#and I saw dr terror's house of horrors on the telly

[idlesuperstar]

Donald Sutherland, prince of actors. 17th July 1935 - 13th June 2024.

Happy 82nd Birthday Donald Sutherland [b: 17th July 1935]

this post brought to you entirely by the 1970s Sutherland Hair (Incorporating Facial Hair) Choices

[aion-rsa]

Shudder Boasts its Biggest Horror Movie and TV Line-Up Ever in April

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Shudder is pulling out all the shivery stops to commemorate the startling fact that we are exactly halfway to the most beloved date on any horror fan’s calendar, Halloween. Yes, that’s right, this month (April) is the six-month mark and the world’s scariest streaming outlet is celebrating with “Halfway to Halloween,” a massive slate of programming that begins on April 1 and continues throughout the rest of the month.

This is no April Fool’s joke (although we have some if you want). Shudder is rolling out a brand new batch of exclusive and/or original programming, including the second season of its acclaimed Creepshow series, the premiere of a new series of original short films called Deadhouse Dark, the highly anticipated sequel to its In Search of Darkness documentary, the return of The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs, and the 2021 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards.

But wait, the channel won’t let the first 30 of the next 180 days until Halloween pass without new movies to watch as well. In addition to thrilling new exclusives like Shudder original film The Banishing, Train to Busan: Peninsula and Boys from County Hell, brand new additions to the outlet’s ever-expanding international library include horror tales of both classic and recent vintage, including The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 2, Night of the Lepus, Housebound, Attack of the Demons, Horror Express, The Stepfather and more.

If you’re blown away by all this and want more horror, the “Halfway to Halloween” Hotline is for you. Every Friday in April from 3pm-4pm ET, Shudder subscribers are invited to call director of programming Samuel Zimmerman to discuss all things horror, from their favorite films of all time to which horror releases they’re looking forward to this year. Based on what you tell him, Zimmerman will offer customized viewing recommendations from Shudder’s film collection — a personally curated film festival direct from a foremost expert in the field.

If you’re not a Shudder subscriber yet, the best part is that the streamer is offering a special discounted rate (50% off!) to first-timers who sign up before April 22. So hurry up and subscribe now…before Halloween is here for real.

Here are some of the highlights of Shudder’s original and exclusive programming for April:

Creepshow, Season 2 – Premieres April 1 (Shudder Original Series)

The acclaimed anthology series created by Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead), based on the classic 1982 film from writer Stephen King and director George A. Romero, returns for a second season of scary and often hilarious tales of terror — a horror comic come to life. Monsters, murderers and supernatural apparitions will haunt a whole new slew of guest stars including Kevin Dillon, Josh McDermitt, Keith David, Molly Ringwald, Barbara Crampton, Justin Long and more, with new episodes premiering every Thursday.

The Power – Premieres April 8 (Shudder Exclusive Film)

In the tradition of classic British ghost stories comes this tale of terror set in London in the mid ‘70s. With the miners’ strikes resulting in electrical blackouts, a young nurse working a new job in a dilapidated hospital is plunged into darkness, and she’s pretty sure there’s a malevolent presence in there with her. Corinna Faith directs this Shudder exclusive starring Sanditon’s Rose Williams.

The Banishing – Premieres April 15 (Shudder Original Film)

British ghostliness abounds in this period haunted house movie which impressed critics when it screened at London’s FrightFest. Jessica Brown Findlay stars as a formerly “fallen” woman who moves into a sinister manor with her daughter and Vicar husband only to discover there are dark secrets within. John Lynch and Sean Harris provide strong support in this chiller from Triangle and Severance director Chris Smith.  

 The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs – Premieres April 16 (Shudder Original Series)

The world’s foremost expert on drive-in movies will be back for a third season of his wildly popular series, presenting horror double features as only he can pick them. Of course, Joe Bob will also give his thoughts on the films, their histories and their context and placement in horror movie history. Expect guests and other surprises too.

2021 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards – Premieres April 18 at 8pm ET/5pm PT (Exclusive Event)

Oscars: Schmoscars. The only awards horror hounds need are these top accolades from genre bible Fangoria. Shudder has partnered with Fango to stream this exclusive event which celebrates the greatest and goriest. Actor David Dastmalchian (Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and soon to be seen as Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad) hosts the awards. This year’s nominees include The Invisible Man, Freaky, Relic, and Possessor.

In Search of Darkness: Part II – Premieres April 26 (Shudder Exclusive Documentary)

Shudder’s epic documentary on 1980s horror cinema, In Search of Darkness, was such a hit that a sequel was deemed necessary. This one — more than four hours in length like its predecessor — dives even deeper into a crucial decade in the history of the genre, featuring interviews with icons like Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Nancy Allen (Dressed to Kill), Linnea Quigley (The Return of the Living Dead), and special effects legend Tom Savini (Friday the 13th), along with many new and returning faces.

In addition to all its original and exclusive programming, Shudder is adding a slew of great horror films both vintage and recent to its already impressive library. Among the highlights are:

Night of the Lepus (1972) – April 1

One of those classic cult films so “bad” that it ends up being “good,” this shocker focuses on Arizona ranchers who are trying to curb a population explosion of wild rabbits and end up instead with a swarm of giant, man-eating bunnies. Stuart Whitman, Janet Leigh (Psycho) and DeForest Kelley (Star Trek’s Dr. McCoy) are all on hand to battle the carnivorous cottontails.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) – April 1

Leatherface and his twisted family are back in this delirious sequel that plays things more for laughs than the original, but is still as gloriously insane. Directed again by Tobe Hooper, this one finds the cannibalistic Sawyer family holed up in the grounds of an abandoned amusement park, where they torment anyone who comes within their reach.

The Val Lewton Collection – April 2

Producer Val Lewton was a master of psychological horror — where what was unseen was more frightening than anything else — and Shudder is now showing seven of his classic, highly influential films: Cat People (1942), I Walked With A Zombie (1943), The Leopard Man (1943), The Seventh Victim (1943), Curse of the Cat People (1944), The Body Snatcher (1945) and Isle of the Dead (1945).

Alex de la Iglesia Double Feature – April 12

The twisted Spanish genius behind HBO Max’s recent series 30 Coins brings two of his early classics to Shudder: The Day of the Beast (a.k.a. El día de la Bestia, 1995), in which a priest, TV psychic and death metal record store clerk battle Satan and stave off the Apocalypse, and Dance with the Devil (a.k.a. Perdita Durango, 1997), in which Rosie Perez and Javier Bardem are a degenerate couple who deal in human sacrifices, kidnapping, murder and fetus trafficking.

The Stepfather (1987) – April 19

Directed by Joseph Ruben (The Good Son) and written by famed crime novelist Donald Westlake, this cult classic thriller stars Terry O’Quinn (Lost’s John Locke) as a serial killer who infiltrates himself into families, murders them, then changes his identity before moving on to his next target. Only this time, his new stepdaughter is suspicious of just who “Jerry Blake” really is.

Housebound (2014) – April 19

Imagine being stuck at home for months on end… Ok but imagine being stuck inside at your family home with your mum who is convinced there’s a ghost living there with you. This New Zealand horror comedy sees a young woman on house arrest start to believe her superstitious mother might actually be onto something – it’s the perfect mix of funny and scary and is packed with surprises.

The Similars (2015) – April 26

Eight strangers trapped at a bus depot on a rainy night start experiencing a very odd phenomenon in this excellent Mexican sci-fi horror which plays like an extended episode of The Twilight Zone. It’s weird, existential and black and white and has a wicked sense of humour along with a feeling of mounting dread. A hidden gem and an absolute must-watch.

Horror Express (1972) – April 29

Horror legends Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing star along with Telly Savalas in this fast-moving, eerie sci-fi/horror hybrid in which rival scientists and a crazed Russian captain attempt to defeat an ancient, mind-absorbing alien aboard the Trans-Siberian Express. This Spanish gem is one of the more underrated, underseen classics of 1970s Eurohorror, with an original premise and great work from its iconic stars.

Here’s the full Shudder “Halfway to Halloween” lineup for April:

Exclusive/Originals:

Creepshow, Season 2 – Premieres April 1, new episodes every Thursday (Shudder Original Series)

Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula – Premieres April 1 (Shudder Exclusive Film)

The Power – Premieres April 8 (Shudder Exclusive Film)

The Banishing – Premieres April 15 (Shudder Original Film)

The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs – Premieres April 16, new episodes every Friday (Shudder Original Series)

2021 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards – Premieres April 18 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT (Exclusive Event)

Boys from County Hell – Premieres April 22 (Shudder Exclusive Film)

In Search of Darkness: Part II – Premieres April 26 (Shudder Exclusive Documentary)

Deadhouse Dark – Premieres April 29 (Shudder Original Series)

New film library additions:

Night of the Lepus (1972) – April 1

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) – April 1

The Haunting of Julia (1977) – April 1

The Val Lewton Collection (1942-1945) – April 2

Zombie for Sale (2019) – April 5

Don’t Panic (1988) – April 5

Alex de la Iglesia Double Feature (1995-1997) – April 12

The McPherson Tape (1989) – April 12

The Stepfather (1987) – April 19

The Conspiracy (2012) – April 19

Housebound (2014) – April 19

Thale (2012) – April 19

Attack of the Demons (2019) – April 26

The Similars (2015) – April 26

The Diabolical (2015) – April 26

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Horror Express (1972) – April 29

The post Shudder Boasts its Biggest Horror Movie and TV Line-Up Ever in April appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[notoriousgrd]

Shocktober Days 1-28

Ok, it’s Sunday and I’m not at the folks’ as usual because my brother’s working today, so taking the time to update my Shocktober log post. This is a long one so fasten your seatbelts,

The Devil Rides Out (1968) - been meaning to watch this for over twenty years, finally did and loved it. Christopher Lee and Charles Gray are excellent and I can see how the whole chalk circle bit influenced me at of Doctor Who:Battlefield.

Hotel Transylvania (2012) - I’d planned on another movie but with real world being so horrific that day, changed plans and watched this really fun animated movie.

Dr. Terror’s House Of Horrors (1965) - not the first portmanteau movie I ever saw (that’d be Twilight Zone:The Movie) but the first Amicus one and definitely my favourite. Cushing and Lee, DJ Alan “Fluff” Freeman Vs plants, Roy Castle and his voodoo trumpet, Michael Gough and Donald Sutherland as a doctor. Cushing and Castleford reunite later that year for a certain movie involving Daleks.

Quatermass And The Pit (1967) - last Quatermass I saw, having seen all the television versions and other movies over the years. Much like the Doctor Who/Daleks movies nicely compresses three hours of black and white telly into an hour-and-a-half of glorious colour. I hadn’t seen this when I saw Doctor Who:The Daemons so the parallels were not apparent to me. Andrew Kier is an excellent Quatermass, just behind John Mills in the 1979 telly story.

Christine (1983) - I hadn’t seen this in a long, long time, enough that I completely forgot Harry Dean Stanton and Robert Prosky were in it. Been even longer since I read the book, so can’t say if it’s a good adaptation, certainly a good movie though, the non-cgi car repairing effects still look awesome.

Deep Red / Profondo Rosso (1975) - the only Dario Argento movie I’ve seen and decided to rewatch after Mr Ash mentioned it. Looks lovely, an awesome soundtrack,

Deep Star Six (1989) - One of a few horror films rushed ahead to try and cash in on all the hype for James Cameron’s The Abyss. This one sees many of the people behind Friday The 13th doing an underwater m onter movie. It’s daft fun, I like the monster and it’s got one of my favourite actors, Miguel Ferrer in it.

Ghosts Of Mars.(2001) - One of the three John Carpenter movies I’d not seen, seems to get a lot of stick, but again, a fun action horror movie, with a really good cast (Natasha Henstridge, Pam Grier and Jason Statham) and a nice way of telling the story.

AvP:Requiem (2007) - we were kind of on a trash train for a bit, as this is another movie decried as the worst thing ever when it’s a perferctly competent horror movie with some really nice deaths and a nice basic concept. Take eighties slasher movie environment, add alien death machines.

Life (2017) = This was really, really good. a relatively realistic sci-fi horror that starts off a bit Andromeda Strain but end up Alien. Another great cast, and kudos for a certain point for having a disabled character who’s treated the same as any other crew member right until the moment they fall into the tired trap of his disability leading to his death. Other than that though, really enjoyed this, some really nasty deaths and nothing really set off my “SPace doesn’t work like that!” sense.

Leviathan (1989) = The other movie trying to cash in on The Abyss hype. Another good, fun underwater monster movie with a great cast (Peter Weller, Amanda Pays, Daniel Stern, Richard Crenna, Ernie Husson, Meg Foster), a great Jerry Goldsmith soundtrack and some nice effects work.

The Rezort (2016) - recommended to me by Mr Ash of the Hammered Horror podcast, low budget zombie movie with a great premise, that being that they got the zombie plague under control and have actually set up an island where people can pay to go and shoot zombies on a kind of undead safari. This is also used to try to help people who were traumatised by the zombie event. Of course, this being a horror movie, things rapidly go sideways. Barring a couple of moments, the small budget doesn’t show and the premise is a nice change from most zombie movies.

Waxwork (1988) - I’d seen the sequel to this years ago, when in 1994, my then local Blockbuster was having a massive sell-off of ex-rental tapes wuth no covers for a couple of quid each. Me and my flatmate at the time bought a pile of them, probably fifty tapes between us and this was one of them, a very silly hoor movie with a premise that lets them do little horror vignettes as part of a bigger story. This does that too, it’s another fun romp, with some lovely distinguisdhed actors (David warner, Patrick Macnee and John Rhys Davis) havnig fun with the material.

Friday The 13th Part IX:Jason Goes To Hell (1993) - I’d made my way through the first eight movies a while back, but as always got distracted and forgot to go back and finish off. So with it actually being Friday The 13th, I decided that day to fix that. This is…not great. Jason is killed and becomes a body surfing demon. Really only notable things are Kane Hodder;s wee cameo as an FBI agent, the Book Of The Dead form Evil Dead being being found in the Vorhees house (and thus being what brough Jason back from the dead at some point) and Erin Grey.

Friday The 13th Part X:Jason X (2001) = This one however, is a huge amount of fun, Jason is captured and the plan is to put him in cryogenic status to stop him from killing again as it’s obvious at this point, he can’t actuaslly be killed. Of course, things go sideways and him and the doctor responsible for freezing him are found hundreds of years later when Earth’s a wastland and taken back to a spaceship. Yes, this is Jason Goes To Space and takes a lot of cues form other sci-fi things, space marines, holodecks, evil corporations etc and uses them to make a fun action horror romp that never takes itself too seriously.

Mr Vampire (1985) - One of my all time favourites. Saw it in the mid-nineties when Channel 4 had a seasib if Hong Kong action movies, many with a spooky side to them. This movie introduced me to the Jiangshi, Chinese hopping vampires and this movie is a fun, action comedy with plenty f great action scenes, slapstick and scares.

The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (1970) - As mentioned above, I’d only ever sene the one Dario Argento movie, so decided to fix that. His directorial debut is a mirder thriller where the main character witnesses an attempted murder and soon finds himself in danger with plenty of twists and turns along the way. Great stuff.

Until Dawn (2015) - this is a game for PS4 rather than a movie and with the length it could easily count as between four to six horror movies. It’s an interactive adventure game with excellent motion captured performances, a great plot, great setpieces and with the choices you can make, anywhere between everyone and no-one can survive. I made it out with only two deaths and I know how those can be avoided. One of the best horror games I’ve ever played and highly recommended. Virtual Peter Stormare in particular veeres into the uncanny valley on several occasions. Great stuff.

The Raven (1935) - on the title cazrd it says “suggested by” Poe’s poem, but all that amounts ot is the name and a character who’s a bit Poe obsessed with nods to a couple of his other works in there. Has Lugosi and Karloff, is okay as these things go.

The Car (1978) - was surprised to find most review sites think this is a load of bollocks. I enjoyed it as a kid and still enjoy it now. It’s basically Jaws with a car that appears to be possessed by the devil. Been so long since I saw it, forgot James Brolin and Ronny Cox were in it. there’s some nice direction at points and it’s definitely not as bad as its reputation would have you think.

The Raven (1963) - Another part of my plan is to watch the ROger Corman Poe adaptations, I picked this first because it has the trio of Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and boris Karloff in it and the last movie I watched with them all was Comedy Of terrors which was a blast. I could happily watch Price and Lorre mucking about for hours, the first half-hour is mostly the two of them sparking off each other. It’s a tale of warring wizards, everyone looks like they’re having so much fun and I had a grin on my face throughout. Lovely and highly recommended.  Also has a young Jack Nicholson in it.

The Fall Of The House Of Usher (1960) - Corman, Price and Poe again, a far more sombre affair but again really good. Vincent Price is one of those actors I can watch in anything.

Suspiria (1977) - Back to Argento with weird goings on in a prestigious ballet school. The plot is not really important, you watch Argento mivues for the visuals and amazing soundtracks. Really enjoyed it.

Phenomena (1985) - Argento once more, with Donald Pleasance (with a lovely Scottish accent), JJennifer Conolly in her movie debut and a chimp with a razor. The usual sumptuous visuals, great soundtrack (with Iron Maiden and Motorhead showing up at points) and the usual twisted plot. Had one of those rare monets I really go “Ooooh!” and curl up a bit when someone gets stabbed in the hand with scissors.

The World’s End (2013) - probabl;y the worst of the Cornetto Trilogy (Shaun Of THe Dead and Hot Fuzz being thew others) but still a brilliant movie. It starts off as a middle aged man trying to recapture his youth by getting his childhood friends to finish a pub crawl they never managed as teens, then turns into Incasion Of The Body Snatchers/ Great all-star cast and two of my favourite fight scenes in horror movies, the one in the gents toilets because of the wrestling moves and thew one in the pub a combination of Nick Frost (I love big lads kicking arse) and the remix of Silver Bullet’s Twenty Seconds To Comply backing it.

Attack The Block (2011) - I had difficulty with this first itme I watched it, I live on a council estate and the main characters weere a bit too true to life for me to begin with. This time though, no problem. Premise is a load of big gorilla wolf motherfuckers crash land in a council estate in London and a bunch of ASBO kids and a nurse take them on. It’s notable for having John Boyega and Jodie Whittaker who would both go onto much bigger sci-fi things with Star Wars and Doctor Who. It looks great, sounds great, the creature design is unique and this time round I spotted little references like the tower block being Wyndham Towers and it being near a Ballard Street.

[notoriousgrd]

Shocktober days 1-4

Ok, so trying this again this year, 31 days, 31 horror movies. I've not made a list as I decided to do this at the last minute, also means I can just decide day-to-day what to watch spending on real life and moods. Also I've already watched two movies on a couple of night.

Only plans are,Halloween itself will be the traditional Halloween/The Fog double bill along with a third John Carpenter movie. Also watch the couple of his movies I've not seen. Only other plan is to watch as many Dario Argento movies as I can as Zi,b,be only ever seen the one.

Day 1 - The Devil Rides Out (1968) - been meaning to watch this for over twenty years, finally did and loved it. Christopher Lee and Charles Gray are excellent and I can see how the whole chalk circle bit influenced me at of Doctor Who:Battlefield.

Day 2 - Hotel Transylvania (2012) - I'd planned on another movie but with real world being so horrific that day, changed plans and watched this really fun animated movie.

Dr. Terror's House Of Horrors (1965) - not the first portmanteau movie I ever saw (that'd be Twilight Zone:The Movie) but the first Amicus one and definitely my favourite. Cushing and Lee, DJ Alan "Fluff" Freeman Vs plants, Roy Castle and his voodoo trumpet, Michael Gough and Donald Sutherland as a doctor. Cushing and Castleford reunite later that year for a certain movie involving Daleks.

Day 3 - Quatermass And The Pit (1967) - last Quatermass I saw, having seen all the television versions and other movies over the years. Much like the Doctor Who/Daleks movies nicely compresses three hours of black and white telly into an hour-and-a-half of glorious colour. I hadn't seen this when I saw Doctor Who:The Daemons so the parallels were not apparent to me. Andrew Kier is an excellent Quatermass, just behind John Mills in the 1979 telly story.

Day 4 - Christine (1983) - I hadn't seen this in a long, long time, enough that I completely forgot Harry Dean Stanton and Robert Prosky were in it. Been even longer since I read the book, so can't say if it's a good adaptation, certainly a good movie though, the non-cgi car repairing effects still look awesome.

Deep Red / Profondo Rosso (1975) - the only Dario Argento movie I've seen and decided to rewatch after Mr Ash mentioned it. Looks lovely, an awesome soundtrack, I noticed the constant switching between English and vitalism speech and the difference in sound quality between them a lot more this time. Your enjoyment may depend on if you notice something near the start of the movie or not. I didn't the first time. But even knowing how everything goes, still love it.

Haven't decided on tonight's movie yet.