I love scary movies and I love blood and guts and severed heads and tangled up intestines everywhere. I guess tangled-up intestines are kind of the same thing as guts, but, wow, do I love grisly gore. It seems like older horror movies often focused more on the psychology of how horrifying a situation or act was and newer horror movies put more attention into convincingly showing every stab and every spurting artery on camera. For example, especially when you factor in what audiences of the time were used to, Last House on the Left was really shocking in 1972. It’s slogan was “To avoid fainting, keep repeating it’s only a movie, only a movie, only a movie.” Most of the most horrible events in the movie, you hear the suffering, but you can’t really see what is going on. By contrast, the 2009 version seems to be shot somehow higher quality, partly just due to the technology of modern cinematography. To my modern eyes, the color palette is more pleasing in the 2009 Last House on the Left. More of the gruesome parts are visible, although they could still go more extreme with that, for my taste. But the new one somehow loses some of the aura of menace, while at the same time vastly improving special effects and general overall look. Partly I suppose Aaron Paul just didn’t seem very scary to begin with and he already seemed like a tragic hero to anyone who had seen him play Jesse in Breaking Bad. You can research more about both the 1972 film version and the more recent 2009 remake at Wikipedia and you can read a bit about Last House on the Left distribution channels for horror at Blue Blood.
Horror special effects definitely have come a long way since the seventies. Now though, the special effects are, not to sound ironic, to die for. Trust me, if the quality of movies were still the same as they were a few decades ago, you can bet that I wouldn’t drop what I was doing over at http://www.partybingo.com just to watch some crappy special effects, and acting that we will just label as sub-par. Thank god though, that isn’t the case! To prove my point, just go watch one of the many (I think there are eight) movies in the Saw series, or if you are really up for some cringing, then watch Hostel.
So, in conclusion, I’ll watch the seventies movies for the acting and the newer ones for the special effects, but the special effects really have to be pretty impressive. I’m thinking about going to see Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D. I figure, even if the acting is all Disney Channel, the special effects on that have to be worth a theater ticket.
Social Bookmarking: Scream as loud as you can! Maybe someone will hear.
Entertainment Weekly scored itself a trio of new behind-the-scenes shots from the set of the now shooting Jurassic World, including your first look at star Bryce Dallas Howard, and we have 'em for you right here.
“Yesterday I was under a construction crane with Chris Pratt, covered with dirt, eyeballing the exact height of the dinosaur trying to kill him,” director Colin Trevorrow tells EW. “We both cracked up laughing. Sometimes you just have to stop and let the joy take over.”
Vincent D'Onofrio, Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, BD Wong, Idris Elba, Jake Johnson, Omar Sy, and Nick Robinson star.
Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) penned the script with Derek Connolly and directs. Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall, and Pat Crowley produce Jurassic World, which is set to hit theaters June 12, 2015.
You are cordially invited to the season finale of "The Following" (Episode 2.15, entitled "Forgive") next Monday, and before you RSVP, you might want to check out this new preview and still that Fox just released.
"The Following" Episode 2.15 - "Forgive" (4/28/14, 9-10PM):THE TABLES TURN ON RYAN HARDY AND JOE CARROLL IN THE SEASON FINALE - Mark and Luke (Sam Underwood) turn the tables on both Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) and Joe Carroll (James Purefoy), forcing the two sworn enemies to come together to save the woman they love.
Cast: Kevin Bacon as Ryan Hardy; James Purefoy as Joe Carroll; Shawn Ashmore as Agent Mike Weston; Natalie Zea as Claire Matthews; Valorie Curry as Emma Hill; Connie Nielsen as Lily Gray; Sam Underwood as Luke/Mark; Jessica Stroup as Max Hardy; Tiffany Boone as Mandy Lang
Guest Cast: Sprague Grayden as Carrie Cooke; Mackenzie Marsh as Tilda; Felix Solis as Agent Clarke; Carter Jenkins as Preston; Connor Fox as Jason
A new image from the now shooting Terminator: Genesis, the fifth film in the Terminator franchise, has arrived online featuring Arnold dressed to the lethal nines... trademark sunglasses, leather jacket, et al. Check it out!
From the Press Release Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions announced that principal photography is officially under way on the TERMINATOR reboot, directed by Alan Taylor (THOR: THE DARK WORLD, “Game of Thrones”). The film is shooting in New Orleans.
The new film is written by Laeta Kalogridis (AVATAR, SHUTTER ISLAND) and Patrick Lussier (DRIVE ANGRY). David Ellison and Dana Goldberg (WORLD WAR Z, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS) of Skydance Productions are producing. Executive producers are Skydance’s Paul Schwake (WORLD WAR Z, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS), Annapurna Pictures’ Megan Ellison (AMERICAN HUSTLE, HER), Kalogridis, and Lussier.
TERMINATOR stars Arnold Schwarzenegger (THE EXPENDABLES 1 & 2, TERMINATOR 1, 2 & 3), Jason Clarke (THE GREAT GATSBY, ZERO DARK THIRTY), Emilia Clarke (“Game of Thrones”), Jai Courtney (DIVERGENT, JACK REACHER), J.K. Simmons (MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN, UP IN THE AIR), Dayo Okeniyi (THE HUNGER GAMES, THE SPECTACULAR NOW), and Byung-Hun Lee (RED 2, G.I. JOE: RETALIATION).
The TERMINATOR franchise launched in 1984 with Schwarzenegger as the title character and spanned three subsequent films, which have earned more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office.
Paramount will distribute the film worldwide on July 1, 2015.
Schwarzenegger is back as the Terminator cyborg, and his older appearance will be explained. Dayo Okeniyi is playing the son of Miles Dyson, the Cyberdyne exec played by Joe Morton in Terminator: Judgement Day; the character was a little boy in that movie. Emilia Clarke is portraying Sarah Connor, Jai Courtney will be Kyle Reese, Jason Clarke is John Connor, and Byung-hun Lee will play an as of yet specified role.
A brand new 60-second trailer has arrived for Sin City: A Dame to Kill For thanks to Dimension Films, and we have every black, white, and red all over second of it right here for ya! Dig it!
Following the groundbreaking film that grossed $160 million worldwide, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For reunites Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller for the next chapter in this trailblazing series.
Weaving together stunning visuals with an uncompromising, hard-boiled plot, the film promises more lurid tales from the various residents of Basin City. With a star-studded cast that includes the legendary Bruce Willis (Pulp Fiction), Academy Award nominee Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler), Academy Award nominee Josh Brolin (Milk), Jessica Alba (Spy Kids 4), and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Dark Knight Rises), Sin City: A Dame to Kill For ensures an experience like no other!
The film will be released by Dimension Films in the US and Canada on August 22, 2014.
Synopsis Co-directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller reunite to bring Miller's visually stunning Sin City graphic novels back to the screen in SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR. Weaving together two of Miller's classic stories with new tales, the town's most hard-boiled citizens cross paths with some of its more reviled inhabitants. SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR is the follow-up to Rodriguez and Miller's 2005 groundbreaking film FRANK MILLER'S SIN CITY.
The first bit of casting news has arrived for Juan Antonio Bayona's next film, A Monster Calls, which is being produced by Belen Atienza (The Impossible, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Orphanage), as Felicity Jones is making a deal to star.
According to Deadline, Jones (pictured) will play the character of Mum, and the filmmakers are courting Liam Neeson for the role of the Monster.
A Monster Calls is based on the award-winning children’s fantasy novel by Patrick Ness (the Chaos Walking trilogy). It will be distributed by Focus Features domestically, Universal Pictures International for its theatrical and home entertainment release in Spain, and Lionsgate International throughout the rest of the world.
Look for it in theatres via River Road Entertainment, Participant Media, Lionsgate International, and Focus Features on October 14, 2016.
Synopsis: A Monster Calls is a visually spectacular drama about a young boy who attempts to deal with his mother’s illness and the bullying of his classmates by escaping into a fantastical world of monsters and fairy tales that deal with courage, loss, and faith.
Ness wrote the novel based on an original idea by the late Siobhan Dowd, and he and illustrator Jim Kay won Britain’s prestigious Carnegie Medal and Greenaway Medal in 2012, presented to the year’s best children’s literature in the UK. Ness is adapting the screenplay from his novel.
One of our favorite actors from the monster mash that was Super 8, young Ryan Lee, will soon be tackling creatures of a different kind. Ones born out of the mind of kid-friendly horror maven R.L. Stein and his unique brand of Goosebumps!
According to Variety, Lee (pictured) has joined the cast of Sony’s adaptation starring Jack Black, Ken Marino, Amy Ryan, Odeya Rush, and Dylan Minnette. Rob Letterman directs.
The flick follows Dylan Minnette’s character, who moves from New York City to the small town of Greendale, Maryland, where his secretive new neighbor turns out to be veteran young adult horror author R.L. Stine (Jack Black).
When all the many demons of Stine’s mind are set free by Slappy, a demonic ventriloquist’s dummy, it’s up to Minnette’s character and Stine’s niece Hannah (Rush) to put all the evil genies back in the bottle.
Darren Lemke and Mike White wrote the script. Neal H. Moritz produces with Deborah Forte of Scholastic Entertainment.
In last week's episode of NBC's "Hannibal," we were introduced to Margot Verger, whose brother, Mason, was the sadistic antagonist of the Hannibal book and 2001 film. Mason is set to appear in next week's ep, and here's your first look at Michael Pitt as the memorable character.
Check out the image, courtesy of The Huffington Post, below, and read on for a sneak peek of this Friday's all-new episode!
"Hannibal" Episode 2.09 - "Shiizakana"(airs 4/25/14; 10-11PM) THE GRISLY DISCOVERY OF A MAN’S BODY THAT HAS BEEN TORN TO SHREDS PROMPTS THE FBI TO INVESTIGATE AND DETERMINE WHETHER THE CULPRIT WAS MAN, BEAST... OR BOTH - The FBI is called in to investigate the grisly discovery of a truck driver’s body, seemingly torn apart by two separate species of animal working in tandem, neither of which consumed their kill.
After one of his therapy sessions, Will (Hugh Dancy) meets Hannibal’s (Mads Mikkelsen) strange new patient, Margot Verger (guest star Katharine Isabelle). Will and Margot compare notes on Hannibal and his unconventional advice. Continually encouraging his patients to revel in what they are, Hannibal aims to determine Will’s true self by sending him a test, the results of which surprise even Hannibal.
Also starring Aaron Abrams and Scott Thompson; guest starring Jeremy Davies.
NBC must be feeling pretty good about casting Jacqueline Toboni as a new character in its popular Friday night series "Grimm" because along with the photos they've released already for Episode 3.19, "Nobody Knows the Trubel I've Seen," four more featuring her landed in our inbox today!
"Grimm" Episode 3.19 - "Nobody Knows the Trubel I've Seen" (airs 4/25/14; 9-10PM):A LETHAL NEW PRESENCE COMES TO PORTLAND – Nick (David Giuntoli) and Hank (Russell Hornsby) investigate a dangerous female suspect (guest star Jacqueline Toboni) leaving a trail of Wesen in her wake.
Elsewhere, Adalind (Claire Coffee) takes measures into her own hands, even if that means forging a dangerous alliance.
Bitsie Tulloch, Silas Weir Mitchell, Sasha Roiz, Reggie Lee, and Bree Turner co-star. C. Thomas Howell, Alexis Denisof, and Philip Anthony-Rodriguez also guest star.
Eli Roth has a whole lot on his plate right now with his latest directorial effort, The Green Inferno, soon headed our way and a flick called Knock Knock in the works.
Today comes word that he's also heading into paranormal territory with another upcoming project, and you can find out all about it by reading on!
Per the Las Vegas Review Journal, casting is under way on an untitled supernatural thriller that Roth co-wrote with Aftershock collaborator Nicolas Lopez and director Jessica Chandler. Roth is also producing, and the film's casting agent is currently seeking talent in the Las Vegas area.
"Right now we’re casting for principal speaking roles in the film, and I would like to use as many local actors and non-actors as I can find," said casting director John Jackson. "I need two little girls — one 6 years old, one 8 years old — I need college students, people in (their) 60s and 70s, all races, all types of individuals."
There are 37 speaking roles in the film, and many of them are unfilled at the present time. Jackson says that he has specific interest in "boaters who grew up on the water of Lake Mead or Native American people or somebody in their 70s who’s been fishing at Lake Mead every Saturday for the last 40 years."
If you fit the bill, head over to the Las Vegas Review Journal to learn more and find out how you can throw your hat into the running!
Black gloves, sharp objects, and mysterious goings-on... these three things are what 70s Italian giallo films were all about, and filmmaker Luciano Onetti pays homage to the sub-genre with Deep Sleep (aka Sonno Profondo), which is set for a premiere at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
Do you love films like Deep Red and Torso? Then check out the trailer for Deep Sleep, which is sure to do anything but make you yawn and doze off!
Written and directed by Luciano Onetti, the throwback flick stars Daiana García, Silvia Duhalde, and Onetti himself.
Synopsis After murdering a woman, a killer who is traumatized from his childhood memories gets a mysterious envelope slipped under his door. The hunter becomes the prey when he finds out that the envelope contains photos that show him killing the young woman.
Entertainment Weekly scored itself a trio of new behind-the-scenes shots from the set of the now shooting Jurassic World, including your first look at star Bryce Dallas Howard, and we have 'em for you right here.
You are cordially invited to the season finale of "The Following" (Episode 2.15, entitled "Forgive") next Monday, and before you RSVP, you might want to check out this new preview and still that Fox just released.
A new image from the now shooting Terminator: Genesis, the fifth film in the Terminator franchise, has arrived online featuring Arnold dressed to the lethal nines... trademark sunglasses, leather jacket, et al. Check it out!
A brand new 60-second trailer has arrived for Sin City: A Dame to Kill For thanks to Dimension Films, and we have every black, white, and red all over second of it right here for ya! Dig it!
The first bit of casting news has arrived for Juan Antonio Bayona's next film, A Monster Calls, which is being produced by Belen Atienza (The Impossible, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Orphanage), as Felicity Jones is making a deal to star.
One of our favorite actors from the monster mash that was Super 8, young Ryan Lee, will soon be tackling creatures of a different kind. Ones born out of the mind of kid-friendly horror maven R.L. Stein and his unique brand of Goosebumps!
In last week's episode of NBC's "Hannibal," we were introduced to Margot Verger, whose brother, Mason, was the sadistic antagonist of the Hannibal book and 2001 film. Mason is set to appear in next week's ep, and here's your first look at Michael Pitt as the memorable character.
NBC must be feeling pretty good about casting Jacqueline Toboni as a new character in its popular Friday night series "Grimm" because along with the photos they've released already for Episode 3.19, "Nobody Knows the Trubel I've Seen," four more featuring her landed in our inbox today!
Eli Roth has a whole lot on his plate right now with his latest directorial effort, The Green Inferno, soon headed our way and a flick called Knock Knock in the works.
Black gloves, sharp objects, and mysterious goings-on... these three things are what 70s Italian giallo films were all about, and filmmaker Luciano Onetti pays homage to the sub-genre with Deep Sleep (aka Sonno Profondo), which is set for a premiere at this year's Cannes Film Festival.