Welcome to the new home of Creepercast.com. Where we let the fear creep in with all things horror genre. News, Reviews, and more! STAFF:
J.P.: Editor (EIC - Editor in Cheif), Writer (CC - Content Contributor);
Joel Kenyon: Editor (AE - Assistant Editor), Writer (CC - Content Contributor); William S Mayfield: Writer (CC - Content Contributor)
On this day in horror history.... 'Ringu' is released theatrically. A film that started a phenomenon. The Japanese ghost story became a staple of horror cinema for many many years to come. It still unnerves me to this day, seeing the black haired girl, crawling in that creepy way.
Shaenon K. Garrity, the self-professed Mayor of Horror Movies, is mostly a cartoonist who just happens to watch a lot of scary movies while drawing cartoons. Check out her thematically appropriate horror movie for each day of the year at Horror Every Day. Continue to visit the Creepercast every Friday for that days featured Horror offering.
In case you didn't know it, our reviewer Joel is quite the podcaster. Here is just one of the shows he is a part of as he and his cohorts explain to us why we needed a remake.
We’re all going to die in this episode…. but we’ll come back! Perhaps with some bad things we’d sooner forget. If you haven’t figured it out by now, this week we’re going to stop your hearts with our ‘Flatliners’ show! Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts and Kevin Bacon vs Ellen Page, Diego Luna and Kiefer Sutherland! This is a big one, kids. 9 out of 10 doctors agree, you should take two film versions of ‘Flatliners’ and call them in the morning. Subscribe to 40 Going On 14 here! Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS
On this day in horror history.... 'Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma' is released.
A film that represents true horror, as the story is based in reality. I've only seen this once and I don't ever need to see it again. It's a slow burn and may seem tame to some, but today's standards, but.... it's horrific.
The Acclaimed Cannes Selection Arrives in Cinemas February 2nd From Super LTD
The explosive first-look theatrical trailer debuts today!
In his twentieth film, acclaimed horror director Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Cure, Pulse) reinvents the alien movie as a unique and profoundly human tale of love and mystery. Three aliens travel to Earth on a reconnaissance mission in preparation for a mass invasion. Having taken possession of human bodies, the visitors rob the hosts of their essence – good, evil, property, family, belonging – leaving only hollow shells, which are all but unrecognizable to their loved ones. Equally hilarious, thrilling, and profound, BEFORE WE VANISH reminds audiences of the continued strength of one of Japanese cinema's most unique auteurs – and the value of the human spirit.
BEFORE WE VANISH stars Masami Nagasawa (Godzilla: Final Wars), Ryuhei Matsuda (The Raid 2), Mahiro Takasugi, Yuri Tsunematsu, and Hiroki Hasegawa (Shin Godzilla).
On this day in horror history.... 'Creep' is released theatrically. Starring the lovely and talented Franka Potente, this is a very claustrophobic horror film. Set in a subway station, it's not a great film, but it's an effective one.
Long-awaited Horror fantasy Flay, from director Eric Pham, will be released 3/6 via Distribber.
Flay hails from a filmmaker who cut his teeth working VFX work on some of Robert Rodriguez’s best known films, including Grindhouse and Sin City.
The film features Violett Beane (The Flash) and Phantasm star A. Michael Baldwin. Elle LaMont (Alita: Battle Angel, Machete Kills), Dalton Gray (Lazer Team, Dumber and Dumber To), Johnny Walter, Aaron Spivey-Sorrells, Peggy Schott, Kaylee King and Noe de la Garza also star.
After the death of her mother, an estranged daughter struggles to save her brother, and those around her from a malevolent faceless spirit.
On this day in horror history.... yet another video game franchise that just keeps going, as 'Resident Evil 4' is released on the Nintendo GameCube in Japan. I've said it before, that I haven't played these games, but I can always get behind some zombie killin'!
ROBERT ENGLUND AND LIN SHAYE STRIKE THE CLOCK WITH "THE MIDNIGHT MAN"!
Bless our genre film legends. They're such a big part of what makes so many genre classics classic - what would FRANKENSTEIN be without Karloff or DRACULA without Lugosi? Horror stars help make the genre what it is, and it's been our pleasure to release THE MIDNIGHT MAN with two modern day legends, Robert Englund and Lin Shaye. Their work needs no introduction, but THE MIDNIGHTMAN, the latest from CABIN FEVER director Travis Z, just might so we'll tell you that it's a shocker in the classic mode, a story about childhood fears come to life that brings a new horror hero, The Midnight Man, to the screen and brings two horror legends with it. Watch it this weekend and let us know what you think. Just don't watch it at midnight!
It was supposed to be just an urban legend… On a snowy night in her grandmother’s sprawling mansion, teenage Alex (Gabrielle Haugh) and her best friend Miles (Grayson Gabriel) discover a mysterious box hidden away in the attic. Inside are instructions for The MidnightGame, an ancient Pagan ritual said to summon the players’ greatest fears. It all seems like harmless fun—until they unleash the terrifying spirit of The Midnight Man, an unholy force who pits them against their darkest demons and dares them to survive. Horror legends Robert Englund and Lin Shaye costar in this terrifying, supernatural game of cat and mouse. Play at your own risk…
On this day in horror history.... 'Castlevania' releases another game, as 'Castlevania' is released on the Nintendo 64 in the United States. Although, I've not played one of these games since the original, it seems to have staying power.
This one must have the worst cover of the bunch though. Whoa.
On this day in horror history.... a master of horror, Tobe Hooper is born. The man who gave us 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre', 'Poltergeist' and a slew of other genre defining pieces of cinema. Sadly, we lost him last year, but his legend will live on forever.
DESOLATION Opens Theatrically in NYC and LA on Friday, January 26th with Nationwide Rollout to Follow...
Small town Katie (Dominik García-Lorido, CITY ISLAND) meets heartthrob actor Jay (Brock Kelly, PITCH PERFECT). Jay charms Katie, brings her to L.A. where she falls hard for him. When Jay gets a movie and has to leave town, Katie awaits his return. That’s when everything begins to unravel. Katie is robbed, her keys and wallet taken. When she reports it, the police question and then attack her. Terrified, with no money, and stuck in L.A., she keeps calling her friends at home, but just gets a 'wrong number.' Frantically, she asks Jay to wire her money and come back, but neither he nor the money show. When Katie's home town newspaper is delivered to her door in L.A., it includes her obituary. And she realizes there is some greater evil at play.
As with all of my reviews of films for The Creepercast, I fully recommend that you check each and every one of them out. I am one man and this is my opinion. I've seen plenty of movies that received reviews that were the complete opposite of how I saw the film. These writers, directors, producers and actors all put a lot of time and love into these projects. They deserve to be seen and appreciated for what they are. Everyone has a dream and I fully support the people that take the time to make theirs a reality. With that being said....
What can you say about George A. Romero's 'Day of the Dead' (1985) that hasn't already been said. It's a film that wasn't nearly the scale and scope that he wanted. He had to tone down his blockbuster story, to match his ever shrinking non-blockbuster budget. The result was still a far superior zombie tale to many of those still being made today. Then, there was 'Day of the Dead' (2008). Steve Miner's attempt to play off of the success of Zack Snyder's 'Dawn of the Dead' remake in (2004). While I found the film to be quite fun and an interesting take on the original story, it didn't quite have the same staying power. Although, I'll admit that he made the story his own and created a fairly fun little popcorn zombie film. Now, lest you think I've forgotten about 'Day of the Dead 2: Contagium' (2005), I haven't. I just haven't been able to bring myself to watch it, after all of the horrible things I've seen and read about it, I've stayed far away from it. So that brings us to Hèctor Hernández Vicens brand new take on the tale, 'Day of the Dead: Bloodlines' (2018). Now, this isn't a part 2 or a continuation of the original story. This is truly another remake. As it's been well documented, I'm a fan of remakes. I have no issues with them, as long as the creators are doing something different. Making the story their own and bringing something new to the table. Sadly, no one has attempted George A. Romero's original script yet, but maybe someday in the future it'll see the light of day on the big screen. In this version, it sticks pretty close to the original film from 1985. There are a few deviations, but overall, it's the same story with some different characters or ones that have been combined into one person. But before we dig into the finer points of the film, let's break down the plot.
The film begins with a scene of mass hysteria, as the zombie have already begun to overrun the human population. There are people screaming and running for their lives, as everyone around them is either being ripped apart or being turned into the undead themselves. At this point, we meet Zoe. She's trying to grasp what's happening, while trying to find safety and shelter. Now, we rewind to earlier before the outbreak has occurred. We learn that Zoe is a med student and she's got a creeper stalker named Max. As the other med students are having a big party, Zoe is being victimized by Max. Soon, patient zero returns from the dead and begins spreading the zombie virus at an alarming rate. Zoe escapes and we fast forward to the present. Some time has passed and she's found her way into a military stronghold, where she's the only practicing doctor, who's surviving alongside military personal and civilians just hoping to not become part of the world of the undead. When they learn that a little girl has a strain of pneumonia that will potentially infect everyone in the bunker, Zoe leads a team back to the medical school to get much needed medical supplies. When they return, they have an unknown hitchhiker, a very zombie Max. Once they realize he's there, they also realize that he may be the cure to the virus. Not a way to turn everyone back to humans, but the way to keep anyone else from being turned into the walking dead. Before long, things go sideways and Zoe has to do everything she can to save Max, in order to make a cure, but not kill off everyone else in the process.
What's interesting about this take on the original story, is that it's almost like an even more toned down version of what was already toned down. The budget is obviously less than the 1985 and the 2008 versions of the film. While elements of them both still remain, you can clearly see that they were doing the best with what they have. The only real name in the film is Johnathon Schaech, who most of you may recognize from his role as Jimmy in 'That Thing You Do!'. He's taking on the role of Max, the analog for the original and remakes lovable learning zombie, Bub. In this go around, he's not so lovable. They have also gone so far as to explain why he's smarter than your average zombie. Why he retains some of the things that make us human, including logic and reason. He's still a creeper, but we learn very quickly that he's capable of rational thought as he literally hunts down Zoe and keeps himself hidden in the bunker. This doesn't really feel very logical and really hurts the story, in my opinion. Not the fact that he can react to things in a more human way, but that he uses it for the purpose of continuing to be a creeper. He's anything but likable in this film. In this version of the story, Zoe is a composite of both Sarah and Dr. Logan. One of the few female leads and the only doctor on site. We lose the characters of John and Bill, which provided some relief from all the military personal in the original. In this re-telling, it's all military, Zoe and some civilians, probably due to budget, but it gives the viewer less characters to really latch onto. Which in any film where the overall plot is fairly dark, you need some spots of daylight to keep you interested and to give you people to root for. Here, we end up not really having anyone we care about or that we want to see live. Even the zombie, Bub, that we all fell in love with, is turned into something to loathe and despise. It's a brave decision, but the wrong one to make. With a run time of about an hour and 30 minutes, it feels like a 50 minute race to the ending. I never found myself rooting for anyone and it all felt like we were going through the motions. At least in the 2008 film, we still had characters that were fun to watch and even the undead helped to move the story along. One last big change from the original, was the running zombies vs the slow, shambling ones. While this is a stylistic choice, in this film it's not utilized very well. The same can be said for how quickly the infected turn. We even get an explanation that, depending on where you've been bitten, will dictate how quickly you become a 'rotter'. Scientifically, it makes sense, I guess? But this is like the difference between the rate in which you get high taking a Vicodin vs mainlining heroin. Not too mention the blood splatter bursts. That only works in anime, guys.
At the end of a very bloody day, 'Day of the Dead: Bloodlines' kind of fails at what it's trying to do. While I can respect Hèctor Hernández Vicens' vision and what he was trying to do, I think he was hamstrung by a shoddy script and a minuscule budget. The actors seemed to be straight out of film school and there was never really any drama, danger or a real plot to speak of. Imagine taking your favorite story and removing all of the things you really loved about it and replacing it with excerpts from the phone book. That's kind of what we ended up with here and it's a shame. While the original isn't crying out for a remake, after what 'Dawn of the Dead' (2004) did for upping the remake game, there's a potential there to create something amazing. Only time will tell if we'll ever get a version of this story that will stand alongside the original and don't get me wrong, it wasn't a perfect film. However, it's stood the test of time and has still managed to set the tone for generations of zombie films that followed it. It's quotable and has one of the most horrific scenes of undead violence ever committed to the screen. If you don't know what I'm referring too, just think back to when Rhodes finally got his comeuppance. I'm giving this film 1 out of 5 stars. Sadly, it just fell far too short of the mark. Little budget or not, I've seen films on a tiny budget, pull off really big things. So that's not an excuse. Somewhere right now, Bub is rolling over in his empty grave. Also, what was up with Johnathon Schaech's mouth?!?!
If you want to see where this all began, check out: 'Day of the Dead' (1985), 'Day of the Dead' (2008) and while you're at it, check out 'The Battery' a film that was made on a shoestring budget that is still one of the best zombie films of the past 10 years
On this day in horror history.... a horror film that seems to get a lot of praise, 'Burial Ground' is released. Zombies have been a part of the horror lexicon for many decades, but the 80's was kind of lull, but the Italian's kept the home fires burning until the states caught up again.This one is on my list and I'll get around to it someday.
Boston, Massachusetts – January 15, 2018 – Boston Film Family, LLC, has released the poster for its upcoming feature film, PARTS UNKNOWN. The horror movie is currently in postproduction and is expected to premiere in the spring/summer of 2018.
“I’m very excited over how the movie is coming together,” said writer/producer/director Richard Chandler about his latest endeavor. “It’ll be my most polished movie yet.”
The poster, created by Dennis Preston, features longtime Chandler collaborators Sarah Michelle and Alexandra Cipolla. Also prominently displayed in the poster is Lizzie Havoc. The other lead actors in the movie are retired pro-wrestler/actor William DeCoff and longtime Boston Film Family, LLC, alumni actor Alexander Hauck.
Legendary independent actress Melantha Blackthorne, who had a leading role in Chandler’s feature film GILGAMESH (2014), returns in a smaller role while former pro-wrestler Jake “The Snake” Roberts lends his vocal talents to the movie. Cameos are also provided by the indie tag team The Devil’s Doormen as well as YouTube and podcast personality Brian Zane (of “Wrestling with Wregret” fame).
PARTS UNKNOWN is a movie that mixes the horror genre with wrestling. It is the story of how the infamous Von Strasser family, a family of unstable professional wrestlers, seek to violently reclaim their notorious status despite being blackballed by forces within the industry. Chandler promises his fans that PARTS UNKNOWN will contain and even extend his signature use of unusual characters, bizarre scenarios, and stylized violence.
“It’s original,” proudly stated Chandler about his latest movie. “Whether people can get past a smaller budget or not, no one can deny that this hasn’t really been done. It exists in its own world. You can count on me for that.”
Boston Film Family, LLC, is an award-winning Massachusetts-based independent film production company that specializes in the creation of visual horror and grindhouse stories. Its previous works include the featurette WITCH HUNT (2016), the feature film GILGAMESH (2014), and the webseries BOSTON MASSACRE (2012-2013).
On this day in horror history.... the Japanese franchise of 'The Ring' continues as 'Ring 0: Birthday' is released in overseas. A prequel that fills in the gaps left from 'The Ring', it's one I've never seen. It's a great franchise that still continues to this day.... both in the states and in Japan.
Another podcast we strongly suggest checking into. For more e sure to visit their site and subscribe to their podcast. Check out Episode 39: Top 10 of 2017 here and we will bring you links to more as they are posted!
On this day in horror history.... horror video games take another bite out of the marketplace, as 'Resident Evil 2' comes out for Playstation. I've never been a video game fan. At least not since I was a kid, but I've heard nothing but good things about this series of games. Who doesn't love shooting zombies?
Now that 2017 is in the books, its time to look forward to what the new year has to offer. Here is the January films we are looking forward to in 2018.
Day of the Dead: Bloodline
A reimagining of George A. Romero's cult classic, DAY OF THE DEAD: BLOODLINE is set in a post-apocalyptic, zombie-filled world where a former med school student is tormented by a dark figure from her past. The only thing is, he's a half-human, half-zombie hell-bent on destroying her world.
Written By: Mark Tonderai, Lars Jacobson, George A. Romero
Stars: Sophie Skelton, Johnathon Schaech, Jeff Gum
Release:Jan 5, 2018 Limited Theater, On Disc/Streaming
Insidious: The Last Key
Parapsychologist Dr. Elise Rainier faces her most fearsome and personal haunting yet - in her own family home.
Directed By: Adam Robitel
Written By: Leigh Whannell
Stars: Lin Shaye, Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson
Release: Jan 5, 2018 Theater
Suspiria (remake)
A young American ballerina comes to train at a prestigious German dance academy and uncovers the school's dark and menacing secrets.
Directed By: Luca Guadagnino
Written By: Dario Argento, Daria Nicolodi, David Kajganich
Stars: Chloë Grace Moretz, Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton
Release: TBD
The Endless
Two brothers return to the cult they fled from years ago to discover that the group's beliefs may be more sane than they once thought
Directed By: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead
Written By: Justin Benson
Stars: Callie Hernandez, James Jordan, Tate Ellington
Release: TBD - currently in festivals
Psychopaths
An executed serial killer, an escaped mental patient, a beautiful seductress, a crazed strangler and a masked murderer unleash blood-soaked mayhem over the course of one night.
Directed By: Mickey Keating
Written By: Mickey Keating
Stars: Ashley Bell, Josh Ethier, Larry Fessenden
Release: currently on VOD
Tragedy Girls
A twist on the slasher genre, following two death-obsessed teenage girls who use their online show about real-life tragedies to send their small mid-western town into a frenzy and cement their legacy as modern horror legends.
Directed By: Tyler MacIntyre
Written By: Chris Lee Hill, Tyler MacIntyre
Stars: Josh Hutcherson, Brianna Hildebrand, Kevin Durand
Release: currently in limited theaters
Nosferatu
Vampire Count Orlok expresses interest in a new residence and real estate agent Hutter's wife.
(remake from writer/director of The VVitch)
Directed By: David Lee Fisher
Stars: Doug Jones, Sarah Carter, Joely Fisher
Release: TBD
Abruptio
Les Hackel (Marsters) is a guy down on his luck who wakes to find an explosive device has been implanted in his neck. He must carry out heinous crimes in order to stay alive while trying to identify the mastermind manipulating the now twisted and strange world around him.
Directed By: Evan Marlowe
Written By: Evan Marlowe
Stars: Jordan Peele, James Marsters, Hana Mae Lee
Release: TBD
Penance Lane
A hardened criminal fresh out of the joint takes a job as a handyman in a dilapidated house; but the twisted horrors he finds inside are enough to send anyone running. So why does he stay? And why are so many people drawn to Penance Lane?
Directed By: Péter Engert
Written By: Munier Sharrieff
Stars: Scout Taylor-Compton, John Schneider, Tyler Mane
Release: TBD
Winchester: The House that Ghosts Built
After the sudden death of her family, firearms heiress Sarah Winchester becomes convinced that she's haunted by the souls of those killed by guns. Winchester then decides to build an enormous mansion that's designed to keep the evil spirits at bay. When skeptical psychiatrist Eric Price visits the estate to evaluate her state of mind, he soon discovers that her obsession may not be so far-fetched after all.
Directed By: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig
Written By: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig
Stars: Helen Mirren, Sarah Snook, Jason Clarke
Release: 2 February 2018 (USA)
Victor Crowley
Ten years after the events of the original movie, Victor Crowley is mistakenly resurrected and proceeds to kill once more.
Directed By: Adam Green
Written By: Adam Green
Stars: Parry Shen, Kane Hodder, Laura Ortiz
Release: 6 February 2018 (USA)
Death House
A power breakdown inside a secret prison sends two agents fighting through a labyrinth of horrors. As they fight to escape, the agents discover a supernatural group of evil beings who may be their chance for survival.
Directed By: B. Harrison Smith
Written By: Gunnar Hansen (original writer), B. Harrison Smith
Stars: Dee Wallace, Adrienne Barbeau, Michael Berryman
Release: 23 February 2018 (USA)
The Strangers: Prey at Night
A road trip to visit relatives takes a dangerous turn when a family arrives at a secluded mobile home park that's mysteriously deserted -- until three masked psychopaths show up.
Directed By: Johannes Roberts
Written By: Bryan Bertino (original screenplay), Ben Ketai (screenplay)
Stars: Christina Hendricks, Bailee Madison, Martin Henderson
Release: 9 March 2018 (USA)
A Quiet Place
A family lives an isolated existence in utter silence, for fear of an unknown threat that follows and attacks at any sound.
(Project Green Light winner)
Directed By: John Krasinski
Written By: Bryan Woods, Scott Beck
Stars: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Noah Jupe
Release: 6 April 2018 (USA)
Slenderman
Terror strikes when four teenage girls in a small town perform a ritual to debunk the lore of a tall, thin, horrifying figure known as the Slender Man. They soon fear that the legend is true when one of them suddenly goes missing.
Directed By: Sylvain White
Written By: Slender Man; by Eric Knudsen
Stars: Joey King, Annalise Basso, Javier Botet
Release: May 18, 2018 (USA)
Meg
A deep-sea submersible is attacked by a massive creature, previously thought to be extinct, and now lies disabled at the bottom of the deepest trench in the Pacific with its crew trapped inside. With time running out, expert deep-sea rescue diver Jonas Taylor is recruited by a visionary Chinese oceanographer to save the crew from this prehistoric threat.
Directed By: Jon Turteltaub
Written By: Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror; by Steve Alten, Belle Avery
Stars: Ruby Rose, Jason Statham, Robert Taylor
Release: 10 August 2018 (USA)
Cadaver
When a cop who is just out of rehab takes the graveyard shift in a city hospital morgue, she faces a series of bizarre and violent events caused by an evil entity in one of the corpses.
(Director is remaking the Birds)
Directed By: Diederik Van Rooijen
Written By: Brian Sieve
Stars: Stana Katic, Shay Mitchell, Grey Damon
Release: 24 August 2018 (USA)
Halloween
Laurie Strode comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.
Directed By: David Gordon Green
Written By: John Carpenter (characters), David Gordon Green (screenplay)
Stars: John Carpenter (characters), David Gordon Green (screenplay)
Release: 19 October 2018 (USA)
We don’t know this for a fact but it seems like 2017 brought us the most Stephen King adaptations than ever before. Not only that, but they were, for the most part, quality adaptations that are worth the time they take to experience them. Though we would never say that the movie or TV show is even close to as a good the books, here are those that came out last year and what we think of them...
11.22.63 (Hulu mini-series):
Actually released in 2016, 1963 is the J.J. Abrahms helmed, and James Franco starring, an abbreviated version of the book that contemplates what would have happened if the assassination of J.F.K. was foiled. It is a very entertaining exploration into alternate history, conspiracy theories, and historical context. The series is full of brilliant acting with special notice payed to Daniel Webber as Lee Harvey Oswald. Though it has its moments of stagnation it is an easily binged show, but, if you’re looking for a faithful adaptation that is obviously not happening here. Obviously the most important story elements are the love story and the assassination, and, this is just one of several possibilities the book delves into. To truly get lost in the history we strongly suggest reading the book.
Mr. Mercedes (AT&T series, Season 1):
Brought to us by AT&T’s Audience Network, and based on the bestselling Stephen King novel, Mercedes centers on a cat-and-mouse game between psychotic killer Brady Hartsfield (Penny Dreadful‘s Harry Treadway) and retired detective Bill Hodges (Harry Potter alum Brendan Gleeson). The novel Mr. Mercedes was actually the first book in a trilogy by King featuring the Bill Hodges character, so Season 2 will take inspiration from the trilogy’s other books, Finders Keepers and End of Watch. (King serves as an executive producer on the series.) Interestingly, the psychotic killer was originally supposed to be the late Anton Yelchin which would have been an interesting stretch we would have loved to see. But Treadway definitely owns the role and Gleeson is the perfect aged detective who just can’t let go. This is also another King series that deserves a full read. Of course, they all do in reality.
The Mist (Spike series, Season 1):
Touted as a re-imagining of the 2007 Darabont adaptation. Executive producers Bob Weinstein and Harvey Weinstein developed the miniseries based on the film and aired on Spike Tv. The reviews are mixed on this 10 episode arc. They began mostly positive but as the series progressed critics began to describe the film as "bleak, mean, and downright sadistic at nearly every turn" (Chris Scott, The Observer). Shortly after the Weinstein scandal broke Spike announced they would no longer be carrying the show which is probably a good thing given it did very little to add to King's legendary status. I guess there has to be at least one dud in the years King offerings.
1922 (Netflix film):
Written and directed by Zak Hilditch, the film was released on Netflix on October 20, 2017. Quite possibly the best adaptation of a King story to be seen. A large amount of the credit for that is Thomas Janes’ portrayal of the main character. We are convinced that Jane is one of, if not the, best character actor we’ve ever seen. 1922 is a very well done period piece about pride, money, murder, and vengeance from the dead. As joel put it “One of many Netflix originals that set the bar incredibly high for big budget Hollywood films.” Ultimately, 1922 is the aftermath of one man's spur of the moment decision that comes back to claim him.
Gerald's Game (Netflix film):
Director Mike Flannigan has a special place in our hearts when it comes to new and brilliant horror offerings. Hush, Oculus, and Before I Wake have already garnered praise from the Creepercast staff. So it it should come as no surprise that this King novel adaptation about a woman who accidentally kills her husband during a kinky game that finds herself handcuffed to her bed with no hope of rescue and is hearing voices and seeing strange visions. This is the kind psychological trauma we expect from Flannigan and he’s mastered the art of passing it along to us. Of course we find his wife Kate Siegel in a leading role, and, believe it or not, his ex-wife Shea Cerveny, but that does not lessen the strength of this film. Just the premise alone is enough to send the brain into overdrive. Also, a visual representation of the tale in the book is enough to make this King story that much better.
IT: Chapter One (Theatrical Release):
Over a decade in the making, and currently, the highest-grossing horror film and the third highest-grossing R-rated film of all-time (after Deadpool and The Matrix Reloaded). All with good reason. IT is very faithful to the source material, has a brilliant ensemble cast, and though it only covers half the story, is a complete tale of phobia and horror. This is a love letter to the master of written horror and Andy Muschietti doesn’t hold back on the homage. The time period of the younger losers club has changed making it much more appealing to the generation that came of age in the 80’s and allows us to share our nostalgia with our kids. IT more than makes up for the mini-series failings while still paying homage even to that.
The Dark Tower (Theatrical Release):
Another King adaptation that took several years to make. Once Ron Howard’s name became associated with the film it seemed to help move it along. It took some time to come up with a winning combination but director Nikolaj Arcel finally put together a reasonable film considering there is 8 volumes of source material to pick from. Banking on the first novel, and pretty much putting together a stand alone film, King’s Neverending Story vs Sliders apocalyptic scifi horror finally hit the screen. The entire concept may have proved to much for the filmmakers but despite our reservations Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey more than fulfilled expectations. McConaughey on his own did an amazing job as the man in black despite the mystery of the character. So much so, in fact, and I almost hate myself for suggesting it, but I would love to see a The Stand remake with McConaughey in the dynamic role of Randall Flagg. In the end though what we have is barely complete but still entertaining multi-universe spectacle. If you happen to find yourself sucked into the story of Roland and the man in black, and want to know more about The Crimson King, I would strongly urge diving into the book series. Hell, if you don’t have time to read it then go for the audiobook, the narration is fantastically entertaining.
On this day in horror history.... the Len Wiseman franchise continues as 'Underworld: Evolution' is released. The battle continues between the vampires and the werewolves, in this action based horror franchise. It's a lot of fun and pretty to look at. I've enjoyed each installment that's come along so far.
On this day in horror history.... one of my favorite franchises begins, as 'Tremors' is released theatrically. The return of giant monsters movies to the big screen and they came back in a big way! If you've never seen this one, then you need to get off your butts and start watching!
