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We may only have several home entertainment releases for this Tuesday, but as the saying goes, “quality over quantity,” because this bunch of Blu-rays and DVDs are a stellar lot of films. One of my favorite horror films of 2017, Mark Duplass’ Creep 2, makes its way home on November 28th courtesy of The Orchard, and Scream Factory has given Rob Reiner’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery the Collector’s Edition treatment (and deservedly so).

For you cult film fans, both Death Laid an Egg and Deathdream (aka Dead of Night) get the HD treatment this week, and other notable releases this Tuesday include M.F.A., Rememory, Super Dark Times, Woodshock, and Trailer Trauma 4: Television Trauma.

Creep 2 (The Orchard, DVD)

Sara, a video artist primarily focused on creating intimacy with lonely men, thinks she may have found the subject of her dreams after coming across a stranger’s online post.

1987 may be the year of the last great Argento movie.

The horror genre has known few voices greater or more influential than Dario Argento, a master craftsman and revolutionary stylist who, from his debut feature The Bird With the Crystal Plumage in 1970 through the late 1980s, is responsible for some of the best horror movies ever made: Deep Red, Suspiria, Tenebrae, Phenomena. In 1987, he wrote and directed what might be his final masterpiece, the giallo-tinged slasher Opera, arguably his most technically accomplished—and bloodiest—film. While more of a standard whodunit than his abstract supernatural efforts, there is such precision to the photography, such expertly staged choreography both in front of and behind the camera, that the movie deserves to be named among his greatest works if only for the dazzling purity of the filmmaking on display.

Opera was my first exposure to Dario Argento, but it wasn't the full...

When discussing the arthouse-inflected new wave of Giallo last week, the elephant in the room failed to be mentioned- the downward decline of the genre’s spiritual godfather, Dario Argento. The remake of his 1977 genre benchmark Suspiria is being made with his blessing (he is on board the project as a producer), another sign that he is one of the few classic horror directors unafraid of having new directors reinterpret his back catalogue. He himself even tried to remake his 1975 film Deep Red in 3D at the turn of the decade, only to be refused financing after the latest in a string of critical and commercial backfires.

Both of these facts point to the idea of a director who is permanently stuck in the past, with a stubborn refusal to adapt to modern horror trends; even whilst still directing Giallo movies, he retains the old school exploitation aesthetic that alludes...

My first foray into Italian horror was Lucio Fulci’s Zombie (1980), seen as a delightfully repulsed 10 year old. However, Dario Argento’s Deep Red (Profondo Rosso if you’re Italian) was the first Italian horror film that actually intrigued me; same age, but very different feelings. The repulsion was there, that base fear, but set within a framework of beautifully rendered images. I didn’t know much about art, but it felt like that’s what I was watching.

Released in March of 1975, Deep Red was the latest thriller from Argento in the giallo style; an Italian term which has generally become known to mean a gruesome, lurid detective story; so called due to the fact that the original Italian pulp novels a lot of these stories pay homage to were written on yellow, or giallo, paper. Argento was already making a name for himself worldwide with previous efforts in...

Clips of It’s A Wonderful Life appear in all sorts of TV shows and films, some predictable Christmas fare and some you might not expect…

Thanks to NBC’s long-standing tradition of airing Frank Capra’s 1946 festive fantasy drama every 24th of December, It’s A Wonderful Life has become a Stateside Christmas institution. The film’s story of a small town family man facing financial ruin being coaxed back from suicide by an angel who shows him how important he is to the world is now as festive as overspending and overeating.

Its ubiquity means that It’s A Wonderful Life is one of the first ports of call when shows and movies want to inject a festive feel into their fictional worlds, hence it having been subject to more on-screen references, quotes, parodies and homages than you can shake a jingle bell at. The Muppets, The Simpsons,...

By Jonathan Weichsel

The Jumpcut Cafe has long been the hangout spot for the horror crowd in Hollywood, and for very good reason. Not only does the cafe feature screenings of both popular and hard to find classic horror films, but it also showcases new films by some of the most exciting young talents working in Hollywood today. Curator Elric Kane has a very eclectic taste in movies, and is a smart programmer who reaches far into the indie horror community find the best, most cutting-edge short films possible. What follows are my favorite films of the night, in no particular order.

Far Out, directed by Phil Mucci, opened the night. Far Out is a, well, far out vampire flick that takes place during the swinging sixties. The film perfectly captures the mood and look of a space age, mod bachelor pad shindig. Far out is a fun, at times...

Dracula 3D

Directed by Dario Argento

Written by Dario Argento, Enrique Cerezo, Stefano Piani, Antonio Tentori

Italy, 2012

More than his fellow giallo maestros (Bava, Fulci, Martino, and others), Dario Argento has had to live and work in the burdensome shadow of his earlier successes. After nearly two decades of exceptional films boasting glorious cinematic artistry and blood-soaked thrills, Argento established quite the reputation. In recent years, though, since 1993′s Trauma, these prior landmarks of genre perfection have become a distressing caveat added to nearly every negative criticism of his newest release: “Ah, Argento, how far he’s fallen. Remember when….” His latest offering, Dracula 3D, now available on an American-issued 3D Blu-ray (an Italian disc, still playable in the Us, has been out for while), is no exception. Does it rank with Suspiria, Tenebre, Deep Red, or Opera? No. But is it as bad as some detractors would suggest? Certainly not.

Review Ryan Lambie 14 Nov 2013 - 06:17

Ridley Scott directs an all-star cast in The Counsellor, a blackly comic crime drama written by Cormac McCarthy. Here's Ryan's review...

Full of pet cheetahs with diamond-encrusted collars, sports cars, obscenely opulent parties and spectacularly bloody assassinations, Ridley Scott's The Counsellor is at once a blackly comic film about greed and a gloomily philosophical meditation on death.

Michael Fassbender is on suave form as the Counsellor of the title, a well-dressed lawyer who dabbles in drug running to help pay for his lavish lifestyle and the hugely expensive diamond he’s just purchased for the new love of his life, Laura (Penelope Cruz). But even as the Counsellor sweeps Laura off her feet with that sparkly new rock, his friend Reiner (Javier Bardem, with stunning hair as usual) warns of the potential consequences.

Quietly overseeing everything, there’s Malkina (Cameron Diaz), Reiner’s manipulative,...

Tiff’s Midnight Madness program turned 25 this year, and for two and half decades, the hardworking programers have gathered some of the strangest, most terrifying, wild, intriguing and downright entertaining films from around the world. From dark comedies to Japanese gore-fests and indie horror gems, the Midnight Madness program hasn’t lost its edge as one the leading showcases of genre cinema. In its 25-year history, Midnight Madness has introduced adventurous late-night moviegoers to such cult faves as Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused and Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. But what separates Midnight Madness from, say, Montreal’s three and half week long genre festival Fantasia, is that Tiff selects only ten films to make the cut. In other words, these programmers don’t mess around. Last week I decided that I would post reviews of my personal favourite films that screened in past years. And just like the Tiff programmers,...

The full Fantasia 2013 lineup has now been revealed, and we have here the third and final wave of titles to share. Prepare to drool!

From the Press Release:

The Fantasia International Film Festival is proud to announce the rest of our 120-feature lineup that comprises our 2013 event, along with a string of additional details that mark our 17th edition as a standout. Fantasia will engulf the city of Montreal from July 18-August 6, 2013. Be sure to visit the Fantasia Film Festival website for detailed essays on every title announced here, as well as all films previously disclosed over the last weeks.

Before we get started on titles... Meet Our 2013 Juries

Main Competition For The Cheval Noir Award For Best Film

Jury President: Laura Kern (Critic, Curator, managing editor, Film Comment)

Jean-Pierre Bergeron (Actor, Director, Screenwriter)

Samuel Jamier (Co-Director of the New York Asian Film Festival, Programmer at Japan Society)

Jarod Neece (Senior Programmer and Operations Manager,...

The Fantasia Film Festival is taking place from July 18th to August 6th in Montreal and will feature over 100 films from around the world. We gave you a look at the initial lineup last month and now have an additional list of Fantasia 2013 films that will be screening, including Curse of Chucky, You’re Next, and Frankenstein’s Army:

Horror Is Child’S Play – Don Mancini’S Curse Of Chucky (World Premiere)

A rarity among genre franchises, the Child’S Play series (begun in 1988) has retained the sure-handed guidance of original screenwriter/creator Don Mancini throughout killer doll Chucky’s decades’-long reign of horror. Mancini, who will be hosting our “scar-studded” world premiere, graduated to the director’s chair with 2004’s Seed Of Chucky, after having co-written or written every entry in the series. His longevity with the project is, of course, matched by the fiendish voiceover work by...

Freddy Krueger is king of the singed maniacs, but before he came around, there was Cropsy. 1981′s The Burning gives birth to the lesser known charred killer as a direct answer to the popularity of Friday the 13th. Bob and Harvey Weinstein jumped into the slasher game with this film, and the cult following around the movie has grown ever since. Bolstered by a surprisingly recognizable cast and some great make up effects by Tom Savini, the film is a slasher fan’s dream come true.

The story is fairly straight forward as with most films of this type. A group of teens decide to play a prank on the camp’s maintenance man, named Cropsy, and they accidentally set him on fire and leave him for dead. Several years later, at another summer camp, with the legend of Cropsy firmly in place in local lore, people start dying. Is the story of Cropsy true?...

Tom Savini is a make up effects legend and an original badass. He is responsible for making the demise of hundreds of fornicating teenagers look realistic as well as bringing all sorts of disfigured monsters to life. Tom Savini was in love with horror before it was en vogue to work in genre film. He has pulled off some of the most realistic looking and insanely difficult practical effects ever. In addition to being responsible for some of the most epic impalements, exploding heads, decapitations, and stab wounds, Savini also acts and runs a make up effects school for aspiring FX artists. As a “thank you” to one of the most respected men working in fright films today, we are paying tribute by highlighting ten of our favorite special effects created by the renowned make up artist himself.

Friday the 13th: Decapitation of Mrs. Voorhees

This scene stands out in my mind,...

Two Evil Eyes/Due Occhi Diabolici is an Italian-American co-production helmed by Dario Argento and George A. Romero. One is the grandmaster of Italian thrillers and the other is the godfather of the zombie craze. With a pedigree like that, one would expect the two tale compendium to be much better than it is.

The film starts oddly with a short tour of Edgar Allan Poe’s Baltimore home and gravesite, leading into Romero’s segment:“The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar”. This snippet of Poe’s world was intended for a documentary Argento was working on but that was never completed, so it was decided that this little piece would be placed at the head of the film.

Romero’s segment tells the story of Jessica Valdemar (Adrienne Barbeau) a former stewardess whose wealthy, elderly, and very ill husband (Bingo O’Malley) is near death. With the...

Bastards Of Hitch at 92YTribeca

Alfred Hitchcock. First, his name became synonymous with suspense. Then, his carefully cultivated and marketed brand of storytelling grew into its own veritable sub-genre of psycho-sexual thrillers. Today, his uniquely recognizable personal style and tone continues to influence generations of filmmakers’ tendencies as well as filmgoers’ expectations.

For this coming August, I programmed six movies influenced by the Master of Suspense to be screened at 92YTribeca (all on 35mm film): Jonathan Demme’s early exercise in paranoia amidst a world of double-crossing special agents; Richard Attenborough’s distorted reimagining of Psycho with a terrifying ventriloquist’s dummy sitting in for Norman Bates’ mother; Saul Bass’ sole directorial outing about a killer swarm (ants, not birds); an eminently elegant and dryly sardonic neo-noir mindgame from David Fincher; Nicolas Roeg’s own take on a story by frequent Hitchcock inspiration Daphne du Maurier; and a mid-career...

One of the most polarizing films amongst his fans, The Stendhal Syndrome is Dario Argento’s first film shot in Italy after his foray in the United States with Trauma and Two Evil Eyes. Argento loosely adapts Graziella Magherini’s novel of the same name into a psychological thriller that is unlike anything else in his canon.

Asia Argento stars as Anna Manni, a police officer in Rome who is sent to Florence to investigate a series of rape/murders that have baffled the authorities. Following a tip, she goes to the Uffizi gallery in Florence where she succumbs to the titular syndrome, and hallucinates herself into a painting before passing out and hitting her head.

“The Stendhal Syndrome” is an actual medical condition named for the French writer Stendhal where people are afflicted with headaches, dizziness, hallucinations and fainting spells after being exposed to great works of art. After recovering from this episode,...

Chicago – Few character actresses have proven to be as effortlessly versatile as Piper Laurie. Her Oscar-nominated turns as Paul Newman’s alcoholic lover in Robert Rossen’s 1961 classic “The Hustler” and Marlee Matlin’s estranged but loving mother in Randa Haines’s 1986 drama “Children of a Lesser God” offer a mere sample of her remarkable range and magnetic screen presence.

Yet her role that remains immortalized in the minds of moviegoers is Margaret White, the psychotic mother of the titular telekinetic teen in Brian De Palma’s marvelously effective 1976 thriller “Carrie.” Chicagoans will have the opportunity to meet the legendary actress when she attends Camp Midnight’s presentation of “A Very Carrie Christmas” at 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4 at the Music Box Theatre.

The event includes pre-show entertainment from Hell in a Handbag Productions, as well as an interactive audience guide and running commentary from Dick O’Day and David...

Decapitations have been a horror movie staple for decades. To celebrate this fact, here’s Phil’s list of cinema’s finest choppings, loppings and beheadings…

In onscreen depictions of violence or combat, when it comes to delivering a coup de grace, nothing is quite so effective or final as a decapitation. It’s the death stroke that can illicit applause, gasps, cheers, screams, or make you feel a bit queasy, but no matter what the effect, it seems that you never have to wait too long for another one to come along in the crazy, wacky, world of on-screen carnage.

However, as this list shows, there’s more than one way to skin a cat, and movie beheadings have proved endlessly inventive, a fact that explains why something as mundane and straightforward as a guillotine will find no place in this top 10. This list is an attempt to celebrate the most shocking,...

For the horror buff, Fall is the best time of the year. The air is crisp, the leaves are falling and a feeling of death hangs on the air. Here at Sound on Sight we have some of the biggest horror fans you can find. We are continually showcasing the best of genre cinema, so we’ve decided to put our horror knowledge and passion to the test in a horror watching contest. Each week in October, Ricky D, James Merolla and Justine Smith will post a list of the horror films they have watched. By the end of the month, the person who has seen the most films wins. Prize Tbd.

Justine Smith (9 viewings) Total of 40 viewings

Purchase

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Directed by Tobe Hooper

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the best horror films ever made, in competition with Possession, The Exorcist, The Birds and Suspiria.

The term “giallo” initially referred to cheap yellow paperbacks (printed American mysteries from writers such as Agatha Christie), that were distributed in post-fascist Italy. Applied to cinema, the genre is comprised of equal parts early pulp thrillers, mystery novels, with a willingness to gleefully explore onscreen sex and violence in provocative, innovative ways. Giallos are strikingly different from American crime films: they value style and plot over characterization, and tend towards unapologetic displays of violence, sexual content, and taboo exploration. The genre is known for stylistic excess, characterized by unnatural yet intriguing lighting techniques, convoluted plots, red herrings, extended murder sequences, excessive bloodletting, stylish camerawork and unusual musical arrangements. Amidst the ‘creative kill’ set-pieces are thematic undercurrents along with a whodunit element, usually some sort of twist ending. Here is my list of the best giallo films – made strictly by Italian directors, so don’t expect Black Swan, Amer or...

For the horror buff, Fall is the best time of the year. The air is crisp, the leaves are falling and a feeling of death hangs on the air. Here at Sound on Sight we have some of the biggest horror fans you can find. We are continually showcasing the best of genre cinema, so we’ve decided to put our horror knowledge and passion to the test in a horror watching contest. Each week in October, Ricky D, James Merolla and Justine Smith will post a list of the horror films they have watched. By the end of the month, the person who has seen the most films wins. Prize Tbd.

Justine Smith (11 viewings) Total of 31 viewings

Purchase

Spider Baby or The Maddest Story Ever Told

Directed by Jack Jill

This movie is very fun, not so much scary as gleefully depraved. The film revels in it’s childhood attitude,...

Rick Baker. Friend of apes. Maker of monsters. Seven time Oscar winner. And that lucky number seven was for The Wolfman, shared with fellow Efx maestro Dave Elsey. Their on-stage speech was great, but the extended Thank You Cam was even better. Both Baker and Elsey thanked Jack Pierce and Dick Smith for inspiring them. Though there were grumblings online that the Academy clip showed the CG transformation rather then the make-up. It is always a treat to see our own getting the gold.

In the best original music category, Trent Reznor won for The Social Network. But who could forget his rivethead contributions to Class of 1999, Se7en, and Tetsuo: The Bullet Man? And Danny Boyle’s nominated 127 Hours didn’t win for Best Picture, but we will always love him “best” for his bloody crazies in the 28 Days series.

Rounding out the highlights in horror cred are nods to Jason X,...

Legendary horror director Dario Argento ('Suspiria', 'Mother of Tears: The Third Mother', 'Demons', 'Trauma', 'Tenebre') continues to try and revitalise his unique genre style in his new 'Dracula 3D' project. The flick, currently in pre-production that recently found major investment from Spaniard Enrique Cerezo, is set to star his sexy Italian daughter Asia Argento and now it appears that 'Blade Runner's Rutger Hauer ('The Hitcher') is set to star in the reVAMPed Bram Stoker tale as Van Helsing. Shooting in Hungary is expected to kick off very very soon.

Personally I think Italian horror maestro Dario Argento ('Suspiria', 'Mother of Tears: The Third Mother', 'Demons', 'Trauma', 'Tenebre') lost his filmmaking mojo a long time ago. I think truly long gone are the good times of Giallo and it's about time writer/director Argento adapted somewhat. Perhaps his reinvention will come in the form of 'Dracula 3D', his new adaption of the Bram Stoker penned classic novel? The new production that is expected to kick off next February in Hungary has just gotten itself a wealthy new investor in the form of Spaniard Enrique Cerezo. Best thing to come out of this news? Well Daddy Dario will probably cast his smoking hot 35-year old Italian daughter Asia Argento (below) in it. Check out Asia and her hot ass tattoo with nothing clinging to it other than a string thin thong!

Originally released back in 1996, Dario Argento’s late career outing “The Stendhal Syndrome” arrives again on DVD thanks to Arrow Video, coming complete with new specially designed sleeve artwork. Based upon the novel by Graziella Magherini, the film saw Argento working again with screenwriter Franco Ferrini, with who he had collaborated on for the likes of “Phenomena”, “Trauma” and “Opera”, and also features a score from legendary composer Ennio Morricone. Despite this impressive pedigree, and the fact that it stars Argento’s gorgeous daughter Asia (who went on to appear in the likes of “xXx” and Romero’s “Land of the Dead”) in the lead, like most of the director’s more recent efforts, it has been treated with disdain by many fans. As such, and with his career continually having failed to undergo a proper revival, it now stands as being ripe for rediscovery on its own terms. The...

Given man's unwavering fascination with woman, it's no surprise that the female star acts as the anchor to a dominant portion of horror pictures. I mean really, who wants to see a bare chested man tearin ass through the woods screaming at the top of his lungs while a bladed assailant nips at his heels? I don't - I know that much, although I'm certain there are plenty of men who would disagree (and that's okay with me, to each his own!). The simple fact remains however, women bring a unique appeal and certain sensual atmosphere to film that no man ever could. And it's not all about gratuitous T&A.

There's a comforting quality in the hands of the heroine; a fascinating maternal strength that, as a man I cannot genuinely relate to. I can however admire, and in many cases it's nearly impossible to not admire the lone...

Debbie Rochon, often described as a scream queen herself, wrote in an article originally published in Gc Magazine that "a true Scream Queen isn't The Perfect Woman. She's sexy, seductive, but most importantly 'attainable' to the average guy. Or so it would seem." Nastassja Kinski Films: To the Devil a Daughter (1976) [1] Cat People (1982) [2] The Day the World Ended (2001) [3] Inland Empire (2006) [4] Kinski will always be remembered for the iconic photograph shot by Richard Avedon (with a snake coiled around her body) and her role in Paul Schrader's (not so good) remake of Cat People. Needless to say, it was a hit at the box office and Kinski deservingly received a Saturn Award for Best Actress. Caroline Munro Films: The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) [5] Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972) [6] Dracula A.D. 1972 [7] Maniac (1980) [8] Faceless (1987) [9] Demons 6 (1989) [10] Caroline Munro seduced audiences in her Hammer roles in films like Dracula A.D. 1972, but for gore hounds,...

Wall Street, they tell me, is on an upturn, and the economy is well on its way to recovery. Hooray and Huzzah! But, even if all this optimism is justified (which I doubt), the rough times aren't entirely behind us and, however long they linger, certain businesses are going to suffer -- especially certain businesses that may not be fit for survival in the digital world, like publishing for the niche markets of Sf and horror.

And, even if happy days are here again, some 20th Century businesses won't be coming back, ever.

Every year, March is National Reading Month, and every year it passes by with no one noticing, except for a few librarians who have to get up on ladders to post the banners (of course, this year, no budget for banners, so there wasn't even that).

Well, this blog is going to change everything; we're going to...