Movies
‘Johnny Gruesome’ Trailer Doesn’t Rock
Red Hill Movies LLC released the first trailer for Johnny Gruesome, the upcoming horror thriller based on the award-winning novel by Gregory Lamberson (Slime City, Killer Rack), who directed the film adaptation in Western New York last July.
Johnny Gruesome is the story of a murdered high school student, Johnny Grissom, who returns from the grave for revenge in classic E.C. Comics’ fashion.
Anthony De La Torre (Lords of Chaos) stars as the title character in makeup created by Craig Lindberg (SNL, Boardwalk Empire). The trailer looks raw and boasts footage that feels unfinished. While the character Johnny Gruesome looks cool, the footage feels like a Troma film and carries some questionable special effects. I cringed a few times…
Byron Brown II (The Romans) co-stars as Johnny’s guilt-wracked best friend, singer-songwriter Aprilann portrays Johnny’s girlfriend, and Michael DeLorenzo (star of TV’s New York Undercover and Resurrection Boulevard) plays his grief-stricken father. The cast also includes Chris Modrzynski, Kim Piazza, Richard Lounello and Madison Amey.
Lamberson co-produced Johnny Gruesome with Tamar Lamberson and John R. Renna, who has a role in the film. De La Torre serves as associate producer, and Erin Elizabeth Heald is the executive producer. Chris Cosgrave and John Vincent (Freaked) created the visual effects, and Armand Petri and Joe Rozler are composing the score. The soundtrack includes songs from the Gruesome rock CD created by Dean Italiano and Giasone Italiano to promote the novel, which was based on the original screenplay Lamberson wrote in 1984.
Movies
‘Werewolf By Night 2’? Michael Giacchino Says It’s Being Talked About But “Everything Takes Forever”
It was Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino who sat in the director’s chair for Marvel’s Disney+ Halloween special Werewolf by Night back in 2022, which was released in both throwback black & white as well as full color. But are we ever getting a sequel?
Giacchino tells Screen Rant in a new chat this week that he remains hopeful.
“We’re talking about it,” Giacchino explains. “Everything takes forever to do. There’s a lot of planning that has to happen. Everything has to fit in a particular place at a particular time.”
He adds, “So, nothing moves as fast as we’d like it to. But I hope one day that you will be sitting there watching another Werewolf by Night. That’s my hope.”
Inspired by horror films of the ’30s and ’40s, Marvel Studios’ Werewolf by Night takes place on a dark and somber night as a secret cabal of monster hunters emerge from the shadows and gather at the foreboding Bloodstone Temple following the death of their leader.
In a strange memorial to the leader’s life, the attendees are thrust into a mysterious and deadly competition for a powerful relic—a hunt that will ultimately bring them face to face with a dangerous monster.
Meagan Navarro wrote in her review for BD, “The MCU kicked the horror into overdrive with Werewolf by Night. The nearly hour-long feature presents as a classic horror movie, dropping viewers into the middle of a secret world of monster hunters. Film composer Michael Giacchino directs the special, penned by Heather Quinn and Peter Cameron. Giacchino focuses on evoking the classic horror vibe to assist in the initial worldbuilding. The events play out in monochrome, save for the vibrant red glow of the Bloodstone. Cigarette burns and film grain get added for that retro look. The rules of the hunt get relayed to the cutthroat candidates by way of reanimated dead, albeit in a much campier and family-friendly way via animatronics.”
“Aside from the aesthetics, Werewolf leans heavily into the mysterious,” Meagan continued. “The black and white cinematography more than sets the retro vibe; it allows the feature to remain accessible to a wider audience even as it lets its monsters and monster hunters spill plenty of blood. Toss in a Jack Pierce-inspired beast with practical application, and you’ve got a modern superhero story with a classic Universal Monsters makeover.”
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