Though their “’80s Horror” lineup would constitute enough of a Halloween push, the Criterion Channel enter October all guns blazing. The month’s lineup also includes a 19-movie vampire series running from 1931’s Dracula (English and Spanish both) to 2014’s A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, the collection in-between including Herzog’s Nosferatu, Near Dark, and Let the Right One In. Last year’s “Universal Horror” collection returns, a 17-title Ishirō Honda retrospective has been set, and a few genre titles stand alone: Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte, The House of the Devil, and Island of Lost Souls.
Streaming premieres include restorations of Tsai Ming-liang’s Vive L’amour and Ed Lachman’s Lou Reed / John Cale concert film Songs for Drella; October’s Criterion editions are Samuel Fuller’s Forty Guns, Bill Duke’s Deep Cover, Haxan, and My Own Private Idaho. Meanwhile, Ari Aster has curated an “Adventures...
Streaming premieres include restorations of Tsai Ming-liang’s Vive L’amour and Ed Lachman’s Lou Reed / John Cale concert film Songs for Drella; October’s Criterion editions are Samuel Fuller’s Forty Guns, Bill Duke’s Deep Cover, Haxan, and My Own Private Idaho. Meanwhile, Ari Aster has curated an “Adventures...
- 9/26/2022
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Kathryn Bigelow’s vampire movie Near Dark – the best vampire movie released in 1987 – has been famously hard to find on streaming over the years, but we’ve learned that it’ll soon be available to stream once again this Halloween season thanks to the Criterion Channel!
Beginning October 1, Criterion’s streaming service will have the “80s Horror Collection” up for grabs, a 30-film collection that includes Near Dark among several other horror classics.
The collection includes films from Dario Argento, Kathryn Bigelow, John Carpenter, Larry Cohen, David Cronenberg, Tobe Hooper, Michael Mann, Ken Russell, Paul Schrader, and more.
The full “80s Horror Collection” lineup includes…
Inferno, Dario Argento, 1980 The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne, Walerian Borowczyk, 1981 Dead & Buried, Gary Sherman, 1981 The House by the Cemetery, Lucio Fulci, 1981 The Funhouse, Tobe Hooper, 1981 Strange Behavior, Michael Laughlin, 1981 Wolfen, Michael Wadleigh, 1981 Scanners, David Cronenberg, 1981 Road Games, Richard Franklin, 1981 The Fan,...
Beginning October 1, Criterion’s streaming service will have the “80s Horror Collection” up for grabs, a 30-film collection that includes Near Dark among several other horror classics.
The collection includes films from Dario Argento, Kathryn Bigelow, John Carpenter, Larry Cohen, David Cronenberg, Tobe Hooper, Michael Mann, Ken Russell, Paul Schrader, and more.
The full “80s Horror Collection” lineup includes…
Inferno, Dario Argento, 1980 The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne, Walerian Borowczyk, 1981 Dead & Buried, Gary Sherman, 1981 The House by the Cemetery, Lucio Fulci, 1981 The Funhouse, Tobe Hooper, 1981 Strange Behavior, Michael Laughlin, 1981 Wolfen, Michael Wadleigh, 1981 Scanners, David Cronenberg, 1981 Road Games, Richard Franklin, 1981 The Fan,...
- 9/23/2022
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
If you’re a horror fan with a subscription to the Criterion Channel, you’ve got a hell of a month to look forward to. The streaming service will kick off the Halloween season with a collection of thirty of the best ’80s horror movies out there. With movies from Dario Argento, John Carpenter, David Cronenberg, Tobe Hooper, and more, there’s something for everyone, from Amy Holden Jones’ sleazy slasher The Slumber Party Massacre to Kathryn Bigelow’s cult classic vampire thriller Near Dark.
Mark your calendars: '80s Horror—our 30-film collection featuring films by Dario Argento, Kathryn Bigelow, John Carpenter, Larry Cohen, David Cronenberg, Tobe Hooper, Michael Mann, Ken Russell, Paul Schrader, and more—is coming to the @criterionchannl on October 1! pic.twitter.com/QIIyFaEO20
— Criterion Collection (@Criterion) September 22, 2022 Related The Best 80s Vampire Movies
This collection of ’80s horror was curated by Clyde Folley and will...
Mark your calendars: '80s Horror—our 30-film collection featuring films by Dario Argento, Kathryn Bigelow, John Carpenter, Larry Cohen, David Cronenberg, Tobe Hooper, Michael Mann, Ken Russell, Paul Schrader, and more—is coming to the @criterionchannl on October 1! pic.twitter.com/QIIyFaEO20
— Criterion Collection (@Criterion) September 22, 2022 Related The Best 80s Vampire Movies
This collection of ’80s horror was curated by Clyde Folley and will...
- 9/23/2022
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
One of my great memories from the, put one way, debatable year of 2020 was Criterion Channel’s “’70s Horror,” a program that did what it said on the tin while offering discoveries aplenty—Texas Chain Saw next to Let’s Scare Jessica to Death, Deathdream given equal prominence as The Wicker Man. It is of course a delight to see they’re picking up their own baton with next month’s “’80s Horror,” which again runs a canon-to-obscurity gamut. Scanners, Near Dark, and Prince of Darkness will of course appear, but I’d just as soon direct people to Wolfen, Society, and The Keep—which made my jaw drop just a bit, given how averse Michael Mann seems towards any exhibition of it.
Criterion have released a nifty trailer encapsulating the spooks and scares to come. Find it below, as well as the full list of titles and more on the Criterion Channel.
Criterion have released a nifty trailer encapsulating the spooks and scares to come. Find it below, as well as the full list of titles and more on the Criterion Channel.
- 9/22/2022
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Jack Kehler, a prolific character actor, died Saturday from complications due to leukemia at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Calif. He was 75 years old.
Kehler’s death was confirmed by his son, Eddie Kehler.
Born May 22, 1946 in Philadelphia, Pa., Kehler set his career off in acting at the age of 24 by beginning to work in theater. In 1982, Kehler fell in with Sanford Meisner and Wynn Handman, beginning his tenure as a lifelong member of the Actors Studio.
Soon after, Kehler relocated to Los Angeles where he began to accrue supporting roles in film and television. His first screen credit came in 1983 with Michael Laughlin’s sci-fi release “Strange Invaders,” starring Paul Le Mat and Nancy Allen. Kehler is credited as a gas station attendant in the film.
Kehler spent the remainder of the 1980’s primarily working in television, making appearances on “Hill Street Blues,” “Fresno,” “Cagney & Lacey” and “St. Elsewhere.
Kehler’s death was confirmed by his son, Eddie Kehler.
Born May 22, 1946 in Philadelphia, Pa., Kehler set his career off in acting at the age of 24 by beginning to work in theater. In 1982, Kehler fell in with Sanford Meisner and Wynn Handman, beginning his tenure as a lifelong member of the Actors Studio.
Soon after, Kehler relocated to Los Angeles where he began to accrue supporting roles in film and television. His first screen credit came in 1983 with Michael Laughlin’s sci-fi release “Strange Invaders,” starring Paul Le Mat and Nancy Allen. Kehler is credited as a gas station attendant in the film.
Kehler spent the remainder of the 1980’s primarily working in television, making appearances on “Hill Street Blues,” “Fresno,” “Cagney & Lacey” and “St. Elsewhere.
- 5/10/2022
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Director, producer and screenwriter Michael Laughlin, whose credits include Two-Lane Blacktop, Town & Country and Strange Behavior, died on October 20th at the age of 82.
Laughlin succumbed to complications related to Covid-19 and passed in his residence in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Michael Stoddard Laughlin was born in 1938 and brought up in Minonk, Illinois. Laughlin played basketball at Stanford University, later graduating from Principia College in 1960.
Shortly after, he moved to London where he started his career as a film producer. He worked on projects like The Whispers and 1968’s Joanna directed by Michael Sarne. Laughlin married French actress Leslie Caron during his time in Europe. They divorced in 1980.
In the ’70s, Laughlin helped produce the Monte Hellman-directed cult classic Two-Lane Blacktop, starring James Taylor. In 2012, the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
Other credits include 1981’s Strange Behaviors,...
Laughlin succumbed to complications related to Covid-19 and passed in his residence in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Michael Stoddard Laughlin was born in 1938 and brought up in Minonk, Illinois. Laughlin played basketball at Stanford University, later graduating from Principia College in 1960.
Shortly after, he moved to London where he started his career as a film producer. He worked on projects like The Whispers and 1968’s Joanna directed by Michael Sarne. Laughlin married French actress Leslie Caron during his time in Europe. They divorced in 1980.
In the ’70s, Laughlin helped produce the Monte Hellman-directed cult classic Two-Lane Blacktop, starring James Taylor. In 2012, the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
Other credits include 1981’s Strange Behaviors,...
- 11/1/2021
- by Brandon Choe
- Deadline Film + TV
Michael Laughlin, a filmmaker and producer whose credits included the likes of 1971’s “Two-Lane Blacktop” and 1981’s “Strange Behavior,” died on Oct. 20 from complications related to Covid-19. He was 82 years old.
Laughlin’s death was confirmed to Variety by his friend Brooke Nasser. He died in Honolulu, Hawaii, where had been living for many years.
Laughlin was born and raised in Illinois. He was recruited to play basketball at Stanford University and graduated from Principia College in 1960.
After moving to London, Laughlin began a career as a film producer, working on projects such as Bryan Forbes’ 1967 thriller “The Whispers” and the 1968 feature “Joanna,” director Michael Sarne’s precursor to “Myra Breckinridge.” He met and married French actress and ballerina Leslie Caron during his time abroad. The two separated in 1975.
During the 1970s, Laughlin helped bring eight independent features to fruition, including the Monte Hellman-directed cult classic “Two-Lane Blacktop.” Interviews...
Laughlin’s death was confirmed to Variety by his friend Brooke Nasser. He died in Honolulu, Hawaii, where had been living for many years.
Laughlin was born and raised in Illinois. He was recruited to play basketball at Stanford University and graduated from Principia College in 1960.
After moving to London, Laughlin began a career as a film producer, working on projects such as Bryan Forbes’ 1967 thriller “The Whispers” and the 1968 feature “Joanna,” director Michael Sarne’s precursor to “Myra Breckinridge.” He met and married French actress and ballerina Leslie Caron during his time abroad. The two separated in 1975.
During the 1970s, Laughlin helped bring eight independent features to fruition, including the Monte Hellman-directed cult classic “Two-Lane Blacktop.” Interviews...
- 10/31/2021
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Michael Laughlin, who produced the cult-classic road trip movie Two-Lane Blacktop and co-wrote the Warren Beatty film Town & Country, has died. He was 82.
Laughlin died Wednesday in Honolulu from complications related to Covid-19, his close friend Brooke Nasser told The Hollywood Reporter.
During the 1970s, Laughlin produced eight independent films, including 1971’s Blacktop, starring Laurie Bird, Warren Oates, James Taylor and Dennis Wilson. The movie, which has a 93 percent “fresh” score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, was placed in the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress in 2012. Criterion also released an edition in 2007 ...
Laughlin died Wednesday in Honolulu from complications related to Covid-19, his close friend Brooke Nasser told The Hollywood Reporter.
During the 1970s, Laughlin produced eight independent films, including 1971’s Blacktop, starring Laurie Bird, Warren Oates, James Taylor and Dennis Wilson. The movie, which has a 93 percent “fresh” score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, was placed in the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress in 2012. Criterion also released an edition in 2007 ...
- 10/31/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Michael Laughlin, who produced the cult-classic road trip movie Two-Lane Blacktop and co-wrote the Warren Beatty film Town & Country, has died. He was 82.
Laughlin died Wednesday in Honolulu from complications related to Covid-19, his close friend Brooke Nasser told The Hollywood Reporter.
During the 1970s, Laughlin produced eight independent films, including 1971’s Blacktop, starring Laurie Bird, Warren Oates, James Taylor and Dennis Wilson. The movie, which has a 93 percent “fresh” score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, was placed in the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress in 2012. Criterion also released an edition in 2007 ...
Laughlin died Wednesday in Honolulu from complications related to Covid-19, his close friend Brooke Nasser told The Hollywood Reporter.
During the 1970s, Laughlin produced eight independent films, including 1971’s Blacktop, starring Laurie Bird, Warren Oates, James Taylor and Dennis Wilson. The movie, which has a 93 percent “fresh” score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, was placed in the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress in 2012. Criterion also released an edition in 2007 ...
- 10/31/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Long live Michael Laughlin. Two years after he released one of my favorite early ‘80s oddities, Strange Behavior (I wrote about it here), he was back to unleash the next chapter in a proposed ‘Strange’ trilogy, Strange Invaders (1983). And while the former is a tribute to Mad Scientist films of the ‘50s via an updated Slasher take, the latter tips its fedora to the great Alien Invasion films of the same era. It may not reach the same dizzyingly weird heights, but Strange Invaders is an affectionate romp that captures the feel of those bygone drive-in classics and solidifies Laughlin’s unique voice.
A co-production between Emi Films and Lone Wolf McQuade Associates, Strange Invaders was released by Orion Pictures in mid September stateside to positive reviews and lackluster box office. Returning only a quarter of its $5 million plus budget, this was the Way of the Laughlin – everyone liked his movies,...
A co-production between Emi Films and Lone Wolf McQuade Associates, Strange Invaders was released by Orion Pictures in mid September stateside to positive reviews and lackluster box office. Returning only a quarter of its $5 million plus budget, this was the Way of the Laughlin – everyone liked his movies,...
- 4/8/2017
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Strange Behavior. What an apt title for this film. Released in 1981, Aka Dead Kids, Strange Behavior is a unique mash up of a popular (at the time) sub-genre and one long forgotten – the Slasher and The Mad Scientist. For fans of either, it provides a weird, loving tribute to the latter while quietly etching a place for itself in the former. A lot of horror lovers missed the boat on this one at the time of its release, which is strange behavior, indeed.
Given a limited release in October by World Northal stateside, Strange Behavior impressed many critics at the time with its ethereal quality and 50’s throwback feel, but audiences really never got a chance to see it until released on video the following year. And even then, it never picked up steam with the horror crowd. Which is quite sad, as the film still plays as a creepy,...
Given a limited release in October by World Northal stateside, Strange Behavior impressed many critics at the time with its ethereal quality and 50’s throwback feel, but audiences really never got a chance to see it until released on video the following year. And even then, it never picked up steam with the horror crowd. Which is quite sad, as the film still plays as a creepy,...
- 10/10/2015
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
A Planet Fury-approved selection of notable genre DVD releases for the month of January.
Lightning Bug (2004) Image Entertainment Blu-ray and DVD Available Now
Effects guru Robert Hall’s semi-autobiographical film about a small town teen (Reaper's Bret Harrison) who has aspirations to become a special effects artist. An opportunity to manage the town’s local haunted house is thwarted by his alcoholic stepfather and the staunchly religious views of the surrounding population. The solid supporting cast includes That 70’s Show’s Laura Prepon, Hellraiser’s Ashely Lawrence and Kevin Gage. Written and directed by Hall, it’s an affectionate coming-of-age drama that works in spite of an uneven narrative that falls apart in the final half hour. Hopefully this new extended cut will remedy the scripting problems of the original release.
Special Features include:
* Never-before-released extended cut of the film.
* Making-of Featurette
* Audio commentaries with the writer/director and cast.
Lightning Bug (2004) Image Entertainment Blu-ray and DVD Available Now
Effects guru Robert Hall’s semi-autobiographical film about a small town teen (Reaper's Bret Harrison) who has aspirations to become a special effects artist. An opportunity to manage the town’s local haunted house is thwarted by his alcoholic stepfather and the staunchly religious views of the surrounding population. The solid supporting cast includes That 70’s Show’s Laura Prepon, Hellraiser’s Ashely Lawrence and Kevin Gage. Written and directed by Hall, it’s an affectionate coming-of-age drama that works in spite of an uneven narrative that falls apart in the final half hour. Hopefully this new extended cut will remedy the scripting problems of the original release.
Special Features include:
* Never-before-released extended cut of the film.
* Making-of Featurette
* Audio commentaries with the writer/director and cast.
- 1/22/2013
- by Bradley Harding
- Planet Fury
Steve Martin claimed it was the best training he ever could have had as a performer -- but most performers still see theme park entertainment gigs as dressing up in giant stuffed animal costumes.Michael Laughlin, manager of entertainment at Universal Studios Hollywood, sheds some light on the pros and cons of theme park performing. "I like to say that Universal Studios Hollywood provides a phenomenal training ground and practical workshop for every type of acting experience an actor will encounter," he says. "It can be very demanding at times, but it is also extremely rewarding. Our actors are essentially performing live theater every single day, and with every performance they experience the audience's appreciation." Laughlin assures performers that the benefits do outweigh the costs. "We challenge our actors to really elevate their skill sets to help prepare them for performing for varied audiences," he says. "Our actors become astute in.
- 4/13/2012
- by help@backstage.com (Penny Gray)
- backstage.com
Two-lane Blacktop (Masters of Cinema) is to be released in the UK on Blu-ray & Ltd Edition Blu-ray Steelbook on 23 January 2012. We have 3 copies of the Blu-ray to give away to our readers.
With the melancholy open-road epic Two-Lane Blacktop, American auteur Monte Hellman (The Shooting, Cockfighter, and the recent Road to Nowhere) poeticised the beautiful, terrible rootlessness of his nation in the era of Vietnam. Funded by Universal in a bid to recreate the success of Easy Rider – by giving a number of filmmakers $1m and final cut – Hellman’s effort is now regarded as one of the key films of the New Hollywood renaissance of the early 1970s.
While driving eastward on Route 66, two rival car owners – The Driver (singer-songwriter James Taylor) and The Mechanic (Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys) in a souped-up, drag-racing ’55 Chevy, and a middle-aged braggart (Warren Oates) in a gleaming Gto – begin to...
With the melancholy open-road epic Two-Lane Blacktop, American auteur Monte Hellman (The Shooting, Cockfighter, and the recent Road to Nowhere) poeticised the beautiful, terrible rootlessness of his nation in the era of Vietnam. Funded by Universal in a bid to recreate the success of Easy Rider – by giving a number of filmmakers $1m and final cut – Hellman’s effort is now regarded as one of the key films of the New Hollywood renaissance of the early 1970s.
While driving eastward on Route 66, two rival car owners – The Driver (singer-songwriter James Taylor) and The Mechanic (Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys) in a souped-up, drag-racing ’55 Chevy, and a middle-aged braggart (Warren Oates) in a gleaming Gto – begin to...
- 12/1/2011
- by Matt Holmes
- Obsessed with Film
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
By Matthew Field
BFI Flipside was launched in May 2009 with a mission to expose the hidden history of British cinema by releasing restored prints on DVD and Blu-ray of British films that have slipped through the cracks of time. Now on its 17th release the label has released everything from exploitation documentaries about the seedy sixties (London In The Raw) to B-movies featuring Oliver Reed (The Party's Over), Shirley Anne Field (Lunch Hour), Klaus Kinski (The Pleasure Girls) and Withnail & I director Bruce Robinson (Private Road). If it's weird, British and forgotten, then it's Flipside.
Developed from its popular monthly screening slot at BFI Southbank, the Flipside titles are newly mastered to High Definition from original film elements, and are presented with rare and fascinating special features - including previously unavailable short films, documentaries and archival interviews, many of which are preserved in the BFI National Archive.
By Matthew Field
BFI Flipside was launched in May 2009 with a mission to expose the hidden history of British cinema by releasing restored prints on DVD and Blu-ray of British films that have slipped through the cracks of time. Now on its 17th release the label has released everything from exploitation documentaries about the seedy sixties (London In The Raw) to B-movies featuring Oliver Reed (The Party's Over), Shirley Anne Field (Lunch Hour), Klaus Kinski (The Pleasure Girls) and Withnail & I director Bruce Robinson (Private Road). If it's weird, British and forgotten, then it's Flipside.
Developed from its popular monthly screening slot at BFI Southbank, the Flipside titles are newly mastered to High Definition from original film elements, and are presented with rare and fascinating special features - including previously unavailable short films, documentaries and archival interviews, many of which are preserved in the BFI National Archive.
- 5/10/2011
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
It was colourful, it made the city look beautiful, and included plenty of sex – Mike Sarne's film about one girl's lovelife in the capital defines the swinging 60s better than any other
No matter what you accomplish in life, a novelty hit casts a long shadow. David Bowie manages to get through most days without people shouting "laughing gnome" at him, but Mike Sarne is certainly best remembered for his No 1 single, Come Outside, a record that also introduced us to his (vinyl only) girlfriend, Wendy Richard. History is less quick to recall that he became a photographer of note, dated Brigitte Bardot and directed a film that competed for the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
That film, Joanna, may be the ultimate swinging London film: it's colourful, makes the city look beautiful, includes plenty of sex and is even fairly believable. "I pitched it as the female Alfie," recalls Sarne,...
No matter what you accomplish in life, a novelty hit casts a long shadow. David Bowie manages to get through most days without people shouting "laughing gnome" at him, but Mike Sarne is certainly best remembered for his No 1 single, Come Outside, a record that also introduced us to his (vinyl only) girlfriend, Wendy Richard. History is less quick to recall that he became a photographer of note, dated Brigitte Bardot and directed a film that competed for the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
That film, Joanna, may be the ultimate swinging London film: it's colourful, makes the city look beautiful, includes plenty of sex and is even fairly believable. "I pitched it as the female Alfie," recalls Sarne,...
- 4/21/2011
- by Bob Stanley
- The Guardian - Film News
Australian’s brief flare as a movie-superpower has been nicely described in the documentary “Not Quite Hollywood”, and there seems to be an increase in the amount of attention being paid to the titles mentioned in that film.
Take distributor Synapse, whose “new releases” page (at the moment I write this) only features vintage Australian thrillers.
This is not a bad thing, as these films range from peculiar to guilty pleasure, and there are even to be found some hidden gems in there as well. So today I review Synapse’s release of Michael Laughlin’s “Strange Behavior”, a genre mash-up thriller which technically speaking should be called an eighties’ slasher.
Yes, it’s teen-butchering time once again.
But although it features one of the nastiest (and off-putting) DVD-covers I’ve recently seen, “Strange Behavior” is not the gory shocker Synapse’s marketing department tries to sell it as. Instead...
Take distributor Synapse, whose “new releases” page (at the moment I write this) only features vintage Australian thrillers.
This is not a bad thing, as these films range from peculiar to guilty pleasure, and there are even to be found some hidden gems in there as well. So today I review Synapse’s release of Michael Laughlin’s “Strange Behavior”, a genre mash-up thriller which technically speaking should be called an eighties’ slasher.
Yes, it’s teen-butchering time once again.
But although it features one of the nastiest (and off-putting) DVD-covers I’ve recently seen, “Strange Behavior” is not the gory shocker Synapse’s marketing department tries to sell it as. Instead...
- 11/3/2008
- by Ard Vijn
- Screen Anarchy
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.