stylish, sexy, and scathing tale of a witch in search of love. The film is a colorful, stylized nod to the days of Technicolor romance that manages to be both a take down of a patriarchal society and a loose, fun romp.
[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Commentary, featurette, interview, deleted scenes, dance audition]
The...
Welcome to this week in home video! Click the title to buy a Blu-ray/DVD from Amazon and help support Fsr in the process!
Pick of the WeekThe Love Witch
What is it? A witch visits a small coastal community in search of love with a side of unintended consequences.
Why buy it? Writer/director/producer/composer/editor/production designer/art director/set decorator/costume designer Anna Biller delivers a singular experience with this incredibly stylish, sexy, and scathing tale of a witch in search of love. The film is a colorful, stylized nod to the days of Technicolor romance that manages to be both a take down of a patriarchal society and a loose, fun romp.
[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Commentary, featurette, interview, deleted scenes, dance audition]
The...
- 3/14/2017
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Well, I hope you guys have been saving your pennies, because there are a lot of great horror and sci-fi titles coming home on March 14th. Scream Factory is giving Firestarter the Collector’s Edition treatment this week, and both Drive-In Massacre and The Skull are being resurrected in HD as well.
If you missed them during their theatrical runs late last year, both The Love Witch and Paul Verhoeven’s award-winning thriller Elle are getting Blu-ray / DVD releases this Tuesday, and Demon Seed is making its way to Blu-ray as well (which I highly recommend watching if you haven't).
Other notable home entertainment titles for March 14th include Passengers, Z Nation Season 3, Johnny Frank Garrett’s Last Word, Stray Bullets, and The Man Who Could Cheat Death.
Drive-In Massacre (Severin Films, Blu-ray & DVD)
It was one of the few true slasher movies to pre-date Halloween and Friday The 13th,...
If you missed them during their theatrical runs late last year, both The Love Witch and Paul Verhoeven’s award-winning thriller Elle are getting Blu-ray / DVD releases this Tuesday, and Demon Seed is making its way to Blu-ray as well (which I highly recommend watching if you haven't).
Other notable home entertainment titles for March 14th include Passengers, Z Nation Season 3, Johnny Frank Garrett’s Last Word, Stray Bullets, and The Man Who Could Cheat Death.
Drive-In Massacre (Severin Films, Blu-ray & DVD)
It was one of the few true slasher movies to pre-date Halloween and Friday The 13th,...
- 3/14/2017
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Warner Archive has announced the release of Demon Seed (1977), and soon fans can witness Julie Christie versus evil artificial intelligence in remastered HD!
A release date has yet to be announced, but stay tuned to Daily Dead for future updates to this story, and check out the official details and cover art below.
From Warner Archive: "Demon Seed (1977)
New 2017 1080p HD Remaster
BD50
Color - 94 Minutes
Original Aspect Ratio - 2.40:1
DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 Mono-English
English Sdh
Special Features:
Original Theatrical Trailer (HD)
Susan Harris is alone in the house when, suddenly, doors lock, windows slam shut and the phone stops working. Susan is trapped by an intruder…but this is no ordinary thug. Instead, the intruder is a computer named Proteus, an artificial brain that has learned to reason. And to terrorize. In “one of her finest, most vulnerable performances” (Danny Peary, Guide for the Film Fanatic), Julie Christie...
A release date has yet to be announced, but stay tuned to Daily Dead for future updates to this story, and check out the official details and cover art below.
From Warner Archive: "Demon Seed (1977)
New 2017 1080p HD Remaster
BD50
Color - 94 Minutes
Original Aspect Ratio - 2.40:1
DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 Mono-English
English Sdh
Special Features:
Original Theatrical Trailer (HD)
Susan Harris is alone in the house when, suddenly, doors lock, windows slam shut and the phone stops working. Susan is trapped by an intruder…but this is no ordinary thug. Instead, the intruder is a computer named Proteus, an artificial brain that has learned to reason. And to terrorize. In “one of her finest, most vulnerable performances” (Danny Peary, Guide for the Film Fanatic), Julie Christie...
- 2/13/2017
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
What would happen if you crossed Demon Seed, Burnt Offerings, and The Legacy? You’d end up with a pretty confusing six hour horror movie I’d imagine, so scratch that. But what would happen if you took those same elements, made it a TV movie, and threw in The Hardy Boys’ Parker Stevenson for good measure? Well, then you’d be watching This House Possessed (1981), a supremely goofy, sublimely entertaining movie of the week that’s low on scares but high on smiles.
Broadcast on Friday, February 6th, 1981 as part of The ABC Friday Night Movie, This House Possessed was up against the CBS juggernaut The Dukes of Hazzard/Dallas, and NBC offered up…oh never mind. We were all watching the Dukes and the Ewings, okay? Is that what you want to hear? Fine. But I suppose there had to be some people who were repulsed at the...
Broadcast on Friday, February 6th, 1981 as part of The ABC Friday Night Movie, This House Possessed was up against the CBS juggernaut The Dukes of Hazzard/Dallas, and NBC offered up…oh never mind. We were all watching the Dukes and the Ewings, okay? Is that what you want to hear? Fine. But I suppose there had to be some people who were repulsed at the...
- 12/11/2016
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Some very sad news is making the rounds today, as it has been reported that Fritz Weaver has passed away at the age of 90.
News of Fritz Weaver's passing was confirmed by Weaver's son-in-law, Bruce Ostler, according to The New York Times. In addition to winning a Tony award for his performance in 1970's Child’s Play, Weaver accumulated an impressive number of acting credits within the horror and sci-fi genres—on both the big and small screens—throughout his career.
Stephen King fans likely remember Weaver as Dexter Stanley from "The Crate" segment of Creepshow, where he starred alongside Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, and the creepy creature unleashed from its prison.
Weaver also left his mark on a number of anthology series, including The Twilight Zone, Monsters, Tales From the Darkside, Night Gallery, and Tales of the Unexpected, in addition to appearances on Friday the 13th: The Series and The X-Files.
News of Fritz Weaver's passing was confirmed by Weaver's son-in-law, Bruce Ostler, according to The New York Times. In addition to winning a Tony award for his performance in 1970's Child’s Play, Weaver accumulated an impressive number of acting credits within the horror and sci-fi genres—on both the big and small screens—throughout his career.
Stephen King fans likely remember Weaver as Dexter Stanley from "The Crate" segment of Creepshow, where he starred alongside Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, and the creepy creature unleashed from its prison.
Weaver also left his mark on a number of anthology series, including The Twilight Zone, Monsters, Tales From the Darkside, Night Gallery, and Tales of the Unexpected, in addition to appearances on Friday the 13th: The Series and The X-Files.
- 11/28/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Cinema Retro hosted Fritz Weaver at a screening of "Fail Safe" at the Players club in New York City. Here Editor-in-Chief Lee Pfeiffer (L) and contributor Paul Scrabo present Weaver with marketing materials for "To Trap a Spy", the feature film made from an extended version of the "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." TV show pilot, "The Vulcan Affair". Weaver discussed how surprised he was at the level of interest there was in the fact that he was the first U.N.C.L.E. villain. (Photo: GeorgeAnn Muller).
By Lee Pfeiffer
Fritz Weaver, who won acclaim for his work in film, TV and on the Broadway stage, has passed away at age 90. Weaver was primarily a character actor but sometimes top-lined in stage productions.He played Sherlock Holmes in the 1960s Broadway musical production of "Baker Street". He won a Tony in 1970 for his performance in "Child's Play". Weaver also...
By Lee Pfeiffer
Fritz Weaver, who won acclaim for his work in film, TV and on the Broadway stage, has passed away at age 90. Weaver was primarily a character actor but sometimes top-lined in stage productions.He played Sherlock Holmes in the 1960s Broadway musical production of "Baker Street". He won a Tony in 1970 for his performance in "Child's Play". Weaver also...
- 11/28/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
The Supporting Actress Smackdown Of 1977 Is Just One Week Away. Get your votes in by Friday early evening. This week will be a '77 blitz at the blog to get you in the mood.
The Nominees were...
Leslie Browne, The Turning Point
Quinn Cumming, The Goodbye Girl
Melinda Dillon, Close Encounters
Vanessa Redgrave, Julia
Tuesday Weld, Looking for Mr Goodbar
Readers are our final panelist for the Smackdown so if you'd like to vote send Nathaniel an email with 1977 in the header line and your votes. Each performance you've seen should be rated on a scale of 1 to 5 hearts (1 being terrible 5 being stupendous) -- Remember to only vote for performances that you've seen! The votes are weighted to reflect numbers of voters per movies so no actress has an unfair advantage.
Click to embiggen to see the 1977 goodies
Meet The Panelists
We'll do this piecemeal so you don't feel overwhelmed.
The Nominees were...
Leslie Browne, The Turning Point
Quinn Cumming, The Goodbye Girl
Melinda Dillon, Close Encounters
Vanessa Redgrave, Julia
Tuesday Weld, Looking for Mr Goodbar
Readers are our final panelist for the Smackdown so if you'd like to vote send Nathaniel an email with 1977 in the header line and your votes. Each performance you've seen should be rated on a scale of 1 to 5 hearts (1 being terrible 5 being stupendous) -- Remember to only vote for performances that you've seen! The votes are weighted to reflect numbers of voters per movies so no actress has an unfair advantage.
Click to embiggen to see the 1977 goodies
Meet The Panelists
We'll do this piecemeal so you don't feel overwhelmed.
- 7/25/2016
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
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A killer robot powered by baby brains. Kirk Douglas wrestling in the nude. Ryan revisits the very weird 80s sci-fi movie, Saturn 3...
Some movies aspire to strangeness. Other movies have strangeness thrust upon them.
Saturn 3, released in 1980, was an intensely strange film. But unlike, say, Altered States (also released in 1980) it wasn’t made by a filmmaker with a taste for the oblique or the outre. Unlike Luigi Cozzi’s Contamination (1980 again), Saturn 3 wasn’t a low-budget shocker made in a hurry, but a relatively expensive exercise created by some of the most seasoned filmmakers in the business at that time. (For frame of reference, Saturn 3's budget was broadly the same as Alien’s, released less than one year earlier.)
On the surface, Saturn 3 sounds like a perfectly reasonable recipe for an intense sci-fi horror flick. It’s about a pair...
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A killer robot powered by baby brains. Kirk Douglas wrestling in the nude. Ryan revisits the very weird 80s sci-fi movie, Saturn 3...
Some movies aspire to strangeness. Other movies have strangeness thrust upon them.
Saturn 3, released in 1980, was an intensely strange film. But unlike, say, Altered States (also released in 1980) it wasn’t made by a filmmaker with a taste for the oblique or the outre. Unlike Luigi Cozzi’s Contamination (1980 again), Saturn 3 wasn’t a low-budget shocker made in a hurry, but a relatively expensive exercise created by some of the most seasoned filmmakers in the business at that time. (For frame of reference, Saturn 3's budget was broadly the same as Alien’s, released less than one year earlier.)
On the surface, Saturn 3 sounds like a perfectly reasonable recipe for an intense sci-fi horror flick. It’s about a pair...
- 2/1/2016
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
For the first time ever, Donald Cammell’s obscure 1987 serial killer thriller White of the Eye is available on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States (the UK arm of Arrow Video brandished its own striking package of the title in early 2014). Director of only four features, including his iconic 1970 debut Performance (co-directed by Nicolas Roeg), Cammell’s quartet of features were all labors of love, the filmmaker undergoing significant set backs on each project up until his death following 1995’s Wild Side.
With seven to ten years in-between each outing, this feature marked the end of a decade long hiatus following 1977’s adaptation of the Dean Koontz novel Demon Seed starring Julie Christie. Adapting from an obscure novel by brothers Laurence and Andrew Klavan (a notable writer of mystery thrillers) writing under the pseudonym Margaret Tracy, Cammell’s wife and actress China Kong co-wrote the screenplay. With his experience...
With seven to ten years in-between each outing, this feature marked the end of a decade long hiatus following 1977’s adaptation of the Dean Koontz novel Demon Seed starring Julie Christie. Adapting from an obscure novel by brothers Laurence and Andrew Klavan (a notable writer of mystery thrillers) writing under the pseudonym Margaret Tracy, Cammell’s wife and actress China Kong co-wrote the screenplay. With his experience...
- 12/1/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Ya know somethin’, creeps? I am 100% convinced that technology is trying to kill us. Kill Us, I say! For instance, witness this fearsome event that transpired in the Crypt just today: I threw some bread into my trusted terror toaster, and that tin-plated boob burnt that bread blacker than a million moonless midnights! Ok, maybe “kill” is too strong a word, but that mother was definitely tryin’ to F up my day. Anyway, with my constant tech turmoils, is it any wonder I found Uncanny, a film about a devious humanoid AI, such a compelling watch? And wouldn’t ya know it, look who just strolled into the Crypt; none other than the flick’s die-rector Matthew Leutwyler!
Famous Monsters. I found Uncanny to almost be a post-modern take on the Frankenstein tale. Was ol’ Franky-baby an inspiration on the film?
Matthew Leutwyler. Frankenstein was definitely in the conversation, but...
Famous Monsters. I found Uncanny to almost be a post-modern take on the Frankenstein tale. Was ol’ Franky-baby an inspiration on the film?
Matthew Leutwyler. Frankenstein was definitely in the conversation, but...
- 11/6/2015
- by DanielXIII
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
Demon Seed (1977) was the latest in an ever growing subgenre of science fiction film: Technodoubt (okay, I just made that up). But as the world started to catch up with its imagination (Apple Computers was born in ’76), and technology raged forward like a silicon locomotive, Hollywood searched for ways to exploit mankind’s natural fear of progress. From the dangerously malfunctioning Hal in 2001 (1968), to the murderous androids of Westworld (’73), rich veins of cybernetic carnage were mined for maximum cinematic paranoia. Demon Seed upped the ante by downloading the menace right into the home.
Released in April by MGM, the film was not a commercial success by any means, but certainly drew attention from critics due to its unusual (and quite absurd) high concept story, a showcase performance from Julie Christie, and a piqued interest in director Donald Cammell. Regardless of the gateway, Demon Seed remains a unique genre treatise on dominance and loss.
Released in April by MGM, the film was not a commercial success by any means, but certainly drew attention from critics due to its unusual (and quite absurd) high concept story, a showcase performance from Julie Christie, and a piqued interest in director Donald Cammell. Regardless of the gateway, Demon Seed remains a unique genre treatise on dominance and loss.
- 10/24/2015
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
“Meat’s meat and a man’s gotta eat!” Heed the battle cry of Farmer Vincent Smith, maker of the finest smoked meats around. People would come from far and wide to purchase his delectable fritters, unaware that his special ‘ingredient’ was plain folk, like you and me. 35 years ago, Vincent and his Motel Hell cut off a slice of Americana and served it up in theaters, with a heaping help of humor for good measure. Cannibalism was never this down home friendly.
My initial memories of Motel Hell formulated around two images: The front cover of Issue #9 (November 1980) of Fangoria magazine, the new horror monthly that specialized in the kind of gruesome images that it’s gentler forefather, Famous Monsters of Filmland, wasn’t comfortable delving in to. Upon the cover was a picture of a man in bib overalls, wearing a pig’s head and brandishing a blood...
My initial memories of Motel Hell formulated around two images: The front cover of Issue #9 (November 1980) of Fangoria magazine, the new horror monthly that specialized in the kind of gruesome images that it’s gentler forefather, Famous Monsters of Filmland, wasn’t comfortable delving in to. Upon the cover was a picture of a man in bib overalls, wearing a pig’s head and brandishing a blood...
- 10/19/2015
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Using technology as a tool to terrorise originally surfaced in horror during the 70s and 80s when TVs and videos became common household appliances. Self-aware security systems (Demon Seed), fervent televisions (Videodrome, Poltergeist, Terrorvision), cursed VHS (The Video Dead, Ring), record players raising dead rockers (Trick or Treat), evil telephones (One Missed Call), virtual-reality (The Lawnmower
The post Lff 2015: Ratter Review appeared first on HeyUGuys.
The post Lff 2015: Ratter Review appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 10/19/2015
- by Daniel Goodwin
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
As you may remember from my last column (and you better… you better), The Diabolical was well and truly “the s–t”! Well, guess what, creeps? That’s right, that flick’s co-writer/die-rector Alistair Legrand has stopped by the Crypt o’ Xiii to talk all about his foray into our beloved horror biz!
Famous Monsters. Welcome Big A! As this is yer first time at the rodeo known as the horror biz, what challenges did you face bringin’ The Diabolical to the screen?
Alastair Legrand. First of all, I can’t believe I’m talking to Famous Monsters; this is amazing. In response to your question, this was the best graduate film program I could have done, and a proper response would be ten pages long. The first main challenge was convincing the producers that I was the right man for the job—proving to them that I had...
Famous Monsters. Welcome Big A! As this is yer first time at the rodeo known as the horror biz, what challenges did you face bringin’ The Diabolical to the screen?
Alastair Legrand. First of all, I can’t believe I’m talking to Famous Monsters; this is amazing. In response to your question, this was the best graduate film program I could have done, and a proper response would be ten pages long. The first main challenge was convincing the producers that I was the right man for the job—proving to them that I had...
- 10/8/2015
- by DanielXIII
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
In this new Shock column, editor Chris Alexander muses on classic and contemporary films and music worthy of a deeper discussion. There’s a look, a tone and visual texture to science fiction films from the early to mid 1970’s; a sanitized glimpse of a future that, seen today, exists only as a perversion of the…
The post “Chris Alexander’s Shock Treatment”: Remembering 1977’s Demon Seed appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
The post “Chris Alexander’s Shock Treatment”: Remembering 1977’s Demon Seed appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
- 10/2/2015
- by Chris Alexander
- shocktillyoudrop.com
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