Let The Bodies Hit The Floor In The Raid 2: Berandal First Teaser Trailer

Whenever I get asked what was one of my cinematic highlights of 2012, I always say right away The Raid and the Glasgow Frightfest screening (with star and director in attendance). 2014 the most anticipated action film The Raid 2: Berandal will explode in cinemas near you but for now lets get excited as the first teaser trailer has arrived!

It's not over yet and thanks to the good folks at Twitch we get our first taster of the action and boy it's mayhem! The scale and scope of The Raid 2 is alot  grander  plus it looks like the sequel is not confined to one building but several but why our hero Rama is locked up we don't know but what he does to that silhouette on the wall he's mighty pissed off. If we're to go by the scum of Indonesian crime underbelly we met in The Raid we can expect we ain't seen anything yet. The trailer shows the major players of the new film (Tegar Satrya and Yayan Ruhian) plus a first look at new characters  Assassin(Cecep Rahman) ,Hammer Girl (Julie Estelle). What will get fans of the first film excited is the return of Yayan Ruhian aka Mad Dog though he's playing Prakoso whom we expect will be as insane as his previous character.

The set pieces look as bone crushingly insane as before, possible Jackie Chan style shopping mall chase? No one should be standing in front of cars but when it's a car in a Gareth Huw Evans film well you'll just have to watch the trailer!



No word on a UK release date or distributor, but don't be surprise if The Raid 2: Berandal makes an appearance at Film4 Glasgow or London in 2014. The film stars Iko Uwais, Arifin Putra, Alex Abad, Oka Antara, Tio Pakusadewo, Julie Estelle, Cecep Arif Rahman, Cok Simbara, Yayan Ruhian, Matsuda Ryuhei, Endo Kenichi, and Kitamura Kazuki.

source:Twitch (via Thepeoplesmovies)

Revenge Is A Bitch In International Trailer For Lucky McKee's All Cheerleaders Die

Revenge is a bitch for Lucky McKee and his latest All Cheerleaders Die revenge is clearly a bitch after it's film festival stint the film has now been picked up and tonight we have the film's international trailer.

Opened up this years Toronto Film Festival Midnight Madness programme All Cheerleaders Die is a remake of 2001 movie McKee made with his co-director Chris Siverton.When tragedy rocks Blackfoot High, rebellious outsider Mäddy Killian shocks the student body by joining the cheerleading squad. This decision drives a rift between Mäddy and her ex-girlfriend Leena Miller — a loner who claims to practice the dark arts. After a confrontation with the football team, Mäddy and her new cheerleader friends are sent on a supernatural roller coaster ride which leaves a path of destruction none of them may be able to escape.

Cinehouse's Scott Clark watched the film for us at Toronto (read his review here)describing the movie as"his most shameless step into black comedy and madcap yet" but was ruined by awful effects and ridiculous concepts. It's a film that's left many folks undecided if they actually liked it or not, judge for yourselves check out the trailer below which is a sales trailer.



Image Entertainment have picked up the American rights to the All Cheerleaders Die,no word on a UK release but we have our sneaky suspicions that Frightfesters heading To Glasgow Frightfest in February this film maybe on the line up. The film stars Caitlin Stasey, Sianoa Smit-McPhee and Tom Williamson.
source:Twitch

Bite Into First Trailer For Jim Jarmusch's Vampire Film Only Lovers Left Alive

When Jim Jarmusch announced he was to make a counter vampire film to Twilight he was greeted great sarcasm now few years on that film Only Lovers Left Alive has it's first trailer and we have to say we love what we're seeing!

Love him or hate him when a filmmaker such as Jarmusch dips his fingers into a genre you wouldn't expect from his stature it can be quite exciting to see the end product. After receiving fairly positive response from Cannes, Toronto and New York fans of the director can breathe easily Only Lovers Left Alive has all the trademark weirdness, stylings you want to see.

Set against the romantic desolation of Detroit and Tangier, Adam (Tom Hiddleston) an underground musician, deeply depressed by the direction of human activities, reunites with his resilient and enigmatic lover Eve (Tilda Swinton). Their love story has already endured several centuries at least, but their debauched idyll is soon disrupted by her wild and uncontrollable younger sister. Can these wise but fragile outsiders continue to survive as the modern world collapses around them?



This isn't a vampire film that's  focusing on sterotypical cliches of the vampire mythos but has the mythology on parallel with drug addiction looks to work well as our lead characters ive a rock  'n' roll lifestyle. It looks minimal, stylish more engaging than other vampire flicks you'll probably see.

Ony Lovers Left Alive doesn't have a official UK or even U.S release date however the film's rights have just been picked up by Sony Picture Classic so expect a release date probably 2014. The film also stars Mia Wasikowska, John Hurt and Anton Yelchin.

Philomena Review

Rathing:
15
Distributor:
Pathe (UK)
Release Date:
1st November 2013 (UK) 27th November 2013(USA)
Director:
Stephen Frears
Cast:
Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Mare Winningham, Michelle Fairley

Simultaneously heartfelt and amusing, you would be hard pressed to find a film more charming than Philomena this year. This is hardly surprising when you have the wit of a screenplay penned by Steve Coogan and the acting might of Dame Judi Dench involved.

Stephen Frears' film tackles the true story of Philomena Lee (Dench) - an Irish woman who teams up with political advisor turned-journalist, Martin Sixsmith (Coogan), to track down her long lost son who was put up for adoption by her convent.

Frears directs Philomena with a warm sense of hopefulness which remains throughout this quietly uplifting film. Coogan and Jeff Pope's screenplay takes us in a number of directions, interacting with a huge spectrum of human emotions - from initial hopefulness to crushing disappointment which builds to a somewhat angry and subsequently uplifting conclusion. Focused performances from Dench and Coogan ensure that every twist and turn of this screenplay finds its way to the audience with Philomena inspiring, amusing, and on more than a few occasions tugging at the heartstrings.

The odd-couple dynamic makes for an amusing and occasionally difficult watch. The sweet (yet surprisingly aware) Philomena's relationship with the cynical Oxford educated Sixsmith is often endearing, and ultimately heart-warming. This is showcased mainly through Sixsmith's slight transformation as a character (who is originally horrified by the prospect of working on a human interested story for the "weak minded and easily manipulated"), yet grows to have a very deep personal involvement in Philomena's case.

Dench is truly sublime as Philomena. Seeing the character's optimism and hope being shaken as she delves into the past has the emotional weight of a ton of bricks. Dench remains charming and downright loveable, whilst showcasing just exactly why she's a national treasure. The actress can convey a tremendous emotion and tragedy in the smallest of glances or gestures, whilst also getting plenty of opportunities to show off an impressive comic streak.

Coogan is given the chance to remind us that he is a solid dramatic actor (just as he did in What Maisie Knew, earlier in the year) delivering a far more understated and emotionally low-key performance to that of Dench.

Philomena is understated yet tremendously powerful, thanks to a touching and effortlessly amusing screenplay from Coogan and Pope. Frears directs with an endearing optimism whilst Dench and Coogan make for a tremendously watchable on-screen double act.

★★★★☆

Andrew McArthur

Derek Jarman: Pandemonium Exhibition To Celebrate UK Director's Life And Work This January

Derek Jarman: Pandemonium is an exhibition presented by King’s Cultural Institute to mark the 20th anniversary of Jarman’s death from an HIV-related illness in February 1994.

A student of humanities at King’s from 1960 to 1963, Jarman went on to become one of the most important creative practitioners of his generation and a crucial voice in gay politics in Britain. Painter, filmmaker, set designer, diarist, poet, gardener, activist – Jarman’s work across many areas and media was distinguished for its continual innovation and sense of daring.

Derek Jarman: Pandemonium is not a retrospective; rather it focuses on Jarman’s life along the Thames and the ways his work engaged with London – from his student days at King’s, to his time in artistically vital warehouses at Bankside and Butler’s Wharf, where he lived for most of the 1970s alongside contemporaries including Andrew Logan and Keir Smith

The exhibition links Jarman’s studies as an undergraduate – especially the emphasis on the literature and history of the Medieval and Renaissance periods – to his later artistic and intellectual interests, drawing a line from his formative learning in the early 1960s, before he went to art college, with his lifelong passions.

Among his most arresting work in the 70s were his now rarely seen Super 8 films, and the exhibition will be screening three films continuously. Also on display will be a selection of the astonishingly elaborate notebooks he kept for each of his feature films and writing projects, as well as personal and privately loaned material to contextualise his many collaborative relationships.

This immersive exhibition captures the unruly spirit of this truly innovative and multi-faceted artist and his artistic times, especially the collaborative spirit which was so important in cultural production at that time.

Derek Jarman: Pandemonium is part of Jarman2014, a year-long celebration of Derek Jarman’s life & work. Full listings and further information will be available soon at www.jarman2014.org

Derek Jarman: Pandemonium will open on Thursday 23 January until Sunday 9 March 2014 and will take place at Inigo Rooms, Somerset House East Wing, Strand WC2R 2LS

Image credit: Studio Bankside, Derek Jarman, 1973-74 , © LUMA Foundation

Journalists on the Big Screen

On 1st November the story of Philomena will be released. Philomena tells the true dramatic story of a teenager falling pregnant in Ireland. Labelled as a fallen woman, she was sent to a convent where her baby was taken and adopted against her will. Filled with guilt, Philomena cannot keep her 50 year long secret anymore. With the immense help of journalist Martian Sixsmith, she starts a journey to uncover the truth about her son. With the release of this highly anticipated movie, we are taking a look back at some of the greatest real-life journalists portrayed on the screen.

All The President’s Men (1976)

This Academy Award-winning political thriller tells the non-fiction story about the two journalists (played very famously by the legends Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman) investigating the Watergate scandal for The Washington Post. The film received numerous good mentions including two Academy Awards.

Welcome To Sarajevo (1997)

UK journalist Michael Henderson (Stephen Dillane) and US journalist Jimmy Fynn (woody Harrelson) meet at the beginning of the Bosnian war in Sarajevo. As their time in Sarajevo continues, the suffering of the community becomes apparent. Using his power as a journalist, Henderson makes a report on a local orphanage which lies on the front lines of the war where the suffering of the children is overwhelming. Henderson makes the suffering in the orphanage his lead story to draw attention to the war and becomes heavily involved in the evacuation.

Good Night, And Good Luck (2005)

Set in the early days of broadcast journalism, Good Night and Good Luck tells the story of journalist Edward R. Murrow and his loyal team as they refuse to obey the corporate and sponsorship pressure to discredit the tactics used by Joseph McCarthy during his frequent communist allegations. Nominated for six Academy Awards, six BAFTAs, and four Golden Globes, the movie was highly successful.

The Boys Are Back (2009)

This emotional drama follows the story of Joe Warr (Clive Owen) a British sports writer as his life unravels. Warr’s wife is diagnosed with cancer and dies, leaving him as a single parent with the responsibility of balancing writing and parenting.

Philomena (2013)

Steve Coogan plays Martin Sixsmith, a recently sacked political spin doctor and former journalist who has hit rock bottom. Following the extraordinary story of a mother (Judi Dench) and the quest to find her long lost son, Philomena gives Coogan the chance to show off his considerable acting skills in a heartfelt straight role – that he won the best screenplay award at the Venice Film Festival for co-writing the film must be a welcome bonus!



Follow Martin and Philomena as they seek out the truth in PHILOMENA – released in the UK on November 1st.

Brian Yuzna (Return Of The Living Dead 3) Interview

Brian Yuzna (pictured below left) is one of the world’s most prolific and respected genre film-makers and on the eve of RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 3 receiving its network TV premiere on the Horror Channel, Yuzna gives us some insight into the making of the film, news on the SOCIETY sequel and why he thinks Horror has gone too mainstream.

RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 3 is broadcast on Saturday Nov 2, 10.40pm.

Q: Did you know from a young age that you wanted to work in the movie industry?
BY: No, I didn’t. Like most kids, I loved movies; and I saw some scary ones at a young age that really disturbed me. That gave me an interest in horror for the rest of my life. But I never imagined that you could actually make a living making movies. Back then there were no dvd extras and tv shows demonstrating how movies were made. While in high school I had fooled around with a friend’s 8 mm camera and we mostly shot special effects but it wasn’t until I saw Truffaut’s Day For Night that I had an idea of how a movie crew worked. Many years later I was vacationing with my girl friend and we rode past a big encampment outside of Cartagena, Columbia and I recognized that it was a film shoot. That evening we left our modest quarters and were eating at a restaurant on the beach when a couple of jeeps drove up with the rowdy actors etc from the shoot. As they drank and ate and partied I realized that I was on vacation and they were on a job – but they were having more fun than I was. That’s when I thought maybe making movies was a desirable job! Cut to a few years later when I was working as an artist and had an art supply store. I acquired a 16mm Bolex wind up camera and started making a short film – a short film full of fx that turned into a feature. Although I never took a film class, I learned how to make a movie just by doing it with people who did know how. The process fascinated me - it was exciting and satisfying. The movie I made was pretty bad, but I was hooked. I moved to Los Angeles to make movies.

Q: How did the Return Of The Living Dead III project come together?
BY: Joel Castelberg and Danica Minor contacted me about directing Return 3 – they said they had the rights and thought that I would be a good collaborator. I was thrilled because I loved both Return of the Living Dead as well as Night of the Living Dead. In order to set it apart from the plethora of zombie movies that had been made (even back then!) I decided that a zombie should be the main character. They found a company to finance it and we began listening to pitches from potential screenwriters. However, when the time came to formalize a deal it turns out that Joel and Danica’s agent was wrong about the rights being in their control – so it all fell apart. Soon after I mentioned this to Mark Amin, the ceo of Trimark Pictures, and somehow he acquired the rights and offered me the job of directing and producing. Again, the process of interviewing writers began, but this time it was Trimark who lined them up. When I met John Penney and heard his pitch, I was immediately sold. He was the guy.

Q: What did you think of the script the first time you read it?
BY: There never was a first time that I read the script. John had a ‘pitch’, which was a basic ‘take’ on the movie. His idea had to do with kids on the run, kind of a Romeo and Juliet, in a world in which the military is experimenting with the living dead as weapons. I don’t remember exactly the details, but my obsession with having the main character be a zombie fit right into that. The next step was for John to write a ‘treatment’ to base the screenplay on. John and I brainstormed the ideas and John organized them into characters and a story. Then the Trimark development folks would review it. By the time we got to the screenplay John and I were collaborating very effectively. John was seamlessly able to satisfy his storytelling ideas as well as mine – and Trimark’s as well. In fact, for the only time in my moviemaking experience, I had the screenwriter (and co-producer) on the set with me throughout the shoot. During pre-production John Penney was there to rewrite the script according to the cast, the locations that we found and the ideas that came up with the storyboard artists and fx artists. So during the filming we were literally shooting the script.

Q: Was it a difficult movie to cast?
BY: It wasn’t a difficult movie to cast because of the support of Trimark. I feel like they were able to access excellent options for each of the roles. They were very involved with the casting and fortunately we seemed to be very much on the same page as them regarding the casting ideas. Trimark had strong ideas about the casting, but never did I feel like I was obliged to accept an actor that wasn’t my choice. They really were good to work with. The biggest role of course was Julie – and we were all pretty blown away by Mindy Clarke. But Trimark was most helpful, I think, with the secondary roles for which they brought in really quality talent. It is really great that the cast, in my opinion, is uniformly good.

Q: How much of the budget went on special effects?
BY: Not that much – but working with my producing partner Gary Schmoeller (to whom is due a great deal of the credit for the success of the movie) we used an approach for producing the effects that had worked well for us in the past. Typically fx horror films of that era would hire one fx company to produce all of the fx – the theory being that by giving them all of the fx budget they would be able to dedicate more of there time to your production. Our approach was the opposite – with limited funds it is better to break the fx down into categories and hire various companies with different strengths. This meant hiring an fx supervisor (Tom Rainone in this case) to find the appropriate fx artists, make the deals and supervise the work. Paying a top fx artist for a key fx makes sense – paying the same artist to create background zombies may not be cost effective – a newer fx company might put extra effort into the effect in order to show there stuff. Some fx artists are experts in prosthetics and others in mechanical devices. We tried to get the most bang out of our fx budget.

Q: Was it a difficult shoot?
BY: It was a difficult shoot in that we were trying to make a bigger and better movie than we were budgeted for (we always aim higher than our budget). But the shoot was so well organized (kudos again to Gary Schmoeller), and Trimark were so supportive, and our Director of Photography (Gerry Lively) was so tirelessly resourceful that everything went more or less according to plan. It was very hard, exhausting work – but the whole crew seemed to be pulling in the same direction, so I really would not categorize it as a ‘difficult’ shoot.

Q: Why do you think the film has built up such a loyal following?
BY: Because it is a really good zombie movie. I say that as someone who has made a lot of horror movies that I wouldn’t characterize as ‘really good’. Return 3 has a good clear story and satisfying horror. Mainly what sets it apart in my book is the love story at the center of it all. I think it is very romantic, you really feel for Julie and sympathize with Curt’s determination to not let go of her. I feel like it is a goth romance, a heavy metal tragedy, a young love in a corrupt world. As a life long horror fan I think that Return 3 holds up as an example of good ‘90s horror.

Q: Horror Channel has also shown films from The Dentist and Re-Animator series of movies, do you think its times these characters came back?
BY: Yes, I do. Corbin Bernson has tried to get the rights to do a third Dentist – he loves playing that character. And it would be good see Jeffrey Combs get out the re-animating syringe one more time. And I have been asked many times about a Re-Animator re-boot. Problem is, as always, financing. The business has changed considerably due to the digital revolution. There just aren’t many Trimarks out there any more.

Q: Have you ever been tempted to make a follow up to your astonishingly original shocker, Society?
BY: I am actively working on it. Once again it is all about the financing. My idea for a sequel is to have it take place in these super exclusive late night clubs that they have in Hollywood. Once you get in there is always a VIP room or a VVIP room that is off limits…

Q: What state do you think the horror movie industry is in at the moment? A victim of its own success, perhaps?
BY: Horror has become so mainstream that it seems to have mostly lost that transgressive creativity that used to make it so exhilarating. Now that Zombie movies have hit the mainstream (the modern equivalent of the ‘Western’?) they have mostly lost the element of the macabre, the disturbing sense of dead things coming wrongly to life, and are now mainly action films about disease and overpopulation. Vampires are more romantic than horrific. And extreme violence is the norm almost as an end in itself. I think that we are at the end of a cycle and that a new kind of horror will grow out of the new production and distribution digital technologies. We seem to have reached the limit of what the screenplay structure formulas (popularized especially by Syd Field) of the last decades can give us. Whereas these ideas began as a way to identify the structure of successful movies and learn from them, they have inevitably led to a be treated as a set of rules to follow, rules that can lead to a sameness in screenplay structure that makes you feel like you know what is coming in a film from the early scenes. The horror genre has a relatively rigorous structure and it may be time for new filmmakers to develop it into more effective directions. One of the most interesting horror films for me recently was Cabin in the Woods. It wasn’t very scary, but the way it deconstructed the horror tropes made me think that after that you just cannot make a teenagers in the woods movie again. The times dictate our fears, and these times are definitely very different from the last few decades. I am waiting for the new classics to emerge – horror with the effectiveness and artistry of Rosemary’s Baby, The Omen, The Exorcist, The Shining – and the devastating impact of Night of the Living Dead and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Q: You’re a multi talented person but are you happiest directing, directing or writing?
BY: I am happiest when I am giving form to something I have imagined. It is the most exhilarating to direct – but if the director is doing stuff that surprises and delights you it is fantastic to produce. Writing is the fun of brainstorming the original ideas. When you produce you can stay with the movie for a long time after everyone else is gone. And with producing you can get so many more movies made. I love collaborating and am happy to take whatever role is available as long as I feel like I am a real member of the creative and organizational team.

Q: So what projects are you working on at the moment?
I am working on the sequels we mentioned above – but also have very interesting multi platform project with John Penney called The Pope.

Brian Yuzna, thank you very much.

TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138
www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel

The Bling Ring DVD Review

Rating:
15
Release:
28th October 2013 (UK)
Distributor:
Studiocanal UK
Director:
Sofia Coppola
Stars:
Emma Watson, Katie Chang ,Leslie Mann, Israel Broussard,
Buy The Bling Ring:[DVD] or [Blu-ray]
The Bling Ring is very sadly Sofia Coppola’s latest film. She seems to have got to the point her dad is in making absolutely dreadful films cause the money people want to make a film by a Coppola. Both generations of Coppola struck gold early on in their career but after a gold period of about a decade (longer in her father’s case) they stop making those great films.

The Bling Ring is based on a true series of crimes committed by celebrity-obsessed teenagers in L.A during 2008 and 2009. These vacuous spoiled little brats robbed other spoiled brats like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan etc. They do this by stalking their every move on facebook. The clan of vermin end up stealing more than $3,000,000 worth of kit off these equally horrible human beings and come on who really cares?

Sofia clearly thinks she is making a satire on Celebrity culture but in falls flat in almost every instance. Some noted film critics quite liked and it has some about the 60% mark on rottentomatoes.com and who knows why. Every character is a unlikable Hollywood kid who spends too much time on facebook posting selfies who eventually decide stealing some coke snorting whores who pretend then can “act”’ stuff is a good idea. To be fair to Lindsay she was quite good in that Robert Altman film but that was what nearly a decade ago and she has done enough coke and botox to ruin her career.

Emma Watson plays like the ringleader of the coke fuelled teenage gang who does these robberies and is dreadful as is the rest of the cast. Her character is a home schooled (a wonderful American concept) by an equally air headed liberal new age mad women who should have had a forced a Tubal Ligation so her spawn wouldn’t inflict herself on the world. She is joined by her equally self absorbed gay friend who is just obnoxious from the get go who gets involved in coke and stealing shit like the rest of them.

The film is very sadly the last film shot by Harris Savides who shot one of the greatest films of the noughties Zodiac. He also worked with Fincher on The Game and Se7en, Gus Van Sant, Scorsese, Ridley Scott Woody Allen and Sofia Coppola before on Somewhere. He probably got the brain cancer he died from this due to the brain-dead nature of the film’s material. It’s a real shame cause he was a damn fine cinematographer.

It’s a massive failure by the golden girl of American cinema of the noughties, shame her career had to lead to this. Sofia please go to a cabinet and don’t come back till you something that isn’t this vapid on us. Everybody involved should repent, I want my money back and I got the dvd for free.

★☆☆☆☆

Ian Schultz

Carol Morley's The Falling Officially Starts Shooting

Press Release:

Independent Announces Start of Shoot for Carol Morley’s Film The Falling, 28 October 2013
THE FALLING tells the story of Lydia, the troubled girl at the centre of a mysterious fainting epidemic, who is determined to discover the cause of the malady spreading through her British all-girl school in 1969, a year when the whole world seems poised on the brink of change.

Following her films BAFTA-nominated The Alcohol Years, Edge, and the critically acclaimed Dreams of a Life, writer/ director Carol Morley presents her skewed and dreamlike coming of age story The Falling, with director of photography Agnès Godard (Sister, Beau Travail). The Falling is represented internationally by Independent Film Sales who will be introducing the project to buyers at AFM in November.

The Falling is presented by BBC Films and BFI in association with Lipsync Productions, a Cannon and Morley/ Independent production in association with Boudica Red, a Carol Morley film. The film was developed with the BFI Film Fund. Written and directed by Carol Morley, Produced by Cairo Cannon and Luc Roeg, Line Producer Donall Mccusker, Executive Producers Lizzie Francke, Christine Langan, Philip Herd, Andrew Orr, Norman Merry, Peter Hampden, Rebecca long and Ian Davies.

Intense Lydia (Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones) and beautiful, rebellious Abbie (Florence Pugh) are best friends at their all-girls school, ruled over by the enigmatic headmistress Miss Alvaro (Monica Dolan) with her deputy, the overly strict Miss Mantel (Greta Scacchi). It's 1969, and the girls, like the world around them, are in a state of change. Abbie is embracing her sexuality, even sleeping with Lydia's beatnik brother. Lydia, neglected by her agoraphobic mother Eileen (Maxine Peake), has made Abbie her emotional focus. After a shocking tragedy, Lydia, finds herself at the center of an outbreak of a mysterious fainting condition. Before long, the phenomenon spreads throughout the school community and when Lydia’s own symptoms worsen, she rallies against the school’s authorities to find and remove the underlying cause before it’s too late.

The film is set for release 2014.

Creepshow (1982) Blu-Ray Review

Rating:
15
BD Release Date:
28th October 2013 (U)
Distributor:
Second Sight
Director:
George A Romero
Cast:
Hal Holbrook, Leslie Nielsen, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver
Buy: Creepshow on Blu-ray [Amazon Link]
Creepshow is one of Romero’s few “studio” films because he mostly works with independent financers. It came out after Knightriders which one of the strangest films Romero has ever done, it’s about a travelling group of knights in modern times. Romero was slated to direct Salem’s Lot but eventually it became a TV movie but he was friend and fan of Stephen King (he was a admirer of Romero’s films as well) so they decided to collaborate on something together. King in 1982 was probably the hottest writer in America after books such as Carrie, The Shining, and The Dead Zone etc. (all made into great films as well) so he had carte blanche to do whatever he wanted. They decided to collaborate on a film inspired by the horror comic books of the 50s and 60s that they both grew up on.

They are all short horror stories all about 20 minutes in length. The shorts are all pretty fun comic book inspired horror stories and a bit of the The Twilight Zone thrown in. It’s neither Romero nor King’s finest work but it’s a lot of fun, it’s goofy, weird even though it’s never really scary. The Crate is probably the best story of the film.

The different stories include performances from everyone from Hal Holbrook, Ted Danson, Ed Harris, Leslie Nielsen and even King himself is a deliciously over the top performance as the title character in “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill”. The film has great practical special effects but that is expected with Romero. It uses extensive use of comic book inspired special effects, which can get a bit tiresome but it’s amusing even though that effect works much better in Hausu.

Overall it’s a fun romp though the minds Romero and King. It’s not Dawn of the Dead but you could send a much worst 2 hours of your time. Characteristic of Second Sight the blu-ray includes a great transfer, a feature doc, commentaries, doc with special effect maestro Tom Savini and more.

★★★½☆

Ian Schultz