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December 24, 2009

Happy Holidays to You, Loyal Icons of Fright Fans

I'll be spending the next few days with family, opening gifts and eating lots of vegetarian food over the next few days.  But before I head back to the tomato sauce I'm now cooking (carrot cake to come, Mike!), I just wanted to say this:

Happy Holidays to all!

This has been a tough year for me personally, with the loss of my mother and the necessity for a career change.  Yet every time I sit down to write a review or update the Icons news, or look at the next convention I may be covering for the site, I smile.  Because I know you, the loyal readers, will read what I post, and maybe it will even make you smile.  In the few months since I've taken over the News department and partnered with the great Mike Cucinotta, I've never been happier to be writing.  Thank you, Michael, for the opportunity bring my writing to the fans.

But it's you, the fans, that this message is really for.  Thank you so much, and whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or anything else, may God bless you in this holiday season.  Keep reading as the New Year comes, as Mike and I along with some others will work our hardest to bring you the best any horror site has to offer.

My mom is looking down on me, smiling and proud.  Merry Christmas, everyone!

December 20, 2009

Brittany Murphy Dies at 32

Brittany MurphyAccording to numerous sources on the internet, Brittany Murphy died this morning of heart failure at the age of 32.  Though mostly known for her mainstream roles in films such as CLUELESS, 8 MILE and GIRL, INTERRUPTED, her early career boasted such horror titles as PROPHECY II and CHERRY FALLS. 

Murphy had completed SOMETHING WICKED, a horror thriller set for release in 2010.

The Los Angeles times is reporting that the police have begun a preliminary investigation into the cause of death.  More details will likely come during the week.

--Phil Fasso

November 16, 2009

Edward Woodward of WICKER MAN Dies at 79

Sadly, The Guardian today reported that Edward Woodward has died at 79.  Woodward is perhaps best known for his role as Robert McCall in the popular CBS series THE EQUALIZER.  But horror fans will likely remember him for his role in one of horror's most offbeat films,  THE WICKER MAN, in which his straitlaced police inspector Robbie travels to a small island to solve the mystery of a missing girl.  He finds more than he expects in the presence of Lord Summerisle, an outlandish performance by Christopher Lee.

A victim of poor health and several heart attacks in his later years, Woodward nonetheless appeared in SHAUN OF THE DEAD director Edgar Wright's police spoof HOT FUZZ.  He succumbed today to pneumonia.

Scene from THE WICKER MAN

Read The Guardian's full obituary here.

--Phil Fasso

October 08, 2009

Uncle Lloyd Makes His Own Damn Appearance

 

Lloyd Hangs

 

Ever wanted to produce a top flight box office juggernaut?  Have a thing for hideously deformed monster heroes of superhuman size and strength?  Are you a nerdy old Jew with a flamboyant taste in bowties?

 If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then you're likely a part of the Troma Army.  And you're in luck, because Troma Studio's co-founder and creator of the Toxic Avenger himself, Lloyd Kaufman will be making a personal appearance in NYC.  On November 17th at the Drama Book Shop, Lloyd will be discussing his new book, PRODUCE YOUR OWN DAMN MOVIE, the third in his "Own Damn Movie" series. 

My buddy X and I went last April Fool's Day to his personal appearance at the Strand, where Lloyd was selling his DIRECT YOUR OWN DAMN MOVIE, and I can say this:  Lloyd may seem offbeat, but he is a wealth of information when it comes to moviemaking, as he's thrived for the last 35 years at it.  If you're interested in filmmaking, or just want to meet Uncle Lloyd, this is worth checking out.

Click here for information on the Drama Book Shop.  And if you happen to be in Venice, Italy this weekend, you will find Lloyd there, probably selling books and showing POULTRYGEIST.  I won't be at that one.

Lloyd Lynched by Hwood

 

September 21, 2009

4 Part Never-Before-Seen Making of GRACE Short Film 30 minute documentary!

A few days ago, we debuted the original GRACE short film complete with an addition video hosting a commentary with writer/director Paul Solet and FX artist (and ICONS own) Jay Alvino. (Check that out HERE!) The following day, we posted the 5 minute making of GRACE short film that our other resident writer Adam Barnick edited and produced. (See that HERE!) Now, we've got something else really special to share. Adam also did a 30 minute documentary of the original short film version of GRACE titled "It's A Girl: The Making of GRACE (2006)", primarily for the cast & crew and as a calling card for his documentary skills. He's literally been there since the beginning and he provides the features that are on the GRACE full length disc, so take a peek below at these rare behind the scenes videos of the original short film starring Liza Weil and Brian Austin Green. Enjoy!









September 18, 2009

The Making Of The Original GRACE Short Film!

Yesterday we posted the original GRACE short film, which helped garner interesting into making the feature length version. (Which is now officially on DVD and Blu-Ray) Today, we wanted to share with you the making-of the GRACE short film. This 5 minute EPK was put together by resident ICONS staffer Adam Barnick who also went on to produce all the bonus features of the full length's DVD & Blu-Ray. Join Adam on set as he chats with writer/director Paul Solet, stars Liza Weil and Brian Austin Green as well as the WICKED EFX crew. Once again, this is the making of the short film version of GRACE, which you can watch both with & without commentary at our previous news post HERE! Enjoy!


ICONS EXCLUSIVE: The Original GRACE Short Film - WITH & Without Commentary!

It's no secret that ICONS OF FRIGHT has had a long history with filmmaker Paul Solet and his movie GRACE. We've been firm supporters of this talented up and coming writer & director since we first met him at a Fangoria Weekend Of Horrors show back in 2005 and we were there to help out when the time came for him to make his short film version of GRACE back in 2006. Since then (as the story goes), the fine gents over at Ariescope stepped in and helped get the feature length film made. With GRACE: "The Movie" now out & available everywhere on DVD and Blu-Ray, we thought it'd be fun to go back and look at the original 6 minute short film that started it all. Not only that but we also put together a second version of the GRACE short film with a commentary track by writer/director Paul Solet and FX artist (and ICONS scribe) Jason Alvino. Check out the short (starring Liza Weil and Brian Austin Green) below, and then watch it again with commentary!





Check out our latest GRACE related interviews with writer/director Paul Solet, star Jordan Ladd and producer Adam Green. Click each image to read their interviews!







Written & directed by Paul Solet, starring Jordan Ladd (CABIN FEVER, DEATH PROOF), Gabrielle Rose, Malcolm Stewart, Samantha Ferris, Stephen Park & Serge Houde, & produced by Adam Green (HATCHET, SPIRAL) & Cory Neal from Ariescope with Anchor Bay Entertainment. NY street team photos can be found HERE!


In Defense Of GIALLO...

I like most horror fans have been clamoring for Dario Argento to deliver us something as interesting and exciting as some of his early works. I love stuff like OPERA, PHENOMENA (or CREEPERS as I remember renting it as a kid), TENEBRE (aka UNSANE), DEEP RED and of course SUSPERIA. Hell, I even love JENIFER, his episode for the first season of MASTERS OF HORROR, but... aside from that, I really haven't enjoyed Dario's work in quite some time.

With that said, I was able to get my hands on the script that Jim Agnew & Sean Keller wrote for GIALLO shortly after they wrapped shooting last year. I literally read it impatiently in one sitting. I truly believe it to be a terrific script and it gave me hope that Dario could potentially deliver his best film if only he could translate this script to film properly. And with Adian Brody as the lead, an Oscar winner (!) no less, I figured this was a sure bet.

Now, I haven't seen GIALLO yet, but... like most of you out there, I've been hearing the negative response from festival screenings to the finished product. It was one of the films most picked on by last month's FRIGHTFEST UK crowd, and as I skim through the message boards, I can't help but feel bad when people are cursing those "blasted American writers"...

OK. Let's think about this. What was the last feature length Argento movie you really enjoyed? Seriously. Really, really loved? MOTHER OF TEARS? DO YOU LIKE HITCHCOCK? THE CARD PLAYER? SLEEPLESS? PHANTOM OF THE OPERA? STENDAL'S SYNDROME? I can honestly say I don't really like any of the above Dario movies I just mentioned. Sure, there's bits and pieces in all of them that I like, but overall, they're not good movies.

With that said, before you see GIALLO and before you dismiss it, I thought I'd throw out there the script that I read way back when to show you just how good I thought it really was. I'm sad that this script got lost in translation along the way, but regardless, here it is for all you devoted ICONS readers to check out. You deserve to know what could've been. Right click on the following link to save it, or just click it to read:

http://www.iconsoffright.com/GIALLO.pdf


 

FRIGHT EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW - DVD PRODUCER DAN FARRANDS!

Just added! A FRIGHT exclusive interview with DVD producer DAN FARRANDS! It seems like writer Dan Farrands can't escape his connection to the FRIDAY THE 13TH series. He made his debut in the horror genre penning the screenplay for HALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS and later went on to produce an adaptation of Jack Ketchum's THE GIRL NEXT DOOR as well as the recent box office hit THE HAUNTING OF CONNECTICUT. Most recently, after directing the documentary HIS NAME WAS JASON: 30 YEARS OF FRIDAY THE 13TH, Farrands jumped on board to produce the special "DELUXE" editions of FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 4: THE FINAL CHAPTER, FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 5: A NEW BEGINNING, FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VI: JASON LIVES, FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VII: THE NEW BLOOD and FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VIII: JASON TAKES MANHATTAN. We caught up with him to get the low down on all the FRIDAY material he was able to uncover after having been locked away in the Paramount vaults for years! Every thing FRIDAY THE 13TH fans have been wondering about is answered in our in-depth interview! Click HERE or the image below to read it now!


September 11, 2009

Pictures From The HALLOWEEN 2 Cast & Crew Screening!

On Wednesday September 9th, the Muvico Theaters over in Thousand Oaks, California held a special cast & crew screening of Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN 2 in high quality 4k resolution. On hand for the event and to participate in a Q & A session after the movie were producers Malek Akkad & Andy Gould as well as cast members Tyler Mane (Michael Myers), Scout Taylor-Compton (Laurie Strode), Danielle Harris (Annie Brackett), Brea Grant (Mya Rockwell), Angela Trimbur (Harley David) and Jeffrey Daniel Phillips (Uncle Seymour Coffins, Howard). We were treated to a never before scene featurette with the Coffin's character titled "Uncle Seymour Hits Hollywood" and then the show got under way!

The Q & A consisted of general stories about the working experiences in the shooting locations of Georgia, stories about working with Rob Zombie as a director and fun little tid-bits like favorite moments or kills in the new flick. Tyler and Scout fought a bit over the mic, especially when trying to clarify a funny story about how Scout accidentally stabbed Tyler in the shoulder with a real knife on their first night of shooting on the first HALLOWEEN. Akkad gave out posters, masks and fun HALLOWEEN themed collectibles and the group filled us in on what was up next for them. (Apparently HALLOWEEN 3D isn't as sure a thing as the recent news posts have indicated.) All in all a fun event, especially for a die-hard HALLOWEEN fan. Below are some pics from the Q & A session! ENJOY! 

From left to right: Malek Akkad, Andy Gould, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Angela Trimbur, Brea Grant, Danielle Harris, Scout Taylor-Compton and Tyler Mane.














Continue reading "Pictures From The HALLOWEEN 2 Cast & Crew Screening!" »

Welcome To The Family... THE STEPFATHER Website Opens!

It's been quiet on Sony's end regarding their remake of THE STEPFATHER, but it is still coming and it hits theaters on October 16th. A website just went live at http://welcometothefamily.com for the flick which features the trailer (see it below), some new images in the gallery & some downloads. Check it out!



THE STEPFATHER remake is rumored to borrow elements from the first 2 original movies. You can read our FRIGHT exclusive interview with STEPFATHER 2 director JEFF BURR by clicking HERE or the teaser image below!



Directed by Nelson McCormick (PROM NIGHT) from a script by Joe Cardone, the STEPFATHER remake stars Dylan Walsh, Sela Ward, Penn Badley, Amber Heard, Paige Turco, Braenden LeMasters, Skyler Samuels and Jon Tenney. It's out on October 16th, 2009! More when we hear it!

New Trailer For TRICK 'R TREAT! Coming Finally On October 6th!

I can not wait until October 6th! Because the DVD and Blu-Ray of Michael Dougherty's TRICK 'R TREAT finally comes out and I plan on watching it every day until Halloween night! Yahoo has debuted another brand new trailer for the much praised Halloween anthology, and this one by far best represents the tone of the movie itself. This is out 'A CHRISTMAS STORY' for Halloween! Check it out embedded below!



Check out the official website at: http://trickrtreat-movie.warnerbros.com

TRICK 'R TREAT was written & directed by Michael Dougherty (X-MEN 2, SUPERMAN RETURNS), produced by Bryan Singer (THE USUAL SUSPECTS, X-MEN) and stars Quinn Lord, Brian Cox (RED, MANHUNTER, X-MEN 2), Leslie Bibb (MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN, IRON MAN), Dylan Baker (SPIDER-MAN 2, HAPPINESS), Rochelle Aytes, Anna Paquin (from HBO's TRUE BLOOD), Moneca Delain, Lauren Lee Smith, Tahmoh Penikett, Lauren Lee Smith, Britt McKillip, Isabelle Deluce, Jean-Luc Bilodeau, Alberto Ghisi & Samm Todd.


PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE Remake Trailer?!

Well, sorta. Darkstone Entertainment announced last year it's intention to shoot PLAN 9, a remake of the Ed Wood cult "classic" PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. While the film won't officially role until April of 2010, director John Johnson has put together the following teaser trailer to give you an idea what they have in mind. Watch the trailer below and visit the official site at: http://www.plan9movie.com

Plan 9 Teaser Trailer from Darkstone Entertainment on Vimeo.




Teaser Trailer For Short Film 2:22!

Filmmaker Steven Shea from Abyssmal Entertainment just sent over a few pics and the teaser trailer for his latest short film 2:22. ICONS actually spoke to Shea back when he was promoting his feature HOODOO FOR VOODOO (Read that HERE). 2:22 was written & directed by Shea and stars Tara Lightfoot as Vicki Palmer, whom after an incredible night out with her girlfriends is wrenched from her peaceful slumber and cast mercilessly into a world spinning out of control. Writhing half naked on the cold porcelain tile of her bathroom floor, Vickie desperately tries to piece together the tragic turn of events that has twisted her once carefree life into a nightmare of pain and suffering. But when she discovers the truth, will it be too late to save her from eternal damnation?

Check out the teaser trailer below along with a few productions stills!

2:22 Short Film - Trailer from Abyssmal Entertainment on Vimeo.








New Red-Band Trailer For THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL!

It'll be on video on demand starting October 1st and then bowing for a limited theatrical release on October 30th, Ti West's much talked about new film THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL now has a brand spanking new red-band trailer courtesy of Hulu. Check it out below, along with a few news stills and the film synopsis!



From writer-director Ti West comes THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, a satanic thriller set in the 1980s starring Jocelin Donahue (JT Petty’s forthcoming THE BURROWERS), indie ingénue Greta Gerwig (HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS, BAGHEAD), Tom Noonan (SNOW ANGELS, MANHUNTER), Mary Woronov (EATING RAOUL, THE DEVIL’S REJECTS), AJ Bowen (THE SIGNAL) and Dee Wallace (E.T., Rob Zombie’s HALLOWEEN).

Sam (Donahue) is a pretty college sophomore, so desperate to earn some cash for a deposit on an apartment that she accepts a babysitting job even after she finds out there is no baby. Mr. and Mrs. Ulman (cult actors Noonan and Woronov) are the older couple who lure Sam out to their creeky Victorian mansion deep in the woods, just in time for a total lunar eclipse. Megan (Gerwig) is Sam’s best friend, who gives her a ride out to the house, and reluctantly leaves her there despite suspecting that something is amiss. Victor (Bowen) at first seems like just a creepy guy lurking around the house, but quickly makes it clear that Sam will end this night in a bloody fight for her life....




TERMINATOR: SALVATION DVD/Blu-Ray December 1st!

A few days ago, we posted a listing of the features you can expect on the upcoming TERMINATOR: SALVATION DVD and Blu-Ray release. Now, Warner Brothers has provided us with an official release date: December 1st, 2009.

The single disc DVD will feature the original theatrical trailer along with both Widescreen and Fill Screen versions of the movie. It looks like the Blu-Ray's got all the good though including both theatrical and director's cut versions of the movie, Maximum Movie Mode - An McG video commentary similar to what Zach Snyder did for WATCHMEN where the director hosts in front of the movie as it plays, and much, much more. (See our previous post HERE for a full list of features.)

The latest in the TERMINATOR franchise is directed by McG and stars Christian Bale as John Conner, Sam Worthington, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anton Yelchin, Common, Moon Bloodgood and Michael Ironside.


IMAGO Exclusive Photos & Trailer Release Info!

IMAGO producer Mel House got in touch and hooked us up with a few exclusive stills from the flick, along with info on it's trailer debut! The film stars Natalie Jones (Walking Distance), Lisa Wilcox (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 and 5), Danielle Jones (Sweatshop), Melanie Donihoo (Closet Space), Parrish Randall (The Quick and the Undead), and Debbie Rochon (Nowhere Man). Newcomer Chris Warren directs while Mel House's Upstart Filmworks produces from a screenplay by Warren and House. Associate producers include Ted Geoghegan (Barricade) and musician Jonah Matranga (FAR). Here's the trailer info:

Upstart Filmworks will be debuting the IMAGO trailer at the Texas Blood Bath Film Festival in November (http://www.texasbloodbath.com/). Our 2007 feature CLOSET SPACE is screening as part of the festival, and we'll be unveiling the IMAGO trailer as well as a new WALKING DISTANCE clip right before the CLOSET SPACE screening. So for all those Texas folk that keep clamoring to see our multi-dimensional tentacle extravaganza...this may be your only chance this year!




Pic 1:  Sean Brison
Pic 2:  Natali Jones and Omar Adam
Pic 3:  Parrish Randall

ORPHAN DVD/Blu-Ray Details! Arriving October 27th!

DVDActive is reporting that ORPHAN will hit DVD and Blu-Ray on October 27th. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (HOUSE OF WAX) from a script by David Johnson (based on the story by Alex Mace), ORPHAN stars Peter Sarsgaard, Vera Farmiga, CCH Pounder and Isabelle Fuhrman as Esther.

As far as bonus material for the discs, DVD Active states, "The only extra material on the DVD release will be additional scenes and an alternate ending. The Blu-ray release will include those scenes, along with a Mama's Little Devils: Bad Seeds, Evil Kids and Orphan featurette, and a digital copy of the film."

Check out the cover below! And read all our interviews from ORPHAN's theatrical release at our previous post HERE!




Adam Green & Joe Lynch's FRIGHTFEST UK Short Films 2009!

Remember last year's hilarious FRIGHTFEST UK shorts that filmmakers Adam Green (HATCHET, SPIRAL, FROZEN) and Joe Lynch (WRONG TURN 2) put together spoofing TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE? Well, this years festival just came to a wrap and the gents were at it again. They treated the FRIGHTFEST audience with 5 new short films this year inspired by AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON. Check all 5 of 'em out at THIS link:

http://www.frightfest.co.uk/roadtofrightfest.html

Here's an introduction from the festival's website:

ROAD TO FRIGHTFEST 2009
: American Douchebags in London Part One

Made by: Adam Green, Joe Lynch, Jason Miller, Will Barratt, Robert Pendergraft, Andy Garfield, and Heather Allison.

In 2008 FrightFest patron saints Adam Green and Joe Lynch surprised us all with their Road to FrightFest short films. For 2009 they are back with five more highly original and funny adventures. Sit back and enjoy as the boys set out to attend the UK's biggest and best fantasy and horror film festival.

ENJOY!


Tim Sullivan's DRIFTWOOD Premiering on CHILLER 9/11 @ 10PM!

Have you guys checked out Tim Sullivan's follow-up to 2001 MANIACS, DRIFTWOOD? If not, it's a great little film you should check out and it'll actually be premiering on Chiller TV this Friday September 11th at 10PM. Below is the full press release about the airing! Check it:

Tim Sullivan’s teen ghost story DRIFTWOOD will be making its network premiere on NBC Universal’s Chiller network Friday, September 11th at 10 PM.

THE STORY: Riddled with guilt over the loss of his rock star older brother, 16 year old David Forrester (Ricky Ullman) becomes obsessed with death, leading his misguided parents to send him to Driftwood, an "Attitude Adjustment Camp for Troubled Youths" run by the sadistic Captain Doug Kennedy (Diamond Dallas Page) and his brutal young henchman, Yates (Talan Torriero). Once there, David becomes haunted by the spirit of Jonathan (Connor Ross), a former inmate who met a mysterious end; a mystery whose resolution could very well be David's only way out..............

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY: After completing production on the horror comedy 2001 MANIACS, an admittedly over-the-top, decidedly non-PC “Splatstick”, co-writer/director Tim Sullivan found himself disturbed by a post-Columbine trend in America; the proliferation of privately owned and run “Attitude Adjustment Camps” for youths deemed troubled and problematic by their parents. Though some youth, in fact, may require severe response to their crimes and violence (i.e. hardened youth offenders who actually find their way into the government run juvenile prison system), the psychology (and business plan) behind these “Adjustment Camps” is to play upon the fears of wealthy parents unable to relate to their teenager that Little Johnny’s troubling behavior may actually be the budding seeds of the next teen “Columbine Killer”. The horrid part is that the definition of ‘troubling’ could easily be that Junior listens to AFI and HIM, reads FANGORIA magazine, wears black, has piercings in unseen places, and (horror of all horrors) may actually prefer the same sex to the girl next door. Thus, on a regular basis, kids who just don’t click with Mom and Dad are being shipped to attitude adjustment camps all over the USA, where they are brutalized, programmed and in some extreme cases, actually murdered (as recently exemplified by the headline making death of a young boy in such an Attitude Adjustment Camp in Florida). The greatest nightmare of all— If Little Johnny is under the age of 18, he’s got no legal rights whatsoever, and if Mom and Dad sign him over, he’s a prisoner till he turns 18. And so, with 2001 MANIACS and SNOOP DOGG’S HOOD OF HORROR under his belt, Sullivan enlisted writing partner Chris Kobin to tackle another type of horror for his follow-up. A complete flip in vibe from the broad tone of his first two features, DRIFTWOOD is a character driven supernatural thriller that has been described as STAND BY ME meets GHOST STORY. It’s Sullivan’s way of expressing his driving philosophy (as expressed in his first producing effort, the cult classic DETROIT ROCK CITY) that no one should be forced to be what they are not, for if and when that does occur, the real nightmares truly do take shape… Welcome to DRIFTWOOD.

Sullivan is currently editing the follow-up to 2001 MANIACS (entitled BEVERLY HELLBILLYS), which will have its US premiere at the American Film Market this November.

CHECK OUT SHOWTIMES FOR DRIFTWOOD on CHILLER TV at www.chillertv.com

Channel 257 on DIRECT TV
Channel 199 on the DISH NETWORK
Channel 193 on VERIZON FiOS
Channel 153 on AT & T U-Verse


September 07, 2009

From MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D To HALLOWEEN 3D! Patrick Lussier To Write & Direct!

The day after Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN 2 opened, the Weinstein Company already announced it's intention to release HALLOWEEN 3D by next summer, no doubt to follow hot on the heels of last weekend (and this weekend's) number one movie THE FINAL DESTINATION. Not only that, but with the recently announced remake of THE BLOB, this HALLOWEEN would have to go on without Zombie. Last week's rumor was that HALLOWEEN: H20 director Steve Miner was circling the project. Seems now we have a different name.

In a recent Variety post, Patrick Lussier the director of MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D is in negotiations to write and direct the next HALLOWEEN movie, HALLOWEEN 3D. Considering his long standing history with Dimension having edited for Wes Craven on the SCREAM movies, RED EYE and even Miner's H20, paired with the successful box office of his MY BLOODY VALENTINE remake, it comes as no surprise.

We're waiting on confirmation, but frankly... we're hoping Lussier can pull this off. Not only would they have to rush to get this movie in theaters by next summer, but... would you want to follow-up Zombie's 2 HALLOWEEN movies? We say reboot it again. Go in a whole new direction with new characters except for Michael of course. More when we hear it!


Weinstein Company/Dimension Prep New CHILDREN OF THE CORN Remake?!

Despite the fact that original producer Donald Borchers recently directed his own remake of CHILDREN OF THE CORN (debuting on SyFy September 26th), Bob Weinstein announced via Variety that his company & Dimension Films is prepping their own "re-envisioning". Ehren Kruger (SCREAM 3, THE RING, TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN) is adapting from the original Stephen King short story.

Referring to the original 1984 film, Weinstein said, "We felt the New World film was a missed opportunity. If you read the short story, it's got such a strong feeling to it and there's this religious overtone to it as well. Ehren wants to hit it hard. It's popular in Hollywood to say you re-envisioning a project but a lot of the time they're just carbon copying the original. We are bringing something new to the story."

No word on when it'll go into production, but we'll keep you posted. In the meantime, the other remake debuts on the SyFy channel on September 26th, with a DVD release set for October 6th.


New Theatrical One-Sheet Poster For LIVE EVIL!

Actor Lee Perkins gave us a sneak peek at the new theatrical one sheet poster for his latest flick LIVE EVIL. Written and directed by Jay Woelfel, the new vampire flick stars genre vets TIM THOMSERSON, KEN FOREE and TIFFANY SHEPIS along with Mark Hengst, Osa Wallander, Jeff Burr and Lee Perkins. It's playing in limited theatrical starting September 18th, followed by a video on demand AND a DVD release on November 3rd. Visit the official site: http://www.liveevilthemovie.com




Special HALLOWEEN 2 Cast & Crew Screening In LA September 9th!

Want to attend a special cast & crew screening of Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN 2? Well, now's your chance! The event is taking place September 9th at the Muvico Theaters located at 166 West Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360. You can order tickets on-line at www.muvico.com or by telephone at 805-496-5487.

In attendance for a special Q & A after the screening will be stars Tyler Mane, Danielle Harris, Brea Grant, Angela Trimbur, Jeff Daniel Phillips, along with producers Malek Akkad and Andy Gould. Details on the flier below! ENJOY!



Check out ICONS complete HALLOWEEN 2 coverage:







Make sure to read our set reports from H2 by clicking the images below!

HALLOWEEN 2 SET REPORT! PART ONE: FX ARTIST WAYNE TOTH! (Click image below to read it!)



HALLOWEEN 2 SET REPORT! PART TWO: PRODUCER MALEK AKKAD! (Click image below to read it!)



HALLOWEEN 2 SET REPORT! PART THREE: PRODUCER ANDY GOULD! (Click image below to read it!)



HALLOWEEN 2 SET REPORT! PART FOUR: ACTRESS SCOUT TAYLOR-COMPTON! (Click image below to read it!)


Indie Flick SWAY Debuting At Crypticon Houston, TX Oct. 16-18!

Filmmaker Josh Vargus got in touch to let us know his indie shocker SWAY would be making it's world premiere at the Crypticon convention in Houston, Texas taking place between October 16th through the 18th. Vargus had parts in other Houston productions such as SWEATSHOP and DOMAIN OF THE DAMNED, but has written & directed the upcoming SWAY. Have a peek at the latest trailer below. Visit the convention page at http://www.crypticonhouston.com or the My Space at: http://www.myspace.com/Crypticonhouston for more details.

SWAY Red -Band Trailer 3

Full Schedule For HORROR REALM Convention In Pittsburgh, PA! September 18th-20th!

To all our East Coast readers that are near the Pittsburgh area, we just got the full press release and schedule for the upcoming HORROR REALM convention, which takes place September 18th through the 20th and features such guests as Bill Moseley, David Naughton, Ken Foree, Tony Todd, leslie Easterbrook, Tiffany Shepis, Robert Z'Dar and many more. Check out the full details below. Hit up the website at: http://www.horrorrealmcon.com



Horror Realm Convention Background

Horror Realm is an offshoot of Pittsburgh’s popular Zombie Fest, which was held in 2007 and 2008. In 2009, the name and format were revamped to distinguish the event as a convention encompassing all aspects of horror as well as zombie culture.

Entering its third year in 2009, Horror Realm has positioned itself as Pittsburgh’s modern horror
convention as a complement to the region’s long running Monster Bash, the international classic
monster movie conference and film festival, which celebrates classic horror and science fiction films
(from the silent era through the 1950’s).

Horror Realm features:
- A dealer room with local, regional and national vendors offering various horror-themed items for sale including movies/DVD’s, apparel, jewelry, collectible figures, comics, Halloween costumes, make up and decorations, artwork, etc.
- Well-known celebrity guests from horror and zombie films including Bill Moseley, Tony Todd, Ken Foree, Leslie Easterbrook, David Naughton, Tiffany Shepis and Robert Zdar, among others.
- Author panels featuring award winning, best selling and emerging horror writers including SG Browne, Jonathan Maberry, Kim Paffenroth and many more appearing courtesy of Library of the Living Dead Press, Permuted Press and Joseph Beth Booksellers.
- A film festival celebrating the spirit of independent films and featuring a film competition
- Demonstrations of special effects make up by students of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh
- Fan contests and entertainment

The Pittsburgh area has a rich horror history. Numerous horror movies have been filmed in the region including Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Martin, The Silence of the Lambs, The Mothman Prophecies and My Bloody Valentine 3D, to name but a few. The region has also spawned a number of popular television horror hosts from “Chilly Billy” Cardille to the fictional Count Floyd (from SCTV) to modern day host Professor Emcee Square of The It’s Alive Show. Pittsburgh is also known as the Zombie Capital of the World because of its prominent place in the George Romero zombie films. And the city is three-time holder of the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of zombies at Monroeville Mall, site of the original Dawn of the Dead film. World Zombie Day, an international charity event featuring zombie walks and food drives worldwide, got its in Pittsburgh. Horror Realm is proudly produced by native Pittsburghers as a hometown convention celebrating the local horror influences as well as to serve as an attraction for horror aficionados everywhere. The convention hopes to spur tourism interest in the area as well as economic development for the venue and surrounding areas.

HORROR REALM 2009 EVENT SCHEDULE

Friday, September 18:
Grand Ballroom 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM Dealer room & guest hours

Harrisburg Room 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM Author Panel 1 - Jonathan Maberry James Melzer, Rob Fox
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM Author
Panel 2 - Dave Dunwoody, Steven North, Kim Paffenroth, Paul McConnel

Washington Room 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM Movie – The Trek
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM Film Panel – Joe Knetter
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM Movie – Die-Ner (get it?)
10:00 PM – ?? Bastards of Horror Short Film Festival

Carnegie Room 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM The It’s Alive Show

Foyer / Lobby Area 9:00 PM - ?? DJ & Cash Bar

Saturday, September 19:
Grand Ballroom 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM Dealer room & guest hours

Harrisburg Room 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM Author Panel 3 – S.G. Browne
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Author Panel 4 - J.L. Bourne, Travis Adkins, DL Snell

Washington Room 10:00 AM – Noon Movie – Film Contest Runner Up
Noon – 2:00 PM Movie – The Beast Within
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM Film Panel – Ken Foree
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM Movie – Film Contest Winner
5:15 PM – 5:45 PM Film Panel – Jeff Lieberman
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Movie – Just Before Dawn
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM Movie – The Dead Outside
10:00 PM – Midnight Movie – Prometheus Triumphant

Main Stage Area 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM Art Institute of Pittsburgh Demonstration
4:00 PM – 4:45 PM Horror Trivia Contest
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM Tattoo Contest
6:30 PM – 7:30 PM Costume Contest

Pool Bar Area 8:00 PM - ?? Cash bar & band (moved to foyer in event of rain)

Sunday, September 20:
Grand Ballroom 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM Dealer room & guest hours

Harrisburg Room 11:00 AM – Noon Author Panel 5 - Robert Best, Rhiannon Frater, Kody Boye
12:15 PM – 1:15 PM Author Panel 6 - Eric S. Brown, Scott Johnson, ZA Recht
2:30 PM – 4:00 PM Permuted Press Flash Fiction ContestWinner Announced

Washington Room 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Movie – Demons Among Us
1:15 PM – 2:15 PM Film Panel – Bill Moseley, Ken Foree, Leslie Easterbrook
2:30 PM – 4:30 PM Movie – TBA

Main Stage Area 12:15 PM – 12:45 PM Brain Eating Contest
1:15 PM – 2:15 PM Art Institute Demonstration
2:15 PM – 2:30 PM Art Contest Winner announced

All scheduled events and times are tentative and subject to change.

HORROR REALM SPONSORS
The staff and management of the Horror Realm would like to extend our sincere thanks
and deepest appreciation to the following sponsors & prize donors whose generous
support made this event possible. Thank you!
Sponsors:
- Library of the Living Dead
- Permuted Press
- Masquerade / Halloween Adventure
- Joseph Beth Booksellers
- Rue Morgue Magazine
- Art Institute of Pittsburgh
Prize Donors:
- Human Productions Gallery
- Time & Space Toys and Collectibles
- Twilight Creations

September 05, 2009

MTV Debuts New Clip From JENNIFER'S BODY!

MTV has just debuted this new clip with a scene between Kyle Gallner and Megan Fox in JENNIFER'S BODY in theaters September 18th. Check it out below!



Check out a behind thew scenes look from ET at our previous news post HERE! There's another on-set video that we posted a few weeks back right HERE!

Check out the "PSA announcement" with Megan Fox at our previous news post HERE. The theatrical one-sheet poster is at our previous news post HERE! Watch the "red-band" trailer for JENNIFER'S BODY at our previous news post HERE and the "green-band" one HERE! The flick stars Megan Fox as the title character, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody, J.K. Simmons, Kyle Gallner & Lance Henriksen. JENNIFER'S BODY was directed by Karyn Kusama from a script by Diablo Cody (writer of JUNO).

Synopsis: When a gorgeous cheerleader is possessed by a demon and starts feeding off the boys in a small Minnesota farming town, her "plain Jane" best friend must kill her, then escape from a correctional facility to go after the Satan-worshipping rock band responsible for the horrible transformation.


First Clip From George Romero's SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD!

Twitchfilm.net just debuted the first official clip from George A. Romero's latest zombie opus, SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD! Below is the description that goes along with the clip:

In a world where the dead rise to menace the living, rogue soldier Crocket (Alan Van Sprang) leads a band of military dropouts to refuge from the endless chaos. As they search for a place "where the shit won't get you," they meet banished patriarch Patrick O'Flynn (played with zeal by Kenneth Welsh), who promises a new Eden on the fishing and ranching outpost Plum Island. The men arrive, only to find themselves caught in an age-old battle between O'Flynn's family and rival clan the Muldoons. It turns out that Patrick was expelled from the isle for believing that the only good zombie is a dead zombie, while the Muldoons think it's wrong to dispatch afflicted loved ones, attempting to look after their undead kinfolk until a cure is found. But their bid for stability on the homestead has turned perverse: the undead are chained inside their homes, pretending to live normal lives - and the consequences are bloody. A desperate struggle for survival will determine whether the living and the dead can coexist.

Such apocalyptic themes have long haunted George A. Romero, much to the delight of his legions of fans. He now follows Crocket, a minor character from his last film, Diary of the Dead, to present a new doomsday scenario. In that film, Crocket made a brief appearance with his militia to appropriate the heroes' supplies at gunpoint. For Crocket's subsequent journey, Romero does something that most horror directors have neglected to do in recent years - he uses the genre to address societal issues. Romero here creates a world in which he can wrestle with the human condition while simultaneously finding new and creative ways to exterminate lurching flesh eaters.



See a slew of pictures at our previous news post HERE. Follow Uncle George Romero via Twitter at http://twitter.com/OfficialRomero! Also, you can keep tabs on the latest DEAD film via the official My Space page at: www.myspace.com/OfficialGeorgeRomero. See the first behind the scenes segment HERE!

Artfire Films and Romero-Grunwald Productions present “GEORGE A. ROMERO’S SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD”. A film by George A. Romero. Producer: Paula Devonshire. Executive Producers: Peter Grunwald, Art Spigel, Dan Fireman, Ara Katz, Michael Doherty, DJ Carson, Bryan Gliserman. Director of Photography: Adam Swica. Editor: Michael Doherty. Production Designer: Arv Greywal. Costume Designer: Alex Kavanagh. Composer: Robert Carli. Featuring: Alan Van Sprang, Kenneth Welsh, Devon Bostick, Kathleen Munroe, Richard Fitzpatrick.


September 04, 2009

HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER Comes To Blu-Ray September 29th!

"He's not Freddy. He's not Jason. He's real." I'll never forget seeing that tagline for the first time on the VHS box of HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER, which is still one of those disturbing genre films that gets to me. How far we've come that now we're getting a Blu-Ray special edition of the movie courtesy of Dark Sky Films on September 29th.

Features include: commentary, deleted scenes & outtakes, a making-of documentary, a documentary on real life killer Henry Lee Lucas, trailers, storyboards and a stills gallery. Check out the cover artwork below as well as the synopsis:



"Based on actual events, this controversial and critically-acclaimed horror classic chronicles a few short weeks in the life serial killer, Henry Lee Lucas.

Michael Rooker gives a bone-chilling performance as Henry, a solitary drifter who leads his dim ex-jail mate Otis (Tim Towles), on a senseless killing spree through the streets of Chicago. Choosing their victims at random, they vary their methods of execution to avoid detection. Meanwhile, Otis unsuspecting sister, Becky (Tracy Arnold), comes to visit and finds herself falling in love with Henry.

Filmmaker John McNaughton directed HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER, a provocative portrayal of a mass murderer that continues to shock and disturb twenty years after its debut."

PRE-ORDER IT BELOW:



Official Website For THE HILLS RUN RED Launches!

The official website for THE HILLS RUN RED has launched over at: http://www.hillsrunred.com. You'll be greeted by the trailer upon arrival to the page, but also DVD info, synopsis, a gallery with some brand new images, video clips, desktops, buddy icons, blogs from the films characters and more! Check it out now over at: http://www.hillsrunred.com

Check out a slew of images at our previous news post HERE.

Synopsis A film fanatic's obsession with finding a complete print of a classic slasher movie leads him and two friends into the backwoods where the film was shot. They realize too late that filming never ended -- the movie's star, the deformed, murderous BABY FACE, and his twisted family continue to film and kill unsuspecting victims. Now our heroes must survive the nightmarish onslaught or become part of the movie forever.

THE HILLS RUN RED stars Sophie Monk, Tad Hilgenbrinck (LOST BOYS: THE TRIBE), William Sadler (THE MIST, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION), Alex Wyndham and Janet Montgomery (WRONG TURN 3).

Make sure you check out our exclusive THE HILLS RUN RED interview with director DAVE PARKER! Click HERE or the image below to read it!


VIDEO: SLEEPAWAY CAMP Reunion At MONSTERMANIA!

Sleepawaycampmovies.com has put together a video of the SLEEPAWAY CAMP reunion from the most recent MONSTER MANIA convention this past August 2009. Check out the video description, as well as highlights from the event embedded below!

Producer Jeff Hayes has put together another Sleepaway Camp reunion! This time he has added the long sought-after Karen Fields ("Judy") and Frank Saladino ("Gene-O") to the line up. Also starring creator/director Robert Hiltzik, Paul DeAngelo ("Ronnie"), Desiree Gould ("Aunt Martha"), and Jonathan Tiersten ("Ricky"). The event took place on August 21-23 in Cherry Hill, NJ for MonsterMania.



Visit: http://www.sleepawaycampmovies.com
And: www.monstermania.net

Whoa! The Full [REC] 2 Trailer!

Whoa! The full length trailer for the eagerly anticipated Spanish sequel [REC] 2 can now be seen over on THIS website! The original [REC] served as the (practically shot-for-shot) basis of last year's QUARANTINE. The follow-up is once again directed & scripted by Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plazo. [REC] 2 is set to start hitting the festival circuit shortly. We'll keep you posted on release details when we hear 'em! See the new trailer HERE!

There's also some cool stuff over on the official Filmax website for [REC] 2. (If you can understand Spanish, of course) Check it: www.rec2lapelicula.com



Read our first look of [REC] by clicking the image below! The original [REC] comes to DVD in the US on July 14th!


ET's New Behind The Scenes Video For JENNIFER'S BODY!

Entertainment Weekly has a new behind the scenes video on JENNIFER'S BODY, which you can check out embedded below:



There's another on-set video that we posted a few weeks back right HERE!

Check out the "PSA announcement" with Megan Fox at our previous news post HERE. The theatrical one-sheet poster is at our previous news post HERE! Watch the "red-band" trailer for JENNIFER'S BODY at our previous news post HERE and the "green-band" one HERE! The flick stars Megan Fox as the title character, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody, J.K. Simmons, Kyle Gallner & Lance Henriksen. JENNIFER'S BODY was directed by Karyn Kusama from a script by Diablo Cody (writer of JUNO).

Synopsis: When a gorgeous cheerleader is possessed by a demon and starts feeding off the boys in a small Minnesota farming town, her "plain Jane" best friend must kill her, then escape from a correctional facility to go after the Satan-worshipping rock band responsible for the horrible transformation.


First Official Image From SAW VI!

Ah, let the guessing game begin! Lionsgate has released the first official promotional still from SAW VI, but naturally... we have no idea what's going on in it, other then something sinister in nature! Check it out below:



Check out the latest SAW VI poster HERE. See the other theatrical poster HERE! Check out the trailer at THIS post here & the theatrical poster HERE. The awesome "motion" poster can be found at our previous news post HERE!

SAW VI hits theaters October 23rd, 2009. Long time SAW editor Kevin Greutert directs the latest sequel SAW VI which stars Shauna MacDonald, Devon Bostick, Marty Moreau, Karen Cliche, Shawn Mathieson, Melanie Scrofano, James Gilbert, Shawn Ahmed, Janelle Hutchison, Gerry Mendicino, Caroline Cave and Ginger Busch with Tobin Bell returning as Jigsaw, Shawnee Smith as Amanda (both for flashback sequences), as well as Costas Mandylor.

Visit the official site: http://www.saw6film.com

September 02, 2009

FRIGHT EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW - SOUND ENGINEER GARY STREINER!

Just added! A FRIGHT exclusive interview with GARY STREINER! Among those names made famous by NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD some 41 years ago, Gary Streiner might not be the first to come to mind for the film’s many fans. Though Gary was not as prominent as George Romero or Gary’s own brother Russ, he was part of a tight-knit team that produced what would become not only a classic horror film, but a classic film in general. One of the ten original investors in NIGHT, his role as the film’s recording guy and sound mixer gave him an inside view of the movie. He was kind enough recently to discuss some of his experiences on NOTLD with me, as well as his second annual Living Dead Festival, an autograph signing and showing of the movie which will include many first time guests, including Judith Ridley. Visit the festival’s official site at: www.thelivingdeadfest.com. And read the full interview by clicking the image below!


13 New Images From SORORITY ROW!

Summit Entertainment has provided us with the following 13 images from SORORITY ROW. You can click on any one of them for high resolution versions. Check 'em below!














We'll have interviews with the director and cast of SORORITY ROW later in the week, so check back soon for those. In the meantime, make sure to watch the latest TV Spot at at previous post HERE. See the trailer & 1st poster at THIS post! The international poster HERE, the theatrical one-sheet poster HERE! Another poster right HERE! And the "final" one-sheet HERE!

An update/remake of Mark Rosman's 1983 THE HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW, the new version is set to open in theaters on September 11th. Stewart Hendler directed from a script by Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger and it stars (cutie) Briana Evigan (S. DARKO, FEAR ITSELF: NEW YEAR'S DAY), Rumer Willis, Audrina Patridge (INTO THE BLUE 2) and Carrie Fisher.

Kelly McGillis Joins Cast Of STAKE LAND!

Dark Sky Films and Glass Eye Pix announced today that Kelly McGillis ("Top Gun," "Witness," "The Accused") has joined the cast of the epic vampire road film "STAKE LAND," currently filming in New York and Pennsylvania.

The film, written by Jim Mickle and Nick Damici and directed by Jim Mickle ("Mulberry Street"), takes place following a global spread of vampirism. McGillis plays a nun who joins a small team of survivors (including Damici, Danielle Harris of "Halloween" and "Halloween 2" and Conor Paolo of "Gossip Girl") as they make a treacherous journey north to safety through the war-torn U.S. McGillis' character, "Sister," faces a crisis of faith during the vampire bloodshed, ultimately taking up arms to do battle with her newly formed family unit.

Says Dark Sky's EVP Greg Newman, "Jim and Nick have written a uniquely intense part for "Sister", and we are thrilled to see Kelly McGillis in the role. This is a very ambitious project, with a genuinely epic sweep, and we cannot wait to bring it to audiences next year."

The film is produced by Dark Sky Films and Larry Fessenden's Glass Eye Pix with producers Derek Curl, Peter Phok, Brent Kunkle, Adam Folk, and Fessenden, who also appears in the film. Says Fessenden, "I have been wanting to work with Jim Mickle since I saw his short films years ago. My enthusiasm for his approach to genre was peaked with MULBERRY STREET, so when we were putting together the Dark Sky Slate, Mickle was on my short list of directors. I think this one will add legions of fans."

Glass Eye Pix and MPI recently teamed up to produce Ti West's "House of the Devil," which is slated for a fall release from Magnolia pictures and "Bitter Feast," which recently wrapped principal photography.



Check out our FRIGHT exclusive interviews with both Jim Mickle and Larry Fessenden below by clicking their respective frames!

JIM MICKLE:


LARRY FESSENDEN:

POSSUM WALK One-Sheet Poster & Images!

Horrorphile Entertainment, in association with Bloodbrick Pictures, is proud to debut their brand spanking new one-sheet for their movie POSSUM WALK. The image was designed by Jimmy Hazard, who also designed one-sheets for THE FLESH KEEPER and WALKING DISTANCE. “Jimmy totally understood what it was we wanted in a poster. We gave him a very basic idea of what the movie was about, and he ran with it. He works insanely quick, too. From concept to reality, the whole process took maybe two weeks,” reports writer/director Jeremy Sumrall.


Furthermore, Horrorphile Entertainment and Bloodbrick Pictures are proud to announce that principal photography on POSSUM WALK is “…about 98% complete”, according to Sumrall (star of SWEATSHOP). “We have one or two dialogue scenes left to film, and then a couple of FX pickup shots. Little stuff we weren’t able to pull off quite the way we wanted, naturally.” Sumrall went on to say that “…the production has gone much smoother than I could have anticipated. I have an amazing cast and hard-working crew supporting me in this endeavor. I’m eternally grateful to each and every one of them for helping to bring my creation to life.”

For those uninitiated few who don’t already know, POSSUM WALK is “…a dark, dramatic film about small-town Southern living, which is controlled by fear, ignorance, and - perhaps worst of all – religion. A young virgin named ‘Faith Carpenter’ – played beautifully by newcomer Maggie Conwell – discovers she’s pregnant, and begins having terrible visions of demonic goings-on as a result. Her widower father, ‘Brother William Carpenter’ – played with gusto by indie genre fave Parrish Randall (VICIOUS, QUICK AND THE UNDEAD) – struggles with a few demons of his own. And, as things are boiling over between these two, a masked killer picks the sleepy little town to become the newest venue for his insanity – sexually abusing and killing the women of the town – but not necessarily in that order.”

For more information, visit POSSUM WALK’s myspace page at www.myspace.com/possumwalkmovie, or if Facebook is more your speed, visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/Possum-Walk/74976752861?ref=ts.





DARK DAYS Are Coming! 30 DAYS OF NIGHT Sequel Nabs Director!

Bloody-Disgusting is reporting that Ben Ketai is set to direct 30 DAYS OF NIGHT: DARK DAYS, the official sequel to David Slade's 30 DAYS OF NIGHT. Based on the original comic book sequel DARK DAYS, writer/co-creator Steve Niles also penned the script with Ketai. Ketai has experience in the 30 DAYS OF NIGHT universe having worked on the web series "30 DAYS OF NIGHT: BLOOD TRAILS" and "30 DAYS OF NIGHT: DUST TO DUST." The character of Stella Oleson (played by Melissa George in the first film) plays a major role in the story of DARK DAYS, but according to BD will be recast for this direct-to-DVD sequel. Shooting begins tentatively in October in Vancouver. More when we hear it!


THE RESURRECTION OF OFFICER ROLLINS Short Film With Derek Mears & Rodney Eastman!

Filmmaker Nathan Cox sent over a link to his cool little short film titled THE RESURRECTION OF OFFICER ROLLINS. Genre fans will recognize Derek Mears (Jason Voorhees in FRIDAY THE 13TH) and Rodney Eastman (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS) in the movie. It's up in competition with 10 other films in the Doorpost Film Project contest. So, click HERE or the following link to see the short and vote for it!

http://www.thedoorpost.com/2009/FinalFilms/vote/?film=414b5768ea2e239f028620176419e24e

Below is the press release and poster!

'The Resurrection of Officer Rollins' is a zombie themed short film directed by Nathan Cox that was entered in a recent film contest. In a sea of conservative films, Nathan was the only one compelled to make a horror film. The film stars Derek Mears (JASON VOORHEES from the Friday The 13th remake) and Rodney Eastman (An original DREAM WARRIOR from Nightmare On Elm St. 3). Please vote and support his film. You have to create a login on The Doorpost to vote (takes about 1 minute...and you don't have to upload a pic to register) Please help us out by forwarding this invite, posting a link, emailing friends, etc. Getting as many online votes as we can will really help us out...because a large chunk of the outcome is decided by the online vote. ***You have to watch all 10 films before you are eligible to vote.***If you have the time, please leave us a positive comment on 'The Resurrection of Officer Rollins' page (but only if you like the film : )


Nathan "Karma" Cox, Director MTV award winning music video director and editor Nathan Cox is a Southern California native. As a child, Nathan made his first super-8 stop-motion movies with his Star Wars action figures and since has been one of the most prolific music video directors. With over 200 credits to his name, Nathan has worked with artists such as Marilyn Manson, Disturbed, Linkin Park, U2, Jewel, Metallica, Foo Fighters, and The Fray. Nathan has been nominated for eleven awards, such as the MTV Video Music Awards, the Billboard Music Video Awards and The Music Video Producers Association Awards.

Don't forget to read our interview from earlier this year with DEREK MEARS!



First Image From THE HOST 2!

It always seems like foreign cinema is where it's at in terms of new & original horror flicks, so after the success of Bong Joon-ho's THE HOST, it comes as no surprise that a sequel was inevitable. Directed by  Ning Hao (the director behind CRAZY STONE), THE HOST 2 shot earlier this year and now it looks like we've got our first look at the creature via this test image found on TwitchFilm.net (courtesy of Daum) Check it out below!



Too early to say the release date but we'll keep you posted as soon as we hear something!

RUMOR: Director Found For HALLOWEEN 3D?!

Late in the weekend, The Weinstein Company announced it's intentions to continue the HALLOWEEN franchise with HALLOWEEN 3D. And not only would they be aiming to get a 3D Michael Myers movie in theaters by next summer, but it'll be a different take from what Rob Zombie had established with his 2 HALLOWEEN flicks. In that last post, it was hinted that "the studio was in negotiations with a new director, who has experience in horror." Rumor going round through all the other horror outlets is that it may be Steve Miner.

Steve Miner is no stranger to the genre, nor to Michael Myers. He directed HALLOWEEN: 20 YEARS LATER aka H20 starring Jamie Lee Curtis. His other genre credits include the recent DAY OF THE DEAD remake, FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2 and LAKE PLACID. Hell, he's got 3D experience having also directed FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3.

For now, let's consider this a rumor until confirmed, but could be interesting to see what Miner's take on Myers is, 10 years after H20. (Just... get the mask right this time, k?)


OK, For Real... The "Final" Theatrical One-Sheet Poster For SORORITY ROW!

OK... this is probably about the 3rd time I'm referring to a new SORORITY ROW poster as the "final" theatrical one sheet poster, but... Summit Entertainment keeps pumping them out! With the release date set for Friday September 11th, I'm willing to bet this is in fact the last theatrical poster you'll see for the flick. Check it out below:


We'll have interviews with the director and cast of SORORITY ROW later in the week, so check back soon for those. In the meantime, make sure to watch the latest TV Spot at at previous post HERE. See the trailer & 1st poster at THIS post! The international poster HERE, the theatrical one-sheet poster HERE! And one more poster right HERE!

An update/remake of Mark Rosman's 1983 THE HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW, the new version is set to open in theaters on September 11th. Stewart Hendler directed from a script by Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger and it stars (cutie) Briana Evigan (S. DARKO, FEAR ITSELF: NEW YEAR'S DAY), Rumer Willis, Audrina Patridge (INTO THE BLUE 2) and Carrie Fisher.


MTV Planning TEEN WOLF Pilot!

There's a remake coming of the Michael J. Fox comedy TEEN WOLF, only it's not traditionally what you'd expect. The Hollywood Reporter says that MTV is readying a pilot of the hit 80's movie as a jumping point for a series.

The article says: The 1985 film starred Michael J. Fox as a teenager who discovers he is a werewolf. The MTV version will be set in high school, draw from the horror genre to explore werewolf mythology and include a romantic plot line.

"It has a fresh take and is very different from the original," said Liz Gateley, senior vp MTV series development. "It has more of an 'American Werewolf in London' feel to it. It's a dramatic thriller with two best friends in the center who provide a great comedy element: They are two very relatable characters on the outer circles of popular cliques."

The new "Wolf" was written by "Criminal Minds" creator Jeff Davis, who executive produces the pilot with Marty Adelstein (Fox's "Prison Break") and Rene Echevarria (ABC's "Castle").

We'll keep you posted on when we hear more!


Rebecca De Mornay Is The Mother In MOTHER'S DAY!

Actress Rebecca De Mornay will take on the lead role in Darren Lynn Bousman's remake of MOTHER'S DAY says The Hollywood Reporter. "Every time you look at (Rebecca), she is on fire, and to take her to this level, which is like her role in 'Hand That Rocks the Cradle' times a thousand, is exciting," Bousman said. "She is not some Freddy Krueger or Jason, so it was important for me to get a real actress."



Bloody-Disgusting is reporting that Patrick Flueger (KILL THEORY) has also recently joined the cast. Also on board, TRUE BLOOD's Deborah Ann Woll, Briana Evigan (S. DARKO, SORORITY ROW), Alexa Vega, Jaime King (MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D, THE TRIPPER), Shawn Ashmore (FROZEN), Matt O'Leary (SORORITY ROW) & Tony Nappo. Darren Lynn Bousman (helmer of the SAW sequels and REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA) directs from a script by Scott Milam. MOTHER'S DAY is based on the 1980 Charlie Kaufman movie of the same name.

You can read Briana Evigan's recent comments on her role in the flick in our previous news post HERE!

September 01, 2009

Magnolia Acquires Bong Joon-Ho's Critically Acclaimed MOTHER!

New York – August 31st, 2009 – The Wagner/Cuban Companies' Magnolia Pictures announced today that it has acquired North American rights to Bong Joon-Ho’s MOTHER, which debuted at Cannes in Un Certain Regard earlier this year to stellar reviews. Gearing up for a Bong Joon-ho retrospective, Magnolia has also acquired BARKING DOGS NEVER BITE, Bong’s 2000 debut which was previously unreleased stateside. Magnolia had a big hit in 2007 with Bong’s THE HOST, and is excited to be the American home for the filmmaker, one of the most dynamic and exciting on the world stage today.

MOTHER is a unique thriller about a mother’s primal love for her son. It stars Kim Hye-ja (in what critics are calling one of the best performances of the year) as a mother who throws herself body and soul into proving the innocence of her son who she believes to be wrongly accused of murder. The Korean selection for this year’s Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, MOTHER continues its prestigious run on the festival circuit this fall—it is an official selection in both the Toronto International Film Festival and the New York Film Festival. Magnolia plans on releasing the film theatrically sometime early next year.

BARKING DOGS NEVER BITE is a dark comedy about an out-of-work college professor who is driven mad by the sound of barking dogs in his apartment building, eventually resorting to kidnapping them. Never released stateside, Bong’s directorial debut is a must-see for fans as it has hints of things to come with his later works, especially THE HOST.

“We are thrilled to be in the Bong Joon-Ho business again, and to be doing our first deal with CJ Entertainment,” said Magnolia Senior Vice President Tom Quinn . “MOTHER is one of the best films of the year from one of the world’s most versatile, exciting directors, and BARKING DOGS makes a great addition to our growing library. We want to be releasing Bong’s films as long as he keeps making them.”

“I'm very thrilled that Magnolia will be distributing MOTHER to the wider audience in North America ,” said Bong. “Having previously worked with Magnolia on THE HOST, I am well aware of their love and passion for film. I hope MOTHER can once again fuel up the interest of North American audiences in Korean cinema.”

‘We are very excited to find a passionate partner like Magnolia, who successfully launched THE HOST in North America and has a real understanding of Bong’s films,” said Senior Vice President Kini S. Kim for CJ Entertainment. “With Magnolia distributing both MOTHER, and BARKING DOGS NEVER BITE, we know his unique, fun and exciting filmmaking will reach wider audiences.”



Vote Now For Spike TV's SCREAM AWARDS 2009!

Spike have opened up their page for the SCREAM 2009 awards and you can vote now for all your favorites of this past year! Vote for The Ultimate Scream, Best Horror Movie, Sci-Fi Movie, Actor, Actress, Best Ensemble, Best Director, Best Holy S***! Scene Of The Year and many, many more! Plenty of fan favorites are on the list this year - LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, DRAG ME TO HELL, WATCHMEN, STAR TREK, TRUE BLOOD, DEXTER and many more!

Vote now: http://www.spike.com/event/scream2009/

The 4th annual Scream event tapes on Saturday, October 17 at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles!


SORORITY ROW's Briana Evigan Talks MOTHER'S DAY Remake!

At the recent roundtable interview for SORORITY ROW, actress Briana Evigan talked a bit about her upcoming role in the MOTHER'S DAY remake. Here's some quotes of what she had to say!

"Darren Lynn Bousman’s directing it. Jaime King is attached as the other female lead. I do not know who the mother is yet, um since we’ve been so busy (that) I haven’t heard a word. But I can tell you that this movie is sick. It’s really, really sick. But what I liked about it so much is that it’s a concept that’s way too close to home. That family means more then anything and that you’d go do absolutely anything for them. And… that’s the way my family is. God, I just pray that nothing like this would happened because we’d take care of each other. (Laughs)"

When pressed about which role she's got in this one, she said, "I’m not a part of the family in this, I’m someone who’s held hostage. I’m one of the main hostage people. So I get to be really bad-ass again and extremely 20 times more then in SORORITY ROW. I’m pretty much the tough, stonewall that everyone’s intimidated by. She’s super hot and sexy. Not slutty in anyway. We’re trying to find the fine line so that we don’t get into that pedigree at all. I’m changing my hair for it and everything, changing my appearance. I’ll have a big tattoo on my back. So it’s definitely sexy and edgy and very tough and this girl does not put up with anything, so she’s ready to fight everybody and kill everybody she needs to kill. (Laughs)"



Rebecca De Mornay was just announced as the "mother", with the rest of the cast consists of TRUE BLOOD's Deborah Ann Woll, Briana Evigan (S. DARKO, SORORITY ROW), Alexa Vega, Jaime King (MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D, THE TRIPPER), Shawn Ashmore (FROZEN), Matt O'Leary (SORORITY ROW) & Tony Nappo. Darren Lynn Bousman (helmer of the SAW sequels and REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA) directs from a script by Scott Milam. MOTHER'S DAY is based on the 1980 Charlie Kaufman movie of the same name. More when we hear it!

LAKE MUNGO Joins AFTER DARK HORRORFEST 4 Line-Up!

After Dark Films have announced LAKE MUNGO as their 3rd acquisition for the upcoming HORRORFEST 8 FILMS TO DIE FOR, the 4th of the annual festival set to hit theaters on January 29th, 2010. LAKE MUNGO joins the already announced DREAD (the latest Clive Barker adaptation written & directed by Anthony Deblasi) and THE GRAVES. Here's the official press release and a pair of images:

Los Angeles, CA (August 27, 2009) — After Dark Films CEO Courtney Solomon has announced that After Dark has inked a deal with Arclight Films to feature Lake Mungo in it’s next incarnation of After Dark Horrorfest®: 8 Films to Die For. The supernatural mystery is written and directed by Joel Anderson making his feature debut. Talia Zucker, Rosie Traynor, David Pledger and Martin Sharpe star. Georgie Nevile and David Rapsey produced. Dana Lambert, VP of Acquisitions at After Dark brokered the deal with Arclight Films who represented the filmmakers in the negotiations.

In Lake Mungo, sixteen-year-old Alice Palmer drowns while swimming in the local dam. When her body is recovered and a verdict of accidental death returned, her grieving family buries her. The family then experiences a series of strange and inexplicable events centered in and around their home. Profoundly unsettled, the Palmers seek the help of psychic and parapsychologist, Ray Kemeny. Ray discovers that Alice led a secret, double life. A series of clues lead the family to Lake Mungo where Alice's secret past emerges.

“Joel has created an eerily crafted, suspense piece that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats and will leave them with a sense of unease for days to come.” stated Solomon. “We’re pleased to bring such an original film to audiences in the US.”

Gary Hamilton, Managing Director of Arclight Films, added, “Arclight is extremely proud of the continuing success of Joel’s film and feel that After Dark has the right vision to bring maximum success for Lake Mungo in the US market.”

After Dark Films will continue to announce their line up over the upcoming months leading up to the January 29, 2010 release. “With Horrorfest entering its fourth year, we’re pleased that we can continue to bring to our fans exciting, new films that expand the entire horror genre.” added Solomon.

Joel Anderson is repped by UTA.

After Dark Horrorfest 4 runs for one week in theatres across the United States from January 29nd – February 5th, making it the largest nationwide film festival.

After Dark Films: Founded in 2006 by film producer/director/writer Courtney Solomon and real estate and textile financier Allan Zeman, After Dark Films is a leader in independent film finance, production and acquisition of genre films for theatrical release.

After Dark is perhaps best known for its creation and execution of After Dark Horrorfest® – 8 Films to Die For® (www.horrorfestonline.com). Debuting in 2006, After Dark Horrorfest ® is a one week national film festival that celebrates all areas of the horror genre. In its first year, Horrorfest became the first film festival in history to break into the Top 10 at the national box office, grossing over $2.5 million Additionally, it reached great success with over 1.6 million DVDs currently in circulation through distribution partner Lionsgate.

After Dark's initial film release was the box office success An American Haunting (2006), written, directed and produced by Courtney Solomon. An American Haunting opened at the #2 spot in the nation, and maintained its position for four weeks. Subsequent releases include The Abandoned; Skinwalkers, starring Jason Behr, Rhona Mitra and Matthew Knight; Captivity, starring Elisha Cuthbert and directed by Oscar-nominee Roland Joffe (The Killing Fields), and Frontier(s), directed by Xavier Gens (Hitman)

Earlier this year it was announced that After Dark Films is making its first foray into television by partnering with Lionsgate and IFC to co-produce the best selling book series, Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, written by Laurell K. Hamilton.



August 30, 2009

Are You Ready For A Rob Zombie-Less HALLOWEEN 3D?! It's Coming!

Wow. That was fast and... obvious. The big winner this weekend at the box office wasn't Rob Zombie's sequel HALLOWEEN II, but rather THE FINAL DESTINATION 3D. So, fresh from that loss, Bob Weinstein from The Weinstein Company announced via the LA Times today that HALLOWEEN 3D is in development.

From the article: "Weinstein said Rob Zombie, who directed "Halloween II" and 2007's reboot of the 31-year-old horror series, won't return for "Halloween 3-D." He said the studio is in negotiations with a new director, whom he declined to name, who has experience in horror and has a "different take" on the franchise."

Well... we've never seen a HALLOWEEN flick in 3D. And it'll be nice to see a "new take" on Michael Myers after these last 2 flicks.

With a "new take" on the horizon, no word on if Scout Taylor-Compton or Tyler Mane would be returning to reprise their roles as Laurie Strode and Michael Myers respectively. Although in our recent interviews, they both seemed keen. (Check that out HERE!)

Also of note: The LA Times article lists "Summer 2010" as the release date for HALLOWEEN 3D. Considering the 3D process and the fact that no one's officially attached yet, there is NO way in hell they can make the movie in that amount of short time... but ya never know?

More when we hear it!


R-Rated "Director's Cut" Of TERMINATOR: SALVATION Coming!

Not sure if anything additional could make a good movie out of the terribly disappointing TERMINATOR: SALVATION, but regardless, we can expect an "R-rated Director's Cut" of the film when it hits DVD & Blu-Ray according to Blu-Ray.com. No confirmed release date for the US, but it looks like the UK is getting the DVD on November 23rd. Below is the cover art and special features courtesy of www.terminatorchronicles.com.

Blu-ray High Def Bonus Material

* “Re-Forging the Future” – Go behind the scenes of Terminator Salvation with an exclusive set tour.
* “The Moto-Terminator” – See how the Terminator Salvation visual effects crew and Ducati partnered to create the slick and deadly Moto-Terminator!
* Maximum Movie Mode featuring director McG deconstructing the film’s key moments.
* Picture (PiP) commentary with cast and crew interviews, storyboards, still galleries, timeline and more!
* Plus, 11 mini featurette focus points spotlighting how the ground-breaking special effects were created!

BD LIVE Content Includes:

* “Resist Or Be Terminated” Tech Com videos (nine viral videos from the theatrical campaign and four new videos from the Home Entertainment campaign)
* “The Final Resistance” video – access the secret plans of Skynet
* CINECHAT – BD-Live technology that lets viewers around the world chat live about this, or any other CINECHAT enabled BD disc, from Sony Pictures International Home Entertainment!



The latest in the TERMINATOR franchise is directed by McG and stars Christian Bale as John Conner, Sam Worthington, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anton Yelchin, Common, Moon Bloodgood and Michael Ironside.

WRONG TURN 3: LEFT FOR DEAD DVD Features Announced!

Blu-Ray.com got a listing of special features from 20th Century Fox for their upcoming DVD release WRONG TURN 3: LEFT FOR DEAD. Video will be presented in 1.85:1 1080p AVC accompanied by a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. And special features include:

- "Action, Gore and Chaos!" featurette
- "Brothers in Blood" featurette
- "Three Finger's Fight Night" featurette
- Deleted Scenes

The DVD streets on October 20th, along with a Blu-Ray boxed set of all 3 WRONG TURN movies that same day. Check out the DVD cover art below!


Directed by Declan O'Brien, WRONG TURN 3 stars Tom Frederic (THE OXFORD MURDERS), THE HILLS RUN RED's Janet Montgomery, Mike Straub, Tamer Hassan, Gil Kolirin and Chucky Venice (RETURN TO HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL).

You can watch the trailer at our previous news post HERE and check out the new poster HERE!

HALLOWEEN 2 INTERVIEWS: PART 1 - ROB ZOMBIE!

Earlier this week, ICONS OF FRIGHT was invited to join in on a series of roundtable interviews for HALLOWEEN 2. (Now playing in theaters!) We've decided to pair up the interviews in batches and offer them to you in their entirety. ('Tis the ICONS way!) Beware of major spoilers! We've done our best to mark them before you get to them, that way you can come back after you've seen the movie. Keep in mind that several journalists are asking questions here, so ICONS is credited when it's us asking. This edition features the writer/director himself, ROB ZOMBIE! Enjoy!


Rob Zombie:

What’s the fun in horror movies?

That’s funny, that was the last question they just asked me in the other room. I didn’t really have a good answer. For me, it’s just movies period. Not necessarily horror movies. I just like dark, violet material.

Why?

I don’t know why? Its funny, because I’m writing this thing about CLOCKWORK ORANGE for the DGA magazine, and I was doing some research and I found that Roger Ebert gave this movie a horrible review when it came out in 1972. And everything he said which is why he hated it is exactly why I like it. So I don’t know.


Hard childhood?

I guess, yeah. I don’t know! If you’re life is weird and fucked up, you like to see things that are weird and fucked up.

What movie scared you as a kid?

Weird things are scary when you’re a kid. I think probably the scariest thing, as stupid as it sounds was THE WIZARD OF OZ with the flying monkeys and the witch. I remember seeing that when I was really little and it still seems freaky. Seems really fucked up!

ICONS: That and WILLY WONKA scared the shit out of me.

Yeah, WILLY WONKA too! Not even like, I’d watch FRANKENSTEIN and it never seemed scary yet somehow THE WIZARD OF OZ was a freak show.


ICONS: So, HALLOWEEN 2. Obviously you had quite a time restraint to get this movie in theaters by August 28th. Hope it didn’t compromise what you wanted to do. Is the movie coming out in theaters essentially what you set out to do? Will there be a longer director’s cut for the DVD? I know there’s tons of material that didn’t make it into the theatrical cut.

Um, ya know, except for THE DEVIL’S REJECTS, I feel like everything has been compromised in some way by scheduling. Because THE DEVIL’S REJECTS was the only movie I ever made that had no release date. We worked on it and worked on it until we got it right. Or at least until we felt we got it right. We sort of looked at it and thought, ya know? There’s nothing else I want to change. There’s nothing else I want to do. Whereas, I’ve never had that luxury since. And um, I don’t know what would be different. The thing is – editing is a crucial time and when you get rushed through that process, you’re never 100 percent sure that you’ve got exactly the perfect take of every actor, or the perfect moment because there’s so much footage to go through and so you do your best to do it with the time that you have. As far as a longer cut for the director’s cut, there is another version of the movie that’s very, very different that will probably be the director’s cut. There were 2 ways we could cut the movie. The way we cut it for the theatrical, Laurie Strode’s character is the main difference in the two. (In the theatrical) She’s holding it together, getting her life together and it starts spiraling downward. In the other version, she’s an incredible mess and gets worse. She never has any good moments, she’s just messed up, she’s lashing out at everyone, she’s horrible. Messed up on drugs, she’s just completely spun out through the whole movie. It makes for a real challenging movie to watch and I feel like I don’t know if fans would’ve embraced so much darkness.


Is there still a white horse motif in that version?

Yeah, everything’s the same in that version except for her. There’s other scenes with her, and mostly with Annie. Her relationship with Annie is horrible and they’re at each other’s throats through the whole movie. They are not in the theatrical version.

What's the story with the leaked unused trailer?

The trailer that got leaked I remember really, really liking.


What was the inspiration for the white horse motif?

Well, I wanted – the horse thing, I was just trying to find some significant thing that could be a through line. It could’ve been anything, it’s not so much that that’s so significant. It had to be some minor event from young Michael Myer’s life that he has stuck in his brain. That I could then tie through to Laurie. And that just seemed like – the white horse is such a great visual image. And then when I started researching these meaning of dream type books, even though it’s a bunch of bullshit to me. They all reference this great significance with the white horse. And I put the definition at the beginning of the movie. It seemed like the perfect childlike image to carry through.


For your characters, is there an urge to get behind the violence and anger?

Well, I like making everything a bit wishy-washy in the sense that, we don’t want people to feel bad for Michael Myers necessarily, but I don’t want him to just be the “villain”. That’s why I like giving him something he didn’t have much of in the other movies is making him a character. It’s a little bit like you might feel a little bit bad because he’s this big hulking monster that’s basically still got the brain of a 10 year old boy. And who’s been locked away his whole life. Like I was saying, it’s like the FRANKENSTEIN scenario. No matter what he does, it’s still sort of this misunderstood monster scenario and I always find that more interesting. I guess with growing up with all those old movies that always had that motif to it.


This one’s more your feel. How’d the 2 differ for you?

This film to me is more like a logical follow-up to THE DEVIL’S REJECTS. Whereas HALLOWEEN the first one seemed like a weird side step, where I think because it was someone else’s material, it kinda of messed with me. I made the first half of the movie my thing, and the second half I felt well I should bring in more John Carpenter beats because that’s what people are going to be expecting. But as soon as I started doing that, I don’t think I had quite the enthusiasm for the film as I did with the new stuff, because the fun of it is creating your world and when you go ‘oh ok’, Annie Bracket and Lynda and Laurie. These are someone else’s characters. That’s why in this movie, I tried to flip them all upside down and make them my characters.


Any interest in moving away from horror?

Yeah, totally. Even after my first movie I wanted to move on. The thing is, it’s hard to get movies made. It’s virtually impossible. It’s hard to get people to green light projects, so you just sort of take them as they come and try to deal with them. I didn’t want to make HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES PART 2. So I thought I’m going to make this movie called THE DEVIL’S REJECTS and make it totally different and make it like this post-modern Western. Technically it’s a follow-up, it’s the same characters, but I had no interest in re-visiting what I’d already done. It’s sort of the same thing with HALLOWEEN II. I tried to push it away from what I had done. People come into something called HALLOWEEN expecting something.


Also coming to expect something from you as well.

Yeah, so there’s expectations on something like this.

What's next? THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEASTO?

EL SUPERBEASTO is done. That comes out September 22nd. And that’s an animated movie that’s a comedy. It’s totally different then anything I’ve ever done. It’s sort of like X-Rated SCOOBY DOO. And it’s ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. It’s part musical, part comedy. It’s crazy.


What scary movies do you go to see?

I don’t know. I tend to avoid horror movies at the theater, because I always think they’re going to be lousy. And my friends work on them so they’ll tell me in advance, oh man this movie’s terrible. Don’t waste your time! So it kills your excitement factor. (Laughs)

So you haven’t seen the big horror movies of the last few years like HOSTEL or SAW?

I saw HOSTEL and I saw HOSTEL PART 2. It gets weird because you’re friends with these people, so I really want to go see Eli’s movies and support Eli. SAW, I saw the first one, I haven’t seen any of the other ones. Um – It’s not really my type of thing. Even if they’re awesome. It’s just not my type of thing. I don’t know. Even if it’s 500 DAYS OF SUMMER. Everyone loves that, so I went to see that and it’s just not my thing. I thought it might be my type of thing.

But you're often paired up with those filmmakers as part of the "Splat Pack".

I don’t relate to that. I don’t want to be part of any group that’ll have me as a member. So as soon as I heard “The Splat Pack”, I was like please, kick me out of that group. If there’s one thing as a director that you don’t want to be, it’s part of a “group”. I just have an aversion to that. Same thing with music, whenever there’s a “scene”, I just don’t want to be part of a scene. Just leave me alone! That’s just my nature. It’s nothing against the people that are in that group. They’re all friends of mine & I know all of them and they’re all great. I just like to be left alone.

Is TYRANNOSAURUS REX next?

It’s a boxing movie, actually. Yeah, it’s about this guy named Rex. His nickname is “Tyrannosaurus Rex” and it’s about this washed up prize fighter who goes to prison for assaulting these guys in a bar because he’s kind of this born to loose out of control personality. And when he gets out of prison, he’s too old to box so he gets caught up in underground fighting. Because he’s so filled with rage that he can’t control himself in normal society. It’s pretty dark. That’d be a darker movie then HALLOWEEN. That might be my next movie and that’s not a horror movie.

Given your tight schedule on editing, was this movie tougher then the first HALLOWEEN?

Yeah, I will not make another movie under these circumstances, it’s just not the way to do it. When you lock into a release date and then you move the release date up by 2 months, it’s just not good. It’s good for everything but the cast, crew and people who are creatively trying to make a film. (Laughs)


Post is always the part that is rushed and the most crucial.

That’s where you make or break a film. With DEVIL’S REJECTS, we didn’t reshoot anything on that, we had limited time, that was the cheapest movie we made. But we had the time to craft it afterwords. For this one, luckily I always use the same editor and we have a really good short hand, usually he immediately gravitates towards the takes I like best so he knows & we can work really fast. But I don’t know. The problem is and everybody says it, nobody makes movies anymore, they just make schedules and budgets. They don’t make movies anymore. Unfortunately it’s so true.

A lot of filmmakers for these types of films say making these movies is very therapeutic. Is that how it is for you?

I think so. Everybody’s just so repressed, that if they could get more sex and violence into their life, they might feel happier. Not necessarily at the same time!


Can you talk about the kills in HALLOWEEN 2?

The killing I always try to keep very basic and brutal, because that’s the thing about some of these movies, they get really into concocting elaborate scenarios which make sense if that’s the movie, but for this movie it doesn’t.

Is this more intense then the first HALLOWEEN?

It might be. It’s definitely more violent I think. It’s nastier. It’s uglier and grosser.



Be sure to check out our other HALLOWEEN 2 INTERVIEWS! (Click each image below to read them!)








Rob Zombie returns to write and direct HALLOWEEN 2, which stars Scout Taylor-Compton, Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Brad Dourif, Sherri Moon Zombie, Danielle Harris, Brea Grant, Caroline Williams, Margot Kidder, Daniel Roebuck, Chase Wright Vanek, Dayton Callie, Richard Brake, Matt Bush, Howard Hesseman, Bill Fagerbakke, Jeff Daniel Phillips & Mark Christopher Lawrence. HALLOWEEN II is in theaters now!

HALLOWEEN 2 INTERVIEWS: PART 2 - SCOUT TAYLOR-COMPTON, DANIELLE HARRIS, BREA GRANT, SHERI MOON ZOMBIE!

Earlier this week, ICONS OF FRIGHT was invited to join in on a series of roundtable interviews for HALLOWEEN 2. (Now playing in theaters!) We've decided to pair up the interviews in batches and offer them to you in their entirety. ('Tis the ICONS way!) Beware of major spoilers! We've done our best to mark them before you get to them, that way you can come back after you've seen the movie. Keep in mind that several journalists are asking questions here, so ICONS is credited when it's us asking. This edition features all the lovely ladies of HALLOWEEN 2! Scout Taylor-Compton (Laurie Strode), Danielle Harris (Annie Brackett), Brea Grant (Mya Rockwell) and Sheri Moon Zombie (Deborah Myers). ENJOY!


Scout Taylor-Compton:

In the original HALLOWEEN series, Jamie Lee got to come back 20 years later. What’s it like for you to come back a few years later?

Our Laurie Strode is definitely different. For Jamie Lee, she revisited the character 20 years later. I felt like I created Laurie Strode in my own way and Rob’s way. And took it in a realistic way.


What do you appreciate about horror movies?

I love horror movies. I love the feeling of walking out and feeling very uncomfortable with what I just saw. I love that, that’s what horror movies are supposed to do, right?

Did growing up with horror movies, coupled with your father's profession help prepare you for HALLOWEEN 2?

Yeah, It definitely did. It helped me a lot, especially with my dad being a mortician. But it was very uncomfortable, because I was stuck in the gurney for 8 hours straight and I couldn’t move, I couldn’t get up. I’ve seen that stuff a lot and it’s truly uncomfortable.


ICONS: With the exception of the ending scene in the first movie, this one seems a lot more physically demanding of you. Was this a tougher movie to make? The 2nd one?

This one was tough, honestly. It was a lot for me to do. It was very tough emotionally. It was really, really tough emotionally. I felt like I was going crazy while filming this movie because I was always upset or sad. I felt like I was bipolar. Every time I was on set, I had to play a different feeling. So to portray that, it just took a lot out of me. Honestly, what you guys have seen, that wasn’t all of it. There’s a lot more that I put into the movie, but Rob had to tone it down a bit. Honestly it was really sad just seeing this girl go down this path and not being able to control it. It was fun.


I was always sad that she had to buy her own copy of the book.

(Laughs) Yeah, she had to pay for it. They didn’t even send her a copy!

ICONS: One of the coolest things about this movie from your perspective as an actress is playing against people like Brad Dourif, Malcolm McDowell, Margot Kidder. Great actors. Can you talk a bit about working with the other actors in this movie, people that maybe you looked up to and learned from?

Oh gosh. Nerveracking? Totally completely nervous. Totally goo-goo eyed. I envy these people, I really do. Not just the actors, but Rob. Just working with him, I’m such a fan. And to actually be a good friend of his is amazing. And working with Malcolm who’s an amazing actor. To be able to sit with him and have a normal conversation and ask him about his life and having that trust. Even with someone new like Margot Kidder, and hearing all these stories & kind of thinking “What am I getting myself into with these scenes? I’m about to do these emotional scenes and work with somebody who’s supposedly crazy!” But no, she’s so amazing. She’s really an amazing person. And we got really close actually, and we only filmed for a day and that was a lot.


ICONS: There were a couple of scenes with her, no? Because there’s only one in the final movie.

Yeah, and we did all our scenes in one day. We met the night before, and the next day we felt so comfortable with each other. She was very cool. With Brad, I just love Chucky! (Laughs) That’s always like “how’s Chucky?”

ICONS: It’s hard not to hear his voice and think of Chucky!

Exactly! I didn’t know it was him while I was filming the first one and then I found out at the premiere and then I went crazy. From then on, I’d hear Chucky anytime he spoke!


ICONS: Can you elaborate more on working with Brad and Danielle, because Brad has a lot bigger of a part in this one, he’s your surrogate father in this one. I thought he stole the movie pretty much.

Yeah, Brad is great. Um, he’s an amazing, amazing actor. He’s very dedicated to his work and you get used to that. Danielle’s great. I had a couple of tough scenes with Danielle, which were really tough to get out of. She’s just so amazing to work with and I feel like, she’s like my older sister. So it was great doing these scenes with her.

ICONS: Let’s talk about the FX, because there’s some pretty grotesque things that happen on camera. Wayne Toth told us a story how Rob didn’t tell you about the long shot of the guy getting his head crushed and then they showed it to you and you were like “Oh my God!”

I really freaked out! I thought it was a real guy! And I looked at Rob and said, “Oh my God! What did you do!” It was awful. It was a real guy and they had edited it together where all of a sudden you see Tyler big giant foot crush his face and I saw it and just jumped and freaked out! (It was a full body anamatronic) And the fact that you can’t tell the difference, bravo to Wayne Toth! (Laughs) Bravo. Every morning, I’d go in to say hi to Wayne and there’d always be a different dead body in the seat. You had to get used to that every morning. (Laughs) He’s an amazing make up artist and he did some stuff on me this time. The whole prosthetics on my hand at the beginning.


How do you move on from this being so emotional?

ICONS: RUNAWAYS!

I join a band! Playing Lita Ford. Yeah, I did THE RUNAWAYS with Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning. It’s the Joan Jett movie! That’s how I move on! That’s pretty amazing! (Laughs)

ICONS: I don’t know too much about that but did you interact with Lita Ford at all, since you’re playing her?

I didn’t really meet Lita, but Joan Jett was always there, during band practice, during the filming, she was always there. Always hanging out with us, it was great. And Cherie Curry was there.

Was that tough too?

There’s a lot of hard work, because we basically had to have band practice and we had to learn the instruments in a short amount of time. We performed for 8 hours straight. I felt like I was Rob for a second, it was crazy.

So you guys formed a real band.

Yeah, basically.

Which of the songs did you get really good at?

Um, “Cherry Bomb” of course! Come on! All of us had something to do. Dakota will blow your minds. She’s amazing in it and so is Kristen. But yeah, “Cherry Bomb” definitely. And “Queens Of Noise”. If somebody told me this 9 years ago that I’d be in a Rob Zombie film chased around by Michael Myers and then you’re going to join Joan Jett and be in THE RUNAWAYS & play Lita Ford, the lead guitarist, I would’ve thought you were crazy. It’s amazing to be able to play all these different characters and learn all these different things. I’m very lucky.

ICONS: Did you guys shoot multiple endings for HALLOWEEN 2?

Um, yeah, I think that’s out there, right? We filmed some different stuff. We did that on the first one too. You can always find ways to make it better. In reshoots. Or just different.

ICONS: Can you talk about your relationship with Tyler Mane? Because he’s scary to us but to you I’m sure he’s like a big teddy bear.

He’s like my dad! He is! I look up to that guy and he takes care of me which is great to have. He’s a really sweet & sincere guy.

Are you a fan of Danielle's other HALLOWEEN movies? HALLOWEEN 4 & 5?

Gosh who hasn’t seen 4 and 5? (Other journalists nod no) What? There’s a TV over there! We need to set you guys up right away! No, Danielle’s amazing. I think out of all the HALLOWEEN movies, I loved 4 & 5 because I related to Danielle. She’s amazing and still amazing. Like I said before, every scene that I had with her was just really emotional and acting off of her is so easy.


You had a lot of screaming to do on this one!

Oh gosh, I’m just good at screaming, I really am. I lost my voice on this one a lot. I just started talking like a man for a while. Which could be sexy! (Laughs)

Have you ever met Jamie Lee Curtis?

No! I still want to, I really do. I would love to have a conversation with her. Maybe in the future? There’s so many things that I would ask her. Honestly, I’d want to know what she thought of me portraying her character and what she thought of the movie. I put so much of her character into the first one that I’d just love to hear her input.


Can you talk about your acting process?

I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing especially when I’m dealing with something where I’m supposed to be really sad, but I’m not one of those people that go off and think about something sad, and have to take like 5 minutes to get out of it. I’m not like that at all. I’m ready in 2 seconds. We’re rolling? Ok, we’re rolling. And then I’m done. It’s just really easy for me to get out of it, which is really good. I think I’d go crazy if it were the other way around.

Did you ever think you'd end up in a HALLOWEEN movie? Let alone 2 playing the character of Laurie Strode?

I had no idea I'd get to play her. My uncle would scare me with the Michael Myers mask when I was younger. And I was absolutely terrified of the movie and I never thought that I’d end up in a HALLOWEEN movie. Let alone play Laurie Strode. When I first heard about the audition, I just never thought it’d happen. I just thought it’d be so great. And I just kept getting closer and closer to it. And when I got it, I thought, “Oh my God. I’m going to be Laurie Strode.” It’s crazy to me. I never would’ve imagined.

Did you take home anything from the set?

(Smiles)

ICONS: You took home the cloths, didn't ya!

(Laughs) I got the cloths. And some of the paintings.

ICONS: Would you be game to play Laurie again should a HALLOWEEN 3 come your way?

I’d be so game. I would. I would love to develop her a little bit more. I could see a lot that I would do with her, so yeah. I’d be real excited to do it again.


Danielle Harris & Brea Grant: (Major Spoiler About Annie Brackett through-out)

ICONS: So Danielle, HALLOWEEN II. This is your 4th HALLOWEEN film!

Danielle Harris: 4th and final! (Laughs)

ICONS: Hey! Ya never know!

Danielle Harris: Right, ya never know. I’ll come back as someone else. I’ll come back as Jamie Lloyd’s mother. Well wait, that would be Laurie. I'll come back as someone else when we do HALLOWEEN 4.


ICONS: The point being that the only other person to make 4 HALLOWEEN movies is Jamie Lee Curtis. So you’re tied with her. How does it feel to be the only other person so attached with this series?

Danielle Harris: I would love to meet her one day! My boyfriend just did a movie with her the other day and I said I’d love to meet her and he’s like “Oh, I worked with her today & she’s great!” I was like you worked with her today?! Do you tell her that your girlfriend is me? And he’s like “I didn’t even think about it.” (Laughs) Thanks! I appreciate it. Maybe he could’ve set up a coffee date or something for me? I think it’s a really cool “title” I guess for lack of a better word. It’s weird. I still can’t believe I’m talking about this 25 years later! It’s good that I came back as somebody else and it was acceptable and that people dug it. And I didn’t get a lot of slack for it.

ICONS: I was really bummed they killed you off this time.

Danielle Harris: I think people are like “you’re going to live! You’re going to live!” I don’t think they’re expecting me to actually finally be dead. I’m hoping there’s going to be a little mourning! You’ll never see her in another HALLOWEEN again! I don’t know if it’s in the movie, because Rob had asked me for some Super 8 footage of me as a little girl. I don’t know, is there any footage of me as a little girl?

ICONS: I don’t think so. No.

Danielle Harris: OK, well he had asked me this to pull some stuff. I was like I don’t have Super 8 stuff but I have some VHS stuff, so my mom dug thru their crap and sent me like 10 tapes and I put them all on DVD and sent them to him. And he was going to put it in, again I haven’t seen the movie, so I guess when Brad finds me, there’s a moment where he looks up for a second while he’s taking it all in, and Rob wanted to have a clip of me as a little girl, and it might be in the director’s cut, because he thought there would not be a dry eye in the house if he put that in there. That’s such an emotional thing, he wanted to have that. You rarely feel anything when anyone dies in these movies. It’s like “That was a cool death”. You don’t really get invested in these character but I think because people have grown up with me, that it’s sort of like – as you know I had a stalker incident years ago – and people are still like “Is everything OK?” Like these guys that I’ve never met before until a conventions are like, “Is everything alright? Because I’ll kick his ass!” (Laughs) It’s like the big brother syndrome. Because they know you as a little girl and you’ve been in their house for so long over the years and they don’t want to see anything happen to you. They’ll do whatever they can to protect you, and now I’m going into this movie and knowing that he finally got me. I’m curious to see what people think.

ICONS: Well, it’s long and drawn out.

Danielle Harris: Is it long and drawn out?

ICONS: Well, the hardest part is you’re alive in Laurie’s arms for like 5 minutes when she finds you!

Danielle Harris: I love that though! Because you’re like ‘please live, please live, please live’ and you think she might. I’m done. Which is different. That scene, we made up as we went along. All I was supposed to say was “He’s in the house.” That was the only thing, that’s it. Then you’d see my head hanging out of the bathtub, and I thought we can’t go out like that. I knew I’d get shit for it. People were going to say I can’t believe that that’s how you went out. So I thought, let me out of the bathtub and let’s do it on the bathroom floor. And then with Scout, Scout and I are close. I am like her older sister. We have that relationship and someone asked me earlier how I feel about carrying the torch in these movies & the other ones. I’ve passed the torch to her. She’s got it now. So it’s nice to have that. Again it goes back to that there’s not much emotional that gets drawn out within you as an audience member, as a fan in a lot of these movies. You’re not very invested for very long. And usually the girls are dumb bitches. Most of the time! Rob sort of flips it a little bit. But these girls you really do care about because they’re smart, they’re sassy, they’re friends, they’ve got their shit together. The guys are always the dorks in his movies. It’s kind of cool to be part of that.


ICONS: For Brea, this isn’t your first genre movie, you also did MIDNIGHT MOVIE.

Brea Grant: I did a couple of low budget horror movies that no one wanted to see. Thank God!

ICONS: I’ve seen a few!

Brea Grant: Have you? What'd ya think?

ICONS: I like 'em! What was it like for you stepping into HALLOWEEN 2, were you a fan of these films?

Brea Grant: It was really exciting. I was.

ICONS: Were you really a fan?

Brea Grant: Yes! I was! I grew up watching them. I’m a horror fan and I grew up watching these movies. Honestly, FRIDAY THE 13TH was more of my scary movie that I remember forever (as a kid), and I’m still scared of Freddy Krueger BUT, HALLOWEEN - definitely watched it as a kid. Yeah, it was exciting. It’s scary to go into this film, because it already has a huge following. You don’t want to walk in and screw everything up for everybody. I’m really excited to be scaring a whole new generation of fans.


ICONS: For Danielle and Rob and everyone involved, this was their second feature together, they already had friendships, did they welcome you to the fold with open arms?

Brea Grant: They were like so cliquish, it’s unbelievable! (Laughs) Kidding! They were really nice, and everybody was really cool. And Rob is really cool. He - You don’t walk on the set & figure out what you’re doing. In rehearsals, we hung out and got to know each other.

Danielle Harris: He like hangs out with you while they’re setting up which I’ve never had any other director ever do. I remember the first day on set, Scout and I were sitting together and we had just blocked a scene and he came over and sat across from us and just started talking to us about My Space or Facebook or something like that. I thought I can’t believe we’re sitting here and talking and just sort of gossiping! (Laughs) This is the weirdest thing. He wants to just talk and hang out. He knows what he wants, he comes in, he tweaks stuff, he does stuff and then you’re ready to roll.


What’s he like as a director?

Brea Grant: On this movie essentially, we'd show up and these are the scenes we’re supposed to be doing. You go in and you think you’re doing these scenes and then you walk in and he gives you pages and they’re different scenes. And that’s what you’re actually doing today because he rewrote them all last night at 4 in the morning! And so, it’s a different style of shooting but it was really fun. You get to hang out. You kind of get to play and he puts things you said earlier that day in there.

Danielle Harris: And then he screws with you too. In the last HALLOWEEN, I put on my cheerleading jacket & you guys probably never saw this, but on the back of it, it says munchkin in big letters. (Laughs) And then he had my boyfriend calling me “munchy”. He told him to do it while we were having out little sex scene. So I was like ‘seriously, Rob? People are going to be calling me munchy forever now!’ And this time around, it’s not in the movie, Sheri asks young Michael Myers “Why didn’t you kill her last time?” And he says, “Because she’s just so small.” And I get these pages thinking ‘Oh Rob! Seriously?’ What in the hell! People are going to give me such crap! Then I was supposed to have a boyfriend in HALLOWEEN 2, and this great actor flies out for the shoot and I’m looking at all these pages and I go to Rob, ‘I just don’t think, now that we’ve created these characters through out the process of shooting, Annie’s not ready to have a boyfriend yet. She stays in the house, she doesn’t put on make-up. I just wouldn’t have a man 2 years later after what happened to my last boyfriend. I just don’t buy it.’ So he said, ‘Alright. I’ll send him back.’ And I was like ‘No, this guy’s here’ and I hate to be the one to make that decision! Like this actor flies all the way out to Georgia to shoot, probably already telling all his friends that he’s doing HALLOWEEN 2 and then he gets axed the moment he gets there? So, Rob asked me ‘What do you want him to be?’ And I thought, maybe some guy that my Dad sends to keep me company but he’s this big dork. Like something like that. So we started riffing on that and we shot like 7 or 8 scenes with this guy. It’s all cut out of the movie because it just didn’t work. But he’s a comic book geek that keeps trying to get me to go to a horror movie convention. And all I’m doing is going ‘yeah, dude, I’m not into it. Horror conventions are cool for you, but not for me.’ So Rob’s kind of mocking me a little bit at the same time. Because the fans will come to see me at a lot of the conventions and be like ‘Hey! So you think I’m a dork? What’s up with that?’ So Rob has that fine line of finding the humor in things and puts little subliminal messages in there.

Brea Grant: Yeah, I don’t know if you can even see it, but during the whole movie I have a vegan tattoo on my arm, and I am vegan so I think it was a knock at me. (Laughs)


Since you did the original HALLOWEEN series and now you’re doing this one, how is Michael Myers different?

Danielle Harris: He’s twice the size! (Laughs) He’s bigger, the knife is bigger. Everything is just bigger and badder! Times have changed. It’s been a long time, it’s been 20 years. So it’s just – it’s funny after I did the other one, I was having a really tough time as an actress shaking it off. They shot for 4 or 5 days with the love scene through to my death. It was a lot of little pieces, and I was getting in my car a few days later and I was still feeling this weird feeling. As an actor, you’re done, you think that was my job and now I can separate from reality and working. And I just couldn’t do it. I wondered what the hell was wrong with me? Plus, it’s HALLOWEEN too. I realized that was the first time I’d ever been touched by Michael. Michael Myers never touched me as Jamie. He never got me, ever. So no wonder it was so much harder for me & I’ve never been attacked before. So it’s weird. In the script there was no scene between Michael Myers and Annie. I thought if I’m going to go out, I gotta go in a scene with Michael, & he’s got to get me at some point. I can’t not have a scene with Tyler the entire movie, that’s just nuts. It’s bad enough I don’t have a scene with Malcolm either! I spend so much time with Loomis in the other ones. So, at least Rob agreed and said, absolutely we have to put that in there. We wrote that on the fly.

And you’re still playing a teen in these movies, that’s so awesome.

Danielle Harris: (Laughs) You can thank my mother! Good genes! It’s weird, I can’t believe I’m here in this interview talking about it 20 years later, I can’t believe I’m playing 19 when I’m 32 years old. And with Scout & I, people think we’re similar and I’m 12 years older then her. Brea and I are closer in age.


Sheri Moon Zombie:

ICONS: Were you surprised when Rob told you you'd be returning for HALLOWEEN 2?

Yes! Well, I read the script, one of the first incarnations that he was writing, and I though how’s this going to work? I know I’m going to get cut out! I don’t see how this is going to work. It seemed so separate. And even when we were filming, I really felt like wow, I don’t have the vision that he has. He knew how he was going to make it all come together so, yeah, I think it worked.

Why was it important to have Michael’s mom back?

Well, if you asked me that before Rob wrote the script, I’d say, egh, not really. (Laughs) But it’s Rob’s writing, he wrote the story. You get more into Michael’s mind by seeing Deborah through his eyes. It’s really twisted, because he’s essentially mentally stunted at the age of 10 or 11, and it just gives more insight into the workings of Michael Myers.


Did you have influence on how Deborah appears in this movie?

Not when he’s writing, but when we’re rehearsing or I’m on set, we discuss things, as he does with any other actor.

What are the merits of horror films?

Somebody just said to me the other day that women are the number one horror fans, and I was kind of shocked by that. When I sit and watch a horror movie, I’m always blocking my eyes. It’s not the first type of film that I’d go see. Um, I like old horror movies that are character driven. I’m not into the slasher stuff. I loved and to this day I still can’t watch AMITYVILLE HORROR by myself or THE SHINING by myself. I loved INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. And FRANKENSTEIN. And DRACULA and KING KONG. I like those types of horror movies.

Do you and Rob watch horror movies on the couch?

We watch all types of movies at home and if we’re watching a few comedies in a row, and we’re just watching light hearted movies, a few days will go by, which is what we like to watch because our days get so stressful sometimes, that we just want to read and laugh at the end of the day. But we watch all different types. We don’t fight about what we’re going to watch. (Laughs) Unless he’s watching boxing, I’ll go do something else. I’m not a big fan of boxing.

ICONS: You shot a few sequence with Daeg Faerch before Chase Wright Vanek came on board. Can you talk about working with Chase as the new young Michael Myers?

We actually shot one scene, which was a film test with Daeg one day in Georgia, we were trying to cheat the furniture to make him look smaller and it just wasn’t working. He’s going to be a big boy, just like Michael Myers! Um, but yes, Daeg is a very mature kid and understood and took it like a man. And working with Chase, we found Chase and he just had that angelic face, just like Daeg had and I think he worked out great. We bonded and had a great time.


How do you deal with horror stuff around children?

We shot some scenes in the strip club in Georgia, and it was a skanky, skanky real strip club in Georgia, they went and cleaned it out the night before and I heard all these horrific thing they found on the floor. When we were filming a scene there, there was a naked girl in the scene, so under Chase’s clown mask, they put tape over the eyes, so he couldn’t take a peek. He’ll see the scene at the premiere! (Laughs) He was not allowed to see the naked woman. But Chase was really into it. He was like, ‘Can I smash somebody’s head?’ Daeg was the same way in the first one. He was so excited to grab a baseball bat. Little boys, ya know?

ICONS: I know by shooting the first one in Pasadena, people were always crashing the set. How was shooting in Georgia different?

Well believe it or not, down in Georgia, when we were filming scenes in town squares and doing outdoor locations, and even in the fields, people that lived in the farms would come out, and they would put up a little barricade and just watch. They’d get all excited when they saw Tyler or somebody walk by. It was fun. We didn’t have the big crowds like we did in Pasadena, but it’s cool to have people come out to see it. I would find it tremendously interesting if I weren’t in it. On my day off I don’t want anything to do with on the set!

This feels more like a Rob Zombie film. Did he have more control on this one as opposed to the first film?

Well, I think he had some limitations with the first one because he was playing off of John Carpenter’s original. Rob loved shooting the first third of the first movie. He felt that was his own and he got to establish a lot of the characters and for this one he feels it’s his own, because he didn’t have any limitations or anything. I think he’s happier with it. He does feel that it’s more of his own.


How’d you like wearing the white dress?

Ya know, I loved the white dress for the first 2 weeks. And then, I was like ugh, getting sick of it. And then I got to wear the black dress and I was thrilled to wear that and yeah. I have one of them. It was a beautiful dress.

You do a lot of movies with Rob, what else are you working on?

Well, right now I’m taking a break but generally I have a clothing business called TOTAL SKULL and you can go to totalskull.com and buy toys for girls and guys. Rock n’ roll stuff. And I voiced one of the characters Suzi X for Rob’s THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEASTO, which comes out September 22nd. It’s a sexy, raunchy Rated R animated movie. That was a lot of fun so I can’t wait to see that.

How’d you meet Rob?

We met through a mutual friend over a decade ago. A long time ago.

ICONS: I was wondering if you could elaborate on this one cool sequence in the new movie. It’s one of the dream sequences where it’s the last supper and you see all these Halloween-esque characters at the table that are all in Michael’s head. Can you talk about filming that?

That was very elaborate and it was the last day of shooting. Rob had this idea for this dream sequence and once again, it seemed like something that was so separate from the movie that I thought ‘How is that going to work?’ And so, part of my world, Deborah’s world – and um, I think for him that was really important to show because it helps you to understand Michael Myers more. For fans of Michael Myers, if you want to understand his brain and how he’s working and you love the character, then you get that from those types of scenes.

ICONS: It seems like a warped version of how Michael sees Halloween because they’re all Halloween-esque characters.

Yeah. The weird pumpkinhead’s that are totally freaky looking and his sister laying out on the table, it works.


Have you watched the original HALLOWEEN’s to prepare for these?

I’ve seen the first one, John Carpenter’s. I would watch it on Halloween every few years. John Carpenter’s a great guy. I mean, it’s such a different pace to Rob’s. It’s such a slow moving movie. Which is great, that’s why people loved it, it is what it is. It’s just different from Rob’s. There’s nothing wrong with that. Now, so what are we up to? 15 Halloween movies?

Would Rob come back for HALLOWEEN 3?

Is he saying no to PART 3? Yes, but to you guys that probably means nothing! (Laughs) Yeah, I think he now has a sense of finality with it. He didn’t want somebody to take his vision from the first one and ruin it and wash it down and have it go straight to video. He wanted to have a sense of completion with it. He says he has that now.

TYRANNASAURUS REX might be next for Rob. Do you know what your part would be in T-REX?

Um, no. It’s up in the air. Honestly, I haven’t read the script in such a long time, I’d have to refresh myself. Hopefully it’ll get made next.


Be sure to check out our other HALLOWEEN 2 INTERVIEWS! (Click each image below to read them!)








Rob Zombie returns to write and direct HALLOWEEN 2, which stars Scout Taylor-Compton, Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Brad Dourif, Sherri Moon Zombie, Danielle Harris, Brea Grant, Caroline Williams, Margot Kidder, Daniel Roebuck, Chase Wright Vanek, Dayton Callie, Richard Brake, Matt Bush, Howard Hesseman, Bill Fagerbakke, Jeff Daniel Phillips & Mark Christopher Lawrence. HALLOWEEN II is in theaters now!

HALLOWEEN 2 INTERVIEWS: PART 3 - TYLER MANE, MALCOLM MCDOWELL!

Earlier this week, ICONS OF FRIGHT was invited to join in on a series of roundtable interviews for HALLOWEEN 2. (Now playing in theaters!) We've decided to pair up the interviews in batches and offer them to you in their entirety. ('Tis the ICONS way!) Beware of major spoilers! We've done our best to mark them before you get to them, that way you can come back after you've seen the movie. Keep in mind that several journalists are asking questions here, so ICONS is credited when it's us asking. First up? How 'bout Michael Myers and Dr. Loomis? Enjoy!

Tyler Mane:

Did you need any help lifting the car?

Um, I practiced on weekends. It was a lot of fun! No, I had a little assistance… but it looks pretty cool doesn’t it?

Was it a crane underneath that was removed?

Well… I’m not going to tell you how we did it! Movie magic.


ICONS: Can you talk about the character of Michael Myers in this one? You probably had an inkling you were going to come back and do another one....

I was signed to another one.

ICONS: But what’s cool is you’re more of a character then Michael’s ever been in any of the other movies. I love the half mask. It’s great to be able to have you wear the mask and yet see your face at the same time. How’d you approach this version of Michael Myers?

I knew it was going to be different, because the first one followed the HALLOWEEN story and I knew Rob was going to have a little bit more free reign with this one and I was excited to see what he’d come up with. And it turned out really well.


ICONS: Did he give you a heads up to start growing the beard in advance?

Um, I might’ve gotten a call. (Laughs)

How grueling is it making this kind of movie?

It’s very physically exhausting. I mean, at the end of the day if you have to kill somebody 10 times, especially the way we do it in this movie. Like in the nurses scene. I stick her a few times. And then the last stick, I just looked up and said, ‘Rob, I’m done!’ (Laughs) And he said, ‘I like it! It’s good!’ But yeah, it’s very physically demanding and intense. At the end of the day I had to unwind with a cigar and a glass of wine.


Does the mask start to stink after you sweat in it for a while?

No, it was taken care of very well. I was very appreciative of that extra opening though! It let air move in a little better then the last version.

Are you a horror film fan at all? And how did this change your look on them?

I was not really into horror films all that much, because when JAWS came out, I was a really young kid and after seeing that, I didn’t want to go in the bathtub let alone the beach! So, I gradually have come to appreciate them since taking on the role of Michael Myers.

What appeals to you in horror?

What I like to see and it’s sad to say, but I like to see the dirty kills. The very realistic kills, because in a lot of horror movies you go ‘no way that would ever happen’. And the one thing I said if I was going to be doing this is that I wanted the kills to be more realistic and dirty. If you see any of those shows on death, there’s a definite aftermath. We’re making movies here and it’s all pretend but it does happen in the real world. If you see those shows, there’s a definite aftermath that is left behind and that is what is shown in this HALLOWEEN. Like a crime scene.


More realistic the scarier.

This HALLOWEEN is definitely not your typical cookie-cutter horror film. I call it more of a Greek tragedy because everyone is a tragedy and no one comes away unscathed one way or another. Everybody’s lives has changed. By the end of it – I felt like I was run out. This was the first movie that I’d ever done where at the end of it, I said I’ve got to see it again. It’s just that intense.

What’d you think of the white horse motif? (In the film, Deborah Myers appears to Michael with a white horse. Young Michael Myers speaks to her.)

I saw the white horse in person! That’s a big ass horse! (Laughs) It is a symbol to him of the white horse given to him by his mother. I mean, that is what Michael Myers draws to. When he gets out of the crash, he thinks he sees his mother and the little white horse. You’ve probably had toys as a kid that mean something to you, like a toy car or a little motorcycle or something. And that’s exactly what’s going on with Michael Myers.


Favorite kill in HALLOWEEN 2?

It’s hard to say. The rednecks got it pretty good. The nurse got it real good. Danielle put up a hell of a fight. So it’s hard to say. Each one has their own separate little thing to it.

ICONS: How collaborative are orchestrating the kills between you, Wayne Toth and Rob Zombie? Do you guys talk about it & try to put a little more into each one?

Yeah, when you’re filming something like that you have to take a look at it and see – sometimes you have to change the angle or the movement, because sometimes a realistic movement doesn’t play as well as a little tweak here or there. (For the camera) So it’s very collaborative. And you do it, you see playback and for me, I look at it and go ‘what if I do this? Would you get what you’re looking for?’ And we give it a shot. So it’s very collaborative.

Have you ever met Derek Mears who recreated Jason Voorhees?

Derek Mears and I are buddies. And we live about a block and a half away from each other. He’s a great guy.

Fan reaction to your Michael Myers?

Overall, it’s been really great. People were a little skeptical at first with the first movie, but since they saw it and seeing how I played Michael Myers, they’ve been very receptive.


How’d you feel when Rob first called you about playing Michael Myers?

To tell you the truth, I was up in Canada getting ready to talk to producers and the phone rang and it was Rob and he says, “Hey, I want you to play Michael Myers” in HALLOWEEN and I said, “Rob… I don’t want to be the guy with the hockey mask.” (Laughs) “Dude… wrong mask!” So that shows you what I knew about it. I’d seen the original HALLOWEEN when I was younger, but I’ve enjoy doing it now.

ICONS: Did you go back and watch the previous films to see how other people portrayed Michael Myers?

Oh yeah. I’ve seen all of them except for 3 where Michael doesn’t appear. I’m definitely the tallest Michael. Well, all the other Michael Myers' were very one dimensional characters. I wanted to give Michael Myers the depth that he deserved and that came from all my research because if you look at any serial killer, they could walk out into the street and no one would think they’d be capable of doing what they’d done. I wanted to bring that to it. So to bring the physicality to this movie and different moods to it, gives it a whole lot more.

I noticed a lot of audible grunts in the new movie. Don't remember that in the first, but was that something you added?

It was there (in the first HALLOWEEN), we did the ADR for the 1st one, but the ones we did on the day, like when I stabbed the nurse it was pretty intense. That’s what Rob & I brought to it. You would be doing something like that if you were stabbing someone like that.


ICONS: I think besides George Wilbur, you’re the first actor to play him more then once. Would you do it again should the opportunity come?

(Pause)

ICONS: How 'bout this... Are you obligated to play him again?

No, I signed on for 2. I did the 2. But it’s hard to say. I’d have to see who’s doing it. And just see which way we wanted to take it. It’s kind of going to be hard to carry on from this one, and … if Michael Myers is going into space, well, I ain’t going! (Laughs)

ICONS: Did you guys shoot multiple endings? I thought I saw a little something on set that was different then what's in the movie.

Well there were parts from what you saw used. When you shoot something, you’re always shooting different things and you have to add to it and work out the way you wanted it to originally come out.

(SPOILER ALERT)

ICONS: I'm not one of those fans that cries blasphemy at the idea of your Michael talking. I know you said the word "Boo" in the first one. And I'm pretty sure I heard you say something on set for this one. So did you film stuff of Michael talking?

Well, hey, you have to realize you’re doing several takes. And it was probably Malcolm screwing with me, and I just screamed out “die”! “Die already!” I think he wanted a Shakespearean death and we were like no he’s just going to die!

(END SPOILER)

What’s next for you?

I’m starting up Mane Entertainment and my first project is sort of along these same lines, it’s a horror/thriller called PENANCE LANE. And hopefully we’ll be filming that this winter. I’m producing it and going to be in it. I play a con that gets out of prison, and he goes around on a mission to this house and people turn out to be different then they appear – it’s got a lot of twists and turns.

What's your favorite horror movie of the last 3 years or so?

Last few years? HALLOWEEN and HALLOWEEN II. Wait – can’t be those? THE SHINING is my favorite. Although that’s not recent. But it is classic!


Malcolm McDowell:

What's the attraction to horror for most people?

I think people just love to be scared but know that they’re safe really. They love the thrill to be frightened. Personally I find them incredibly boring but that’s just me. As an individual. I’m not a great fan of horror films, but people love ‘em. They’re big genre movies. These horror conventions are just jammed with people that love ‘em. Rob’s a good director so that helps. It’s nice if you get a good director to do it. I haven’t seen this one and apparently it’s a bit different.


Were you able to be collaborative about Loomis this time out?

Yes, I wanted to bring a bit of comedy to it. I got bored playing the other Loomis, we just completely changed the character arbitrarily. I just got bored.

How's Loomis different this time? He's kind of a jerk this time.

It was dictated not by his success but more by his near death experience. I thought if somebody is that close to death from this big, raging, bulky guy and um – I mean then I think you’d be pissed off. So I decided to play it that way, which was fun. I had this wonderful actress Mary Birdsong who played my publicist & she was great. We were able to sort of improvise it. Which was great. I don’t know if a lot of it made it into the film, but we had a lot of fun making it.


Have you seen the first HALLOWEEN you did a lot? Do you watch your movies?

Yeah, I watched the first one once. I saw it at the premiere, I’ll probably never see it again. I don’t watch any of my films more then once. If there’s a premiere, if there’s not I never see them at all. I would say there’s a good 20 films I’ve made that I’ve never seen.

Like?

I don’t know! I’ll meet someone in the cast and they’ll say ‘we were in blah blah blah together’ and I don’t even remember being in that movie? I do too many movies. The good ones I remember.

Have you seen CLOCKWORK ORANGE more then once?

Oh yeah, I remember that one! (Laughs) Of course I’ve seen that one more then once, it’s a classic. But I have to go back every 10 years to see it again because there’s always some big thing going on so I’m invited to sit there, because it’s rude if I tip toe out. People will go ‘he’s leaving!’ So I sit there and watch it. It’s coming up again, I’ve got to sit through the damn thing again. The 40th anniversary is coming up.


Does it take on new meaning over the years?

Well, it takes on new meaning for the new audiences that find it. The kids, they love that film. It is a remarkable film. I got very lucky with that, so um, it’s a great film and as you say, it holds up. Of course it is about a timeless subject. Which is great, the brilliance of Burgess, plus Kubrick – it’s a great film really, the essence. Last time I saw it was around 5 years ago at the Egyptian theater. Now I got this email asking if I’d go back to the Egyptian since they’re going to screen it again. I don’t know why they’re going to when they showed it 5 years ago! But anyway, I’ll probably go back, because it’s nice – films like that, or the Lindsay Anderson films are so great. It’s nice to see them occasionally although I wouldn’t want to – I mean, my kids, they’ve never seen them. They’ve seen CLOCKWORK ORANGE. My older kids. My daughter called me when she went to college, she goes, “Dad! Um, I’ve been into a few dorms of my friends and … there’s posters of you up on them!” She had no idea. She had never seen the film.

How old were they when they saw A CLOCKWORK ORANGE?

My daughter was in college so she was 18. My son saw it when he was 20. So I think the boys can kind of take it. Maybe. I don’t know. I kept saying, ‘No, you’re far too young. You can’t see that one.’

What’s scary to you?

Well, it’s horror but it’s horror of the mind. Psychological horror. It’s much more affective in a way. Psychological stuff – when you get into a character that can be very disquieting. Yeah, that was… of course, the whole thing has changed. The meaning of the movie (CLOCKWORK ORANGE) has changed so much over the years. When it first opened, it was a big scandal. This really violet film, it’s not really violet today. People just couldn’t get past the violence at all when it opened. I mean, people were running out of the theater and throwing up in the lobby. Rob – he’s certainly a great talent and very interesting, and I think he tried to do something different with this film. Well, what do you want to see? The same old boring HALLOWEEN again and again? So, just put it on repeat and sit there watching the same damn movie.

Considering the ending of Rob's first HALLOWEEN, did you think you could come back?

Of course! (Laughs) I’ll be back for the 3rd one! Even though I know I lost my head! Who cares? It’s not real.


ICONS: This was your 2nd feature length with Rob, so how’d this differ from the first time out? Was it easier considering you've developed a friendship and rapport since the first?

Well, yeah – Absolutely. Rob and I are good friends. He was a little more harassed by the studio people this time. They were cutting days and pretty much driving him nuts. I felt bad for him because he was under a lot of pressure. But he stuck to his guns and did what he wanted. I think so, because they were coming down on budget and going crazy and blah blah blah. That’s the film business.


ICONS: Can you talk about shooting in Georgia? It was some cold nights out there!


Yeah! There were cold nights in good old Georgia. I quite enjoyed it, I thought that Georgia was quite a nice state. I hadn’t really been anywhere outside of Atlanta. And to actually get into the countryside and the small towns, east of Atlanta. I thought they were very beautiful and terrific and good golf courses, of course. That’s what’s important to me. The food? Heart attack waiting to happen. Couldn’t live there, but no, I mean once in a while it was great. I think Georgia is a beautiful state, I really do. And the people were very nice, I had a great time. A lot of fun.

Do you consider yourself American or an Englishman?

I don’t consider myself an American or an Englishman to be honest. I consider myself a Californian. (Laughs) I feel more of a Californian then I do an American and an Englishman. California is of course a huge state. My kids are American because they were born here.

ICONS: Can you talk about the Weird Al scene in HALLOWEEN 2? It's one of the highlights of the whole film.

He is great! I don’t know how it happened, he came down. I’d never really heard about him. Weird Al, I didn’t know who he was, but I loved working with him. The whole thing where I’m getting pissed off was so perfect. It was all improvised. Like when I called him “Mr. Weird”. I thought, well his name is Weird Al, so I guess I’ll call him Mister Weird. I don’t know! He goes “zapped!” He does something weird, and I said, ‘how the hell do you think you are?’ It was just great. Of course, they paired down the scene we had together but it was great fun working with him. He’s a terrific guy. We had so much fun doing that. It was shot in half a day, the whole thing.



Be sure to check out our other HALLOWEEN 2 INTERVIEWS! (Click each image below to read them!)








Rob Zombie returns to write and direct HALLOWEEN 2, which stars Scout Taylor-Compton, Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Brad Dourif, Sherri Moon Zombie, Danielle Harris, Brea Grant, Caroline Williams, Margot Kidder, Daniel Roebuck, Chase Wright Vanek, Dayton Callie, Richard Brake, Matt Bush, Howard Hesseman, Bill Fagerbakke, Jeff Daniel Phillips & Mark Christopher Lawrence. HALLOWEEN II is in theaters now!

August 28, 2009

New Trailer For THE DESCENT: PART 2!

IGN debuted the brand new trailer for THE DESCENT: PART 2 which you can check out embedded below! Directed by Jon Harris (who edited the first DESCENT), the sequel to Neil Marshall's cult classic stars Shauna MacDonald (reprising her role as Sarah), Natalie Mendoza, Gavan O'Herlihy, Joshua Dallas and Anna Skellern.



THE DESCENT: PART 2 debuts later this weekend at the UK FRIGHTFEST and then in UK cinemas on December 4th. No word yet on a US release but we'll keep you posted!






Behind-The-Scenes Video Of DEXTER: Season 4!

Showtime has just posted a great behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming 4th Season of DEXTER! Check it out embedded below!



See the "Under Pressure" teaser trailer HERE! See several videos from the panel at our previous news post HERE! See the trailer for DEXTER Season 4 at our news post HERE! And the trailer for DEXTER: EARLY CUTS, the animated webseries HERE.

Check out the teaser posters & bobble heads from Comic-Con HERE! See the recent teaser poster from our previous news post HERE. John Lithgow also joins recently announced cast member Courtney Ford. (Read all about Lithgow's casting at our previous news post HERE and Courtney Ford's HERE!) Season 3 hits store shelves on August 18th, while Season 4 will begins airing September 27th on Showtime. DEXTER stars Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, Julie Benz, James Remar, David Zayas, Keith Carradine, Lauren Vélez and C.S. Lee.


Next For Rob Zombie? Remaking THE BLOB!

I actually had to triple check this story because it just seemed so out of left field! Variety is reporting that Rob Zombie's next feature will be a remake of THE BLOB!?! Of course, THE BLOB is the 1958 classic that launched the career of actor Steve McQueen and was later remade (brilliantly I might add) in 1988 by Chuck Russell and Frank Darabont. Why remake it again?

The Variety article says, "In the original, an object from space crashes into a field, containing a red blob-like substance that absorbs the humans it contacts and grows exponentially. While Zombie was a fan of the original, his version will be much different.

`My intention is not to have a big red blobby thing, that’s the first thing I want to change,' Zombie said. `That gigantic Jello-looking thing might have been scary to audiences in the 1950s, but people would laugh now. I have a totally different take, one that’s pretty dark.'"

(Hey, a kid gets eaten in the 1988 version. THAT one's scary, damn it!)

The article continues, "`I’d been looking to break out of the horror genre, and this really is a science fiction movie about a thing from outer space,' Zombie said. `I intend to make it scary, and the great thing is, I have the freedom once again to take it in any crazy direction I want to. Even more than `Halloween,' where I had to deal with accepted iconic characters like Michael Myers and Laurie Strode. `The Blob’ is more concept than specific storyline with characters, so I can go nuts with it.'"

Zombie will produce with Genre Company’s Richard Saperstein and Brian Witten, original `Blob' producer Jack H. Harris, and Judith Parker Harris of Worldwide Entertainment Corporation.


 

Rob Zombie Talks Alternate Director's Cut Of HALLOWEEN 2!

We recently sat down for a roundtable interview with Rob Zombie to discuss all things HALLOWEEN 2 and among one of the topics that came up was the "unused" trailer, which features snippets of footage NOT in the final theatrical version. Considering the time restraints on the editing process, I asked Zombie if the version of HALLOWEEN 2 opening in theaters this weekend was his complete vision, or if there was a longer or alternate "director's cut" with more of the stuff from the trailers. Here's what he had to say:

"The thing is – editing is a crucial time and when you get rushed through that process, you’re never 100 percent sure that you’ve got exactly the perfect take of every actor, or the perfect moment because there’s so much footage to go through and so you do your best to do it with the time that you have."

"As far as a longer cut for the director’s cut, there is another version of the movie that’s very, very different that will probably be the director’s cut. There were 2 ways we could cut the movie. The way we cut it for the theatrical, Laurie Strode’s character is the main difference in the two. (In the theatrical) She’s holding it together, getting her life together and it starts spiraling downward. In the other version, she’s an incredible mess and gets worse. She never has any good moments, she’s just messed up, she’s lashing out at everyone, she’s horrible. Messed up on drugs, she’s just completely spun out through the whole movie. It makes for a real challenging movie to watch and I feel like I don’t know if fans would’ve embraced so much darkness."

"Everything’s the same in that version except for her. There’s other scenes with her, and mostly with Annie. Her relationship with Annie is horrible and they’re at each other’s throats through the whole movie. They are not in the theatrical version."

So we can probably look forward to a DVD with an alternate, "darker" cut. I'm not sure I myself as a fan could embrace the idea of Laurie Strode being unsympathetic, which is what the above scenario sounds like to me. While brief, I appreciated her estranged relationship with Annie in the theatrical cut of HALLOWEEN 2.

More interviews later today!


HALLOWEEN II 5th TV spot is HERE. 4th TV spot is HERE. 3rd TV spot can be viewed HERE. See the 2nd TV Spot at our previous news post HERE. See the latest trailers right HERE as well as the 1st TV Spot right HERE! Behind-the-scenes video can be found right HERE.

Click the following image for an ICONS exclusive pic of Michael Myers:



Make sure to check out the first trailer to HALLOWEEN 2 right HERE. Latest theatrical one-sheet poster right HERE! New pic of the pumpkin "dream" sequence character HERE! New pic of Sheriff Brackett right HERE! New pic of Loomis and a new poster can be seen right HERE! Don't forget to read our brand new FRIGHT exclusive interview with ROB ZOMBIE by clicking the frame below!



Rob Zombie returns to write and direct HALLOWEEN 2, which stars Scout Taylor-Compton, Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Brad Dourif, Sherri Moon Zombie, Danielle Harris, Brea Grant, Caroline Williams, Margot Kidder, Daniel Roebuck, Chase Wright Vanek, Dayton Callie, Richard Brake, Matt Bush, Howard Hesseman, Bill Fagerbakke, Jeff Daniel Phillips & Mark Christopher Lawrence. HALLOWEEN II is now playing!!!

Would Laurie Strode & Michael Myers Be Game For HALLOWEEN 3?

We recently sat down with both Scout Taylor-Compton and Tyler Mane for HALLOWEEN 2 roundtables (look for those later today) and chatted to both about portraying their iconic characters. Scout still gushes over getting the opportunity to play Laurie Strode:

"I had no idea I'd get to play her. My uncle would scare me with the Michael Myers mask when I was younger. And I was absolutely terrified of the movie and I never thought that I’d end up in a HALLOWEEN movie. Let alone play Laurie Strode. When I first heard about the audition, I just never thought it’d happen. I just thought it’d be so great. And I just kept getting closer and closer to it. And when I got it, I thought, 'Oh my God. I’m going to be Laurie Strode.' It’s crazy to me. I never would’ve imagined."

Would she be game to come back for HALLOWEEN 3 and give Laurie Strode one more chance?

"I’d be so game. I would. I would love to develop her a little bit more. I could see a lot that I would do with her, so yeah. I’d be real excited to do it again."

As for Tyler Mane, he's the only other actor besides George Wilbur to portray Michael Myers more then once. When asked about coming back for a HALLOWEEN 3, he paused and thought about it for a moment. Further pushing, I asked if he's "contractually obligated" to come back?

"No, I signed on for 2. I did the 2. But... it’s hard to say. (Pause) I’d have to see who’s doing it. And just see which way we wanted to take it. It’s kind of going to be hard to carry on from this one, and … if Michael Myers is going into space, well, I ain’t going! (Laughs)"

Check back later today for more HALLOWEEN 2 interviews!


What's ROB ZOMBIE'S TYRANNOSAURUS REX About?

In our recent roundtable chat with Rob Zombie about HALLOWEEN II, the subject of his much teased about film TYRANNOSAURUS REX came up. And to our surprise, he was for the first time fairly open on what that movie will be about.

"It’s a boxing movie, actually," says Zombie. "Yeah, it’s about this guy named Rex. His nickname is “Tyrannosaurus Rex” and it’s about this washed up prize fighter who goes to prison for assaulting these guys in a bar because he’s kind of this born to loose out of control personality. And when he gets out of prison, he’s too old to box so he gets caught up in underground fighting because he’s so filled with rage that he can’t control himself in normal society. It’s pretty dark. That’d be a darker movie then HALLOWEEN 2. That might be my next movie."

Might being the key word. It was just announced that Zombie will next be tackling a 2nd remake of THE BLOB. (Another news post on that in a bit.)

Look for the rest of our HALLOWEEN 2 interviews later today! HALLOWEEN 2 is now playing in theaters!


UPDATE: Regarding The BEST BUY Exclusive 'GRACE' Blu-Ray Release!

This past Tuesday, we reported that BEST BUY exclusively release the Blu-Ray edition of Paul Solet's GRACE, almost a whole month before it's official release date on September 15th. The movie itself looks beautiful in hi-definition and the Blu-Ray (as well as the upcoming DVD) are brimming with tons of great special features, but we felt obligated to let you in on a slight error with the disc. The special features are not in the appropriate order.

Granted, as a paying consumer, you can watch the bonus features any which way you please. However, ICONS own Adam Barnick was responsible for all the supplemental material on the GRACE disc. What was originally intended as a feature length long documentary was instead divided up into 5 featurettes. (6 if you include Jake Hamilton's featurette from SUNDANCE) These features are meant to be played in a certain order to maintain a "feature length" documentary feel.

So if you pick up the Blu-Ray, THIS is the order you should watch the features in. (As listed on the back of the box):

- GRACE: Conception
- GRACE: Family
- Her Mother's Eyes: The Look Of GRACE
- GRACE: Delivered
- Lullaby: Scoring GRACE
- GRACE at Sundance

Enjoy!


Tony Todd, David Naughton Hitting Up Pittsburgh's HORROR REALM Convention!

Tony Todd, David Naughton to appear at Horror Realm

First ever Pittsburgh convention appearance for Todd

Pittsburgh, PA –August 27, 2009 – Tony Todd, star of the Candyman horror film series, will make his first ever Pittsburgh convention appearance* at Horror Realm, September 18th through 20th.
Todd, whose screen credits include the lead role in the 1990 version of Night of the Living Dead, is also an accomplished stage actor. He steps behind the camera for the first time as writer/director of the film Eerie, PA which is currently in production.

Joining Todd and other celebrity guests is David Naughton, best known to horror fans as the star of An American Werewolf in London. Naughton made his professional debut in the New York Shakespeare Festival’s production of Hamlet and has appeared in numerous film and television projects, including the TV series My Sister Sam.

Other updates from Horror Realm:

- Due to contractual obligations and scheduling conflicts, Debbie Rochon and John Amplas will not be able to appear at the convention.
- The cast of Pittsburgh’s It’s Alive Show (www.theitsaliveshow.com) will be performing on Friday night.
- The Bastards of Horror / Gross Movie Reviews short film fest will be on Friday night – not to be missed!
- Human Productions Gallery will have tattoo artists on site all weekend for your ink needs, and is also sponsoring the Best Horror Tattoo contest.
- The Duquesne Law School Student Bar Association will be manning the raffle table – all proceeds will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

The promoters are pleased to announce the date for the 2010 Horror Realm convention – September 17 to 19 at the Crowne Plaza Pittsburgh South.

Please visit www.horrorrealmcon.com for more information on Horror Realm, Pittsburgh’s modern horror convention.

Horror Realm™ is produced by The It’s Alive Show Fan Club, LLC – also known as The Lifeless – and Horrorrealmonline.com and sponsored in part by Rue Morgue Magazine, Library of the Living Dead, Joseph Beth Booksellers, Art Institute of Pittsburgh and Masquerade/Halloween Adventure.

*Guests are subject to change or cancellation without notice.

Revised SHUTTER ISLAND Trailer! Now Opens February 19th, 2010!

SHUTTER ISLAND, Martin Scorsese's latest thriller starring Leonardo Dicaprio has been pushed from October 2nd to February 19th, 2010! Below we've got the new revised trailer reflecting the new release date. Have a peek again! This is Scorsese's first genre related pic since CAPE FEAR!



From Oscar®-winning director Martin Scorsese, “Shutter Island” is the story of two U.S. marshals, Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), who are summoned to a remote and barren island off the coast of Massachusetts to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a murderess from the island’s fortress-like hospital for the criminally insane. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley & Max von Sydow. (Actually, it's being called a "drama"!)


New "Motion" Poster For PANDORUM!

Overture Films has released this new "motion" poster for their upcoming movie PANDORUM, which opens in theaters September 25th, 2009! Check it out below!



In PANDORUM, Dennis Quaid (Vantage Point, The Express) and Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma, Alpha Dog) join Cam Gigandet (Never Back Down, Twilight), Cung Le (Tekken, Fighting), newcomer Antje Traue, and director Christian Alvart (Antibodies) to tell the terrifying story of two crew members stranded on a spacecraft who quickly – and horrifically – realize they are not alone. Two astronauts awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft. It’s pitch black, they are disoriented, and the only sound is a low rumble and creak from the belly of the ship. They can’t remember anything: Who are they? What is their mission? With Lt. Payton (Quaid) staying behind to guide him via radio transmitter, Cpl. Bower (Foster) ventures deep into the ship and begins to uncover a terrifying reality. Slowly the spacecraft’s shocking, deadly secrets are revealed…and the astronauts find their own survival is more important than they could ever have imagined.


Spoof STAN HELSING Comes To DVD October 27th!

This Halloween, Prepare to Die…Laughing! ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT UNLEASHES STAN HELSING ON DVD AND BLU-RAY™ OCTOBER 27th! Special Edition to include Commentary, Featurettes and Deleted Scenes; Exclusive theatrical engagements planned.

Beverly Hills , CA – The most feared monsters in cinematic history have met their match! Watch out villains, here comes…Stan Helsing? From the executive producer of Scary Movie, the horror comedy Stan Helsing will be released on DVD and high definition Blu-ray™ on October 27th by Anchor Bay Entertainment. In the vein of spoof cinema like the Austin Powers and Scary Movie franchises, Stan Helsing lampoons contemporary film audiences’ never-ending fascination with what makes our blood curdle. In addition, the hilarious horrorfest will have exclusive theatrical engagements in New York , Los Angeles and other select cities the weekend of Friday, October 23rd.

The Stan Helsing DVD and Blu-ray™ will include valuable behind-the-scenes coverage no monster-hunter should be without, including a commentary track with the cast/filmmakers, featurettes and extended, alternate & deleted scenes – all guaranteed to make you howl with laughter! SRP is a side-splitting $26.97 for the DVD , with $34.98 SRP for the Blu-ray™.

Written and directed by Bo Zenga, Stan Helsing follows the misadventures of hapless video store clerk Stan Helsing (Steve Howey) and his friends. During what should be a routine video delivery on Halloween night before going to a Halloween party, Stan and company find themselves stranded in the mysterious residential development of Stormy Night Estates. There, Stan learns of his true destiny as a descendant of the legendary monster-hunter Van Helsing.

With his motley band in tow – including his best friend Teddy (“Saturday Night Live” star Kenan Thompson), he will battle evil in the form of parodies of movie monster icons “Freddy,” “Jason,” “Leatherface,” “Pinhead,” “Michael Myers,” and “Chucky.” The ultimate confrontation between good and evil will require immeasurable courage, grim determination – and a flair for karaoke?

In addition to riotously sending up some of the cinema’s greatest scream meisters, Stan Helsing also features the appearance of comedy film legend Leslie Nielsen (Airplane!, the Naked Gun films, Scary Movie 3 and 4) as well as a surprise cameo that will frighten the Republican Party!

Stan Helsing was produced by Scott Steindorff, Bo Zenga and Kirk Shaw. Director of photography is Robert New (Prom Night), production designer is Chris August (I, Robot) and music is by Ryan Shore (Cabin Fever 2).





GODKILLER DVD To Include New Prequel Novel!

GODKILLER SCI-FI/HORROR DVD TO INCLUDE NEW PREQUEL NOVEL

- Original speculative-fiction novel provides unique bonus content for
graphic novel adaptation starring Lance Henriksen, Danielle Harris, Bill Moseley -


godkiller matt pizzoloLos Angeles, CA, August 26, 2009 - Halo-8 Entertainment has announced the bi-monthly, episodic DVDs for its GODKILLER: WALK AMONG US 'illustrated film' series will come packaged with a serialized audiobook of the prequel novel GODKILLER: SILENT WAR, written by the film's award-winning writer/director Matt Pizzolo. GODKILLER: WALK AMONG US Episode 1, starring Danielle Harris (upcoming "HALLOWEEN 2"), Lance Henriksen ("AVP: ALIEN VS PREDATOR"), Justin Pierre (singer of MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK), Tiffany Shepis ("NIGHT OF THE DEMONS"), Bill Moseley ("THE DEVIL'S REJECTS"), Nicki Clyne ("BATTLESTAR GALACTICA"), Katie Nisa ("THREAT"), Lydia Lunch ("HARDCORE"), and Davey Havok (singer of A.F.I.), comes to DVD on September 29th, 2009.


godkiller silent war matt pizzolo "GODKILLER is split into two periods... there's the post nuke world of the graphic novel & illustrated film WALK AMONG US, and there's the pre-nuke world of SILENT WAR," Pizzolo explains. "So SILENT WAR is only a prequel insofar as it happens beforehand, but its events drive the WALK AMONG US story and many of the same characters appear in both. I'm super excited that the two stories can roll out together in this integrated way--everything about this project is unorthodox and crazy, hopefully everyone will enjoy the ride."

GODKILLER: SILENT WAR is the story of the end of civilization as we know it. In the near future, 17 year old Joe Junior and his girlfriend Bee run a speakeasy in the basement of an abandoned NYC church where they serve narcotic drinks to underagers while providing sanctuary and black-market employment to draft dodgers. When Joe is recruited by an armed cult of populist assassins, he is thrust into a secret world of international cabals, alien conspiracies, and the countdown to Armageddon.

About the GODKILLER: WALK AMONG US DVD series:
GODKILLER's innovative release schedule that brings the episodic nature of comic books to DVD will roll out as follows:

Sept 29th 2009: EPISODE 1 limited edition, shortform DVD
November 24th 2009: EPISODE 2 limited edition, shortform DVD
January 26th 2010: Day & Date - THEATRICAL PREMIERE of full feature, EPISODE 3 limited edition, shortform DVD
March 30th 2010: FULL FEATURE DVD & BLU-RAY

 Check out the trailer at our previous news post HERE!

August 26, 2009

JENNIFER'S BODY: ON THE SET Video!

Yahoo has debuted a behind the scenes video from the set of JENNIFER'S BODY. Check it out below!



Check out the "PSA announcement" with Megan Fox at our previous news post HERE. The theatrical one-sheet poster is at our previous news post HERE! Watch the "red-band" trailer for JENNIFER'S BODY at our previous news post HERE and the "green-band" one HERE! The flick stars Megan Fox as the title character, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody, J.K. Simmons, Kyle Gallner & Lance Henriksen. JENNIFER'S BODY was directed by Karyn Kusama from a script by Diablo Cody (writer of JUNO).

Synopsis: When a gorgeous cheerleader is possessed by a demon and starts feeding off the boys in a small Minnesota farming town, her "plain Jane" best friend must kill her, then escape from a correctional facility to go after the Satan-worshipping rock band responsible for the horrible transformation.

ZOMBIELAND International Trailer! Moved Up To October 2nd!

First things first - the release date for ZOMBIELAND has been moved up to October 2nd! Second, below you'll find a new international trailer for the flick. Check it out!



Check out the red band trailer HERE. And the original trailer and some pics at our previous news post HERE.


Directed by Ruben Fleischer from a script by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, ZOMBIELAND stars Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone & Abigail Breslin.

Synopsis: Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) has made a habit of running from what scares him. Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) doesn’t have fears. If he did, he’d kick their ever-living ass. In a world overrun by zombies, these two are perfectly evolved survivors. But now, they’re about to stare down the most terrifying prospect of all: each other.

SPOOKY DAN At The HALLOWEEN 2 Premiere!

FRIGHT friend Spooky Dan hit the red carpet of last night's premiere of Rob Zombie's eagerly anticipated sequel HALLOWEEN II! Below you can check out some quick interview snippets with Malcolm McDowell, Scout Taylor-Compton, Danielle Harris, Tyler Mane, Kristina Klebe, Daniel Roebuck, DEXTER's David Zayas, Rob Hall & many more. Check it out below!



And hit up Spooky Dan's site at: http://www.spookydan.com

Rob Zombie returns to write and direct HALLOWEEN 2, which stars Scout Taylor-Compton, Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Brad Dourif, Sherri Moon Zombie, Danielle Harris, Brea Grant, Caroline Williams, Margot Kidder, Daniel Roebuck, Chase Wright Vanek, Dayton Callie, Richard Brake, Matt Bush, Howard Hesseman, Bill Fagerbakke, Jeff Daniel Phillips & Mark Christopher Lawrence. HALLOWEEN II hits theaters this Friday August 28th!

HORROR ART PROFILE: JEREMY CROSS!

Here at ICONS, we're always striving to expand upon more then just horror movie news. We want to bring you the latest going on in horror "culture" as well. So we thought it'd be fun to open you faithful readers up to the world of horror art. This week at Hyaena Gallery - "JEREMY CROSS: ANATOMY OF FAITH"

The ever-popular Bastard Artist returns with his fourth solo exhibit here at Hyaena Gallery. In this collection of over 30 + works Jeremy Cross examines the human condition and it's tumultuous relationship with Faith through the catalyst of human anatomy.

This is Jeremy's most personal and conceptual series to date: A showing of both oil paintings and his signature pyrographic work that reveals a quantum leap in his artistic progression.

A limited edition of hand painted Ghostapuss (Cross' iconic character) cast sculptures will also be available during this show with a very special Ghostapuss being offered during a random drawing. Do not miss this show!

"Bot-Phomet"

"Ghostapuss" - sculpted & cast by Tom Zimmerman

"Follower", "Seeker"

"GodBot Overload"

Prints of "Follower"

"Faith Healer"

"Anatomy Of Faith", "Creationism"

"It Swallows You", "The Hunter's Reward"

"It Swallows You" close up

"Infanticide", "Too Close"

"Rx"

"Ghostapuss Box"

"Crusader" by Jeremy Cross & Christopher Ulrich

"Reactionary", "Holy War"

"Prophet" - Oil painting on a real human skull. Sale price $666.


"Tree Of Life"

"Womb"

"Zealot", "Love Factory"

"Skull Mask"

"Guardian", "Bishop the Squid"

"Snatched From The Jaws of Death"

"Speak No Evil"

"Genesis", "Deceiver"

Artist Jeremy Cross with the "Prophet" skull.


To purchase or get more info on all these above pieces, go to: http://hyaenagallery.com/jeremycross.html

Official One-Sheet Poster For THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL!

NYmag.com just posted the official theatrical one-sheet poster for Ti West's latest flick THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL. Coming from Vulture and Magnet (the genre division of Magnolia Pictures), THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL starts airing on VOD (video on demand) on October 1st with a theatrical release on October 30th. Check out the trailer and press release at our previous news post HERE. New poster is below!



Set in the mid-80's, the latest from filmmaker Ti West (THE ROOST, CABIN FEVER 2) stars Tom Noonan (THE MONSTER SQUAD, MANHUNTER), Mary Woronov (CHOPPING MALL, NIGHT OF THE COMET, AJ Bowen (THE SIGNAL), Dee Wallace (Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN, THE HOWLING), Jocelin Donahue (THE BURROWERS) & Greta Gerwig (BAGHEAD).

NIGHT OF THE CREEPS DVD & Blu-Ray Artwork! Pushed To October 27th!

Both the DVD & Blu-Ray for NIGHT OF THE CREEPS will now be hitting store shelves on October 27th. (One week later then the originally announced October 20th release date) Below is a promo sheet which features the covers for both the Blu-Ray and DVD. And under that you'll find the full listing of features!



Special features for this release include:
  • Audio Commentary with Members of the Cast
  • Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Fred Dekker
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Alternate Ending – Theatrical Version
  • Original Theatrical Trailer
  • Trivia Track
  • 6 Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes:
    • Birth of the Creeps - Writer/Director Fred Dekker discusses his influences and early filmmaking experiences and how NIGHT OF THE CREEPS evolved into his debut feature film.
    • Cast of the Creeps - Actors Jason Lively, Tom Atkins, Steve Marshall, and Actress Jill Whitlow talk about their experiences on the film, and how they have dealt with the film's enduring cult success over the past 25 years.
    • Creating the Creeps - Make-Up FX Creators David B. Miller, Robert Kurtzman and others discuss the extensive make-up creations in the film, and how they brought the slithering sluglike "creeps" to life.
    • Escape of the Creeps - A detailed look into the film's post-production and why the film was barely released to theatres with Writer/Director Fred Dekker, Composer Barry DeVorzon, and Producer Charles Gordon.
    • Legend of the Creeps - Final words from the cast & crew on the film's enduring cult popularity plus interviews with the film's biggest fans.
    • Tom Atkins: Man of Action – A detailed look at the career of Tom Atkins with testimonials from filmmakers he's worked with over the past thirty years.
  • Footage from the June 2009 cast reunion screening at The Original Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
  • BD-Live Access Exclusive content and downloads!
NIGHT OF THE CREEPS was written & directed by Fred Dekker and stars Jason Lively, Steve Marshall, Jill Witlow, David Paymer and Tom Atkins.

TRAIN Comes To DVD November 17th!

TRAIN (a very loose remake of TERROR TRAIN) starring Thora Birch and Derek Magyar, written and directed by Gideon Raff will finally hit DVD on November 17th courtesy of Lionsgate. Below is the synopsis for the movie, as well as the DVD cover.

"Touring Eastern Europe with her college wrestling team, Alex (Thora Birch - American Beauty) attends a debauched late-night party that causes her and several teammates to miss their train to Odessa. Her coach is furious, but a mysterious woman offers the group a ride on an alternative train. The coach agrees, and the athletes, exhausted and hung over, gratefully climb aboard. However, this train harbors a deadly secret, and for Alex and her fellow passengers, a blood-soaked nightmare is just beginning."


August 25, 2009

GRACE Blu-Ray NOW Available At Best Buy Exclusively!

Whoa! Paul Solet's debut feature GRACE came out theatrically in both NY and LA earlier this month, but we just discovered that BEST BUY exclusively released the Blu-Ray of GRACE TODAY!!! The Blu-Ray is NOW available at BEST BUY locations only, a month before other outlets! The DVD and Blu-Ray will be available everywhere on September 15th.



Below is a full listing of all the special features you'll find on the disc:

* Audio commentary with writer/director Paul Solet, producer Adam Green and director of photography Zoran Popovic
* Audio commentary with writer/director Paul Solet and actor Jordan Ladd (Blu-ray™ exclusive)
* Grace: Conception – charting the film’s origins;
* Grace: Family – an in-depth look at the cast of characters;
* Her Mother’s Eyes: The Look of Grace – designing the unique visuals
* Grace: Delivered – overcoming challenges during principal photography
* Lullaby: Scoring Grace – creating the score and sound effects
* Grace at Sundance – becoming a festival sensation
* Theatrical Trailer

check out our latest GRACE related interviews with writer/director Paul Solet, star Jordan Ladd and producer Adam Green. Click each image to read their interviews!







Written & directed by Paul Solet, starring Jordan Ladd (CABIN FEVER, DEATH PROOF), Gabrielle Rose, Malcolm Stewart, Samantha Ferris, Stephen Park & Serge Houde, & produced by Adam Green (HATCHET, SPIRAL) & Cory Neal from Ariescope with Anchor Bay Entertainment. NY street team photos can be found HERE!


"His Disease Is Spreading" - Another New SAW VI Poster!

Yet another SAW VI poster has made it's way on-line, a still shot of the first "motion" poster with the tagline "His Disease Is Spreading". It's more obvious in the poster below that all of Jigsaw's "followers" are wearing the infamous pig mask. Check it out for yourself below!



See the other theatrical poster HERE! Check out the trailer at THIS post here & the theatrical poster HERE. The awesome "motion" poster can be found at our previous news post HERE!

SAW VI hits theaters October 23rd, 2009. Long time SAW editor Kevin Greutert directs the latest sequel SAW VI which stars Shauna MacDonald, Devon Bostick, Marty Moreau, Karen Cliche, Shawn Mathieson, Melanie Scrofano, James Gilbert, Shawn Ahmed, Janelle Hutchison, Gerry Mendicino, Caroline Cave and Ginger Busch with Tobin Bell returning as Jigsaw, Shawnee Smith as Amanda (both for flashback sequences), as well as Costas Mandylor. We'll keep you posted when the trailer drops!

Visit the official site: http://www.saw6film.com

New MANIAC Revealed From 2001 MANIACS: BEVERLY HELLBILLYS!

Actress Christa Campbell unveiled the first picture of the newest MANIAC to join the clan via her FearNET blog. China Rose will be portrayed by genre newcomer Kathryn Le. Click HERE or the image below to read Christa's blog about the latest addition to the MANIACS family!


2001 MANIACS: BEVERLY HELLBILLYS recently wrapped production with Tim Sullivan once again behind the camera to direct a script co-written by Sullivan and Chris Kobin. The 2001 MANIACS sequel stars Bill Moseley, Nivek Ogre (Ogre from Skinny Puppy!), Lin Shaye, Christa Campbell, Asa Wycoff, Katy Johnson, Alex Luria, Larayia Gaston, Andrea Leon, Trevor Wright, Jordan Yale Levin, Miles Dougall, Christopher McDaniel, Adam Robitel, Ryan Fleming, Kathryn Le, Alana Curry, Ahmed Best, Clifford Allen Wagner & Charlie Parish.

We'll keep you posted on release & screening info as soon as we hear it!

Another Pair Of Images From Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN 2!

Rob Zombie posted yet another great Michael Myers image via his My Space blog. Check out his comments and the pic below:

"Holy shit dudes there are only five more days until Halloween 2 hits a screen near you! Are you going or what? If so drag a friend who hates to be scared. It's  time to fuck up your nice friends. This sucker is brutal. I promise."


Meanwhile IGN got the following mysterious exclusive pic below. Could this be a dream sequence? An actual scene from the movie? All will be revealed when HALLOWEEN 2 opens this Friday on August 28th!



Look for more exclusive interviews from Rob Zombie and the cast of HALLOWEEN 2 later this week here on ICONS OF FRIGHT!

Check out the unused HALLOWEEN II trailer HERE! HALLOWEEN II 5th TV spot is HERE. 4th TV spot is HERE. 3rd TV spot can be viewed HERE. See the 2nd TV Spot at our previous news post HERE. See the latest trailers right HERE as well as the 1st TV Spot right HERE! Behind-the-scenes video can be found right HERE.

Click the following image for an ICONS exclusive pic of Michael Myers:



Make sure to check out the first trailer to HALLOWEEN 2 right HERE. Latest theatrical one-sheet poster right HERE! New pic of the pumpkin "dream" sequence character HERE! New pic of Sheriff Brackett right HERE! New pic of Loomis and a new poster can be seen right HERE! Don't forget to read our brand new FRIGHT exclusive interview with ROB ZOMBIE by clicking the frame below!



Rob Zombie returns to write and direct HALLOWEEN 2, which stars Scout Taylor-Compton, Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Brad Dourif, Sherri Moon Zombie, Danielle Harris, Brea Grant, Bill Moseley, Caroline Williams, Margot Kidder, Daniel Roebuck, Chase Wright Vanek, Dayton Callie, Richard Brake, Matt Bush, Howard Hesseman, Bill Fagerbakke, Ezra Buzzington, Jeff Daniel Phillips & Mark Christopher Lawrence. HALLOWEEN II hits theaters this August 28th!

Continue reading "Another Pair Of Images From Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN 2!" »

The Italians Return for a Second Assault! Confirmed For Rock And Shock!

The Italians Return for a Second Assault!

Amidst rumors that Mike Baronas will bring his Italian Invasion back to this October’s Chiller Theatre, he confirmed with me today that a few of Fulci’s finest will attend this fall’s Rock and Shock.

Appearing in Worcestor, Mass. at the convention on October 16, 17 and 18 will be: the lovely Catriona MacColl (THE BEYOND, CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD); Al Cliver (ZOMBIE, THE BEYOND), and old Worm Eye himself, Ottaviano Dell’Acqua. For those who missed them at select conventions recently, this is a rare opportunity to meet three of Fulci’s finest. And I’m not just selling hype here; I’ve met all three, and I can attest that it was an absolute pleasure to chat with them and add some prime autographs to my zombie collection.

If you’re interested in finding out where Mike Baronas’ legions of Italian stars will make appearances in the future, check out his site at www.pauraprod.com. For information on the event itself, go to www.rockandshock.com. Let’s hope Mike can bring more Italians to us in the near future.

--Phil Fasso

Don't forget to check out our ITALIAN INVASION piece with 3 mini-interviews with Ian McCullouch, Silvia Collatina and Michael Sopkiw! Just click HERE or the image below!


August 20, 2009

Red-Band Trailer For Rob Zombie's THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEASTO!

Below you'll find the official "red-band" trailer for Rob Zombie's upcoming animated feature THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEASTO. Anchor Bay Entertainment puts it out on DVD & Blu-Ray September 22nd! Watch the "naughty" trailer below:



See the full press release along with the other cover HERE.

Rob Zombie's THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEASTO features the voice talents of Rosario Dawson, Paul Giamatti, Sheri Moon Zombie, Tom Papa, Bill Moseley, Sid Haig, Daniel Roebuck, Harland Williams, Cassandra Peterson, Clint Howard, Dee Wallace, Rob Paulsen, Tura Satana, and Danny Trejo.

Finally! THE WOLFMAN Trailer! Plus A Ton Of Images!

Universal has finally released the first trailer for their upcoming remake of THE WOLFMAN, due in theaters February 12th, 2010! Check it out below courtesy of Yahoo!



Also, tons of pics have emerged on line. Below are a batch of the ones we think are the coolest. Click any one of them for a high resolution look!













Unused Trailer For Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN 2!

Bloody-Disgusting have uncovered an unused promotional trailer for Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN II, which opens in theaters on August 28th. And quite frankly, this is by far the best of all the trailers we've seen thus far. (Even Rob Zombie thought so as he posted a link to it via his Twitter this morning!) Check it out at B-D's site HERE or embedded below. Multiple kudos to B-D for this find!



HALLOWEEN II 5th TV spot is HERE. 4th TV spot is HERE. 3rd TV spot can be viewed HERE. See the 2nd TV Spot at our previous news post HERE. See the latest trailers right HERE as well as the 1st TV Spot right HERE! Behind-the-scenes video can be found right HERE.

Click the following image for an ICONS exclusive pic of Michael Myers:



Make sure to check out the first trailer to HALLOWEEN 2 right HERE. Latest theatrical one-sheet poster right HERE! New pic of the pumpkin "dream" sequence character HERE! New pic of Sheriff Brackett right HERE! New pic of Loomis and a new poster can be seen right HERE! Don't forget to read our brand new FRIGHT exclusive interview with ROB ZOMBIE by clicking the frame below!



Rob Zombie returns to write and direct HALLOWEEN 2, which stars Scout Taylor-Compton, Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Brad Dourif, Sherri Moon Zombie, Danielle Harris, Brea Grant, Bill Moseley, Caroline Williams, Margot Kidder, Daniel Roebuck, Chase Wright Vanek, Dayton Callie, Richard Brake, Matt Bush, Howard Hesseman, Bill Fagerbakke, Ezra Buzzington, Jeff Daniel Phillips & Mark Christopher Lawrence. HALLOWEEN II hits theaters this August 28th!


Make sure to read our set reports from H2 by clicking the images below!

HALLOWEEN 2 SET REPORT! PART ONE: FX ARTIST WAYNE TOTH! (Click image below to read it!)



HALLOWEEN 2 SET REPORT! PART TWO: PRODUCER MALEK AKKAD! (Click image below to read it!)



HALLOWEEN 2 SET REPORT! PART THREE: PRODUCER ANDY GOULD! (Click image below to read it!)



HALLOWEEN 2 SET REPORT! PART FOUR: ACTRESS SCOUT TAYLOR-COMPTON! (Click image below to read it!)


Saturday, August 22nd - Hyaena Gallery Presents The Art Of Jeremy Cross!

Want to catch one of the Hyaena shows that we always report on? Well, the next one featuring the work of Jeremy Cross is happening this Saturday, August 22nd at Hyaena Gallery located at 1928 W. Olive Ave. Burbank, CA 91506. Below are the full details! See you there!


August 16th - August 31st, 2009. Opening Reception Saturday, August 22nd 8PM to Midnight:

The ever-popular Bastard Artist returns with his fourth solo exhibit here at Hyaena Gallery. In this collection of over 30 + works Jeremy Cross examines the human condition and it's tumultuous relationship with Faith through the catalyst of human anatomy.

This is Jeremy's most personal and conceptual series to date: A showing of both oil paintings and his signature pyrographic work that reveals a quantum leap in his artistic progression.

A limited edition of hand painted Ghostapuss (Cross' iconic character) cast sculptures will also be available during this show with a very special Ghostapuss being offered during a random drawing. Do not miss this show!

More details: http://www.hyaenagallery.com

Thinking Of Using 'Naturebirth'? Viral Site For GRACE!

The little indie that could still continues to impress! A new website has launched for the independently run clinic Naturebirth, run by Patricia Lang. Of course, if you take a closer look at the site (http://naturebirthgracemovie.com), you'll realize it's a viral site created for the clinic (and character) from Paul Solet's GRACE. Wait long enough on the page and you'll occasionally see a fly that brings you to some articles regarding the characters of the film. Pretty neat stuff! Check it out for yourself at: http://naturebirthgracemovie.com

GRACE is in theaters NOW. Buy tickets for GRACE at the following links:

LOS ANGELES, Sunset 5
http://www.laemmle.com/viewtheatre.php?date=08142009&thid=2

NY, Village East
http://www.fandango.com/grace_124413/movietimes

See the GRACE street teams in action in LA at THIS post and NY in THIS one! Also, check out our latest GRACE related interviews with writer/director
Paul Solet, star Jordan Ladd and producer Adam Green. Click each image to read their interviews!







Written & directed by Paul Solet, starring Jordan Ladd (CABIN FEVER, DEATH PROOF), Gabrielle Rose, Malcolm Stewart, Samantha Ferris, Stephen Park & Serge Houde, & produced by Adam Green (HATCHET, SPIRAL) & Cory Neal from Ariescope with Anchor Bay Entertainment. NY street team photos can be found HERE!


iMurders Comes To DVD October 13th!

We just got in the press release from Anchor Bay Entertainment for their latest acquisition, iMurders, which hits DVD shelves on October 13th. If you recall, we talked briefly about the flick with actress Erika Smith in her ICONS interview last year. Below are all the full details!


Murder has a technology all its own. Tune in, turn on … and drop dead. iMURDERS. An all-star, high-tech horror whodunit from Anchor Bay Entertainment, just in time for Halloween.

The Internet. For some, it’s one of the great innovations of the modern world, a pathway to knowledge, growth and new experiences. But for a group of people who share a common chat room, it could be the instrument of their destruction.

Just in time for Halloween, Anchor Bay Entertainment – the undisputed leader in cult and classic horror home entertainment – will release the star-laden shocker iMurders. Street date is October 13, 2009 with an SRP of $19.97.

From the Producers of the cult hit "Jerome Bixby’s The Man From Earth" comes a horror thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end. When the members of an online social networking website are brutally murdered in succession, one person's past holds the key to the gruesome mystery. As the number of survivors decreases, they begin to believe that the killer might be one of the group.

This killer thriller features a star-studded cast of (bloody) red herrings: Gabrielle Anwar (“Burn Notice”), William Forsythe (The Devil’s Rejects, Rob Zombie’s Halloween), Emmy Award® nominee Billy Dee Williams (The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi), Tony Todd (Candyman, “24”), Saturn Award® winner Margaret Colin (“Gossip Girl,” Independence Day), Tony Award® winner Wilson Jermaine Heredia (Rent, “Medium”), Frank Grillo (“Prison Break,” “The Shield”) and two-time Academy Award® nominee, nine-time Emmy Award® nominee and Golden Globe Award® winner Charles Durning (Dog Day Afternoon, Tootsie). HorrorSociety.com called iMurders “a must-own film for those who like the suspense mystery flavor of horror movies!”

The film marks the directorial debut of Robbie Bryan (producer and screenwriter of The Stand-In, co-producer of Jerome Bixby’s The Man from Earth) and has been screened at the Eerie Horror Film Festival, Shriekfest, the Big Apple Film Festival and the Downbeach Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award.


Check out our FRIGHT exclusive interview with Erika Smith by clicking the frame below!


August 19, 2009

From The Creators Of SPOOKS Comes THE DEVIL'S HANDSHAKE!

The creative team behind the Devil's Due Publishing horror/action comic book series SPOOKS is back with a new book for Archaia Entertainment called THE DEVIL'S HANDSHAKE. Below's a quick synopsis on the book along with the cover artwork for Issue 1 which hits comic book shelves this October:

THE DEVIL’S HANDSHAKE

(W) Larry Hama and Ryan Schifrin (A) Adam Archer and Lizzy John

Larry Hama, the legendary mastermind behind G.I. JOE, makes his debut at Archaia! In this standalone tale, renowned treasure hunters Alaric Moebius and Basil Fox embark on an adventure that takes them from the deepest jungles of New Guinea to the deserts of Lybia in search of a mysterious hidden pyramid that contains the power to end the world! Featuring breathtaking art by Adam Archer (SPOOKS) and Lizzy John (REST, HALLOWEEN), this unforgettable one-shot introduces readers to a terrifying, exciting new world created by Ryan Schifrin (SPOOKS)! Shipping in October.


Click frame to read our vintage FRIGHT interview with RYAN SHIFRIN!

2 New HALLOWEEN 2 Clips!

With Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN 2 opening next week, the video clips and mysterious photos are popping up everywhere on-line! First, the below 2 video clips come from WPIX and MSN. The MSN one has an intro by Zombie himself. Check that one out HERE:





Meanwhile, Shock Till You Drop has got 2 exclusive pictures of Danielle Harris HERE. And IGN scored this image below, which has many fans speculating at it's intent. Is Laurie Strode dreaming? Or taking a cue from her crazy older brother? We'll know for sure on August 28th!


Continue reading "2 New HALLOWEEN 2 Clips!" »

Another New SAW VI Poster!

Shock Till You Drop debuted this brand new SAW VI poster. What's the meaning of the mysterious 'Jigsaw hand gloves'? Last year, it was the 'Jigsaw face mask', now this? Hmm...


Check out the trailer at THIS post here & the theatrical poster HERE. The awesome "motion" poster can be found at our previous news post HERE!

SAW VI hits theaters October 23rd, 2009. Long time SAW editor Kevin Greutert directs the latest sequel SAW VI which stars Shauna MacDonald, Devon Bostick, Marty Moreau, Karen Cliche, Shawn Mathieson, Melanie Scrofano, James Gilbert, Shawn Ahmed, Janelle Hutchison, Gerry Mendicino, Caroline Cave and Ginger Busch with Tobin Bell returning as Jigsaw, Shawnee Smith as Amanda (both for flashback sequences), as well as Costas Mandylor. We'll keep you posted when the trailer drops!

Visit the official site: http://www.saw6film.com

2 More Join MOTHER'S DAY Remake!

A few weeks back, we reported that Deborah Ann Woll from HBO's TRUE BLOOD was the first to join the cast of the MOTHER'S DAY remake. Now, Dread Central broke the scoop on two more actresses joining the cast, both alumni from director Darren Lynn Bousman's previous films. Alexa Vega and Briana Evigan (God, I love her) are both on board for MOTHER'S DAY. Vega of course played Shilo in Bousman's cult classic rock musical REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA and Evigan appeared in Bousman's episode of FEAR ITSELF 'New Year's Day'. (Scripted by comic scribe Steve Niles)


The Hollywood Reporter adds that Jaime King (MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D, THE TRIPPER), Shawn Ashmore (Adam Green's FROZEN, X-MEN's Iceman) and Matt O'Leary (SORORITY ROW) have also just joined the cast.

According to The Hollywood Reporter post, "The new version, written by Scott Milam, is being remolded as a psychological thriller in which the wicked family returns to the house where they grew up to terrorize the new owners and their guests. King will play the woman of the house, a wife who has lost her child and is isolating herself from her husband."

Bousman tells them, "What we're trying to do is elevate this outside of a genre movie. I've done three 'Saw' films, I've done 'Repo,' and yes, this is horrific at times, but it's much darker and deeper because of the focus on the characters."

Twisted Pictures, the Genre Co., Rat Entertainment and LightTower Entertainment are producing the redux of the 1980 Troma cult classic original which was helmed by Charlie Kaufman.

More when we hear it!


DRAG ME TO HELL Blu-Ray Cover Art & Special Features!

Sam Raimi's criminally overlooked horror film DRAG ME TO HELL is due to hit video store shelves on October 13th. And now you can make up for not going to see it in theaters by picking up the DVD/Blu-Ray! Below is a listing of the features, along with the Blu-Ray cover art. Once again, feature-wise, it looks like the Blu-Ray's the way to go. Check it:

Bonus features include:

• Production Video Diaries - Over 30 minutes of behind-the-scenes scares, secrets and surprises featuring stars Justin Long and Alison Lohman.

Blu-ray hi-def (exclusive):

• BD-LIVE - Allows viewers to connect to the Internet and access new and exciting exclusive online and interactive features, including My Scenes Sharing and My Chat.
• Digital Copy - Transfer Drag Me To Hell Unrated Director's Cut to your iPod®, Mac® or PC and experience it anywhere, anytime!
• Universal Ticker - Exclusive on Blu-ray(TM) Hi-Def, Universal Studios Home Entertainment launches the new Universal Ticker which provides up-to-date news about upcoming titles, Blu-ray features and exclusive events!


Directed by Sam Raimi and Co-written with brother Ivan Raimi, DRAG ME TO HELL stars Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Jessica Lucas, David Paymer, Dileep Rao & Reggie Lee. On DVD/Blu-Ray October 13th!

August 18, 2009

AMERICA'S BAD KIDS EPISODE 18: COOKING LOBSTERS WITH LOBSTERBOY!

Below, a brand new episode of AMERICA'S BAD KIDS! Here's the intro from the host, John Torrani:

Cooking Lobsters with Lobsterboy:

Black Scorpion, The Lobsterboy from Austin, Texas makes the trip out to Malverne, Long Island to partake in some cannibalism. In this episode Black and John hang out at John’s Parents house and cook lobsters. Black explains what it was like growing up being a lobsterboy and tells u s all about his work at the Coney Island Sideshow by the Seashore. Black even has a few hard hitting questions for John. Grab a nut cracker and dive into this lobster. He’s all buttered up!







Get more BAD KIDS at: www.americasbadkids.com. You can also find more episodes at the official My Space page: www.myspace.com/americasbadkidstv.

WATCH AMERICA'S BAD KIDS EPISODE ONE: HYAENA GALLERY HERE!

WATCH AMERICA'S BAD KIDS EPISODE TWO: LLOYD KAUFMAN OF TROMA HERE!

WATCH AMERICA'S BAD KIDS EPISODE THREE: RAVEN RILEY HERE!

WATCH AMERICA'S BAD KIDS EPISODE FOUR: MY EXPLOITATION BREAKFAST HERE!

WATCH AMERICA'S BAD KIDS EPISODE FIVE: GUNN PLAY W/ JAMES GUNN HERE!


WATCH AMERICA'S BAD KIDS EPISODE SIX: CANNIBAL THE MUSICAL LIVE HERE!

WATCH AMERICA'S BAD KIDS EPISODE SEVEN: ITALIAN BAD KID RUGGERO DEODATO HERE!

WATCH AMERICA'S BAD KIDS EPISODE EIGHT: JIM VAN BEBBER HERE!

WATCH AMERICA'S BAD KIDS EPISODE NINE: COTTONMOUTH.TV HALLOWEEN SPECIAL HERE!

WATCH AMERICA'S BAD KIDS EPISODE TEN: GWAR HERE!

WATCH AMERICA'S BAD KIDS EPISODE ELEVEN: HYAENA ARTISTS EVIL PAUL, CLINT CARNEY, CHUCK HODI & THE BIG TASTY HERE!

WATCH AMERICA'S BAD KIDS EPISODE'S TWELVE & THIRTEEN: ERIC POWELL & BEN TEMPLESMITH HERE!

WATCH AMERICA'S BAD KIDS EPISODE FOURTEEN: MICHALE GRAVES HERE!

WATCH AMERICA'S BAD KIDS EPISODE FIFTEEN: HORROR ARTIST BBQ WITH D.W. FRYDENDALL HERE!

WATCH AMERICA'S BAD KIDS EPISODE SIXTEEN: HORROR ROCK BAND CALABRESE HERE!

WATCH AMERICA'S BAD KIDS: DON EDMONDS TRIBUTE WITH SID HAIG HERE!

WATCH AMERICA'S BAD KIDS: THE RETURN OF GWAR - THE LUST IN SPACE SPECIAL HERE!



5th TV Spot For Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN 2!

Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN 2 opens August 28th, and now Dimension's Horror You Tube page has debuted the 5th TV spot for the film titled "Fight"! Check it out below!



4th TV spot is HERE. 3rd TV spot can be viewed HERE. See the 2nd TV Spot at our previous news post HERE. See the latest trailers right HERE as well as the 1st TV Spot right HERE! Behind-the-scenes video can be found right HERE.

Click the following image for an ICONS exclusive pic of Michael Myers:



Make sure to check out the first trailer to HALLOWEEN 2 right HERE. Latest theatrical one-sheet poster right HERE! New pic of the pumpkin "dream" sequence character HERE! New pic of Sheriff Brackett right HERE! New pic of Loomis and a new poster can be seen right HERE! Don't forget to read our brand new FRIGHT exclusive interview with ROB ZOMBIE by clicking the frame below!



Rob Zombie returns to write and direct HALLOWEEN 2, which stars Scout Taylor-Compton, Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Brad Dourif, Sherri Moon Zombie, Danielle Harris, Brea Grant, Bill Moseley, Caroline Williams, Margot Kidder, Daniel Roebuck, Chase Wright Vanek, Dayton Callie, Richard Brake, Matt Bush, Howard Hesseman, Bill Fagerbakke, Ezra Buzzington, Jeff Daniel Phillips & Mark Christopher Lawrence. HALLOWEEN II hits theaters this August 28th!

Continue reading "5th TV Spot For Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN 2!" »

New "Famous Last Words" Clip From THE FINAL DESTINATION!

A new clip titled "Famous Last Words" from THE FINAL DESTINATION has debuted over on the My Space Horror page. Andrew Fiscella tells his co-star Bobby Campo that it's not his time to die in this clip embedded below!



Check out a TON of images from THE FINAL DESTINATION in our recently posted story HERE. Also, check out the latest batch of TV Spots for THE FINAL DESTINATION HERE! See more gruesome pics of victims from THE FINAL DESTINATION right HERE! Visit the official website at http://www.thefinaldestinationmovie.com. THE FINAL DESTINATION hits theaters on August 28st, 2009 and stars Nick Zano, Krista Allen (FEAST), Andy Fiscella, Shantel Van Santen, Bobby Campo, Haley Webb, Justin Welborn (THE SIGNAL), Mykelti Williamson & Richard T. Jones. David Ellis, the director of FINAL DESTINATION 2 returns behind the camera for FINAL DESTINATION 4. Eric Bress wrote the script. See the trailer right HERE!

New Trailer For THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON Arrives! "Meet Jacob Black"

A new hybrid trailer/interview video clip from THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON has debuted via My Space's Trailer Park page today. In it, actor Taylor Lautner introduces us to the character Jacob Black as he appears in the new film. Check it out below!



Check out the first teaser trailer HERE and a behind-the-scenes video at our previous news post HERE!

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Dakota Fanning, Chaske Spencer, Bronson Pelletier, Alex Meraz, Kiowa Gordon, Tyson Houseman, Nikki Reed, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Jackson Rathbone, Edi Gathegi, Rachelle Lefevre, Ashley Greene, Billy Burke, Cam Cigandet, Kellan Lutz & Anna Kendrick. Chris Weitz directs.

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON - Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is devastated by the abrupt departure of her vampire love, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) but her spirit is rekindled by her growing friendship with the irresistible Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). Suddenly she finds herself drawn into the world of the werewolves, ancestral enemies of the vampires, and finds her loyalties tested. (In theaters November 20, 2009)

William Castle Film Collection Comes To DVD October 20th!

Eight Classic Shockers from the Legendary Master Showman in One Chilling DVD Collection October 20 - WILLIAM CASTLE FILM COLLECTION, Five-Disc Set Includes Three Films Making Their DVD Debuts: Zotz!, The Old Dark House, and 13 Frightened Girls!Plus The Tingler, 13 Ghosts, Homicidal, Mr. Sardonicus, and Strait-Jacket. Bonus Features Include the Award-Winning Documentary Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story!

CULVER CITY, CALIF. (August 17, 2009) – The master of ballyhoo who became a brand name in movie horror with his outrageous audience participation gimmicks will be remembered on October 20 when the William Castle Film Collection debuts from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE). The set features eight of the legendary producer/director’s most notable films, including The Tingler (1959), 13 Ghosts (1960), Homicidal (1961), Mr. Sardonicus (1961), and Strait-Jacket (1964). Also included in the collection are Zotz! (1962), The Old Dark House (1963), and 13 Frightened Girls (1963), each making their DVD debuts. The extensive bonus materials include original theatrical openings, alternate sequences, vintage footage and original theatrical trailers, as well as two episodes of the television series, Ghost Story produced by William Castle.

Also included as a bonus feature, is Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story (2007), the acclaimed documentary on William Castle by director Jeffrey Schwarz that won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2007 AFI Film Festival. The film features archival interviews with John Landis (An American Werewolf in London), John Waters (Pink Flamingos), Budd Boetticher (The Tall T), Roger Corman (The Little Shop of Horrors) and legendary mime Marcel Marceau. The five-disc William Castle Film Collection will be available for $80.95 SRP.

About William Castle
: Intrigued by the circus of Barnum and Bailey , New York stage plays, radio and the movies, William Castle (1914 - 1977) knew what he wanted to do with his life and spent most of his teenage years working on the stage in a number of jobs ranging from set building to acting. He left Broadway for Hollywood at the age of 23, going on to direct his first film (The Chance of a Lifetime) six years later.

Castle honed his craft over the next decade turning out every manner of film. He also worked as an assistant to director Orson Welles, doing much of the second unit location work for Welles’ noir classic The Lady from Shanghai, starring Rita Hayworth. Castle had a reputation for getting the work done, and eventually decided to produce and direct his own pictures. The first, Macabre, boasted ad lines like “See it with someone who can carry you home!” and “If it frightens you to death, you’ll be buried free of charge!” The hype worked and Castle became famous for directing films with many gimmicks, which were ambitiously promoted, despite being reasonably low budget B-movies. By the mid-60s, he abandoned the gimmicks and went on to produce the Roman Polanski classic Rosemary’s Baby (1968). His autobiography was entitled “Step Right Up! I’m Gonna Scare the Pants Off America .”

The Tingler (1959)

Legendary horror star Vincent Price (Edward Scissorhands) stars in The Tingler, the terrifying story of a docile creature that lives in the human spinal cord. It becomes activated by fright and can only be destroyed by screaming. Castle promoted the film with the gimmick of “Percepto,” where audiences would actually feel the sensations of the actors on the screen. To achieve this, theaters wired select seats with tiny motors underneath that would vibrate during key scenes in the movie. The audience would get a “tingling” sensation and were encouraged to “Scream - scream for your lives.” The Tingler has a running time of approximately 82 minutes and is not rated.

13 Ghosts (1960)

Castle aggressively promoted this film with floats going up and down Hollywood Blvd. with “ghosts” riding along, holding signs, touting the movie. He named the gimmick created for 13 Ghosts “Illusion-O,” which was a special hand-held piece of cardboard with two transparent colored strips, one red and one blue. If you wanted to see the ghosts in the film, you looked through one, but if you were too frightened, you could look through the other and they weren’t visible. The film promised and delivered “13 Times the Thrills! 13 Times the Chills! 13 Times the Fun!” in the story of a family who inherits a haunted house, but discover a special pair of goggles that allows them to see their ghostly tormentors. The film starred Martin Milner (TV’s “Adam-12”) and Margaret Hamilton (The Wizard of Oz). 13 Ghosts has a running time of 85 minutes and is not rated.

Homicidal (1961)

In Homicidal, the brutal stabbing murder of a justice-of-the-peace sparks an investigation of the dark family secrets in a sleepy small town. Castle promoted the film with a “Fright Break,” a 45-second timer during the film’s climax as the heroine approached a house harboring the sadistic killer. The voiceover advised the audience of the time remaining in which they could leave the theatre and receive a full refund if they were too frightened to see the rest of the film. To ensure filmgoers did not opt for the refund, Castle instituted the “Coward’s Corner.” Patrons were expected to follow yellow footsteps up the theater aisle, bathed in a yellow light and sit in a yellow cardboard booth in the theater lobby. Theaters had a nurse offering a blood-pressure test, a recording blaring “Watch the chicken! Watch him shiver in Coward’s Corner,” and required walkouts to sign a yellow “Coward’s Certificate” card stating, “I am a bona fide coward.” Needless to say, very few filmgoers opted out of the screening. Homicidal has a running time of approximately 87 minutes and is not rated.

Mr. Sardonicus (1961)

In this gothic tale set in 1880 London , a Baron’s face is frozen into a permanently grotesque smile after digging up his father’s grave to retrieve a winning lottery ticket accidently left in his pocket. The gimmick allowed audiences to vote in a “Punishment Poll” during the climax of the film where Castle himself appears on screen to explain to the audience their options. Each member of the audience was given a card with a glow-in-the-dark thumb they could hold either up or down to decide if Mr. Sardonicus would be cured or die at the end of the film. Supposedly, no audience ever offered mercy and the villain was always punished. Mr. Sardonicus has a running time of approximately 89 minutes and is not rated.

Zotz! (1962)

Tom Poston (TV’s “Newhart”) finds a Zotz coin and discovers its awesome powers. After attempting to share its secret with the US government (where he is brushed off as a lunatic), his discovery captures the interest of foreign agents, who attempt to steal it. To promote the film, Castle provided each filmgoer with a “magic” coin which, unfortunately, did absolutely nothing. Zotz! has a running time of approximately 87 minutes and is not rated.

Frightened Girls! (1963)

Castle launched a worldwide hunt for the prettiest girls from different countries to cast in 13 Frightened Girls!. The stunt helped generate publicity for the film about the thirteen daughters of international diplomats in a Swiss boarding school, who stir up trouble when they mess in the diplomatic affairs of their parents and a Russian spy is discovered murdered. 13 Frightened Girls! has a running time of 89 minutes and is not rated.

The Old Dark House (1963)

Tom Poston (Zotz!) was again cast by Castle in this project about an American car salesman in England who receives a mysterious invitation from an old, eccentric millionaire to visit the house in which he lives with his twin brother. The Old Dark House has a running time of approximately 86 minutes and is not rated.

Strait-Jacket (1964)

Advised by his financial backers to eliminate the gimmicks, Castle hired Hollywood’s legendary Joan Crawford (The Women, Our Dancing Daughters) to star as an ax-murderess in this story of a mother, who, after a 20 year stay in an insane asylum for killing her husband and his mistress, returns to her home and grown daughter. While trying to re-connect with her daughter, Diane Baker (The Best of Everything, Marnie) the mother’s behavior raises suspicions about whether she is still a dangerously deranged killer. At the last minute, Castle had cardboard axes handed out to p