Four months. We’re now just four months away from the return of the Alien franchise with brand new movie Alien: Romulus, wherein director Fede Alvarez will put his own personal stamp on the terrifying sci-fi saga. Disney presented some new footage at CinemaCon last night, though the footage unfortunately isn’t available online.
That being said, we do at least have some footage descriptions from various outlets that were in attendance at CinemaCon. And there’s a common thread in the many descriptions that we’ve been reading. As promised by Alvarez, Alien: Romulus is a practical effects-heavy affair!
Collider’s Steven Weintraub tweets, for starters, “The Alien: Romulus [CinemaCon] scenes are brutal and scary and exactly what I wanted. The practical effects and sets looked great.”
That Hashtag Show’s Hunter Bolding tweets, “Alien: Romulus, from the small amount of footage we were shown, looks like a return to Alien being horrifying.
That being said, we do at least have some footage descriptions from various outlets that were in attendance at CinemaCon. And there’s a common thread in the many descriptions that we’ve been reading. As promised by Alvarez, Alien: Romulus is a practical effects-heavy affair!
Collider’s Steven Weintraub tweets, for starters, “The Alien: Romulus [CinemaCon] scenes are brutal and scary and exactly what I wanted. The practical effects and sets looked great.”
That Hashtag Show’s Hunter Bolding tweets, “Alien: Romulus, from the small amount of footage we were shown, looks like a return to Alien being horrifying.
- 4/12/2024
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Cailee Spaeny Talks ‘Civil War,’ Taylor Swift’s ‘Mare of Easttown’ Fandom and Manifesting ‘Matrix 5’
If Civil War star Cailee Spaeny isn’t already on every casting shortlist in town, then her 2024 is about to etch her name in stone.
Coming off of her Golden Globe-nominated performance as Priscilla Presley in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, the Missouri native returns to the big screen with another critically acclaimed A24 film in Alex Garland’s Civil War. The duo previously collaborated together on Garland’s sci-fi miniseries Devs, and fulfilling a promise he made years ago to write his cast new roles, Spaeny is one of six Devs actors in the British filmmaker’s new action-thriller.
Spaeny plays aspiring war photographer, Jessie Cullen, and after being saved on the streets of New York City by her photojournalist hero, Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst), she maneuvers her way into joining Lee’s road trip to Washington, D.C. Along with two other journalists, Joel (Wagner Moura) and Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson...
Coming off of her Golden Globe-nominated performance as Priscilla Presley in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, the Missouri native returns to the big screen with another critically acclaimed A24 film in Alex Garland’s Civil War. The duo previously collaborated together on Garland’s sci-fi miniseries Devs, and fulfilling a promise he made years ago to write his cast new roles, Spaeny is one of six Devs actors in the British filmmaker’s new action-thriller.
Spaeny plays aspiring war photographer, Jessie Cullen, and after being saved on the streets of New York City by her photojournalist hero, Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst), she maneuvers her way into joining Lee’s road trip to Washington, D.C. Along with two other journalists, Joel (Wagner Moura) and Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson...
- 4/10/2024
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Consider this a rite of passage for the "Alien" franchise. Any time a new movie is set to debut, the most pressing question on the minds of fans typically manifests around how the Xenomorph design will look this time around. Every movie has brought its own twist on the formula of H.R. Giger's classic original conception, either opting for a more animalistic look (as in "Alien 3") or more like an unholy mash-up prototype (on display in both "Prometheus" and "Alien: Covenant") that mostly only hints at the well-known creature from the original. But arguably no director added to the lore and made it their own quite like James Cameron did with "Aliens," introducing the concept of the Xenomorph queen and reimagining the species as an insect-like hive.
While the rest of us are still coming down from the high produced by the excellent "Alien: Romulus" teaser, director Fede Álvarez...
While the rest of us are still coming down from the high produced by the excellent "Alien: Romulus" teaser, director Fede Álvarez...
- 3/22/2024
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
The teaser trailer and poster for a truly terrifying cinematic experience from producer Ridley Scott and director/writer Fede Alvarez, 20th Century Studios’ Alien: Romulus, is here!
The sci-fi/horror-thriller takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
Alien: Romulus opens exclusively in theaters nationwide August 16, 2024.
The production and set design are incredible – it’s a terrific combination of the Nostromo from the original 1979 film as well as the elevator from the 1986 sequel Alien.
In today’s interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Alvarez said of Ridley Scott and James Cameron:
James Cameron is also someone I’ve met through the years, and when he learned that I was doing it, we started chatting about it. So I also...
The sci-fi/horror-thriller takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
Alien: Romulus opens exclusively in theaters nationwide August 16, 2024.
The production and set design are incredible – it’s a terrific combination of the Nostromo from the original 1979 film as well as the elevator from the 1986 sequel Alien.
In today’s interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Alvarez said of Ridley Scott and James Cameron:
James Cameron is also someone I’ve met through the years, and when he learned that I was doing it, we started chatting about it. So I also...
- 3/21/2024
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
For years, rights issues have held up updated video releases of James Cameron’s Aliens, The Abyss, and True Lies, with the latter two features skipping Blu-ray entirely. At last, all three have come to 4K Uhd, and their joint release allows one to better appreciate the unexpected connections that link these otherwise completely distinct features.
On a basic level, all three films, covering less than a decade from 1986 to 1994, chart one of the most meteoric career rises in Hollywood history—one that you can see in their exponentially increasing budgets and scale. Aliens, made in the wake of Cameron’s breakout success of 1984’s The Terminator, was produced for a paltry $18 million, not much more than the $11 million allocated to Ridley Scott’s Alien nearly a decade earlier. But Cameron, who cut his teeth in Roger Corman’s micro-budget talent incubator, knew how to stretch a dollar to its maximum use.
On a basic level, all three films, covering less than a decade from 1986 to 1994, chart one of the most meteoric career rises in Hollywood history—one that you can see in their exponentially increasing budgets and scale. Aliens, made in the wake of Cameron’s breakout success of 1984’s The Terminator, was produced for a paltry $18 million, not much more than the $11 million allocated to Ridley Scott’s Alien nearly a decade earlier. But Cameron, who cut his teeth in Roger Corman’s micro-budget talent incubator, knew how to stretch a dollar to its maximum use.
- 3/19/2024
- by Jake Cole
- Slant Magazine
20th Century Studios (formerly 20th Century Fox) birthed two of the biggest sci-fi horror franchises in history: "Alien" and "Predator." Both were birthed in an age where practical and optical special effects ruled the day, but as sequels, prequels, and crossovers multiplied over the decades, the effects became increasingly digital in nature.
What's surprising is the "Predator" series almost aborted entirely at launch. The original 1987 movie -- filmed with the working title "Hunter" -- had a troubled production. Money was tight, the titular alien suit proved to be, well, unsuitable, and the production was shut down. Once given a second life, pickup shoots had to fit around star Arnold Schwarzenegger's increasingly busy schedule, and a mad dash to design a replacement title creature resulted in the iconic, dreadlocked, and mandibled design (from the mind of James Cameron) we all know and love to hate.
While the film was a...
What's surprising is the "Predator" series almost aborted entirely at launch. The original 1987 movie -- filmed with the working title "Hunter" -- had a troubled production. Money was tight, the titular alien suit proved to be, well, unsuitable, and the production was shut down. Once given a second life, pickup shoots had to fit around star Arnold Schwarzenegger's increasingly busy schedule, and a mad dash to design a replacement title creature resulted in the iconic, dreadlocked, and mandibled design (from the mind of James Cameron) we all know and love to hate.
While the film was a...
- 3/16/2024
- by Maurice Molyneaux
- Slash Film
"It was that night I discovered that most things you consider evil or wicked are simply lonely, and lacking in the social niceties." One of my personal favorite Tim Burton movies is Big Fish, the 2003 story of a man and his father and a fish. Among many other creatures. The legendary Stan Winston and his team at Stan Winston Studio were once again hired by Tim Burton to create a handful of special effects for Big Fish (we also posted their video on creating The Penguin for Burton's Batman Returns). As everyone knows, Winston is one of the best in the business, and his work is always exciting to see. The S.W. School of Character Arts website has posted another interesting making of look at their behind-the-scenes process, featuring many photos & videos of their creature creations. The video covers the werewolf, the lion, Helena Bonham Carter's Swamp Witch,...
- 2/1/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Dr. Viktor Frankenstein is the fictional keystone for generations of horror artists. Monster makers bring dreams and nightmares to life, realizing a filmmaker's vision for the impossible things we need to see and shudder at. While movie monsters existed long before Bela Lugosi put on Dracula's cape in 1931, the birth of the classic Universal Monsters franchise is hard to ignore as a watershed moment for things that go bump in the night. Since then, artists like Ray Harryhausen, Phil Tippett, Stan Winston, and countless more have grown with the technology used to evolve an idea from the drawing board to the cinema screen.
However, making these critters isn't always a clear-cut process. Growing an idea into something we can shudder at can take a few attempts to get terrifying right. Sometimes, even the things that go bump in the night had their awkward teenage years. Below, find out about some...
However, making these critters isn't always a clear-cut process. Growing an idea into something we can shudder at can take a few attempts to get terrifying right. Sometimes, even the things that go bump in the night had their awkward teenage years. Below, find out about some...
- 1/29/2024
- by Margaret David
- Slash Film
2023 marked the 35th anniversary of the release of the 1988 film Pumpkinhead (watch it Here), which was the feature directorial debut of legendary special effects artist Stan Winston. Scream Factory celebrated the anniversary by giving the film a new 4K and Blu-ray release and now, soon after ’23 came to an end, Trick or Treat Studios is celebrating Pumpkinhead with an awesome 8″ scale figure! An image of the figure can be seen at the bottom of this article, and more can be found on the Trick or Treat Studios website, where the figure is available for pre-order. Pre-ordered figures are expected to start shipping out on February 29th. The figure goes for the price of $59.99.
Winston crafted the Pumpkinhead story with Richard C. Weinman and Mark Patrick Carducci, drawing inspiration from a poem by Ed Justin. Carducci then wrote the screenplay with Gary Gerani. The film has the following synopsis: After his...
Winston crafted the Pumpkinhead story with Richard C. Weinman and Mark Patrick Carducci, drawing inspiration from a poem by Ed Justin. Carducci then wrote the screenplay with Gary Gerani. The film has the following synopsis: After his...
- 1/9/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
After the success of Ridley Scott’s Alien, the world saw a surge in sci-fi movies centered around blue-collar workers finding themselves up against terrifying creatures, usually in a dark, dank, remote setting. Some of these rip-offs were studio affairs, but a majority of them were made for the home video and late-night cable markets, where the cheap sets and shoddy effects weren’t such big deals. Who among us hasn’t enjoyed a low-budget monster flick that was clearly made for the price of a six-pack? 1989 brought us not one but three sci-fi movies that had at least partial inspiration from Alien and its sequel, Aliens. The latter film’s director, James Cameron, brought us his underwater epic The Abyss, which isn’t a horror film but certainly takes some cues from those earlier movies. Deepstar Six was Sean S. Cunningham’s attempt to bring the slasher movie underwater,...
- 1/4/2024
- by Eric Walkuski
- JoBlo.com
"Why is there always someone who brings eggs and tomatoes to a speech?" Who remembers this iconic line? One of the most strikingly strange character designs ever to grace the big screen was The Penguin in Tim Burton's 1992 sequel Batman Returns (his successful follow up to 1989's Batman). This 90s comic book movie starred Danny DeVito as the fish eatin', wise crackin' DC villain - one of the most disgusting characters that haunted me when I was growing up. Still gives me the willies. The legendary Stan Winston and his team at Stan Winston Studio were hired to create a number of unique special effects for Batman Returns, having worked with Tim Burton before, with a focus on The Penguin. Winston is one of the best in the business, and his work is still impressive. Now 31 years later, the Stan Winston School of Character Arts website has posted a...
- 12/22/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
With a love of cinema woven into its DNA, The Monster Squad helped indoctrinate ’80s kids to the classic monsters. The generation that grew up watching it on home video and HBO look back on the 1987 film with the same reverence director Fred Dekker had for the Universal monster movies, and now they’re passing it down in a similar fashion. There’s no better way to introduce the next generation than with the new 4K edition.
Conceived as “The Little Rascals meets the Universal Monsters,” the cleverly-plotted film clocks in at a tight 82 minutes. The punchy script by Dekker and Shane Black doesn’t have an ounce of fat on it, save for the casual homophobia, misogyny, and body shaming of the time. Drawing inspiration from Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, human characters offer well-placed levity and a bevy of memorable one-liners, but the monsters are played straight.
The...
Conceived as “The Little Rascals meets the Universal Monsters,” the cleverly-plotted film clocks in at a tight 82 minutes. The punchy script by Dekker and Shane Black doesn’t have an ounce of fat on it, save for the casual homophobia, misogyny, and body shaming of the time. Drawing inspiration from Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, human characters offer well-placed levity and a bevy of memorable one-liners, but the monsters are played straight.
The...
- 12/8/2023
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
Actor Cailee Spaeny has confirmed that the events of Alien: Romulus will unfold between those of 1979’s Alien and 1986’s Aliens.
When it was announced last year that Don’t Breathe director Fede Alvarez would be heading up a new movie in the Alien franchise, the line was that its story (co-written by Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues) would be unconnected to the previous films.
That’s likely still true, but we now at least know when the plot of Alien: Romulus will take place – between the events of 1979’s Alien and 1986’s Aliens. Rumours of this timeline placement have been floating around for a few months now, but actor Cailee Spaeny, who has a currently undisclosed role in Romulus, recently confirmed this to Variety's Michaela Zee.
“It’s supposed to slot in between the first movie and the second movie,” Spaeny said. “They brought the same team from Aliens, the James Cameron film.
When it was announced last year that Don’t Breathe director Fede Alvarez would be heading up a new movie in the Alien franchise, the line was that its story (co-written by Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues) would be unconnected to the previous films.
That’s likely still true, but we now at least know when the plot of Alien: Romulus will take place – between the events of 1979’s Alien and 1986’s Aliens. Rumours of this timeline placement have been floating around for a few months now, but actor Cailee Spaeny, who has a currently undisclosed role in Romulus, recently confirmed this to Variety's Michaela Zee.
“It’s supposed to slot in between the first movie and the second movie,” Spaeny said. “They brought the same team from Aliens, the James Cameron film.
- 11/28/2023
- by Ryan Lambie
- Film Stories
The sun is setting, it’ll be dark soon. Anxious, the Losers’ Club scans the nearby skyscrapers and gazes at the monstrosities watching from above. The stone monsters. The gargoyles!
Join co-hosts Dan Pfleegor and Dan Caffrey as they celebrate the 35th anniversary of Stephen King and f-stop Fitzgerald’s 1988 coffee table book Nightmares in the Sky: Gargoyles and Grotesques. Together, they discuss the impetus behind the project, King’s essay, and the countless photos within. Bonus: They also revisit Stan Winston‘s 1972 telefilm Gargoyles.
Stream the episode below and return next week when the Losers slip through time with their extensive coverage for 11/22/63. For further adventures, join the Club over long days and pleasant nights via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. You can also unlock hundreds of hours of content in The Barrens (Patreon).
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Patreon | Store
The post ‘Nightmares in the Sky:...
Join co-hosts Dan Pfleegor and Dan Caffrey as they celebrate the 35th anniversary of Stephen King and f-stop Fitzgerald’s 1988 coffee table book Nightmares in the Sky: Gargoyles and Grotesques. Together, they discuss the impetus behind the project, King’s essay, and the countless photos within. Bonus: They also revisit Stan Winston‘s 1972 telefilm Gargoyles.
Stream the episode below and return next week when the Losers slip through time with their extensive coverage for 11/22/63. For further adventures, join the Club over long days and pleasant nights via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. You can also unlock hundreds of hours of content in The Barrens (Patreon).
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Patreon | Store
The post ‘Nightmares in the Sky:...
- 11/17/2023
- by Michael Roffman
- bloody-disgusting.com
Last year, "Prey" totally knocked our socks off as the best movie in the "Predator" franchise since the original 1987 action flick starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and the incredible make-up effects of Stan Winston. Set further in the past than any other "Predator" movie before, "Prey" had the unique challenge of giving the new "Feral Predator" technology that harkened back to the defining traits of the alien hunter's signature gear and creating technology that felt different without being nerfed, so as not to give our Comanche hero Naru (Amber Midthunder) an easy way out. But director Dan Trachtenberg and creature designer Michael Vincent succeeded, and we got an amazing new addition to the Predator roster.
Hot Toys
Now, you can bring the Feral Predator home in all his gnarly glory in the form of a new Hot Toys figure that was just announced by the high-end collectible creator. The new sixth scale...
Hot Toys
Now, you can bring the Feral Predator home in all his gnarly glory in the form of a new Hot Toys figure that was just announced by the high-end collectible creator. The new sixth scale...
- 10/27/2023
- by Ethan Anderton
- Slash Film
The episode of The Test of Time covering Pumpkinhead was Written by Andrew Hatfield, Narrated by Niki Minter, Edited by Mike Conway, Produced by John Fallon and Tyler Nichols, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
The horror landscape is filled to the brim with icons and mascots that were successful and failures. The big ones like Freddy, Jason, and Michale speak for themselves, hence only needing their first names mentioned here. You could even go another round with Pinhead, the Leprechaun or Leatherface for that matter. Looking down the aisle at the literal murderer’s row of horror movie villains, you can’t shake a stick without hitting some one-off baddies that were clearly meant for multi-movie stardom but due to box office or critical hate were relegated to one movie. Killers like Horace Pinker from Shocker, Dr. Decker from Nightbreed, and Cropsey from The Burning. What about those stuck...
The horror landscape is filled to the brim with icons and mascots that were successful and failures. The big ones like Freddy, Jason, and Michale speak for themselves, hence only needing their first names mentioned here. You could even go another round with Pinhead, the Leprechaun or Leatherface for that matter. Looking down the aisle at the literal murderer’s row of horror movie villains, you can’t shake a stick without hitting some one-off baddies that were clearly meant for multi-movie stardom but due to box office or critical hate were relegated to one movie. Killers like Horace Pinker from Shocker, Dr. Decker from Nightbreed, and Cropsey from The Burning. What about those stuck...
- 10/25/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
What’s your favorite movie sequel of all time? For some of us, it’s the Godfather Part II, for others it’s The Empire Strikes Back, or maybe you’re into Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2. In any case, one of the greatest sequels of all time has to be Terminator 2: Judgement Day. T2 is James Cameron’s 1991 masterpiece that follows up the original 80’s blockbuster. The movie was originally meant to be the end of the road for the Terminator franchise and as such, the ending of the movie serves as a definitive ending to the iconic story. The final confrontation involves the T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) taking on the T-1000 (Robert Patrick) who has been hunting the Conner family in order to terminate them once and for all.
In the scene, the T-1000 is subdued by way of a grenade launcher and subsequently dropped into a vat of molten steel.
In the scene, the T-1000 is subdued by way of a grenade launcher and subsequently dropped into a vat of molten steel.
- 10/10/2023
- by Kier Gomes
- JoBlo.com
Don’t ever assault a possible witch, light her house on fire, dig up her Pet Semetary backyard and use the vial of blood you found next to her book of the dead to resurrect the town monster, K? Equally, don’t ever watch Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings right after watching the original Pumpkinhead. It’s not meant to happen that way.
Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings forgoes the typical sequel that actually tries to live up to its predecessor and goes straight for the fourth-to-seventh sequel package. It does not pass go nor collect $200 but rather heads straight to video and parks its barely running, smoke engulfed 1993 Ford truck on Camp Avenue. Many hate it for that reason. I understand.
I also happen to enjoy the ever lovin’ shit out of it.
While Stan Winston’s Pumpkinhead featured amazing practical effects and an original monster that was frightening as hell,...
Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings forgoes the typical sequel that actually tries to live up to its predecessor and goes straight for the fourth-to-seventh sequel package. It does not pass go nor collect $200 but rather heads straight to video and parks its barely running, smoke engulfed 1993 Ford truck on Camp Avenue. Many hate it for that reason. I understand.
I also happen to enjoy the ever lovin’ shit out of it.
While Stan Winston’s Pumpkinhead featured amazing practical effects and an original monster that was frightening as hell,...
- 10/5/2023
- by Mike Holtz
- bloody-disgusting.com
The horror genre thrives upon cautionary tales where arrogant individuals believe that they can outsmart some supernatural force for their own gain. It’s for this reason that the greed-quenching Djinn and parables where people learn to be careful what they wish for, usually in the most morbid ways possible, are popular horror tropes. Djinn are a fascinating concept, but they’ve struggled to truly make their mark in cinema between largely-forgettable films like Jinn, The Djinn, Wish Upon, and even George Miller’s Three Thousand Years of Longing. But Djinn stories can still be fun and effective in the right context. And Robert Kurtzman’s Wishmaster is still the premier djinn horror film over 25 years later.
Wishmaster is a movie that understands the unabashed joys of a big, dumb plot where there’s a giant magical gemstone that’s the key to the Djinn’s powers because why the hell not?...
Wishmaster is a movie that understands the unabashed joys of a big, dumb plot where there’s a giant magical gemstone that’s the key to the Djinn’s powers because why the hell not?...
- 9/19/2023
- by Daniel Kurland
- bloody-disgusting.com
Spoiler Alert: This contains spoilers from FX’s “What We Do in the Shadows” Season 5, Episode 7 now streaming on Hulu.
The human-animal hybrid has been done countless times before, so when “What We Do in the Shadows” prosthetics designer Paul Jones was tasked with bringing some hybrid creatures to the FX comedy, his approach was “to ground the designs in something that was realistic, and not funny.”
The latest episode, aptly titled “Hybrid Creatures,” sees Laszlo’s (Matt Berry) experiments yield some new results.
Over the course of the season, the Staten Island vampire has been curious as to why Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) — after taking things into his own hands finally to become a vampire — has had trouble transforming. It’s taking far too long, weeks in fact, and Guillermo can still go out in broad daylight.
Laszlo secures Guillermo’s DNA, and starts injecting frogs — and then stray animals,...
The human-animal hybrid has been done countless times before, so when “What We Do in the Shadows” prosthetics designer Paul Jones was tasked with bringing some hybrid creatures to the FX comedy, his approach was “to ground the designs in something that was realistic, and not funny.”
The latest episode, aptly titled “Hybrid Creatures,” sees Laszlo’s (Matt Berry) experiments yield some new results.
Over the course of the season, the Staten Island vampire has been curious as to why Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) — after taking things into his own hands finally to become a vampire — has had trouble transforming. It’s taking far too long, weeks in fact, and Guillermo can still go out in broad daylight.
Laszlo secures Guillermo’s DNA, and starts injecting frogs — and then stray animals,...
- 8/18/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
A few years ago, Scream Factory gave the 1988 film Pumpkinhead (watch it Here) a special edition Blu-ray release, including a limited edition steelbook. Now they’re gearing up to bring Pumpkinhead to 4K on October 10th, and a standalone 4K and Blu-ray combo pack is available for pre-order from the Scream Factory website. If you want to go a bit fancier, there’s also a collector’s edition with a poster, prism sticker, lobby cards, and enamel pins that can be purchased through the Scream Factory website. Scream Factory is also teaming up with Best Buy for a Best Buy exclusive steelbook of the 4K release, and that can be pre-ordered on the Best Buy website.
Pumpkinhead was the feature directorial debut of legendary special effects artist Stan Winston, who crafted the story with Richard C. Weinman and Mark Patrick Carducci, drawing inspiration from a poem by Ed Justin. Carducci...
Pumpkinhead was the feature directorial debut of legendary special effects artist Stan Winston, who crafted the story with Richard C. Weinman and Mark Patrick Carducci, drawing inspiration from a poem by Ed Justin. Carducci...
- 8/11/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
We told you just last month that Scream Factory is giving the Stan Winston horror classic Pumpkinhead a 4K Ultra HD upgrade this Halloween, and a SteelBook is also on the way!
Exclusive to Best Buy, you can grab the brand new Pumpkinhead 4K Ultra HD release in SteelBook packaging on October 10, the same day the standard 4K disc will release.
The Pumpkinhead SteelBook features fresh new artwork, seen below.
Pre-order your copy from Best Buy today.
In the 1988 film, “When a group of teenagers inadvertently kill his only son, Ed Harley invokes Pumpkinhead, a monstrously clawed demon answering only to Ed’s bloodlust.”
Lance Henriksen stars in Pumpkinhead, the directorial debut of Stan Winston.
The post ‘Pumpkinhead’ Conjures Up a SteelBook 4K Ultra HD Release at Best Buy With New Artwork appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
Exclusive to Best Buy, you can grab the brand new Pumpkinhead 4K Ultra HD release in SteelBook packaging on October 10, the same day the standard 4K disc will release.
The Pumpkinhead SteelBook features fresh new artwork, seen below.
Pre-order your copy from Best Buy today.
In the 1988 film, “When a group of teenagers inadvertently kill his only son, Ed Harley invokes Pumpkinhead, a monstrously clawed demon answering only to Ed’s bloodlust.”
Lance Henriksen stars in Pumpkinhead, the directorial debut of Stan Winston.
The post ‘Pumpkinhead’ Conjures Up a SteelBook 4K Ultra HD Release at Best Buy With New Artwork appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
- 8/11/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
For years, Awesome Art We’ve Found Around The Net has been about two things only – awesome art and the artists that create it. With that in mind, we thought why not take the first week of the month to showcase these awesome artists even more? Welcome to “Awesome Artist We’ve Found Around The Net.” In this column, we are focusing on one artist and the awesome art that they create, whether they be amateur, up-and-coming, or well-established. The goal is to uncover these artists so even more people become familiar with them. We ask these artists a few questions to see their origins, influences, and more. If you are an awesome artist or know someone that should be featured, feel free to contact me at any time at theodorebond@joblo.com. This month we are very pleased to bring you the awesome art of…
Bryan Johnson
Bryan Johnson is an award-winning Theatrical Designer,...
Bryan Johnson
Bryan Johnson is an award-winning Theatrical Designer,...
- 8/5/2023
- by Theodore Bond
- JoBlo.com
The "Halloween" franchise is one of the most iconic and enduring in all of horror. Beginning 45 years ago with director John Carpenter's seminal classic, audiences have enjoyed the saga of Michael Myers and his brand of slasher goodness across many different incarnations -- not to mention somewhat confusing timelines. 25 years ago, one of the most important entries in the series hit theaters in the form of "Halloween H20: 20 Years Later." Arriving 20 years after the original, the film brought Jamie Lee Curtis back as Laurie Strode for the first time since 1981's "Halloween II." It was a big deal. The only problem? Michael Myers looked like an absolute clown for the movie's entire runtime thanks to his unforgivably bad mask.
Let's set the stage a touch. The series had been kind of a mess because "Halloween 4" killed off Laurie off-screen and things got really weird in 1995's "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers.
Let's set the stage a touch. The series had been kind of a mess because "Halloween 4" killed off Laurie off-screen and things got really weird in 1995's "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers.
- 8/4/2023
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Clockwise from upper left: Independence Day (20th Century Studios), Speed (20th Century Studios), Apocalypse Now (United Artists), The Bridge on the River Kwai (Columbia Pictures)Graphic: AVClub
We try our best, here at The A.V. Club, to let nuance and subtlety shine through in everything we do. As we contemplate...
We try our best, here at The A.V. Club, to let nuance and subtlety shine through in everything we do. As we contemplate...
- 7/4/2023
- by William Hughes
- avclub.com
Thirty years ago, Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park hit big screens like a genetic-engineered atom bomb. When Spielberg first began imagining the potential of author Michael Crichton’s billion-dollar idea—one which the author shared with him in private before even revealing the concept to the public—the director saw the potential for a modern day King Kong. The comparison would be apt, too, because outside of that 1933 giant ape picture, few spectacles in the history of cinema have left such a big footprint on pop culture.
Still, it cannot be understated just how big Jurassic Park was in its day. While the advent of computer-generated effects had already begun, most famously several years beforehand in James Cameron’s Terminator 2, Jurassic Park’s cutting edge blending of animatronic creations from Stan Winston’s workshop with new CGI innovations at George Lucas’ Ilm astounded audiences and critics alike. To this day,...
Still, it cannot be understated just how big Jurassic Park was in its day. While the advent of computer-generated effects had already begun, most famously several years beforehand in James Cameron’s Terminator 2, Jurassic Park’s cutting edge blending of animatronic creations from Stan Winston’s workshop with new CGI innovations at George Lucas’ Ilm astounded audiences and critics alike. To this day,...
- 6/26/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
The DNA of the summer blockbuster will forever be infused with that of Steven Spielberg changed the game – an event movie that literally had people queueing down the street to watch it (hence the phrase ‘block-buster’), desperate to escape the heat and experience two hours of oceanic terror in an air-conditioned cinema. The Hollywood landscape was never the same. But while it was _Jaws that invented the blockbuster, for a generation of movie-goers it was another Steven Spielberg film that perfected it, nearly two decades later. In the summer of 1993, the director delivered an adventure 65 million years in the making – a monster movie of sorts, boasting groundbreaking computer effects, bigger teeth than Bruce the shark, and a promise to do the impossible: to bring dinosaurs back from extinction before your very eyes. “Welcome… to Jurassic Park.”
There are several building-blocks needed to create the perfect blockbuster movie – it’s not just about action sequences.
There are several building-blocks needed to create the perfect blockbuster movie – it’s not just about action sequences.
- 6/13/2023
- by Ben Travis
- Empire - Movies
Today, May 30th, marks the 20th anniversary of the release of the backwoods slasher movie Wrong Turn, and to celebrate Entertainment Weekly has published an article that looks back at the making of the film, from the real-life moment that inspired Alan B. McElroy to write the screenplay (he and his wife were stuck in a winter traffic jam and decided to take a side road detour) through the hiring of Rob Schmidt to direct the film (he chose it over a Hellraiser sequel), the casting of the killers, and the tricks Stan Winston’s FX team did on the set. The article also gives a nod to the five sequels that followed – and to the 2021 reboot, which was also written by McElroy. While being interviewed, McElroy mentioned that he’s hoping to make two sequels to the reboot.
Directed by Mike P. Nelson, the 2021 Wrong Turn had the following...
Directed by Mike P. Nelson, the 2021 Wrong Turn had the following...
- 5/31/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The idea of the “movie star” is usually reserved for the uber-famous; Margot Robbie, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. The occasional director like Jordan Peele or Christopher Nolan, filmmakers so well established they have their own font. But in the genre world, it’s different. As much as you might see a crowd turn out in force for the game-changing work of a John Carpenter, or a Michelle Yeoh, you’re just as likely to see lines around the block for Dick Smith, Rick Baker, Rob Bottin, Greg Nicotero, Phil Tippett or Tom Savini – Hollywood’s most lauded special effects and make-up artists. The physical creators of some of the most iconic characters in cinema history: our movie monsters.
Which explains Forbidden Worlds Film Festival’s entire strand devoted to ‘Creature Creators’; a series of films shining a spotlight on these visual effects ‘stars’. Charting a course from Willis O’Brien’s...
Which explains Forbidden Worlds Film Festival’s entire strand devoted to ‘Creature Creators’; a series of films shining a spotlight on these visual effects ‘stars’. Charting a course from Willis O’Brien’s...
- 5/21/2023
- by Ben Robins
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
For a community of die-hard, genre-loving film fans who grew up crouched over tiny glass TV screens, the holy grail has arrived. Some of the cult film world’s most influential (and most obscure) releases, projected large and loud, on an IMAX screen the size of a building.
Bristol’s new(ish) Forbidden Worlds Film Festival returns for a second year, from 18th-21st May, with a frankly ridiculous line-up of big-screen treats. Three strands that very much speak for themselves: Creature Creators (stop-motion pioneers and practical effects wizards), Video Shop Archives (old school cult classics), and Michelle Yeoh (nuff said). Kicking off with a Stan Winston double-feature on opening night, showcasing Winston’s iconic effects work in The Terminator, before a rare theatrical screening of his directorial debut Pumpkinhead, Forbidden Worlds is really going there with unusual, one-off events.
“We all have our favourites,” jokes Tessa Williams, one of...
Bristol’s new(ish) Forbidden Worlds Film Festival returns for a second year, from 18th-21st May, with a frankly ridiculous line-up of big-screen treats. Three strands that very much speak for themselves: Creature Creators (stop-motion pioneers and practical effects wizards), Video Shop Archives (old school cult classics), and Michelle Yeoh (nuff said). Kicking off with a Stan Winston double-feature on opening night, showcasing Winston’s iconic effects work in The Terminator, before a rare theatrical screening of his directorial debut Pumpkinhead, Forbidden Worlds is really going there with unusual, one-off events.
“We all have our favourites,” jokes Tessa Williams, one of...
- 5/4/2023
- by Ben Robins
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
New Delhi, April 21 (Ians) So, did the hyper-real prosthetics in films like Tumbbad, ‘Ghoul’, Sonchiriya, Raaz 3, ‘Darr at the Mall’ and ’72 hours’ impress you? Well, they were all made not in a fancy studio in Mumbai but in a small one on the outskirts of Chandigarh.
Gurpreet Dhuri, who has worked for some major names including Anand Gandhi, Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, and Rahi Anil Barve started off with Kashyap’s ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ and there has been a steady stream of work, especially from independent filmmakers.
A pass-out from Chandigarh’s Government College of Art, Dhuri, a specialist in creating hyper-realistic sculptures and characters boasts of having the only studio in the region offering FX and hyperrealism in sculpture. All the team members are from the College of Art here.
“Several years back, when I was visiting Pune, a friend working with Anurag Kashyap got me to do...
Gurpreet Dhuri, who has worked for some major names including Anand Gandhi, Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, and Rahi Anil Barve started off with Kashyap’s ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ and there has been a steady stream of work, especially from independent filmmakers.
A pass-out from Chandigarh’s Government College of Art, Dhuri, a specialist in creating hyper-realistic sculptures and characters boasts of having the only studio in the region offering FX and hyperrealism in sculpture. All the team members are from the College of Art here.
“Several years back, when I was visiting Pune, a friend working with Anurag Kashyap got me to do...
- 4/21/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
For this month’s installment of “TV Terrors” we revisit the ambitious small screen project “Roger Corman Presents,” which aired from 1995 through 1999 on Showtime.
Not many remember this, but back in the nineties, the cable network Showtime was extremely centered on science fiction and horror genre fare. They were the original launch pads for “Stargate Sg-1” and “Poltergeist: The Legacy” before they became syndication mainstays. Hell, even their marketing was catered to the science fiction and horror aesthetic.
Like Cinemax, Showtime sought to work out distribution deals while releasing their own original films for primetime and late night slots. While Cinemax and HBO worked with Stan Winston, Showtime collaborated with the one and only Roger Corman. With him and his studio Concorde Pictures, they would produce a series of low budget films that would air over the course of two seasons. With the banner “Roger Corman Presents,” Corman and company...
Not many remember this, but back in the nineties, the cable network Showtime was extremely centered on science fiction and horror genre fare. They were the original launch pads for “Stargate Sg-1” and “Poltergeist: The Legacy” before they became syndication mainstays. Hell, even their marketing was catered to the science fiction and horror aesthetic.
Like Cinemax, Showtime sought to work out distribution deals while releasing their own original films for primetime and late night slots. While Cinemax and HBO worked with Stan Winston, Showtime collaborated with the one and only Roger Corman. With him and his studio Concorde Pictures, they would produce a series of low budget films that would air over the course of two seasons. With the banner “Roger Corman Presents,” Corman and company...
- 4/20/2023
- by Felix Vasquez Jr
- bloody-disgusting.com
If the Joker is the most fun Batman villain to play, The Penguin has to be a close second. If you look at actors who've portrayed the legendary rogue, the character seems to bring out some genuinely novel and committed performances. Colin Farrell had unbridled fun playing the Penguin in "The Batman," telling Total Film, "It overtook me [...] I started moving and talking and gesticulating with my hands and it felt like being a kid in the sandbox, man."
Before Farrell and makeup geniuses Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine put their stamp on the Penguin, Stan Winston and Danny DeVito had a go at it for Tim Burton's 1992 effort "Batman Returns." And in much the same way Farrell was able to disappear beneath his prosthetics, DeVito was a little too committed to the role of the Penguin. In a making-of featurette, Winston, who'd designed DeVito's prosthetics, recalled seeing the actor on set,...
Before Farrell and makeup geniuses Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine put their stamp on the Penguin, Stan Winston and Danny DeVito had a go at it for Tim Burton's 1992 effort "Batman Returns." And in much the same way Farrell was able to disappear beneath his prosthetics, DeVito was a little too committed to the role of the Penguin. In a making-of featurette, Winston, who'd designed DeVito's prosthetics, recalled seeing the actor on set,...
- 4/16/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Spoilers for "Star Wars: The Mandalorian" Chapter 17 – The Apostate follow.
Season 3 of "The Mandalorian" wasted no time in getting right back into the action fantasy that only "Star Wars" can deliver. In the opening minutes of the seventeenth chapter in the series, "The Apostate," the Mandalorian sect that Din Djarin was banished from is attacked by a giant super croc in a breathtaking sequence that's reminiscent of the season 2 premiere when Cob Vanth and Mando unite with the Tusken Raiders to defeat a massive Krayt dragon. In "The Apostate," Din swoops in on his N-1 Starfighter to save the day. As a reward, he is granted an audience with the Mandalorian Armorer (Emily Swallow), who once again tells Din that his only hope of redemption after removing his helmet is to return to their home planet and cleanse himself in the waters of the mines of Mandalore.
After the Galactic...
Season 3 of "The Mandalorian" wasted no time in getting right back into the action fantasy that only "Star Wars" can deliver. In the opening minutes of the seventeenth chapter in the series, "The Apostate," the Mandalorian sect that Din Djarin was banished from is attacked by a giant super croc in a breathtaking sequence that's reminiscent of the season 2 premiere when Cob Vanth and Mando unite with the Tusken Raiders to defeat a massive Krayt dragon. In "The Apostate," Din swoops in on his N-1 Starfighter to save the day. As a reward, he is granted an audience with the Mandalorian Armorer (Emily Swallow), who once again tells Din that his only hope of redemption after removing his helmet is to return to their home planet and cleanse himself in the waters of the mines of Mandalore.
After the Galactic...
- 3/1/2023
- by Drew Tinnin
- Slash Film
This post contains spoilers for "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania."
One can say many things of "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," but it is, without a question, a pretty weird movie -- particularly by Marvel Cinematic Universe standards. Director Peyton Reed's trip through the Quantum Realm to bring Scott Lang face-to-face with Kang the Conqueror included many, many strange moments, with the inclusion of M.O.D.O.K. only ranking as a relatively small part of it. Much of that weirdness is thanks to writer Jeff Loveness, who incorporated some of his "Rick and Morty" sensibilities in his screenplay. But it turns out, he left some of his weirdest ideas on the table.
/Film's Ethan Anderson recently sat down to chat with Loveness, and you can read the full interview right here. During the conversation, Loveness touched on some of the strange ideas he had that were just...
One can say many things of "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," but it is, without a question, a pretty weird movie -- particularly by Marvel Cinematic Universe standards. Director Peyton Reed's trip through the Quantum Realm to bring Scott Lang face-to-face with Kang the Conqueror included many, many strange moments, with the inclusion of M.O.D.O.K. only ranking as a relatively small part of it. Much of that weirdness is thanks to writer Jeff Loveness, who incorporated some of his "Rick and Morty" sensibilities in his screenplay. But it turns out, he left some of his weirdest ideas on the table.
/Film's Ethan Anderson recently sat down to chat with Loveness, and you can read the full interview right here. During the conversation, Loveness touched on some of the strange ideas he had that were just...
- 2/24/2023
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
(To celebrate "Titanic" and its impending 25th-anniversary re-release, we've put together a week of explorations, inquires, and deep dives into James Cameron's box office-smashing disaster epic.)
James Cameron was not quite the King of the World, or Hollywood for that matter, when he announced in 1995 that he was making an epic drama based on the doomed voyage of the Rms Titanic. He was viewed primarily as an action specialist and, in tandem with collaborators like Stan Winston and Dennis Murren, a visual effects pioneer. "The Terminator" was a B-movie classic that exploded into the mega-blockbuster of "T2: Judgment Day." In between those two movies, Cameron had hit the blockbuster A-list with "Aliens" and nearly lost it all with the pricey commercial disappointment of "The Abyss."
But it was at the bottom of that three-mile-deep trench that Cameron arrived at the project that would vault him to the rarefied,...
James Cameron was not quite the King of the World, or Hollywood for that matter, when he announced in 1995 that he was making an epic drama based on the doomed voyage of the Rms Titanic. He was viewed primarily as an action specialist and, in tandem with collaborators like Stan Winston and Dennis Murren, a visual effects pioneer. "The Terminator" was a B-movie classic that exploded into the mega-blockbuster of "T2: Judgment Day." In between those two movies, Cameron had hit the blockbuster A-list with "Aliens" and nearly lost it all with the pricey commercial disappointment of "The Abyss."
But it was at the bottom of that three-mile-deep trench that Cameron arrived at the project that would vault him to the rarefied,...
- 2/6/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Much has been made of "The Thing," John Carpenter's 1982 box office bomb-turned-genre darling. Whether it's Bill Lancaster's adapted script of John W. Campbell Jr.'s 1938 novella "Who Goes There?," Rob Bottin's gnarly special effects (with an assist from dog-Thing creature designer Stan Winston), or Carpenter's meticulous direction that's light on the jump scares and heavy on the dread, the result is now considered one of the great gargoyles in the horror movie pantheon. Though the story is about an alien organism infiltrating an Arctic research post, and though there are plenty of tentacles about, the narrative is largely character-driven as paranoia and mistrust grow among the isolated cadre of men, led by Kurt Russell's pilot, R.J. MacReady.
A 2016 LA Weekly interview with the cast and crew yields insights from the film's production. Therein, Carpenter called the shoot "intimidating," as he had to wrangle multiple accomplished actors — some of whom,...
A 2016 LA Weekly interview with the cast and crew yields insights from the film's production. Therein, Carpenter called the shoot "intimidating," as he had to wrangle multiple accomplished actors — some of whom,...
- 2/6/2023
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
Movie robots are inherently cool. They're brought to life by the best special effects available, like Phil Tippett's amazing stop-motion, or puppeteers inside detailed suits. From Kenny Baker within Lucasfilm's famous R2-D2 bucket to the pair of stuntmen, Frankie Carpenter and Frankie Darro, who brought Robby the Robot to life, there are a bunch of ways to pull it off.
But most movie robots require bearing a couple of things in mind. One is if the audience is supposed to empathize with them, which means comforting, funny voices — Tars, for example — or human-ish eyes, like Optimus Prime. The other is how close are they to falling into the uncanny valley. We're wired to notice when something doesn't look quite right, and some movie robots benefit from using that to scare the hell out of us. There's another level of robot movie power to discuss, and that's how...
But most movie robots require bearing a couple of things in mind. One is if the audience is supposed to empathize with them, which means comforting, funny voices — Tars, for example — or human-ish eyes, like Optimus Prime. The other is how close are they to falling into the uncanny valley. We're wired to notice when something doesn't look quite right, and some movie robots benefit from using that to scare the hell out of us. There's another level of robot movie power to discuss, and that's how...
- 1/27/2023
- by Margaret David
- Slash Film
Killer machines are a narrative trope about as old as machinery itself, but there’s something especially creepy about metallic killers when they’re roughly human-shaped. And as we’ve seen with the success of Blumhouse’s insanely popular M3GAN, the uncanny valley can still go a long way when it comes to attracting modern audiences.
With that in mind, we’ve decided to celebrate the home release of M3GAN with a list of six other memorable killer androids in horror movies. After all, these man-made movie monsters evolved alongside Hollywood’s understanding of technology, so we’ve seen some pretty interesting homicidal automatons over the years.
Obviously, this list is based on personal opinion, but we’ll still be following a couple of rules. First of all, we’ll be excluding cyborgs from the list, as their human bits make them a completely different kind of character. Second, we...
With that in mind, we’ve decided to celebrate the home release of M3GAN with a list of six other memorable killer androids in horror movies. After all, these man-made movie monsters evolved alongside Hollywood’s understanding of technology, so we’ve seen some pretty interesting homicidal automatons over the years.
Obviously, this list is based on personal opinion, but we’ll still be following a couple of rules. First of all, we’ll be excluding cyborgs from the list, as their human bits make them a completely different kind of character. Second, we...
- 1/26/2023
- by Luiz H. C.
- bloody-disgusting.com
The 1990s were a wild time, when fears of Y2K loomed and the upcoming turn of the millennium made it seem like the distant future was just within reach. As a result, there is a giant mess of science fiction films from this era, with each trying its best to predict the future. Many of them tried to prophesize what was coming in the next 30-40 years, which means that the futures they were trying to predict would be right... about... now. So how do they stack up? What did the movies of the '90s get right about our current reality, and what did they totally miss? Each week, I'll be breaking down a different '90s sci-fi flick and compare its version of the future to our actual timeline. This week, I'm kicking things off with Rachel Talalay's 1995 comic book adaptation, "Tank Girl."
"Tank Girl" was loosely...
"Tank Girl" was loosely...
- 1/5/2023
- by Danielle Ryan
- 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: "Small Soldiers"
Where You Can Stream It: HBO Max
The Pitch: Two iterations of toy lines that reigned over the 1980s — G.I. Joe and Masters of the Universe — go head-to-head in a battle for American dominance in "Small Soldiers," Joe Dante's 1998 skewering of an American public obsessed with make-believe fantasies of war. Its Everytown, USA is filled with characters concerned more with might and supremacy than community; Manifest Destiny materializes in neighbors' lopped-off tree limbs that block satellite reception. Leavened with Stan Winston-crafted animatronics and the dark comedy of "Gremlins," Dante's "Small Soldiers" contains one of the most acerbic portraits of gung-ho America to be found in the decade's cinema.
Denis Leary injects his signature cynicism into Gil Mars,...
The Movie: "Small Soldiers"
Where You Can Stream It: HBO Max
The Pitch: Two iterations of toy lines that reigned over the 1980s — G.I. Joe and Masters of the Universe — go head-to-head in a battle for American dominance in "Small Soldiers," Joe Dante's 1998 skewering of an American public obsessed with make-believe fantasies of war. Its Everytown, USA is filled with characters concerned more with might and supremacy than community; Manifest Destiny materializes in neighbors' lopped-off tree limbs that block satellite reception. Leavened with Stan Winston-crafted animatronics and the dark comedy of "Gremlins," Dante's "Small Soldiers" contains one of the most acerbic portraits of gung-ho America to be found in the decade's cinema.
Denis Leary injects his signature cynicism into Gil Mars,...
- 1/2/2023
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
On the subject of the rare sequels that equal or excel their predecessors, "Aliens" is surely one of the most popular nominations. James Cameron's 1986 sci-fi action extravaganza comes seven years after Ridley Scott's terrifying slasher-in-space "Alien," though Cameron was tapped to write the sequel years earlier. He already had "The Terminator" and a script for "Rambo: First Blood Part II" under his belt, and would carry the intensity of both into his "Alien" franchise entry.
This time, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), the sole human survivor of the Nostromo, is back to aid locked-and-loaded Colonial Marines in search of a lost terraformer colony on exomoon Lv-426; there, the movie's title comes into play. Nearly two hours of movie goes by as the humans battle the H.R. Giger and Stan Winston-created xenomorphs and facehuggers, culminating in what /Film's Lee Adams calls "one of cinema's greatest climactic showdowns in one...
This time, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), the sole human survivor of the Nostromo, is back to aid locked-and-loaded Colonial Marines in search of a lost terraformer colony on exomoon Lv-426; there, the movie's title comes into play. Nearly two hours of movie goes by as the humans battle the H.R. Giger and Stan Winston-created xenomorphs and facehuggers, culminating in what /Film's Lee Adams calls "one of cinema's greatest climactic showdowns in one...
- 12/10/2022
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
Before director Michael Dougherty's version of "Krampus" finally made it to theaters in 2015, the idea of crafting a story around the old Austrian folktale had been circulating for years. George Romero was mulling over the possibility of at least producing a movie based on the Krampus legend at one point. In fact, this was the second time that Doughtery took on a project that Romero walked away from. The beloved horror anthology "Trick 'r Treat" was Dougherty's first film after Romero — as well as horror legends John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, and Stan Winston — exited that project as well, which we learned on Mick Garris' "Post Mortem" podcast. This eventually led to the PG-13 version of "Krampus" which audiences eventually got to see. There is a much naughtier R-rated "Krampus" cut out there, as well.
When "Krampus" first hit theaters, it didn't exactly light up the holiday box office,...
When "Krampus" first hit theaters, it didn't exactly light up the holiday box office,...
- 12/3/2022
- by Drew Tinnin
- Slash Film
You'll have to get your scrolling finger ready to review the illustrious career of visual effects maestro Phil Tippett. From the gnarly (and LSD-tinged) conjuring of the Rancor in the far, far away galaxy of "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" (for which he would earn a Best Visual Effects Oscar) to his contributions to the ever-popular fantasy "Willow" under the umbrella of the Industrial Light & Magic (Ilm) team, the award-winning designer and stop-motion artist is responsible for some of cinema's most breathtaking sights.
This year sees the 25th anniversary of "Starship Troopers," a satirical joyride erected on malicious compliance with its source material and buttressed with spectacular creatures crafted under Tippett's care. By the time he came onto the project, Tippet was still moving on the momentum of his VFX creature showcase (credited as "Dinosaur Supervisor") alongside effects titan Stan Winston in Steven Spielberg's 1993 adventure excursion "Jurassic Park.
This year sees the 25th anniversary of "Starship Troopers," a satirical joyride erected on malicious compliance with its source material and buttressed with spectacular creatures crafted under Tippett's care. By the time he came onto the project, Tippet was still moving on the momentum of his VFX creature showcase (credited as "Dinosaur Supervisor") alongside effects titan Stan Winston in Steven Spielberg's 1993 adventure excursion "Jurassic Park.
- 12/3/2022
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
It’s time for a new episode of the Best Horror Movie You Never Saw video series, and in this one we’re looking back at the 1988 release Pumpkinhead (watch it Here), the feature directorial debut of legendary special effects artist Stan Winston. To find out all about Pumpkinhead, check out the video embedded above!
Winston crafted the story for Pumpkinhead with Richard C. Weinman and Mark Patrick Carducci, drawing inspiration from a poem by Ed Justin. Carducci then wrote the screenplay with Gary Gerani. Pumpkinhead has the following synopsis:
After his son dies in a hit-and-run accident, Ed Harley seeks revenge against the teenagers responsible. With the help of a local witch, Ed summons the vengeful demon Pumpkinhead to hunt and kill the group of friends. But when Ed discovers a bond between himself and the creature, he begins to have second thoughts about employing the vicious monster, and...
Winston crafted the story for Pumpkinhead with Richard C. Weinman and Mark Patrick Carducci, drawing inspiration from a poem by Ed Justin. Carducci then wrote the screenplay with Gary Gerani. Pumpkinhead has the following synopsis:
After his son dies in a hit-and-run accident, Ed Harley seeks revenge against the teenagers responsible. With the help of a local witch, Ed summons the vengeful demon Pumpkinhead to hunt and kill the group of friends. But when Ed discovers a bond between himself and the creature, he begins to have second thoughts about employing the vicious monster, and...
- 11/15/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
John Carpenter knows a thing or two about monsters. The now legendary genre director has created many iconic creatures out of near whole cloth—or with the collaboration of Debra Hill in the case of Halloween’s Michael Myers. And even with a movie like The Thing (1982), which is both a remake and adaptation, the creature designs Carpenter and Stan Winston came up for the eponymous alien is now the stuff of eternal nightmares.
What is less known about Carpenter, however, is that he’s also a massive Godzilla fan. Going back to when he saw the American version of the original 1954 film, Godzilla: King of the Monsters (1956), during its original release, Carpenter has had a lifelong affinity for the giant kaiju movies that came out of Japan, particularly those released by Toho Studios. But as he confesses to Den of Geek, “These movies have been appreciated in silence for years.
What is less known about Carpenter, however, is that he’s also a massive Godzilla fan. Going back to when he saw the American version of the original 1954 film, Godzilla: King of the Monsters (1956), during its original release, Carpenter has had a lifelong affinity for the giant kaiju movies that came out of Japan, particularly those released by Toho Studios. But as he confesses to Den of Geek, “These movies have been appreciated in silence for years.
- 11/1/2022
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Smile, out in theaters this Friday, is the “intensely creepy debut feature” from writer/director Parker Finn.
His feature debut makes for an interesting spiritual successor to his 2020 short film, “Laura Hasn’t Slept,” which stars Caitlin Stasey as a woman seeking help from her therapist over her troubling nightmares.
Ahead of Smile‘s release on September 30, Bloody Disgusting spoke with Finn about creating a loose continuation of his short, crafting scares, and teaming up with horror SFX legends for his feature debut.
Finn explained how the idea for Smile came during post-production of his short film.
“I made the short to exist in its own right. I think that’s how all good shorts should exist instead of being a commercial for something bigger. While I was in post, something about the idea kept nagging at me, and this larger story started forming in my head with a different character at its center.
His feature debut makes for an interesting spiritual successor to his 2020 short film, “Laura Hasn’t Slept,” which stars Caitlin Stasey as a woman seeking help from her therapist over her troubling nightmares.
Ahead of Smile‘s release on September 30, Bloody Disgusting spoke with Finn about creating a loose continuation of his short, crafting scares, and teaming up with horror SFX legends for his feature debut.
Finn explained how the idea for Smile came during post-production of his short film.
“I made the short to exist in its own right. I think that’s how all good shorts should exist instead of being a commercial for something bigger. While I was in post, something about the idea kept nagging at me, and this larger story started forming in my head with a different character at its center.
- 9/29/2022
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
The release of Ti West’s ‘Pearl’ this weekend raises the question of which other horror classics would benefit from the prequel treatment.
Ti West has pulled off an impressive feat in 2022 by not only introducing audiences to Maxine, Pearl, and the world of X, but fleshing it out into its own horror trilogy within the span of a year. Pearl builds upon the ideas that Ti West first explored in X, only to push them in new directions and through a completely distinct filter. It’s a movie that both stands on its own, but also immediately makes the viewer want to rewatch X to view the film with greater insight.
Horror prequels debatably have an even more contentious reputation than sequels do since a lot of the time they rob characters or concepts of their initial mystique and a level of suspense is missing since audiences know what lies ahead on some level.
Ti West has pulled off an impressive feat in 2022 by not only introducing audiences to Maxine, Pearl, and the world of X, but fleshing it out into its own horror trilogy within the span of a year. Pearl builds upon the ideas that Ti West first explored in X, only to push them in new directions and through a completely distinct filter. It’s a movie that both stands on its own, but also immediately makes the viewer want to rewatch X to view the film with greater insight.
Horror prequels debatably have an even more contentious reputation than sequels do since a lot of the time they rob characters or concepts of their initial mystique and a level of suspense is missing since audiences know what lies ahead on some level.
- 9/15/2022
- by Daniel Kurland
- bloody-disgusting.com
In an early issue of Hidenori Kusaka's 1997 manga "Pokémon Adventures," based on the game by Satoshi Tajiri, the definition of a Pokémon was laid down as merely "a mysterious species not recorded in traditional biological taxonomies." A look around the Pokémon universe, however, finds no animals that have been recorded in traditional biological taxonomies, either. There are no cats and dogs in this world, only Pokémon. Some have theorized that Pokémon takes place in a distant future, a post-post-apocalyptic world where animals evolved into superpowered creatures. Others simply repeat to themselves it's just a show and fans should really just relax, understanding that Pokémon exists in a fantasy world.
In this world, 10-year-olds are offered the opportunity to leave home with a bindle with a superpowered animal in their charge, all in the hopes of garnering the honor (there is no cash prize) of becoming a Pokémon Master.
The volume...
In this world, 10-year-olds are offered the opportunity to leave home with a bindle with a superpowered animal in their charge, all in the hopes of garnering the honor (there is no cash prize) of becoming a Pokémon Master.
The volume...
- 8/27/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
It’s not a stretch to say that James Cameron’s The Terminator might be one of the most influential movies of all time. Produced on a shoestring budget, The Terminator introduced the world to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 and Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor, mother of the human resistance. In this original classic, Arnie’s T-800 is a terrifying figure, much different from the heroic character we’d come to love in the sequels. Here, he’s sent back to kill Sarah Connor before she can give birth to her son John Connor, only to be protected by a heroic soldier from the future, Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn). With its iconic, menacing score by Brad Fiedel and novel FX via Stan Winston, The Terminator is considered by many to be one of the best sci-fi action hybrids ever. Still, the road to the big screen was not easy for James Cameron’s epic.
- 8/23/2022
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
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