Chicago’s own Wild Claw Theatre’s first play of the 2017 season is going to be their adaptation of Susan Hill’s novel The Woman In Black, which came out in 1983. A few years later, in 1987, it was adapted for the stage by Stephen Mallatratt and became so successful that it has become one of the longest running plays in London’s famous West End. It was made into a made-for-TV movie for 1989, and later made into a feature film by none other than Hammer Films in 2012.
That’s right…an indoor drive-in.
When I first heard news of this new $10 million indoor drive-in near Nashville, I actually thought it was a regular drive-in but had a cover over it, like one of those indoor sports field. At that point, I thought that was the coolest idea since the invention of the corndog! But the more I read through a few different articles on this, it isn’t what I thought it was. While it is an indoor theater, the cars are just permanently parked there. Not sure if they are actual even real cars or just seats fabricated classic car. So while it has the look and set up of a drive-in, not sure if it is going to have the real feel of one.
Fans of ’70s British horror films are well aware of the 1973 film Psychomania, also known as The Death Wheelers! Director Don Sharp gives us not just a film about a ruthless gang of bikers, but undead bikers! Sharp gave us a The Kiss of the Vampire (1963), Devil-Ship Pirates (1964), and Rasputin: The Mad Monk (1966) for Hammer Studios, but also gave us two treasures that don’t get enough love, Witchcraft (1964) and Curse of the Fly (1965).
Every single horror fan out there probably knows of and has seen The Blob. Probably both versions! But how many of them has seen the Caltiki: The Immortal Monster!
This Italian film came out a year after we all saw Steve McQueen do battle with the large purple gelatinous form. But Caltiki gives us another deadly devouring mass, which was directed by Riccardo Freda, with none other than Mario Bava as the cinematographer. Though, as the stories go, during production, Freda left, quit, or just walked off the film which was then completely by Bava. None the less, this film is a must for horror fans. There are some effects in here that are pretty damn creepy and gory for a film that came out in 1959.
Now, thanks to Arrow Video, you will have the chance to see this film in all its gory glory. This release will feature a brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative, with High Definition blu-ray (1080P) and standard definition DVD presentations. It will also feature the original mono Italian and English soundtracks, with newly translated English subtitles for the Italian language track.
So yeah… so this whole “Print is Dead” propaganda….
McFarland has some great new books coming out this year that I can’t wait to add to my library, let alone dive into them. Yes, McFarland’s titles tend to be on the expensive side, especially for their softcover editions. But their hardcover editions, especially from the likes of Gregory Mank or Tom Weaver, are probably worth the investment. Granted these are books to read, but at these prices, they are an investment, and usually go up in value. I know it doesn’t make it any easier to drop $75 to $100 for one book, so you have to pick your battles. With some special edition Blu-rays hitting the $40 and $50 range for just one movie, it doesn’t seem that much more really. But then again, I’m a sucker for these kind of books and know I’ll be adding most of the ones listed below to my own library at some point. So let’s take a look at some of these great titles they have in store for us this year:
If you’re a reader of Liquid Cheese, then you’ve definitely seen the incredible work of artist Rick Melton. His use of colors and the way he lays out the designs is top-notch. If you’re a horror fan, you’ll find something at this website that catches your eye. He has done pieces on the classic titles all the way into modern day, all giving that same beautiful style and look to them. Plus, prints of his work are highly affordable. Granted, they are coming from the UK, but they are worth the way. Here’s a couple of pieces that we think are amazing.
You can check out all his work on his website here: Stunningly Savage.
Some headlines just write themselves….
Just when you thought the zombie genre was dead and gone, we get this new one from South Korea that has been making a lot of buzz on this interweb thingy. Coming from writer/director Yeon Sang-Ho, Train to Busan has appeared on a lot of people’s Best Of 2016 lists, and has be getting a lot of praise from the critics.
Now if you live in the Chicagoland area, now you will have your chance to see this on the big screen, at the legendary Music Box Theatre this weekend! They will be screening this coming Friday and Saturday at their midnight shows.
The basic plot is about a train ride from Seoul to Busan when a zombie virus breaks out, causing the ride to be a little more hectic than originally planned! I know I’m planning on coming out on Saturday to see if this measures up to all the hype.
For more information, head over to the Music Box’s website HERE.
Opera remains one of my favorites from Dario Argento. There is so much about this film that I love, from the subtext he was throwing in there, the amazing camerawork, the score, and everything else in between. And now, thanks to Scorpion Releasing, it will soon be hitting Blu-ray in what looks to be an incredible release.
It will have “a new 2K scan from the original negative with extensive color correction – exclusive to this release.” It will also feature two different English tracks (which has me slightly puzzled on why) as well as the Italian track with English subtitles.
You will also have the opportunity to see the film in either 2.35:1 ratio or in 1.78:1. It was filmed for 2.35:1 but was made available to be screen in the other format if desired where it was being screened. While I think I’d always prefer the 2:35.1 ratio, it is nice that they have both.
While this might technically not be a horror movie, even though you do have dinosaurs running (and flying) around trying to eat people, since it is a Hammer Film, I figured it needs mentioning. Next year, on Feb. 14th, Kino Lorber will be releasing a movie that stop-animation fans have been waiting for…in the version they wanted!
When One Million Years B.C. (1966) was released on DVD several years ago, it made a lot of fans very upset, since it was the American version, which as serious fans know, was cut. Even more surprising since it the laserdisc version released was the international cut, which is longer. If you’re a die-hard Ray Harryhausen fan, that was a big deal. But now, thanks to Kino Lorber, they will be releasing it on Blu-ray that has both the International Cut along with the U.S. Cut, both having a 4K restoration, so you’ll be able to see all amazing Harryhausen work, as well as Raquel Welch and Mattine Beswick in all their glory!
Looking for the ultimate gift for a friend that is a horror soundtrack nut? Then look no further. This Friday, Varèse Sarabande will be releasing a special 12-CD limited edition box set featuring some titles that are rare, out-of-print, or never released on CD before, all inside a special black retro-styled carrying case. There will only be 1500 of these made, so if you’re interested, read on to get more information.
Here’s a listing of what titles are inside this:
Deadly Friend by Charles Bernstein
Dracula 2000 by Marco Beltrami
The Fly by Howard Shore
The Hidden by Michael Convertino
Maniac by Jay Chattaway
The Mephisto Waltz / The Other by Jerry Goldsmith
Mimic: Deluxe Edition by Marco Beltrami
A Nightmare on Elm Street by Charles Bernstein
Pumpkinhead by Richard Stone
Scream: Deluxe Edition by Marco Beltrami
The Serpent And The Rainbow by Brad Fiedel
The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde by Bob Cobert
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