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Sherwood Schwartz's 1969 sitcom "The Brady Bunch" was progressive and retrogressive at the same time. On the one hand, it vaunted the virtues of remarrying and finding new families, showing that step-siblings and second spouses could produce as harmonious a domestic unit as more traditional nuclear families. On the other hand, the characters were clean-cut and virtuous to a cartoonish degree, only expressing the blandest sorts of domestic turmoil. It's easy to be harmonious when every member of the family is scrupulous and clean. The show was more about mild, silly pet peeves than about legitimately hard-hitting clashes of character. 

Of course, "hard-hitting" was not Schwartz's métier. He was a writer of high-concept, light-hearted comedies. This was, after all, the "Gilligan's Island" guy. He wasn't about to skew into Neil Labute family dramas with "The Brady Bunch." 

And "The Brady Bunch" was huge. It lasted a gangbusters 117 episodes over its five seasons,...

Since getting his big break crafting jokes for Bette Midler in the early 1970s, Emmy-winning comedy writer and personality Bruce Vilanch has found success writing for the small screen and stage. But by his own admission, the scribe behind 25 Academy Award ceremonies and more than his fair share of Miss Universe and USA pageants has also penned some real flops.

In his new book, “It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time: The Worst TV Shows in History and Other Things I Wrote,” Vilanch walks readers through some of the most ill-conceived projects he’s been attached to over the years — from 1978’s “The Star Wars Holiday Special” to the now infamous 1989 Oscars ceremony that opened with Rob Lowe and Snow White pirouetting to “Proud Mary.”

“‘It was a terrible idea, and I shouldn’t have gotten involved’ didn’t even occur to us at the time,” Vilanch told IndieWire on a Zoom call,...

It would be very hard to pick out a single cultural artifact that somehow manages to embody all of Seventies pop culture, but the Brady Bunch’s short-lived variety show would certainly be a strong contender. For those who weren’t watching ABC between November 1976 and May 1977, The Brady Bunch Hour featured the cast of the original show staging elaborate song-and-dance routines mixed in with comedy segments and even domestic scenes of the family in a new home. In a bizarre twist, they did the whole thing in character as...

Geri Reischl is best known for her role as Fake Jan Brady -- after the Og Jan (Eve Plumb) declined to participate in the reunion -- on the short-lived '70s variety show, "The Brady Bunch Variety Hour." Guess what she looks like now!

What makes a good Satanic Panic flick? Is it the urbane, dark humor of Rosemary’s Baby (’68), perhaps the outsized biblical insanity of The Omen (’76), or the insidious paranoia that infuses Race with the Devil (’75)? The answer for me is all of the above, and what a treat it is to come across another that brings something a little different - The Brotherhood of Satan (’71) offers a sense of quiet displacement before unleashing a torrent of blustery brimstone and hellfire.

Released by Columbia Pictures in early August, The Brotherhood of Satan even received some decent notices; Roger Greenspun of The New York Times proclaimed that the film “displays bold, direct, relatively uncomplicated acceptance of its supernature”, which is definitely one of its strengths – the evil is ingrained in the small town structure and those within are resigned to its nature. Hey, it was the ‘70s! Were you really expecting upbeat?...

After a brief hiatus due to our live coverage of Comic-Con, we’re back with a double-sized edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting the recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes a new trailer for Come Back to Me and I Spill Your Guts 2, release details on Schism, Silent Retreat, and the Class of Nuke ‘Em High soundtrack, and much more:

Come Back to Me Trailer: “Sarah (Walder) and Josh McLaren (Passmore) are a young married couple living in suburban Las Vegas. Shortly after a car accident, Sarah begins to suffer a series of disturbing memory lapses and frequent blackouts that seem to be increasing in intensity. Unsure of what is happening, and feeling as though she is losing her mind, Sarah comes to learn she is pregnant. To add to her shock, she subsequently discovers that her husband is sterile. As her marriage and world begin to fall apart,...

It's been a few years since we've heard anything about The Meat Puppet, for which one of the most eclectic casts we'd ever seen was assembled, but now the film has landed worldwide distribution and gotten itself some new artwork.

From the Press Release:

Valenti Vision Films and Silver Phoenix Entertainment, in association with Keith Collins Media Inc., are thrilled to announce the award-winning The Meat Puppet has been picked up for worldwide distribution by TomCat Films.

The Meat Puppet is looking to take a bite out of its competition around the globe now that TomCat Films is on board as its distributor. TomCat Films is primarily known for its genre and mockbuster titles (Aliens vs. Avatars, Thunderstorm: The Return of Thor, Agent Beetle) and is headed by sales and distribution veteran Ted Chalmers.

The Meat Puppet has won five awards so far, including Best Horror Film, Best Actor (Keith Collins...

When I Dismember Mama was released as a double-bill with The Blood Spattered Bride at the drive-in and various lowbrow theaters in 1974, upchuck cups were passed out amongst patrons as a gag gift to promote the film and to get people talking outside of the theaters. The trailer for the double-bill is even better.

Blood Spattered Bride/I Dismember Mama

Released on VHS in the 1980s by Simitar Entertainment, I Dismember Mama has become a cult classic amongst horror fans – most likely because of its catchy and alluring title. You would assume that the film is about – well – dismembering mama, right? Wrong. This Oedipal-Norman-Bates-style movie has very little to do with dismembering at all, although it has it’s fair share of kills and thrills.

Directed by Paul Leder and originally titled Poor Albert and Little Annie (a much more accurate title), Zooey Hall stars as Albert, a deranged young...

By Seth Metoyer, MoreHorror.com

You just can't overlook a horror film titled The Meat Puppet. The horror/thriller said to sport lots of body parts and blood is currently filming in New Jersey.

The Meat Puppet is Directed by Joe Valenti (“Echelon 8”) and Produced by Keith Collins. Produced & Executive Produced by Blaze Kelly Coyle and Joe Valenti. Written by Joseph & Billy Pepitone.

With a well-rounded cast including many special appearances and Starring: Gregg Valentino (TLC’s “The Man Whose Arms Exploded”), Billy Sample (“Former NY Yankee”), Brandon Ruckdashel (“Co-ed Confidential”), Geri Reischl (“Gunsmoke”,“The Brady Bunch Variety Hour” aka Fake Jan), Jason Prager (“Beauty and the Geek”), Billy Garcia (“Survivor”), Gary Garver (“formerly from the Howard Stern Show”), Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (“Guns N Roses”), Erick Chopin (Winner of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser”), Keith Collins (“Stuck in the Middle”, “BIdentity Crisis”), Jamie Reed-Kovac (Fury – “American Gladiators”), April Hunter...

Currently filming in New Jersey, The Meat Puppet has assembled one of the more unique casts we've seen in some time. From wrestlers to reality stars to a GnR guitarist and a former New York Yankee, this line-up is certainly one to be appreciated. Dig it.

Looking like American Psycho meets Hannibal, The Meat Puppet tells a story of excess, vanity and cannibalism. Quite the combination. Now dig this line-up featured in the film: The Meat Puppet is directed by Joe Valenti (Echelon 8) and features Gregg Valentino (TLC’s "The Man Whose Arms Exploded"), former New York Yankee Billy Sample, Brandon Ruckdashel (Co-ed Confidential), Geri Reischl ("Gunsmoke","The Brady Bunch Variety Hour" as Fake Jan), Jason Prager ("Beauty and the Geek"), Billy Garcia ("Survivor"), Gary Garver (formerly of The Howard Stern Show), Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (Guns N' Roses), Erick Chopin (Winner of NBC’s "The Biggest Loser"), Keith Collins (Stuck in the Middle,...

 Hey kids! What time is it?... It's time for the 5th Annual Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention! This Weekend: September 23 - 25, 2010 This year's celebrity guests include: Roy Thinnes  (The Invaders) Van Williams (The Green Hornet)The first autographing appearance for Van Williams and Roy Thinnes in twenty years! This will be a convention exclusive and we highly doubt they will be appearing at any other conventions in the nearby future! Dawn Wells  (Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island) Mark Goddard  (Johnny Ringo, Lost in Space) Geri Reischl (Jan Brady on The...

As we mentioned earlier, the cast of The Brady Bunch won't reunite thanks to a spat between Maureen McCormick (Marcia) and Eve Plumb (Jan). Movieline responds to this by saying: that never stopped this cast of compulsive reuniters before! Bring us Geri Reischl, or "Fake Jan"! Let's watch her in action as she promotes The Brady Bunch Variety Hour with the rest of the cast in 1977. She's who I want to see on Today clutching Ann B. Davis for emotional support. [YouTube]...

I can't claim that Seth MacFarlane didn't follow Movieline's variety show rules last night (I didn't notice Geri Reischl, for starters), but Family Guy Presents Seth & Alex's Almost Live Comedy Hour, veered deep into a stinky safe-zone by stealing sketch set-ups from Jay Leno's mothball-suffocated closet of conceits. Let's start with the hardest-hitting wit: There aren't many Jewish comediennes because of -- hear me out -- the Holocaust. I'll slap everyone's knees in this whole room, and their Jewish mothers! Then MacFarlane and Family Guy voice actress Alex Borstein act out imagined screen-tests for Bea Arthur, Kathy Griffin, and Gregory Peck -- just a couple of cards, these two. Guys, this sucked. Clip of the antics after the jump.