Our editor-in-chief Nate Yapp is proud to have contributed to the new book Hidden Horror: A Celebration of 101 Underrated and Overlooked Fright Flicks, edited by Aaron Christensen. Another contributors include Anthony Timpone, B.J. Colangelo, Dave Alexander, Classic-Horror.com's own Robert C. Ring and John W. Bowen. Pick up a copy today from Amazon.com!

Posts by Nate Yapp

Rob Hall and Bobbi Sue Luther (Laid to Rest) interview

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Sun, 2008-08-10 16:40

After fifteen years in the makeup effects industry, Rob Hall made the move to the director's chair in 2004 with Lightning Bug, a coming-of-age drama loosely based on his own teen years. Now, for his second go-round at the helm of a feature film, Hall (who also heads up the effects studio Almost Human) dives into the realm of all-out horror with Laid to Rest, a slasher movie starring his wife, Bobbi Sue Luther, as well as Lena Headey and Thomas Dekker of The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and genre stalwart Richard Lynch. The film has been picked up by Anchor Bay for distribution at some time in the near future.

We able to sit down with Rob Hall and Bobbi Sue Luther at San Diego Comic-Con and ask them about Laid to Rest, their sources of inspiration, and Hall's transition from makeup guru to director.

Classic-Horror: Tell me a little about what Laid to Rest is about.
(read more...)

Jamie Bamber (Pulse 2) interview

Jamie Bamber at the Battlestar Galactica panel

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Fri, 2008-08-01 23:20

As Lee Adama on the Sci-Fi Channel's Battlestar Galactica, Jamie Bamber faces the Cylons, a group of cybernetic beings who are the worst case scenario of man's continued development of increasingly complex technologies. Now, in Joel Soisson's Pulse 2: Afterlife (a sequel to the 2005 Kairo remake, Pulse), he is up against another result of technological expansion -- ghosts that are literally in the machines. We had a chance to talk to Bamber about his role in Pulse 2 while we were at San Diego Comic-Con this year.(read more...)

Kent Nichols and Doug Sarine (Killer Tomatoes remake) interview

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Thu, 2008-07-31 02:19

It's not often you find yourself excited about the prospect of an Attack of the Killer Tomatoes remake. But that's where I am now, after spending some time at San Diego Comic-Con talking to remake writers Kent Nichols (who will also direct) and Doug Sarine. You may have seen their work before -- they're the duo responsible for the wildly popular and hilarious web series Ask a Ninja, where a masked master of the martial arts answers viewer questions with as much violence and quick-cutting as possible.(read more...)

San Diego Comic-Con 2008 Post-Mortem

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Tue, 2008-07-29 01:42

Well, another Comic-Con has come and gone and we have all sorts of coverage we're prepping. Look forward to pieces on Repo! The Genetic Opera, the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes remake, Frank Darabont, classic monster art, Torchwood, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, Laid to Rest, and more!

Here's a few more pictures from the course of the weekend to tide you over (click to open larger version in new window):

The Comic-Con logo at night

Our esteemed Managing Deaditor Julia Merriam
standing in front of a series of Dexter posters

(read more...)

San Diego Comic-Con International 2008 Has Begun!

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Thu, 2008-07-24 13:35

Team Classic-Horror is here in San Diego, CA at Comic-Con International. We'll have a ton of excellent coverage for you over the course of the weekend. To give you a tease, here's some shots we picked up on the Con floor during Preview Night on Wednesday:

Various con-goers caught in cool lighting effect

Julia Merriam, our Managing Deaditor, navigates
the convention floor.

Castle Grayskull

Review: Scars of Dracula (1970)

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Tue, 2008-07-22 21:00

Anyone wondering why Hammer Films felt the need to transplant Count Dracula to Swingin’ London in Dracula AD 1972 need look no further than Scars of Dracula (1970). This tepid continuation of the studio’s Dracula series proves, with little room for argument, that Hammer’s ability to deal with the vampire in his native Gothic setting had long ago dwindled to nothing. All devoted fans get for their troubles is a rehash of old ideas, a terribly insufficient plot, and a bad mishandling of Dracula as a character.(read more...)

The Road Ahead: Comic-Con and Beyond

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Mon, 2008-07-21 12:56

You may have noticed a lack of news stories this month, despite a whole bunch of excellent discs coming down the way (new Alfred Hitchcock sets, Nightmare Castle restored, and Beyond the Door, just to name a few). That's because we've been deep in prep for the three major events that will define the second half of our year.

First up is San Diego Comic-Con International, which runs from July 24th through the 27th this year. We'll have a team of four there this year -- Julia Merriam, Emily Langton, new recruit Courtney Banach, and myself. Keep your eyes peeled to Classic-Horror for daily updates from the floor. We can't reveal all the goodies yet, but we will be looking at offerings from Lionsgate, Universal, Warner Bros., Troma, the BBC, Platinum Dunes, Dimension, and other fine providers of horror entertainment. (read more...)

Review: The Mummy's Tomb (1942)

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Tue, 2008-07-01 09:53

Okay, put away your books. Time for a pop quiz. I know, I know, I promised that you wouldn’t have one today, but isn’t the point of a pop quiz the surprise factor? Don’t worry, it’s brief. Here we go. Established: The Mummy’s Tomb (1942) runs for 60 minutes and 35 seconds. Established: 11 minutes and 27 seconds of that runtime is spent recapping, with extensive flashback footage, the previous film in Universal's Kharis series, The Mummy’s Hand (1940). Resolve: How much actual movie remains after you subtract the recaps? Show your work. Extra credit: Can The Mummy’s Tomb still be considered a feature film? Why or why not?(read more...)

Theme Week: "Are You My Mummy?"

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Sun, 2008-06-29 23:57

It's time for another good ol' tried-and-true theme week. Five days, five reviews. This time around, we tackle the ancient Egyptian (and occasionally Mayan) menace, the mummy. Swathed in bandages, he roams the desert (or countryside or swamp or whatever) killing anyone who disturbs his tomb (or steals his treasure or absconds with his beloved princess or uses the phrase "Do the needful").(read more...)

Help Select the Cover Art for "Icons of Horror: Hammer Films"

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Tue, 2008-06-24 12:22

Amazon.com is giving Hammer fans the opportunity to select the key art for Sony's upcoming "Icons of Horror: Hammer Films" box set. On a special voting page(read more...)