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: Dracula's Daughter (1936)

Submitted by Shaughn Ander on Mon, 2008-06-16 20:52

Lambert Hillyer's Dracula's Daughter - the sequel to Tod Browning's 1931 classic Dracula - has long been considered an inferior follow-up and a forgettable film by many horror fans and critics, despite the fact that it is one of the best Universal sequels and horror tales of the period. Following an iconic and legendary film such as Dracula is never an easy task, for any director in any time, but Hillyer and crew manage to pull it off with some strong acting, fast paced and more linear camera-work, and an interesting plot centered around a main character that we both loathe and empathize with. The result is an atmospheric and entertaining film that works well as both a sequel and as its own stand alone feature, one that is certainly worth a look by any fan of Universal's monster classics of the 1930s and 1940s.(read more...)

Stan Winston (1946 - 2008)

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Mon, 2008-06-16 15:43

Special effects guru Stan Winston passed away Sunday, June 15th, 2008, at age 62, after a long struggle with multiple myeloma. Winston straddled the worlds of makeup and visual effects, contributing to such horror films as Dead & Buried, The Monster Squad, and Interview with the Vampire. Over the course of his career, he was nominated for ten Academy Awards, winning four of them (one each for Aliens and Jurassic Park and two for Terminator 2).(read more...)

Happy 9th Birthday, Classic-Horror!

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Sun, 2008-06-15 09:54

Nine years ago today, Classic-Horror launched as a subset of my Angelfire personal page. We look forward to providing more awesome reviews, news, interviews, and features in the year to come. Keep an eye out for our Comic-Con coverage next month and our annual review marathon in October.

On a personal note, I want to thank the readers, writers, and all the folks who have been kind enough to grant us interviews over the years. Without all of you, this site wouldn't be one-quarter of what it is today.(read more...)

New Special Edition DVDs for "Child's Play", "Pumpkinhead"

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Thu, 2008-06-12 09:40

MGM is putting together a 20th Anniversary Special Edition DVD of Tom Holland's 1988 killer doll movie Child's Play, to be released by Fox Home Video on September 9th, 2008. The disc will feature a new 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, a 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack, an audio commentary, a "selected scene" commentary by the film's villainous doll Chucky (Brad Dourif), a series of featurettes (Evil Comes in Small Packages), a vintage featurette (Introducing Chucky: The Making of Child's Play), a trailer, a photo gallery and more.(read more...)

Official Details on "Picture of Dorian Gray" DVD

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Mon, 2008-06-09 12:09

Warner Bros. has confirmed the rumors that The Picture of Dorian Gray will arrive on DVD on October 7, 2008. Here's the official release:(read more...)

Shiverin' 6: Great Episodes of Horror Television

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Sun, 2008-06-08 21:32

Doing a list-style feature can be an easy way to generate content. I like the idea in principle, but I try to avoid presumptuous "best of" lists when I can (and sometimes, I'll admit, I can't).

With this in mind, I've concocted the "Shiverin' 6" (with apologies to the Cinematical Seven). This irregular feature will present a list of a half-dozen really excellent films (or television episodes or fictional characters or whatever) that represent a certain topic, category, or subgenre. These items will not be touted as "the six best", but as "six of the best." Readers can (and should) leave a comment telling us about their favorites -- agreeing or disagreeing with our choices and making their own additions.(read more...)

Rumor: The Picture of Dorian Gray on DVD in Oct. 2008?

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Fri, 2008-06-06 10:42

Update, 06/09/2008: Warner Bros. has officially announced this release.(read more...)

Review: To the Devil a Daughter (1976)

Submitted by Kevin Nickelson on Thu, 2008-06-05 23:10

Good versus evil has been a standard cinematic theme, particularly within the horror genre, since the invention of the Cinematographe by Louis Lumiere in 1895. However, as film audiences have become more jaded over the years, the definitions of good and evil have become less clear. Enter To the Devil a Daughter, an ambitious but technically flawed attempt to muddy the line between hero and villain. Produced in 1975 by Britain’s Hammer Films, in cooperation with Germany’s Terra-Filmkunst, To the Devil a Daughter stars both horror king Christopher Lee and Hollywood legend Richard Widmark (purportedly imported for international box office appeal). Supported by a cast of acting veterens and a talented young director named Peter Sykes, To the Devil a Daughter works... almost.(read more...)

Review: Vengeance of the Zombies (1973)

Submitted by Robert Ring on Wed, 2008-05-28 09:14

I would not call Vengeance of the Zombies a zombie film any more than I would call Dawn of the Dead a screwball comedy. Just as a couple pies-in-the-face do not define the latter, five or six zombies do not make a zombie film. But I’m going to stop rambling and get right to the dirt because it does not seem right to waste energy on a film of this quality. Even as far as C-grade trash goes, Vengeance of the Zombies is bad and (even worse) boring.(read more...)

Tartan USA Closes Doors

Submitted by Nate Yapp on Tue, 2008-05-27 11:35

Variety Asia Online reports that Tartan Films USA, the American branch of UK-based Tartan Films, appears to have shut down. All of its assets, including office furniture and the company's 101-title film library, were auctioned off on May 19th in a foreclosure sale. No word yet on who picked up the titles, which include several East Asian horror titles like Oldboy, Shutter, Marebito, and R-Point, as well as art house films such as The Death of Mr. Lazarescu and Cave of the Yellow Dog.(read more...)