Released to unenthusiastic reviews and lackluster box office receipts, Carpenter’s reimagining of John W. Campbell Jr.’s Who Goes There? has since become one of the most lauded spectacles of the sci-fi genre. With timeless effects by Rob Bottin, a chilling score by the late Ennio Morricone, and an eclectic cast led by Kurt Russell, it’s a film that begs to be revisited, which is partly why moviegoers and horror hounds are still talking about it decades later.

Join Losers Michael Roffman, Dan Pfleegor, Lara Unnerstall, and McKenzie Gerber as they head to Outpost 31 to discuss the storied history behind the production, weigh in on those timeless practical effects, quote the movie nonstop, connect the dots to King’s Dominion, and debate whether this is Carpenter’s greatest film in his catalogue. It should be noted this episode was originally recorded in July 2020 as part of our Crate series in The Barrens (Patreon).

Stream the episode below and return next week when the Losers rank the 10 best Stephen King stories to read during the summer. Right after that, they’ll be back on their chronological read-through with Everything’s Eventual. For further adventures, be sure to join the Club over long days and pleasant nights via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. You can also unlock hundreds of hours of content in The Barrens (Patreon).

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Patreon | Store

The post ‘The Thing’ at 40: John Carpenter’s Sci-Fi Epic Lost the Battle But Won the War [The Losers’ Club Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Despite its influence on one of the ’80s greatest flicks, Without Warning is painfully dull and takes itself way too seriously to be entertaining. It kicks things off in an encouraging manner, with a grizzled father trying to get his hippie son to hunt with him. His son isn’t biting, so in one intense moment of frustration, the father aims his rifle at him. He then falls prey himself to a slimy starfish thing with teeth that zips through the air and latches on to flesh. It’s a gory, ruthless prologue that sets up a promising film, but everything that follows only disappoints.

From there we’re introduced to a group of attractive youngsters (including fresh out the fetus David Caruso in some complimenting short-shorts) who are venturing out for a camping trip. Along the way they stop at a decrepit gas station where Martin Landau (Ed Wood) creeps the hell out of the girls. Following this encounter, the group runs into Jack Palance (Cyborg 2), who warns the kids not to go into the woods because its “hunting season.” He’s not referring to rednecks getting tipsy in their tree stand waiting for Bambi to walk by, of course.

He was referring to the alien who uses his flying booger starfish to hunt humans. One half of the kids are picked off fairly early in the film, so the other two have nothing much to do but run around and have uncomfortable conversations with Palance, Landau, and their backwoods brethren.

Producer/director Greydon Clark plays around with themes of paranoia, but never really explores them to any effect, despite in one dismal act of violence. Once the alien corners them in a house, he turns out to be pretty inept at killing people. Without the aid of his starfish shuriken, he couldn’t catch a cold. While the puss-dripping, toothy starfish and the gore they reap may be enough to draw in the average horror fan, anyone looking for something more entertaining will be hugely disappointed. Without Warning is a whole bunch of running in the woods and awkward dialogue – that’s about it. Landau is fun to watch and Palance squeezes what amount of menace he can from his flat character, but unfortunately these two titans can’t save the film from boring eyeballs to death.

The A/V on Scream Factory’s new Blu-ray/DVD combo pack is okay. The mono track is what it is and the video’s details are sharp, though there are scratches and dirt that pop up in a few scenes. The daytime scenes look impressively sharp, with bright colors popping. Like many other low-budget horror films given a visual upgrade on Blu, the 1080p reveals some strings.

This is the first time Without Warning has been on home video in the U.S., so all of the special features are brand new.

Greydon Clark delivers a dry and insightful commentary. He calls it one of his favorite films and it’s obvious in this audio track that he looks back fondly on it and feels grateful for being able to work with a great cast and crew. He talks about collaborating with Cundey (for the fifth time), how he got involved in the project, and working within his budgetary constraints. Interestingly enough, one major decision he changed from the original script is changing the alien’s original weapon from a bow & arrow to the starfish shuriken.

“Greg and Sandy’s Alien Adventures” is a 20 minute retrospective with actors Christopher S. Nelson and Tarah Nutter.The two actors detail their backgrounds, how they got involved in the film, and what it was like to film fast and furiously in a low budget and a tight shooting schedule. They express how even with limited resources, the tremendous creativity and inventiveness of the cast and crew helped get them leap over obstacles.

Cast and crew interviews include co-writer/co-producer Daniel Grodnick, make-up effects creator Greg Cannom, and Dean Cundey. Grodnick talks about getting into the movie business and relates a pretty funny story about his inspiration for Terror Train. Cannom’s brief interview reveals some effects secrets, including face casts and how a hammock was a crucial part of the alien’s costume. Cundey expresses the fun he had making such a “rough and tumble” film and how so many of his early films allowed him to hone his craft and make mistakes.

Also included is a trailer and a still gallery.

Scream Factory’s special features are really great here, so fans of the film will definitely want this one on their shelves. If you’ve never seen Without Warning, you may wanna rent it first.

The post [Blu-ray Review] Beware the Starfish Shuriken of ‘Without Warning’! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Now Halloween Movies is reporting that original (and awesome) cinematographer is supervising the transfer! Color issues be gone!

Starring Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nancy Kyes, P.J. Soles and Charles Cyphers, “a psychotic murderer institutionalized since childhood escapes on a mindless rampage while his doctor chases him through the streets.”

What other bonus features would you like to see?

The post Original Cinematographer Dean Cundey Supervising Transfer For ‘Halloween’ 35th Anniversary Blu! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.