Classic-Horror.com | Reviewing the History of Horror Movies

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!

Review: The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)

Submitted by Eric Miller on Fri, 2009-10-02 02:56

The Picture of Dorian Gray, Albert Lewin's 1945 adaptation of Oscar Wilde's classic novel is both an entertaining and frustrating film. It is very well made, with stylish direction, wonderful performances from much of the cast, and it tackles some serious and thought provoking themes. Unfortunately, it takes its topic too seriously, and its main character appears throughout as not much more than a cipher. Boredom also has a tendency to set in at times, a fatal flaw for a horror (or any other genre) film. While worth watching, The Picture of Dorian Gray never reaches greatness.(read more...)

Remake Round-up: "The Fly", "The Crazies", "A Nightmare on Elm Street"

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Thu, 2009-10-01 16:26

Three pieces of remake-related news for those interested. First off, apparently Fox's remake of David Cronenberg's The Fly is still happening, according to THR's Risky Business Blog, this time with Cronenberg himself attached as a writer (and possibly as a director). While this is an odd move for Cronenberg, whose seen greater box office success and mainstream acceptance since he switched from horror to crime thrillers, it's not completely befuddling. Cronenberg recently directed Howard Shore's recent opera version of The Fly, which played in Paris and Los Angeles. Maybe he still has insects on the brain.
Source: Risky Business Blog(read more...)

Review: Premature Burial (1962)

Submitted by Kevin Nickelson on Thu, 2009-10-01 01:47

Of the myriad number of authors in the realm of horror fiction, none have been better at examining and exposing the powerful demons within the human psyche than the legendary Edgar Allan Poe. Few filmmakers have been more adept at transferring Poe's stories to the big screen than Roger Corman. After huge financial successes with Fall of the House of Usher (1960) and Pit and The Pendulum (1961), it was little surprise that Corman would continue to mine Poe for box office cash in 1962 with the intense and disturbing Premature Burial.(read more...)

Shocktober Classics 2009: Staff Screams

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Wed, 2009-09-30 23:49

Welcome to our annual October review event, the Shocktober Classics. In years past, we've shown our spotlight on great horror directors and foreign fright films. This year, we've letting the staff decide what they want to review, leading to an eclectic selection of titles, with something to please everybody. We'll be posting a new review every weekday throughout the month. We also have some great features lined up, including an interview with genre luminary Tom Atkins.

We've posted a hint about each day's review on the calendar below. As we post the reviews, the hint will be replaced by the appropriate link, so be sure to check back here throughout the month!(read more...)

Zombies Walk and Scavenge in Phoenix Next Friday

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Fri, 2009-09-25 12:48

Calling all sharp-eyed shambling dead in the Phoenix area! Your services are required at the First Friday Arts Walk on October 2nd, 2009 for a Zombie Walk and Scavenger Hunt. Begin gathering en masse at 6:30PM at the Arizona Ghostbusters booth (501 E. Roosevelt by Pravus Gallery). At 7:00PM, the AZ Ghostbusters will lead the horde of the undead around the First Friday festivities, ending up at the International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival booth in the Vendor Village (Spot #98, on the east side of 5th Street, south of Garfield). There you can register your team of up to four zombies for the Second Annual Zombie Scavenger Hunt, in the hopes of winning the grand prize of four VIP passes to the 2009 International Horror and Sci-Fi Film, which runs October 15-18. Full scavenger hunt rules and details are at the IHSFF website.

Coming This October to Classic-Horror.com

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Wed, 2009-09-23 13:48

We have two big pieces of news -- one good, one not-so-good -- to announce for October. First the good news: we're preparing to unleash an all-new, all-terrifying iteration of our annual review marathon. Get ready for Shocktober: Staff Screams! The Classic-Horror.com reviewing team has been given free reign to choose the films they want to review for you this year, and we have some great ones on tap, including The Most Dangerous Game, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Virgin Spring, Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, The Face of Fu Manchu, The Sorcerers, and more! We'll be posting a new review every weekday throughout the month of October, plus one on Halloween, so keep your browser pointed at Classic-Horror.com.(read more...)

Shiverin' 6: Anticipated Fall 2009 Horror DVDs

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Mon, 2009-09-14 17:03

When it comes to horror DVDs, September and October have always been like an early Christmas for me, except that I have to buy for myself. Still, new releases of interesting genre titles have always been abundant in the autumn, and this year is no different. With much difficulty, we've winnowed down the list of our most anticipated releases to just six, which we present below, in order of release.(read more...)

Review: Bad Ronald (1974)

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Wed, 2009-08-26 00:07

Between 1969 and 1975, the television network ABC was king of the TV movie scene, running up to two movie-of-the-week series at a time, supplemented by the occasional miniseries event. Tales of horror accounted for roughly 20% of these. The shorter running time (75 minutes or less) and lower production values were perfect for concise chillers that might have strained to fill the scope of a theatrical feature. Bad Ronald, which originally aired October 23rd, 1974, has that kind of a story - a quirky bit of creepiness that succeeds in its general aim to entertain and thrill in the same way a fast food cheeseburger succeeds in satisfying hunger.(read more...)

Scream for Your Very Lives! The William Castle Film Collection is Loose on DVD on October 20th!

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Tue, 2009-08-25 17:54

I am Nate Yapp, author of the website article you are about to read. I feel obligated to warn you that some of the sensations, some of the physical reactions which the writers on the site will feel discussing Sony's upcoming William Castle Film Collection will also be experienced, for the first time in Classic-Horror.com history, by certain members of the reading audience. I say "certain members" because some people are more sensitive to the potential awesomeness of a William Castle box set than others. These fortunate people will feel a strange, tingling sensation when they hear that the set will contain 13 Ghosts, Homicidal, Strait-Jacket, The Tingler, Mr. Sardonicus, and, making their DVD debuts, 13 Frightened Girls, The Old Dark House (1963), and Zotz! Some will feel it less strongly than others, but only because I forgot to add that the full-length documentary Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story will also be included.(read more...)

Review: Trick 'r Treat (2008)

Submitted by Timothy J. Rush on Thu, 2009-08-20 17:24

When I had the good fortune of seeing Trick 'r Treat at Comic-Con International 2009, it was preceded by a short panel with the director Michael Dougherty and stars Lauren Lee Smith and Brian Cox, moderated by Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News. The one thing that you really got a sense of, from what little they did say before the film, was how much they absolutely loved working on the project and how grateful Dougherty was that the film was finally reaching a wider audience. Now, enthusiasm only goes so far in creating a quality product, but the fact that Trick 'r Treat is a labor of love shines through when you watch it. Trick 'r Treat is a film that deserves a wide theatrical release and not the direct-to-video treatment it will receive in October 2009.(read more...)