The idea of retelling placid and gentle children's fairy tales in a bloody, horror milieu is hardly new. Think of a fairy tale or beloved children's classic, and odds are good that someone has already transformed it into a horror movie. Off the top of my head: Neil Jordan made a horror movie out of Little Red Riding Hood with "The Company of Wolves" in 1984. Later, in 1996, filmmaker Matthew Bright brought the same story into a scuzzy modern setting with "Freeway." 1997 saw the release of "Snow White: A Tale of Terror" with Sigourney Weaver as the evil queen.
"The Little Mermaid" was transformed into an awesome 2015 horror musical called "The Lure." Pinocchio starred in "Pinocchio's Revenge." The Gingerbread Man was transformed into "The Gingerdead Man". A quick stroll through the spider-webbed hallways of Tubi might reveal titles like "The Curse of Sleeping Beauty," 1995's "Rumplestiltskin," and multiple films called "The Tooth Fairy.
"The Little Mermaid" was transformed into an awesome 2015 horror musical called "The Lure." Pinocchio starred in "Pinocchio's Revenge." The Gingerbread Man was transformed into "The Gingerdead Man". A quick stroll through the spider-webbed hallways of Tubi might reveal titles like "The Curse of Sleeping Beauty," 1995's "Rumplestiltskin," and multiple films called "The Tooth Fairy.
- 5/22/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)
The Movie: "Forbidden Zone"
Where You Can Stream It: Tubi, Kanopy, Night Flight, Plex, Flixfling
The Pitch: Back in 1972, one Richard Elfman, then only a lad of 23, founded a musical theater troupe on the streets of Los Angeles called the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo. This was after performing music in Paris and being involved in numerous theater projects throughout his youth. The Mystic Knights were a massive band, consisting of 15 members, and dedicated to performing old songs from the 1920s through the 1940s. For an early glimpse of what kind of act the Mystic Knights performed, check out their appearance on "The Gong Show" in 1976. Richard is the one in the miniature rocket ship playing the train whistle.
The Movie: "Forbidden Zone"
Where You Can Stream It: Tubi, Kanopy, Night Flight, Plex, Flixfling
The Pitch: Back in 1972, one Richard Elfman, then only a lad of 23, founded a musical theater troupe on the streets of Los Angeles called the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo. This was after performing music in Paris and being involved in numerous theater projects throughout his youth. The Mystic Knights were a massive band, consisting of 15 members, and dedicated to performing old songs from the 1920s through the 1940s. For an early glimpse of what kind of act the Mystic Knights performed, check out their appearance on "The Gong Show" in 1976. Richard is the one in the miniature rocket ship playing the train whistle.
- 3/5/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Vinegar Syndrome has announced and unleashed their March 2023 lineup today, with several new releases up for pre-order now including Freeway II and Primal Rage on 4K Uhd!
The company previews, “This month we’re proud to offer two (!) world Uhd debuts, kicking off with Matthew Bright’s somehow even wilder and sleazier in-name-only sequel, Freeway II: Confessions Of A Trickbaby (1999), which upgrades this deliriously perverse take on Hansel & Gretel to 4K, and comes loaded with hours of new and archival extras.
“Also fresh to Uhd, and restored for the very first time on video (in any format) from its 35mm original camera negative, Vittorio Rambaldi’s interspecies viral sci-fi/horror oddity, Primal Rage (1988). Enjoy Oscar winning effects maestro Carlo Rambaldi’s splashy death set pieces in clarity never before imagined, along with a whole slate of exciting new extras.
‘Primal Rage’
“And finally from Vs, a collection of three...
The company previews, “This month we’re proud to offer two (!) world Uhd debuts, kicking off with Matthew Bright’s somehow even wilder and sleazier in-name-only sequel, Freeway II: Confessions Of A Trickbaby (1999), which upgrades this deliriously perverse take on Hansel & Gretel to 4K, and comes loaded with hours of new and archival extras.
“Also fresh to Uhd, and restored for the very first time on video (in any format) from its 35mm original camera negative, Vittorio Rambaldi’s interspecies viral sci-fi/horror oddity, Primal Rage (1988). Enjoy Oscar winning effects maestro Carlo Rambaldi’s splashy death set pieces in clarity never before imagined, along with a whole slate of exciting new extras.
‘Primal Rage’
“And finally from Vs, a collection of three...
- 3/1/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
One of the company’s secret releases for their Black Friday Sale, Vinegar Syndrome has just given 1996’s Freeway a 4K Ultra HD upgrade and it’s packed with fresh new material.
The modern take on Little Red Riding Hood was directed by Matthew Bright, with Reese Witherspoon as Little Red Riding Hood and Kiefer Sutherland as the Big Bad Wolf.
Vinegar Syndrome writes, “Among the most notorious and jaw dropping “mainstream” movies of the 90s, Freeway has earned a reputation as a neo-exploitation classic and critically acclaimed indie thriller thanks to its unhinged violence, sharply written dialogue, and general non-stop barrage on good taste, all wrapped up as one truly twisted fairytale.
Starring Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon alongside film and TV superstar Kiefer Sutherland (The Lost Boys), and co-starring Emmy nominee Bokeem Woodbine (Dead Presidents), along with acclaimed character actors Wolfgang Bodison (A Few Good Men), and Dan Hedaya...
The modern take on Little Red Riding Hood was directed by Matthew Bright, with Reese Witherspoon as Little Red Riding Hood and Kiefer Sutherland as the Big Bad Wolf.
Vinegar Syndrome writes, “Among the most notorious and jaw dropping “mainstream” movies of the 90s, Freeway has earned a reputation as a neo-exploitation classic and critically acclaimed indie thriller thanks to its unhinged violence, sharply written dialogue, and general non-stop barrage on good taste, all wrapped up as one truly twisted fairytale.
Starring Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon alongside film and TV superstar Kiefer Sutherland (The Lost Boys), and co-starring Emmy nominee Bokeem Woodbine (Dead Presidents), along with acclaimed character actors Wolfgang Bodison (A Few Good Men), and Dan Hedaya...
- 11/28/2022
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
In January of 2022, /Film published a list, ranking feature films about notorious serial killer Ted Bundy. On that list, compiled by author Bee Scott, were 10 films and TV specials about Bundy, revealing a deep and abiding fascination with the sociopath and his crimes. The TV miniseries "The Deliberate Stranger," starring Mark Harmon, depicted Bundy as a charming "face in the crowd" kind of character. Matthew Bright's 2002 feature "Ted Bundy" leaned in a more lascivious direction, depicting the man as a classic "crazed, sex-starved lunatic" archetype.
The most recent Ted Bundy film was Amber Sealy's "No Man of God," a film about Bundy after his arrest and imprisonment. From 1985 up until his execution in 1989, Ted Bundy was visited regularly by an FBI profiler named Bill Hagmaier, who was tasked with something that was novel at the time: figuring out what makes a serial killer tick. It was the first...
The most recent Ted Bundy film was Amber Sealy's "No Man of God," a film about Bundy after his arrest and imprisonment. From 1985 up until his execution in 1989, Ted Bundy was visited regularly by an FBI profiler named Bill Hagmaier, who was tasked with something that was novel at the time: figuring out what makes a serial killer tick. It was the first...
- 9/18/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)
The Movie: "Freeway"
Where You Can Stream It: Prime Video/Freevee, The Roku Channel, Tubi, Kanopy, Pluto TV, Plex
The Pitch: You will find few films as aggressively sleazy as Matthew Bright's sordid little 1996 fable "Freeway," a film so confrontational and unsavory, one might be tempted to peg it as a deliberate satire of After School Specials. In fact, it is a gutterpunk send-up of the Little Red Riding Hood story, only Little Red is an illiterate...
The post The Daily Stream: Freeway is a Sick Fable for the Sleazy Age appeared first on /Film.
The Movie: "Freeway"
Where You Can Stream It: Prime Video/Freevee, The Roku Channel, Tubi, Kanopy, Pluto TV, Plex
The Pitch: You will find few films as aggressively sleazy as Matthew Bright's sordid little 1996 fable "Freeway," a film so confrontational and unsavory, one might be tempted to peg it as a deliberate satire of After School Specials. In fact, it is a gutterpunk send-up of the Little Red Riding Hood story, only Little Red is an illiterate...
The post The Daily Stream: Freeway is a Sick Fable for the Sleazy Age appeared first on /Film.
- 6/15/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Famous in Mexico. Trace and I are closing out a very random February. We’ve discussed found footage demons with The Taking of Deborah Logan, a Canadian slasher classic with My Bloody Valentine, and my birthday pick, the gonzo Wtf-ery of Splice. Now it’s Trace’s birthday pick and he’s opted for…exploitation/trash? Welcome to Matthew Bright’s 1996 […]...
- 3/1/2021
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
Rosie Fletcher Louisa Mellor Apr 4, 2019
Natasha Lyonne is incredible in Netflix Russian Doll, but she's been doing sterling work for years.
Russian Doll is brilliant. But you probably know that by now. Natasha Lyonne absolutely shines as Nadia, the hard-living, guilt-stricken star of Netflix's newest must-binge existential comedy drama.
We'll say no more to avoid spoilers, though there's a slight spoiler in the final paragraph of this article (and here's our spoiler-free review) but if you've seen it, here's what we think the ending is all about, and here's what we'd expect from a second season.
However, Leonne has shone in a whole range of TV and film roles, and often these are indie projects that might have passed you by. So if, like us, you adored Russian Doll, miss it and wish you hadn't watched all of it in one go so there'd still be some left to watch,...
Natasha Lyonne is incredible in Netflix Russian Doll, but she's been doing sterling work for years.
Russian Doll is brilliant. But you probably know that by now. Natasha Lyonne absolutely shines as Nadia, the hard-living, guilt-stricken star of Netflix's newest must-binge existential comedy drama.
We'll say no more to avoid spoilers, though there's a slight spoiler in the final paragraph of this article (and here's our spoiler-free review) but if you've seen it, here's what we think the ending is all about, and here's what we'd expect from a second season.
However, Leonne has shone in a whole range of TV and film roles, and often these are indie projects that might have passed you by. So if, like us, you adored Russian Doll, miss it and wish you hadn't watched all of it in one go so there'd still be some left to watch,...
- 2/12/2019
- Den of Geek
Tony Sokol Mar 21, 2019
You think you’ve seen one-of-a-kind movies? Banana oil! Forbidden Zone, there’s nothing like it.
The world of motion pictures is loaded with brilliant films and original visions, but few are without precedent. Forbidden Zone is a one of a kind movie that is both highly intelligent and unafraid to be broadly stupid. It mixes the most nightmarish elements of hundreds of film moments, unintentionally of course, with some of the most emotionally stirring music ever to prop up celluloid. If it weren’t for the snatches of dialogue, it might be considered the greatest prog rock opera.
Forbidden Zone is a work of pure originality. It is a fever dream from the mind of a musical interloper that has no peer. Characterizations mean nothing in Forbidden Zone. Neither does storyline or continuity. The basic laws of physics don’t apply so why should the rules of cinema?...
You think you’ve seen one-of-a-kind movies? Banana oil! Forbidden Zone, there’s nothing like it.
The world of motion pictures is loaded with brilliant films and original visions, but few are without precedent. Forbidden Zone is a one of a kind movie that is both highly intelligent and unafraid to be broadly stupid. It mixes the most nightmarish elements of hundreds of film moments, unintentionally of course, with some of the most emotionally stirring music ever to prop up celluloid. If it weren’t for the snatches of dialogue, it might be considered the greatest prog rock opera.
Forbidden Zone is a work of pure originality. It is a fever dream from the mind of a musical interloper that has no peer. Characterizations mean nothing in Forbidden Zone. Neither does storyline or continuity. The basic laws of physics don’t apply so why should the rules of cinema?...
- 7/2/2016
- Den of Geek
Long before he wrote the wild, dramatic score for Batman and the twisted song cycle that runs through the beloved Nightmare Before Christmas, Danny Elfman's original claim to cinematic fame was far quirkier than anything he'd ever dream up for Tim Burton: He portrayed Satan, dressed in a long-tail white tux, conducting an orchestra of goblins in a run-through of every "hidey-hidey-hidey-ho" in Cab Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher." The episode, in the campy 1980 cult hit Forbidden Zone, found the redheaded composer wiggling, shimmying and writhing as he...
- 11/6/2015
- Rollingstone.com
No film buff wants to see a promising, or prominent filmmaker pull a disappearing act a la Terrence Malick, (though it seems he isn’t keen to repeat another lapse like the one between Days of Heaven to The Thin Red Line), but whether they’re dealing with unforeseeable professional (endless pre-production woes, writer’s block) or personal issues, sometimes there is a considerable time between projects.
With John Cameron Mitchell, Charlie Kaufman, Rebecca Miller, Patty Jenkins, Kenneth Lonergan and more recently, Barry Jenkins recently moving out of the so called “inactive” period, we decided to compile a list of the top ten American filmmakers who, for the most part, we’ve lost sight of and would like to see get back in the director’s chair again. Most of the filmmakers listed below have gone well over half a decade without a substantial movement in this category. Here is...
With John Cameron Mitchell, Charlie Kaufman, Rebecca Miller, Patty Jenkins, Kenneth Lonergan and more recently, Barry Jenkins recently moving out of the so called “inactive” period, we decided to compile a list of the top ten American filmmakers who, for the most part, we’ve lost sight of and would like to see get back in the director’s chair again. Most of the filmmakers listed below have gone well over half a decade without a substantial movement in this category. Here is...
- 10/26/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
It’s time for our October selection of brand new fiction from Nightmare Magazine. This month’s story is “Golden Hair, Red Lips” by Matthew Bright. It’s from Nightmare‘s “Queers Destroy Horror!” special issue with guest editor Wendy N. Wagner. Golden Hair,… Continue Reading →
The post Nightmare Presents: Golden Hair, Red Lips by Matthew Bright appeared first on Dread Central.
The post Nightmare Presents: Golden Hair, Red Lips by Matthew Bright appeared first on Dread Central.
- 10/7/2015
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
Tiff’s Midnight Madness program turned 25 this year, and for two and half decades, the hardworking programers have gathered some of the strangest, most terrifying, wild, intriguing and downright entertaining films from around the world. From dark comedies to Japanese gore-fests and indie horror gems, the Midnight Madness program hasn’t lost its edge as one the leading showcases of genre cinema. In its 25-year history, Midnight Madness has introduced adventurous late-night moviegoers to such cult faves as Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused and Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. But what separates Midnight Madness from, say, Montreal’s three and half week long genre festival Fantasia, is that Tiff selects only ten films to make the cut. In other words, these programmers don’t mess around. Last week I decided that I would post reviews of my personal favourite films that screened in past years. And just like the Tiff programmers,...
- 9/18/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Hamshank Redemption: Stewart’s Debut a Trashy, Lurid Queersploitation Effort
Jules Stewart, mother of that actress Kristen Stewart, makes a curious and fascinatingly trashy exploitation grindhouse directorial debut with K-11, which plays like one of those women in prison shockers made in the 70s with names like Pam Grier or Mercedes McCambridge headlining. Here we see a number of familiar faces populating the queer and transgendered ward of a Los Angeles County Prison, and while the end result is not actually empowering, it does have a lurid and arresting appeal, not unlike an overtly insistent train wreck.
Raymond Saxx Jr. (Goran Visnjic) is a highly successful record producer that gets thrown into county in the middle of a hellish drug binge. When he finally recovers consciousness, he learns that he has been accused of killing one of his more famous musical clients in some sort of drug induced rage of jealousy.
Jules Stewart, mother of that actress Kristen Stewart, makes a curious and fascinatingly trashy exploitation grindhouse directorial debut with K-11, which plays like one of those women in prison shockers made in the 70s with names like Pam Grier or Mercedes McCambridge headlining. Here we see a number of familiar faces populating the queer and transgendered ward of a Los Angeles County Prison, and while the end result is not actually empowering, it does have a lurid and arresting appeal, not unlike an overtly insistent train wreck.
Raymond Saxx Jr. (Goran Visnjic) is a highly successful record producer that gets thrown into county in the middle of a hellish drug binge. When he finally recovers consciousness, he learns that he has been accused of killing one of his more famous musical clients in some sort of drug induced rage of jealousy.
- 3/15/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Forbidden Zone
Stars: Hervé Villechaize, Susan Tyrrell, Gisele Lindley, Jan Stuart Schwartz, Marie-Pascale Elfman, Joe Spinell | Written and Directed by Richard Elfman
The question is when looking at Forbidden Zone where to start? I guess to say an attack on the senses would be one way to describe it when you first watch it. Putting in the Blu-Ray I will admit I was not prepared for the film and it did take some time to get used to its style. I will admit that my first reaction was that I would not like it, but surprisingly by the end of the film and on the second watch (to listen to the commentary track) any negativity was gone as I was fully in the Forbidden Zone.
In the Hercules house there is a doorway in the basement that leads to the sixth dimension, a crazy place of song and torture where...
Stars: Hervé Villechaize, Susan Tyrrell, Gisele Lindley, Jan Stuart Schwartz, Marie-Pascale Elfman, Joe Spinell | Written and Directed by Richard Elfman
The question is when looking at Forbidden Zone where to start? I guess to say an attack on the senses would be one way to describe it when you first watch it. Putting in the Blu-Ray I will admit I was not prepared for the film and it did take some time to get used to its style. I will admit that my first reaction was that I would not like it, but surprisingly by the end of the film and on the second watch (to listen to the commentary track) any negativity was gone as I was fully in the Forbidden Zone.
In the Hercules house there is a doorway in the basement that leads to the sixth dimension, a crazy place of song and torture where...
- 5/11/2012
- by Pzomb
- Nerdly
It’s time for another update from our friends at Arrow Video, this time previewing their <ay 2012 releases which include the long-awaited Blu-ray release of the House By the Cemetary and the ArrowDrome release of The Exterminator.
The House by the Cemetery (Arrow Video) Limited Edition Blu-ray
You may have just mortgaged your life! Shock gore master Lucio Fulci’s The House by the Cemetery is one of the finest typically single-minded exercises in zombie terror. Its just a shame no-one told the Boyle family who move into a gothic style house (by a cemetery) with a bloody past and a guts spraying future, what is yet to come! You’d think they’d twig given the basement door is nailed shut that they should get the hell out. Instead they stay long enough to discover their zombified non rent-paying lodger, the cellar-dwelling, flesh-hungry Dr Freudstein and boy is he pissed!
The House by the Cemetery (Arrow Video) Limited Edition Blu-ray
You may have just mortgaged your life! Shock gore master Lucio Fulci’s The House by the Cemetery is one of the finest typically single-minded exercises in zombie terror. Its just a shame no-one told the Boyle family who move into a gothic style house (by a cemetery) with a bloody past and a guts spraying future, what is yet to come! You’d think they’d twig given the basement door is nailed shut that they should get the hell out. Instead they stay long enough to discover their zombified non rent-paying lodger, the cellar-dwelling, flesh-hungry Dr Freudstein and boy is he pissed!
- 2/25/2012
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Along with their April 2012 line-up, the good folks at Arrow Video have also released a sneak preview of their other forthcoming Spring releases – including a Blu-ray release for House By the Cemetery and the Awesome Blu-ray release of Forbidden Zone. It seems Arrow Video are on a mission to empty my wallet again this year!
The House by the Cemetery (Arrow Video) Limited Edition Blu-ray
You may have just mortgaged your life! Shock gore master Lucio Fulci’s The House by the Cemetery is one of the finest typically single-minded exercises in zombie terror. Its just a shame no-one told the Boyle family who move into a gothic style house (by a cemetery) with a bloody past and a guts spraying future, what is yet to come! You’d think they’d twig given the basement door is nailed shut that they should get the hell out. Instead they stay...
The House by the Cemetery (Arrow Video) Limited Edition Blu-ray
You may have just mortgaged your life! Shock gore master Lucio Fulci’s The House by the Cemetery is one of the finest typically single-minded exercises in zombie terror. Its just a shame no-one told the Boyle family who move into a gothic style house (by a cemetery) with a bloody past and a guts spraying future, what is yet to come! You’d think they’d twig given the basement door is nailed shut that they should get the hell out. Instead they stay...
- 1/27/2012
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Red Riding Hood; The Veteran; Tomorrow, When the War Began; Scream 4
Considering the affection and admiration which I hold for Catherine Hardwicke's work on the much-mocked (but much more loved) Twilight series, it's a real shame that I can't be more positive about Red Riding Hood (2011, Warner, 12). On the surface, the subject matter – a gothic fairytale in which a feisty teenage girl has to balance the allure of buff, well-coiffed suitors against the threat of wolfish violence – seems tailor-made for Bella and Edward's first director. Having earned her genre spurs in the underrated Jennifer's Body, Amanda Seyfried seems perfectly cast as Valerie, a prototype "final girl" who finds herself trapped in a theatrical cross between The Crucible and Sleepy Hollow.
A strong supporting cast including the always impressive Virginia Madsen and a subtly sinister Julie Christie adds to the appeal, suggesting heavyweight thespian delights. As for Gary Oldman,...
Considering the affection and admiration which I hold for Catherine Hardwicke's work on the much-mocked (but much more loved) Twilight series, it's a real shame that I can't be more positive about Red Riding Hood (2011, Warner, 12). On the surface, the subject matter – a gothic fairytale in which a feisty teenage girl has to balance the allure of buff, well-coiffed suitors against the threat of wolfish violence – seems tailor-made for Bella and Edward's first director. Having earned her genre spurs in the underrated Jennifer's Body, Amanda Seyfried seems perfectly cast as Valerie, a prototype "final girl" who finds herself trapped in a theatrical cross between The Crucible and Sleepy Hollow.
A strong supporting cast including the always impressive Virginia Madsen and a subtly sinister Julie Christie adds to the appeal, suggesting heavyweight thespian delights. As for Gary Oldman,...
- 8/20/2011
- by Mark Kermode
- The Guardian - Film News
Thanks to last night’s Tosh.0′s “Spoiler Alert” movie segment, the film Tiptoes — which stars Matthew McConaughey as a man worried that the child Kate Beckinsale is about to deliver will be a dwarf like the rest of his family (including, “in the role of a lifetime,” Gary Oldman) — is a popular search term today. Watch the trailer below, along with Daniel Tosh’s synopsis. If Tosh is right, the film does not have the happy ending the preview hints at. I did a quick search through the EW archives, and we appear to have only ever written about...
- 2/23/2011
- by Mandi Bierly
- EW.com - PopWatch
Here's the trailer for Red Riding Hood, a retelling of the classic fairy tale about, well, a girl, her hood, and a wolf. It stars the delicious Amanda Seyfried, as well as Billy Burke, Virginia Madsen, and Julie Christie, and is directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight, Lords Of Dogtown). Don't hold Twilight against her too much -- Martin Scorcese couldn't have saved that dogshit story. Here's the synopsis, and it's yet another ridiculously long one. And no, I'm not going to summarize because it's late, I'm lazy, and I'm drinking.
In "Red Riding Hood," Seyfried plays Valerie, a beautiful young woman torn between two men. She is in love with a brooding outsider, Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), but her parents have arranged for her to marry the wealthy Henry (Max Irons). Unwilling to lose each other, Valerie and Peter are planning to run away together when they learn that Valerie's older...
In "Red Riding Hood," Seyfried plays Valerie, a beautiful young woman torn between two men. She is in love with a brooding outsider, Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), but her parents have arranged for her to marry the wealthy Henry (Max Irons). Unwilling to lose each other, Valerie and Peter are planning to run away together when they learn that Valerie's older...
- 11/17/2010
- by TK
Susanna Lo is taking over the writing and directing of the long-talked-about Manson Girls movie.
Beginning in February 2011, acclaimed filmmaker Susanna Lo (Black & White: A Love Story) is the new director of the weird, once-starring-Lindsay-Lohan, now-starring-Thora Birch movie about the women of the Manson Family aptly entitled The Manson Girls, taking over from Matthew Bright. Bd yesterday reported that one of our faves, Thora Birch, will be cast in the crazy bitch's stead as Nancy Pitman, a wealthy gal from Malibu who was caught smuggling LSD to Manson in jail in 1970. Also known as Brenda McCann and Brindle, she served three years for the James and Lauren Willett murder conspiracy and later joined the Aryan Brotherhood.
Nancy Pitman (left) & Thora Birch
Thora Birch has turned a few straight-to-dvd genre flicks the past several years, none of them quite doing her acting talents justice, like Winter of Frozen Dreams, Deadline,...
Beginning in February 2011, acclaimed filmmaker Susanna Lo (Black & White: A Love Story) is the new director of the weird, once-starring-Lindsay-Lohan, now-starring-Thora Birch movie about the women of the Manson Family aptly entitled The Manson Girls, taking over from Matthew Bright. Bd yesterday reported that one of our faves, Thora Birch, will be cast in the crazy bitch's stead as Nancy Pitman, a wealthy gal from Malibu who was caught smuggling LSD to Manson in jail in 1970. Also known as Brenda McCann and Brindle, she served three years for the James and Lauren Willett murder conspiracy and later joined the Aryan Brotherhood.
Nancy Pitman (left) & Thora Birch
Thora Birch has turned a few straight-to-dvd genre flicks the past several years, none of them quite doing her acting talents justice, like Winter of Frozen Dreams, Deadline,...
- 9/29/2010
- by Superheidi
- Planet Fury
'Manson Girls', not to be confused with the UK DVD release 'Manson Girl' (Aka: 'Manson, My Name Is Evil'), has reportedly gone through a couple of casting and directorial changes. Susanna Lo is taking over the writing and helming responsibilities from writer Matthew Bright on this project. And Lohan is being replaced by Thora Birch ('The Hole', 'Train', 'Deadline'). She'll be joining pre-cast performers Heather Matarazzo, Nikki Blonsky, Erin Kelly, Jennifer Landon and Michael Monks. 'Manson Girls follows a young girl from a wealthy Malibu family who fell under Manson's spell. She was not one the 'Family' members involved in the clan's infamous murder spree, but Pitman was later imprisoned after she became involved with the Aryan Brotherhood and was convicted of being an accessory (after the fact) to murder.' The shoot will begin next February...
- 9/29/2010
- Horror Asylum
Charlie's legacy, as infamous as it is, will surely live on long after we're all gone. Word just came down about some recent changes to the latest flick based on his madness, and we're here to fill in the dots for you.
According to Bloody Disgusting Susanna Lo is replacing Matthew Bright as the writer/director of Manson Girls. Given Lindsey Lohan's recent troubles, Bd also reports that Thora Birch (pictured right; Train, Deadline) will be replacing Lohan as the lead. Heather Matarazzo (Hostel Part II), Nikki Blonsky, Jennifer Landon, Erin Kelly, and Michael Monks will also star.
Manson Girls follows a young girl from a wealthy Malibu family who fell under Manson's spell. She was not one the "Family" members involved in the clan's infamous murder spree but was later imprisoned after she became involved with the Aryan Brotherhood and was convicted of being an accessory (after the fact) to murder.
According to Bloody Disgusting Susanna Lo is replacing Matthew Bright as the writer/director of Manson Girls. Given Lindsey Lohan's recent troubles, Bd also reports that Thora Birch (pictured right; Train, Deadline) will be replacing Lohan as the lead. Heather Matarazzo (Hostel Part II), Nikki Blonsky, Jennifer Landon, Erin Kelly, and Michael Monks will also star.
Manson Girls follows a young girl from a wealthy Malibu family who fell under Manson's spell. She was not one the "Family" members involved in the clan's infamous murder spree but was later imprisoned after she became involved with the Aryan Brotherhood and was convicted of being an accessory (after the fact) to murder.
- 9/29/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Bloody Disgusting just received word that Susanna Lo is replacing Matthew Bright as the writer/director of Manson Girls, which will now begin shooting in February. As previously reported, Lindsay Lohan is no longer attached. Instead, we've learned that Thora Birch (Train), Heather Matarazzo, Nikki Blonsky, Jennifer Landon, Erin Kelly, and Michael Monks will all star in the pic that follows a young girl from a wealthy Malibu family who fell under Manson's spell. She was not one the "Family" members involved in the clan's infamous murder spree, but Pitman was later imprisoned after she became involved with the Aryan Brotherhood and was convicted of being an accessory (after the fact) to murder.
- 9/29/2010
- bloody-disgusting.com
Year: 2009
Directors: Richard Elfman
Writers: Richard Elfman & Matthew Bright & Nick James & Nick L. Martinson
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Hal MacDermot
Rating: 8.8 out of 10
The Forbidden Zone is a master piece of insanity that defies description, but I’ll give it a go. Richard Elfman’s film is the ultimate midnight movie, an raucous energy filled mixture of giant frogs, dice, an always topless princess, people who speak in French accents, cut-out Gilliamesque animation, Expressionism, a midget King played by Herve Villechaize (yes, from TV’s Fantasy Island), the music is by (the) Danny Elfman (Tim Burton’s movies) and the Elfman Bros’s band Oingo Boingo with tracks from Cab Calloway and Josephine Baker, and then of course there’s…The Sixth Dimension!
The film was originally shot in black and white, a kind of tribute to the 1920s/30s cartoons of the Fleischer Brothers (Out of the Inkwell,...
Directors: Richard Elfman
Writers: Richard Elfman & Matthew Bright & Nick James & Nick L. Martinson
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Hal MacDermot
Rating: 8.8 out of 10
The Forbidden Zone is a master piece of insanity that defies description, but I’ll give it a go. Richard Elfman’s film is the ultimate midnight movie, an raucous energy filled mixture of giant frogs, dice, an always topless princess, people who speak in French accents, cut-out Gilliamesque animation, Expressionism, a midget King played by Herve Villechaize (yes, from TV’s Fantasy Island), the music is by (the) Danny Elfman (Tim Burton’s movies) and the Elfman Bros’s band Oingo Boingo with tracks from Cab Calloway and Josephine Baker, and then of course there’s…The Sixth Dimension!
The film was originally shot in black and white, a kind of tribute to the 1920s/30s cartoons of the Fleischer Brothers (Out of the Inkwell,...
- 7/20/2009
- QuietEarth.us
Drugs could make a good girl go bad. Reese Witherspoon, who rose to stardom as a good girl in bubbly comedies Legally Blonde and Sweet Home Alabama before winning an Oscar for the dramatic Walk the Line, will star in and produce Pharm Girl for Universal Pictures. Here's the "bad" part: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, responsible for I Love You Philip Morris but best known for writing the acerbic Bad Santa, "are writing the screenplay and in talks to direct," according to The Hollywood Reporter.
It's hard to believe it's been 18 years since Reese debuted as a spunky young teen in Robert Mulligan's evocative The Man in the Moon. In the decade before Legally Blonde, she gave a scorching performance as an incredibly foul-mouthed, rebellious teen in Matthew Bright's super-dark Freeway (which had a biting comic edge), and eventually won wide acclaim in Alexander Payne's superb Election.
It's hard to believe it's been 18 years since Reese debuted as a spunky young teen in Robert Mulligan's evocative The Man in the Moon. In the decade before Legally Blonde, she gave a scorching performance as an incredibly foul-mouthed, rebellious teen in Matthew Bright's super-dark Freeway (which had a biting comic edge), and eventually won wide acclaim in Alexander Payne's superb Election.
- 6/18/2009
- by Peter Martin
- Cinematical
One day I was strolling alongside bins of super-cheap used DVDs when I spotted Gary Oldman's face. The DVD in question: Tiptoes, directed by the writer/director of Freeway, Matthew Bright. Naturally, I picked it up, wondering how I'd never heard of this movie before. I flipped it over, and started reading:
No couple could be more in love than Steven (Matthew McConaughey) and Carol (Kate Beckinsale). But Steven has a little secret he's been keeping to himself. He has a twin brother (Gary Oldman), who just happens to be a dwarf. In fact, with the exception of Steven, his entire family is made up of little people.
Oldman as a dwarf? There was no way I could refuse such a thing, and rushed home to watch it. As the below trailer shows, this is far from a stellar movie, even if they say the film is filled with...
No couple could be more in love than Steven (Matthew McConaughey) and Carol (Kate Beckinsale). But Steven has a little secret he's been keeping to himself. He has a twin brother (Gary Oldman), who just happens to be a dwarf. In fact, with the exception of Steven, his entire family is made up of little people.
Oldman as a dwarf? There was no way I could refuse such a thing, and rushed home to watch it. As the below trailer shows, this is far from a stellar movie, even if they say the film is filled with...
- 5/1/2009
- by Monika Bartyzel
- Cinematical
Lindsay Lohan has been un-attached to Matthew Bright's The Manson Girls, which was slated to shoot in early July for five weeks in Los Angeles, reports Deadline Hollywood. The online mag also reports that "people associated with the movie told agents that Lohan quickly became more of a deficit than an asset when they discovered that they couldnt find any name actresses who wanted to co-star with her." Things get even worse as we here at Bloody-Disgusting have been hearing rumors that Lohan is also not starring in Chris Sivertson's Hippy anymore. Could this signal the end of the young Disney stars career? Only time will tell.
- 5/9/2008
- bloody-disgusting.com
Bloody-Disgusting learned this evening that nm0109165 autoMatthew Bright[/link] (tt0116361 autoFreeway[/link], Modern Vampires) will be directing the previously announced The Manson Girls, which stars nm0517820 autoLindsay Lohan[/link]. Here's the official synopsis: This is the true story of nm0543909 autoCharles Manson[/link] as seen through the eyes of Brenda, Sadie and Squeaky, girls from prosperous families who became one of his most loyal followers; from the Family's beginnings as a hippie commune to a highly organized crime family made up of young females, that continued on long after Manson was sent to Death Row, and how one of its offshoots became known as "The Aryan Brotherhood." The story of nm0543909 autoCharles Manson[/link] is the story of the end of an era and the loss of innocence for an entire generation. The film will capture the lure and sense of exhilaration those who lived through the era experienced and provide a depiction of how such a thing could happen.
- 4/16/2008
- bloody-disgusting.com
Tartan Films/Overseas Film Group
Filmmaker Matthew Bright, who demonstrated his predilection for mingling horrific violence with black humor in such efforts as "Freeway" and "Freeway II", has now tackled the deadly serious topic of serial killer Ted Bundy, with far less successful results. Exploitative and largely devoid of the depth or sophistication that would make watching such a graphic treatment of the crimes bearable, the film illustrates the pitfalls of dramatizing real-life horrors. It's a distressing trend, considering the recent release of the similarly themed (though superior) "Dahmer", with which this film could be paired as a double feature geared to sociopaths.
The film methodically depicts Bundy's murder spree during the 1970s, when he raped and killed any number of women in the Pacific Northwest (estimates range from three dozen to much more), his handsome looks and elegant manners masking his lethalness. Unlike the comparatively restrained "Dahmer", this film doesn't hesitate to depict the murders in full graphic detail, with plenty of female nudity on display.
Unlike Mark Harmon, who portrayed Bundy so effectively in a television miniseries, actor Michael Reilly Burke, conveying the killer's inner rage but none of his deceptive charm, fails to convince as someone who could lure so many young, unsuspecting women to their deaths.
With the exception of a few resonant scenes, the film is far more offensive than chilling or illuminating.
Filmmaker Matthew Bright, who demonstrated his predilection for mingling horrific violence with black humor in such efforts as "Freeway" and "Freeway II", has now tackled the deadly serious topic of serial killer Ted Bundy, with far less successful results. Exploitative and largely devoid of the depth or sophistication that would make watching such a graphic treatment of the crimes bearable, the film illustrates the pitfalls of dramatizing real-life horrors. It's a distressing trend, considering the recent release of the similarly themed (though superior) "Dahmer", with which this film could be paired as a double feature geared to sociopaths.
The film methodically depicts Bundy's murder spree during the 1970s, when he raped and killed any number of women in the Pacific Northwest (estimates range from three dozen to much more), his handsome looks and elegant manners masking his lethalness. Unlike the comparatively restrained "Dahmer", this film doesn't hesitate to depict the murders in full graphic detail, with plenty of female nudity on display.
Unlike Mark Harmon, who portrayed Bundy so effectively in a television miniseries, actor Michael Reilly Burke, conveying the killer's inner rage but none of his deceptive charm, fails to convince as someone who could lure so many young, unsuspecting women to their deaths.
With the exception of a few resonant scenes, the film is far more offensive than chilling or illuminating.
- 10/7/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.