International Horror Film Festival in Columbus

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DtH Episode 95 – Mario Bava

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Royalty at HorrorHound Weekend

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Euro Horror from We Belong Dead

Super Monster Movie Fest Next Weekend!

Just in case you might be late to the party, next weekend, Aug. 27th & 28th, at the Skyline Drive-in, they are holding their 10th annual Super Monster Movie Fest, with the theme this year of The Devil Made Us Do It, featuring 10 films dealing all things with the devil! We’ve been coming out to this event pretty much every year since 2012, and once again, we’re excited as hell to head out there next weekend as well!

Here is the final lineup and times for this year’s features:

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Skyline’s Super Monster Movie Fest Update

The Skyline Drive-in in Shelbyville, IN has announced their lineup for this year’s Super Monster Movie Fest, and it is a DOOZY! The theme this year was The Devil Made Us Do It and I have to say, ‘ol Lucifer really helped them in programming one hell of a show! Taking place the weekend of Aug. 27th & 28th, with a special appearance by Sammy Terry! Here is what they will be screening:

Friday August 27th
The Black Cat (1934)
Prince of Darkness (1987)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
The Sentinel (1977)
Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971)

Saturday August 28th
Curse of the Demon (1957)
Black Sunday (1960)
The Exorcist (1973)
Evilspeak (1981)
Satan’s Cheerleaders (1977)

We’ve been going to this event for quite a few years now and always have such a great time. They really have an incredible lineup, from some old classics like The Black Cat with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi appearing together for the first time on the big screen, Mario Bava’s Black Sunday, Jacques Tourneur’s Curse of the Demon, to some favorites from the 80s like Evilspeak! How can you go wrong with Clint Howard contacting demonic evil though his computer?!?! Not to mention all the devilish delights you’ll find at their snack bar throughout the night! Hope to see you there!

Friday Favorite: Mario Bava

Mario Bava Favorite

This Friday, we’re going to talk about one of the most amazing Italian directors in our movie history. One that truly painted the screen with color, even if it was in black and white. Today, we celebrate the birthday of the late, great Mario Bava. Even before he was “officially” directing, he gave us incredible looking films, such as I, Vampiri (1957) and Caltiki, The Immortal Monster (1959). When he finally took the director’s chair, we were even more of a treat, with a stunning debut with Black Sunday (1960), then giving the world the first real giallo film with The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963). When he moved to color films, he showed them like we’d never seen before, with some much style, with Blood and Black Lace (1964) being a perfect example. Even in Planet of the Vampires (1965), which may seem a bit cheesy now, the look of it is incredible, not to mention giving a little blueprint for the future creators of Alien (1979). Continue reading

Halloween Favorites

Fright FavoritesHorror scholar David J. Skal has a new book coming out this fall, just in time for Halloween, entitled Fright Favorites: 31 Movies to Haunt Your Halloween and Beyond. Presented by Turner Classic Movies, Skal takes on 31 films ranging from the silent era, hitting a few titles from each decade through the ’80s, and a few beyond that. Most of these everyone will agree are classics, with a few comedies listed in the later day titles. The description in Amazon says they are “family-friendly” but not sure The Exorcist (1973) and The Thing (1982) are ones I would be screening for 8-year old Timmy! Continue reading

Movie Review: Nightmare Castle

nightmarecastlebanner

(1965)
Directed by Mario Caiano
Starring Barbara Steele, Paul Muller, Helga Liné, Laurence Clift,
Giuseppe Addobbati, Rik Battaglia

In 1960, Barbara Steele starred in Mario Bava’s Black Sunday, which set her on her path of being a horror icon. Over the next few years, she starred in many gothic horror films in Italy. When she appeared in Mario Caiano’s first entry into this sub-genre, it wasn’t her first rodeo. Before that point, Caiano’s work mainly consisted in the westerns and peplum (sword & sandal) genre. It is pretty surprising that he and co-writer Fabio De Agostini came up with such a great story, with plenty of strange angles, and filled the picture with so much atmosphere that I’m surprised that the fog doesn’t just ooze out of your television when you’re watching it. The original title is Amanti d’oltretomba, but it has been released under the titles The Faceless Monster and Night of the Doomed. But now, thanks to Severin, you can get the uncut and original version under Nightmare Castle.
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Bava Comes to Chicago!

Black Sabbath

Some time ago, we posted about a Mario Bava Film Festival that was being held in New York, and that since we’re in the Chicago area, it was just too far to even think of making it to it. But now Chicago fans don’t need to worry since those Bava titles are coming to the Gene Siskel Film Center, starting next weekend, on August 4th! If you have never had the chance to witness the wonder of Mario Bava on the big screen, I couldn’t recommend it enough, especially titles like Blood and Black Lace or Black Sabbath. The colors alone on these two will just blow your mind. But even the beautiful black and white cinematography in Bava’s directorial debut, Black Sunday, is just stunning to see. Seriously, if you are a fan of horror films, Italian horror, or cinema in general, do yourself a favor and make it out to some of these (if not all of them!).

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