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!

Calabrese Music Video Features First Released Footage from "The Graves"

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Mon, 2009-07-06 14:15

The new music video for punk band Calabrese's "Vampires Don't Exist" contains a bonus for horror fans -- the first released footage from Brian Pulido's upcoming film, The Graves. "We'll launch The Graves official trailer on July 20th, right before Comic-Con International, but we wanted to give everyone a sneak peek," says Pulido, who both wrote and directed the film. "We feature Calabrese early on in The Graves and this video is a natural extension of that scene." The video, which is posted on the official YouTube page for The Graves at http://www.youtube.com/thegravesmovie, features footage of horror icons like Tony Todd and Bill Moseley, as well as other stars of the film. (read more...)

Le Cops vs Le Zombies - "La Horde" Trailer hits the net

Submitted by Simon Powell on Sat, 2009-07-04 23:51

With the endless stream of remakes and sequels doing the rounds, it's nice to be able to report on something original for a change, with the news that the first trailer for French zombie apocalypse film La Horde has gone online.

According to the website Quiet Earth, the plot sees four corrupt Paris cops going on a rampage in a mobster's hideout after one of their colleagues is killed. However, they and the criminals must fight for survival after hordes of flesh eating creatures invade the building.(read more...)

"Predator" Reboot - The Hunt for a Director Is Over

Submitted by Simon Powell on Fri, 2009-07-03 13:12

Ain't it Cool News are reporting that Vacancy director Nimrod Antal has been hired to helm Robert Rodriguez's Predator reboot. Predators will see a group of humans trying to make it back home after getting trapped on the creatures' home planet.

Rodriguez, who is producing, wrote the original script back in 1994 when he was hired to put together a second sequel. This time he's using his Troublemaker Studios in Texas, in order to take advantage of the state's tax breaks.

Predators is due to be released in July next year.

"American Werewolf" to Howl Again?

Submitted by Simon Powell on Tue, 2009-06-30 14:43

Reuters are reporting that remake kings Dimension Films have picked up the rights for a new version of An American Werewolf in London.

The original, written and directed by John Landis, starred David Naughton and Griffin Dunne as two American backpackers hiking in the Yorkshire moors. After the pair are attacked by a werewolf, Naughton ends up terrorizing London while Dunne becomes a reanimated corpse, looking for ways for Naughton to kill himself and stop the curse.

The producers are reportedly trying to keep the comedy elements of the original, while making the story relevant to contemporary audiences. No writer or director has yet been hired for the new version, although Landis will apparently serve as executive producer.(read more...)

Review: Friday the 13th (2009)

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Mon, 2009-06-29 23:54

Marcus Nispel's Friday the 13th (2009), a "reboot" of the popular slasher franchise of the same name, is a frustrating cypher of a film. A critical nonentity, it is neither especially commendable nor particularly condemnable. Few elements stand out as objects of worthy discussion and even those that do provide extremely meager returns. The filmmaking is professional but uninspired, resulting in a vaguely familiar smorgasbord of pastiches and rehashes, reconfigured just enough as to not raise any ire from those keen-eyed enough to recognize the inspirations. In short, it's a truly terrible movie, for it takes no risks and asks for no involvement from its audience. (read more...)

Argento Cuts Ties with New Thriller "Giallo"?

Submitted by Simon Powell on Mon, 2009-06-29 11:06

Horror legend Dario Argento is reportedly distancing himself from his new thriller Giallo, with trade paper The Hollywood Reporter saying that he kept away from the recent premiere of his latest project at the Edinburgh Film Festival.

For the first time in his career, Argento is working as a hired director on a screenplay devised by others. American writers Jim Agnew and Sean Keller concocted Giallo as a tribute to the Italian director. In the film, which is set in Italy, Linda (Emmanuelle Seigner) fears her sister Celine (Elsa Pataky) may have been kidnapped. Inspector Enzo Avolfi (Adrien Brody) fears it's worse. The two team up to rescue Celine from a sadistic killer known only as Yellow.

Giallo, like Argento's previous film Mother of Tears, will be distributed in North America by the Weinstein Company, although no news yet on a release date.

Spielberg's "Oldboy" Remake Still on Course Despite Legal Wrangles

Submitted by Simon Powell on Sun, 2009-06-28 01:58

Another week, another remake story...

This time, Reuters are reporting that Steven Spielberg's plans to redo ultra-violent Korean revenge flick Oldboy with Will Smith in the lead role are still moving forward, despite a complex behind-the-scenes legal row between the publishers of the original manga and the producers of the original film.

Futabasha has filed a case against Show East in Seoul, alleging the Korean company never had the right to negotiate a remake. To futher complicate the story, Show East has shut down, its CEO, Kim Dong-Ju, has disappeared, and another firm involved in the production of the original, Big Egg, has also closed up shop.

DreamWorks, which snapped up the rights in November in the wake of its separation from Paramount, has so far not commented on the dispute.

3 comments

Review: Dog Soldiers (2002)

Submitted by John Dubrawa on Sun, 2009-06-21 12:08

You get the sense from watching Dog Soldiers that first time writer-director Neil Marshall had this great idea for a survival horror movie about werewolves, but also in the back of his mind had created a colorful cast of action-cliché characters and ultimately decided it would be fun just to pit the two against one another in an action-horror mash-up with a little British humor thrown in for good measure. There's no doubt that the mix of thrilling chase sequences and wince-inducing gore is fun to watch, especially when the word "bollocks" gets tossed around a lot during these scenes. But the fun in Dog Soldiers lasts for merely the first act of the film. After that, the film slows down considerably and the remaining two acts are comprised of predictable action and boring characters. It's a shame to see a promising director run through his reserves so quickly. (read more...)

Cover Art and Details on Warner's "Karloff and Lugosi Horror Classics" DVD Set

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Fri, 2009-06-19 15:45

It appears that the Karloff/Lugosi box set that Warner Home Video promised back in March is a sure thing, as they have officially announced the release of Karloff & Lugosi Horror Classics on October 3rd, 2009. The set will contain four films -- The Walking Dead (Michael Curtiz, 1936), Frankenstein 1970 (Howard W. Koch, 1958 - presented in anamorphic widescreen),You'll Find Out (David Butler, 1940), and Zombies on Broadway (Gordon Douglas, 1945). Special features will include two commentary tracks: one on The Walking Dead with Gregory Mank (author of Hollywood Cauldron, an excellent book which devotes a full chapter to the film) and another featuring Tom Weaver and actress Charlotte Austin discussing Frankenstein 1970. Suggested retail price for Karloff & Lugosi Horror Classics is $26.98.

4 comments

"The Birds" and "Rosemary's Baby" in NOT Being Remade Shocker!

Submitted by Simon Powell on Thu, 2009-06-18 00:52

There is some good news of sorts if you were despairing of ever again seeing anything original at the cinema. The HorrorSquad website is reporting that Michael Bay's production company Platinum Dunes has apparently dropped plans to remake Hitchcock's The Birds and Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby.

In an interview with Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, the duo behind the recent Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw remakes, as well as the upcoming new version of Nightmare on Elm Street, both appeared to suggest that the overwhelmingly negative response on the Internet was a factor

On The Birds remake, which had been slated for a 2011 release with Naomi Watts in the Tippi Hedren role, Fuller is quoted as saying "As you guys know, we lay ourselves out there and get annihilated out there online all day long, and that movie just opens us up to a whole different level of annihilation."(read more...)