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2015 body-swap comedy The Heckler is set to get a remake after Mexican company Avanti Pictures picked up the Spanish language rights.

The original film, director Ben Plazzer’s feature debut, follows a self-obsessed comedian on the fast track to fame who has his body hijacked by the spirit of a jealous heckler. The ensemble cast includes Simon Mallory, Cj Fortuna, Kate Jenkinson, Emily Tahney, Scott Harrison, Dave Lawson, Tony Martin and Jeff Green.

The Heckler premiered in late 2014 at the LA Comedy Festival where it won Best Ensemble, before getting a limited theatrical run via cinema-on-demand platform Tugg (now Demand Film). Pinnacle Films released in locally on DVD/iTunes, and sales agent Odin’s Eye Entertainment sold Chinese streaming rights.

At the time, writer-producer Steve Mitchell was disappointed it didn’t get more interest locally.

“We had a fantastic cast with solid TV experience, but no box-office drawcards to interest distributors or broadcasters.

Rider On The Rain will be available on Blu-ray April 9th From Kino Lorber.

In the 1970 French noir Rider On The Rain from director René Clément, Charles Bronson played Harry Dobbs, an undercover Us Army Colonel in France trying to track down an escaped sex maniac. Marlene Jobert played a rape victim who manages to kill her attacker and, in a panic, disposes of the corpse. What follows is a tense cat-and-mouse scenario between these two full of humor and style. Wearing a mischievous smile throughout Rider On The Rain, Bronson manages an odd suggestion of sadism and romance, a mysterious figure that enhances the mystery. A suspenser in the Hitchcock mold, Rider On The Rain won the Golden Globe award in 1970 as Best Foreign Film and was an breakthrough film in Charles Bronson’s career – it was a enormous success all over the world (except the U.S.) and...

King Cohen is a fantastically fun documentary that tells the larger than life story of the prolific writer, directer, and producer Larry Cohen, the creative genius behind such beloved horror classics as It’s Alive, The Stuff and Q – The Winged Serpent. In addition to being a charming and humorous romp into 70’s genre Hollywood, what […]

The post Horror Business: Steve Mitchell on Directing Larry Cohen Documentary, King Cohen appeared first on Dread Central.

Review by Stephen Tronicek

Documentaries as of late have been getting great reviews, but I’d be hard pressed to find a recent one that I really enjoyed. Festival darlings, Won’t You Be My Neighbor and Three Identical Strangers were both pieces of work that had interesting enough subjects but were films marred by bad pacing and an overall lack of flow from one section to the next. There are many that would disagree with this statement, but to me, the best documentaries are those that do their material justice while also being engaging cinematic experiences and only one documentary I’ve seen of recent has actually done that: King Cohen.

Now admittedly, there might be some bias involved here. Being a movie buff, I tend to enjoy the stories of filmmaking more than the stories of anything else, but the material and the filmmaking on display here is undeniably entertaining.

Tfh Fearless Leader Joe Dante very astutely tip-toes around Larry Cohen’s stylistic filmmaking identity early on in King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen. Dante notes, “I would hardly call him the John Cassavetes of exploitation movies, but he does have a certain raw, visceral, realistic style.” Indeed, Larry Cohen’s signature film, Q: The Winged Serpent (1982), feels like what would happen if John Cassavetes directed a Ray Harryhausen film. And movie fans the world over are all the better for that most unlikely of authorial fusions!

For cineastes in La, King Cohen debuts Friday, July 20th, at Laemmle’s Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre. There will be supplemental shows on the 23rd at the NoHo 7, and the Laemmle Monica on the 26th. It will expand to other select markets on July 27th (keep a sharp eye on the flick’s official site for further screening details). The...

One of the loopier careers in and on the fringes of mainstream Hollywood is paid loving tribute in Steve Mitchell’s documentary “King Cohen.” There’s nothing particularly inspired about Mitchell’s treatment here — he’s directed a lot of DVD extras, and this first feature feels like a plus-sized version of one — but there’s considerable entertainment value in its subject. Particularly these days, when most commercial cinema seems given over to cookie-cutter sequels, spinoffs and remakes, a wellspring of original (not to mention frequently bizarre) ideas like those of producer-director-writer Larry Cohen seems akin to a fabled magical fountain.

Even back in his 1970s and ’80s heyday, when the ebbing drive-in theater market and growing presence of home-video got a lot of goofy genre exercises greenlit, Cohen’s films were notable for their eccentric individuality. Those who haven’t tasted the hybrid delights of “God Told Me To,...

King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen is a deftly made documentary about the life and films of iconoclastic director Larry Cohen. Like Melvin Van Peebles before him, Larry Cohen is one of those artists for whom the rules don't apply. Sure, it would be great and illustrious to have the career of Christopher Nolan or a Stanley Kubrick. However, the career of Larry Cohen certainly looks to be a lot more fun and prolific.

Getting his start in the Kraft Theater in the 1960s, Larry Cohen worked on a litany of shows like The Fugitive, The Defenders, Columbo and many others. However, it would be his work as a writer on a franchise like Maniac Cop, Phone Booth, It's Alive (another franchise!), that would cement his legacy as the go-to guy for a different kind of cinema. One that could best be described as elevated exploitation. This...

Featuring: Martin Scorsese, Eric Roberts, Traci Lords, J.J. Abrams, john landis, Robert Forster, Barbara Carrera, Rick Baker, Joe Dante, Yaphet Kotto, Michael Moriarty, Fred Williamson, Eric Bogosian | Written and Directed by Steve Mitchell

Buckle up for the true story of writer, producer, director, creator and all-around maverick, Larry Cohen. Told through compelling live interviews, stills and film/TV clips, the people who helped fulfill his vision, and industry icons such as Martin Scorsese, John Landis, Michael Moriarty, Fred Williamson, Yaphet Kotto and many more, including Larry himself, bring one-of-a-kind insight into the work, process and legacy of a true American auteur…

I’m not going to lie, there’s no way I can talk about the documentary King Cohen without any bias. Larry Cohen is, to this day, one of my all-time favourite filmmakers. He has been since the first time I saw Q The Winged Serpent on TV. Seeing...

In the second of his FrightFest 2017 interviews today, host Stuart Wright talks King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen with director Steve Mitchell, which has its European Premiere at this years Frightfest on Friday August 25th.

Buckle up for the true story of writer, producer, director, creator and all-around maverick, Larry Cohen (Black Caesar, God Told Me To, Q The Winged Serpent, The Stuff, Phone Booth). Told through compelling live interviews, stills and film/TV clips, the people who helped fulfill his vision, and industry icons such as Martin Scorsese, John Landis, Michael Moriarty, Fred Williamson, Yaphet Kotto and many more, including Larry himself, bring one-of-a-kind insight into the work, process and legacy of a true American auteur. Few can boast of a career as remarkable or prolific, spanning more than 50 years of entertaining audiences worldwide!

The Horror Channel Frightfest takes place August 24th – 28th 2017 at both the...

[Photo of King Cohen's world premiere at Fantasia by King-Wei Chu. L-r: Mitch Davis, Larry Cohen, Steve Mitchell, Michael Moriarty] While attending Fantasia's 2017 season, I was able to catch the hilarious doc King Cohen --- an informative and entertaining look into Larry Cohen's life and work. (Don't forget to check out the trailer below!) There are lots of Cohen's friends and collegues in the doc, such as: Martin Scorcese, John Landis, Fred Williamson, Joe Dante, Mick Garris, and many more. Directed by Steve Mitchell (yes, the writer of Chopping Mall!), King Cohen's world premiere not only hosted the director, but Larry Cohen himself, as well as his usual onscreen right-hand man, Michael Moriarty. The venerable actor presented Cohen with the festival's Lifetime Achievement award, which is...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

While talking with writer/director Steve Mitchell about King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen, his new feature-length documentary that celebrates and explores the decades-spanning career of maverick storyteller Larry Cohen, I had the opportunity to chat about a cult classic that he was involved with over 30 years ago: Jim Wynorski’s Chopping Mall, starring Kelli Maroney, Barbara Crampton, Tony O’Dell, and Russell Todd, who square off against a squad of killer robots inside a shopping mall after hours.

Mitchell wrote the script for Chopping Mall with Wynorski, and the duo collaborated on the film from beginning to end, with Roger Corman’s Concorde-New Horizons handling distribution of the indie horror movie in March of 1986. During our interview, Mitchell discussed his collaborative process with Wynorski, how his experiences on the original Transformers series tied into Chopping Mall, and how surprising it is to him that the film...

With the 2017 Fantasia International Film Festival underway, filmmaker Steve Mitchell recently celebrated the world premiere of his documentary King Cohen, which explores maverick storyteller Larry Cohen's career that has now spanned over five decades.

Daily Dead had the chance to speak with Mitchell about King Cohen, and he chatted with us about his decision to embark on this project, what led him to picking Larry as the subject of his documentary, how he managed to pull off the documentary, what surprised him most about the whole experience, and how it felt to have Larry, as well as some other special guests, in the crowd for the inaugural viewing of King Cohen.

Congrats on the premiere, Steve. I really do hope the premiere went well. I’m sure you had a fantastic crowd up there at Fantasia.

Steve Mitchell: Yeah, we premiered this past weekend. Larry was there, of course,...

One of our favorite filmmakers round these parts is Larry Cohen. The director of such classic movies as It’s Alive, Q – The Winged Serpent, A Return to Salem’s Lot and Wicked Stepmother will be the main focus of the… Continue Reading →

The post Exclusive: Director Steve Mitchell Talks King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen appeared first on Dread Central.

Welcome back for Day 7 of Daily Dead’s fourth annual Holiday Gift Guide, readers! Once again, our goal is to help you navigate through the horrors of the 2016 shopping season with our tips on unique gift ideas, and we’ll hopefully help you save a few bucks over the next few weeks, too. For today’s gift guide, we’re going to take a look at Gallery 1988's amazing artwork, teeVillain, the Back to the Future soundtrack, several of the great Vestron Video Blu-rays released this year, Star Wars-themed kids' games, horror necklaces, and more.

This year’s Holiday Gift Guide is sponsored by several amazing companies, including Mondo, Anchor Bay Entertainment, DC Entertainment, and Magnolia Home Entertainment, who have all donated an assortment of goodies to help get you into the spirit of the season. Daily Dead also recently teamed up with Texas-based artist Dustin Pace of Duddy...

Today, Lionsgate launches their Vestron Video Collector's Series line with Blu-ray releases of Chopping Mall and Blood Diner, and to give fans a better idea of what to expect, entertaining and insightful clips from both Blu-rays have been unveiled.

Previous Press Release: Santa Monica, CA (August 2, 2016) – Lionsgate is exhuming classic horror films with a red carpet rollout this fall for the limited edition Vestron Video Collector’s Series. Hours of materials have been assembled for the Vestron Video Collector’s Series Blu-ray™ releases, starting with six horror cult classics! Taste the fear and the flesh, in shocking high definition for the first time, as teenagers meet their untimely demise at the hands of cannibals, killer robots, horror icons, sewer-dwelling monsters, and an army of the undead!

Vestron Video has been a leader in providing the most unique and wide-ranging selection of films. Lionsgate honors the spirit of Vestron Video by...

We horror fans have been spoiled in recent years when it comes to home video titles, with labels like Scream Factory, Arrow, Synapse, Vinegar Syndrome, Blue Underground and several others releasing genre titles both classic and obscure on pristine high definition Blu-rays, often laden with tons of extra content for too much of a good thing. Now Lionsgate is throwing its hat into the special edition Blu-ray market with Chopping Mall, the first title in their new Vestron Video Collector’s Series. They couldn’t have picked a better title to kick off what is, based on the quality work here, a very promising new label.

Schlock legend Jim Wynorski’s 1986 opus Chopping Mall—aka R.O.B.O.T.S., aka Killbots—is pure B-movie bliss. It takes a group of teenagers (among them genre legends Barbara Crampton and Kelli Maroney, plus Tony O’Dell from Head of the Class...

On Tuesday, September 27th, Lionsgate’s Vestron Video Collector’s Series will release Blood Diner and Chopping Mall on respective Blu-rays, and to celebrate, special autograph signings will take place this Sunday in California.

Chopping Mall director Jim Wynorski, screenwriter Steve Mitchell, composer Chuck Cirino, and FX designer Robert Short will be at an autograph signing at Creature Features in Burbank between 1:00pm–2:30pm on Sunday, September 25th.

That same day in Burbank between 2:00pm–3:30pm, Blood Diner director Jackie Kong and Dp Jurg Walther will be at Dark Delicacies to sign autographs.

Each signing will feature a special poster for the event's respective film, and we have a look at the posters, Blu-ray cover art, and official details below:

Press Release: If you’re in the Los Angeles area, Lionsgate’s Vestron Video Collector’s Series is bringing you two chances to meet the masterminds...

Lionsgate is exhuming classic horror films with a red carpet rollout this fall for the limited edition Vestron Video Collector’s Series. Hours of materials have been assembled for the Vestron Video Collector’s Series Blu-ray™ releases, starting with six horror cult classics! Taste the fear and the flesh, in shocking high definition for the first time, as teenagers meet their untimely demise at the hands of cannibals, killer robots, horror icons, sewer-dwelling monsters, and an army of the undead!

Vestron Video has been a leader in providing the most unique and wide-ranging selection of films. Lionsgate honors the spirit of Vestron Video by presenting the Vestron Video Collector’s Series — a line of classic genre films newly remastered and with a wealth of supplementary features. Starting with Chopping Mall and Blood Diner, and continuing with Waxwork and Waxwork II: Lost in Time Double Feature,Return of the Living Dead 3,...

You don’t have to visit a haunted house to get scared—sometimes you’ll find more horror in the local mall or late-night eatery, as is the case in the ’80s horror films Chopping Mall and Blood Diner, two movies that are at long last coming out on Blu-ray in the Us thanks to Lionsgate:

Press Release: Santa Monica, CA (August 2, 2016) – Lionsgate is exhuming classic horror films with a red carpet rollout this fall for the limited edition Vestron Video Collector’s Series. Hours of materials have been assembled for the Vestron Video Collector’s Series Blu-ray™ releases, starting with six horror cult classics! Taste the fear and the flesh, in shocking high definition for the first time, as teenagers meet their untimely demise at the hands of cannibals, killer robots, horror icons, sewer-dwelling monsters, and an army of the undead!

Vestron Video has been a leader in providing...

Waxwork Records has been killing it lately in vinyl soundtracks for some great horror flicks. You might have seen the awesome artwork for these past two releases but today, we have the details on each of them including samples! Read on reader, read on.

From the Press Release

Waxwork Records Details *Chopping Mall* & *Friday The 13th * Soundtrack Releases Via *The Dissolve*

To Be Released 7/29 & 8/29

Waxwork Records, the label responsible for releasing beautifully packaged scores for Rosemary’s Baby, Creepshow, Day of the Dead, Re-Animator, etc. are announcing two new releases today:

The first of two being the fully remastered release of Chuck Cirino‘s original score to the B-Movie horror classic, Chopping Mall, directed by Jim Wynorski and starring scream queens Barbara Crampton and Kelli Maroney.

This release marks the first time vinyl release of Chopping Mall, featuring liner notes from composer Chuck Cirino and the film’s writer, Steve Mitchell.

Murderous security robots killed them at the mall, while a vengeful mother unleashed her rage upon them at summer camp. Two supposedly safe havens for teenagers in the 1980′s were bathed in blood in 1986′s Chopping Mall and 1980′s Friday the 13th. After recently unveiling their artwork for their Friday the 13th vinyl, Waxwork Records has announced the release dates and full details of both movie scores, so you can mark your calendars in blood red.

Waxwork Records announced via Fangoria that their Chopping Mall vinyl will be available on July 29th with pre-orders beginning July 1st, while their Friday the 13th vinyl is set for an August 29th release with pre-orders starting August 5th. This marks the vinyl debut of both Chuck Cirino’s Chopping Mall score and Harry Manfredini’s Friday the 13th score. In addition to full details on both releases, we have a look at the Chopping Mall album cover art,...

Chopping Mall's score is the next release from Waxwork Records and we're learning today, via The Dissolve, that it will be available on July 29th. In addition to this, we've got a look at the package art and we have three tracks to share. According to The Dissolve: The record includes a 180-gram fluorescent-pink disc, liner notes by Cirino and Chopping Mall screenwriter Steve Mitchell, and full packaging artwork by Australian duo We Buy Your Kids. (There will also be a limited run of 500 neon yellow variants.)

The post Chopping Mall Ost Art From Waxwork Records & Friday the 13th Ost Release Date appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.

It has been announced that 1986′s Chopping Mall has been re-mastered and is available for theatrical screenings. Unfortunately, there isn’t a list of theaters that are participating in the re-release yet, but we’ve seen a number of theaters announce screenings, including Circle Cinema in Oklahoma. Our hope is that an extensive list is made available and we’ll update this story if it happens. Until then, we’ve included the official press release below that includes an email address for theaters interested in booking a screening of the movie:

via MindofTatlock.com: “On March 21st, 1986, a film was released by legendary producer Roger Corman that today still is recognized as a genre classic. “Chopping Mall” produced by Julie Corman and helmed by exploitation wunderkind, Jim Wynorski was released during the VHS/home video explosion and would change the way the business perceived the place of genre titles within this emerging market place.

Yep, you have read that headline correctly. The Eighties classic Chopping Mall could very well be dismantling the flesh of teenagers at a theatre near you soon, and we have your first details.

From the Press Release

On March 21st, 1986, a film was released by legendary producer Roger Corman that today still is recognized as a genre classic. Chopping Mall, produced by Julie Corman and helmed by exploitation wunderkind Jim Wynorski, was released during the VHS/home video explosion and would change the way the business perceived the place of genre titles within this emerging marketplace.

The film tells the story of killer security robots taking over a shopping mall and systematically murdering a group of trespassing teenagers who have broken into the mall for an all-night party. Four couples decide to have a party in one of the furniture stores where three of them work. They all stay after hours at the mall,...

Gog is the long lost third film in director Herbert L Strock’s “Office of Scientific Investigation” trilogy, after 1953′s The Magnetic Monster and 1954′s Raiders To The Stars. The trilogy was not only critically well received, but also embraced by the scientific community, who appreciated Strock’s efforts to root his pictures in fact and with practical consideration, as opposed to flashing doodads and logic-defying technology. Gog was the strongest of the three efforts, and was released in 3-D, in color, and in the newly adopted widescreen format studios were just starting to take a serious look at. The film stars Richard Egan, Constance Dowling, Herbert Marshall, and John Wengraf.

Gog cover image courtesy MGM

Gog is credited as having influenced many of the “mad machinery” films in its wake, most notably, Jim Wynorski’s cult classic Chopping Mall (1986), a film about several mall security robots who go on a bloody rampage.