With the release of his version of Frankenstein, it was only natural that there would be some books put out on the making of it, and here they are. Buckle up though, because one of them is a bit pricy, but like most of the books on del Toro’s work, I’m sure it will be well worth it.
Back in 2002, Neil Marshal did something that not many directors could do. And that was getting a film to premiere on the Sci-Fi Channel that was actually a damn good movie! That film was Dog Soldiers. And then, in 2005, he broke another rule by making a movie about spelunking . . . and making it damn good as well! That film was The Descent, which is about a group of women out on a cave exploring vacation that end up not only getting stuck underground but then come across something else living down there.
In 2022, author Janine Pipe gave us Sausages: The Making of Dog Soldiers, but now she is back giving us another book on Marshall’s second feature film, The Descent, this time with Marshall working alongside Pipe. The title is simply called The Making of The Descent and is the definitive book that contains extensive interviews with the cast and crew, with plenty of photographs and illustrations, Marshall’s notes and memories of the film, and much more.
This 176-page hardcover edition will be available in August, being published by Telos Publishing, priced at £34.99, or about $47. For a film that director Guillermo del Toro calls a “bona fide top-tier horror film”, I’m sure this book with be more than worthy of any film fan’s library.
During her speech after winning Best Actress at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards last Friday, actress Demi Moore gave praise to her director and co-stars, and her fellow nominees, but also commented on what this film really is saying about the industry, that I truly hope will help in the change that is desperately needed.
She commented on something else that I hope is going to change. She said “I am so grateful, not just for my performance but that you have highlighted this film, this genre. Normally horror films are overlooked and not seen for the profundity that they can hold.”
Continue readingFor fans of the first two Blade films, Stephen Norrington’s Blade (1998) and Guillermo del Toro’s Blade II (2002), they are both getting a deluxe edition of their original soundtracks, both being released by Varèse Sarabande.
One of my earliest childhood horror memories is seeing the 2-part mini-series Frankenstein: The True Story when it first aired in 1973. While I had no idea how far from the “true story” it was, as a young, eager horror fan, I just loved it and remains a personal favorite of mine to this day.
Back in 2017, Little Shoppe of Horrors magazine did a huge special issue on the making of this film, with Sam Irving taking on this dream job, since he’d been a fan as well since the original premiere, writing about it and doing several interviews on it in his horror fanzine Bizarre that he put out in the ’70s. The new piece for LSoH was 120 pages, packed with 400 photos, new interviews with the cast and crew, with an amazing cover art by artist Mark Maddox. This would lead to a Blu-ray release of the film by Shout Factory with an incredible commentary as well as interviews with some of the cast.
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For fans of the horror movie genre, as well as science fiction, fantasy, action, crime, dramas, and every single other genre out there, makeup effects have been around since the beginning of the art form. Turning actors into someone different, whether it be into someone older, a different gender, or something that doesn’t exist in our reality, it was the job of the makeup artist to make that transformation happen. In the beginning, sometimes it was the actor themselves that did it, especially ones like Lon Chaney who constantly turned himself into different characters. Eventually, the craft was taken on by individuals that not only carried on the art form, but created techniques and the makeup products themselves, advancing the artform even more. They allowed writers and directors to show filmgoers something they’ve never seen before onscreen. And a century later, these talented people are still doing it. Now, thanks to authors Howard Berger and Marshall Julius, you’ll be able to learn even more about them!
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Directed by Scott Cooper
Starring Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, Jeremy T. Thomas, Graham Greene, Scott Haze, Rory Cochrane, Amy Madigan, Sawyer Jones
Keri Russell plays a schoolteacher who has recently moved back to her small hometown in Oregon to live with her brother. We’re not given a lot of details, but we know that she left home at an early age because some issues with her father and the abuse she had taken, which she is still dealing with. One day in school, she notices a young boy in her class, Lucas, that seems to be very withdrawn, and because of her past, she recognizes the signs of some sort of abuse. But when she tries to help him, he refuses any and wants to just be left alone.
Continue readingOn October 26th, this new documentary on one of the greatest icons of the horror genre will be available on Digital and On Demand from Shout! Studios. You’ll get to hear from names like Guillermo del Toro, John Landis, Joe Dante, Christopher Plummer, Ron Perlman, Peter Bogdanovich, Roger Corman, Christopher Frayling, and many, many more, all in honor of this great man. Check out the trailer below and mark your calendar for the 26th!
Being horror movie fans, unless you’re on the inside of the business, I don’t think we really know of the real horror that lies inside working in the Hollywood system. We see what is finally released, but what about all the ones that never made it to the greenlight and are now lost in oblivion? Well now we’ll have a chance to learn about a few of those, from the filmmakers that were there involved.
Coming this November, Dave Alexander, the former editor-in-chief of Rue Morgue magazine, gives us Untold Horror, a collection of interviews from directors, screenwriters, and producers like Guillermo del Toro, George Romero, Takashi Miike, and many more, that tell the tales of developmental hell they’ve been involved with in their careers. From the unmade Re-Animator sequels, to all the different remakes and sequels that never made it to the screen, such as the Halloween franchise. The book will feature art, scripts, and other production notes from films that never made it to the final product.
Coming from Dark Horse Books in November, with a price tag of $39.99, this looks like a must for any fan of horror films that love to see behind the curtains of Hollywood. I’m sure there are going to be more than a few stories of films that us fans would have loved to see happen but didn’t. Stay tuned for more details when they become available.
Last night, for the first time in the Academy Awards 90-year history*, a creature feature won Best Picture. Now we know that all the normal critics keep trying to rename and redefine what it is, but us monster kids know that it is a monster movie. Sure, it’s not the first horror movie to win, which would be Silence of the Lambs, but that movie featured human monsters. Yes, there is a monster in The Shape of Water, but he’s the one wearing the tailored suit, not the fish suit. Never in a million years would I ever think that a film like this could even have a chance to win Best Picture. And the creator of this “fairy tale for trouble times”, Guillermo del Toro, also took home the Oscar for Best Director. I am speechless.
Well…almost.
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