One of the great unsung traditions of horror is a character’s external environment reflecting their internal state. It has found its way into films as diverse as Repulsion (1965), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994), and Relic (2020) to name just a few. Edgar Allan Poe was hardly the first to use the device, it had been a feature of the Gothic romances popular in the decades before him, but Poe moved it from character-deepening subtext to overt metaphor in his short story “The Fall of the House of Usher.”
Roger Corman’s 1960 film adaptation of the story latches onto and expands this and several of Poe’s obsessions into what has become a classic of slow-burning terror. The Fall of the House of Usher is the first in what has come to be called the Corman Poe Cycle. These eight films produced between 1960 and 1964 are among the most stylish,...
Roger Corman’s 1960 film adaptation of the story latches onto and expands this and several of Poe’s obsessions into what has become a classic of slow-burning terror. The Fall of the House of Usher is the first in what has come to be called the Corman Poe Cycle. These eight films produced between 1960 and 1964 are among the most stylish,...
- 10/11/2023
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
Arrow swings into 2023 with a disc of a horror thriller ‘with issues’ — but appointing it with intriguing extras. Sandra Dee gets her perky nose all tangled up in an inter-dimensional conspiracy run by sneaky occultist Dean Stockwell — and we know that it’s all going to lead to a sacrificial altar. Roger Corman designer Daniel Haller directed this cross between a Poe picture and a psychedelic epic, for good old American-International.
The Dunwich Horror
Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1970 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 97 min. / Street Date January 10, 2023 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Sandra Dee, Dean Stockwell, Ed Begley, Lloyd Bochner, Sam Jaffe, Joanne Moore Jordan, Donna Baccala, Talia Shire, Barboura Morris, Beach Dickerson.
Cinematography: Richard C. Glouner
Art Director: Paul Sylos
Film Editor: Christopher Holmes
Original Music: Les Baxter
Written by Curtis Lee Hanson, Henry Rosenbaum, Ronald Silkowsky from the story by H.P. Lovecraft
Executive producer Roger Corman
Produced by James H. Nicholson,...
The Dunwich Horror
Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1970 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 97 min. / Street Date January 10, 2023 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Sandra Dee, Dean Stockwell, Ed Begley, Lloyd Bochner, Sam Jaffe, Joanne Moore Jordan, Donna Baccala, Talia Shire, Barboura Morris, Beach Dickerson.
Cinematography: Richard C. Glouner
Art Director: Paul Sylos
Film Editor: Christopher Holmes
Original Music: Les Baxter
Written by Curtis Lee Hanson, Henry Rosenbaum, Ronald Silkowsky from the story by H.P. Lovecraft
Executive producer Roger Corman
Produced by James H. Nicholson,...
- 1/3/2023
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Mickey Zide, an exhibition and distribution specialist who later went into producing films including “Dirty Mary Crazy Larry,’ died Nov. 10 in La Quinta, Calif. of natural causes. He was 90.
Born in Detroit, Zide was the third generation of his family to work in the film business, and got his start working as a salesman for Columbia Pictures in Detroit. His father Jack and brother Martin owned Allied Film Exchange, the largest independent distributor in Midwest, which released films for companies including Aip, Crown and Atlantic Releasing.
He became VP of sales for Sam Arkoff’s American International Pictures, where he booked films such as “Foxy Brown,” “Last House on the Left” and “The Pit and the Pendulum.”
After Aip producer James H. Nicholson left to form Academy Pictures, Zide joined him and served as associate producer on the Peter Fonda-Susan George starrer “Dirty Mary Crazy Larry.” Distributed by 20th Century Fox,...
Born in Detroit, Zide was the third generation of his family to work in the film business, and got his start working as a salesman for Columbia Pictures in Detroit. His father Jack and brother Martin owned Allied Film Exchange, the largest independent distributor in Midwest, which released films for companies including Aip, Crown and Atlantic Releasing.
He became VP of sales for Sam Arkoff’s American International Pictures, where he booked films such as “Foxy Brown,” “Last House on the Left” and “The Pit and the Pendulum.”
After Aip producer James H. Nicholson left to form Academy Pictures, Zide joined him and served as associate producer on the Peter Fonda-Susan George starrer “Dirty Mary Crazy Larry.” Distributed by 20th Century Fox,...
- 11/18/2022
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Agatha Christie gave Hercule Poirot’s little grey cells a break in 1934 to write the the lighthearted murder whodunit “Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?” Instead of having a brilliant Belgian detective hot on the trail of a killer, “Evans” is populated by two young attractive amateur sleuths: Bobby Jones, the son of a local vicar, who discovers a dying man off the cliffs of his local golf course who asks the title question just before he passes, and Frankie, his carefree, beautiful childhood friend.
Hugh Laurie fell in love with the book when he read it as a “lad.” And his “almost childish enthusiasm for the story” never wavered. So much so, he wrote and directed the acclaimed three-part limited series currently streaming on BritBox. Will Poulter plays Bobby; Lucy Boynton is Frankie. Longtime friend Emma Thompson, who dated Laurie in college, and Jim Broadbent play Frankie’s eccentric parents.
Hugh Laurie fell in love with the book when he read it as a “lad.” And his “almost childish enthusiasm for the story” never wavered. So much so, he wrote and directed the acclaimed three-part limited series currently streaming on BritBox. Will Poulter plays Bobby; Lucy Boynton is Frankie. Longtime friend Emma Thompson, who dated Laurie in college, and Jim Broadbent play Frankie’s eccentric parents.
- 6/13/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Last year for Indie Horror Month, I had the pleasure of diving into the history of the cult classic studio New World Pictures. It was such a blast peeking behind the curtain of low-budget genre production in the ’70s and ’80s that I figured it would be fun to go back in time a little further and explore American International Pictures, a studio that set the standard in the mid-20th century for churning out cheap, profitable, and often truly memorable films across a variety of genres.
Founded as American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff, the duo quickly changed the name when their first choice, Aip, became available. With principal producers Roger Corman (who would later go on to cofound the aforementioned New World Pictures) and Alex Gordon, Aip completely changed the framework for how to produce low-budget movies.
First, they monetized Peter Pan Syndrome...
Founded as American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff, the duo quickly changed the name when their first choice, Aip, became available. With principal producers Roger Corman (who would later go on to cofound the aforementioned New World Pictures) and Alex Gordon, Aip completely changed the framework for how to produce low-budget movies.
First, they monetized Peter Pan Syndrome...
- 4/19/2022
- by Bryan Christopher
- DailyDead
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By Hank Reineke
The tales of adventure, fantasy and science-fiction penned by the great French novelist Jules Verne have served as filmmaking source material since the silent era. In the 1950s and early 60s such films as Disney’s 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (1954), U.A.’s Around the World in 80 Days (1956), Fox’s Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959), and Columbia’s Mysterious Island (1961) had studio cash boxes ringing. Verne’s charming mix of adventurous whimsy and exciting scenarios were big moneymakers. They would all capitalize, in part, by the fact these were “family” films that promised a couple of hours of cross-generational entertainment.
So it was not surprising when James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff of American-International Pictures thought it might be time to get into the game. “You can get an indication of public taste by observing the...
By Hank Reineke
The tales of adventure, fantasy and science-fiction penned by the great French novelist Jules Verne have served as filmmaking source material since the silent era. In the 1950s and early 60s such films as Disney’s 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (1954), U.A.’s Around the World in 80 Days (1956), Fox’s Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959), and Columbia’s Mysterious Island (1961) had studio cash boxes ringing. Verne’s charming mix of adventurous whimsy and exciting scenarios were big moneymakers. They would all capitalize, in part, by the fact these were “family” films that promised a couple of hours of cross-generational entertainment.
So it was not surprising when James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff of American-International Pictures thought it might be time to get into the game. “You can get an indication of public taste by observing the...
- 12/13/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
"Life's A Beach"
By Lee Pfeiffer
When it comes to defining cinematic guilty pleasures, one need not look any further than the lame-brained beach movies that were marketed to teenagers in the mid-1960s. The formula started in 1963 with "Beach Party", teaming Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon for the first time as loved-starved teens who are addicted to fun and sun in the surf. The film was such a hit that it spawned numerous sequels, delighting producers Samuel Z. Arkoff and James H. Nicholson and American International, which was mining gold by making big profits from low-budget productions. The beach series didn't vary much in terms of content and many of the most popular actors were utilized in each successive film. There were also simlarly-themed films starring Avalon in different geographical settings. But if the beach series burned brightly, its flame was short-lived. By 1965, the young audiences that initially craved...
By Lee Pfeiffer
When it comes to defining cinematic guilty pleasures, one need not look any further than the lame-brained beach movies that were marketed to teenagers in the mid-1960s. The formula started in 1963 with "Beach Party", teaming Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon for the first time as loved-starved teens who are addicted to fun and sun in the surf. The film was such a hit that it spawned numerous sequels, delighting producers Samuel Z. Arkoff and James H. Nicholson and American International, which was mining gold by making big profits from low-budget productions. The beach series didn't vary much in terms of content and many of the most popular actors were utilized in each successive film. There were also simlarly-themed films starring Avalon in different geographical settings. But if the beach series burned brightly, its flame was short-lived. By 1965, the young audiences that initially craved...
- 11/6/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
One of Jules Verne’s most fantastic sci-fi fantasies got the big screen treatment from American-International, which hopped on the Verne bandwagon that raked in big $$ for Disney and others. A production challenge given a minimum of resources, the colorful show is still admired for the performance of Vincent Price as Robur the Conqueror, a mad terrorist. Charles Bronson also gets high marks as the proto- G-Man dispatched to put an end to Robur’s Albatross, an aerial ‘weapon of mass destruction.’ We also fell in love with art director Daniel Haller’s magnificent design for the airship — even if the special visual effects no longer seem as special as they should be.
Master of the World
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1961 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 102 min. / Street Date August 31, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Vincent Price, Charles Bronson, Henry Hull, Mary Webster, David Frankham, Richard Harrison, Vito Scotti, Wally Campo.
Cinematography:...
Master of the World
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1961 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 102 min. / Street Date August 31, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Vincent Price, Charles Bronson, Henry Hull, Mary Webster, David Frankham, Richard Harrison, Vito Scotti, Wally Campo.
Cinematography:...
- 7/24/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Instead of a second review today I offer this end-of-the-year CineSavant Article suggested by some American-International promotional graphics from late 1961, saved by collector Bill Shaffer. It’s a fun ‘what is that movie?’ puzzle geared to specific fan curiosities. The target audience is the crowd that remembers reading ‘coming to your theater soon’ notices for movies that never seemed to show up, at least not under the titles given. Bill sent me three entries for 1962, with graphics that he thought were the most interesting. I’m hoping to get a look at more…. Oh, and Happy New Year!
Collector and PBS broadcaster Bill Shaffer has been a friend for going on 22 years now; he was one of several Sergio Leone experts that offered assistance for some great Leone DVD extras back in 2003. I’ve been encouraging Bill to write about his childhood: his father was a theater manager in the midwest for many years.
Collector and PBS broadcaster Bill Shaffer has been a friend for going on 22 years now; he was one of several Sergio Leone experts that offered assistance for some great Leone DVD extras back in 2003. I’ve been encouraging Bill to write about his childhood: his father was a theater manager in the midwest for many years.
- 1/2/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Bert I. Gordon rides again, with an excellent encoding of one of his more popular sci-fi monster-ramas. Pert ‘n’ perky June Kenney is so brave that she keeps going back to ‘that old cave outside of town,’ despite not knowing how many giant spiders are on the loose. Teenagers in their thirties and their bebop-crazy rock ‘n’ roll are no match for Gordon’s titanic, screaming arachnid. This spidey is just plain shifty, the kind of unscrupulous fiend that colors his crayons outside the (matte) lines … in crimson B&w blood! June Kenney’s mom knows her girl only two well: “… I hope she hasn’t gone back to that cave.” With some excellent extras, namely about a million rare behind-the-scenes stills from Tom Weaver.
The Spider
Blu-ray
Scream Factory
1958 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 73 min. / Earth vs. The Spider / Street Date June 23, 2020
Starring: Ed Kemmer, June Kenney, Gene Persson, Gene Roth,...
The Spider
Blu-ray
Scream Factory
1958 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 73 min. / Earth vs. The Spider / Street Date June 23, 2020
Starring: Ed Kemmer, June Kenney, Gene Persson, Gene Roth,...
- 6/27/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
A few years ago, in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the death of influential film critic Pauline Kael, I wrote the following:
“I think (Kael) did a lot to expose the truth… that directors, writers and actors who often work awfully close to the surface may still have subterranean levels of achievement or purpose or commentary that they themselves may be least qualified to articulate. It’s what’s behind her disdain for Antonioni’s pontificating at the Cannes film festival; it’s what behind the high percentage of uselessness of proliferating DVD commentaries in which we get to hear every dull anecdote, redundant explication of plot development and any other inanity that strikes the director of the latest Jennifer Aniston rom-com to blurt out breathlessly; and it is what’s behind a director like Eli Roth, who tailors the subtext of something like Hostel Part II almost as...
“I think (Kael) did a lot to expose the truth… that directors, writers and actors who often work awfully close to the surface may still have subterranean levels of achievement or purpose or commentary that they themselves may be least qualified to articulate. It’s what’s behind her disdain for Antonioni’s pontificating at the Cannes film festival; it’s what behind the high percentage of uselessness of proliferating DVD commentaries in which we get to hear every dull anecdote, redundant explication of plot development and any other inanity that strikes the director of the latest Jennifer Aniston rom-com to blurt out breathlessly; and it is what’s behind a director like Eli Roth, who tailors the subtext of something like Hostel Part II almost as...
- 4/2/2017
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
Gas-s-s-s – Or – It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It.
Blu-ray
Olive Films
1970 / Color / 1:85 widescreen/ 79 min. / Street Date October 18, 2016 / Gas-s-s-s / available through the Olive Films website / 29.98
Starring: Elaine Giftos, Robert Corff, Cindy Williams, Bud Cort, Ben Vereen, Tally Coppola, Lou Procopio.
Cinematography: Ron Dexter
Film Editor: George Van Noy
Original Music: Country Joe and the Fish
Written and Produced by George Armitage
Directed by Roger Corman
Roger Corman finally accepted himself as an iconic filmmaker for this, his final show for A.I.P.. Barely released and long considered a failure, Gas-s-s-s – Or – It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It sees Corman and his writer associate George Armitage attempting a Mad magazine- like amalgam of all the counterculture trends of the late 1960s. That tactical mistake becomes eighty minutes of unfocused and unfunny satire. Armitage’s script and dialogue might occasionally hit some serendipitous notes,...
Blu-ray
Olive Films
1970 / Color / 1:85 widescreen/ 79 min. / Street Date October 18, 2016 / Gas-s-s-s / available through the Olive Films website / 29.98
Starring: Elaine Giftos, Robert Corff, Cindy Williams, Bud Cort, Ben Vereen, Tally Coppola, Lou Procopio.
Cinematography: Ron Dexter
Film Editor: George Van Noy
Original Music: Country Joe and the Fish
Written and Produced by George Armitage
Directed by Roger Corman
Roger Corman finally accepted himself as an iconic filmmaker for this, his final show for A.I.P.. Barely released and long considered a failure, Gas-s-s-s – Or – It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It sees Corman and his writer associate George Armitage attempting a Mad magazine- like amalgam of all the counterculture trends of the late 1960s. That tactical mistake becomes eighty minutes of unfocused and unfunny satire. Armitage’s script and dialogue might occasionally hit some serendipitous notes,...
- 1/17/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Hey, we're having a Nuclear family crisis, so load up your shotgun, grab the grenades and head for the hills, stealing what you need as you go. Ray Milland's tense tale of doomsday survival shook up a lot of folks with its endorsement of ruthless violence. Fortunately the worst never happened, allowing us to ask, "Where were you in '62?" Panic in Year Zero! Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1962 / B&W / 2:35 widescreen / 92 min. / Street Date April 19, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Ray Milland, Jean Hagen, Frankie Avalon, Mary Mitchel, Joan Freeman, Richard Bakalyan, Cinematography Gilbert Warrenton Production Designer Daniel Haller Film Editor William Austin Original Music Les Baxter Written by John Morton, Jay Simms Produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff, Arnold Houghland, James H. Nicholson, Lou Rusoff Directed by Ray Milland
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
There's nothing like good old atom-scare hysteria, which Hollywood dished out as early as 1952's Invasion,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
There's nothing like good old atom-scare hysteria, which Hollywood dished out as early as 1952's Invasion,...
- 4/5/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
By Hank Reineke
Though this welcome Scream Factory issue marks the first time Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971) and The Dunwich Horror (1969) have been made available on domestic Blu-ray, both films enjoyed a previous release on DVD as part of MGM’s long-suspended “Midnite Movies” series. Rue Morgue was first paired with Cry of the Banshee (1970) in 2003, with Dunwich and Die Monster Die! (1965) following in 2005. Though both of these earlier sets are now technically out-of-print, copies remain generally available. Regardless, the more discerning horror-film aficionado would be well advised to seek out this new Blu edition. Not only does Scream Factory’s HD master offer a significant upgrade in visual presentation, the studio has also restored bits of censored footage missing from the Y2K releases.
H.P. Lovecraft’s short story The Dunwich Horror was written in the summer of 1928 and first published in the April 1929 issue of the appropriately titled Weird Tales magazine.
Though this welcome Scream Factory issue marks the first time Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971) and The Dunwich Horror (1969) have been made available on domestic Blu-ray, both films enjoyed a previous release on DVD as part of MGM’s long-suspended “Midnite Movies” series. Rue Morgue was first paired with Cry of the Banshee (1970) in 2003, with Dunwich and Die Monster Die! (1965) following in 2005. Though both of these earlier sets are now technically out-of-print, copies remain generally available. Regardless, the more discerning horror-film aficionado would be well advised to seek out this new Blu edition. Not only does Scream Factory’s HD master offer a significant upgrade in visual presentation, the studio has also restored bits of censored footage missing from the Y2K releases.
H.P. Lovecraft’s short story The Dunwich Horror was written in the summer of 1928 and first published in the April 1929 issue of the appropriately titled Weird Tales magazine.
- 4/4/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Look out! Here come two A.I.P. horror pix from the soggy end of the Poe cycle: the first features Jason Robards, an impressive cast and a disorganized storyline. The second is an almost-good Lovecraft horror with interesting performances from Dean Stockwell and Sandra Dee. Murders in the Rue Morgue and The Dunwich Horror Blu-ray Color Scream Factory Street Date March 29, 2016 / 26.99
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Scream Factory's new double feature disc finishes off two different American-International horror series. The first picture is the last fright film made for the company by the directing and writing team of Gordon Hessler and Christopher Wicking. It's no gem, but it's a lot more interesting on a second viewing. The second is the company's final try to make that old joker H.P. Lovecraft into a filmic horror icon, like Edgar Allan Poe. It has a lot going for it, but also its own set of problems.
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Scream Factory's new double feature disc finishes off two different American-International horror series. The first picture is the last fright film made for the company by the directing and writing team of Gordon Hessler and Christopher Wicking. It's no gem, but it's a lot more interesting on a second viewing. The second is the company's final try to make that old joker H.P. Lovecraft into a filmic horror icon, like Edgar Allan Poe. It has a lot going for it, but also its own set of problems.
- 3/8/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
On February 16th, Scream Factory will release their third home media celebration of a cinematic legend with The Vincent Price Collection III, and we've been provided with three copies of the four-disc Blu-ray set to give away.
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Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) Blu-ray copy of The Vincent Price Collection III.
How to Enter: For a chance to win, email contest@dailydead.com with the subject "The Vincent Price Collection III Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01am Est on February 19th. This contest is only open to those who are eighteen years of age or older that live in the United States. Only one entry per household will be accepted.
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Previous Press Release: On February 16, 2016, collectors, classic film aficionados and horror enthusiasts will relish the 4-Disc Blu-ray™ release of Scream Factory’s The Vincent Price Collection III.
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Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) Blu-ray copy of The Vincent Price Collection III.
How to Enter: For a chance to win, email contest@dailydead.com with the subject "The Vincent Price Collection III Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01am Est on February 19th. This contest is only open to those who are eighteen years of age or older that live in the United States. Only one entry per household will be accepted.
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Previous Press Release: On February 16, 2016, collectors, classic film aficionados and horror enthusiasts will relish the 4-Disc Blu-ray™ release of Scream Factory’s The Vincent Price Collection III.
- 2/13/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
On February 16th, Scream Factory will release their third celebration of a cinematic legend with The Vincent Price Collection III on Blu-ray. Ahead of the collection's release, we have high-definition clips and trailers from the four-disc tribute.
Previous Press Release: On February 16, 2016, collectors, classic film aficionados and horror enthusiasts will relish the 4-Disc Blu-ray™ release of Scream Factory’s The Vincent Price Collection III. This extraordinary collector’s set is an essential collection for every movie library and brings together Five Vincent Price masterpiece classics, featuring the first-ever Blu-ray movie presentation of Master Of The World (1961), Tower Of London (1962), Diary Of A Madman (1963), An Evening Of Edgar Allan Poe (1970) and Cry Of The Banshee (1970). Packed with a bevy of chilling bonus content including new interview with producer/director Roger Corman and writer/producer/director Kenneth Johnson, new audio commentary with actor David Frankham, film historians, original theatrical trailers, archival materials,...
Previous Press Release: On February 16, 2016, collectors, classic film aficionados and horror enthusiasts will relish the 4-Disc Blu-ray™ release of Scream Factory’s The Vincent Price Collection III. This extraordinary collector’s set is an essential collection for every movie library and brings together Five Vincent Price masterpiece classics, featuring the first-ever Blu-ray movie presentation of Master Of The World (1961), Tower Of London (1962), Diary Of A Madman (1963), An Evening Of Edgar Allan Poe (1970) and Cry Of The Banshee (1970). Packed with a bevy of chilling bonus content including new interview with producer/director Roger Corman and writer/producer/director Kenneth Johnson, new audio commentary with actor David Frankham, film historians, original theatrical trailers, archival materials,...
- 2/12/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Vincent Price fans have seen Scream Factory distribute two collections honoring the horror legend, and now they're about to witness a third. On February 16th, Scream Factory will release The Vincent Price Collection III, a four-disc tribute to Price containing five of his films and an abundance of bonus features:
Press Release: On February 16, 2016, collectors, classic film aficionados and horror enthusiasts will relish the 4-Disc Blu-ray™ release of Scream Factory’s The Vincent Price Collection III. This extraordinary collector’s set is an essential collection for every movie library and brings together Five Vincent Price masterpiece classics, featuring the first-ever Blu-ray movie presentation of Master Of The World (1961), Tower Of London (1962), Diary Of A Madman (1963), An Evening Of Edgar Allan Poe (1970) and Cry Of The Banshee (1970). Packed with a bevy of chilling bonus content including new interview with producer/director Roger Corman and writer/producer/director Kenneth Johnson, new audio commentary with actor David Frankham,...
Press Release: On February 16, 2016, collectors, classic film aficionados and horror enthusiasts will relish the 4-Disc Blu-ray™ release of Scream Factory’s The Vincent Price Collection III. This extraordinary collector’s set is an essential collection for every movie library and brings together Five Vincent Price masterpiece classics, featuring the first-ever Blu-ray movie presentation of Master Of The World (1961), Tower Of London (1962), Diary Of A Madman (1963), An Evening Of Edgar Allan Poe (1970) and Cry Of The Banshee (1970). Packed with a bevy of chilling bonus content including new interview with producer/director Roger Corman and writer/producer/director Kenneth Johnson, new audio commentary with actor David Frankham,...
- 1/8/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
In the history of soggy underwater adventures, none have been been soggier than this A.I.P. Panavision curiosity from England. Four out of five insomniacs agree: it has the most awkwardly mis-matched cast of players in fantasy film history... starting with a chicken. Kl Studio Classics Savant Blu-ray Review 1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen 1:37 flat Academy / 84 min. / City in the Sea / Street Date August ll, 2015 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Vincent Price, Tab Hunter, David Tomlinson, Susan Hart, John Le Mesurier, Harry Oscar, Derek Newark, Roy Patrick, Herbert the Rooster. Cinematography Stephen Dade Film Editor Gordon Hales Original Music Stanley Black Written by Charles Bennett, Louis M. Heyward, David Whitaker based on City in the Sea by Edgar Allan Poe Produced by Daniel Haller Directed by Jacques Tourneur
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
By 1965 American-International Pictures was looking in all directions, trying to hit on new themes to replace the monsters...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
By 1965 American-International Pictures was looking in all directions, trying to hit on new themes to replace the monsters...
- 8/25/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Read More: Roger Corman, Major Artist: 'Corman's World' Makes the Case Founded in 1954 by James H. Nicholson, the independent film production house American International Pictures (Aip) was to become a leading and innovative producer of cheaply made yet very profitable films. Focusing on that quintessential product of post-war American society, the teenager, Aip chronicled and often anticipated the rapidly changing cultural landscape. To mark the beginning of a three-part retrospective at the Anthology Film Archives in New York this week, below is a selection of the 10 most significant flicks proudly wearing the Aip badge. "The Fast and the Furious" (John Ireland and Edward Sampson, 1955) A testament to the lasting influence of Aip productions, this car chase spectacle deals with pretty much the same subject of Nicholas Ray's "Rebel Without a Cause." But instead of focusing on the existential disaffection of American teenagers in the 50's, "The Fast and...
- 7/29/2015
- by Celluloid Liberation Front
- Indiewire
By Lee Pfeiffer
Founded by producers James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff, American International Pictures (A.I.P.) hit upon a formula of financing and releasing low-budget exploitation films for non-discriminating audiences (translation: the youth market). Specializing in horror films and goofy comedies, A.I.P. occasionally strayed into other genres. In 1963, the company capitalized on the always-popular WWII genre with the release of "Operation Bikini". Ostensibly, the movie's title referred to the obscure atoll in the Pacific where atomic bomb tests were conducted during the Cold War era. However, in true A.I.P. style, the advertising campaign was designed to imply that the title might also refer to the fact that the bikini bathing suit was popularized here by a French designer who conducted a photo shoot on the atoll just days after an atomic blast. Still, the sexploitation angle in "Operation Bikini" was saved for late in the film.
Founded by producers James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff, American International Pictures (A.I.P.) hit upon a formula of financing and releasing low-budget exploitation films for non-discriminating audiences (translation: the youth market). Specializing in horror films and goofy comedies, A.I.P. occasionally strayed into other genres. In 1963, the company capitalized on the always-popular WWII genre with the release of "Operation Bikini". Ostensibly, the movie's title referred to the obscure atoll in the Pacific where atomic bomb tests were conducted during the Cold War era. However, in true A.I.P. style, the advertising campaign was designed to imply that the title might also refer to the fact that the bikini bathing suit was popularized here by a French designer who conducted a photo shoot on the atoll just days after an atomic blast. Still, the sexploitation angle in "Operation Bikini" was saved for late in the film.
- 4/29/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
The first Vincent Price collection from Scream Factory was a pure treasure. When October rolls around, almost nothing puts me in the Halloween mood like a constant stream of Vincent Price films on my TV. Never did I think that Scream could improve upon their original price collection, but when the films that would be included in this new set were announced, I was shocked. The first Vincent Price Collection has some really solid Price films, mostly of a Poe nature, and it was one of the most exciting releases of the year for fans of classic horror. The second set, drops the Poe theme(mostly), and includes some of Price’s most famous, well-regarded films, including a couple of my favorites. The list of films is impressive, and there are extras on most of the films. The packaging is consistent, and equally pleasing to the eyes. Scream Factory’s...
- 10/21/2014
- by Shawn Savage
- The Liberal Dead
Here's another installment featuring Joe Dante's reviews from his stint as a critic for Film Bulletin circa 1969-1974. Our thanks to Video Watchdog and Tim Lucas for his editorial embellishments!
Well done haunted house chiller offers plenty for the shiver‑and‑shock fans. A fitting swan song for [Aip co-founder] Jim Nicholson, this could roll up good grosses in general, ballyhoo, drive‑in markets if Fox gives it an appropriately strong sell. Rating: PG.
"This house... it knows we're here!" Of such ominous dialogue are classic style horror pictures made and The Legend Of Hell House, while no classic, is spookily amusing, sometimes scary stuff with plenty of mass appeal for summer playdates. In fact, this maiden effort from the late James Nicholson's Academy Pictures is slick and entertaining enough to register as one of the season's better attractions, if 20th Century‑Fox capitalizes on its considerable ballyhoo potential.
A...
Well done haunted house chiller offers plenty for the shiver‑and‑shock fans. A fitting swan song for [Aip co-founder] Jim Nicholson, this could roll up good grosses in general, ballyhoo, drive‑in markets if Fox gives it an appropriately strong sell. Rating: PG.
"This house... it knows we're here!" Of such ominous dialogue are classic style horror pictures made and The Legend Of Hell House, while no classic, is spookily amusing, sometimes scary stuff with plenty of mass appeal for summer playdates. In fact, this maiden effort from the late James Nicholson's Academy Pictures is slick and entertaining enough to register as one of the season's better attractions, if 20th Century‑Fox capitalizes on its considerable ballyhoo potential.
A...
- 9/9/2014
- by Joe Dante
- Trailers from Hell
The first Vincent Price collection that was released by Scream Factory is a thing of beauty. It was announced recently that they would bringing us a second collection of Vincent Price films on Blu-ray, and I couldn’t be any more excited about it than I already am. Well, maybe I can be, because Scream Factory just released the full details of the set, and it’s going to be a good one. Check out the press release below, and please click here to pre-order your own copy of this collection, which streets on October 21. Man, October is really upon us, isn’t it?
The Vincent Price Collection II
Featuring The First-ever Blu-ray™ Presentation Of
The House On Haunted Hill (1959), The Return Of The Fly (1959),
The Comedy Of Terrors (1963), The Raven (1963),
The Last Man On Earth (1964), The Tomb Of Ligeia (1964),
And Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972)
In Stores Everywhere On October...
The Vincent Price Collection II
Featuring The First-ever Blu-ray™ Presentation Of
The House On Haunted Hill (1959), The Return Of The Fly (1959),
The Comedy Of Terrors (1963), The Raven (1963),
The Last Man On Earth (1964), The Tomb Of Ligeia (1964),
And Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972)
In Stores Everywhere On October...
- 8/15/2014
- by Shawn Savage
- The Liberal Dead
Monster Mash! concludes at Trailers from Hell, with filmmaker Darren Bousman introducing "The Dunwich Horror," directed in 1970 by Roger Corman's wizardly production designer, Daniel Heller.Scored by Les Baxter and produced by Corman, Sam Arkoff and James Nicholson, The Dunwich Horror is an A.I.P. film through and through. Based on H.P. Lovecraft’s 1928 story and cowritten by Curtis Hanson, the film was to have starred Boris Karloff (featured in Haller’s previous Lovecraft adaptation, Die, Monster, Die) but Karloff passed away before the production’s start. Peter Fonda and Diane Varsi, originally cast as the conjurer Wilbur Whateley and his victim, each bowed out to be replaced by Dean Stockwell and Sandra Dee. The final film role of Ed Begley.
- 2/7/2014
- by Trailers From Hell
- Thompson on Hollywood
They might not be quite as strong a part of cinematic tradition over here than in the car-happy Us, but drive-in movie chains and the B-movies they spawned are still a glorious sight to behold. Now a group of producers are planning to remake a batch of classic titles from the 1950s, raiding the library of American International Pictures to bring The Brain Eaters, Teenage Caveman, She-Creature and more back to the world.The team includes Lou Arkoff, son of Samuel Z. Arkoff, who founded Aip in 1954 with James H. Nicholson to churn out such low-budget efforts as The Undead and Viking Women And The Sea Serpent. They intend to remake 10 of the bigger Aip titles, building on their efforts to redo the movies for the Us cable network Showtime in the 1990s. This time, however, their aim is the big screen.“The Aip spirit was all about innovation and...
- 5/6/2013
- EmpireOnline
Viking Women & The Sea Serpent, The Brain Eaters, She-Creature, Teenage Caveman, The Undead, War of the Colossal Beast, and The Day the World Ended. These are a few of my favorite things, and they're now getting remade and more!
According to Deadline, Jeff Katz, Lou Arkoff, and Hal Sadoff plan to remake 10 titles in the Arkoff/Nicholson library of American International Pictures-produced 1950’s classics. Usually the mere idea of remakes sends shivers of woe down our spines, but given the talent involved and the love that I know they have for these projects, we couldn't be happier.
Getting the redux treatment are the following 1950's drive-in classics: Girls in Prison, Viking Women & The Sea Serpent, The Brain Eaters, She-Creature, Teenage Caveman, Runaway Daughters, The Undead, Cool & The Crazy, The Day the World Ended, and my personal favorite, The War of the Colossal Beast. Please.... please... Please... keep the same make-up design for that one!
According to Deadline, Jeff Katz, Lou Arkoff, and Hal Sadoff plan to remake 10 titles in the Arkoff/Nicholson library of American International Pictures-produced 1950’s classics. Usually the mere idea of remakes sends shivers of woe down our spines, but given the talent involved and the love that I know they have for these projects, we couldn't be happier.
Getting the redux treatment are the following 1950's drive-in classics: Girls in Prison, Viking Women & The Sea Serpent, The Brain Eaters, She-Creature, Teenage Caveman, Runaway Daughters, The Undead, Cool & The Crazy, The Day the World Ended, and my personal favorite, The War of the Colossal Beast. Please.... please... Please... keep the same make-up design for that one!
- 5/6/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Jeff Katz, Lou Arkoff, and Hal Sadoff plan to remake 10 titles in the Arkoff/Nicholson library of American International Pictures-produced 1950’s classics. That means a steady diet of antiheroes, monsters and naughty girls is back on the menu. They will start with these 1950’s drive-in classics: Girls In Prison, Viking Women & The Sea Serpent, The Brain Eaters, She-Creature, Teenage Caveman, Runaway Daughters, The Undead, War of The Colossal Beast, Cool & The Crazy and Day The World Ended. The plan is to shoot them all back to back, beginning this fall. The question will be how these films, distinguished more than anything by their titles, will play in the modern age. Aip was founded in 1954 by Samuel Z. Arkoff and James H. Nicholson, and churned out 500 low-budget, indies for teens that included the Beach Party series with Frankie Avalon and the late Annette Funicello, as well as the early films of director Roger Corman.
- 5/6/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Mick Garris recounts The Legend of Hell House.
Former Aip head James Nicholson formed Academy Pictures to produce his own projects and this one, of only two released after his death, validates the difference between former partner Sam Arkoff’s aesthetic and his own. Richard Matheson’s popular haunted house novel, transposed to England, receives a classy production with A-level promotion, although the sexuality is a bit toned down.
Click here to watch the trailer.
Not much time for love today, Dr. Jones — which is an inappropriate allusion to say the least — but as long as Mick’s bringing up “ghost rape,” I might as well flog Luca Guadagnino’s appearance right here talking about the pre-imminent ghost rape picture The Entity.
There’s lots more stuff to talk about here in The Legend of Hell House, but Mr. Garris does a fine job (as always) covering all the bases.
Former Aip head James Nicholson formed Academy Pictures to produce his own projects and this one, of only two released after his death, validates the difference between former partner Sam Arkoff’s aesthetic and his own. Richard Matheson’s popular haunted house novel, transposed to England, receives a classy production with A-level promotion, although the sexuality is a bit toned down.
Click here to watch the trailer.
Not much time for love today, Dr. Jones — which is an inappropriate allusion to say the least — but as long as Mick’s bringing up “ghost rape,” I might as well flog Luca Guadagnino’s appearance right here talking about the pre-imminent ghost rape picture The Entity.
There’s lots more stuff to talk about here in The Legend of Hell House, but Mr. Garris does a fine job (as always) covering all the bases.
- 8/15/2011
- by Danny
- Trailers from Hell
A mashup of awesome from more awesome gurus. Let’s roll these legends out!
On Monday, August 15, join Mick Garris for the trailer to The Legend of Hell House.
Former Aip head James Nicholson formed Academy Pictures to produce his own projects and this one, of only two released after his death, validates the difference between former partner Sam Arkoff’s aesthetic and his own. Richard Matheson’s popular haunted house novel, transposed to England, receives a classy production with A-level promotion, although the sexuality is a bit toned down.
On Wednesday, August 17, join Josh Olson for the trailer to The Longest Yard.
Along with Roger Corman, Robert Aldrich seems to be the director most represented on Trailers from Hell. This prison-set anti-authoritarian football movie has similarities to The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. Burt Reynolds, who also appeared in the 2005 Adam Sandler(!) remake, plays a violent anti-hero who...
On Monday, August 15, join Mick Garris for the trailer to The Legend of Hell House.
Former Aip head James Nicholson formed Academy Pictures to produce his own projects and this one, of only two released after his death, validates the difference between former partner Sam Arkoff’s aesthetic and his own. Richard Matheson’s popular haunted house novel, transposed to England, receives a classy production with A-level promotion, although the sexuality is a bit toned down.
On Wednesday, August 17, join Josh Olson for the trailer to The Longest Yard.
Along with Roger Corman, Robert Aldrich seems to be the director most represented on Trailers from Hell. This prison-set anti-authoritarian football movie has similarities to The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. Burt Reynolds, who also appeared in the 2005 Adam Sandler(!) remake, plays a violent anti-hero who...
- 8/15/2011
- by Danny
- Trailers from Hell
Manchester Evening News Arena
Imagine a grey, post-industrial urban landscape festering with decadence and crime, where the only sounds are the shriek of sirens and the occasional gunshot. But this is not the BBC's new headquarters in the north: this is Gotham City.
Or, to be more precise, the apocalyptic chaos of Gotham City by way of the Manchester Evening News Arena, where the world premiere of the all-screaming, all-tumbling, £12m Batman Live stage show erupted.
Before the curtain went up, the arena foyer was thronged with hordes of miniature bat–fans who had come to see the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder do battle with a frankly unfair quantity of foes, among them the Joker, the Riddler, Catwoman, the Penguin, the Scarecrow, and even Poison Ivy.
But first there was the merchandise to be snapped up: bat capes, bat T-shirts, bat masks, bat hoodies, and even, for the fashion-conscious-yet-practical feline villain about town,...
Imagine a grey, post-industrial urban landscape festering with decadence and crime, where the only sounds are the shriek of sirens and the occasional gunshot. But this is not the BBC's new headquarters in the north: this is Gotham City.
Or, to be more precise, the apocalyptic chaos of Gotham City by way of the Manchester Evening News Arena, where the world premiere of the all-screaming, all-tumbling, £12m Batman Live stage show erupted.
Before the curtain went up, the arena foyer was thronged with hordes of miniature bat–fans who had come to see the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder do battle with a frankly unfair quantity of foes, among them the Joker, the Riddler, Catwoman, the Penguin, the Scarecrow, and even Poison Ivy.
But first there was the merchandise to be snapped up: bat capes, bat T-shirts, bat masks, bat hoodies, and even, for the fashion-conscious-yet-practical feline villain about town,...
- 7/20/2011
- by Sam Jones
- The Guardian - Film News
For this writer, if I ever wanted to be alive during another era of filmmaking, my first choice would most definitely be the 1960s. During that time, some of the most fascinating genre work was being created from the likes of Alfred Hitchcock, Herschell Gordon Lewis, the Hammer House of Horror, George A. Romero, and of course legendary writer/director/producer Roger Corman.
Before the 60s, Corman established himself as an independent maverick of film with his work on films like Swamp Women, The Wasp Woman and A Bucket of Blood , but it’s safe to say that it wasn’t until the director and producer began collaborating with Vincent Price that his directorial work in the horror genre was elevated to an entirely new level.
In honor of Price’s upcoming 100th birthday (he was born May 27, 1911), Dread Central recently had the opportunity to speak with Corman about his...
Before the 60s, Corman established himself as an independent maverick of film with his work on films like Swamp Women, The Wasp Woman and A Bucket of Blood , but it’s safe to say that it wasn’t until the director and producer began collaborating with Vincent Price that his directorial work in the horror genre was elevated to an entirely new level.
In honor of Price’s upcoming 100th birthday (he was born May 27, 1911), Dread Central recently had the opportunity to speak with Corman about his...
- 5/23/2011
- by thehorrorchick
- DreadCentral.com
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