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Star Trek fans surely got a kick out of seeing Star Trek III: The Search for Spock villain Christopher Lloyd co-starring as Doc Brown alongside Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly in Back to the Future. And those same fans no doubt loved it when Marty, disguised and masking his voice, identifies himself to his future father as “Darth Vader… from the planet Vulcan,” and proceeds to offer the patented split-fingered Vulcan greeting.

But… a document from 1984, from the office of Back to the Future’s casting directors, Fenton-Feinberg Casting, reveals that several other familiar Star Trek names were considered before director Robert Zemeckis chose Lloyd. Among those considered: Joe Piscopo, Rene Auberjonois, Paul Dooley, Kevin Conway, and Gerrit Graham. Piscopo later played The Comic in the Star Trek: The Next Generation second-season episode, “The Outrageous Okona,” which premiered in 1988. Auberjonois joined the Star Trek universe in 1991, playing Colonel West...

The Critic was a cult adult animated comedy created by The Simpsons‘ Al Jean and Mike Reiss and voiced by Jon Lovitz.

The former SNL star now is lobbying for a reboot of the 1990s show and said that Jean is on board.

“Critic fans: You keep telling me you want it back. I’ve been trying for years! Well, now, creator Al Jean is on board!!! If you want it back, we need your help! Please like this post and spread the word! So we can show the studio, how many people want it!,” Lovitz wrote on social media.

In the show, Lovitz voiced Jay Sherman, a 36-year old film critic from New York whose show Coming Attractions aired on the Philips Broadcasting cable network.

As a critic, Sherman is cold, mean-spirited, and elitist but at home, he has a gentler nature and is filled with self-doubt. The show also featured his son Martin,...

The first C.H.U.D became a culturally relevant movie for multiple reasons and against all odds also worked its way into the greater pop culture zeitgeist. I argued that the first movie doesn’t quite stand the test of time a bit ago and while I stand by that, it doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it either. C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D. is a wild ride of a sequel that certainly didn’t need to exist but is somehow more fun than the predecessor. Its also a better sequel in a franchise that it doesn’t technically exist in! Can’t wait to get into that aspect. Most of you love C.H.U.D. but I’m here to tell you why C.H.U.D. II is a great black sheep that straddles the end of the 80s and start to the 90s. I doubt I’ll sway anyone onto my side of...

Larry Cohen isn’t really a horror guy, at least not in the same vein as his contemporary filmmakers like Wes Craven, John Carpenter, or Tobe Hooper. Cohen wasn’t even really the same type of director as he wrote almost 3 times as many projects as he directed. What he lacked in quantity for horror movies though, he more than made up for in quality. This quality started with 1974’s It’s Alive and moved through very different types of horror like God Told Me To, The Stuff, and Q the Winged Serpent. The only series of movies he was involved in was his trilogy of It’s Alive movies. While the first two were heavy hitters in terms of themes that were hidden under the guise of creature features, the third one had far less to say but is unfairly seen as less fun. 1987 was a weird year for the man,...

Sylvester Stallone cameos are pretty rare, but they sure leave an impact whenever they happen. Stallone was a struggling actor for much of the 1970s, but once he broke through with Rocky, he became one of the biggest stars in the world. From Rocky to the numerous other Stallone action movies that arrived during the 1980s and 1990s, he tended to be first billed every time. That's why Stallone cameos were rare during this era as he largely avoided supporting parts.

In more recent years, Sly has made guest appearances in the Guardians of the Galaxy sequels and Expendables 4 - despite the latter being one of Stallone's major action franchises. Still, there aren't many examples of the star showing up uncredited for a single scene, and the ones that exist are bizarre.

Cannonball! (1976) Directed by Paul Bartel (Eating Raoul)

Before Rocky, Stallone's most famous project was Death Race 2000.

James Wan's Teacup Takes Over Horror Vibes Coffee: Peacock and James Wan's Teacup will be taking over Horror Vibes Coffee in North Hollywood, offering specialty drinks, giveaways, and photo ops for two days only:

When: 9Am-8Pm on October 19 & 20 Where: 5251 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601 Additional Info: There will be a specialty drink that will be sold these two days only - A dark blue raspberry black tea lemonade with a blue hard candy on top, which is a nod to a major plotline in the series. In addition to specialty drinks, the first 25 customers each day will receive a collectible Teacup. There will be additional premium giveaway items as well as exclusive photo opportunities. About Horror Vibes: Horror Vibes Coffee is an independent horror-themed coffee bar in Los Angeles, California that specializes in serving handcrafted specialty beverages inspired by iconic horror cinema and horror culture. This is a...

Thommy Hutson has had a hand in the making of multiple documentaries about popular horror films: the 90 minute documentaries His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th and Scream: The Inside Story, the 2 hour documentary More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead and its shorter companion pieces They Won’t Stay Dead: A Look at the Return of the Living Dead Part II and Love Beyond the Grave: A Look at the Return of the Living Dead III. He was a producer on the 4 hour documentary Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy and the 6 and a half+ hour documentary Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th. Now he has turned his attention to the Child’s Play / Chucky franchise, resulting in the 295 minute (that’s 4 hours and 55 minutes) documentary Doc of Chucky! Doc of Chucky will be released through the Shudder streaming service on November 1st,...

Thommy Hutson has had a hand in the making of multiple documentaries about popular horror films: the 90 minute documentaries His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th and Scream: The Inside Story, the 2 hour documentary More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead and its shorter companion pieces They Won’t Stay Dead: A Look at the Return of the Living Dead Part II and Love Beyond the Grave: A Look at the Return of the Living Dead III. He was a producer on the 4 hour documentary Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy and the 6 and a half+ hour documentary Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th. Now he has turned his attention to the Child’s Play / Chucky franchise, resulting in the 295 minute (that’s 4 hours and 55 minutes) documentary Doc of Chucky! Doc of Chucky will be released through the Shudder streaming service on November 1st,...

After taking a look back at House II: The Second Story (a favorite of mine since childhood), House of 1000 Corpses (which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year), the awesomeness of Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight, the leg smashing in the Stephen King adaptation Misery, three separate moments from John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China, the “Jason vs. Tina” battle in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, the “all hell breaks loose” sequence from the start of Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake, the opening sequence of Pitch Black, a cool moment from The Crow, a memorable shark attack from Jaws 2, and a creepy moment from Lost Highway, JoBlo’s own Lance Vlcek is continuing his The Best Scene video series with a look at a scene from the 1990 slasher sequel Child’s Play 2 (watch it Here) – and if you’re familiar with that movie,...

Thommy Hutson, the producer behind comprehensive horror documentaries Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy and Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th, is back, this time helming Doc of Chucky, a documentary exploring the killer doll’s franchise and legacy.

Doc of Chucky is an upcoming Shudder Original that will debut on the streaming service on November 1.

Bloody Disgusting can exclusively reveal the official poster for Doc of Chucky below.

The new comprehensive documentary “tells the story of the cult horror empire through interviews with cast, crew, and horror icons such as Don Mancini, Brad Dourif, Jennifer Tilly, Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, John Waters, Fiona Dourif, Perrey Reeves, Gerrit Graham, David Kirschner, and dozens more. Directed by Thommy Hutson (the producer of documentaries Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy and Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th), this is the ultimate account...

Everything about Star Trek: Voyager was a risk when the series debuted following the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation, an incredibly popular series. The flagship show of the nascent United Paramount Network, Captain Kathryn Janeway and her crew faced familiar struggles from fans. Their story, however, took the Star Trek universe to a new part of the galaxy. The Delta Quadrant hosted never-before-seen alien species and was the backyard of the Borg.

Through syndication and wide streaming access, Star Trek: Voyager is now regarded as a classic of this universe's second wave. Voyager finished its journey strong, and the addition of Seven of Nine -- a human drone rescued from the Borg collective -- changed the series for the better. Now in the third wave of the franchise, Seven of Nine is the captain of the USS Enterprise-g, and Janeway is now a Vice Admiral leading the young cadets of Star Trek: Prodigy.

The second season of "Star Trek: Picard" saw the return of Q (John de Lancie) a playful god of mischief that periodically appeared on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" to cause trouble for Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Q, being omnipotent and seemingly immortal, didn't think too highly of humans, a primitive corporeal species he saw as being unworthy of space travel. By the end of the series, though, Q found that some humans had the capacity to think in cosmic terms, and he judged us to be finally worthy, if only a little bit.

In "Picard," Q reappeared to announce that the trial never ended, and that he had a fun game to play. He sent Picard into a parallel universe wherein humanity had mastered space travel, but used it to commit galaxy-wide genocide against all other known sentient species. Picard...

As far as I’m concerned, director Jim Wynorski’s 1986 film Chopping Mall (watch it Here) ranks up there as one of the most entertaining horror movies of the ’80s, which is the decade that brought a lot of my favorite horror movies into the world. It’s also a movie that doesn’t seem to get referenced often enough, and doesn’t get as much respect as it deserves – even if James Wan wants to remake it and Shout Factory TV aired it for 24 hours straight on Black Friday. So I’m glad to see that Chopping Mall is getting some love from the folks at Encyclopocalypse Publications, who have announced that they’re teaming up with Shout Factory and author Brian G. Berry for a Chopping Mall novelization!

Written by Wynorski and Steve Mitchell, Chopping Mall has the following synopsis: Some people will kill for a bargain… and...

The year was 1985 when Super Mario Bros. took the Nintendo Entertainment System by storm; Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes debuted in newspapers, and two unlikely friends named Marty McFly and Emmett Lathrop Brown piloted cinema’s most iconic time machine to a year when Panama hats and kitten heels were all the rage, 1955.

Fiercely protected at a level akin to Ghostbusters and Star Wars by millennials worldwide, Robert Zemeckis’s Back to the Future sits enthroned at Nostalgia Mountain’s top. The original film has spawned two sequels, a cartoon series, video game adaptations, a Broadway musical, and more. But how does it hold up by today’s standards? Strap on your seatbelt, and prepare yourselves to see some serious shit because this is Back to the Future Revisited.

In 1977, Robert Zemeckis did the unthinkable. He bulldozed into Amblin Entertainment without an appointment, heading straight for Steven Spielberg’s office.

Q's first appearance on Star Trek: Voyager delved into deep philosophical issues like assisted suicide, showing a more introspective side of his character. Voyager intentionally changed Q's storytelling by focusing on how events affect him, different from Tng where he drove the action. Voyager continued to develop Q's character in subsequent appearances by keeping him part of the storyline, enriching Star Trek lore.

This article contains brief references to suicide.

John de Lancie, who played Q in multiple Star Trek series, explained the real difference between the character in Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Q has become one of the most important and recognizable recurring characters in the Star Trek timeline since his debut in Tng's pilot episode, "Encounter at Farpoint." An omnipotent god-like being with a wicked sense of mischief, Q has been alternately friend and foe to the main characters of shows like Tng,...

The effect of The Simpsons on pop culture can’t be overstated. In the early nineties, the show tapped into the cultural zeitgeist in a way few others had before. Indeed, no other cartoon show could reasonably emulate it- but Hollywood couldn’t help but try. Capitol Critters, Family Dog, and Fish Police were just a few of the shows that tried to be “the new Simpsons.” Still, the only one that really came close was ABC’s The Critic, starring the voice of Jon Lovitz as Jay Sherman, perhaps the world’s least-loved film critic and the subject of this Gone But Not Forgotten episode.

Unlike other wannabe animated hits, The Critic could boast a legit connection to The Simpsons, with it also being a production of James L. Brooks’ Gracie Films. At the same time, creators Al Jean and Mike Reiss had been showrunners on The Simpsons during...

George Miller's "Mad Max" was a wild undertaking. The dystopian action flick, which envisioned an Australia verging on lawlessness due to a worldwide oil shortage, became a box office sensation on the strength of its calamitous, perilously practical high-speed car chases and fiery crashes. U.S. cinema was hardly lacking for such entertainment, but there was a breakneck, open-road fury to Miller's film that set it apart from its stateside counterparts.

Set safety regulations were not quite what they are today in the 1970s; in fact, they were practically non-existent in Australia. Though the country's cinema was in the midst of a "New Wave" of its own as the 1980s approached, the films being made by Peter Weir, Gillian Armstrong, and Bruce Beresford were atmospheric dramas that asked viewers to soak in the eerie beauty of the land down under. They were not stunt-heavy affairs. "Mad Max" was,...

Across its seven seasons, "Star Trek: Voyager" followed the crew of the titular Starfleet vessel as it traversed the faraway Delta Quadrant to return home to Federation space. Led by Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway, "Star Trek: Voyager" featured a memorable ensemble cast as the starship braved dangerous territory throughout its long journey. However, as beloved as the principal cast is, there are plenty of one-off guest stars on"Voyager" that helped elevate the show to new heights.

From formidable adversaries and villains to supporting characters that brought new dimensions to "Star Trek: Voyager," there is no shortage of excellent guest roles. Featuring a mix of prolific character actors and big-name stars, these characters not only enhanced their respective episodes but brought out the best in the main cast. With all that in mind, we've narrowed it down to the 12 best one-off characters from "Star Trek: Voyager's" 172-episode run,...

When Robert De Niro came out swinging, rhetorically, at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2016, it was the most stirring and surprising performance he'd given in years. "He's so blatantly stupid," he said in a campaign ad. "He's a punk. He's a dog. He's a pig. A con. A bulls**t artist. A mutt who doesn't know what he's talking about." Then he lowered the boom: "I'd like to punch him in the face."

Though the actor had long been on the record as a Democrat, he'd never been this emphatic about a political position in his public life. In fact, he'd never been emphatic about much of anything. Anyone who'd watched the actor squirm his way through an interview knew full well that the man wasn't much of a talker. When he did speak, he tended to be soft-spoken. He seemed almost embarrassed to be holding forth on any subject,...

Despite being stranded in the Delta Quadrant, the crew of Star Trek: Voyager came into contact with a surprising amount of Star Trek legends during the show's seven seasons. When it debuted in 1995, Voyager was the fifth Star Trek show in the franchise and, in cutting off the USS Voyager from its home in the Alpha Quadrant, Voyager returned to the original show's remit of exploring strange new worlds and civilizations. However, setting the show in the Delta Quadrant meant that the writers had to come up with creative ways to feature cameos by existing Star Trek characters when the story demanded it, or if the show needed a boost in the ratings.

Among the creative reasons for bringing classic Star Trek characters from the Alpha Quadrant to Voyager were the involvement of Q (John de Lancie), holographic simulations, and psychic projection. All of these allowed characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation,...

Brooke Shields became a star and attracted mild controversy in this show, director Louis Malle’s first American production. Co-writer & producer Polly Platt and cinematographer Sven Nykvist collaborated on Malle’s fascinating look at life in a New Orleans brothel early in the 20th century. Prostitute Susan Sarandon raises two children in the upscale bawdy house, and art photographer Keith Carradine becomes an artist in residence. It’s a non-moralizing portrait of a bygone lifestyle. The handsome remastered release co-stars Diana Scarwid and Barbara Steele — and comes with a new interview with Brooke Shields.

Pretty Baby

Blu-ray

Viavision [Imprint] 174

1978 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 109 min. / Street Date November 4, 2022 / Available from / £

Starring: Susan Sarandon, Keith Carradine, Brooke Shields, Frances Faye, Antonio Fargas, Gerrit Graham, Matthew Anton, Mae Mercer, Diana Scarwid, Barbara Steele.

Cinematography: Sven Nykvist

Production Designer: Trevor Williams

Costume Supervisor: Mina Mittelman

Film Editor: Suzanne Fenn, supervisor Suzanne Baron

Music adapted by Jerry Wexler,...

Jim Wynorski's 1986 horror cheapie "Chopping Mall" is a supremely silly film, better for snickers and guffaws than for scares or ideas. The premise is novel enough: a shopping mall has just installed a new line of ultra-advanced security robots that will patrol the mall at night looking for ruffians or thieves. Predictably, the robots go haywire and respond to any and all human beings with lethal force. They electrocute the janitor and begin chasing a group of mall employees who were having a sex party inside the furniture store. The film features such glorious cult luminaries as Barbara Crampton, Dick Miller, and Gerrit Graham. One can also take the supreme delight provided by legitimate icons Paul Bartel and Mary Woronov; when they appear on screen in any film, you know you're in for a treat. 

Of course, once the robots begin firing lasers at fleeing, half-naked women, a lot...

Alex Cox attacks the Reagan years with a political tale sung in the key of the Italo Spaghetti Western: expect plenty of slow motion shots of stylish pistolero mercenaries fighting for the historical ‘filibuster’ William Walker. Look him up, he’s the patron saint of every neocon and would-be soldier of fortune. Everybody on this show goes the whole 9 yards in commitment, with Ed Harris in the lead — they filmed in Nicaragua. It may be director Cox’s finest film, packed with vivid images and surreal anachronisms — and a terrific music score by Joe Strummer.

Walker

Blu-ray

The Criterion Collection 423

1987 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 94 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date April 12, 2022 / 39.95

Starring: Ed Harris, Richard Masur, Rene Auberjonois, Xander Berkeley, Peter Boyle, Marlee Matlin, Alfonso Arau, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Gerrit Graham, William O’Leary, Blanca Guerra, Miguel Sandoval.

Cinematography: David Bridges

Production Designer: Bruno Rubeo

Art Directors: Cecilia Montiel, Jorge Sainz

Film Editors: Alex Cox,...

Makoto Tezuka's The Legend of the Stardust Brothers (1985) is playing exclusively on Mubi starting March 18, 2021 in many countries in the series Rediscovered.It’s ironic that Legend of the Stardust Brothers, a film about the meteoric rise, fall, and disappearance of two pop idols, nearly suffered the same fate as its protagonists. A giddy live-action cartoon full of surprising cameos, the film’s plot is sketched around insanely catchy tunes by eclectic pop musician and TV personality Hauro Chikada mocking industry, government, celebrity and scene drama. The anarchic musical was the first feature from up-and-comer Tezka, nee Makoto Tezuka, who at 22 had already garnered national attention for his creative shorts. Family name recognition probably didn’t hurt, as he was also the son of “God of Manga” Osamu Tezuka (creator of “Astroboy”). The film is a charming time capsule of Japan at the dawn of its booming bubble economy, and...

Canada - it’s my home and native land, and it belongs to Cathy’s Curse (1977) as well; although for decades it went from obscurity to discount box set before being rescued and restored. Now the film can be seen - after years of mud caked transfers - for what it really is: A truly bizarre attempt at setting The Exorcist/The Omen inside of an artsy marital drama, full of yelling, strange behaviour, and temper tantrums. And that’s just the grownups. In other words, Cathy's Curse is essential viewing for those who need a little Sturm und Drang und Flying Dolls in their lives. You know who you are.

A French co-production, Cathy’s Curse had regional openings all across Canada in the fall, and opened in France late summer. The critics were nothing more than dismissive with this low budget shocker, and it went through the usual journey: drive-ins,...

The weirdest sci-fi thriller of the ’80s, TerrorVision, was ahead of its time with its prediction of the era of Netflix.

“Like the rest of his warped nuclear family, Stanley Putterman (Gerrit Graham) can’t contain his excitement at the new satellite dish that will beam hundreds of channels into their ridiculously garish home. This is 1986, after all, an era when even cable could only offer a few dozen. But by the end of Ted Nicolaou’s ultra-kitsch monster mash, their insatiable appetite for the small screen has literally consumed them all.”

Read more at Inverse.

Do you want to own a lock of Abraham Lincoln’s hair? Or JFK’s cardigan? Over 250 pieces of presidential oddities are up for auction.

“As CNN reports, those two artifacts, along with 283 other pieces of presidential history, are currently up for grabs via Rr Auction. The collection doesn’t only include the well-preserved...

By Todd Garbarini

The Annihilators is a Spring 1985-lensed action film with lots of action and zero excitement. Coming on the heels of Ted Kotcheff’s masterful 1982 Vietnam-themed film version of David Morrell’s 1972 novel, First Blood, which itself spawned several lifeless sequels including the latest and critically reviled Rambo: Last Blood a mere 37 years after the superior original.. The admittedly low-budget and bargain-basement Annihilators uses a familiar theme to string together several long-winded and ultimately soporific action set pieces that consist primarily of master shots with very little intercutting and close-ups, but not before we get a credit sequence which sets the appearance of onscreen names to the sound of machine gun fire. Clever! The 1980s were a time of teen sex comedies, Freddy Krueger nightmares, and action films. The superior examples of the latter, Mad Max 2/The Road Warrior (1981), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), and Escape From New York...

Halloween begins early in New York this year with the first annual Sleepy Hollow International Film Festival, kicking off this week in Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown. In addition to showcasing Washington Irving’s iconic story that introduced readers to the headless horseman, the festival will be home to all manner of macabre celebrations, including a live stage reading of Ed Wood's Plan 9 from Outer Space and a performance of Jeffrey Combs' one-man show Nevermore: An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe.

Go here to read the full schedule for Sleepy Hollow International Film Festival, visit their website for more info, and read the official press release for additional details:

Press Release: Sleepy Hollow, NY – The first annual Sleepy Hollow International Film Festival (Shiff) taking place in Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown, New York, on October 10-13, 2019, has just released its full program of events!

Taking place at the historic Tarrytown Music Hall and Warner Library,...

Although it perhaps didn’t come in a director-approved form, the release of a nonetheless recommended new Brian De Palma film this summer has many looking back on his career. Perhaps one of the most specific examinations will come in the form of a new documentary, Phantom of Winnipeg, which explores the massive cult success of his 1974 rock musical Phantom of the Paradise in Winnipeg.

Malcolm Ingram and Sean Stanley’s film is set to have its world premiere at Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival this weekend and the U.S. premiere at Sleepy Hollow International Film Festival in Tarrytown, NY, which runs October 10-13. Ahead of the debuts, the first trailer and poster have arrived.

Back in our De Palma symposium in 2016, Jacob Oller wrote about the film, which played in the Manitoba city for 18 consecutive weeks, saying, “Phantom of the Paradise is not just one of the flashiest,...

While some cities are known for having midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show for decades, Winnipeg is the city that never stopped championing Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise since it was first released in 1974. The city's obsession with the cult film is explored in Malcolm Ingram and Sean Stanley’s new documentary Phantom of Winnipeg, which will make its Us premiere at this year's Sleepy Hollow International Film Festival.

Press Release: Sleepy Hollow International Film Festival (Shiff) proudly announces the U.S. premiere of directors Malcolm Ingram and Sean Stanley’s Phantom Of Winnipeg, a rollicking, deeply-felt love letter to the 1974 Brian De Palma cult classic Phantom Of The Paradise.

Hilarious and heartwarming, Phantom Of Winnipeg is the spirited chronicle of the unique obsession the locals of Winnipeg, Canada, have had with the cult film, Phantom Of The Paradise, since it opened in 1974. Upon release,...

"Why us? Why Winnipeg? There's so many theories..." A full-length official trailer has debuted for an indie documentary titled Phantom of Winnipeg, an obscure, fascinating look at an odd phenomenon. The doc film tells the story of how Brian De Palma's cult favorite musical Phantom of the Paradise (first released in 1974) became a local sensation in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. "Phantom of the Paradise proved hugely popular among young Winnipeggers, whose enthusiasm for the movie reportedly kept it playing at the city's Garrick Cinema for 18 straight weeks... [Years later] in 2005, the city celebrated the movie with a festival, 'Phantompalooza', which featured appearances by cast members Gerrit Graham and the late William Finley." The film originally flopped at the box office 45 years ago, but has clearly found some fans over time. Here's the first official trailer for Malcolm Ingram's doc Phantom of Winnipeg, originally from EW.com: A documentary about the unique-to-...

“Young Rebel With A Movie Camera”

By Raymond Benson

Arrow has released an interesting time capsule of a boxed set that features early work by director Brian De Palma and starring a very young Robert De Niro before either of them were significant names in the motion picture industry. The films are The Wedding Party, Greetings (1968), and Hi, Mom! (1970).

De Palma had embarked on a film career in the very early 1960s when he was a student at various institutions. While at Sarah Lawrence College in New York, he collaborated with then-theatre-professor Wilford Leach and Cynthia Munroe (who provided much of the script and funding) to make a feature entitled The Wedding Party. Most accounts (including IMDb) state that the movie was made in 1963; however, an essay by Brad Stevens in the accompanying Blu-ray booklet claims that the film was shot in 1964-65. It was eventually copyrighted in 1966, but wasn...

De Palma & De Niro: The Early Films – Greetings, Hi Mom, and The Wedding Party will be available on Blu-ray from Arrow Video on December 11th

In 1963, Robert De Niro stepped in front of a movie camera for the first time. The resulting film, a low-budget black and white comedy called The Wedding Party, would take three years to complete, and another three years to be released, but it would also establish a hugely important working relationship for the aspiring actor. One of the filmmakers, long before he became synonymous with suspense thanks to Carrie, Dressed to Kill and other classics, was Brian De Palma. He and De Niro would team up again in the next few years for two more comedies, both with a countercultural bent.

Greetings, the first film to receive an X certificate in the United States, is a freewheeling satire focusing on a trio of twentysomething friends a conspiracy theorist,...

Brian De Palma celebrates his 78th birthday on September 11, 2018. While his films have ranged from the sublime to the atrocious, there’s no denying the impact he’s had on cinema. In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 20 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

De Palma began his filmmaking career directing underground features shot on a shoestring, many of which starred a young Robert De Niro. He came into his own with the Hitchcock-inspired thriller “Sisters” (1973), starring Margot Kidder as a pair of killer Siamese twins. The Master of Suspense would serve as a muse to De Palma throughout his career, influencing such films as “Obsession” (1976), “Dressed to Kill” (1980), “Blow Out” (1980) and “Body Double” (1984) both in style and substance.

He enjoyed his first box office success with “Carrie” (1976), an adaptation of Stephen King’s chilling novel about a shy teenager (Sissy Spacek) with telekinesis.

Horror fans in Syracuse will travel to "a place where the dead speak" this April at the 13th annual Salt City Horror Fest. Pet Sematary co-star Denise Crosby will be on hand at The Palace Theatre for a special screening of Mary Lambert's 1989 Stephen King adaptation, with C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud, Creepshow 2, and Terrorvision among the other 35mm screenings featured at the event.

We have the list of 35mm screenings and special guests for Salt City Horror Fest below, and check here for more information on the celluloid celebration.

"The 2018 Salt City Horror Fest - April 28th at 10am - early morning of April 29th

Featured films on 35mm:

“Pet Sematary” Stephen King’s classic with intro Q/A with Denise Crosby

“King Kong” – Original 1933 film & aspect ratio of 1:37:1

“C.H.U.D” - Rare uncut extended version. Intro Q/A Carey Eidel

“C.

Stars: Brian Robbins, Bill Calvert, Tricia Leigh Fisher, Gerrit Graham, Robert Vaughn | Written by M. Kane Jeeves | Directed by David K. Irving

A wave of pure VHS-era nostalgia – with all the associated benefits and drawbacks – awaits in this 1989 sequel to the 1984 B-movie, which was itself a solidly silly monster movie with a great cast (John Heard, Daniel Stern, Kim Greist et al) and charmingly lousy special effects.

This time, the inner city setting is gone in favour of a typical Midwest small town, and the Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers are about to run amok at the teenagers’ Halloween Dance. Not that the CHUDs spend any time underground this time around. As the flimsy franchise leans hard into farce, any semblance of the original film’s social satire is forgotten in favour of smart-ass quips and fish-out-of-water comedy.

The amusingly implausible plot sees buddies Steve (Brian Robbins) and Kevin (Bill Calvert...

If you’ve been keeping any eye on the BBFC website this news won’t come as that much of a surprise… However, Lionsgate UK have officially announced today the launch of the Vestron Collectors Series line of Blu-rays here in the UK! Yes, no longer will you have to fork over £30-40 to import the well-received Vestron Blus, instead you can get them right here in Blighty. The catch? It looks, at least from this announcement, that we won’t be getting All the Vestron titles – after all, there’s no Waxwork 2 included on the UK Blu.

From the press release:

Blood Diner

Restored and remastered, this Unrated Version has never been on Blu-ray!

Grab a table at the Blood Diner—a cut above the rest! The Tutman Brothers run the most popular restaurant in town. Popular, that is, if you’re the county coroner! The “Head” chef has...

By Ernie Magnotta

There’s nothing I like better than getting hold of a movie that I’ve been searching over three decades for and adding it to my collection. At my age, there aren’t many vintage films left that I don’t own in one format or another, so when I heard that the 1976 cult classic Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw was getting a Blu-ray release, I was quite enthused. This movie has somehow always managed to elude me. It never seemed to play on any of my cable stations in the early 80s, we never had a copy of it at the video store I worked at in the mid-80s and I was still never able to find a copy of it anywhere throughout the 90s. To be honest, by the time the 21st century hit, I completely forgotten about this movie, so I was pretty...

Title: C.H.U.D. II Bud the Chud Director: David Irving Writer: Ed Naha Cast: Brian Robbins, Bill Calvert, Tricia Leigh Fisher, Robert Vaughn, Gerrit Graham Two bumbling teenagers Steve (Brian Robbins, Head of the Class) and Kevin (Bill Calvert, Spider-Man) are punished by their science teacher and made to clean out his lab. They accidentally cause […]

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Welcome back for Day 11 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 our second-to-last day of this year’s Gift Guide, we’re going to be featuring several great cult films that arrived on Blu-ray in 2016, as well as Star Wars books, a ton of horror-themed enamel pins, the amazing artwork of Hero Complex Gallery, FiverFingerTees, and much 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...

Not all C.H.U.D. are created equal.

Within weeks of Arrow Video’s special edition Blu-ray of the original C.H.U.D.—still the best movie ever made about New York’s homeless being transformed by toxic waste into cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers—Lionsgate’s new(ish) Vestron Video Collector’s Series adds its 1989 sequel, C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud, to its growing library of collectible Blu-rays. The completist in me is happy to have both available in the best possible format. The supportive horror fan in me is happy for the film’s fans, who finally get to put a high-def version of a movie they adore on their shelves. The movie lover in me would be perfectly okay not seeing it again.

C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud is what Fred Dekker’s Night of the Creeps might be if it weren’t any good.

Juliette Harrisson Nov 30, 2016

Remember when Sarah Silverman was in Star Trek: Voyager? We salute that and 9 other ace guest turns in the show...

Star Trek: Voyager does not share the good reputation of its predecessors The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, with some fans disappointed that the inherent conflict between Starfleet and Maquis characters was not explored further, others perhaps put off by the really rather dull and occasionally ridiculous second season. However, Voyager was as capable as any other Star Trek series of producing memorable stories and excellent performances, and for those of us for whom it is our favourite branch of the Star Trek franchise (yes, we do exist) it is worth celebrating some of the things it did really well – in this case, the actors and actresses who came to join the show for guest performances.

See related Close To The Enemy episode 3 review Close To The Enemy...

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...

The Vestron Video Collector’s Series will resurrect the Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers (C.H.U.Ds) when classic horror satire C.H.U.D. II: Bud The Chud arrives on limited edition Blu-ray™ on November 22 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

The Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers (C.H.U.Ds) return with a vengeance in high definition when the Vestron Video Collector’s Series resurrects C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud (1988) in limited edition Blu-ray™ on November 22 from Lionsgate. In the outrageous sequel to C.H.U.D., the half-dead decomposing humanoids, led by the suave and charming Bud, must be eliminated to halt the spreading plague in this classic horror satire. The C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud Blu-ray includes all-new special features, including an audio commentary with Director David Irving and interviews with Actor Gerrit Graham, Actress Tricia Leigh Fisher, and Special Effects Artist Allan Apone, and will be available for...

High school hijinks lead to town-wide terror in C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud. The sequel to the cult 1984 horror film will be featured as the fifth entry in Lionsgate's Vestron Video Collector's Series, and ahead of its high-definition release this November, we have a look at the Blu-ray's bonus features list and cover art.

Press Release: The Vestron Video Collector’s Series will resurrect the Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers (C.H.U.Ds) when classic horror satire C.H.U.D. II: Bud The Chud arrives on limited edition Blu-ray™ on November 22 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

Street Date: 11/22/16

Blu-ray™ Srp: $34.97

Program Description

The Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers (C.H.U.Ds) return with a vengeance in high definition when the Vestron Video Collector’s Series resurrects C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud in limited edition Blu-ray™ on November 22 from Lionsgate. In the outrageous sequel to C.H.U.D., the half-dead decomposing humanoids,...

The third week of September has a lot of fantastic horror and sci-fi home entertainment offerings coming our way, including an incredible pair of Criterion Blu-ray releases—Cat People (1942) and Blood Simple—as well as the 30th Anniversary Edition of Labyrinth and the Special Edition of Brian Trenchard-Smith’s Dead End Drive-In. Other notable titles being released on September 20th include the horror doc The Blackout Experiments (which premiered earlier this year at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival), Sacrifice, The Rift (1990), Beware! The Blob, and a Blu-ray set featuring all kinds of Twin Peaks goodness.

Beware! The Blob (Kino Lorber, Blu-ray & DVD)

Newly Re-mastered in HD! The Blob returns... more outrageous than ever in this 1972 sequel to the popular sci-fi classic! Plenty of familiar faces, including Robert Walker Jr. (Ensign Pulver), Larry Hagman (Dallas), Sid Haig (Busting), Burgess Meredith (Rocky), Dick Van Patten (Eight is Enough), Godfrey Cambridge...

When it comes to horror and sci-fi movies from 1986, there are several milestone titles that always come to mind first: Aliens, The Fly, Blue Velvet, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, Manhunter, Poltergeist II: The Other Side, or even Psycho III, just to name a few. But like any great year of cinema, there are always a few underrated gems that get overshadowed along the way and should receive a little extra love. Here are six films from 1986 that I think deserve to be on every genre fan’s radar:

F/X: A movie about a special effects artist who gets mixed up in a government conspiracy, at a time when practical effects were in their heyday? Yes, please. F/X isn’t a film I hear a ton of folks talk about, but it has been on cable a lot lately, which means I’ve spent a few nights revisiting it,...

“This is a pretty good land, a fact” was proclaimed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in a television broadcast addressing the Vietnam War — the leader of the free world backing up a “humble” if contentious wording of his nation’s state with an absolute, and thus already opening up the possibility of not just satire, but images as the ultimate medium for telling lies. Perhaps it was the ultimate “prologue” for a 28-year-old Brian De Palma.

With the mission statement of setting out to make something akin to Jean-Luc Godard’s ’60s work, De Palma’s third feature, Greetings, still feels surprisingly his own; his preoccupations already so dominant that it doesn’t come off as a banalization of Godard’s aesthetics and ideas the way so many other rip-offs did. Perhaps the difference is that it’s based in a very personal milieu, situated around three New York buddies...

Years after Steve McQueen’s character helped stop the Blob from absorbing an entire small town, the gelatinous terror returned to ooze eerily in Beware! The Blob (aka Son of Blob) Earlier this year, Kino Lorber announced that they were releasing the 1972 sequel on Blu-ray and DVD, and now they have revealed the debut date, cover art, and special features for the home media release.

From Kino Lorber: “Coming September 20th on Blu-ray and DVD!

Brand New 2016 HD Master!

Beware! The Blob (1972) aka Son of Blob!

Special Features:

Audio Commentary by Film Historian Richard Harland Smith Alternate Title Sequence Trailers”

Beware! The Blob stars Robert Walker Jr., Gwynne Gilford, Godfrey Cambridge, Carol Lynley, Larry Hagman, Dick Van Patten, Shelley Berman, Gerrit Graham, Richard Stahl, Richard Webb, Sig Haig, and Burgess Meredith. The sequel was directed by Larry Hagman from a screenplay by Anthony Harris and Jack Woods. For those unfamiliar with the film,...

Following the debut of Irvin Yeaworth Jr.'s The Blob in 1958, filmgoers were safe from its absorbent wrath until Beware! The Blob (aka Son of Blob) invaded the big screen in 1972. Now Kino Lorber is looking to bring the oozing menace into living rooms with their newly announced Blu-ray and DVD release of The Blob sequel.

Kino Lorber revealed today that they will release Beware! The Blob on Blu-ray and DVD sometime in 2016. The enhanced release will benefit from a new HD master. No special features are known at this time, but we'll keep Daily Dead readers updated on further announcements.

Beware! The Blob stars Robert Walker Jr., Gwynne Gilford, Godfrey Cambridge, Carol Lynley, Larry Hagman, Dick Van Patten, Shelley Berman, Gerrit Graham, Richard Stahl, Richard Webb, Sig Haig, and Burgess Meredith. The sequel was directed by Larry Hagman from a screenplay by Anthony Harris and Jack Woods. For those unfamiliar with the film,...