Writer/Director Joe Cornish discusses a few of his favorite movies with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Attack The Block (2011)
Rocks (2019)
Poltergeist (1982)
Gremlins (1984)
Avanti! (1972)
Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)
The Last Wave (1977)
Witness (1985)
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Fearless (1993)
Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World (2003)
Gallipoli (1981)
The Year Of Living Dangerously (1982)
The Cars That Ate Paris (1974)
The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai (1984)
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)
The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
The Rescuers (1977)
Bedknobs And Broomsticks (1971)
The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Moonraker (1979)
The Adventures Of Tintin (2011)
Bambi (1942)
Dumbo (1941)
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977)
Forbidden Planet (1956)
This Island Earth (1955)
Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers (1956)
The Thing From Another World (1951)
Matinee (1993)
The Lord Of The Rings (1978)
The Omen (1976)
Damien: Omen II (1978)
Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981)
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
The Exorcist (1973)
The Exterminator (1980)
Friday The 13th...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Attack The Block (2011)
Rocks (2019)
Poltergeist (1982)
Gremlins (1984)
Avanti! (1972)
Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)
The Last Wave (1977)
Witness (1985)
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Fearless (1993)
Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World (2003)
Gallipoli (1981)
The Year Of Living Dangerously (1982)
The Cars That Ate Paris (1974)
The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai (1984)
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)
The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
The Rescuers (1977)
Bedknobs And Broomsticks (1971)
The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Moonraker (1979)
The Adventures Of Tintin (2011)
Bambi (1942)
Dumbo (1941)
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977)
Forbidden Planet (1956)
This Island Earth (1955)
Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers (1956)
The Thing From Another World (1951)
Matinee (1993)
The Lord Of The Rings (1978)
The Omen (1976)
Damien: Omen II (1978)
Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981)
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
The Exorcist (1973)
The Exterminator (1980)
Friday The 13th...
- 1/24/2023
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
When I left England in 2009 to live in the Czech Republic, I was totally done with the whole thing. I was broke, had no career prospects, and hated the lifestyle. If it wasn't for family and a few close friends I would have gladly never set foot on the island again. That disillusionment might have lasted forever if it wasn't for folk horror which, in its strange way, helped me reconnect with my home country.
It was the BBC's wonderfully chilling adaptation of "A Warning to the Curious" that really got me into it. Based on the ghost story by M.R. James, many scenes were filmed in Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast not far from where I grew up. That really gave me a jolt of recognition; I love the county's desolate beaches and big open skies, and I was suddenly filled with affection and longing for England for...
It was the BBC's wonderfully chilling adaptation of "A Warning to the Curious" that really got me into it. Based on the ghost story by M.R. James, many scenes were filmed in Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast not far from where I grew up. That really gave me a jolt of recognition; I love the county's desolate beaches and big open skies, and I was suddenly filled with affection and longing for England for...
- 1/19/2023
- by Lee Adams
- Slash Film
Since the 70s Haggard also campaigned to secure rights and recognition for directors.
British film, television and theatre director Piers Haggard, who directed Pennies From Heaven and a campaigner for the rights of his fellow directors, has died aged 83.
He began his career in television in the 1960s before directing Dennis Potter adaptation Pennies From Heaven, starring Bob Hoskins, in 1978. It won a Bafta for Most Original Programme and is considered a landmark in British television history.
His film credits included cult classic The Blood On Satan’s Claw (1971); Quatermass (1979) written by Nigel Kneale; Venom (1982) with Oliver Reed and Klaus Kinski; Mrs.
British film, television and theatre director Piers Haggard, who directed Pennies From Heaven and a campaigner for the rights of his fellow directors, has died aged 83.
He began his career in television in the 1960s before directing Dennis Potter adaptation Pennies From Heaven, starring Bob Hoskins, in 1978. It won a Bafta for Most Original Programme and is considered a landmark in British television history.
His film credits included cult classic The Blood On Satan’s Claw (1971); Quatermass (1979) written by Nigel Kneale; Venom (1982) with Oliver Reed and Klaus Kinski; Mrs.
- 1/18/2023
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Bruce Gowers, a prolific and groundbreaking director of music videos whose work included the groundbreaking, much-imitated 1975 video for Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” died Sunday in Santa Monica of an acute respiratory infection. He was 82.
Winning multiple Emmy, Grammy, MTV and DGA Awards as a director and producer, Gowers’ credits include hundreds of major television events, episodes and award shows including The Primetime Emmy Awards, The Billboard Awards, The MTV Video Music Awards, and, for eight seasons, American Idol, for which he won the 2009 Emmy for Best Musical Variety Director.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Piers Haggard Dies: British Director Behind 'Pennies From Heaven' And Industry Campaigner Was 83 Related Story Jeff Shuter Dies: Producer Of Motion Comics For "Invincible" & "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" Was 41
Gowers video for “Bohemian Rhapsody”, in which the band members’ faces were shown against a dark background they sang four-part harmony,...
Winning multiple Emmy, Grammy, MTV and DGA Awards as a director and producer, Gowers’ credits include hundreds of major television events, episodes and award shows including The Primetime Emmy Awards, The Billboard Awards, The MTV Video Music Awards, and, for eight seasons, American Idol, for which he won the 2009 Emmy for Best Musical Variety Director.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Piers Haggard Dies: British Director Behind 'Pennies From Heaven' And Industry Campaigner Was 83 Related Story Jeff Shuter Dies: Producer Of Motion Comics For "Invincible" & "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" Was 41
Gowers video for “Bohemian Rhapsody”, in which the band members’ faces were shown against a dark background they sang four-part harmony,...
- 1/17/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
British director Piers Haggard OBE has died aged 83.
The film, TV and theatre director is perhaps best known for his 1978 BBC drama series Pennies From Heaven, for which he received a Bafta, and for establishing the directors guild Directors UK.
Haggard’s agents Casarotto Ramsay & Associates announced the news on Twitter, writing: “Our beloved client, Piers Haggard was a truly remarkable filmmaker, campaigner for directors’ rights, and wonderful human being. He will be deeply missed by us and all who knew him.”
“He is deeply missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and the industry at large,” the agents added in a further statement to Variety.
“[He was] a warm-hearted and generous man, full of energy, whose family was a large part of his life as both a husband, father and grandfather.
“Piers’ other great passion was as a campaigner of the rights of his fellow directors. He was instrumental in helping...
The film, TV and theatre director is perhaps best known for his 1978 BBC drama series Pennies From Heaven, for which he received a Bafta, and for establishing the directors guild Directors UK.
Haggard’s agents Casarotto Ramsay & Associates announced the news on Twitter, writing: “Our beloved client, Piers Haggard was a truly remarkable filmmaker, campaigner for directors’ rights, and wonderful human being. He will be deeply missed by us and all who knew him.”
“He is deeply missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and the industry at large,” the agents added in a further statement to Variety.
“[He was] a warm-hearted and generous man, full of energy, whose family was a large part of his life as both a husband, father and grandfather.
“Piers’ other great passion was as a campaigner of the rights of his fellow directors. He was instrumental in helping...
- 1/17/2023
- by Tom Murray
- The Independent - Film
British director Piers Haggard has passed away aged 83.
He died “peacefully on January 11, 2023,” a statement from his agents said.
“He is deeply missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and the industry at large,” the statement continued.
Haggard worked in film, TV, and theater in a career that spanned five decades.
His work included credits on BBC TV shows such as The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (1971) and Love for Lydia (1977) and films such as Wedding Night and influential folk horror feature The Blood on Satan’s Claw.
His best-known work was the BAFTA-winning 1979 series Pennies from Heaven, which was written by Dennis Potter and starring Bob Hoskins and Cheryl Campbell.
Born in London to parents Morna Gillespie and the actor, poet, and novelist Stephen Haggard, he started his career as an assistant director at the Royal Court in 1960, before moving to television in 1965.
His daughter is Daisy Haggard, the comedy actor...
He died “peacefully on January 11, 2023,” a statement from his agents said.
“He is deeply missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and the industry at large,” the statement continued.
Haggard worked in film, TV, and theater in a career that spanned five decades.
His work included credits on BBC TV shows such as The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (1971) and Love for Lydia (1977) and films such as Wedding Night and influential folk horror feature The Blood on Satan’s Claw.
His best-known work was the BAFTA-winning 1979 series Pennies from Heaven, which was written by Dennis Potter and starring Bob Hoskins and Cheryl Campbell.
Born in London to parents Morna Gillespie and the actor, poet, and novelist Stephen Haggard, he started his career as an assistant director at the Royal Court in 1960, before moving to television in 1965.
His daughter is Daisy Haggard, the comedy actor...
- 1/17/2023
- by Jesse Whittock and Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Director Piers Haggard, best known for his film “Pennies From Heaven” and for establishing directing guild Directors U.K., has died. He was 83.
No cause of death was given but in a statement his agents at Casarotto said he “died peacefully” on Jan. 11. “He is deeply missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and the industry at large,” the statement said.
“[He was] a warm-hearted and generous man, full of energy, whose family was a large part of his life as both a husband, father and grandfather,” the statement continued. “Piers’ other great passion was as a campaigner of the rights of his fellow directors. He was instrumental in helping to create the Directors Guild of Great Britain and Directors and Producers Rights Society, which today form Directors U.K., an organisation Piers remained deeply involved with up until his passing.”
Haggard’s career spanned over five decades and a variety of industries,...
No cause of death was given but in a statement his agents at Casarotto said he “died peacefully” on Jan. 11. “He is deeply missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and the industry at large,” the statement said.
“[He was] a warm-hearted and generous man, full of energy, whose family was a large part of his life as both a husband, father and grandfather,” the statement continued. “Piers’ other great passion was as a campaigner of the rights of his fellow directors. He was instrumental in helping to create the Directors Guild of Great Britain and Directors and Producers Rights Society, which today form Directors U.K., an organisation Piers remained deeply involved with up until his passing.”
Haggard’s career spanned over five decades and a variety of industries,...
- 1/17/2023
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Welcome back to Let’s Scare Bryan to Death, where this month we’re going Og folk horror with the 1971 Piers Haggard film, The Blood On Satan’s Claw. Our guide this month is Chandler Bullock, who in addition to having bylines at Dread Central, We Are Horror, Morbidly Beautiful, and Film Cred, also created The Beauty of Horror podcast to explore “the unsettling beauty found in the horror genre.” Bullock takes a very thorough but accessible approach to explaining how we can find the macabre to be attractive, and I’m excited to incorporate that into a discussion about a subgenre known for its contrast of traditionally pleasant aesthetics with more horrific elements.
Directed by Piers Haggard, The Blood on Satan’s Claw takes place in a small 18th-century English village, where farmer Ralph (Barry Andrews) accidentally unearths some ghastly remains in one of the fields. While the local...
Directed by Piers Haggard, The Blood on Satan’s Claw takes place in a small 18th-century English village, where farmer Ralph (Barry Andrews) accidentally unearths some ghastly remains in one of the fields. While the local...
- 6/29/2022
- by Bryan Christopher
- DailyDead
Folklore is the oldest manifestation of shared storytelling. It has been a part of cinema since the very early days, when it inspired works such as Alice Guy-Blaché’s The Cabbage Fairy and George S Fleming’s Jack And The Beanstalk. But what of folk horror? Kier-La Janisse’s outstanding documentary traces the history and form of this influential cinematic tradition across decades and continents, and does it all with such verve that, at three hours and 14 minutes in length, this densely packed film still flashes by.
It begins with what Janisse calls the big three: Michael Reeve’s Witchfinder General, Piers Haggard’s Blood On Satan’s Claw and Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man. All three have a strong personal relevance for her and al three continue to be celebrated as classics decades after they were made. They’re as good a hook as any on which to hang...
It begins with what Janisse calls the big three: Michael Reeve’s Witchfinder General, Piers Haggard’s Blood On Satan’s Claw and Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man. All three have a strong personal relevance for her and al three continue to be celebrated as classics decades after they were made. They’re as good a hook as any on which to hang...
- 8/20/2021
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Features: Robert Eggers, Lawrence Gordon Clark, Piers Haggard, Alice Lowe, Jonathan Rigby | Written and Directed by Kier-La Janisse
After watching Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror you certainly can’t accuse writer/director Kier-La Janisse (Eurocrime! the Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the ’70s) of just skimming the topic’s surface. Book-ended by animated credits sequences and featuring paper collages by Guy Maddin Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched is a deep dive into the definition and history of folk horror. The film’s three hours and fifteen minutes are split into six chapters that make up three roughly hour-long segments.
The first segment deals with the “Unholy Trinity” of Witchfinder General, The Blood on Satan’s Claw and The Wicker Man. While it doesn’t deny their influence and importance, Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched very quickly dispenses with the idea that they are the root of the genre,...
After watching Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror you certainly can’t accuse writer/director Kier-La Janisse (Eurocrime! the Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the ’70s) of just skimming the topic’s surface. Book-ended by animated credits sequences and featuring paper collages by Guy Maddin Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched is a deep dive into the definition and history of folk horror. The film’s three hours and fifteen minutes are split into six chapters that make up three roughly hour-long segments.
The first segment deals with the “Unholy Trinity” of Witchfinder General, The Blood on Satan’s Claw and The Wicker Man. While it doesn’t deny their influence and importance, Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched very quickly dispenses with the idea that they are the root of the genre,...
- 8/10/2021
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
Running for more than three hours, overflowing with film clips, and populated by truly insightful experts, Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror is a cinematic graduate-level course––in the best sense. Written, produced, and directed with stylistic verve by Kier-La Janisse, the documentary is a staggeringly immersive experience, all somber music, eerie singing, and unsettling, often gruesome imagery. It is also a creation that inspires the viewer to dive even further into the world of “folk horror.” Tracking down and watching the films highlighted here would be difficult, if not impossible, but that search is part of the fun. Make no mistake: folk horror is fun.
As Woodlands begins, Janisse’s stellar experts explain, in voiceover, what it means to be considered “folk horror.” This array of words forms a strange and enticing tapestry, from “The juxtaposition of the prosaic and the uncanny” to “The Devil...
As Woodlands begins, Janisse’s stellar experts explain, in voiceover, what it means to be considered “folk horror.” This array of words forms a strange and enticing tapestry, from “The juxtaposition of the prosaic and the uncanny” to “The Devil...
- 8/10/2021
- by Christopher Schobert
- The Film Stage
Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror Review — Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror (2021) Film Review from the 25th Annual Fantasia International Film Festival, a movie written and directed by Kier-La Janisse, featuring Kevin Kölsch, Dennis Widmyer, Piers Haggard, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched: A History Of Folk Horror: A Spooky, Gargantuan Marvel of Genre Analysis [Fantasia 2021]...
Continue reading: Film Review: Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched: A History Of Folk Horror: A Spooky, Gargantuan Marvel of Genre Analysis [Fantasia 2021]...
- 8/9/2021
- by Jacob Mouradian
- Film-Book
, Kier-La Janisse’s “Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched” crams an entire semester’s worth of Hauntology 101 into a numbingly comprehensive 193-minute documentary that unearths the history of cinematic folk horror in such loving, erudite, and seductive detail that you almost can’t wait for it to be over so you can start watching some of the 100+ films that are excerpted along the way.
Not that such patience will necessarily be required. Trusting that her subject matter is fertile enough to merit such a scholarly approach, and also bewitching enough to survive it, Janisse connects the dots between “The Wicker Man” and “La Llorona” in a way that allows this multi-chapter epic to function as both séance-like spectacle and streaming-era syllabus in equal measure.
On the one hand, auditing the whole course in a single sitting makes it easier to recognize folk horror as a mode rather than a genre, and...
Not that such patience will necessarily be required. Trusting that her subject matter is fertile enough to merit such a scholarly approach, and also bewitching enough to survive it, Janisse connects the dots between “The Wicker Man” and “La Llorona” in a way that allows this multi-chapter epic to function as both séance-like spectacle and streaming-era syllabus in equal measure.
On the one hand, auditing the whole course in a single sitting makes it easier to recognize folk horror as a mode rather than a genre, and...
- 3/17/2021
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
“Folk horror” is a term of relatively recent vintage — or at least popularity — that only grows more broad as “Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched” spends three and a quarter hours trying to define it. Still, a slippery thesis doesn’t detract from the pleasures of this documentary from genre scholar and programmer Kier-La Janisse. She draws on alluring clips from more than 100 films, plus myriad interviews, to survey an alternately lurid and surreal cinematic (as well as television) field of mostly rural tales inspired by traditional superstitions and lore.
for a long time to come. Production company Severin Films, itself a leading restorer and home-formats distributor of vintage cult movies, should find a ready-made audience in its own customer base—which Janisse’s film will no doubt help expand.
Beyond the director herself, the various authorities heard from here (just a couple in archival interviews) include veteran and next-generation filmmakers,...
for a long time to come. Production company Severin Films, itself a leading restorer and home-formats distributor of vintage cult movies, should find a ready-made audience in its own customer base—which Janisse’s film will no doubt help expand.
Beyond the director herself, the various authorities heard from here (just a couple in archival interviews) include veteran and next-generation filmmakers,...
- 3/17/2021
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
For me it usually starts with the title, and The Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971) has a doozy; provocative and exploitative, it evokes images of rituals, bloodlust, and other sundry delights. And sometimes the stars align, the film more or less living up to the promise of the title, or at least to the promise of the promise.
Released by Cannon Releasing Corp. Stateside in April and by its own Tigon Pictures in the U.K. in July, The Blood on Satan’s Claw didn’t do well; Tigon had a hit with The Witchfinder General (1968) with Vincent Price, and were looking to replicate that success. Regardless of its fate, The Blood on Satan’s Claw is an effective example of folk-horror, killer kids, and some light Satanism, as a treat.
We open on a field in early 18th Century England, as Ralph (Barry Andrews - The Spy Who Loved Me) ploughs the...
Released by Cannon Releasing Corp. Stateside in April and by its own Tigon Pictures in the U.K. in July, The Blood on Satan’s Claw didn’t do well; Tigon had a hit with The Witchfinder General (1968) with Vincent Price, and were looking to replicate that success. Regardless of its fate, The Blood on Satan’s Claw is an effective example of folk-horror, killer kids, and some light Satanism, as a treat.
We open on a field in early 18th Century England, as Ralph (Barry Andrews - The Spy Who Loved Me) ploughs the...
- 1/9/2021
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Alex Westthorp Oct 1, 2019
Witches, demons and ancient pagan rituals: Alex explores the use of folk horror in the Doctor's adventures...
This article originally ran on Den of Geek UK.
Thought to be a relatively recent term, coined by director Piers Haggard and popularised by Doctor Who's own Mark Gatiss, "folk horror" is essentially horror based on old countryside folklore. It is a sub-genre of occult fiction, which encompasses paganism, witchcraft, superstition, legends and the traditions of the countryside. Often texts will refer to "Green man" rituals, stone circles, Devil worship, disfigurement and the "memories" of the earth.
In the cinema, folk horror is at the fore in films like the 1967 Hammer classic The Devil Rides Out, Terence Fisher's vision of the 1934 novel by Denis Wheatley, Piers Haggard's own 1974 film Blood On Satan's Claw (which incidentally features a terrific cast including a pre-Who Anthony Ainley and a post-Who Wendy Padbury...
Witches, demons and ancient pagan rituals: Alex explores the use of folk horror in the Doctor's adventures...
This article originally ran on Den of Geek UK.
Thought to be a relatively recent term, coined by director Piers Haggard and popularised by Doctor Who's own Mark Gatiss, "folk horror" is essentially horror based on old countryside folklore. It is a sub-genre of occult fiction, which encompasses paganism, witchcraft, superstition, legends and the traditions of the countryside. Often texts will refer to "Green man" rituals, stone circles, Devil worship, disfigurement and the "memories" of the earth.
In the cinema, folk horror is at the fore in films like the 1967 Hammer classic The Devil Rides Out, Terence Fisher's vision of the 1934 novel by Denis Wheatley, Piers Haggard's own 1974 film Blood On Satan's Claw (which incidentally features a terrific cast including a pre-Who Anthony Ainley and a post-Who Wendy Padbury...
- 10/1/2019
- Den of Geek
By Todd Garbarini
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A Summer Story is the unassuming title of a classy and ultimately emotionally wrenching romantic drama of class differences set in Great Britain in the early 1900’s. Originally released in the United States in the summer of 1988 in a small number of theaters, the film is an adaption of John Galsworthy’s 1916 short story “The Apple Tree” which was also made into two separate radio programs over forty years earlier: Lady Esther Almanac on CBS in 1942 and Mercury Summer Theatre in 1946. Obviously the source material proved to be palatable enough to audiences to warrant adaptations in both the aural and visual spectrums. Director Piers Haggard, known for more sinister fare such as The Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971) and Venom (1981), directs from the late Penelope Mortimer’s adapted screenplay.
Frank Ashton is played by James Wilby, who was coming off...
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
A Summer Story is the unassuming title of a classy and ultimately emotionally wrenching romantic drama of class differences set in Great Britain in the early 1900’s. Originally released in the United States in the summer of 1988 in a small number of theaters, the film is an adaption of John Galsworthy’s 1916 short story “The Apple Tree” which was also made into two separate radio programs over forty years earlier: Lady Esther Almanac on CBS in 1942 and Mercury Summer Theatre in 1946. Obviously the source material proved to be palatable enough to audiences to warrant adaptations in both the aural and visual spectrums. Director Piers Haggard, known for more sinister fare such as The Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971) and Venom (1981), directs from the late Penelope Mortimer’s adapted screenplay.
Frank Ashton is played by James Wilby, who was coming off...
- 5/18/2018
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
From Kill List to Blood on Satan’s Claw, celebrate May Day with a journey into the dark heart of the English countryside
Folk horror sounds like a contradiction in terms, like a blend of Aran knitwear and paranoia, morris-dancing and carnage. Mark Gatiss popularised the phrase, which is apt, since The League of Gentlemen helped seed the genre’s recent revival. The League found the funny in The Wicker Man, though it wasn’t hard to locate: it was always difficult to take seriously a movie where a strutting, bewigged Christopher Lee sonorously orders Edward Woodward, disguised as a dour jester in a Punch costume, to: “Cut some capers, man! Use your bladder!”
According to Gatiss, folk horror’s central trinity consists of three films from the late 1960s and early 70s: Michael Reeves’s Witchfinder General, a brooding tale of sadism and revenge in East Anglia during the...
Folk horror sounds like a contradiction in terms, like a blend of Aran knitwear and paranoia, morris-dancing and carnage. Mark Gatiss popularised the phrase, which is apt, since The League of Gentlemen helped seed the genre’s recent revival. The League found the funny in The Wicker Man, though it wasn’t hard to locate: it was always difficult to take seriously a movie where a strutting, bewigged Christopher Lee sonorously orders Edward Woodward, disguised as a dour jester in a Punch costume, to: “Cut some capers, man! Use your bladder!”
According to Gatiss, folk horror’s central trinity consists of three films from the late 1960s and early 70s: Michael Reeves’s Witchfinder General, a brooding tale of sadism and revenge in East Anglia during the...
- 4/30/2017
- by Michael Newton
- The Guardian - Film News
Well, March is definitely “going out like a lamb” (as the old saying goes) when it comes to horror and sci-fi home entertainment releases, as there are only several different titles coming home this Tuesday.
Universal Studios is releasing J.A. Bayona’s heartbreaking modern fable, A Monster Calls, to both Blu-ray and DVD this week, and if you're a cult film fan, then you have a few fun movies to look forward to adding to your home collections: Witchtrap, Venom, and the four-film collection for Wishmaster, a new addition to the Vestron Video Collector’s Series.
Other notable releases for March 28th include Mortuary Massacre, The Abduction of Jennifer Grayson, Park Chan-Wook's The Handmaiden (which finally gets the Blu-ray treatment), and for the little monster fans, Monster High: Electrified.
A Monster Calls (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Blu/DVD/Digital HD & DVD)
Liam Neeson, Felicity Jones, and Sigourney Weaver...
Universal Studios is releasing J.A. Bayona’s heartbreaking modern fable, A Monster Calls, to both Blu-ray and DVD this week, and if you're a cult film fan, then you have a few fun movies to look forward to adding to your home collections: Witchtrap, Venom, and the four-film collection for Wishmaster, a new addition to the Vestron Video Collector’s Series.
Other notable releases for March 28th include Mortuary Massacre, The Abduction of Jennifer Grayson, Park Chan-Wook's The Handmaiden (which finally gets the Blu-ray treatment), and for the little monster fans, Monster High: Electrified.
A Monster Calls (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Blu/DVD/Digital HD & DVD)
Liam Neeson, Felicity Jones, and Sigourney Weaver...
- 3/28/2017
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
The Lair of the White Worm
Blu-ray
Lionsgate / Vestron
1988 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 94 min. / Street Date January 31, 2017 / 34.97
Starring Amanda Donohoe, Hugh Grant, Catherine Oxenberg, Peter Capaldi, Sammi Davis, Stratford Johns, Paul Brooke, Imogen Claire, Chris Pitt, Gina McKee, Christopher Gable, Lloyd Peters.
Cinematography: Dick Bush
Film Editor: Peter Davies
Special Effects makeup: Stuart Conran, Paul Jones
Original Music: Stanislaus Syerewicz
Written by: Ken Russell from the novel by Bram Stoker
Produced and Directed by Ken Russell
Wild man director Ken Russell struck back against commercial indifference with this alternately elegant and outrageous horror offering, that excepting a few hard- ‘R’ moments, comes off as a real (snake) charmer. Few horror movies have a real sense of wit, and fewer still can laugh at themselves without crumbling into sad parody. As if reclaiming horror as a British-made product, Russell’s The Lair of the White Worm shows us what a next-generation Hammer...
Blu-ray
Lionsgate / Vestron
1988 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 94 min. / Street Date January 31, 2017 / 34.97
Starring Amanda Donohoe, Hugh Grant, Catherine Oxenberg, Peter Capaldi, Sammi Davis, Stratford Johns, Paul Brooke, Imogen Claire, Chris Pitt, Gina McKee, Christopher Gable, Lloyd Peters.
Cinematography: Dick Bush
Film Editor: Peter Davies
Special Effects makeup: Stuart Conran, Paul Jones
Original Music: Stanislaus Syerewicz
Written by: Ken Russell from the novel by Bram Stoker
Produced and Directed by Ken Russell
Wild man director Ken Russell struck back against commercial indifference with this alternately elegant and outrageous horror offering, that excepting a few hard- ‘R’ moments, comes off as a real (snake) charmer. Few horror movies have a real sense of wit, and fewer still can laugh at themselves without crumbling into sad parody. As if reclaiming horror as a British-made product, Russell’s The Lair of the White Worm shows us what a next-generation Hammer...
- 1/28/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
If you’re looking for a great killer snake movie, you may find 1982’s Venom to be a disappointment. If you’re looking for a showcase of competitive overacting, Venom is your huckleberry.
Imagine the 1955 Humphrey Bogart/Fredric March movie The Desperate Hours if it were invaded by a killer black mamba. That’s Venom, only instead of Bogart and March, it’s Klaus Kinski and Oliver Reed, two incredibly talented but famously difficult actors, attempting to devour both the scenery and one another. Though it went into production with Tobe Hooper as director, he left the film fairly early on (with vague reports of “it just wasn’t working” as an explanation) and was replaced by Piers Haggard, the British filmmaker responsible for Blood on Satan’s Claw. He found himself in a difficult and unhappy situation, guiding a movie that wasn’t his and run roughshod over by his actors.
Imagine the 1955 Humphrey Bogart/Fredric March movie The Desperate Hours if it were invaded by a killer black mamba. That’s Venom, only instead of Bogart and March, it’s Klaus Kinski and Oliver Reed, two incredibly talented but famously difficult actors, attempting to devour both the scenery and one another. Though it went into production with Tobe Hooper as director, he left the film fairly early on (with vague reports of “it just wasn’t working” as an explanation) and was replaced by Piers Haggard, the British filmmaker responsible for Blood on Satan’s Claw. He found himself in a difficult and unhappy situation, guiding a movie that wasn’t his and run roughshod over by his actors.
- 6/24/2016
- by Patrick Bromley
- DailyDead
The month of May’s home entertainment releases are ending on a strong note, especially if you’re a purveyor of cult cinema. This week boasts an incredible selection of classic films resurrected on high definition including Blood Bath, Venom, The Terror, Psychic Killer and a 12-movie collection from Film Chest.
Sony Home Entertainment is releasing Pride and Prejudice and Zombies on various formats on May 31st and, for those of you who may have missed it in theaters, Alex Proyas’ Gods of Egypt is also coming home this Tuesday as well.
Blood Bath: 2-Disc Limited Special Edition (Arrow Video, Blu-ray)
The films of Roger Corman are often as well-known for their behind-the-scenes stories as they are the ones unfolding on the screen. He famously made Little Shop of Horrors in just two days using sets left over from A Bucket of Blood and shot The Terror over...
Sony Home Entertainment is releasing Pride and Prejudice and Zombies on various formats on May 31st and, for those of you who may have missed it in theaters, Alex Proyas’ Gods of Egypt is also coming home this Tuesday as well.
Blood Bath: 2-Disc Limited Special Edition (Arrow Video, Blu-ray)
The films of Roger Corman are often as well-known for their behind-the-scenes stories as they are the ones unfolding on the screen. He famously made Little Shop of Horrors in just two days using sets left over from A Bucket of Blood and shot The Terror over...
- 5/31/2016
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Belladonna Of Sadness
Release Date: Coming Soon from Cinelicious Pics Written By: Yoshiyuki Fukuda, Jules Michelet (novel), Eiichi Yamamoto Directed By: Eiichi Yamamoto Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Katsuyuki Itô, Aiko Nagayama
When I heard about Cinelicious Pics’ plans to restore and release the long lost 1973 anime Belladonna Of Sadness, I was well and truly excited. I’m a huge aficionado of 70s-era anime, and this baby has been a “holy grail” of sorts for folks like me for a good many years — much desired but damn near impossible to obtain. So that being said, and with those expectations set freakin’ sky high, let’s see if ol’ Belladonna was worth the wait or will it just fill me with sadness of my own!
Belladonna Of Sadness, based loosely (and by that I mean hardly at all) on the French novel La Sorcière by Jules Michelet, tells the brutal tale of Jeanne,...
Release Date: Coming Soon from Cinelicious Pics Written By: Yoshiyuki Fukuda, Jules Michelet (novel), Eiichi Yamamoto Directed By: Eiichi Yamamoto Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Katsuyuki Itô, Aiko Nagayama
When I heard about Cinelicious Pics’ plans to restore and release the long lost 1973 anime Belladonna Of Sadness, I was well and truly excited. I’m a huge aficionado of 70s-era anime, and this baby has been a “holy grail” of sorts for folks like me for a good many years — much desired but damn near impossible to obtain. So that being said, and with those expectations set freakin’ sky high, let’s see if ol’ Belladonna was worth the wait or will it just fill me with sadness of my own!
Belladonna Of Sadness, based loosely (and by that I mean hardly at all) on the French novel La Sorcière by Jules Michelet, tells the brutal tale of Jeanne,...
- 5/16/2016
- by DanielXIII
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
Great news for fans of Joel Schumacher's The Lost Boys—an auction of Dwayne's leather jacket and costume is going on right now and will continue until February 26th. Also: a Q&A with Refuge director Andrew Robertson and release details for MST3K: Vol. Xxxv, Venom, and The Hours Till Daylight.
The Lost Boys & Other Entertainment Memorabilia Auction: Press Release: "Prop Store is pleased to bring vampire Dwayne’s (Billy Wirth) Death Scene Leather Jacket and Costume from the 80’s classic The Lost Boys to their online auction site. Joel Schumacher’s 1987 vampire classic pitted a deadly group of vampires against a pair of brothers in a battle to save their family. The Dwayne vampire jacket on offer comes from the character’s death scene in which Sam (Corey Haim) shoots the vampire with an arrow, sending him back into a stereo which electrocutes him. Resembling a heavily worn biker outfit,...
The Lost Boys & Other Entertainment Memorabilia Auction: Press Release: "Prop Store is pleased to bring vampire Dwayne’s (Billy Wirth) Death Scene Leather Jacket and Costume from the 80’s classic The Lost Boys to their online auction site. Joel Schumacher’s 1987 vampire classic pitted a deadly group of vampires against a pair of brothers in a battle to save their family. The Dwayne vampire jacket on offer comes from the character’s death scene in which Sam (Corey Haim) shoots the vampire with an arrow, sending him back into a stereo which electrocutes him. Resembling a heavily worn biker outfit,...
- 2/18/2016
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Hide the Deadly Nightshade, Diamond Select Toys' Sally action figure can be available to purchase for your home / favorite space as early as summer of 2016. Also in this round-up: details on Phobia Fest in Detroit, a trip giveaway themed to The Forest, Venom on Blu-ray, and Death Follows.
The Nightmare Before Christmas Sally Figure: From Diamond Select Toys: "She’s no nightmare!
This static vinyl figure of Sally from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas depicts the shy, stitched-together girl holding her basket of food on a stony path in Halloween Town. With a detailed sculpt and exacting paint applications, this approximately 9” scale figure is in scale with other Femme Fatales statues. Packaged in a full-color window box.
Estimated availability: Summer 2016 - $45.00." ---------
Phobia Fest: Press Release: "The team behind Detroit Zombie Con plan a bolder and bloodier return this March with Phobia.
Phobia is a two day and...
The Nightmare Before Christmas Sally Figure: From Diamond Select Toys: "She’s no nightmare!
This static vinyl figure of Sally from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas depicts the shy, stitched-together girl holding her basket of food on a stony path in Halloween Town. With a detailed sculpt and exacting paint applications, this approximately 9” scale figure is in scale with other Femme Fatales statues. Packaged in a full-color window box.
Estimated availability: Summer 2016 - $45.00." ---------
Phobia Fest: Press Release: "The team behind Detroit Zombie Con plan a bolder and bloodier return this March with Phobia.
Phobia is a two day and...
- 12/14/2015
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Kino Lorber and Scorpion Releasing Announce First Eight Titles to be Released Under New Multi-Year Distribution Deal
in August
Kino Lorber and Scorpion Releasing have announces the inaugural releases of eight films under the companies' new multi-year distribution deal. Over the next year and after, there will be additional releases by Kino Lorber from the Scorpion library, including new acquisitions that will be available for the first time.
Among the first selection of titles to be released in August are Green Ice, starring Ryan O'Neal and Omar Sharif; Grizzly, starring Christopher George (both out on DVD August 5th); A Summer Story, starring Susannah York (out g August 12th), the award-winning Australian drama Careful He Might Hear You (out on August 12th), Jack Hill's Sorceress, produced by Roger Corman (out on August 19th); The Girl in a Swing, starring Meg Tilly (out on DVD on August 19th); the acclaimed drama Friendly Fire, starring Carol Burnett, and the 1982 TV movie version of The Elephant Man (both streeting on DVD on August 26th)
"Green Ice"(1981)
Director: Ernest Day
Cast: Ryan O'Neal, Anne Archer, Omar Sharif, John Larroquette
In the Andes mountains a group of archaeologists are murdered after they discover uncut emeralds. Back in New York, Joseph Wiley (Ryan O'Neal, "Love Story") is down on his luck and runs off to Mexico where he meets Lilian Holbrook (Anne Archer, "Fatal Attraction"). The two are instantly attracted to each other, but Lilian is on her way to meet Meno Argenti (Omar Sharif, "Doctor Zhivago"), the man who intends to marry her. Wiley is mistakenly drawn into perilous adventure when a mysterious caller tells him to look at the samples - stolen emeralds. Lilian's sister is killed and, suspecting Argenti, Wiley and Lilian, in a bid to avenge her murder, plan a daring raid on Argenti's vault of emeralds - green ice. Also starring John Larroquette (TV's Night Court).
"Grizzly" (1976)
Director: William Girdler
Cast: Christopher George, Andre Prine, Richard Jackel, Joan McCall
When an eighteen-foot, two-thousand-pound grizzly bear starts mauling campers and hikers at a state park, a park ranger (Christopher George, "The Exterminator") springs into action. But the job is too big to tackle alone, so he enlists the aid of a naturalist (Richard Jaeckel, "The Dirty Dozen") and a helicopter pilot (Andrew Prine, "The Evil") to take this freak of nature down. Meanwhile, the giant grizzly, not content with picnic baskets, continues to kill indiscriminately, leaving pools of blood and piles of body parts in his wake. Can the ranger and his cronies end the grizzly's reign of terror without resorting to excessively extreme measures? This post-Jaws, nature-runs-rampant thriller was directed by William Girdler ("Day of the Animals"), and was a box office hit and the top-grossing independent film of 1976.
"A Summer Story" (1988)
Director: Piers Haggard
Cast: James Wilby, Susannah York, Jerome Flynn
A country girl has a brief, life-shattering moment when she falls for a young lawyer. Adapted from John Galsworthy'sThe Apple Tree, the film tells of the relationship between a young London lawyer, Frank Ashton (James Wilby,"Handful of Dust") and Megan David (Imogen Stubbs, "True Colors"), the innocent girl who helps him during his recovery from a twisted ankle at the farm where she lives. The attraction between the two is overpowering; they make love in the farm hayloft and vow never to be parted. But Frank goes to Torquay where he meets an old schoolfriend and his lovely sister Stella (Sophie Ward). Thus, Frank's plans become muddled and Megan comes looking for him. A Summer Story of young love. Also starring Susannah York (Tom Jones) and Jerome Flynn (TV's Game of Thrones).
"Careful, He Might Hear You" (1983)
Director: Carl Schultz
Cast: Wendy Hughes, Robyn Nevin, Nicholas Gledhill
Winner of 8 Australian Film Institute Awards - Nominated for 5 more - National Board of Reviews: Winner (Top 10 Films)
Set in Australia in the 1930s, this drama stars Nicholas Gledhill as P.S., a six-year old boy who lives with his Aunt Lila (Robyn Nevin, "The Matrix Reloaded," "The Matrix Revolutions") and Uncle George (Peter Whitford, "Strictly Ballroom"). P.S.'s mother died in childbirth, so her sister Lila took him in, and while George and Lila don't have much money, they always done the best they could to the give the boy a good home. One day, Lila's older sister, Venessa (Wendy Hughes, "My Brilliant Career") arrives from a trip around the world; Vanessa is quiet wealthy, and upon her return to Australia, she expresses interest in taking custody of the child. Lila is willing to let the boy meet his aunt, but decides to fight her in court when she decides that she wants the boy full time. The case becomes more complicated by the arrival of the boy's long-absent father, Logan (John Hargreaves, "Emerald City"), an alcoholic who loves his son, but is incapable of caring for him. Careful He Might Hear You won 8 Australian Film Institute Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Hughes) and Best Supporting Actor (Hargreaves).
"Sorceress" (1982)
Director: Jack Hill
Cast: Leigh Harris, Lynette Harris, David Millbern
From legendary producer Roger Corman ("Bloody Mama") comes the box office hit of 1982, "Sorceress." When an evil Wizard Traigon makes a pact with the dark forces to sacrifice his first born to his God Caligara to gain the highest degree of power, but things get complicated when his gives birth to twin. Having knowledge of her husband's plan she runs away and her two daughters grow up to be beautiful warriors played by playboy playmates Leigh and Lynette Harris. After the death of their mother and adopted families at the hands of Traigon and his army, the twins blessed with the forces of light and strength given to them by the magical warrior Krona, join forces with Baldar the Viking and Erlik the Barbarian to take down Traigon and avenge their mother's death. Standing in their way is all sorts of Traigon's minions, from an army of ape man to undead zombies which leads us to a climax in an all out battle between good and evil! Now watch this cult classic, not only from a brand new HD master, but from a previously never-before-seen longer version!
"The Girl in a Swing" (1988)
Director: Gordon Hessler
Cast: Meg Tilly, Rupert Frazer, Nicholas Le Prevost, Elspet Gray
A London art broker (Rupert Frazer, "Empire of the Sun") goes to Copenhagen where he requires the services of a secretary fluent in Danish, English, and German. He falls deeply in love with the woman (Meg Tilly, "The Big Chill"), despite the fact that he knows virtually nothing about her. She insists on not being married in a church, and after they are married, some bad things from her past begin surfacing in subtly supernatural ways, and he must find the best way to deal with them without destroying their relationship. Based on the best selling novel by Richard Adams ("Watership Down") and directed by horror specialist Gordon Hessler ("Cry of the Banshee," "The Oblong Box").
"Friendly Fire" (1979 TV Movie)
Director: David Greene
Cast: Carol Burnett, Ned Beatty, Sam Waterston, Timothy Hutton, David Keith
The true story of Peg (Carol Burnett, "The Four Seasons") and Gene Mullen (Ned
Beatty, "Deliverance") who pursue the truth over their son's death in Vietnam. After their son is killed in Vietnam the couple's on-going inquiries eventually establish he was killed by 'artillery fire from friendly forces'. This beautifully orchestrated, harrowing story, assembled with uncommon sensitivity, is one of the most dramatic works ever made about the Vietnam War. Directed by David Greene ("Hard Country") and based on the novel by C.D.B. Bryan ("So Much Unfairness of Things") The wonderful cast includes Sam Waterston ("The Killing Fields"), Timothy Hutton ("Ordinary People") and David Keith ("An Officer and a Gentleman"). Winner of 4 Emmy Award® including Best Director and nominated for 3 more including Best Actor and Best Actress. 1980 Peabody Award Winner and DGA nominee foe Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Specials or Movies Made for TV.
"The Elephant Man " (1982 TV Movie )
Director: Jack Hofsiss
Cast: Philip Anglim, Kevin Conwak, Glenn Clsoe
The story of John Merrick (Philip Anglim), The Elephant Man, and of his triumph over his terrible affliction. It is a story of life and the affirmation of life; timeless, tragic, uplifting and heroic; an exultation of the humanity of a man trapped inside the twisted, lesion-ridden grip of a terminally disfiguring disease. We see John Merrick as a man with many admirers, beginning with the witty and beautiful actress, Mrs. Kendal (Penny Fuller), who, so taken with Merrick, brought a who's who of English society to visit him regularly. The stellar cast includes Glenn Close as Princess Alexandra and Kevin Conway. Directed by DGA nominee Jack Hofsiss (1984 TV Movie, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof). Winner of 1 Emmy Award® for Best Supporting Actress (Fuller) and nominated for 3 more including Best Actor, Philip Anglim who also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Made for TV Motion Picture.
in August
Kino Lorber and Scorpion Releasing have announces the inaugural releases of eight films under the companies' new multi-year distribution deal. Over the next year and after, there will be additional releases by Kino Lorber from the Scorpion library, including new acquisitions that will be available for the first time.
Among the first selection of titles to be released in August are Green Ice, starring Ryan O'Neal and Omar Sharif; Grizzly, starring Christopher George (both out on DVD August 5th); A Summer Story, starring Susannah York (out g August 12th), the award-winning Australian drama Careful He Might Hear You (out on August 12th), Jack Hill's Sorceress, produced by Roger Corman (out on August 19th); The Girl in a Swing, starring Meg Tilly (out on DVD on August 19th); the acclaimed drama Friendly Fire, starring Carol Burnett, and the 1982 TV movie version of The Elephant Man (both streeting on DVD on August 26th)
"Green Ice"(1981)
Director: Ernest Day
Cast: Ryan O'Neal, Anne Archer, Omar Sharif, John Larroquette
In the Andes mountains a group of archaeologists are murdered after they discover uncut emeralds. Back in New York, Joseph Wiley (Ryan O'Neal, "Love Story") is down on his luck and runs off to Mexico where he meets Lilian Holbrook (Anne Archer, "Fatal Attraction"). The two are instantly attracted to each other, but Lilian is on her way to meet Meno Argenti (Omar Sharif, "Doctor Zhivago"), the man who intends to marry her. Wiley is mistakenly drawn into perilous adventure when a mysterious caller tells him to look at the samples - stolen emeralds. Lilian's sister is killed and, suspecting Argenti, Wiley and Lilian, in a bid to avenge her murder, plan a daring raid on Argenti's vault of emeralds - green ice. Also starring John Larroquette (TV's Night Court).
"Grizzly" (1976)
Director: William Girdler
Cast: Christopher George, Andre Prine, Richard Jackel, Joan McCall
When an eighteen-foot, two-thousand-pound grizzly bear starts mauling campers and hikers at a state park, a park ranger (Christopher George, "The Exterminator") springs into action. But the job is too big to tackle alone, so he enlists the aid of a naturalist (Richard Jaeckel, "The Dirty Dozen") and a helicopter pilot (Andrew Prine, "The Evil") to take this freak of nature down. Meanwhile, the giant grizzly, not content with picnic baskets, continues to kill indiscriminately, leaving pools of blood and piles of body parts in his wake. Can the ranger and his cronies end the grizzly's reign of terror without resorting to excessively extreme measures? This post-Jaws, nature-runs-rampant thriller was directed by William Girdler ("Day of the Animals"), and was a box office hit and the top-grossing independent film of 1976.
"A Summer Story" (1988)
Director: Piers Haggard
Cast: James Wilby, Susannah York, Jerome Flynn
A country girl has a brief, life-shattering moment when she falls for a young lawyer. Adapted from John Galsworthy'sThe Apple Tree, the film tells of the relationship between a young London lawyer, Frank Ashton (James Wilby,"Handful of Dust") and Megan David (Imogen Stubbs, "True Colors"), the innocent girl who helps him during his recovery from a twisted ankle at the farm where she lives. The attraction between the two is overpowering; they make love in the farm hayloft and vow never to be parted. But Frank goes to Torquay where he meets an old schoolfriend and his lovely sister Stella (Sophie Ward). Thus, Frank's plans become muddled and Megan comes looking for him. A Summer Story of young love. Also starring Susannah York (Tom Jones) and Jerome Flynn (TV's Game of Thrones).
"Careful, He Might Hear You" (1983)
Director: Carl Schultz
Cast: Wendy Hughes, Robyn Nevin, Nicholas Gledhill
Winner of 8 Australian Film Institute Awards - Nominated for 5 more - National Board of Reviews: Winner (Top 10 Films)
Set in Australia in the 1930s, this drama stars Nicholas Gledhill as P.S., a six-year old boy who lives with his Aunt Lila (Robyn Nevin, "The Matrix Reloaded," "The Matrix Revolutions") and Uncle George (Peter Whitford, "Strictly Ballroom"). P.S.'s mother died in childbirth, so her sister Lila took him in, and while George and Lila don't have much money, they always done the best they could to the give the boy a good home. One day, Lila's older sister, Venessa (Wendy Hughes, "My Brilliant Career") arrives from a trip around the world; Vanessa is quiet wealthy, and upon her return to Australia, she expresses interest in taking custody of the child. Lila is willing to let the boy meet his aunt, but decides to fight her in court when she decides that she wants the boy full time. The case becomes more complicated by the arrival of the boy's long-absent father, Logan (John Hargreaves, "Emerald City"), an alcoholic who loves his son, but is incapable of caring for him. Careful He Might Hear You won 8 Australian Film Institute Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Hughes) and Best Supporting Actor (Hargreaves).
"Sorceress" (1982)
Director: Jack Hill
Cast: Leigh Harris, Lynette Harris, David Millbern
From legendary producer Roger Corman ("Bloody Mama") comes the box office hit of 1982, "Sorceress." When an evil Wizard Traigon makes a pact with the dark forces to sacrifice his first born to his God Caligara to gain the highest degree of power, but things get complicated when his gives birth to twin. Having knowledge of her husband's plan she runs away and her two daughters grow up to be beautiful warriors played by playboy playmates Leigh and Lynette Harris. After the death of their mother and adopted families at the hands of Traigon and his army, the twins blessed with the forces of light and strength given to them by the magical warrior Krona, join forces with Baldar the Viking and Erlik the Barbarian to take down Traigon and avenge their mother's death. Standing in their way is all sorts of Traigon's minions, from an army of ape man to undead zombies which leads us to a climax in an all out battle between good and evil! Now watch this cult classic, not only from a brand new HD master, but from a previously never-before-seen longer version!
"The Girl in a Swing" (1988)
Director: Gordon Hessler
Cast: Meg Tilly, Rupert Frazer, Nicholas Le Prevost, Elspet Gray
A London art broker (Rupert Frazer, "Empire of the Sun") goes to Copenhagen where he requires the services of a secretary fluent in Danish, English, and German. He falls deeply in love with the woman (Meg Tilly, "The Big Chill"), despite the fact that he knows virtually nothing about her. She insists on not being married in a church, and after they are married, some bad things from her past begin surfacing in subtly supernatural ways, and he must find the best way to deal with them without destroying their relationship. Based on the best selling novel by Richard Adams ("Watership Down") and directed by horror specialist Gordon Hessler ("Cry of the Banshee," "The Oblong Box").
"Friendly Fire" (1979 TV Movie)
Director: David Greene
Cast: Carol Burnett, Ned Beatty, Sam Waterston, Timothy Hutton, David Keith
The true story of Peg (Carol Burnett, "The Four Seasons") and Gene Mullen (Ned
Beatty, "Deliverance") who pursue the truth over their son's death in Vietnam. After their son is killed in Vietnam the couple's on-going inquiries eventually establish he was killed by 'artillery fire from friendly forces'. This beautifully orchestrated, harrowing story, assembled with uncommon sensitivity, is one of the most dramatic works ever made about the Vietnam War. Directed by David Greene ("Hard Country") and based on the novel by C.D.B. Bryan ("So Much Unfairness of Things") The wonderful cast includes Sam Waterston ("The Killing Fields"), Timothy Hutton ("Ordinary People") and David Keith ("An Officer and a Gentleman"). Winner of 4 Emmy Award® including Best Director and nominated for 3 more including Best Actor and Best Actress. 1980 Peabody Award Winner and DGA nominee foe Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Specials or Movies Made for TV.
"The Elephant Man " (1982 TV Movie )
Director: Jack Hofsiss
Cast: Philip Anglim, Kevin Conwak, Glenn Clsoe
The story of John Merrick (Philip Anglim), The Elephant Man, and of his triumph over his terrible affliction. It is a story of life and the affirmation of life; timeless, tragic, uplifting and heroic; an exultation of the humanity of a man trapped inside the twisted, lesion-ridden grip of a terminally disfiguring disease. We see John Merrick as a man with many admirers, beginning with the witty and beautiful actress, Mrs. Kendal (Penny Fuller), who, so taken with Merrick, brought a who's who of English society to visit him regularly. The stellar cast includes Glenn Close as Princess Alexandra and Kevin Conway. Directed by DGA nominee Jack Hofsiss (1984 TV Movie, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof). Winner of 1 Emmy Award® for Best Supporting Actress (Fuller) and nominated for 3 more including Best Actor, Philip Anglim who also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Made for TV Motion Picture.
- 7/18/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Although Hammer Films will always be associated with British horror, the studio did have stiff competition. Amicus specialised in the successful horror anthologies and Us counterparts American International Pictures established a permanent UK base in the mid sixties. Other smaller independents took their own bite from the cherry tree of horror with some success, the best known being Tigon Films.
Tigon has received some belated recognition in recent years. Andy Boot’s book on British horror Fragments of Fear devotes a chapter to the company while John Hamilton’s excellent book Beast in the Cellar covers the varied career of Tigon’s charismatic founder Tony Tenser.
Like Hammer’s Sir James Carreras, Tenser was one of the British Film Industry’s great entrepreneurs. Born in London to poor Lithuanian immigrants and a movie fan since childhood, he was an ambitious man with a natural talent for showmanship. Combining shrewd business...
Tigon has received some belated recognition in recent years. Andy Boot’s book on British horror Fragments of Fear devotes a chapter to the company while John Hamilton’s excellent book Beast in the Cellar covers the varied career of Tigon’s charismatic founder Tony Tenser.
Like Hammer’s Sir James Carreras, Tenser was one of the British Film Industry’s great entrepreneurs. Born in London to poor Lithuanian immigrants and a movie fan since childhood, he was an ambitious man with a natural talent for showmanship. Combining shrewd business...
- 2/18/2014
- Shadowlocked
Actor and director who brought dark good looks and a commanding presence to his roles
Austrian by birth, Swiss by circumstance and international by reputation, Maximilian Schell, who has died aged 83, was a distinguished actor, director, writer and producer. However, he will be best remembered as an actor, especially for his Oscar-winning performance in Stanley Kramer's Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) – an early highlight among scores of television and movie appearances. He also directed opera, worked tirelessly in the theatre and made six feature films, including Marlene (1984) - a tantalising portrait of Dietrich, his co-star in Judgment, who is heard being interviewed but not seen, except in movie extracts.
Schell courted controversy and much of his work, including The Pedestrian (1973), dealt with the second world war, its attendant crimes and the notion of collective guilt. In 1990, when he was offered a special award for his contributions to German film, he refused to accept it.
Austrian by birth, Swiss by circumstance and international by reputation, Maximilian Schell, who has died aged 83, was a distinguished actor, director, writer and producer. However, he will be best remembered as an actor, especially for his Oscar-winning performance in Stanley Kramer's Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) – an early highlight among scores of television and movie appearances. He also directed opera, worked tirelessly in the theatre and made six feature films, including Marlene (1984) - a tantalising portrait of Dietrich, his co-star in Judgment, who is heard being interviewed but not seen, except in movie extracts.
Schell courted controversy and much of his work, including The Pedestrian (1973), dealt with the second world war, its attendant crimes and the notion of collective guilt. In 1990, when he was offered a special award for his contributions to German film, he refused to accept it.
- 2/3/2014
- by Brian Baxter
- The Guardian - Film News
A Planet Fury-approved selection of notable genre DVD releases for the month of January.
Lightning Bug (2004) Image Entertainment Blu-ray and DVD Available Now
Effects guru Robert Hall’s semi-autobiographical film about a small town teen (Reaper's Bret Harrison) who has aspirations to become a special effects artist. An opportunity to manage the town’s local haunted house is thwarted by his alcoholic stepfather and the staunchly religious views of the surrounding population. The solid supporting cast includes That 70’s Show’s Laura Prepon, Hellraiser’s Ashely Lawrence and Kevin Gage. Written and directed by Hall, it’s an affectionate coming-of-age drama that works in spite of an uneven narrative that falls apart in the final half hour. Hopefully this new extended cut will remedy the scripting problems of the original release.
Special Features include:
* Never-before-released extended cut of the film.
* Making-of Featurette
* Audio commentaries with the writer/director and cast.
Lightning Bug (2004) Image Entertainment Blu-ray and DVD Available Now
Effects guru Robert Hall’s semi-autobiographical film about a small town teen (Reaper's Bret Harrison) who has aspirations to become a special effects artist. An opportunity to manage the town’s local haunted house is thwarted by his alcoholic stepfather and the staunchly religious views of the surrounding population. The solid supporting cast includes That 70’s Show’s Laura Prepon, Hellraiser’s Ashely Lawrence and Kevin Gage. Written and directed by Hall, it’s an affectionate coming-of-age drama that works in spite of an uneven narrative that falls apart in the final half hour. Hopefully this new extended cut will remedy the scripting problems of the original release.
Special Features include:
* Never-before-released extended cut of the film.
* Making-of Featurette
* Audio commentaries with the writer/director and cast.
- 1/22/2013
- by Bradley Harding
- Planet Fury
Oh, Blue Underground. We love you so! The company that has delivered some of the horror genre's more crazed moments is back with a lineup of double feature DVD's to kick off the new year! Read on for details.
Killer Critters Double Feature Available January 29, 2013
Rats: Night Of Terror:
In the year 225 A.B. (After the Bomb), a group of post-apocalyptic bikers discover an abandoned research laboratory filled with food, water… and thousands of rats. But these are no ordinary vermin; these are super-intelligent mutant rodents with a ravenous appetite for human flesh. Can a bunch of heavily armed but not-too-bright human scavengers survive a night of terror against the most hungry and horrific predators on earth?
Venom:
It was supposed to be the perfect crime: the sexy maid (Susan George of Straw Dogs), a psychotic chauffeur (Oliver Reed of Revolver) and an international terrorist (the legendary Klaus Kinski...
Killer Critters Double Feature Available January 29, 2013
Rats: Night Of Terror:
In the year 225 A.B. (After the Bomb), a group of post-apocalyptic bikers discover an abandoned research laboratory filled with food, water… and thousands of rats. But these are no ordinary vermin; these are super-intelligent mutant rodents with a ravenous appetite for human flesh. Can a bunch of heavily armed but not-too-bright human scavengers survive a night of terror against the most hungry and horrific predators on earth?
Venom:
It was supposed to be the perfect crime: the sexy maid (Susan George of Straw Dogs), a psychotic chauffeur (Oliver Reed of Revolver) and an international terrorist (the legendary Klaus Kinski...
- 9/11/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Following rounds 1 and 2, this one will take us right on through the countdown to Halloween and will surely be the most actively updated of the bunch. Best to begin, then, by grounding it in a classic, so we turn to David Kalat: "Frankenstein isn't a science fiction story about an arrogant scientist who intrudes on God's domain, it's a metaphor about our relationship to God." That's his argument, and I'll let him explain, but I want to pull back to a couple of earlier sentences in his piece. Mary Shelley's novel, "and the 1910 film version, treated the 'science' of Frankenstein as just so much folderol, a MacGuffin to introduce the artificial man into the story. Whale was so good at providing a reasonably convincing visualization of reviving the dead — no, more than that, a stunningly satisfying visualization of reviving the dead — it focused popular attention on that part of...
- 10/27/2011
- MUBI
As UK film-makers and members of Directors UK, we are greatly saddened to learn of the imprisonment of acclaimed Iranian film-makers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof (Iran jails film-maker who dared to back opposition for six years, 21 December). We strongly condemn the actions of the Islamic Republic of Iran in seeking to temper free speech and believe that a greater understanding of the people of Iran at home and abroad can only result from the unhindered expression of creativity in film, media and the arts in all their forms.
We express our sense of solidarity with Jafar and Mohammad and call upon the Iranian government to immediately rescind the sentences and to release them without delay.
Paul Greengrass (President, Directors UK), Udayan Prasad, Nigel Cole, Kevin Macdonald, David Yates, Michael Apted, Julian Jarrold, Iain Softley, Paul Unwin, Andrew Gillman, Tim Sullivan, Piers Haggard, Dan Clifton
IranMiddle East
guardian.co.uk...
We express our sense of solidarity with Jafar and Mohammad and call upon the Iranian government to immediately rescind the sentences and to release them without delay.
Paul Greengrass (President, Directors UK), Udayan Prasad, Nigel Cole, Kevin Macdonald, David Yates, Michael Apted, Julian Jarrold, Iain Softley, Paul Unwin, Andrew Gillman, Tim Sullivan, Piers Haggard, Dan Clifton
IranMiddle East
guardian.co.uk...
- 12/24/2010
- The Guardian - Film News
You pose the right question in asking "how will the cash be distributed?" following the government's decision to abolish the UK Film Council (Report, 27 July). Over 10 years it has made a huge contribution to elevating the status of British film and has financed or sponsored a large number of high-quality, successful productions. It has also helped to create a unified cultural and industrial film sector, and spoken much good sense to both government and to the industry. We welcome the proposed retention of film tax relief and the production fund, but we also want to see an effective environment within which they will operate, with no return to the chaos of the 1990s, with its conflicting bodies and departments and no single voice for the industry. The film industry and the government will need to work closely together to ensure that public funding is used to the most beneficial effect...
- 7/27/2010
- The Guardian - Film News
That's Cinema Retro London correspondent Adrian Smith (center) with the crazy lads who comprise The League of Gentlemen.
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Ten years ago a show appeared on British TV that was so strange, so grotesque, so dark, yet so utterly hilarious that it quickly developed a cult following and a number of popular catchphrases. It ran to three series and eventually a feature film. This was the League of Gentlemen, a weird combination of sketch show and sitcom which clearly took inspiration from old horror movies, detective dramas, sexploitation comedies, to name but a few. I took the opportunity to pin down the gents in order to unravel just what their influences were. The conversation immediately turns to Take an Easy Ride, described by Mark as almost being a snuff film. This leads to my first question:
Have seventies snuff films been an influence on you?...
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
Ten years ago a show appeared on British TV that was so strange, so grotesque, so dark, yet so utterly hilarious that it quickly developed a cult following and a number of popular catchphrases. It ran to three series and eventually a feature film. This was the League of Gentlemen, a weird combination of sketch show and sitcom which clearly took inspiration from old horror movies, detective dramas, sexploitation comedies, to name but a few. I took the opportunity to pin down the gents in order to unravel just what their influences were. The conversation immediately turns to Take an Easy Ride, described by Mark as almost being a snuff film. This leads to my first question:
Have seventies snuff films been an influence on you?...
- 4/23/2009
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
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