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!

Roger Corman

Submitted by Joseph Maddrey on Fri, 2008-08-15 10:36

Roger Corman is the stuff of legend – a one-man production army who kicked off his filmmaking career in 1948 as a messenger on the Fox lot. From the very beginning he was a tireless worker, volunteering to come in on Saturdays so that he could learn the business fast. Within the year he was promoted to script reader and his coverage helped to transform a rejected screenplay into the Gregory Peck vehicle The Gunfighter (1950). Unfortunately, Corman got none of the credit for this success. He quickly realized that the best way to climb the corporate ladder was to write his own screenplay, and promptly left for Europe to seek inspiration. After a semester at Oxford, studying 20th century English literature, and a brief stint in Paris, he returned and sold a script called “The House in the Sea” to Allied Artists.

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.
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Robert Englund (Zombie Strippers) interview

Robert Englund at the Jack Brooks panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2008

Submitted by Julia Merriam on Fri, 2008-08-08 00:27

Just as he did in 2007, Robert Englund sojourned to San Diego Comic-Con this year to talk about his latest projects, including Zombie Strippers and Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer. Zombie Strippers, a humorous and irreverent callback to 1970s exploitation cinema, will be released on DVD by Sony on October 28th. Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, a horror-comedy about a plumber who fights monsters, will be out in a limited theatrical release starting this month.

Classic-Horror had the opportunity to spend a few minutes speaking with this legendary horror icon about his latest forays into the genre. In addition to discussing his current projects, Englund was also more than happy to offer his insight on current filmmaking practices, his legacy as a horror icon and, of course, his wealth of experience in the genre.(read more...)

Review: Dementia 13 (1963)

Submitted by Chris Justice on Thu, 2008-08-07 13:36

Most people don’t associate Francis Ford Coppola with horror, but they should. He produced Jeepers Creepers I and II, Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, a 1999 TV production of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Kenneth Branagh’s Frankenstein, and the Roger Corman classic The Terror. Of course, his direction of Bram Stoker’s Dracula also leaps out. However, the genesis of Coppola’s legendary career as an American directorial icon started with the low-budget slasher thriller Dementia 13.(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...)

Costumes and Comic-Con Culture (The Comic-Con Experience 2008 #6)

Submitted by Julia Merriam on Fri, 2008-08-01 02:47

One of the most amazing things about Comic-Con is the floor itself, and the people it attracks. The crowds are overwhelming, the enthusiasm is contagious, and the costumes are alternately impressive and terrifying. The sixth and final installment of the Comic-Con Experience is going to be mostly photography, since pictures speak much louder than words. Without further ado, we give you the 2008 Comic-Con Exhibition Floor.

All photos by Nate Yapp unless otherwise noted.(read more...)

Cory Glaberson and Reel Art (The Comic-Con Experience 2008 #5)

Submitted by Julia Merriam on Fri, 2008-08-01 02:29

One of the trademarks of Comic-Con is its nostalgia for what has passed. While this mostly manifests in the plethora of comic book vendors dealing in rare and vintage comics, there are some definite highlights for those of a more cinematic persuasion. One such highlight is Reel Art, a dealer in vintage movie and pop culture memorabilia, and our Comic-Con Experience 2008 #5.

Cory Glaberson is a self-proclaimed pop culture enthusiast: cult television, classic movies, vintage comic books – he loves it all. He loves it so much, in fact, that he’s made it his business. You can’t help but notice the Reel Art booth, since the back of it is lined with posters, many of them beloved classic horror films, which, of course, drew us right in.

The wall of posters at the Reel Art booth

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Review: Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)

Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan poster

Submitted by John Dubrawa on Fri, 2008-08-01 01:01

In the wake of New Line Cinema’s announcement that it will be rebooting the Friday the 13th series, there will be some filmgoers that will be introduced into the famed franchise for the first time and will want to check out the previous eleven entries. Those newcomers will be hard pressed to find a worse film in the entire Friday the 13th collection than Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. If the name of the film itself doesn’t evoke just a bit of laughter, then perhaps the poor character development, shameful plot, and careless ending will do the trick. Please keep in mind that the Friday the 13th series started with a serious horror film.(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...)

Frank Darabont (The Mist) interview

Submitted by Julia Merriam on Wed, 2008-07-30 23:02

In November of 2007, Dimension Films released The Mist, a film adaptation of Stephen King’s novella of the same title written and directed by Academy Award nominated director, Frank Darabont. With a limited budget, a darker ending, and a talented cast, The Mist is a moody, thoughtful modern horror film without an annoying Pollyanna ending.

The film stars Thomas Jane as David Drayton, a commercial artist living in a small town with his wife and son, Billy. After a violent thunderstorm, Thomas and Billy, head to the local supermarket to pick up supplies when an unnatural mist begins to roll into town, preceeded by a frightened neighbor telling stories of dangerous creatures in the Mist. What follows is a story of terror and paranoia, as a group of people, trapped in the supermarket, attempt to survive both the otherworldly creatures lurking in the Mist and the threat of panicked people lurking in their midst.
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