News

Hello, everyone! We have a relatively quiet week of horror and sci-fi home media releases this week, led by Arrow’s Limited Edition 4K for Wes Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes. Epic Pictures is releasing both Val and Bad Candy this Tuesday, while Dark Sky Pictures is releasing the indie thriller Coming Home in the Dark on both Blu-ray and DVD. Other releases for November 9th include Mania Killer, Dead Fury: Unrated, and The Resonator: Miskatonic U.

Bad Candy

On Halloween night in New Salem, Radio DJs Chilly Billy (Corey Taylor) and Paul (Zach Galligan) tell a twisted anthology of terrifying local myths that lead to a grim end for small-town residents.

Coming Home in the Dark

A family’s outing descends into terror when teacher Alan Hoaganraad, his wife Jill, and stepsons Maika and Jordon explore an isolated coastline. An unexpected meeting with a pair of drifters -

Hello, everyone! To kick off this month’s horror and sci-fi home media releases, we have an eclectic array of titles coming out this week. In terms of recent genre films, Rlje Films is releasing both Lucky by Natasha Kermani and Simon Barrett’s Seance on Tuesday, and if you’re a fan of the original Transformers movie (like this writer is), Shout! Factory has put together an incredible-looking Steelbook to celebrate the film’s 35th anniversary as well.

Arrow Video is keeping busy with two different sets of genre classics with their Sergio Martino Collection and The Daimajin Trilogy, and Code Red is showing some love to Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker this Tuesday with a special edition Blu-ray release.

Other titles headed home on August 3rd include Night Feeder, Dead Again, It Wants Blood, and Tailgate.

Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker Aka Night Warning: Special Edition

Terror begins when a

We’re all out here as variable consumers of horror films; and when we watch enough, we start to notice themes and beats from other movies in those movies. A perfect example? Let’s head on over to Serbia for a serving of demonic matrimony, train trauma, and townsfolk banging rocks together in a little number known as Beyond the Door III (1989). Also Amok Train. If there was any truth in marketing however, it would be called something along the lines of Race with the Devil’s Daughter on the Horror Express. No, I have no advertising experience; why do you ask?

So let’s stick with Beyond the Door III then, because mine is too wordy and Amok Train is an even worse title; besides, what about the continuity? After all, this is the 2nd sequel to a film about a woman who gets possessed, followed by the second

A tragic accident took the life of seven people over the weekend, including veteran movie and TV actor Joe Lara and his wife Gwen. Best known for playing Tarzan in the 1990s TV series Tarzan: The Epic Adventures, Lara and the other victims died when a private jet they were traveling in crashed in Tennessee on Saturday. The actor was 58 years old.

Reportedly, Lara and the others were traveling in a Cessna Citation 501 which crashed into Percy Priest Lake east of Nashville. The incident occurred shortly after the jet departed Smyrna Airport with the passengers heading for Palm Beach, Florida. The cause of the crash has not yet been determined, but the National Transportation Safety Board is now investigating.

Lara's wife, health guru Gwen Lara, had been married to Joe since 2018. The 66-year-old founded the Remnant Fellowship Church in Brentwood, Tennessee in 1999, and has used Bible studies to help people lose weight and quit drinking.

Walking Tall is getting rebooted at USA Network from Battlestar Galactica executive producer David Eick. Deadline reports that Eick has sold a small-screen reboot of the 1973 action movie Walking Tall with WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair attached to star. This marks the second Walking Tall remake to feature a pro wrestler in the lead role, as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson previously starred in a Walking Tall remake in 2004.

Charlotte Flair, the daughter of pro wrestling legend Ric Flair, is one of the WWE's biggest stars of today. She is the most decorated female performer in company history as a 12-time women's champion in WWE. Heading into the event as the SmackDown Women's Champion, Charlotte also headlined WrestleMania in 2019 alongside Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey. Her acting career is limited, but the wrestler previously appeared in Psych: The Movie in 2017.

With Flair starring, the Walking Tall series has received a script sale

Chicago – A titan of a TV/film character actor, who is also a novelist and judo champion, is turning 80 years young on February 13th, 2021. Bo Svenson has been featured opposite Robert Redford (“The Great Waldo Pepper”), was notable as a Southern lawman (“Walklng Tall” series), impressed Quentin Tarantino (“Inglourious Basterds”) and is still ready for his next act.

Bo Svenson was born in Sweden … his mother was a big band leader and his father the driver for the King of Sweden … and emigrated to the America as a teenager. After a stint in the U.S. Marines, where he developed a love for Judo while stationed in Japan, Svenson began acting in 1960s TV to supplement his education. After a run in the TV series “Here Comes the Brides,” he got a big break as the co-star in “Maurie” (1973) and followed that with “The Great Waldo Pepper” (1975) featuring Robert Redford.

A

Welcome back for an all-new installment of Let’s Scare Bryan to Death. This month, I’m talking with Sam Wineman, who you may know as a director, musician, writer, podcaster, and master chef. I may have made that last one up, but what I’m saying is the dude is all-around talented. He’s also just been announced as the director for an upcoming documentary on the history of queer horror to be released on Shudder.

I was lucky enough to catch up with Wineman to chat about the 1982 slasher film Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker. Directed by William Asher, the film follows Billy (Jimmy McNichol), a high school senior getting ready to graduate and hopefully go off to college with his girlfriend, Julie (Julia Duffy). Alas, this doesn’t sit well with his aunt Cheryl (Susan Tyrrell), whose attachment to him is progressing nicely into obsession. When her attempt

Coming off one of its most contentious years in history, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences has sent out its list of candidates for its Board of Governors elections late this month.

The Board of Governors directs the Academy’s strategic vision, preserves the organization’s financial health, and assures the fulfillment of its mission.

Governors attend 6-8 board meetings annually (in person or by video conference when out of town). Each Governor also serves on one board oversight committee and their branch’s executive committee, and they are expected to represent their branch at numerous Academy events through the year.

Governors have fiduciary responsibilities imposed by state law to serve the Academy’s best interests, by acting with responsibility and care when approving annual goals presented by management, as well as major policies concerning governance.

CEO Dawn Hudson oversees a staff of more than 300 who conduct the Academy’s day-to-day business.

Every Friday, we’re recommending an older movie available to stream or download and worth seeing again through the lens of our current moment. We’re calling the series “Revisiting Hours“— consider this Rolling Stone’s unofficial film club. This week’s special, Super-Bowl-weekend edition: Dan Epstein on the football-movie classic North Dallas Forty.

Rudely awakened by his alarm clock, Phil Elliott (Nick Nolte) fumbles blindly for the prescription drug bottles that line his nightstand. Staggering into the kitchen, he finally locates a couple of precious painkillers, washing them down

The CBS reboot of “Magnum Pi” premiering in September features a Latino leading man in Jay Hernandez as the titular character, but his ethnicity won’t be the focus of the show.

“We’re certainly not denying the fact that he’s Latino. It is something that is acknowledged, and we plan to acknowledge it throughout the series,” executive producer Eric Guggenheim said at the Television Critics Assn. press tour panel for the show Sunday.

However, executive producer Peter Lenkov admitted that although he considers their writers’ room “very diverse,” they don’t have any Latinx writers because “it’s incredibly hard to find writers.” The gender breakdown of the writers’ room, Guggenheim said, was closer to parity, with four men and three women.

Lenkov said the reboot has the “spirit” of the original 1980s series that starred Tom Selleck, most notably through the “charm” of the titular character.

“Thomas

Crazy has always tapped a main vein in horror films; if it didn’t we would be stuck watching films of people being pranked or wronged, who laugh it off and become dentists instead (with all due respect to Corbin Bernsen). Now, of particular interest to me is when the sins of the flesh meet that fracture of the mind; where the lascivious and the lurid tangle in sweaty, blood stained sheets. And 1982 coughed up a doozy (in character and content) with Night Warning, a tale of a very protective aunt who doesn’t want to see her nephew leave the nest.

Also known as Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (a cool title, but neither relate to the story at all), Night Warning was distributed by Comworld Pictures in early ’82 (but didn’t go wide until early ’83) and garnered some good reviews while passing by audiences. Why? Because it was just

Ahead of Scream Factory’s February 23rd home media release of The Curse and Curse II: The Bite double feature, we’ve been provided with three Blu-ray copies to give away to Daily Dead readers.

————

Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) Blu-ray copy of The Curse and Curse II: The Bite double feature.

How to Enter: For a chance to win, email contest@dailydead.com with the subject “The Curse / Curse II: The Bite Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.

Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01am Est on February 26th. This contest is only open to those who are eighteen years of age or older that live in the United States. Only one entry per household will be accepted.

————

“The Curse

Life on the family dairy farm is difficult for young Zach Hayes (Wil Wheaton, Stand by Me): hard work, long hours and the normal family squabbles.

Take a double shot of '80s horror with The Curse and Curse II: The Bite on Blu-ray from Scream Factory on February 23rd. Below, we have a Blu-ray clip and official trailer for The Curse as well as a Blu-ray clip from Curse II: The Bite.

Press Release: On February 23rd, get ready for a double dose of ‘80s horror with the release of The Curse and Curse II from Scream Factory! Available on Blu-ray for the first time, fans can pre-order their copies of this double feature by visiting ShoutFactory.com.

The Curse

Life on the family dairy farm is difficult for young Zach Hayes (Wil Wheaton, Stand by Me): hard work, long hours and the normal family squabbles. But after an ice-blue meteor plunges through the midnight sky and lands on their property, it gets worse. Zach and the local doctor discover that something inside the

Last November, Scream Factory announced that The Curse and Curse II: The Bite would be released as a double feature on Blu-ray on February 23rd. Now in 2016, the Blu-ray is available to pre-order on Shout Factory's website.

Press Release: On February 23rd, get ready for a double dose of ‘80s horror with the release of The Curse and Curse II from Scream Factory! Available on Blu-ray for the first time, fans can pre-order their copies of this double feature by visiting ShoutFactory.com.

The Curse

Life on the family dairy farm is difficult for young Zach Hayes (Wil Wheaton, Stand by Me): hard work, long hours and the normal family squabbles. But after an ice-blue meteor plunges through the midnight sky and lands on their property, it gets worse. Zach and the local doctor discover that something inside the meteor is infecting the local water on their farm. Fruits,

Although it's not the New Year yet, Scream Factory's already gearing up for 2016 by announcing two double feature Blu-ray releases for February 23rd: The Curse / Curse II: The Bite and Millennium / R.O.T.O.R.

From Scream Factory: "More retro double features are planned for blu-ray release in the beginning of the new year! Read on for all the details:

The Curse & The Curse II

- The Curse (1987) Young Zach Hayes' (Wil Wheaton, Stand by Me) life on the family dairy farm is what anyone would expect. Hard work, long hours and the normal family squabbles. When an ice-blue meteor plunges through the midnight sky, Zach sees in hand on their property. Zach and the local doctor discover that something inside the meteor is infecting the local water on their farm. Fruits, which looked perfect on the outside are teeming with worms… and Zach's family is beginning to change…

The 7th Burbank International Film Festival, which will run September 9th through 13th, announced its full lineup, including 100 films from 31 countries, 25 world premieres, 22 award categories, and opening and closing night screenings. The festival is open to the public, with tickets available at Here

The five-day festival will honor pioneering actress and United Nations delegate Marsha Hunt with the 2015 Awareness Award for her humanitarian work worldwide.

“Located in the Media Capital of the World, our audience is film-savvy, enthusiastic, and linked to the movie business, giving filmmakers privileged access to top industry professionals. This year, we’re proud to deliver our best festival yet, featuring incredibly diverse and talented filmmakers, exciting red carpet premieres, and the best in independent filmmaking,” said Jeff Rector, Festival Director.

Festival events will occur at numerous venues throughout Burbank, with Opening Night at the AMC 16 in Downtown Burbank, Night of Sci-fi, Fantasy & Horror at the Iatse Local 80 Sound Stage, Closing Night Gala at The Castaway Burbank, and more than 100 films screening at the AMC 6 at Burbank Town Center.

Festival Highlights:

Wednesday, September 9th

Opening Night ’s feature films will include "Hoovey," directed by Sean McNamara ("Soul Surfer") starring Patrick Warburton and Lauren Holly, and "Few Options," directed by George A. Pappy Jr., starring Kenny Johnson, Erin Daniels, and Brad Dourif.

Thursday, September 10th

The Comedy / New Media program will showcase 23 films including "Made for Each Other," directed by Bo Svenson, and "Too Hip for the Room," directed by Oktay Ortabasi and starring Kelly Monteith.

Friday, September 11th

There will be 22 films in the Drama category, including Short Films by Women, and featuring "Shevenge," directed by Amber Benson. The Drama Centerpiece Feature will be "4Got10," directed by Timothy Woodward. Jr., written by Sean Ryan, and starring Dolph Lundgren, Vivica A. Fox, Danny Trejo, and Michael Paré. Headlining the Drama category will be the theatrical world premier of "Twelve Movie," capturing a rare collaboration among 12 award-winning filmmakers shot over 12 months in Los Angeles.

Saturday, September 12th

The festival will dedicate Saturday daytime screenings to Family Friendly Programming, including submissions by L.A. County Student Filmmakers (K through 12), Student Films, Animated Short Films, and Faith-Based films.Featured presentations will include "The Martial Arts Kid" directed by Michael Baumgarten and starring martial arts legend Don Wilson, along with Cynthia Rothrock, Jansen Panettiere, and Kathryn Newton, and the 30th Anniversary Screening of Sci-Fi classic, "Back To The Future," directed by Robert Zemeckis.Saturday will conclude with a Night of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror showcasing 16 films, as well as the festival world premiere of "Sharknado 3," directed by Anthony C. Ferrante.

Sunday, September 13th

The Documentary / Foreign Film category will include 15 films, and will feature the documentary "Brotherhood of the Popcorn" directed by Inda Reid.The Festival Closing Feature will be "Marsha Hunt’s Sweet Adversity," directed by Roger C. Memos. In addition to screening this important documentary, the Burbank International Film Festival is pleased to present Marsha Hunt with the Awareness Award for her humanitarian work worldwide.

For a complete festival lineup including screening times visit www.burbankfilmfest.org

Exclusive: Dejan Zecevic’s sci-fi thriller is currently in production in Serbia.

Korea’s More In Group has launched sales on South Korea-Serbia-Slovenia co-production The Rift at Filmart.

Award-winning Serbian director Dejan Zecevic, whose latest feature was The Enemy, a horror film set in the aftermath of the Bosnian civil war, is currently in production with the sci-fi thriller.

The Rift stars American actor Ken Foree, who was in George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead and Knightriders as well as the Robert Pattinson starrer Water for Elephants; Slovenian actress Katarina Cas, who was in The Wolf of Wall Street and Danny Collins; Swedish veteran Bo Svenson (The Great Waldo Pepper, Kill Bill, Vol. 2) and Serbian star Dragan Micanovic (Bad Company, Coriolanus).

In the film, a Nasa space shuttle crash lands in Eastern Serbia and a team of Us and Serbian agents are sent to investigate and secure the remains of the shuttle’s lone passenger

“If a movie makes you happy, for whatever reason, then it’s a good movie.”

—Big E

*******Warning: Review Contains Spoilers*******

By Ernie Magnotta

If there’s one thing I love, it’s 1970s made-for-tv horror films. I remember sitting in front of the television as a kid and watching a plethora of films such as Gargoyles, Bad Ronald, Satan’s School for Girls, Horror at 37,000 Feet, Devil Dog: Hound of Hell, Scream Pretty Peggy, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, Moon of the Wolf and The Initiation of Sarah just to name a few. Some of those are better than others, but all were fun.

When I think back, there have been some legendary names associated with small screen horrors. Genre masters John Carpenter (Halloween), Steven Spielberg (Jaws), Wes Craven (Nightmare on Elm Street), Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and Joseph Stefano (Psycho) all took shots at television

Stars: Lee Marvin, Chuck Norris, Martin Balsam, Joey Bishop, Robert Forster, Lainie Kazan, George Kennedy, Hanna Schygulla, Susan Strasberg, Bo Svenson, Robert Vaughn, Shelley Winters | Written by Menahem Golan, James Bruner | Directed by Menahem Golan

When you watch a Chuck Norris movie, you just feel that this is a movie built around him and the character he plays so well. The Delta Force is a film like that, but this time he has to share the spotlight with Lee Marvin. Now that the film has been given the Arrow Video Blu-ray treatment we not only get to watch the movie in excellent quality, but also have a peek at just why The Cannon Group were so smart at choosing the films they chose to make.

The Delta Force is based around the real life hijacking of Twa Flight 847 in 1985 where a group of Lebanese terrorists hijacked a plane and took hostages to Beirut.

We’re back with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes DVD release details for Shiver, information on the Mile High Horror Film Festival, an exclusive excerpt from Dead is Only Skin Deep, a Q&A with 13-year-old Emily Diprimio for Carver, and more:

Q&A Interview with Up-and-Coming 13-Year-Old Filmmaker Emily Diprimio

by Heather Wixson

It’s not often that you run across aspiring genre directors who are still in their teens so when we discovered a brand new Kickstarter campaign for Carver, an upcoming indie slasher from the filmmaking team of Ron Diprimio and his 13-year-old daughter Emily Diprimio, we immediately took notice.

In the campaign, the Diprimios’ describe Carver as, “a throwback 80’s style slasher that follows a group of teenagers who are haunted by a despicable act they committed on Halloween when they were younger.