Halloween. Escape from New York. Assault on Precinct 13. These are the movies that usually come to mind when fans think of John Carpenter as a film score composer (hell, a lot of us practically have the music from those movies committed to memory).

Their themes are iconic and showcase what’s made the legendary director’s musical output so memorable. Through the synthesizer – an instrument he will always be synonymous with – Carpenter creates layers of atmosphere anchored by melodic hooks that refuse to leave your brain. As a result, he joins the ranks of film composers whose instantly recognizable style has helped them achieve rock star status (at least to us movie nerds).

As is the case with any popular musician with a lengthy catalog, it’s easy to get caught up listening to just the hits. There’s a reason why certain Carpenter scores, like the films they’re paired with, have become seminal records for so many fans. But there are many other fantastic pieces of music to be found throughout his career.

So, here are five John Carpenter scores that deserve more love. Some are underappreciated while others appear to be slept-on entirely. All, as the kids say, are bangers. Give them a spin, if you haven’t already, and see if you agree.

Village of the Damned (1995)

If you’re only familiar with John Carpenter’s 80s output, then his remake of the sci-fi horror classic Village of the Damned will be a fascinating listen for several reasons. For starters, those curious to hear what his synthesizer would sound like accompanied by a small orchestra will find their opportunity here. Also adding to the unique flavor of the score is the fact that Carpenter had a different musical collaborator for this picture. While much of the previous decade was spent working with Alan Howarth, this project saw him teaming up with Kinks lead guitarist Dave Davies, most notably on the track “March of the Children.” The end product is a score that sounds unlike anything heard in a Carpenter film to that date.

Prince of Darkness (1987)

The second film in John Carpenter’s “Apocalypse Trilogy” is a steady and deliberate affair. The tension ratchets up incrementally, similar to how the laws of nature slowly begin to defy themselves as the movie’s title baddie gestates in his glass womb. The score to Prince of Darkness illustrates that mounting dread beautifully, providing a smorgasbord of highlights. The pulsing “Opening Titles” plays like a staccato heartbeat, informing us of the impending awakening of the sleeper, while “Darkness Begins” sounds like the perversion of a sacred hymn, complete with a demonic organ and choir. But it’s “The Devil Awakens” that really brings the heat, beginning with a hint of quiet menace before exploding into chaos. It’s Carpenter’s most complete sounding score from start to finish, and it’s no surprise that it’s one of his favorites.

Body Bags (1993)

Listen: I defy you to tell me “The Coroner’s Theme” isn’t a goddamn bop. If that single opening track was the only decent piece of music found in Body Bags, I’d still say the score was underrated; that’s how much it slaps. Thankfully, while it definitely is a high point, there are plenty of other great moments in this collaboration between Carpenter and Jim Lang (who would go on to work with John on In the Mouth of Madness the following year). There’s the jazzy Twin Peaks-esque “Long Beautiful Hair,” the chillingly disturbing finale that is “…Pluck it Out,” and “The Picture on the Wall,” which sounds like a distant cousin to Halloween’s “Main Title Theme.” It might not be the moodiest entry in Carpenter’s discography, but it’s hell of a lot of fun.

Christine (1983)

This may seem like a weird choice for a list of underrated works, but hear me out. Yes, it’s been agreed upon in recent years that “Moochie’s Death” is an absolute heater of a tune. It’s uncanny the way Carpenter is able to give voice to Christine’s single-minded rage and bloodlust, and it’s often the theme that comes to mind for folks when they think of the film. But what always gets me in the feels when watching the movie are the score’s quieter moments. There’s so much going on in “Arnie’s Love Theme,” for instance. On the surface, there’s the sound of the character’s obsession building, but beneath that, we hear the aspects of Arnie’s personality that make him a perfect target for an entity like Christine: his loneliness, insecurity, and self-loathing. To me, this is one of Carpenter’s most emotionally rich musical outings, and it deserves a place amongst his best works.

Vampires (1998)

If you’re a fan of the blues or Memphis soul, you’re probably going to perk up when you look through the list of musicians John Carpenter enlisted for Vampires, his criminally underrated horror western. Steve Cropper and Donald “Duck” Don, one-half of the iconic Stax Records instrumental group Booker T & the M.G.’s, lend their immense talents to the score, along with Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan guitarist Jeff Baxter. Big names aside, what makes this movie so interesting sonically is the fact that it gives us both sides of the Carpenter musical experience. We get the synth maestro with his brooding and atmospheric melodies (“Sunrise Death,” “Valek’s Portrait”) and the rock & roll-loving bandleader (“Slayers,” “Motel Sex”). It all makes for one of the most versatile and infinitely listenable scores to be found in Carpenter’s catalog.

Follow along all week long as we salute John Carpenter.

The post Deeper Cuts: 5 Underrated John Carpenter Scores appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

It takes nearly an hour for the scariest scene in John Carpenter‘s filmography to emerge from its home film, Prince of Darkness, and when it finally does arrive, it feels at first like it doesn’t fit at all.

Prince of Darkness, the middle entry in what Carpenter has loosely termed his “Apocalypse Trilogy,” emerges from a satisfyingly pulpy, old-school weird fiction premise. In the very simplest terms, it’s a movie about Satan in a jar buried beneath a random church in Los Angeles, a fun idea that allows Carpenter to play with religious horror, possession, and even science fiction. By the time the scariest scene emerges, it already feels like a complete story barreling toward a confrontation with unimaginable evil.

Then this happens:

If it’s your first time with Prince of Darkness, you’d be forgiven for thinking that you missed something, or something went wrong with your player. It feels like you’ve clipped out of one film and into something else, something that feels more like a vestigial piece of VHS tape than a scene in a movie. It arrives completely with fanfare, without windup, and disappears just as quickly as Walter (Dennis Dun) wakes up with a jolt on his cot. It’s so quick, and so strange, that you almost don’t notice that it’s footage of the very church where Carpenter’s band of scientists is holed up, searching for answers to contain evil incarnate.

Then it happens again. And again. Finally, the Priest (Donald Pleasence) presiding over the whole operation explains that the monks who called this church home, the Brotherhood of Sleep, have shared this dream for years. Anyone who falls asleep inside the church and its adjoining monastery experiences it, but no one knows exactly what it means.

So, what makes this so frightening? We begin with the simple truth of all nightmares: You are not in control. The team deduces that, as the voice in the message suggests, it’s not a dream but a transmission from the future using tachyons, upping the sci-fi factor in the film, but that doesn’t change the mechanics. Just as Wes Craven invented a demon who traffics in the murder of sleeping youths, Carpenter has invented an apocalyptic prophecy that beams into your head whether you like it or not. We all must sleep, and these people must stay in this monastery, and so they must confront the message, over and over again, no matter how confounding and eerie it feels.

No matter how many times you see it, the scene is irrepressibly, confoundingly eerie in a way that nothing else in Carpenter’s entire body of work can mimic. Carpenter’s beloved anamorphic widescreen lens is gone, replaced by grainy images that look more like something from a camcorder. The images are recognizably the same church, with the same iron fence, the same sign, the same statuary. But it’s not a carefully composed image, or at least it doesn’t appear to be.

Carpenter’s camera slinks low as the voice attempts to transmit a message, a voice that croaks with static like the robotic updates that come through an old weather radio. It feels, as the camera shakily creeps along the fence, that we’re meant to be hiding from something. It mimics that particular nightmare scenario in which we know that we’re meant to be afraid of something, but we can’t quite see it. We long to see it, long to understand it, and thus loosen fear’s grip, but it’s just out of reach. Which brings us to the finale of the sequence, each time it appears: A figure draped in a ragged cloth, silhouetted in pale light, ready to emerge from the church doorway. It’s an image you will never, ever forget, particularly as its meaning drills down into you throughout the rest of the film.

Prince of Darkness largely unfolds within the confines of the church, but every peek at the wider world suggests a change initiated by the strange container in the monastery basement, the ancient prison filled with Satan’s energy. The Priest talks about the sun changing, the air growing colder, and outside in the alleys and the parking lots, a host of drones in service to this dark energy have gathered. Unhoused people, stray passers-by, even reanimated corpses packed with insects lurk, waiting as the container leaks, spreads its malefic force. The context for the jarring dream/message grows clearer: Whatever is emerging from that church is the end of all hope for humanity, unless these scientists can stop it.

Knowing this, understanding that every time you close your eyes, this vision of emerging evil will haunt you, is frightening enough, but as the film nears its conclusion, Carpenter adds an element of more emotional, less existential investment. Throughout the film, fellow scientists Brian (Jameson Parker) and Catherine (Lisa Blount) have fallen for each other, sleeping together before their scientific mission begins, and then putting off what’s clearly a real emotional connection until the stakes are so impossibly high they simply have to admit how they feel, so they don’t have to die with it unsaid. The team doesn’t successfully contain the evil in the cylinder, but when Catherine sacrifices herself to push it and the “Anti-God” it seeks to summon into the dark dimension from whence they came, Brian is left deeply scarred by the experience. The world might be saved, but his future will forever be one different from what he’d hoped.

The film seems to head toward its ending without ever addressing the mysterious dream messages again. We never learn exactly who sent them, or exactly how, or what’s happening to lead to this moment when the evil force emerges from the church. All we know is what it implies, so when Brian dreams, from his own bed back at home, of Catherine emerging from that pale doorway in some future transmission, he wakes in a cold sweat. The implication is clear, and it’s one of the darkest in Carpenter’s filmography: Evil does not disappear. It cannot be banished, cannot be truly wiped away. It can only change forms, bide its time, tempt us with visions of what we truly want. The dreamy visions of evil triumphant have broken containment. They no longer belong solely to the Brotherhood of Sleep. For all we know, they could be everywhere.

It’s not as flashy as The Thing or as iconic as Halloween, but Prince of Darkness‘s daring dream transmissions are as indelible and potent as anything else in his filmography. They emerge as something seemingly incongruous, and though they quickly become part of the larger narrative, they still stand out as works of art unto themselves. These dark, grainy prophetic snippets of footage are the closest Carpenter ever got to the inexplicable yet inescapable logic of true nightmares, and they deserve to be remembered that way.

Follow along all week long as we salute John Carpenter.

The post This is Not a Dream: Looking Back at John Carpenter’s Scariest Scene appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

RoboCop 2 will be released on July 15.

The 1990 sci-fi action sequel is directed by Irvin Kershner (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back) and written by comic book legend Frank Miller (The Dark Knight Returns) and Walon Green (Eraser).

Peter Weller returns to star with Nancy Allen, Dan O’Herlihy, Tom Noonan, Belinda Bauer, and Gabriel Damon.

Disc 1 – 4K UHD:

• 4K Scan From The Original Camera Negative
• In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
• Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround & 2.0 Stereo
• Audio Commentary With Author/CG Supervisor Paul M. Sammon
• Audio Commentary With The Makers Of “RoboDoc: The Creation Of RoboCop” Documentary – Gary Smart, Chris Griffiths And Eastwood Allen

Disc 2 – Blu-ray:

• 4K Scan From The Original Camera Negative
• Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround & 2.0 Stereo
• Audio Commentary With Author/CG Supervisor Paul M. Sammon
• Audio Commentary With The Makers Of “RoboDoc: The Creation Of RoboCop” Documentary – Gary Smart, Chris Griffiths And Eastwood Allen
• Corporate Wars: The Making Of ROBOCOP 2 – Featuring New And Vintage Interviews With Director Irvin Kershner, Producer Jon Davidson, Cast Members Tom Noonan, Nancy Allen, Galyn Görg, Executive Producer Patrick Crowley, And More!
• Machine Parts: The FX Of ROBOCOP 2 – Featuring Phil Tippett, Peter Kuran, Craig Hayes, Jim Aupperle, Kirk Thatcher, Paul Gentry, Don Waller, Justin Kohn, Randal Dutra And Kevin Kutchaver
• Robo-Fabricator – An Interview With RoboCop Armor Fabricator James Belohovek
• Adapting Frank Miller’s ROBOCOP 2 – An Interview With Comic Book Writer Steven Grant
• OCP Declassified – A Collection Of Rare Archival Production And Behind-The-Scenes Videos Including Interviews With Director Irvin Kershner, Actors Peter Weller, Dan O’Herlihy And A Look At The Filming Of Some Deleted Scenes
• Trailers & TV Spots
• Image Galleries

When Detroit’s descent into chaos is further compounded by a police department strike and a new designer drug called “Nuke,” only RoboCop can stop the mayhem. But in his way are a sinister corporation and a bigger and tougher cyborg with a deadly directive: take RoboCop off the streets… permanently.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter will be released on July 22.

Based on a chapter from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the 2023 vampire film is directed by André Øvredal (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark) and written by Bragi F. Schut (Escape Room) and Zak Olkewicz (Bullet Train).

Corey Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham, David Dastmalchian, and Javier Botet star.

Disc 1 – 4K UHD:

• 4K Presentation From The Original Elements
• Presented In Dolby Vision And Dolby Atmos
• Audio: Dolby Atmos, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 & 2.0
• NEW Audio Commentary With Film Critic Meagan Navarro
• NEW Audio Commentary With Actor David Dastmalchian
• Audio Commentary With Director Andre Ovredal And Producer Bradley J. Fischer

Disc 2 – Blu-ray:

• 4K Presentation From The Original Elements
• Audio: Dolby Atmos, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 & 2.0
• Audio Commentary With Director Andre Ovredal And Producer Bradley J. Fischer
• Audio Commentary With Film Critic Meagan Navarro
• Audio Commentary With Actor David Dastmalchian
• Interview With Folklorist & Author Dr. Karen Stollznow
• Deleted Scenes
• Alternate Opening
• From The Pits Of Hell: Dracula Reimagined
• Evil Is Aboard: The Making Of The Last Voyage Of The Demeter
• Dracula And The Digital Age – Featurette

As a merchant ship ferrying 50 mysterious wooden crates from Carpathia to London sets sail, the crew soon discover they are not alone on board. At night they are stalked by a hidden passenger whose monstrous thirst for blood turns the trip into a harrowing nightmare of tension, terror and unfathomable evil.

Prince of Darkness will be released on August 12.

The 1987 supernatural horror film is written and directed by master of horror John Carpenter.

Donald Pleasence, Lisa Blount, Victor Wong, Jameson Parker, Dennis Dun, and Alice Cooper star.

Disc 1 – 4K UHD:

• Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR Compatible)
• Dolby Atmos Audio
• DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
• Audio Commentary With Writer/Director John Carpenter And Actor Peter Jason
• Theatrical Trailer

Disc 2 – Blu-ray:

• Dolby Atmos Audio
• Remastered From A 4K Transfer
• DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
• Audio Commentary With Writer/Director John Carpenter And Actor Peter Jason
• Sympathy For The Devil – Interview With Writer/Director John Carpenter
• Alice At The Apocalypse – Interview With Actor Alice Cooper
• The Messenger – Interview With Actor & Special Visual Effects Supervisor Robert Grasmere
• Hell On Earth – A Look At The Film’s Score With Co-Composer Alan Howarth
• Horror’s Hallowed Grounds With Host Sean Clark
• Alternate Opening From The TV Version
• Theatrical Trailer
• Radio Spots

A group of graduate students and scientists uncover an ancient canister in an abandoned church, but when they open it, they inadvertently unleash a strange liquid and an evil force on all of humanity. As the liquid turns their co-workers into zombies, the remaining members realize they have released the most unspeakable horror of them all. Terror mounts as the team must fight to save the world from a devilish fury that has been contained for over seven million years.

Ghosts of Mars will be released on August 12.

The 2001 science fiction/horror/action mash-up is is written and directed by master of horror John Carpenter.

Ice Cube, Natasha Henstridge, Jason Statham, Pam Grier, Clea DuVall, and Joanna Cassidy star.

Disc 1 – 4K UHD:

• 4K Transfer From The Original Film Negative
• Presented In Dolby Vision
• Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround And English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo
• Audio Commentary With Director John Carpenter And Actor Natasha Henstridge

Disc 2 – Blu-ray:

• 4K Transfer From The Original Film Negative
• Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround And English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo
• Audio Commentary With Director John Carpenter And Actor Natasha Henstridge
• “Assault On Outpost 13: Scoring Ghosts Of Mars” – An Interview With Film Music Historian Daniel Schweiger
• “Red Desert Nights” – Making Ghosts Of Mars
• Scoring Ghosts Of Mars
• Ghosts of Mars Special Effects Deconstruction
• Original Theatrical Trailer

In the distant future, Melanie Ballard is a headstrong police lieutenant protecting and serving the denizens of the angry red planet. But when she and her squad are tasked with apprehending the dangerous James “Desolation” Williams, she soon discovers an even bigger threat. The region’s mining operation has unleashed a deadly army of Martian spirits with the power to take over human bodies — and they won’t rest until they wipe out all invaders of their planet!

The post ‘Prince of Darkness,’ ‘Ghosts of Mars,’ ‘Last Voyage of the Demeter,’ ‘RoboCop 2’ SteelBook 4Ks Coming from Scream Factory appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

To celebrate, the Halloweenies are unlocking their past episode from January 2022 on the maestro’s 1987 relic, Prince of Darkness. Join Michael Roffman, Dan Caffrey, McKenzie Gerber, and Rachel Reeves in the basement of a Los Angeles monastery as they decipher their feelings on the curious case study of the crossroads between science and faith.

Together, they debate whether or not this intriguing intersection overpowers the narrative and characters, chart where this fits in Carpenter’s overall oeuvre, and meditate on a few what-ifs in the casting department. They also marvel at the pulsing score, discuss its parallels to Inferno, and try to make sense of the mythos at the center.

So, go to the mirror and listen below. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. New to the Halloweenies? Catch up with the gang by revisiting their essential episodes on past franchises such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Scream, The Evil Dead, and Chucky. This year? Alien.

You can also become a member of their Patreon, The Rewind, for hilariously irreverent commentaries (e.g. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Gremlins), one-off deep dives on your favorite rentals (e.g. Saw, The Changeling), and even topical spinoffs like this past summer’s greatest adventure Fortune & Glory: An Indiana Jones Podcast.

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Patreon | Store

The post John Carpenter’s ‘Prince of Darkness’ Is Flawed But Undeniably Original [Halloweenies Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Once again, it’s no secret that John Carpenter is a fan of video games. And one of his most beloved films in The Thing made for a pretty good romp in video game form. But Carpenter thinks that one of his other films would make for a good video game adaptation in Big Trouble in Little China.

In a chat with ComicBook.com talking about what other films he’s done that would make for a good video game, Carpenter mentions another of his collaborations with Kurt Russell in 1986’s Big Trouble in Little China as being ripe for an adaptation. “I don’t know. I think, maybe… Big Trouble in Little China, it seems to me would be a fun video game and kick ass. There’s also, by the way, a Thing card game. I mean, there’s a lot of these games. There’s actually a They Live [board] game. I don’t know that there would ever be a Prince of Darkness game. I don’t see that.”

Despite Carpenter’s doubts about a Prince of Darkness adaptation, the film’s cosmic horror overtones would no doubt fit in nicely with other Lovecraftian video games. As for Big Trouble in Little China? That too could work, with the idea of Jack Burton being something of a parody of macho main characters that could lean into a sort of Serious Sam vibe.

At the moment on the video game front, Carpenter is involved with Focus Home Entertainment and Saber Interactive’s Toxic Commando, which was announced earlier this summer, and is aiming for release on PC and consoles next year.

The post John Carpenter Thinks ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ Would Make for a Good Video Game appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

This Gift Guide is for the music lover. More specifically, it’s for the horror fan that collects vinyl soundtracks, from recent releases to recently unearthed rarities and beyond.

Here’s what you need this year…

The Black Phone OST

“The score for the film was created by composer Mark Korven, the mastermind behind The Witch, The Lighthouse, and Into the Tall Grass. Korven is a Toronto-based award winning composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his innovation and experimental approach to film scoring. In 2016, Korven conceived the notorious horror musical instrument, The Apprehension Engine.”

In other words, a unique horror film score worth grabbing on vinyl.

Firestarter (2022) OST

“The horror master John Carpenter is back with his Halloween franchise collaborators Daniel Davies and Cody Carpenter for their infectious new soundtrack to the 2022 adaptation of Stephen King’s Firestarter. This marks the first official soundtrack that the team has composed together outside of the Halloween franchise and their inspiration and evolution as a creative team is on full display.“

A Carpenter score makes for an easy gift option for the horror fan. Sacred Bones makes this OST even more accessible with multiple vinyl variants as well as CD and cassette options.

Nope OST

“NOPE marks Michael Abels’ third feature film score with director Jordan Peele, having previously scored Peele’s GET OUT and US. The album also features songs from the film, including a new version of Corey Hart’s classic ‘Sunglasses at Night (Jean Jacket Mix),’ Dionne Warwick’s ‘Walk on By,’ The Lost Generation’s ‘This is the Lost Generation,’ Exuma’s ‘Exuma, the Obeah Man,’ and a never-before-released gem by a young Jodie Foster, ‘La Vie C’est Chouette’ from the 1977 film MOI, FLEUR BLEUE.”

Waxwork Records’ release, in partnership with Back Lot Music, is currently set to pre-order and expected to ship this month.

The People Under the Stairs OST

“The first-ever vinyl release of Don Peake’s atmospheric and spooky score for Wes Craven’s 1991 enduring classic.”

Terror Vision’s limited variant is a stunner currently on sale, but you can also grab a different variant of this OST LP at Mondo.

Phenomena OST 2XLP

“Death Waltz Recording Company & Mondo are proud to present the complete original score to Dario Argento’s 1985 formidable fright film, Phenomena (a.k.a. Creepers). This Suspiria-esque offering features music by Claudio Simonetti, Goblin, Simon Boswell, and Andi Sex Gang, and includes all the original cues and two never-before-released bonus tracks!”

Because all horror vinyl collections should feature a Goblin score, right? Bonus: This gorgeous release includes three previously unreleased tracks.

Prince of Darkness OST

“Carpenter and Howarth’s score has the feel of a dream and a nightmare, one which is immediately displayed in the main title theme, where ethereal voices are combined with a typically catchy bassline to create a sense of disquieting mystery. Wild and dissonant synthesizer effects are juxtaposed with more traditional melody which suggests the meeting of our world and that of the Anti-God. The best way to stop the end of the world happening again is to listen to PRINCE OF DARKNESS.”

John Carpenter and Alan Howarth’s score is enough of a sell on its own, but they also provide the liner notes. Mondo’s limited variant option promises a one of a kind gift: “Eco-vinyl production uses leftover pellets from previous jobs, meaning each record is different, with the colors being completely random. It’s more environmentally friendly as it uses material that would have otherwise been thrown away. Therefore, every single copy is unique.”

Possessor OST 2XLP

“Jim Williams delivers an incredible and singular piece of work scoring Brandon Cronenberg’s POSSESSOR. The soundtrack is a sonic journey through a fractured mind, much like the film melds the organic and the artificial to stunning effect. Dreamy and ominous synths weave otherworldly textures as violas, violins, and discordant choral vocals converge to create something quite spectacular and terrifying.”

The perfect mood setter for Brandon Cronenberg’s upcoming Infinity Pool.

Rob Zombie’s Firefly Trilogy Set

Waxwork Records’ 6xLP Box Set houses the Original Motion Picture Soundtracks for all three films in Rob Zombie’s Firefly trilogy: House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects, and 3 From Hell. As if that’s not enough, the deluxe set comes with extensive liner notes by Zombie, art prints, and a Dr. Satan Turntable Slipmat.

Scream Box Set OST 4XLP

“The first-ever box set for the Scream franchise’s original score features 3 hours of music (over 80% new to vinyl) with each of the four films getting a dedicated LP. Each record is pressed on translucent red vinyl with black smoke, placed into heavy full-color sleeves and then housed within a die-cut wraparound package that expands to a huge 3′ x 2′ image of the mask of Ghostface on the front and new notes with classic film stills on the reverse.”

A must for Scream fans indeed!

Waxwork OST

“First ever release of this cult classic. Music pulled from original tapes and LP artwork/layout by Earl Kess. Gatefold packaging w/ rad die-cut and liner notes by composer Roger Bellon.”

Terror Vision offers two vinyl variants for this rare horror offering.

Bonus: A Waxwork Records 2023 Subscription

For the horror fan that’s either an avid collector or hard to shop for; this coveted subscription service is back! While the lineup for the 2023 subscription has yet to be revealed, first up is George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead Original Theatrical Library Soundtrack 3xLP!

Look for this limited option to go on sale at 9AM CST on Tuesday 12/13. It’s a popular item, so mark your calendars.

The post Holiday Gift Guide: 10 Vinyl Soundtracks for the Horror Fan appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

These words typed across the computer screen by a possessed grad student cut right to the heart of what makes John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness an outlier in possession horror still to this day. Satan launches a siege to summon his father, the Anti-God, within a crumbling church after his corporeal embodiment gets loose from its prison in the dank basement. The ultimate, apocalyptic battle between Good and Evil gets upended with cosmic dread thanks to Carpenter’s injection of quantum mechanics, rendering science and religion allies against an insurmountable foe.

Penned by Carpenter under the pseudonym Martin Quatermass (an homage to Quatermass and the Pit creator Nigel Kneale), Prince of Darkness begins with the passing of an elderly priest. On his person is a small box containing a key, which leads another Priest (Donald Pleasence) to investigate. He discovers it unlocks the basement of an older church, St. Godard’s. In it is a large ancient canister full of swirling green liquid, a tangible force of evil. The discovery prompts him to enlist quantum physicist Professor Howard Birack (Victor Wong) and his students to join his search for answers.

Eerie clues that nature’s been disrupted appear throughout the setup that introduces the ill-fated group and their preparations to investigate the mysterious canister beneath St. Godard. The more overt deliver nightmares that play like strange, otherworldly tachyon transmissions. The central characters don’t notice the subtle signs, from disturbed insects to astronomical events. The surrounding homeless population seems affected, possessed to tighten ranks around the church as sentinels. All of it signals a seismic shift in the universe.

Within the church, the thirteen academics discover the green liquid is sentient, broadcasting complex data that they analyze. The collected data reveals that God and Satan were extra-terrestrials, and Anti-God exists in the realm of anti-matter. Through quantum mechanics, John Carpenter presents a cosmic scale for this apocalyptic evil; how do you fight back against a powerful force on a subatomic level?

As the group uncovers answers, the liquid escapes its canister and begins to infect the academics, possessing them to aid in the quest to summon the Anti-God. It becomes an eerie siege horror movie for the remaining characters.

Carpenter sidelines religion to an extent, an anomaly for a subgenre so defined by it. Donald Pleasence’s Priest spends much of the film hiding in fear. His first instinct isn’t to reach out to the Vatican for aid but to Professor Birack. In true cosmic horror fashion, it quickly becomes apparent that neither science nor religion are prepared to confront the onslaught.

Humanity is but a blip in the grand universe and its fathomless reach.

Prince of Darkness is the second film in Carpenter’s unofficial Apocalypse Trilogy, sandwiched between The Thing and In the Mouth of Madness. As with many of Carpenter’s films in the ’80s, Prince of Darkness was maligned by critics upon release on October 23, 1987, and wasn’t a tremendous box office performer. It remains a shame, too. The effects work impresses, especially in the climactic scene that sees the Anti-God make its entrance into our world through the mirror. John Carpenter and Alan Howarth‘s score instills apprehension. The characters make an impact, and the siege aspect of this single-location horror movie is compelling. But what stands out the most is how Carpenter created a world where logic is reversed, and reality loses all meaning. It’s not academia and spirituality that saves the world, at least this time, but instinct and perhaps even love. There’s hefty weight and cosmic dread behind the deceptive simplicity.

It’s a ballsy move to liquefy Satan and use scientists as the last line of defense in an apocalyptic battle. It’s even bolder to posit that God is an extra-terrestrial in a subgenre of horror dominated by religion. Prince of Darkness‘s theoretical questions and unconventional approach may not have made it a massive hit upon release 35 years ago. Still, it continues to reward with subsequent watches, and that foreboding atmosphere lingers long after the credits.

The post This Is Not a Dream: John Carpenter’s ‘Prince of Darkness’ at 35 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

This week’s streaming picks belong to sci-fi horror movies that run the gamut in style and tone. Some offer fun riffs on the creature feature, and some send you on a darker journey.

Here’s where you can stream them this week.

For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.

Dreamscape – Freevee, Plex, Roku, Shout TV, Tubi

Co-written by A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warrior’s Chuck Russell and directed by The Stepfather’s Joseph Ruben, this sci-fi adventure tale embraces horror in a big way. Alex Gardner (Dennis Quaid) is a psychic for hire enlisted for government research to enter others’ dreams. Alex gets entangled in government conspiracy when his dream walking uncovers an assassination plot. Dreamscape frequently leans into horror thanks to recurring nightmares, from apocalyptic dystopias to a nightmarish snake-man.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space – HBO Max

In terms of feel-good horror, it’s hard to beat the insanely fun and loveable Killer Klowns from Outer Space. The Chiodo brothers’ production follows a town under siege by clown-like aliens from space. These Killer Klowns set about transforming the locals into cotton candy cocoons so they can slurp them down through straws. Any conceivable clown tactic gets transformed into a horrific weapon or bait to lure in human prey. Throw in an earworm score, and you’ve got a fun popcorn crowd-pleaser.

Predator – Hulu

With Prey heading to Hulu in under two months, now’s the perfect time to revisit this action sci-fi horror mashup. Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Dutch, a special ops leader sent into the jungle on a rescue mission with his elite team. Shortly after realizing there’s more than meets the eye about their assignment, the highly trained team discovers they’re being hunted by something far more dangerous and not of this Earth. Iconic one liners, gory deaths, a great cast, and one unforgettable creature design make this one an endlessly entertaining classic. It also happens to be celebrating it’s 35th anniversary this year.

Prince of Darkness – Starz

In John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness, science and religion collide. It’s the second film in Carpenter’s Apocalypse Trilogy, sandwiched between The Thing and In the Mouth of Madness. This time, it’s Satan and his father, the Anti-God, that threaten to destroy all of humanity. When most horror movies involving the devil take the possession approach, Carpenter uses it as a launching point for a demonic siege with the end goal of summoning the Anti-God to usher in the apocalypse. And Satan is swirling green liquid.

The Host – Plex, Pluto TV, Tubi

Bong Joon Ho (Snowpiercer, Parasite) is a master of blending genres and tone, and his epic creature feature offers a perfect example. Deftly wrapping up the family drama, dysfunctional humor, and political satire in one thrilling creature feature bow, the plot sees a monster from Seoul’s Han River wreak havoc. When a young girl is snatched up by the beast, the girl’s family bands together to get her back by any means necessary. This big-budget spectacle will make you laugh one minute and cry the next.

The post Five Sci-Fi Horror Movies to Stream This Week appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The two outcasts have been tied together for decades – especially thanks to the Satanic Panic era – for their showmanship, energy, and revelry in darker themes and imagery. Both offer a sense of escapism, too. So, it makes sense that the genres would bleed together to create a subgenre of heavy metal horror. But it’s not the only place where you can spot famous rock musicians in the genre space. These ten rockers temporarily left the stage to step into the horror spotlight.

Read on as we revisit Strangeland, Prince of Darkness and more…

Iggy Pop – The Crow: City of Angels

Iggy Pop, designated the “Godfather of Pop” thanks to proto-punk band The Stooges, long embraced work in television and film. In horror, the musician appeared in Tales from the Crypt episode “For Cryin’ Out Loud,” lent his voice to Hardware, plays a music producer in the rock horror movie Suck, and showcased his comedic chops in The Dead Don’t Die. But one of his most prominent genre roles was the villainous Curve in The Crow: City of Angels. Curve was the right-hand man to the film’s big bad and responsible for committing the heinous inciting act that revived a new Crow.

Flea – Stranded 

A founding member and the bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers pursued minor work in movies since the ’80s. In horror, that began with a small voice role in the 1983 anthology Nightmares. Horror fans will likely recognize him most as Bob Summerfield, a clerk employed at Sam Loomis Hardware in Gus Van Sant’s Psycho remake. But Flea also starred as the bumbling Jester the Alien in the obscure ’80s sci-fi movie Stranded, which saw his alien clan kidnap a woman and her grandma while on the run from bounty hunters.

Sting – The Bride

The former Police frontman might’ve stolen scenes as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in David Lynch’s Dune, but his turn as the arrogant Baron Charles Frankenstein is his most robust role in the genre. The Bride is, of course, another adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, though it wasn’t well-received upon release. The rock star plays the villainous role well, but he might be upstaged a bit by Clancy Brown as the empathetic Viktor, the Monster.

Guitar Wolf – Wild Zero

Japanese garage punk rock band Guitar Wolf play themselves here. The horror-comedy is based on a simple setup: aliens are responsible for unleashing the zombie apocalypse, and only Japanese rock band Guitar Wolf can save the day. It plays out like one feature-length music video that puts Guitar Wolf’s distortion-infused, punk-influenced attitude and sound at the forefront while they slaughter zombies along the way. It’s an absolute blast.

Tom Waits – Bram Stoker’s Dracula 

Tom Waits dabbles in various music genres, from jazz to rock, lending his style and trademark gravelly voice to all. It translates well to film, too. Waits first appeared in Wolfen as the uncredited drunken bar owner. More recently, he’s played Hermit Bob in The Dead Don’t Die and the Engineer in The Book of Eli. But his most recognizable horror role is Renfield, Dracula’s discarded and raving mad former assistant in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Dee Snider – Strangeland

The rock musician and Twisted Sister singer didn’t just star in Strangeland as Captain Howdy, the creepy sadist who lures teens through the internet; he wrote and produced it. The concept for Strangeland stems from Twisted Sister’s Stay Hungry album. The movie developed a cult following over the years. So much so that Strangeland sequel talks still pop up now and again.

Alice Cooper – Prince of Darkness

Alice Cooper’s stage presence and music are intrinsically tied to horror, so it makes sense that he’d appear in horror movies more than just about any other rocker. The musician starred as a rocker turned werewolf in 1986’s schlocky Metal Dog, famously played Freddy Krueger’s abusive dad in Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, and was a disturbed patient in The Attic Expeditions and a vampiric bartender in Suck. But one of his best roles belongs to John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness, in which he terrorized the protagonists as a creepy “Street Schizo.”

Henry Rollins – He Never Died 

The former frontman to the hardcore punk band Black Flag has established an extensive film career in addition to music and activism. In horror, that’s meant appearances in Lost Highway, Feast, Wrong Turn 2: Dead End, and Suck. But it’s his starring role in He Never Died that stands out. Rollins plays Jack, an immortal loner that constantly works to repress his cannibalistic urges. Jack’s lived so long that it makes him aloof and bored of it all, and Rollins plays that up to a great, dry comedic effect.

Debbie Harry – Videodrome

Like Rollins, the Blondie lead vocalist has also done extensive film and television work. She played the housewife witch in Tales from the Darkside: The Movie‘s wraparound and appeared as a nurse in Body Bags‘ “Hair” segment. But her most notable role is also her first credited role, Nicki Brand in David Cronenberg’s Videodrome. Cronenberg sought her out to play the hallucinatory femme fatale.

David Bowie – The Hunger

David Bowie learned to play the cello for his turn as 300-year-old vampire John Blalock in Tony Scott’s The Hunger. John serves as the cautionary tale as the companion to Miriam Blalock (Catherine Deneuve). He discovers in horror that his vampiric nature comes with eternal life, but not eternal youth. His futile race to stave off rapid aging brings unsettling and heartbreaking imagery. The Hunger marks Bowie’s most overt horror role, but he also appeared in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me and hosted season two of horror anthology series “The Hunger.”

The post The Foo Fighters and Ten Other Notable Rock Musicians Who Appeared in Horror Movies appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Whether you’re in the mood for holiday-themed horror, horror-comedy favorites, or gory thrills, Tubi has it all. Follow them on Twitter to discover more #FreeLikeTubi viewing inspiration. Or, you can take a look below at ten horror titles we think you should stream this month. All ten titles are exclusively streaming for free on Tubi.

As Above, So Below

A team of adventurers heads deep into the Paris catacombs, searching for the philosopher’s stone. They soon find themselves deep in the bowels of Hell. It’s a loose adaptation or retelling of Dante’s Inferno, which tells of Dante’s journey through the nine circles of Hell, guided by the Roman poet Virgil. Their journey begins on Good Friday, and the pair emerges from Hell early on Easter morning under a starry sky. It’s the perfect, nuanced watch for those that don’t want their horror too overtly saturated in holiday themes.

The Frighteners

Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox) gained the ability to see and converse with the dead after a tragic accident but uses it to con people for money. When a demonic entity begins slaying people, Frank might be the only one who can stop it. This horror-comedy from Peter Jackson showcased a variety of visual and practical effects, but more importantly, it brought charm in spades. Frank’s sidekick ghosts steal the show, as does the quirky Milton Dammers (Jeffrey Combs).

The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

This remake was prompted by Wes Craven himself, paving the way for a bloody and intense update. The suburban Carter family are caravanning from Ohio to California with their two dogs in tow but wind up stranded in the desert. They are relentlessly hunted and killed by the twisted cannibal family in the desert hills. In Aja and Levasseur’s hands, their version of The Hills Have Eyes is an onslaught of tense violence and faster pacing. The cannibal family is also much more monstrous.

The People Under the Stairs

Fool (Brandon Quintin Adams) accompanies two adults from his neighborhood on a burglary attempt to stave off eviction. The plan is to find the landlords’ rumored valuable coins and save their block. Instead, they find Mommy (Wendy Robie) and Daddy (Everitt McGill) Robeson are far more deranged than your usual landlord. Wes Craven brings the insanity in his satirical depiction of gentrification and class warfare. He never forgets the genre fun- including a basement full of cannibalistic teens.

Prince of Darkness

Science fiction meets horror. In John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness, science and religion collide. It’s the second film in Carpenter’s Apocalypse Trilogy, sandwiched between The Thing and In the Mouth of Madness. This time, it’s Satan and his father, the Anti-God that threatens to destroy all of humanity. When most horror movies involving the devil take the possession approach, Carpenter uses it as a launching point for a demonic siege with the end goal of summoning the Anti-God to usher in the apocalypse. And Satan is swirling green liquid.

The Sentinel

In horror, sometimes the perfect home chooses you. For Allison Parker, a desire to strike out on her own finds her in a gorgeous Brooklyn brownstone that’s been converted into apartments. It’s a fantastic piece of real estate, but the place is packed with bizarre neighbors and strange activity. Allison soon finds herself haunted by both memories and unwanted visitors. Eventually, though, poor Allison discovers that she didn’t choose the apartment – the denizens of the building chose her. The sinister evil of the place has a specific purpose in mind for her. Religious horror collides with the haunted house in an unusual way. 

The Skeleton Key

Kate Hudson stars as a hospice nurse recently hired to care for an ailing man at a spooky New Orleans plantation. What plays like a haunted house mystery quickly gives way to something much sinister and twisty. This Southern Gothic horror movie favors atmosphere, develops suspense over scares and builds to a surprising finale. Mark this horror movie as another reason to beware of mirrors.

Splinter

In this fun creature feature, a road trip gets stalled out by the unexpected. A young couple sets off for a romantic camping getaway but instead gets car-jacked by an escaped convict and his girlfriend. Then they get a flat tire that prompts them to seek help from a nearby gas station. Something is very, very wrong there, and the foursome must team up against a bizarre parasite infecting everything. A parasite that spreads and turns its hosts into deadly beings. Brutal, suspenseful, and with a highly cool creature concept, Splinter deserved a sequel.

Virus

When a crew loses their cargo in the middle of a hurricane, and the tugboat starts taking on water, they hop on the nearest ship – a Russian research vessel, Volkov. Unbeknownst to them, the Volkov was struck by an alien energy source emanating from the Mir space station just seven days prior, and the Volkov’s crew since disappeared. Uncovering what happened to them leads to a fight for survival, and all of humanity is at stake. It’s an alien invasion by way of body horror, with an all-star cast led by Donald Sutherland and Jamie Lee Curtis. The big-budget ’90s action-horror movie makes for a fun time.

Silent Night, Deadly Night (Unrated Cut) 

Tubi offers both the standard and unrated cut of what’s arguably the definitive holiday slasher. It follows Billy, from the traumatic incident that instilled his fixation on Christmas to his Christmas murder spree while dressed as Santa. The depiction of an ax-wielding killer dressed as Santa Claus made the movie highly controversial upon release, which likely went a long way in drawing fans and spawning a franchise.

Download the Tubi app (iOS, Android, Roku, Amazon Fire) and watch these titles and more for free right now!

The post 10 Great Horror Titles You Can Stream on Tubi in December appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The company explains, “A couple of years back we released a set of quad prints for Escape from New York, Prince of Darkness, The Fog and They Live by Matt Ferguson. The response was great but we received a lot of feedback and demand for smaller versions of the artwork. In response, Matt has revisited the art for a series of A2 prints released as part of Vice Press Editions.

“And to go along with the prints, we are also releasing a series of incredible limited edition pins and collectible coins by Florey! There will also be an exclusive John Carpenter chaser pin included as part of selected packs!”

Coins

• Designed by Florey
• All coins are 1.5” wide with a depth of 3mm made using die cast metal and include acrylic display clamshell packaging and protective coin capsule.
• All are limited to an edition of 125
• Antique Gold Prince of Darkness
• Antique Gold The Fog
• Antique Silver They Live
• Antique  Silver Escape From New York
• Retail price – £12.99 each/ £49.99 set ($18/$68 approx)

Prints

• Art by Matt Ferguson
• All prints are A2 (420mm X 594mm/ 16.5 x 23.4 inches), open edition lithograph prints with stamp of authenticity on reverse. Printed on 300gsm archival paper.
• Retail price – £29.99 ($40 approx)

Pins

• Designed by Florey
• Hard enamel pins varying from 1” to 1.5” in diameter. Each comes with rubber butterfly clasp.
• £8.99 each ($13 approx) or available in multipack sets.

All prints and pins will be released on Tuesday the 1st of December at 5pm GMT (12pm Eastern) on www.Vice-Press.com. You can preview the full collection with images below.

The post Vice Press Celebrates John Carpenter With ‘The Fog,’ ‘They Live,’ ‘Escape from NY’ Prints, Pins and Coins appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Starring Donald Pleasence (Halloween), Jameson Parker (Simon & Simon), Lisa Blount (Needful Things), rock icon Alice Cooper, Victor Wong and Dennis Dun (both from Carpenter’s Big Trouble In Little China), Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness is about a terrifying battle between mankind and the ultimate evil.

In the film, A research team finds a mysterious cylinder in a deserted church. If opened, it could mean the end of the world.

RELATED: [It Came From the ‘80s] The Devil is Liquid in John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness

As noted by the press release, this is the first time the film has been released in 4K Ultra High Definition in North America. Prince of Darkness Collector’s Edition (4k UHD/Blu-Ray) will contain all previous bonus features from the 2013 Scream Factory Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release, including interviews with Carpenter and Alice Cooper, as well as new 7.1 Dolby Atmos audio on both the UHD and Blu-ray discs.

EXCLUSIVE WEBSITE-ONLY OFFERS:

Customers who order directly from ShoutFactory.com will be able to choose from two exclusive offers:

·        Prince of Darkness Collector’s Edition (4k UHD/Blu-Ray) plus an 18” x 24” rolled poster reproduction of the original theatrical art. The posters will be made at a limited quantity.
·        Prince of Darkness Collector’s Edition (4k UHD/Blu-Ray) with poster and new exclusive 7″ Sacred Bones record, while supplies last. The 7″ on exclusive white and red splatter vinyl via Sacred Bones features music from Prince of Darkness composed by John Carpenter and recorded by John, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies. The A-side includes the 2017 version of the main title and the B-side contains a never-before-released recording of “Love at a Distance” recorded by the trio in 2020. The white and red splatter vinyl variant is a limited edition of 2,000 copies and is housed in a lavish slipcase with new art by frequent Carpenter collaborator Chris Bilheimer.

4K UHD Bonus Features
·        New 7.1 Dolby Atmos audio
·        In Dolby Vision (HDR Compatible)
·        Audio Commentary with director John Carpenter and actor Peter Jason
·        Theatrical trailer

Blu-ray Bonus Features
·        New 7.1 Dolby Atmos audio
·        Audio Commentary with John Carpenter and actor Peter Jason
·        Sympathy for The Devil –Interview with Writer/Director John Carpenter
·        Alice at the Apocalypse –interview with Alice Cooper
·        The Messenger – Interview with Actor & Special Visual Effects Supervisor Robert Grasmere
·        Hell On Earth – A look at the film’s score with Co-Composer Alan Howarth
·        Horror’s Hallowed Grounds with host Sean Clark
·        Alternate Opening from TV Version
·        Radio Spots
·        Still Gallery
·        Original Theatrical Trailer

The post John Carpenter’s ‘Prince of Darkness’ Gets 4K UHD/Blu-ray Collector’s Edition from Scream Factory! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

As Carpenter notes, Kibbe photographed most of his movies since 1987, including Prince of Darkness (1987), They Live (1988), In the Mouth of Madness (1994), Village of the Damned (1995), Escape from L.A. (1996), Vampires (1998), Ghosts of Mars (2001), not to mention Body Bags (1993). IMDb also lists him as a camera operator on Big Trouble in Little China (1986) and additional camera operator on Halloween II (1981).

Kibbe also photographed RoboCop 3 (1993) and  Double Dragon (1994), as well as episodes of HBO’s “Tales from the Crypt”.

Kibbe is a horror legend who should have his name mentioned alongside Carpenter’s until the end of time. He will be missed dearly and we send our thoughts and prayers to his surviving family and friends.

Gary B. Kibbe, the great cinematographer, has passed away at 79. He photographed most of my movie since 1987. He was a kind man, a great collaborator. I’ll miss him.

— John Carpenter (@TheHorrorMaster) March 13, 2020

The post R.I.P. Gary B. Kibbe, Cinematographer on Several John Carpenter Films appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Salem Horror Fest 2020 runs from October 1 – October 11, 2020, and the fest will play home to immersive screenings of John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness, the original Prom Night, and Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight. Both Prince of Darkness and Demon Knight will be appropriately screened inside the walls of an actual former church.

As for Prom Night, the 40th anniversary immersive screening will allow you to see the classic slasher in an actual school dance setting. Prom attire is encouraged but not required.

Click the links above to learn more about each screening.

You can already buy tickets, with more details being announced in the near future.

In the meantime, the Salem Horror Fest presents the brand new conference “Women With Guts” this coming May, which will also be taking place in Salem, Massachusetts.

The post Salem Horror Fest Announces Immersive Screenings of ‘Demon Knight,’ ‘Prom Night’ and ‘Prince of Darkness’! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness, science and religion collide. Science fiction meets horror. It’s the second film in what Carpenter referred to as his Apocalypse Trilogy, sandwiched between The Thing and In the Mouth of Madness. This time, it’s Satan and his father the Anti-God that threaten to destroy all of humanity. When most horror movies involving the devil take the possession approach, Carpenter uses it as a launching point for a demonic siege with the end goal of summoning the Anti-God to usher in the apocalypse. And Satan is swirling green liquid.

Penned by Carpenter under pseudonym Martin Quatermass (an homage to Quatermass and the Pit creator Nigel Kneale), Prince of Darkness begins with the passing of an elderly priest. On his person is a small box containing a key, which leads another Priest (Donald Pleasence) to investigate. He discovers it unlocks the basement of an older church, St. Godard’s. In it is a large ancient canister full of swirling green liquid, and it’s evil. It prompts him to enlist quantum physicist Professor Howard Birack (Victor Wong) and his students to join his search for answers.

The group learns the liquid is sentient, broadcasting complex data that they analyze. As they realize the truth about it, that perhaps God and Satan were extra-terrestrials and Anti-God exists in the realm of anti-matter, the liquid begins to infect the students one by one. There’s nowhere to flee, either, as a growing mass of crazed homeless people surrounds the church to slay anyone trying to escape.

The first to fall is Susan (Anne Howard). Alone with the canister, it injects some of its liquid straight into her mouth, beginning a gruesome transformation from human to minion of evil. For the makeup effects, Carpenter turned to Francisco X. Perez (credited as Frank Carrisosa), a protégé of Stan Winston and Tom Burman. He was initially hired to do general makeup on the film, but after discussions on the transformation sequence Perez drew up sketches of ideas. Carpenter was so impressed he let Perez handle the transformation.

Prince of Darkness was an indie project, so the budget was limited. Meaning Carpenter had to get creative. The heroes of the film have recurring nightmares, which are actually tachyon transmissions from the future as a warning. To give the dreams that otherworldly quality, Carpenter simply shot them on video and then filmed them off of a TV.

That iconic moment in the climax that sees the gnarled hand of Susan pulling the Anti-God into our world through the mirrored world? Carpenter and crew ingeniously drained their camera crane of its mercury, and put it in a container. It gave the effect of liquid mirror glass. The arms in this shot are prosthetics.  After Carpenter was satisfied with the effect, they put the mercury back in the crane and forged on. It was the trickiest effect of the film.

As with a lot of Carpenter’s films in the ‘80s, Prince of Darkness was maligned by critics upon release and didn’t fare well at the box office. Inspired by the quantum physics he’d been studying, Carpenter created a world where logic is reversed and reality loses all meaning. Logic isn’t of any use, and evil exists. He poses a simple question: what if blind faith and love were the only things that stood between humanity and the black bottomless pit? There’s a hefty weight behind the simplicity. The ideas and surrealism mean it’s not one of his most celebrated works, but Carpenter has never been afraid to go full throttle on his vision. Including the application of physics and liquefying the devil.

The post [It Came From the ‘80s] The Devil is Liquid in John Carpenter’s ‘Prince of Darkness’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Bender, in a series of tweets (start here), pointed out some eye-poppingly analogous moments between the two films, as well as a sequence in Prince which underlines that the pair of features may have a comparable thematic underpinning, as well. In addition, your writer found some other similarities while rewatching Prince for the purposes of writing this article. Some of the moments we found will likely seem superficial, while others may very well seem fairly substantial. Let’s take a look!

In Bender’s first tweet, he screencaps a shot of Prince’s threatening homeless figures surrounding the church which acts as the film’s primary location. The image easily reminds one of Us’ introduction to its four main antagonists, as they stand at the edge of our heroes’ property. In fact, there is another moment earlier on in Prince, featuring a smaller amount of homeless folks (four, in fact), standing at the edge of the church property that they’ve been hovering about. As the homeless numbers grow throughout the film, the line they form looks not at all dissimilar to the “Hands Across America” formation that Us’ lead villain Red has designed as her ultimate statement in introducing the above-ground world to the Tethered.

And speaking of the homeless characters, there are two other moments in Prince which Us seems to echo a bit in regard to those characters. Early on in Prince, one character notices a homeless woman standing by herself on a sidewalk, outstretching her arm and then freezing in place. She stands that way, holding eerily still, as though waiting for something specific to occur. Compare this moment to Jason first encountering Jeremiah in Us, the homeless Tethered man on the beach, who stands frozen in place with his arms outstretched to either side while awaiting his fellow Tethereds to take his hands and begin forming their inevitable line. Jeremiah’s look even manages to remind one of Prince’s iconic Street Schizo, portrayed by Alice Cooper.

In a later tweet, Bender points out a sequence in which one of Prince’s characters takes note of the homeless figures gathering outside of the church, then notes that they’d had a friend who’d studied chronic schizophrenics at UCLA. She tells another character that schizophrenics are meant to have stereotyped routines (“You know, like a stuck record in their brains.”), but that the homeless people outside “…don’t seem to be making any movements. They just stand there.” This character’s observations could very well describe Us’ Tethered, who act out routines when they’re mimicking or controlling their above-ground counterparts, and yet are utterly still and entirely without movement once they’ve joined the “Hands Across America” line.

And surely the most eye-popping visual echo between films involving the homeless characters is a major setpiece that happens later on in Prince. In this sequence, one of Prince’s characters (the douchey Wyndham) is memorably stabbed to death by a homeless woman wielding one half of a broken pair of scissors. Anyone who’s seen Us should know that the signature weapon of the Tethered is an iconic pair of golden scissors, which they use to puncture and slash their prey.

And when it comes to the Tethered, one can note that they’re usually the dark mirror-version of their above-world counterparts. Whereas Us heroine Adelaide is kind and well-spoken, Tethered doppelganger Red is wild-eyed, vicious, and speaks in a halting cadence. And while Adelaide’s husband Gabe is generally light-hearted and funny, his own Tethered double Abraham is dour and menacing. A similar duality can be found in Prince, which finds many of its characters possessed by the demonic green fluid housed underneath the church that they’ve holed up in. Once possessed, their personalities are overcome and altered, rendering them into stone-faced, intermittently robotic and psychotic imitations of themselves.

And speaking of that green fluid! As revealed by Donald Pleasence’s Priest early on in Prince, this demonic entity is held underground, in a lair built in the 1500s by forgotten sect The Brotherhood of Sleep. This Brotherhood’s very existence was kept secret, as they wielded their enormous power and authority on the world above it. Compare this to the underground facility which held the Tethered, their own existence kept a secret as they were wielded by a powerful government exerting its authority to control the Tethered’s unwitting doubles above ground.

In Bender’s final tweet, he points out a sequence between Prince’s Professor Birack and Pleasence’s Priest, who discuss the nature of the evil they’re facing. Birack, so very well portrayed by Big Trouble in Little China’s Victor Wong, has a monologue which theorizes about the true nature of the universe…and its darker twin. And, well, I’ll just let his monologue speak for itself – “Suppose there is a universal mind controlling everything. A God willing every subatomic particle. Now, every particle has an anti-particle. Its mirror image. Its negative side…” Could this speech not also describe the nature of the Tethered and their initial usefulness to the government which eventually abandoned them to live below ground?

Whether or not these similarities hold any weight is entirely up to Peele to shine a light on. It’s possible that these moments from Prince may have inspired similar ideas in Peele on a subconscious level, or maybe it’s entirely a coincidence. After all, the films couldn’t be more dissimilar on a macro level – one a creepy frightfest concerned with the collision of science and the supernatural, the other a dark horror film driven by social concerns. Nevertheless, given that Peele is an outspoken horror fan, it isn’t outside the realm of possibility that Prince is, on some level, a part of Us’ cinematic DNA. In any case, it’s a testament to the quality and power of both films that they’re worthy of such scrutiny of the part of such fans as Cameron Bender – fans who will surely continue to seek out and find further meaning on subsequent viewings of these and numerous other films.

To any and all such genre enthusiasts, I salute you with my own pair of bloodstained scissors.

The post Exploring the Interesting Similarities Between Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’ and John Carpenter’s ‘Prince of Darkness’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

It used to reek of creative bankruptcy when a television show would decide to adapt a popular movie for its source material, or vice versa. This wasn’t always a failed prospect, but it crashed and burned enough times to sour audiences on the idea for some time. That being said, there’s been a serious resurgence of television shows that deliver incredible adaptations or continuations of classic films, horror included.

In the past few years there have been television takes on Hannibal, The Exorcist, and Psycho that all far exceeded expectations, and there’s already TV versions of The Grudge, Creepshow, and Child’s Play on the way. With the recent announcements that James Wan will be producing an I Know What You Did Last Summer television show and Adam Wingard on board to headline an Event Horizon series, the opportunity has never been more viable. Older properties that perhaps couldn’t properly be realized in a feature film will get a better shot through a season (or more) of a television show.

Accordingly, here are a number of films that would also make for solid TV shows, along with who we think would be good choices to run them.

Urban Legend

Urban Legend is another horror film that’s just as steeped in the ‘90s as I Know What You Did Last Summer and there’s arguably a much richer, more satisfying premise that drives Urban Legend forward. This is a film that could benefit from a television show for a number of reasons, but a major one being that there are a number of modern-driven urban legend and “creepy pasta” variations that this show could pepper between the all-time classics. Each episode could even be centered around a different urban legend-based murder so they all really get a chance to breathe.

Glen Morgan and James Wong of X-Files fame would be a perfect fit for this, but they were also separately involved in other projects like The Twilight Zone and Lore that are both centered around material that’d be appropriate for an Urban Legend series. Bring along Darin Morgan to take care of film’s dark wit and you’ve got a winner here.

The Faculty

The Faculty is itself a ‘90s-drenched, self-aware, modern reinterpretation of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but it’s the film that deserves the TV show, not the source material it’s based upon. The reason being that the heightened high school drama is a highly popular genre now with shows like Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina casually intermixing murder with teen drama. “Riverdale, but it’s Body Snatchers” doesn’t seem like a hard sell.

The director and writer combination of Karyn Kusama and Diablo Cody that brought Jennifer’s Body to life could seriously kill this material. Kusama has only gotten more adept as a filmmaker and films like The Invitation show that she could make this a very conversational show with strong dialogue. And giving the material a slightly more feminine slant wouldn’t be the worst angle for the story either.

The Brood

David Cronenberg is responsible for all sorts of creepy creations and unnerving set pieces, but his 1979 masterpiece The Brood features some of not only the scariest work from his career, but also some of the most upsetting killer children in cinema history. This is another film where allowing the material to be expanded upon would only make it more disturbing, even if it were just for a six-episode treatment. The Brood is a complex enough horror film that it could easily sustain that much material.

Nick Antosca has done a lot of incredible work within both the horror genre and the medium of television, but his work on the four seasons of Channel Zero is truly next level stuff. The heights that are achieved on Channel Zero show that Antosca could easily replicate the terror present in the film and take it even further. Additionally, the show’s Butcher’s Block season specifically features evil deformed children that look like they’re explicitly influenced by The Brood, as well as a focus on mental illness. Make it happen.

Cube

Puzzle-horror film Cube has gained a second life as a cult classic in more recent years, but the movie has such a good premise that anyone can turn this gem into gold under the right circumstances. A television series version of Cube could break down the mind-bending narrative even more and devote a whole episode to each room of the cube and really put some thought into the ideas. It could even be treated almost like an elimination horror show where the audience knows that someone will meet their demise at the end of each episode.

Vincenzo Natali has only leaned into horror more over the years and become a greater part of the television scene that there’s no reason why he couldn’t handle the show himself. That being said, bringing in Marcus Dunstan of The Collector series or Saw mainstay Darren Lynn Bousman would perhaps offer up some more variety to the concept without being too redundant of their previous works.

Audition

Films that have a massive twist and really take their time to show their hand can be some of the most satisfying experiences ever. Takashi Miike’s Audition is such an example where the first half almost looks like a twisted attempt at a rom-com before things spiral out of control and it turns into a brutal, painful meditation on gender roles. Audition could have even more impact if it had an entire season of television to play out. Different examples of Asami’s dark side could be revealed in each episode before the larger twist finally comes to pass. Moving the film to an American setting wouldn’t be necessary, but a very different vibe could be cultivated by placing this within Los Angeles as opposed to Japan.

Audition should be a tender horror story that isn’t afraid to strike at unsuspecting moments. It’s also a story that should have a generous female slant to it rather than straight-up turning Asami into a monster. A director like Andrea Arnold could give Asami the layers she deserves and find a take on the story that makes it gutting and challenging in entirely new ways that are still in conversation with the original film.

The Omen

It’s already been done, but maybe a second chance is in order?

The Omen Trilogy is one of the few trilogies of films that actually doesn’t struggle to justify itself as each one marks a different phase in Damien’s life. It’s like Boyhood, but with the Son of Satan. The Omen could really find an interesting perspective by breaking itself down into a television show where each season spans the course of a different film and Damien’s maturation. It would take its time and show the slow development of this budding, confused devil.

Carlton Cuse has been a part of a number of prolific series, but his work with Kerry Ehrin on Bates Motel really does turn into something special. The series slowly show’s Norman Bate’s growth and struggles in a way that would be a perfect lateral move over to The Omen. Lucifer may handle comparable issues, but it’s Damien’s youth here that makes this such an interesting story.

Sleepaway Camp

Camp slasher Sleepaway Camp is sometimes seen as more of a punch line than an integral piece of horror canon, but there’s no denying that it’s left its mark on the genre and it spawned a whole slew of sequels. There’s a fun quality that this film achieves that other similar movies attempt to recapture, but fail to reach. It also has one of the most insane, controversial endings to a horror film of all time. Sleepaway Camp could definitely be matured-up a little (or made even more ridiculous), but a camp slasher series would be easy and something that audiences deserve.

Ryan Murphy may be tackling this exact sub-genre of horror with American Horror Story: 1984, but strangely David Wain seems like he could be a more eventful fit here. Wain has predominantly tackled comedy, but that’s recently proven to be no barrier for entering the horror genre. Wain’s work on the Wet Hot American Summer series is the perfect prerequisite for this, but his work on Childrens’ Hospital and They Came Together shows that he’s a genre and parody master and could easily tap into horror.

Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Viewers definitely don’t need a series based on Texas Chain Saw Massacre, but they said the same thing about a Hannibal series, so you never know what can work. An interesting angle for the show may be the prequel angle that Bates Motel did for Psycho where much of the series is a precursor to the film that looks at a growing Leatherface, with the final season chronicling the events of Texas Chain Saw. Arguably, the many attempts that have tried to expand on the Sawyer Family and Leatherface have been misfires, but a television show has the room to make this rough family story work.

Jean-Marc Vallée made something special with Sharp Objects and was able to deliver a sweaty, frantic energy that would be perfect for Texas Chain Saw’s gritty aesthetic. Vallée’s partner in crime on the series, Marti Noxon, also has enough experience to bring the twisted, dark Sawyer family history to life and isn’t afraid to tackle controversial material and then go even deeper with it. The two could absolutely find a unique, worthwhile angle for the material.

Alien

Alien is a classic piece of both horror and sci-fi canon and there would absolutely be a lot of pushback if an Alien television series were announced. But if shows based on Psycho and The Exorcist can happen, then clearly nothing is sacred if there’s enough money or a good enough idea on the table. The most appealing aspect of an Alien TV show is that there really aren’t any claustrophobic killer alien shows on television, so this would nicely fill that gap. There have also been enough disappointing Alien offshoots at this point that a TV series couldn’t do any greater damage than what’s been done in the past.

Bryan Fuller has helped bring some of the most beautiful television shows to life and he’s made it abundantly clear that he’s a horror fiend. Fuller has worked on enough disparate properties, some of which were even set in space, that this doesn’t feel out of his wheelhouse by any stretch. It’d be even better if he could remix the material from across the various films in the franchise, like he did with Hannibal, and get particularly creative with the show’s lore.

Final Destination

There’d be an odd poetic justice the universe if Final Destination ended up as a television show since the script for the first film originally began as a pitch for an X-Files script. The Final Destination films are surprisingly some of the most consistent horror films to come along in a series and allowing that a chance to grow even further on television is well deserved. There have been attempts and rumors to get another film back together, but maybe TV is the better route. It’s yet another series where devoting each episode to a different death could yield some very satisfying results.

Brad Anderson hasn’t just stuck to the horror genre through his career, but he’s turned out some winners so far. It’s actually Anderson’s work on an episode of Fringe, “The Plateau,” that points to why he would fit well with this show. The episode’s introduction illustrates how the episode’s villain is able to pull off an elaborate murder through an outrageous Rube Goldbergian series of events, all from him just dropping a pen. Final Destination thrives off of that kind of interconnected energy.

The Ring

A Grudge television series may already be in production for Netflix, but there’s debatably even more that could be done with a prolonged look in The Ring’s universe. There have been such sophisticated detective procedurals that deal with the occult, like True Detective or Mindhunter, so really focusing on the investigative aspect would turn this into a unique spin on the genre. Besides, after the total failures of The Ring 2 and Rings, this could only be an improvement for the series’ brand.

Ana Lily Amirpour has done solid, impressive work on ambitious television series like Legion, Castle Rock, and The Twilight Zone, plus her signature film, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is a classic. Conjuring that same energy for a Ring series could be really powerful and she could even return to her black-and-white aesthetic. Amirpour has a unique enough point of view that she could take this premise and turn out something personal with it.

Pumpkinhead

Pumpkinhead and its sequel are hardly the Holy Grail of the horror genre, which is exactly why they’d make for a fun, experimental television show. Fans of the Pumpkinhead films are usually more invested in the creature’s grotesque design than the finer story beats. In that regard, Pumpkinhead could really work by veering off course from the original and just using the skeleton of the original films to fuel its fresh take. A particularly interesting take would be if one of the main characters gets turned into Pumpkinhead and they have to learn how to deal with it and turn it to their advantage, rather than making the character an outright villain.

The above approach is very similar to the structure of Swamp Thing, so it stands to reason that Gary Dauberman and Mark Verheiden could also find a creative take on Pumpkinhead for a series. The two of them both have enough experience with connected universes that it’d be interesting to see what a larger universe of monsters for Pumpkinhead to square off against might look like.

Prince of Darkness

John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness has always been a bit of a dark horse in the director’s filmography, but it still has plenty of die hard fans that can appreciate its different approach to an apocalypse story. Prince of Darkness basically involves some evil goo that gets discovered that’s the essence of Satan himself and then all Hell starts to break loose—literally. Prince of Darkness is seen as a flawed masterpiece from Carpenter, but it provides almost an Agatha Christie-like approach to its setup as this evil attempts to be understood. This is where a television version of the material could really prosper and turn the story into more of a claustrophobic meditation on faith and the nature of evil. It could make for a very different horror series.

Mike Flanagan creates an intense claustrophobic terror on The Haunting of Hill House and so much of that series revolves around characters simply talking. Flanagan always knows how to get the most out of his adaptation, so it feels like he could take this premise from Carpenter and deliver an even more terrifying take on it. There’s even a bit of an Oculus energy to Carpenter’s film.

The Thing

The Thing is another one of those legendary horror films that are nearly untouchable due to their influence on the genre. Any attempt to redo The Thing would have to be done with extreme trepidation, the utmost respect for the source material, and a firm understanding of the importance of practical effects and gore. This is another horror series that probably isn’t necessary, but it’d just be so much fun to watch The Thing’s alien whodunit mystery play out over the course of eight episodes.

Craig DiGregorio and his team from Ash Vs The Evil Dead seemed to often be able to defy what was thought to be possible with practical effects on that series. The show marked a strong return to form for practical gore and if anyone’s able to do this original film justice, it’d be these guys. They’d likely also be able to find a dark humor to the property that can go a long ways in something as tense as this.

Castle Freak

Castle Freak is schlocky horror fun from the 1990s courtesy of Stuart Gordon. There’s an inherently terrifying idea at the center of the film where a couple purchase a new home that happens to have a deformed monster hidden away within it. Castle Freak is gross, exploitative fun that doesn’t take itself too seriously. There’s currently a remake in production, but a television show could take the bare structure of this film and turn it into something much deeper. A season-long take on Castle Freak could let the monster really bide his time before his reveal to the family and play into the myriad of weirdness in their castle before everything comes to light. There’s such a loose story in place that the show could explore directions like who’s responsible for the “castle freak,” if more are out there, and if he can possibly be befriended to fight an even greater threat.

Neil Marshall is no stranger to horror films that revolve around creatures, with The Descent and Dog Soldiers both being strong examples, but his more recent work in Game of Thrones and Hellboy shows the British director moving further in the direction of gothic castles and the territory that consumes Castle Freak. Marshall could actually make the story scary rather than just shocking.

These selections are just a taste of what could be possible. Which horror films do you think are prime for a longer exploration via television?

The post 15 Horror Films That Would Probably Make Good TV Shows (and Who Should Run Them) appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

It’s not just the setup the makes Luz feel different from any other possession horror film out there, though the demon’s body-hopping style is reminiscent of The Hidden. It’s the avant-garde way in which Singer relays this story. Through wide-tracking shots, dreamlike and smoky staging, and an electronic score to boot, Luz is firmly planted in the experimental. There’s nothing traditional about this film, from the way it handles the mysteries behind this demon’s desire to find Luz or the way it unravels the narrative. Which means that while it most certainly won’t be for everyone, the way it approaches the possession genre is refreshing.

Possession horror began in earnest with William Friedkin’s seminal classic, The Exorcist. Based on William Peter Blatty’s novel, The Exorcist established the rules and tropes of the subgenre, largely in part because of the wave of films that borrowed from it in attempt to capture the same success. Tropes like the demon targeting a young female, who often wears white gowns to her exorcism. Or a priest suffering a crisis of faith. Symptoms of possession taking root almost always include speaking in tongues, levitation, and some form of body mutilation or gruesome physical deformity, too. There’s also a good chance the possession film will come with some warning that it’s based on a true story.

Because these tropes and story beats mirrored from The Exorcist have become so exhaustingly common, it’s become far too easy to just classify exorcism centric films as a separate subgenre. But they all stem from demonic possession, and the ones that attempt to break free from The Exorcist blueprint are worth celebrating.

The first major release to do so, launching a franchise of its own in the process, was Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead. A group of friends unwittingly unleash a Kandarian demon via tape recording found in the basement of their weekend getaway cabin. It doesn’t just choose one victim to possess, it wants them all. One by one, the group is possessed and turned into a gnarly deadite until only Ashley J. Williams (Bruce Campbell) is left. And as the franchise lays out, there’s no removal of this demonic infestation; Ash’s battle with demons is lifelong.

In the years that followed, similar demonic possession films appeared. 1985’s Demons turned unlucky theatergoers into demonic monsters, spread by scratches. Night of the Demons bent the rules even further with its fun take on demons that take over a Halloween party by way of possession. John Carpenter gave demonic possession his own spin with the second entry in his Apocalypse Trilogy, Prince of Darkness. Here he took the concept of the ultimate evil, Lucifer, and merged it with physics, namely matter and anti-matter.

Event Horizon plays out like a gory haunted house movie set in space, but that haunted house- the Event Horizon– is sentient, possessed by the hell dimension from which it returned. In turn, that evil finds a human host in Dr. Weir (Sam Neill), who self-mutilates and eschews his former identity to carry out the ship’s desires.

While the found footage craze came and went, and is now often met with derision, we can’t be too upset at a subgenre that gave us the REC franchise. The first film delivered a terrifying outbreak style horror film, an intense sort of zombie movie. Except, the final act revealed the outbreak’s source. A priest kept a possessed girl, Tristana Medeiros, sedated and used her in scientific experiments. Eventually, he isolated the possession to a particular enzyme, a contagion spread by saliva and bodily fluids. This outbreak, and the infected, are all demonic in nature. Something that’s expanded upon in REC 2, pushing even further into the religious.

The Blackcoat’s Daughter may have proven divisive with its slow-burn brand of horror, but it’s an interesting premise that I’m surprised we haven’t seen more of; a horror movie set after the exorcism. At least in part. The plot sees two girls facing an evil, demonic presence when they’re left behind at their boarding school over winter break, and it plays against a parallel story that sees one of the girl’s parents picking up a lonely girl at a bus stop while en route to the school. While the former plays out like an atmospheric tale of demonic possession, the latter takes a meditative examination of the aftermath. What happens to the victim after the demon has been expelled?

The Exorcist was so effective and such a major success that it became the standard. Its recognizable characteristics makes it easy to dominate the conversation about possession horror. But there’s a lot more to the subgenre, including great movies that aren’t afraid to explore different aspects, themes, and mythologies of possession. Luz is just the latest of many demonic possession films that defy convention, and they’re all worth seeking out.

The post ‘Luz’ and Demonic Possession Horror Movies That Break Convention appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

For as long as film has existed the Devil has been a fixture of horror, which means over a hundred years of depictions. Over a century worth of cinematic incarnations means he’s been everything from a fork-tongued, cloven-hooved beast to offspring of powerful anti-matter ruler.

But for all of his countless appearances in horror, these 10 portrayals are sinfully the best.

The Devil’s Advocate – Al Pacino

Pacino’s rendition of John Milton, aka Satan, is pure scene-chewing melodrama. For most of the film, Milton is a bombastic leader of a high-end law firm, working hard to tempt Keanu Reeves’ Kevin Lomax with money, power, and lust. Unadulterated smarm and charisma, Pacino’s version of the Devil is far more outgoing than many of his other onscreen iterations. Of course, all of that pales in comparison to the final act, when Milton reveals that not only is he Kevin’s Satanic dad, but that he wants Kevin and his half-sister to conceive the Antichrist. Because nothing says welcome to the family like incest. Pacino ramps up his performance to eleven here, delivering devilish monologues with over-the-top gusto.

The Witch – Black Phillip

For the family at the center of this period set horror film, being banished from a Puritan colony is only the beginning of their problems. Isolated and alone, they’re vulnerable to the darkness lurking in the nearby woods. A witch. First baby Samuel is stolen by the witch to be ground down into a flying unguent. Then eldest son Caleb is seduced by her, sending him into subsequent madness. In turn, the surviving family members descend into paranoia and chaos, each blaming the other for their ills. No one suspects that the family goat, Black Phillip, was Satan in disguise, manipulating the family all along. No need to be afraid of a neighboring witch when the Devil’s hanging around your yard.

Prince of Darkness – Susan Blanchard

Technically, for a good chunk of the film anyway, Satan is depicted as a large cylinder of swirling green goo. Thanks to John Carpenter’s interest in theoretical physics, which lead to his combining Satan with the concept of anti-matter, this iteration of Satan is the liquid offspring of an even bigger evil – Anti-God. When a group of academics come to study the mysterious stuff in the basement of a church, those exposed become possessed by it, who then bring the cylinder to the chosen physical vessel; a sleeping Kelly (Susan Blanchard). Gnarly and disfigured, the new Kelly is powerful and creepy, but her sole purpose now is to herald in her much more powerful daddy from the other realm.

Constantine – Peter Stormare

Supernatural detective John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) has managed to piss Lucifer off bad enough that he’s the only soul Lucifer would come topside to collect personally. So, when things hit the proverbial fan, John slits his wrists as a means of manipulating Lucifer into intervening with Gabriel’s nefarious plans. If you want your film’s depiction of Lucifer to be memorable, then you hire Peter Stormare. His few small scenes pack a punch; his take on Lucifer is venomous, magnetic, and a little bit unhinged. Stormare plays Lucifer with a malevolent glee.

Tales from the Hood – Clarence Williams III

For the trio of drug dealers taking refuge in a funeral home, they find more than they bargained for with the eccentric owner, Mr. Simms (Williams III). He regales them with four tales of terror before turning the tide on the criminals. Mr. Simms isn’t really a funeral home director; he’s Satan himself come to usher these boys to Hell. Williams is delightfully campy as Simms, the manic energy increasing with each tale, until it explodes in the final reveal. “This ain’t no funeral home! It ain’t the Terror Dome, neither! Welcome to Hell, motherfuckers!”

The Prophecy – Viggo Mortensen

There’s a simplicity in The Prophecy’s version of Lucifer that makes him all the more terrifying. Dressed in black and soft-spoken, this Lucifer doesn’t exactly look threatening at first glance. But Mortensen imbues the first fallen angel with a menace unlike any other portrayal before. His soft-spoken, calm demeanor as he utters lines like, “I can lay you out and fill your mouth with your mother’s feces, or we can talk” is unsettling. Mortensen plays Lucifer with such apathetic disdain toward humans, his body language relaxed, that it communicates a sense of immense power in a way that’s far more sinister and effective than flashy demonstrations and boisterous performances.

Mister Frost – Jeff Goldblum

Mr. Frost is a serial killer arrested and sent to a mental asylum after confessing to multiple murders. He doesn’t speak for two years, and the police aren’t able to discover his identity. He breaks his vow of silence to claim his identity as Satan to one of the doctors, along with his intent to trick her into murdering him. As the title implies, Goldblum plays his sadistic serial killer with icy intelligence. Calm, cool, and cunning, Goldblum makes for one unnerving Devil.

Angel Heart – Robert De Niro

Angel Heart is a horror movie disguised as a noir mystery thriller. De Niro plays Louis Cyphre, a man who hires private investigator Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke) to track down a singer named Johnny Favorite. The investigation leads Harry down one hellish web of deceit, death, and horror. Louis Cyphre is a homophone for Lucifer, who’s playing poor Harry like a fiddle. One of De Niro’s best performances of all time, his take on Lucifer is as regal as it is creepy. Seriously. You’ll never look at hardboiled eggs the same way.

The Wailing – Jun Kunimura

After the arrival of a Japanese stranger in a mountainous village of South Korea, a mysterious illness begins to spread. One of the symptoms is a homicidal rage. A bumbling cop is drawn further into the investigation when his own daughter is stricken with the illness. That’s the simplified version of the plot, which becomes increasingly more complex as it progresses. While the narrative toys with science versus religion behind the mysterious illness for most of the run time, ramping up the dread in the process, the final scenes are pure horror. The Japanese-speaking deacon who aided the police as investigator comes across the stranger in a cave, in the aftermath of absolute anarchy. That stranger reveals himself to have been a soul-stealing Devil all along, and it’s downright unsettling.

Legend – Tim Curry

What happens when you combine the talents of legendary special makeup effects artist Rob Bottin (The Thing) with an iconic performance by Tim Curry? You end up with one of the best iterations of the Lord of Darkness of all time. Ridley Scott’s dark fantasy may have starred Tom Cruise as the naïve hero Jack, out to save his lady love from the Lord of Darkness’ clutches, but he was upstaged by Curry at every possible turn. “What is light without dark? What are you without me? I am a part of you all. You can never defeat me. We are brothers eternal!” Indeed, Darkness. Indeed.

The post Pacino, Goldblum and Black Phillip: 10 Great Portrayals of the Devil in Horror appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

THE FOG (1980) Antonio Bay, California has turned a hundred years old and is getting ready to celebrate its centennial year. But as the residents of the tightknit community begin to prepare for the festivities, a mysterious cloud of fog appears upon the shore and begins to creep its way across the town, leaving a trail of horrifying slaughter that hints at a deep, blood-soaked secret from its past.

Theatrical release: From October 26th – special Halloween screenings October 31st

Home Video Release: October 29th

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981) The year is 1997 and in a police state future the island of Manhattan has been turned into a maximum-security prison. The rules are simple: once you’re in, you don’t come out. But when the United States president (Donald Pleasance) crash lands an escape pod into the centre of the city after fleeing a hijacked plane, a ruthless prison warden (Lee Van Cleef) bribes ex-soldier and criminal Snake Plisskin (Kurt Russell) into entering the hazardous Manhattan and rescuing the stranded President from the twisted underworld and the demented clutches of its criminal overlord The Duke (Isaac Hayes).

Theatrical release: November 22nd

Home Video Release: November 26th

PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1987) Deep in the basement of an abandoned church, once run by a sinister religious sect, lies a strange bottle of green liquid being investigated by a group of local theoretic physics students. But as the night draws on the students soon realise that the strange relic holds a dark and powerful force beyond their control. A force that could well be the essence of pure evil: the remains of Satan himself. Starring Donald Pleasance, Jameson Parker and Jason Wong.

Theatrical release: October 26th

Home Video Release: November 26th (Steel-book Oct 29th)

THEY LIVE (1988) WWF wrestler “Rowdy” Roddy Piper plays John Nada, a homeless, unemployed construction worker who discovers a pair of sunglasses that when worn suddenly reveal a world run by yuppie aliens intent on keeping the human race brainwashed and sedate with subliminal messages fed through advertising and the media. Luckily for us all John Nada is a man of action and so begins the fight- back (including perhaps the longest fistfight in cinema’s history) to save humankind.

Theatrical release: From October 26th

Home Video Release: October 29th

The post John Carpenter Classics Head to UK Cinemas This Friday! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“We’re talking to them about doing a theme, and maybe doing a show for them,” Carpenter told the site. He then asked, “What would you think about Prince of Darkness as a TV show?”

“Well, maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know,” Carpenter added. “I’m not going to tell you.”

Innnnnteresting, to say the least!

In the 1987 film, which starred Donald Pleasence, “A research team finds a mysterious cylinder in a deserted church. If opened, it could mean the end of the world.”

The post John Carpenter Teases Upcoming Project With Shudder; ‘Prince of Darkness’ TV Series?! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

It all begins next month, with The Fog, They Live, Escape from New York and Prince of Darkness all coming back to theaters with beautiful, brand new 4K restorations.

Naturally, this event has one of this year’s downright coolest trailers…

Here’s everything you need to know…

STUDIOCANAL is delighted to celebrate the work of the master of ‘80s sci-fi, fantasy and horror, John Carpenter, with the announcement of brand new 4k restorations of some of his most iconic titles: THE FOG, THEY LIVE, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK and PRINCE OF DARKNESS. All four brand new 4k restorations were done using the original camera negatives, with the colour grading approved for the new restorations and UHD versions by the films’ Cinematographers: Gary B Kibbe and Dean Cundey.

This Autumn, audiences will have the rare opportunity to experience the spectacle of Carpenter’s much-loved cult classics on the big screen looking better than ever. THE FOG will receive its restoration premiere at The London Film Festival on October 15. From October 26, THEY LIVE and PRINCE OF DARKNESS will screen as a precursor to the big Halloween one-night special of THE FOG. Ticket booking information will be announced soon. ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK will be screened for one day only on November 22nd.

Celebrated UK based artist Matt Ferguson has created exclusive brand-new artwork for each film and audiences will be able to appreciate the new 4k restorations at home when all films, complete with new brand new and ‘best of’ extras material, are released across Home Entertainment platforms including UHD for the very first time. A very special, 4-disc Collector’s Edition will be available of THE FOG, THEY LIVE, and ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, that will also include a copy of the film’s seminal soundtrack composed and performed by Carpenter himself.

THE FOG (1980) Antonio Bay, California has turned a hundred years old and is getting ready to celebrate its centennial year. But as the residents of the tightknit community begin to prepare for the festivities, a mysterious cloud of fog appears upon the shore and begins to creep its way across the town, leaving a trail of horrifying slaughter that hints at a deep, blood-soaked secret from its past.

Theatrical release: From October 26th – special Halloween screenings October 31st

Home Video Release: October 29th

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981) The year is 1997 and in a police state future the island of Manhattan has been turned into a maximum-security prison. The rules are simple: once you’re in, you don’t come out. But when the United States president (Donald Pleasance) crash lands an escape pod into the centre of the city after fleeing a hijacked plane, a ruthless prison warden (Lee Van Cleef) bribes ex-soldier and criminal Snake Plisskin (Kurt Russell) into entering the hazardous Manhattan and rescuing the stranded President from the twisted underworld and the demented clutches of its criminal overlord The Duke (Isaac Hayes).

Theatrical release: November 22nd

Home Video Release: November 26th

PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1987) Deep in the basement of an abandoned church, once run by a sinister religious sect, lies a strange bottle of green liquid being investigated by a group of local theoretic physics students. But as the night draws on the students soon realise that the strange relic holds a dark and powerful force beyond their control. A force that could well be the essence of pure evil: the remains of Satan himself. Starring Donald Pleasance, Jameson Parker and Jason Wong.

Theatrical release: October 26th

Home Video Release: November 26th (Steel-book Oct 29th)

THEY LIVE (1988) WWF wrestler “Rowdy” Roddy Piper plays John Nada, a homeless, unemployed construction worker who discovers a pair of sunglasses that when worn suddenly reveal a world run by yuppie aliens intent on keeping the human race brainwashed and sedate with subliminal messages fed through advertising and the media. Luckily for us all John Nada is a man of action and so begins the fight- back (including perhaps the longest fistfight in cinema’s history) to save humankind.

Theatrical release: From October 26th

Home Video Release: October 29th

Check out all of Ferguson’s brand new artwork below!

The post [Trailer] Studiocanal Restored Four John Carpenter Classics in 4K for Theatrical and Home Video Release appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Here’s everything we know.

STUDIOCANAL is delighted to celebrate the work of the master of ‘80s sci-fi, fantasy and horror, John Carpenter, with the announcement of brand new 4k restorations of some of his most iconic titles: THE FOG, THEY LIVE, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK and PRINCE OF DARKNESS. All four brand new 4k restorations were done using the original camera negatives, with the colour grading approved for the new restorations and UHD versions by the films’ Cinematographers: Gary B Kibbe and Dean Cundey.

This Autumn, audiences will have the rare opportunity to experience the spectacle of Carpenter’s much-loved cult classics on the big screen looking better than ever. THE FOG will receive its restoration premiere at The London Film Festival on October 15. From October 26, THEY LIVE and PRINCE OF DARKNESS will screen as a precursor to the big Halloween one-night special of THE FOG. Ticket booking information will be announced soon. ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK will be screened for one day only on November 22nd.

Celebrated UK based artist Matt Ferguson has created exclusive brand-new artwork for each film and audiences will be able to appreciate the new 4k restorations at home when all films, complete with new brand new and ‘best of’ extras material, are released across Home Entertainment platforms including UHD for the very first time. A very special, 4-disc Collector’s Edition will be available of THE FOG, THEY LIVE, and ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, that will also include a copy of the film’s seminal soundtrack composed and performed by Carpenter himself.

THE FOG (1980) Antonio Bay, California has turned a hundred years old and is getting ready to celebrate its centennial year. But as the residents of the tightknit community begin to prepare for the festivities, a mysterious cloud of fog appears upon the shore and begins to creep its way across the town, leaving a trail of horrifying slaughter that hints at a deep, blood-soaked secret from its past.

Theatrical release: From October 26th – special Halloween screenings October 31st

Home Video Release: October 29th

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981) The year is 1997 and in a police state future the island of Manhattan has been turned into a maximum-security prison. The rules are simple: once you’re in, you don’t come out. But when the United States president (Donald Pleasance) crash lands an escape pod into the centre of the city after fleeing a hijacked plane, a ruthless prison warden (Lee Van Cleef) bribes ex-soldier and criminal Snake Plisskin (Kurt Russell) into entering the hazardous Manhattan and rescuing the stranded President from the twisted underworld and the demented clutches of its criminal overlord The Duke (Isaac Hayes).

Theatrical release: November 22nd

Home Video Release: November 26th

PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1987) Deep in the basement of an abandoned church, once run by a sinister religious sect, lies a strange bottle of green liquid being investigated by a group of local theoretic physics students. But as the night draws on the students soon realise that the strange relic holds a dark and powerful force beyond their control. A force that could well be the essence of pure evil: the remains of Satan himself. Starring Donald Pleasance, Jameson Parker and Jason Wong.

Theatrical release: October 26th

Home Video Release: November 26th (Steel-book Oct 29th)

THEY LIVE (1988) WWF wrestler “Rowdy” Roddy Piper plays John Nada, a homeless, unemployed construction worker who discovers a pair of sunglasses that when worn suddenly reveal a world run by yuppie aliens intent on keeping the human race brainwashed and sedate with subliminal messages fed through advertising and the media. Luckily for us all John Nada is a man of action and so begins the fight- back (including perhaps the longest fistfight in cinema’s history) to save humankind.

Theatrical release: From October 26th

Home Video Release: October 29th

Check out all of Ferguson’s brand new artwork below!

The post Studiocanal Has Restored Four John Carpenter Classics in 4K for Theatrical and Home Video Release! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Movies allow us to flirt with the darkness without going overboard with experimentation. In its own special way, film is a portal into other universes, a crystal ball that projects alternate dimensions and sinful scenarios that we might normally never tip a pinkie toe into, and yet, here it is, so easy to access and stimulating to see. That’s why demonic movies can be so much fun to watch, and that’s why, on the heels of the holiest of days, this writer is delivering unto thou a list of the very best satanic movies to watch.

THE DEVIL RIDES OUT (1968)

It’s always a pleasure seeing Christopher Lee barking out orders about how to avoid the devil, showing the amateurs how to cast our spirits with a slight, annoyed wave of his hand, and The Devil Rides Out is no exception. In the film, Lee, a.k.a. Nicholas, attempts to save the lives of Simon and his friend Tanith, lest they be stolen by a local satanic group and used to serve the devil. Together, Nicholas and his old friend Rex Van Ryn try to protect their friends from the satan worshippers, who seek to baptize the youngsters in a ritual to sell their souls. Terence Fisher’s 1968 masterpiece is a gorgeous picture, filled to the brim with fascinating depictions of the dark arts, all culminating in a showdown between good and evil where no one is safe and everyone is susceptible to the power of Satan.

THE SENTINEL (1977)

Michael’s been begging Alison to move in with him for what seems like forever, but Alison, terrified that she’ll wind up like her mother, is determined to remain independent. That’s why when he asks her to marry him and come live rent-free in his fancy condo, Alison uses what little money she’s made from modeling to rent a cheap Brooklyn apartment and live alone. Although initially proud of her decision, Alison soon finds the real reason that she found a place to live that’s so affordable: it resides over the gates of Hell. Truly unnerving and wickedly atmospheric, The Sentinel is not one to be missed – even if only for the few moments where you get to see young and yet-to-be-famous Jeff Goldblum in a distractingly deep v-neck ensemble.

THE WAILING (2016)

There’s a strange disease going around a small village in South Korea, and it’s causing a myriad of murders. No one knows exactly what’s causing the sickness to spread, but it all seems to lead back to the day that the Japanese stranger entered the premises. He lives up in the mountains, and the trail that leads the way to his home is littered with photos of the deceased and shrines bejeweled with goat heads and gore. Officer Jong-Goo knows he must investigate the situation, for the sake of his family, and his hometown, but little does he know that if he had just stayed away from the odd old man up in the hills, his daughter never would’ve come down with the same sickness that’s been permeating every corner of this little Goksung town, and he never would’ve had to call upon a priest to extract the demons that now plague her tiny soul. If you haven’t seen The Wailing, stop what you’re doing right now and watch it. As if it weren’t hauntingly gorgeous enough on its own, just wait until you see the exorcism scene.

DEATHGASM (2015)

Okay, so technically, if you wanted to get down to brass tacks, this is less a movie about Satan and more a movie about this demon called ‘The Blind One’, but hey, I would use any excuse to put his ridiculously awesome, brutal and bloody film on this list. Written and directed by Jason Lei Howden, Deathgasm is a story about a bored teenage boy named Brodie who stumbles upon – or steals, if you wanna get technical about it – an ancient text which contains old music for some heavy metal jams. Already in a band with his buddies, Brodie and his best friend Zakk decide to learn the riffs and play them loud, an action which inconsequently leads to the end of the world. Unwittingly, the boys summon a primeval being, and inadvertently turn all of their friends and loved ones into ravenous monsters. Now, it’s up to the gang, along with Medina, the babe whom Brodie carries the biggest torch for, to battle the bloodsucking fiends that swarm in from every angle, and find a way to end the apocalypse before it’s too late.

THE DEVILS (1971)

Does it even really count as a Satanic film if Ken Russell didn’t direct it? It’s a question worth asking, especially when there’s such proof of his wicked mastery in a little film called The Devils. The Devils is the realest deal. In it, Father Urbain Grandier (Oliver Reed) is accused of witchcraft by a sexually repressed nun named Sister Jeanne (Vanessa Redgrave), and chaos ensues. One of the earliest films on this list, Ken Russell helped pave the way for the over-the-top taboo films we know today. His blasphemous bravery and unabashed artistic expression permitted other younger filmmakers to come forth and make the movies they wanted to make, without fear of being cast out of the film world forever. In his own way, Russell not only crafted a beautifully shot film, but pushed the envelope just a little bit father in cinema, thereby helping everyone who came after.

THE BELIEVERS (1987)

After his wife dies in a freak accident in Minneapolis, Cal Jamison (Martin Sheen) moves him and his son Chris to New York City where he attains a job as a police psychologist for the New York City Police Department. Finally, Cal feels that his family is safe, but unbeknownst to him, a series of brutal and inexplicable murders are about to begin sweeping through the town, and all of the victims are small children. Suddenly, the last person Cal has left is put in danger, as his little boy becomes the latest target of the cult that’s sacrificing kids in antique brujeria rituals. Will Cal be able to end a practice that’s existed longer than he’s been alive? Only time will tell, as the innocents of the city fall helplessly at his feet, and the power of black magic permeates the very air he breathes.

THE BLACKCOAT’S DAUGHTER (2015)

There’s something looming in the incandescent quiet of the halls of the boarding room at school, and it’s coming for Joan and Kat. It’s making them do evil things, whispering to them in the dark about ill deeds that need doing, and offering putrid penance in exchange for their crimes. The serpent in the garden come to spill secrets and spread knowledge. Soon, Kat has all kinds of new ideas, and begins practicing them on her classmates and her friends. Ideas that leave bloody handprints on the walls and heads in fireplaces. She is but a servant of Satan, sworn to do his bidding, and although reluctant at first, this once shy school girl now happily bends to the will of Beelzebub. Then sadly, the day dawns when the devil has left her soul, and she is alone again, a mere mortal full of sin. How far will she go to get him back again? The directorial debut from Osgood Perkins (son of Anthony Perkins), The Blackcoat’s Daughter is eerily whimsical. Taut, intense, and superbly acted by Kiernan Shipka, this little indie gem is an all-timer satanic flick.

JOHN CARPENTER’S PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1987)

John Carpenter doesn’t usually come to mind when thinking about satanic films, but the master of horror actually danced with the devil back in the late eighties under the façade of a sci-fi thriller, when he wrangled up a gang of puffy-haired youngsters and trapped them in a church with an experiment gone wrong. It’s actually quite brilliant because it’s so different from every satanic movie that came before it, and honestly, after it as well. People typically go for an angle a la The Exorcist, but Carpenter was never really one to blend in with the crowd. That’s why when it came time for the man to show his version of ‘Ol Scratch, Carpenter went with scientists typing on computer, collecting data, and ultimately accidentally morphing one of their own into the son of Satan, who then tries to bring his dad into the land of man. It’s such an unusual approach, and yet, it works so well. The tension is so heightened throughout the entire picture, and the final scene is one of the most intense and upsetting finales in all of his work. If you’ve never seen it, or it’s been a while, go watch John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness, and praise the Unholy Prince by way of the man who gave us The Thing.

THE MEPHISTO WALTZ (1971)

When the scathing reviews of his latest performance unmercifully begin to roll in, Myles Clarkson knows once and for all that his career as a pianist is over. Trying his best to cope and live his life, Clarkson befriends an older, much more famous player named Duncan Mowbray Ely. Soon after their friendship begins, Ely’s life ends, but as this old Satanist has been planning for quite some time, when his death occurs, his soul switches into Clarkson’s body, an act so sly that not even his wife notices. Suddenly, Clarkson is a star, his hands fly as though of their own accord on the piano, and he brings weeping audiences to their feet, night after night, just like he’s always dreamed. But how long can this spell last until someone sees the devil in the room?

THE DEVIL’S RAIN (1975)

Young William Shatner shirtless, bearing a carved pentagram in his chest, Ernest Borgnine as the High Priest of the Church of Satan, queen Ida Lupino in a devil-worshipping flick – honestly, what more could you want from a movie? The Devil’s Rain has it all. Directed by Robert Fuest, this story tells the tale of a Satanic cult leader who’s burned at the stake, but casts a spell that allows him to return hundreds of years later to wreak vengeance upon the descendants of those who did him dirty. Oh, did I mention that when people sell their souls to Satan and join the cult, their eyes melt out of their heads? Why are you still reading this? Go watch The Devil’s Rain.

The post All Hail These 10 Satanic Movies! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Scream Factory announced today that due to the success of those three releases, Assault on Precinct 13 and Prince of Darkness will next be getting Steelbook Blu-rays!

Only 10,000 of each will be produced, set for release on March 27, 2018.

The company notes:

• The artwork you see pictured on both come to us from by artist Nathanael Marsh (who also conceived the designs for the last steelbook round). If you order directly from our site, your packaging will also include a 28.5” x 16.5” rolled lithograph of the illustrations. The litho will not be available through any other retailer and only 1,000 of them are being made.
• Steelbooks will be shrinkwrapped. The Blu-rays included inside will have the same content (but with different disc label art) that is currently available in their respective Collector Edition releases.
• To our overseas fans, we regret to inform that we only have US & Canadian territory rights for these films so will be unable to ship internationally from our site unfortunately.

Check out the new art for both below and head over to Scream Factory’s website to pre-order Assault on Precinct 13 and Prince of Darkness and get them 2 weeks early!

The post More John Carpenter Films Getting Scream Factory Steelbook Blu-rays! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“Prince of Darkness was a movie that was inspired by a Dario Argento movie called Inferno,” Carpenter told CoS. “I loved Inferno, but the thing that was inspiring to me was it was just so free. Narratively, it didn’t make a whole lot of sense, but that didn’t matter. The movie was so profound. I thought, Well shit, I want to do something like this. So that’s what my inspiration really came from.”

After self-reflecting for a moment, Carpenter joked: “I haven’t ever told Dario that. I should tell him.”

Argento’s Inferno came out in 1980 and followed an American college student in Rome and his sister in New York who investigate a series of killings in both locations where their resident addresses are the domain of two covens of witches.

Both Inferno and Prince of Darkness are must-see Halloween films. Pair them with any of the aforementioned psychological horrors mentioned above and you’ll have all the tricks and treats you can handle.

The post John Carpenter’s ‘Prince of Darkness’ Was Inspired by Dario Argento’s ‘Inferno’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The Stepfather

The major component missing from the 2009 remake was the key that made the 1987 film so chilling; Terry O’Quinn as the titular character. Not only did O’Quinn’s performance earn critical accolades and award nominations, but it gave lead actress Jill Schoelen nightmares for a week after filming the final act. Based on the true story of John List, the dark subject matter snowballs into pure nightmare fuel with O’Quinn’s creepy take on the character.  So creepy, that you won’t even notice there’s not much gore. The Stepfather first scared audiences 30 years ago in theaters, on January 23^rd.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

Released in theaters on February 27, this seminal sequel remains one of the best sequels today.  The film was the highest grossing film for the studio that year, and 24^th highest grossing film of 1987.  Not too shabby.  Its 30^th anniversary just passed, and in commemoration, Trace nailed exactly why this sequel is so great.

Angel Heart

Do noir films get any darker than Satan?  Writer/director Alan Parker explores the noir detective film by way of Satanic occult, keeping the horror scares to a minimum while focusing on the creepy journey of Harry Angel, played by Mickey Rourke. It’s an effective tactic that builds to a twist that would make M. Night Shyamalan proud. Atmospheric, well-acted, and full of graphic violence. Robert DeNiro is prone to overacting in his role as Louis Cyphre, though the scene that sees him eating a hard-boiled egg may change the way you think about them forever.  This occult detective horror film is now 30 years old as of March 6.

Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn

A sequel so iconic that it’s been known to replace memories of the original film, at least in terms of tone. Increasing the special effects and injecting slapstick gore makes for the rare sequel that arguably surpasses its predecessor.  Even hard to please critic Roger Ebert gave this sequel a favorable review, largely due to the satire. March 13 marks the date that changed how we saw Ashley J. Williams forever. Audiences still can’t get enough; merchandise is still in hot demand. Even a board game based on the movie is currently available for pre-order. I totally want it, too.

Creepshow 2

Written by George A. Romero, this anthology sequel isn’t nearly as beloved as its predecessor, but it’s still a worthy sequel nonetheless. With Tom Savini playing The Creep in the wraparound, the number of Stephen King based segments dropped from five to three due to budgetary constraints.  Old Chief Wood’nhead and The Hitch-Hiker have their detractors, but The Raft proves strong enough to hold up the film on its own.  The gruesome deaths by the lake blob makes this sequel long-lasting in memory, even 30 years later as of May 1^st.

The Gate

This PG-13 horror film still holds up as one of the best horror films geared toward a younger audience; serving as a perfect gateway for those looking to introduce their children to the genre. Starring Stephen Dorff in his first film role ever, the plot sees two 12-year old boys battling miniature demons that have emerged from a hole in the backyard. It’s a fun concept lead by very likeable child actors, but the real star of the film is the fantastic special FX. Play your metal records backwards in commemoration of this film’s anniversary on May 15^th.

The Predator

The highest grossing genre film of the year belonged to an Arnold Schwarzenegger starring sci-fi action flick that saw his character facing off against an elite hunter with a moral code from outer space. Upon initial theatrical release on June 12^th, critics weren’t so kind though they’ve long since changed their tune. Spawning sequels, crossover films, comics, novels, and games, perhaps it’s only fitting that the franchise is about to come full circle just over thirty years later.  Shane Black, who portrayed the geeky Hawkins in the original, is set to release a sequel that he wrote and directed next year. Whether good or bad, it won’t matter; we’ll always have the original, quotable lines, vicious kills, and all.

Blood Diner

This wacky horror comedy is full of camp and heart, following a plot that sees two brothers collecting body parts to resurrect ancient goddess Shitaar. I should probably mention that these two brothers are screwballs and rely on the guidance of their smarter uncle, a talking brain in a jar.  Originally conceived as a sequel to Herschell Gordon Lewis’ Blood Feast, it was revamped as a standalone B-horror prior to production. Jackie Kong’s movie is so over the top is humor and gore that it’s hard not to love, and Shitaar’s revival doesn’t disappoint. Given a limited theatrical release on July 10^th, count yourself lucky if you caught this one on the big screen.

The Lost Boys

Released in the thick of summer on July 31^st, this horror comedy shifted the perception of what a vampire movie could be. In short; fun. The original screenplay was conceived more as a Goonies type of vampire movie featuring cub scouts, but we can thank Joel Schumacher for refusing to sign on unless he could change the characters to teenagers. It worked.  The group of vampires lead by Kiefer Sutherland’s David may not have been scary, but boy were they cool.  The success of this film rests largely on the talented cast, right down to the saxophone guy.

The Monster Squad

Stan Winston creature effects, a classic monsters team up, the discovery that The Wolfman’s gots nards, and kids who love monsters, what’s not to love? I’ve long outgrown the demographic this horror-comedy is aimed toward, and I still want membership to the club.  Upon the film’s August 14th release, initial success was lacking. But, like most genre films, it found a huge following on home video. Rewatch for Jonathan Gries take on The Wolfman that feels in line with Universal’s original, and Tom Noonan’s performance as Frankenstein’s monster will break your heart. Bogus!

From a Whisper to a Scream

Also known as The Offspring, this horror anthology marked the last horror film role for Vincent Price. Well, unless you could screwball horror-comedy Dead Heat. Price plays a town historian who relays tales of horror to a visiting reporter. It’s a deliberately paced anthology comprised of four segments all spanning various time periods within the same town.  Price also reportedly hated the film, and perhaps its depraved subject matter is to blame.  Necrophilia, mutant babies, gory FX, and more keeps this anthology worth revisiting.   Its 30^th anniversary coincides with its September 4^th theatrical release.

The Curse

Directed by actor David Keith, this joint Italian/American production adapted H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Colour Out of Space”. Produced by Ovidio G. Assonitis (Beyond the Door) and Lucio Fulci (The Beyond), the film centers around young Wil Wheaton’s character, and also stars his real life sister Amy in one of her only acting credits.  While the acting is terrible, and the plot is full of inconsistencies, there’s a lot of gross out effects once the meteorite crash lands on the farm.  Mutated farm folk, puss-filled chicken eye sockets, and liquefying corpses almost makes up for the cheesy acting.  Originally released in theaters on September 11 under the title The Farm, it was changed to its current, more memorable title upon home video release.

Hellraiser

Based on Clive Barker’s novella “The Hellbound Heart”, the studios felt that title was more appropriate for a romance than a horror film. So Barker offered to name the film “Sadomasochists from Beyond the Grave.” Luckily, the title didn’t stick, though it did give indication of the trouble Barker would have with MPAA censorship prior to its September 18^th theatrical release. The rest, though, is horror history. Iconic Cenobites, hellish puzzle boxes, and a long-running franchise that’s threatened to reboot for years has made the last 30 years fly by for this favorite.

Near Dark

The recent loss of Bill Paxton is devastating, but perhaps the silver lining is that this underrated flick will find a larger audience.  Not the first beloved vampire film released this year, but the first to forego a light-hearted sense of humor for a more visceral approach. Katheryn Bigelow’s take on a vampire story went straight for the jugular. While there are numerous great performances, Bill Paxton once again steals the show. As John Squires rightly pointed out, Bill Paxton’s character introduction is the stuff of legend.  Though it turns 30 on October 2, this one is worth celebrating now.

Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night 2

Originally written and filmed as The Haunting of Hamilton High, Samuel-Goldwyn Company purchased the film and marketed it instead as a sequel to 1980 slasher Prom Night. It’s a move that likely hurt the film upon its October 16 theatrical release, but personally, it’s what caused me to fall in love with the series for the first time. Written by Ron Oliver, this sort of sequel is a clear love-letter to the genre; each character is named after well-loved genre directors. The vengeful ghost of prom queen Mary Lou Maloney is iconic, and the film is worth revisiting for the weird rocking horse scene alone.

The Hidden

Director Jack Sholder’s sci-fi/horror/action mashup didn’t exactly take the box office by storm when released on October 20^th, but it’s a solid film that earned positive critic reviews and has since gone on to amass a cult following.  The concept sees an alien parasite hiding in human hosts as it commits a violent crime spree across Los Angeles, transferring hosts often when the body wears out.  An alien cop with a personal vendetta must team up with a human detective while in pursuit.  The alien cop, also sporting human skin, is played by Kyle MacLachlan, who clearly translated some of his character quirks to FBI Agent Dale Cooper in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks just two years later. Considering that Twin Peaks is getting a revival series later this year, that makes one more reason to revisit this underrated gem.

Prince of Darkness

Released in theaters on October 23, John Carpenter took on a possession/supernatural horror film the way only John Carpenter can; by infusing the supernatural elements with theoretical physics and atomic theory, complete with the trademark synth soundtrack. When a mysterious cylinder full of green liquid is discovered beneath an old church, a research team and a priest must team up to prevent the coming of the Anti-God.  The fantastic cast is led by Donald Pleasance and Victor Wong, and includes a fun cameo by Alice Cooper as a street Schizo with a penchant for bugs. Look for weird green liquid possessions, Satanic zombies, and a unique mythology wrapped in a metaphysics bow.  Definitely not the Carpenter flick with the most wide stream appeal, but it’s an amazing classic regardless.

What’s your favorite 1987 horror film?

The post 30 Years Later: A 1987 Theatrical Retrospective appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

But there are some that don’t get revisited as often as others. For any filmmaker who has made more than three films, there will always be a black sheep in the family. A film that is not as beloved, is lesser known, or simply never achieved the critical or cult status of their other works.

While we want to recognize the greatest work these pantheon filmmakers have created, it’s sometimes fun and illuminating to look at the black sheep in the family, to see what went wrong, to look at it through the lens of the filmmaker’s otherwise stellar career, and sometimes just to decide if we feel the black sheep status is unjustly applied or understandably forgotten. So who are the first five filmmakers, and what are those black sheep films?

The Filmmaker: Wes Craven

The Body of Work:
A college professor whose career began when he was 33, he didn’t waste any time in creating a huge impact with Last House on the Left, one of the most notorious horror/revenge films of all time. He followed it with The Hills Have Eyes a few years later, and joined the ranks of horror icon history when he created Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street. He revisited his own creation in 1994, helping give birth to meta-horror with New Nightmare, and codified the new subgenre by directing every entry in the successful Scream franchise.

The Black Sheep Nominees:
Because it isn’t a horror film, we shouldn’t include Music of the Heart, a drama starring Meryl Streep as an inner-city violin teacher. The same goes for his early-era porn film, The Fireworks Woman (yes, that’s real). There is no lack of opinions from Craven fans about certain films like Swamp Thing, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Shocker, Deadly Friend, and Vampire in Brooklyn; they’re not forgotten films as much as third rails of the Craven filmography that might kill you if you step on them in the wrong company. Deadly Blessing and The People Under the Stairs have earned legitimate cult status to varying degrees, so what does that leave?

Maybe his black sheep is in his television work. Chiller, Stranger in Our House, Invitation to Hell, and Night Visions are all films Craven made for television in the years between Last House on the Left and returning for New Nightmare. But they’re early films that had spotty home releases, often in quickie discs that plastered his more famous horror titles across the top in an effort to peddle the films to unsuspecting viewers. If rarity and weirdness were the only criteria for a TV black sheep, we might as well nominate the “Casebusters” episode of Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. No, the true black sheep of Craven’s family is…

The Black Sheep Winner:
…My Soul to Take.

A film that isn’t truly terrible enough to gain laughable cult status, and nowhere near good enough to stand as a strong example of his work, the 2010 film had a lot going against it. A post-conversion to 3-D to cash in on a fad, poor box office performance, worse reviews; even things that had been boons in Craven’s other films, like a cast of up-and-coming teen actors, a central whodunit mystery, and a sprinkling of Catholic themes and imagery, were largely uninspired and fell flat.

The Verdict:
Understandably Forgotten.

The Filmmaker: John Carpenter

The Body of Work:

Do I need to waste your time with this? He redefined indie horror success with Halloween, reinvented a classic terror with The Thing, turned weather into a villain with The Fog, amalgamated Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft with In the Mouth of Madness, and made us afraid of nice cars, vats of green goo, and sunglasses (Christine, Prince of Darkness, and They Live, respectively).

The Black Sheep Nominees:
Because John Carpenter is such a singular filmmaker, his movies tend to run hit and miss, but even the misses have their loyal supporters. Body Bags is a guilty pleasure for many (possibly because of his fun on-screen performance); Someone’s Watching Me is a surprisingly assured early TV film, though it is missing Carpenter’s signature score; and Vampires is a mediocre film elevated by a couple of unbelievably committed performances.

There is certainly an argument to be made for The Ward as deserving of the Black Sheep award. The only reason it escapes that designation is because it is (as of this writing) the last feature film that John Carpenter has made. We all fear it is possible that it will be the last film he makes, if the number of cigarettes Carpenter lights during every commentary track is any accurate measure of how long he will remain with us; and like Jimmy Stewart’s career ending with an uninspired voice-over in An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, we live in fear of it being the anticlimactic end to a fantastic run. No, the film that takes the award is…

The Black Sheep Winner:
…Village of the Damned.

If rumors are to be believed, it was a film John Carpenter didn’t even particularly want to make. Legend goes that he directed the remake of the intellectual property in order to get a crack at one that he liked even more: The Day the Earth Stood Still. When Village of the Damned did poorly at the box office, the film he really wanted to make magically never materialized.

The lackluster performances from Christopher Reeve and Kirstie Alley matched Carpenter’s general level of disinterest, and although a few of the child performances show promise, the tension in the film’s pacing and plot dry up a few minutes after the intriguing opening premise. Add to that a nomination for Worst Remake at the Golden Raspberrry Awards and the fact that 1995 was the last year for Christopher Reeve before an accident confined him to a wheelchair, and it’s understandable why this film has been allowed to vanish quietly.

The Verdict:
Understandably Forgotten.

The Filmmaker: George A. Romero

The Body of Work:
Just add your choice of words to the beginning of the phrase “of the Dead.” Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead, and Survival of the Dead. He may have made some films about things that were living, too.

Oh, and Creepshow. A high-water mark in anthology horror and a loving tribute to the morbid comics everyone’s parents blamed for their disturbed children.

The Black Sheep Nominees:
This is a difficult list to create. Aside from certain entries in the Dead series, many horror fans consider movies like Martin and Monkey Shines some of his most interesting and accomplished work, thanks to committed performances and offbeat stories not found in mainstream horror fare.

Two Evil Eyes is nowhere near the brilliant anthology film that Creepshow was, but it dodges Black Sheep status because Romero and Argento working together on a film is valuable for sheer curiosity. Knightriders and There’s Always Vanilla escape judgement because they’re not horror films, and Season of the Witch (or Hungry Wives or Jack’s Wife) was so ahead of its time thematically that I believe its most appreciative audience is actually still finding it. No, Romero’s Black Sheep award goes to…

The Black Sheep Winner:
…Bruiser.

What an unusual film. A frumpy nothing of a man who is marginalized at his job, humiliated by his wife, and is spending a lot of time fantasizing about suicide and worse. After being unable to paint a blank white mask to express himself, he wakes up the next morning to find the mask now covering his own face. He is erased, unreal, nothing. And with that comes the luxury of casting of societal norms. Watch out world, Henry Creedlow is pissed off.

Weird, uneven, and overly symbolic… but still, there’s something scrappy about this obtuse and completely uncommercial film. With an interesting lead character portrayed by “That Guy” Jason Flemyng, and over-the-top performance from Peter Stormare (including a cameo from his penis), and an appearance from punk band The Misfits, I understand why people have forgotten it, but… I just can’t.

The Verdict:
Unjustly Applied.

The Filmmaker: David Cronenberg

The Body of Work:
‘Body’ is the right word to describe his work. Since he started altering physiology back in Shivers, Cronenberg has made a critically well-received and moderately profitable career off of the slow changing of the human body: Rabid, The Brood, The Fly. Even his more popular and less horror-driven films, like Eastern Promises and the play adaptation M. Butterfly, deal with the rigorous physical changes that his protagonists put themselves through.

The Black Sheep Nominees:
Because he came out of the gate so strongly in the horror arena, there are few misses in his work. Sure, we have some questions about why Cronenberg made a 1979 car racing exploitation film called Fast Company, but it’s not horror, so we let it go.

Somehow, the less commercial Cronenberg’s films are, the more cult famous they seem to be. Videodrome, Naked Lunch, and Crash are extremely weird and idiosyncratic, and they have garnered him some of his most die-hard fans. His emotionally reserved and coldly calculating films like Dead Ringers and The Dead Zone have found crossover love from even non-horror fans due to their performances and meticulous direction. In this case, the award for David Cronenberg’s most under-remembered film is…

The Black Sheep Winner:
…Spider.

And frankly, it makes no sense. Unlike Eastern Promises and A History of Violence, Spider was somehow not nominated for an Academy Award for Ralph Fiennes’ stunning, complex performance as a mentally ill man trying to slowly work his way back into society. This film almost didn’t make the list because it barely registers as a horror film, but some of the subject matter, the frankness of content, and the truly disturbing nature of the story allow for a certain leeway (not to mention that the film is fantastic and criminally underrated).

The Verdict:
Unjustly Applied.

The Filmmaker: Tobe Hooper

The Body of Work:
The most unusual of the filmmakers on the list, Tobe Hooper exploded out of the gate with his first feature film, the notorious and surprisingly beautiful artsploitation film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. His subsequent output was a varied as it was interesting: a TV adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot; a darkly comedic sequel in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2; the box-office super-success Poltergeist that was (rumored to be) mostly directed by Hooper’s producer, Steven Spielberg; and the “definitely directed by Hooper” one-two punch of Lifeforce and Invaders from Mars.

The Black Sheep Nominees:
The rest of Hooper’s career is a mixed bag that is equal parts candy, nails, hot air, and sawdust. He worked with Robert Englund twice in a row with Night Terrors and The Mangler, which is enough to keep them from relative obscurity. His most recent feature, Djinn, is a mildly interesting story that has a very interesting premise; the same can be said for his remake of Toolbox Murders, where he injected a supernatural thread that livened up the proceedings. He even directed one segment of the aforementioned Body Bags, which is possibly the best sequence in the film.

The Black Sheep could be the 2005 film Mortuary, or the 1990 Spontaneous Combustion, both of which barely reached my radar when they were released initially and haven’t done anything to work themselves back into my thoughts since. But the last mention in this article should be a high note, so let’s end with a Black Sheep award for Tobe Hooper’s work on…

The Black Sheep Winner:
…Eaten Alive.

So much of what worked in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre returned in this film because so many of the people who made it returned for this one. Wayne Bell was back to create weird sounds that were sort of a musical score; Marilyn Burns was back on the screen, and Kim Henkel helped commit more disturbing words and actions to paper.

The film isn’t quite as beautiful as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre due to the absence of cinematographer Daniel Pearl (who went on to win many awards in the world of music videos), but the sleazy grindhouse charm is still present and accounted for.  Add to that the first pairing of Hooper with Robert Englund and an appearance from a young lady who would grow into one of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and we have a film with multiple reasons to be remembered that doesn’t get remembered enough.

The Verdict:
Unjustly Applied.

The post The Outliers: Horror’s Greatest Directors and Their Black Sheep Films, Volume One appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

*Obviously no one has to rank them, but I wanted to.

Related Post: Ranking All 26 of Wes Craven’s Films!

24. Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)

Good Lord, what happened here? A lot, apparently. It’s no wonder Carpenter opted to leave his name off of the film’s title (the film is just called Memoirs of an Invisible Man as opposed to John Carpenter’s Memoirs of an Invisible Man). The special effects are spectacular, but the rest of the film is an incoherent bore. The behind-the-scenes drama (original director Ivan Reitman clashed with actor Chevy Chase over the tone of the film, leading to Reitman departing the project and Carpenter being brought in) shows on screen, with everyone in front of and behind the camera seemingly devoid of passion. It lacks a memorable score and has no emotional core (the romance between Chase and Hannah has its moments, but doesn’t ring true). It would be something if the film was bad and entertaining, but it’s not, which brings me to the next film on this list.

Grade: D-

23. Ghosts of Mars (2001)

I’ve already established that Ghosts of Mars is not a good movie, but it’s so laughably bad that you can’t help but at least be entertained by it. Originally planned to be the third Escape From…… film (aptly titled Escape From Mars), Carpenter changed the film to Ghosts of Mars at the request of the studio when Escape From L.A. failed to make a desirable amount of money at the box office. The dialogue is laughable, the flashbacks within flashbacks within flashbacks are silly and the sets look like they belong in a high school theater production. It’s not a total loss though. Carpenter’s collaboration with Anthrax for the film’s heavy metal score is a new and inspired direction for the director/composer.

Grade: D

22. Escape From L.A. (1996)

Carpenter’s long-in-development sequel the his critically acclaimed Escape From New York was a complete shift in tone from its predecessor. Essentially a remake of that film, Escape From L.A. is campy, mindless fun. It’s also a sloppily edited film that doesn’t work as a satire of the action genre. Russell is the main draw here, and supporting turns from Steve Buscemi, Bruce Campbell and Pam Grier are entertaining distractions, but it’s mind-boggling that a film with a $50 million budget in 1996 can have effects that look this bad (just watch the surfing scene and tell me it’s not bad). Still, the film has its supporters (even Carpenter prefers it to Escape From New York) and remains one of the director’s more passionate efforts.

Grade: C-

21. Dark Star (1974)

Carpenter’s directorial debut Dark Star is not an overtly bad film. It is just very much a student film and it shows. Written by Carpenter and Dan O’Bannon (of Alien fame) while attending the University of Souther California, the kooky sci-fi comedy succeeds in many areas. From an alien shaped like a beach ball (the MVP of the film) to a bomb that keeps trying to deploy without receiving an order to, Dark Star has several laugh-out-loud moments and its low budget effects are part of it’s charm. That charm can’t prevent the film from being far too long and drawn out, even with it’s brief 83-minute runtime. It has a tendency to feel like a short film stretched out to feature length.

Grade: C

20.  The Ward (2010)

I will go on record as saying that Carpenter’s latest offering, 2011’s The Ward, is not that bad. It’s not even a bad film. It’s just a painfully generic one. Kristen (Amber Heard) is sent to a mental institution in 1967 after she burns down a farm house and is stalked by the ghost of a former patient. Carpenter’s direction is competent, if wholly unremarkable, and the cast of leading ladies (which include Danielle Panabaker, Lyndsy Fonseca and Mamie Gummer) all play their parts respectably. Unfortunately, Carpenter’s over-reliance on jump scares and a pedestrian script with a laughable twist (did screenwriters Michael and Shawn Rasmussen even see Identity before writing it?) make it a middling effort from Carpenter. It’s nice to see Carpenter make a film, especially after such a long absence from the industry (it was his first film since 2001’s Ghosts of Mars), but he was going through the motions with The Ward.

Grade: C

19. “The Gas Station” (Body Bags Segment) (1993)

It’s a shame that Body Bags never took off (it was meant to be Showtime’s answer to HBO’s Tales From the Crypt), because it sure is enjoyable. There’s nothing about “The Gas Station” that is terrible, it’s just rather forgettable. A college student takes a job as a gas station attendant the same night that a serial killer escapes from a mental institution and is eventually caught in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse in order to survive the night. “The Gas Station” features enjoyable cameos from Wes Craven and Sam Raimi, and shows Carpenter at his most playful, but there is nothing here that we haven’t seen before.

Grade: C+

18. Village of the Damned (1995)

We all know the story behind Village of the Damned. Carpenter agreed to make it as a contractual obligation to Universal Studios so that he could direct the remake of Creature From the Black Lagoon. That remake never came to fruition, which makes the mediocrity of Village of the Damned even more disappointing. The first half of the film is actually pretty great, with a small town experiencing a mass blackout that leaves several women mysteriously pregnant. After all of them give birth at the same time, the children grow up to be little douchebags with psychic powers. It’s once the children grow up that the film loses its way. You almost wish that the film was about 20 minutes longer so as to give you more time with the little brats, but the last act of the film is rushed. Village of the Damned boasts a fantastic score from Carpenter and several disturbing set pieces (Kirstie Alley’s self-dissection remains a highlight, even if it is far too tame), but you can’t help but feel like Carpenter just wasn’t interested in this one since he was trying to get it out of the way in order to move on to his passion project.

Grade: C+

17. Elvis (1979)

You wouldn’t have expected the Master of Horror to direct a three-hour TV movie about Elvis Presley, but he did. In his first partnership with Kurt Russell, Carpenter delves into the life of Presley from childhood up until the years before his death. You wouldn’t know it was a Carpenter film just from watching it, as many of his trademark filming techniques are not present in it, but Russell’s performance elevates Elvis above its television limitations. Presley fans will probably enjoy this one more than I did though, as I found the three-hour runtime to be a bit excessive.

Grade: B-

16. “Hair” (Body Bags Segment) (1993)

It is said that Carpenter and Body Bags co-director Tobe Hooper fought over which one got to direct “Hair”, and it’s not hard to see why. Arguably the best segment in Body Bags, “Hair” follows Richard Coberts, a balding man (Stacy Keach) as he seeks out an experimental treatment to help him grow his hair back. That treatment does give him hair, but the “hair” turns out to be little alien snakes that feast on his brain. The segment is played almost entirely for camp, and embraces the ridiculousness of its premise (Richard’s wife’s sexual reaction to his new head of hair is appropriately over-the-top). For being a television movie, the effects are impressive. Keach also delivers a wonderfully committed performance as a vain man desperate to look beautiful.

Grade: B-

15. In the Mouth of Madness (1994)

This seems to be one of Carpenter’s more polarizing films. There is a lot to like about Carpenter’s love letter to H.P. Lovecraft, but it’s also incoherently plotted to the point where not even the actors knew what was happening in the film. In the Mouth of Madness tells the tale of insurance investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) as he tries to locate renowned horror novelist (who supposedly outsells Stephen King) Sutter Cane, who has recently disappeared after finishing his new book In the Mouth of Madness. Trent’s investigation leads him to the fictional town of Hobb’s End, which is where many of Cane’s books are set. The film has plenty of sufficiently creepy moments, as well as some spectacular creature design for a film with such a low budget for a studio film ($8 million). Michael De Luca’s script is the weak link in the film. The idea of a writer’s fictional work changing reality is an inspired one, but the script really only works on a surface level, failing to delve deeply enough into the mythology it introduces.

Grade: B-

14. Someone’s Watching Me! (TV Movie) (1978)

Right before he made Halloween, Carpenter made a TV movie (it aired on NBC) that is way better than it has any right to be. With plenty of homages to Hitchcock’s Rear Window, Carpenter crafts a taut, suspenseful thriller with a superb leading lady (Lauren Hutton). After Leigh Michaels (Hutton) moves to Los Angeles to start a career directing live television, she beings receiving disturbing phone calls and packages from a non-existent company called Excursions Unlimited. She eventually learns that a man in the building across the street from her has been keeping a close eye on her, with the sole purpose of killing her. Performances are strong across the board and Carpenter employs several camera tricks (especially during the climax) that put his creativity on full display. And while it’s not really relevant to the quality of the film, it is refreshing to see such a positive representation of a lesbian character in Adrienne Barbeau’s Sophie. To think this aired on network television in 1978 is quite surprising.

Grade: B-

13. Prince of Darkness (1987)

A critical flop upon its initial release, Prince of Darkness has become one of Carpenter’s most loved films among his fans. The plot, about the impending arrival of Satan via a cylinder of green goo, is incredibly dumb. There is a romance shoehorned into the film between Jameson Parker’s and Lisa Blount’s characters which would hold more weight if the two actors had any chemistry, but they don’t. I may sound like I’m bashing the film, but there really is a lot to like about Prince of Darkness. Carpenter takes everything a bit too seriously but he fills the film with plenty of surrealist imagery (hope you like ants) and tons of wonderful makeup effects (especially on Susan Blanchard’s Kelly) that make the film worth watching. Donald Pleasance and Victor Wong ham it up, but they just add to the film’s appeal. Prince of Darkness may not be a masterpiece, but it’s certainly one of Carpenter’s more interesting experiments.

Grade: B-

12. “Cigarette Burns” (Masters of Horror Segment) (2005)

“Cigarette Burns” works as a spiritual sequel to In the Mouth of Madness. In the episode, a man (The Walking Dead‘s Norman Reedus) searches for the last surviving print of a rare film that supposedly drives anyone who sees it insane. It’s a slow burn film with plenty of haunting imagery (that wingless angel is quite affecting), but it has a tendency to get bogged down in protracted dialogue in which characters go on about how dangerous the film is. That being said, the finale is a breathtaking gorefest that works as the perfect capper to the mounting dread has been building for the past hour.

Grade: B-

11. Escape From New York (1981)

Here’s my one really controversial ranking. A few months ago I chastised a commenter on Bloody-Disgusting for not loving Halloween because they has seen many films do the same thing but better. This is of course because that commenter had just seen Halloween after seeing so many of its imitators over the years. It’s a lamentable situation, but after watching Escape From New York for the first time, I now understand how that person feels, so my foot has been firmly planted in my mouth. There have been countless films that ripped off Escape From New York, and I saw many of them before I actually saw Escape From New York. Suffice it to say I was not entirely blown away by it. The premise sees the Manhattan turned into a maximum-security prison surrounded by 50-foot containment walls. When Air Force One crashes onto the island, the government sends criminal Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell, having a ball here) into the prison in order to retrieve the President. The only catch is that he is injected with explosives that will destroy his carotid arteries within 22 hours, so he’s in a bit of a time crunch. This has all the makings of an exciting, suspenseful film. Carpenter’s score is fantastic and the performances (specifically from Russell and Ernest Borgnine as Cabbie) are charismatic, but there was an energy lacking here that is palpable in some of Carpenter’s other films.

Grade: B-

10. Vampires (1998)

Vampires is a movie that would have had a better reception had it come out before From Dusk Till Dawn as opposed to two years after it. After all, once you’ve seen one vampire Western you’ve seen them all, right? I jest, because Vampires is one of Carpenter’s best films. Once again, he seems to be fully invested in the film, despite it being a major studio release (his next effort would be Ghosts of Mars, which would turn him off of directing for another nine years). It is an action packed, incredibly gory romp with its tongue planted firmly in cheek. As with Prince of Darkness, there is a budding romance (this time between Daniel Baldwin and Sheryl Lee) that feels shoehorned into the plot and doesn’t work at all, but every time James Woods is on screen Vampires just works. His charisma livens up the film in its few dead spots.

Grade: B

9. “Pro-Life” (Masters of Horror Segment) (2007)

Ranking Carpenter’s second Masters of Horror entry above the first may inspire riots in the comments, but “Pro-Life” is a fun, ooey-gooey body horror film that features a badass Ron Perlman shooting up a hospital in an attempt to prevent his daughter’s abortion. What’s not to love? Those expecting a comprehensive study of the morality of abortion will no doubt be disappointed with “Pro-Life”, as it deals with the issue on a surface level only. It is a straightforward film without the depth of “Cigarette Burns” but it works as a schlocky B-movie. Carpenter even homages his own work (The Thing) in the climax of the film, which is so bonkers that it has to be seen to be believed.

Grade: B

8. Christine (1983)

Stephen King adaptations were all the rage in the 80s, and it was up to Carpenter to turn an admittedly silly tale about a murderous 1958 Plymouth Fury into an actually scary movie. The film sacrifices Christine’s backstory from the novel (in the novel she is possessed by her previous owner; in the film she is simply evil from the get-go) in order to focus more on Keith Gordon’s character. Your liking of Christine will ultimately hinge on whether or not you find the idea of a killer car scary or not. Christine is not exactly terrifying, but Carpenter does manage to eke out a few suspenseful set pieces with the titular car (the climactic battle in the garage being one of them). His direction is solid, as are the performances. It may not fully overcome it’s ridiculous premise but Carpenter manages to use the theme of teenage angst to the film’s benefit, making for a not-very-scary but still compelling film.

Grade: B

7. The Fog (1980)

Carpenter’s second collaboration with Jamie Lee Curtis and his then-wife Adrienne Barbeau (in her feature film debut) received a lukewarm reception upon its initial release but has since been reappraised as one of his best works. Notable for the extensive amount of re-shoots it had to endure before its release, The Fog works surprisingly well for being a cheesy a ghost story. It is light on gore but features quite a few effective scares and a strong performance from Barbeau. The other characters don’t make much of an impression (Curtis barely registers), but The Fog is at its heart a movie about a mother trying to save her son. This gives the film emotional heft not seen in many horror films at the time. The Fog is really a showcase for Carpenter though, who gives the film one of his best scores and a chilling atmosphere.

Grade: B

6. Starman (1984)

Like Elvis, Starman isn’t a movie you would expect to be directed by horror master John Carpenter, but his touch is all over the thing. Essentially a road trip romance, Starman boasts layered performances from Karen Allen and Jeff Bridges (in an Oscar-nominated role) that elevate its sometime goofy script. It is a sweet film that never feels pretentious, completely sucking you into the unlikely romance that unfolds on screen. It’s one of those movies that you just sort of want to hug. Starman is a rare case in which Carpenter did not handle the music, but don’t let that cloud your judgment. Jack Nitzsche’s score is instantly recognizable and adds necessary emotional depth to the proceedings.

Grade: B+

5. Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

A taut, exciting thriller, Assault on Precinct 13 is an early entry in Carpenter’s filmography that showed the world how wonderful he as at building suspense. While I unfortunately saw the remake first, the original makes me appreciate it in a whole new way (I’m a huge fan of the remake). Carpenter’s synth score is great and his set pieces are wonderful. Austin Stoker makes for a compelling protagonist but the totally badass Laurie Zimmer is the real star of the show here. The first half of the film is a slow buildup filled with character development that leads into the frenetic violence of the second half. Assault on Precinct 13 ranks as one of Carpenter’s best films. It’s riveting stuff.

Grade: B+

4. They Live (1988)

I always avoided watching They Live because I had just assumed it was just a standard “guy’s guy movie.” How naive was I? They Live is a glorious science fiction horror film that works both as a political satire and as pure 1950s-style entertainment. In the film,  a drifter (Roddy Piper) finds magic sunglasses that reveal to him that the elite class is actually a bunch of aliens using subliminal messaging in the media to manipulate humans into obeying the status quo and reproducing. Piper’s limited acting range only makes him more endearing and Keith David (reuniting with Carpenter for the first time since The Thing six years prior) is an excellent foil for him. Meg Foster makes the most of her handful of scenes as well. The social commentary littered throughout the film is more relevant today than it probably was in 1988. Really though, They Live is just a ton of fun. It’s got one of the best fight scenes ever put on film, a witty sense of humor and a taut 94-minute runtime. You can’t go wrong with They Live.

Grade: A-

3. Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Big Trouble in Little China is John Carpenter’s most entertaining film. The special effects extravaganza reunites Carpenter with Kurt Russel once again in a plot that surrounds an evil Chinese emperor (James Hong) kidnap and attempt to sacrifice a green-eyed beauty (Suzee Pai) in order to break a centuries-old curse put on him. It’s a witty and hilarious film that homages and subverts the kung-fu B-movies and classic Westerns that inspired it. Filled with memorable characters (Russell’s Jack Burton and Kim Cattrall’s Gracie Law being the highlights) and an overall sense of fun, Big Trouble in Little China is Carpenter at his best. Shockingly, the film was a flop upon its original release and didn’t find a sizable cult following until it was released on video. The failure of the film caused Carpenter to return to indie-filmmaking, as its reception disillusioned him with Hollywood. It’s a good thing it has been reappraised though, as it’s a film you could watch over and over and never get bored with. There is so much joy in the film that it’s hard to resist. Everyone should watch this movie at least once in their life. Also, I think I’m going to start entering rooms like Gracie Law (Kim Cattrall) from now on.

Grade: A-

2. Halloween (1978)

Is there a slasher film better than Halloween? The answer is no. While it wasn’t the first slasher to exist (Black Christmas did many of the same things just as well as Halloween, but it didn’t have the same commercial reach), Halloween is a masterpiece. It set the standard for all slasher films that came after it. Dozens of films would go on to imitate it (looking at you, Friday the 13th). There are still films that try to replicate Halloween‘s success today. The beauty of the film lies in its simplicity. This is a story about an escaped mental patient that stalks babysitters. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s a masterclass in suspense that sees Carpenter at the top of his game. It could be argued that he would never make a horror film as terrifying as Halloween ever again (more on that in a bit). From the shots of Michael Myers standing in the background to his gradual appearance behind Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), Halloween is filled with clever tricks that enhance the sheer terror it creates. One can’t mention Halloween without discussing Carpenter’s score. A few straightforward piano keys and an iconic and terrifying theme was born. Halloween is one of the greatest films ever made, horror or otherwise.

Grade: A

1. The Thing (1982)

This one was a tough call to make. The slasher sub-genre is my personal favorite, and Halloween is a masterpiece, but The Thing is simply perfect. Like so many films in Carpenter’s oeuvre, it received a chilly reception upon its initial release but has since been reappraised as one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time. The whole film is an exercise in mounting dread, and Carpenter pulls it off with aplomb (the blood test scene is discussed frequently, and for good reason). All of the pieces of the film come together seamlessly. The Thing has it all: Ennio Morricone’s haunting score, Dean Cundey’s gorgeous cinematography, Rob Bottin’s outstanding creature effects (the aforementioned blood test scene, the defibrillator scene, the dog scene, and so much more), and committed performances from every actor. Carpenter has never been better than he was here. The Thing rightfully earns its place at the top of this list.

Grade: A

How would you rank all of John Carpenter’s films (if you’ve seen them all)? Do you hate my placement of Escape From New York? Is Vampires ranked too high? Should Halloween and The Thing be switched? Let me know in the comments below or shoot me a Tweet!

The post A Definitive Ranking of John Carpenter’s Films! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Related: John Carpenter’s ‘Lost Themes II’ is a Delight (Review)

For me, this was a special event because Carpenter’s music and his films have long been a part of my life. This was an opportunity to see the man himself performing, in a strange sense, his autobiography. I and the audience were witness not only to the legendary director sharing his themes with us, we were also there to celebrate his own incredible journey.

The event I went to was essentially a two-parter. First, there was a screening of Escape From New York and then the concert followed shortly thereafter.

I entered the screening thinking that this was going to be just like most theater experiences. People are quiet, they watch the movie, it ends, that’s it. But I was completely wrong.

Acting like this was a showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show or The Room, the audience was wildly and excitedly involved throughout the film. There were constant hisses piercing the air when Snake Plissken was introduced and again when his stomach tattoo first made its appearance. Jeers and laughs punctuated the film as it became abundantly clear that this audience was wholly engaged and delightfully upbeat. This wasn’t just a concert, it was a gathering of likeminded individuals who were there to share in their love of Carpenter and I felt at home amongst “my people”.

As the movie’s runtime dwindled, the joy and excitement became more and more palpable as the promise of Carpenter taking the stage drew ever closer. After a short intermission, the lights in the hall shut off and a thunderous roar burst from the lungs of every attendee.

Carpenter and crew took the stage, their steps light as they almost bounced to their stations. They then opened the concert with the main theme from Escape From New York. Even though we had just seen the movie, that didn’t stop anyone from enjoying the performance. In fact, I’d hazard a guess that it only elevated our appreciation as memories of Snake kicking ass were fresh in our minds.

What followed was a night of hearing some of Carpenter’s most recognized and esteemed themes, including Halloween, Big Trouble in Little China, Assault on Precinct 13, In the Mouth of Madness, and many more. When they played the theme from The Thing, Carpenter addressed the crowd and made it 100% clear that it was originally composed by Ennio Morricone. It was a wonderful moment, one where he showed his humbleness and appreciation. He could’ve simply played the track and left it at that. Instead, he paid his respects, which only increased mine for him.

Each theme was accompanied by montage of scenes from the respective film shown on a large screen behind the band. When the band played original tracks from Lost Themes and Lost Themes II, no video was shown. Instead, the stage would find itself illuminated in stunning colors, like something out of a giallo film.

What perhaps brought the biggest smile to my face wasn’t the various themes or seeing the original tracks performed. It was seeing Carpenter obviously enjoy himself enormously. He moved and sashayed next to his keyboard, clearly loving every moment. Sure, he danced like an old man but the fact that he still derives such pleasure is in and of itself a marvel and I found myself thinking how lucky I was to partake in seeing this.

Seeing John Carpenter live is a celebration of a career that spans nearly 40 years. It is a chance to recognize the brilliance of one of horror’s most esteemed and beloved figures. This was an evening that I will never forget and an event that I hope will return one day so that I can experience it again.

Set List:
Escape From New York: Main Title
Assault on Precinct 13: Main Title
“Vortex”
“Mystery”
The Fog: Main Title Theme
They Live: Coming To L.A.
The Thing: Main Theme – Desolation (Ennio Morricone cover)
“Distant Dream”
Big Trouble in Little China: Pork Chop Express
“Wraith”
“Night”
Halloween Theme – Main Title
In the Mouth of Madness: In The Mouth Of Madness

Encore:
Prince of Darkness: Darkness Begins
“Virtual Survivor”
“Purgatory”
Christine: Christine Attacks (Plymouth Fury)

The post An Evening with a Master: John Carpenter Live in Detroit appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“What are you kids doing with all of this?”
“Monster hunting.”

The Duffer Brothers’ gripping science fiction/horror hybrid on Netflix, Stranger Things, is quickly proving itself to be one of the most compelling television series of 2016, even if it feels like something that’s been seamlessly ripped from the 1980s. Stranger Things chronicles the increasingly bizarre circumstances surrounding a small town in Indiana, but it’s the series willingness to turn into a love letter to ‘80s filmmaking that truly elevates this material to a higher level. While Stranger Things is mandatory viewing for those that are a fan of the ‘80s or otherwise, it also helps bring focus to the larger discussion of why this decade is so special in the first place by examining how the series chooses to implement its specific influences.

The phenomenon of when the ordinary meets the extraordinary is something that the Duffer Brothers show deep fascination with. This effect from watching the mundane mix with the inexplicable results in a glorious feeling of wonder that not only largely defines ‘80s horror, but also Stranger Things itself. The show’s major influences, Stephen King, John Carpenter, and Steven Spielberg also help prove how this series is emblematic of the ‘80s.

Obviously these elements of wonder and the normal meeting the paranormal are present in horror from other decades too, but it’s definitely a characterizing trait of the ‘80s and merely a supporting player elsewhere. ‘90s horror is a deeply cynical beast for instance, with a direction that becomes increasingly meta (Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Craft). ‘80s horror is simpler and purer than that. ’70s horror fare is also a violent breed that’s full of serial killers (Halloween, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Black Christmas), whereas ‘80s horror is dealing more with monsters or terror-next-door threats rather than unknown men in masks. When digging into the parameters of these other decades, you begin to realize just how rare it is that a horror series has an authentic ‘80s influence. It’s something I can barely remember happening before and it causes Stranger Things to come as a breath of fresh thirty-year old air.

Something smart that Stranger Things does right up from the start is that it actually takes place in 1983, so it’s very much steeped in Dungeons & Dragons and comics references from the very world that it’s paying homage (The AV Club saying that the ESP-friendly Eleven is “basically a wizard” is one of many wonderful moments). On top of that, the predominant inspirations that the series pulls from are some of the ‘80s most iconic voices. Stephen King is still a powerhouse of a force even now, but the ‘80s saw the exciting beginning of his career with works like Christine, Firestarter, and Pet Cemetery getting people’s attention. It is a formative book in King’s career from the time period and it’s hard to watch the plucky AV club in their search for Will without thinking of the children in Derry and their camaraderie.

The real connection point feels like King’s Christine, which beautifully melds the ordinary with the extraordinary in the form of a car taking on homicidal tendencies (in this respect, Cujo also qualifies to some degree, too). The “car” for Stranger Things is its Christmas lights, which turn into a vital communication tool for the McBoyd’s missing child. The same reverent awe is placed in both of these everyday objects and the fact that Carpenter also made a film out of it in the ‘80s doubly speaks to its odd importance.

The sensibilities of It and Christine might be the most pertinent of King’s present in Stranger Things, but works from the time period like The Mist, which is present in Skeleton Crew (which also contains Word Processor of the Gods and Uncle Otto’s Truck, both prime examples of imbuing the normal with special properties), are also felt. Stranger Things opens the big can of worms that is alternate dimensions, something that’s crucial to The Mist. The reasons for the rift existing in this show are also largely the same as in King’s short story. The name that the kids colloquially give this alternate dimension, “The Upside Down,” also feels like it’s a term pulled right out of the works of Stephen King or Steven Spielberg. The series even chooses to present itself like a pulpy, yellowed paperback, complete with chapter titles instead of episode names, further capturing the atmosphere of King’s work and novels in general.

King’s works are given proper tribute, but the influence of John Carpenter in the show is another strong indicator of how much this vehicle is a creature of the ‘80s. A huge characterizing trait of this series is its heavy use of a synth score that’s deeply reminiscent of Carpenter’s aesthetic. It establishes the tone almost immediately. Of course another overbearing presence from Carpenter’s oeuvre is The Thing, which sees representation here in the form of the monsters out of “The Upside Down.” The series goes the practical route as much as possible with these otherworldly elements and it makes all the difference in terms of placing you within an era. There’s even a gratuitous shot that lingers on a poster for The Thing in Michael’s bedroom, and then later someone is full-out watching it and explaining how the practical effects for it are done. You know, just in case you missed the clear love letter going on here.

The Fog is another seminal work from Carpenter’s career in the ’80s, with it also being a reflection of the normal meeting the paranormal. Fog is just as innocuous as Christmas lights until it isn’t. Stranger Things also uses its teenage characters to fulfill many of the Carpenter archetypes, wisely using this demographic as a reflection of the victims in his films. Even Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness explores alternate dimensions and monsters from another world, so again all these ‘80s staples are seeing service here.

Lastly, the greatest ‘80s influence of all in the show might be its flawless job at replicating Spielberg’s work from the decade. One of Spielberg’s strongest skills is his ability to pull tremendous performances out of young, budding actors. That same feeling of awe of stumbling upon raw talent is present here as the performances and bond between Michael, Lucas, and Desmond are sublime. The secret, forbidden friendship that these children adopt with Eleven is not unlike Elliot’s connection with E.T., too. There’s also a moment in the series’ seventh episode where a car gets telepathically thrown while the kids are riding their bikes that straight up feels like our modern equivalent of the E.T. “moon bike” sequence. It’s beautiful, powerful, evocative stuff.

And while only a Spielberg-produced vehicle, there’s an overwhelming feeling of The Goonies present as these children embark on a larger than life quest that puts them in very real danger. Just like how the teenage characters tap into the Carpenter aesthetic of the ‘80s, and the adults more closely represent Stephen King’s attitude, the children act as the Spielberg proxy, which ends up becoming the predominant voice in this ménage a trois of muses. To continue to beat upon a reliable drum here, the ordinary meeting the extraordinary is also something that characterizes Spielberg’s work in the ‘80s. Poltergeist’s iconic visual, and one of its most effective scares, is achieved simply through television static. It’s hard to watch Christmas lights with knotted dread and not be reminded of Poltergeist’s eerie set piece.

Even beyond the works of these integral directors, Stranger Things pays respect to other fixtures of the ’80s like Hellraiser, From Beyond, and Re-Animator as the parallel dimension territory is dug into further. As all of this coalesces you’re left with an overwhelming product that screams, cries, and bleeds the ’80s.

As further steam for Stranger Things continues to pick up and you hear more conversations going on about it, remember that the special it factor here is that the series is doing its best impression of a different decade. So many series swing for the supernatural, but so few take such a strong lesson from the masters that came before them. We can only hope that there will be more seasons so we we’ll be able to live in the ‘80s forever.

The post How “Stranger Things” Shows What’s So Special About ’80s Horror appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

As I watched clips from his various films, I found myself reminiscing on my thoughts and feelings of each title. From moments of sheer terror to immersive worlds and fantastic music, Carpenter truly is deserving of his nickname “The Horror Master”.

So, to honor him I thought it would be fun to do a ranked list of what you, the readers, feel to be your favorite film of his.

To make this happen, I’ve created the below list where you can both upvote and downvote films based on your own opinion. As the numbers climb, we’ll see which movies rise in the ranks and which ones are left behind.

Alright folk, get down there and get to voting!

The post What’s Your Favorite John Carpenter Movie? appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

It’s always exciting when one of your favorite films—horror or otherwise—announces not only a sequel, but that they’re turning out a trilogy with the material. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, Omen III:The Final Conflict, and even the recent, Insidious: Chapter 3 are all momentous occasions in horror, for better or worse. And where would we be without Leprechaun 3 having never graced our eyeballs? Horror fans are excitable people and it’s just thrilling in general when you learn that a trilogy is happening and that a certain story is going to get extended. That being said, trilogies do run the certain risk of ruining the legacy of the original film, and as much fun as it might be to own a fancy Psycho or Poltergeist boxset, a lot of people will be quick to tell you the problems with Psycho III and Poltergeist’s third installment.

That’s why the idea of a spiritual sequel is often so appealing, where something classic can be revisited but without tainting the original in anyway. The idea of spiritual sequels then extending into thematic trilogies is also nothing new. Directors have been having fun with this idea for a while now, like with Spielberg’s “Running Man Trilogy” (A.I., Minority Report, Catch Me If You Can), Gilliam’s “Imagination Trilogy” (Time Bandits, Brazil, The Adventures of Barry Munchausen), or Oliver Stone’s “Vietnam Trilogy” (Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Heaven an Earth) where these directors get to continue following a certain feeling or riding out an inspiration that they weren’t finished playing with. Accordingly, here are the best examples of when these thematic trilogies have been turned to for horror.

Chan–Wook Park’s “Vengeance Trilogy”
Films: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, Lady Vengeance

Perhaps one of the better known thematic trilogies out there, Korean director Chan-Wook Park made a name for himself by painting some elegant revenge stories and then continuing to ride that wave. His “Vengeance Trilogy” appropriately explores the topic of vengeance from a number of different angles, but also loss. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance kicks things off with a terribly bleak story involving a deaf-mute who kidnaps a girl to leverage for ransom money to use for his sister’s kidney transplant. Things take an unexpected turn for the worse as this film digs into the unsuccessful angle of vengeance. The piece also shifts the perspective between the ransoming kidnapper and the victim’s father, exploring both sides of their complicated vengeance.

The next film in the trilogy, Oldboy, sees someone being imprisoned for 15 years before then suddenly being released. He then seeks out the person who stole his life away and tries to figure out why this was done to him in the first place. His imprisonment and the aftermath is also his victimizer taking vengeance upon him, too, so the topic again goes both ways by showing the complicated, emotional relationship that we can have with vengeance. Lady Vengeance, the final piece in this oeuvre, looks at a woman being released from serving a prison sentence for a crime that she didn’t commit and is now concerned with exacting vengeance on the real murderer. This is another beautiful story that shows the layered relationship with vengeance that we have, illustrated not only with the inmates that she encounters in prison, but also with the film’s powerful third act. A major deviation is taken where the film essentially becomes a stage play about morality, not unlike The Crucible or The Lottery. It explores the idea of all of the parents of the killer’s victims being able to return punishment onto him, and whether this is right or wrong.

Through these films Chan-Wook Park unequivocally shows that vengeance doesn’t always come from an evil place. All of these stories have something altruistic trying to be achieved rather than these simply being tales of senseless carnage. It shows us examples of vengeance from all sides of the conversation, whether male, female, victim or victimizer. It still manages to present something unique with each passing film, exploring a different aspect of this vengeance each time.

Dario Argento’s “Three Mothers Trilogy”
Films: Suspiria, Inferno, Mother of Tears

A lot of these thematic trilogies contain films that simply relate in tone or vague subject matter but Dario Argento does something a little different here. His trilogy is based upon the ancient triumvirate of witches, The Three Mothers, with each of his films looking at the damage of one of these respective super witches. In that sense all of these films exist in the same universe and could lend themselves to crossover elements, but choose not to for the most part. The idea of these Mothers comes from the “Levana and Our Ladies of Sorrow” section in Thomas de Quincey’s Suspiria de Profundis, an obvious inspiration on Argento.

If you’re on this site then you’re likely familiar with Suspiria, but might not have understood the greater significance that it serves in Argento’s filmography. The picture deals with the Mother of Sighs, with the story set in Germany at a famous dance academy. Suddenly a string of deaths begin to happen which prompts suspicion that something more sinister is going on. Argento’s Inferno deals with the Mother of Darkness, with this story being set in New York City as a man searches for his sister, who has gone missing. His search brings him to his sister’s old New York apartment as well as the powerful witch that has taken up residence there. Finally, Mother of Tears (or, The Third Mother, as Argento intended to call it) rounds out his trilogy, with the film seeing completion a shocking 27 years after Inferno. This film—as its title might suggest—is pretty much all payoff. It’s mostly concerned with a showdown in Rome with the final Mother witch from the Ladies of Sorrow, Mater Lachrymarum.

What’s great about Argento’s thematic trilogy here is that each one enriches the universe that he’s building. Suspiria very much feels like a standalone film rather than the first piece of a puzzle—and it is—but it also introduces elements that become staples to the other films in the trilogy, like strong, vibrant use of primary colors, and distorted, expressionistic set design and murders. Inferno begins planting the idea of there being a deeper overarching story going on here with these witches, while still not getting too indulgent. Mother of Tears dives head first into this, focusing purely on this sect of witches rather than some sort of structure going on around them.

“The Three Mothers Trilogy” might thematically be saying less than some of the other trilogies featured here, but it still does create an idea that’s complimented through each film that witches are the ones pulling the strings around the world. This chaos that’s merely hinted at in Suspiria is at the point of Rome being in panic mode by the end of the trilogy.

Roman Polanski’s “The Apartment Trilogy”
Films: Repulsion, Rosemary’s Baby, The Tenant

Developing a trilogy around a certain location or set piece is a pretty inspired idea, and Polanski pulls it off quite successfully here. In his “Apartment Trilogy” each of the films depict events that are concentrated to an apartment building, showing the sort of paranoia and claustrophobia that can build in such a space. Each film manifests this confined horror in different ways, whether it be a psychological, supernatural, or unconventional look at the genre. Repulsion is one of the slickest horrors of the mind that you’ll ever come across. The film chronicles the horrors that an unstable woman experiences while staying alone in her sister’s apartment for two weeks. Seeing Carol slowly deteriorate as the apartment becomes a prison to her, to the point of it even resembling her own fractured mental state, is haunting. It’s a great inward look on someone damaged, while also crafting a unique killer in the process.

Rosemary’s Baby is another film that I surely don’t need to tell you that much about. It follows a woman’s pregnancy as she slowly learns that her husband might have made a deal with a powerful cult of Satanists, and that the Devil might actually be the father of her child. Carol might find herself trapped inside in Repulsion because of her mental condition, but Rosemary is stuck inside because of the many people around her micromanaging everything. She’s also very vulnerable due to the big honking pregnancy that she’s going through with her helplessness connecting on a whole other level. It truly feels like everyone is in on this and that Rosemary can never catch a break, which only intensifies the feeling of paranoia here. The trilogy’s shift to more outright horror with a supernatural basis also works well, too. The Tenant interestingly shifts Polanski’s collection of films to a male perspective (with Polanski himself playing the role, no less). The film examines a man moving into a new apartment where the previous occupant has committed suicide. Once he begins his stay there he starts feeling that the other residents of the building are all conspiring to get him. His life becomes increasingly complicated and frightening in the process.

Like Polanski’s other films in the trilogy, much of this brings into question whether the craziness that we’re seeing is actually happening, or if our protagonist in fact has something wrong with them. The Tenant embraces this idea the hardest, still keeping things ambiguous towards the end, trying to mess with your mind as much as its main character’s. Each of these films pushes the boundaries of their main characters and the audience a bit further each time. The threats increasingly move from an internal place outward, with you being unable to trust what you’re seeing just as much as the people in the films, By the time The Tenant comes around, it’s truly Kafka-like chaos that’s built on everything before it.

John Carpenter’s “The Apocalypse Trilogy”
Films: The Thing, Prince of Darkness, In the Mouth of Madness

The Apocalypse is certainly rich fodder for a film, let alone a group of connected ones, with all of Carpenter’s works in this case highlighting the slow crumbling of the world. This often begins from a personal place, with pillars of humanity like personal connection, faith, and society and culture seeing decimation. Each of Carpenter’s films brings about the end of the world in a totally different fashion, yet similarities track between them all, too, like an overbearing presence of the unknown. There’s also a heavy Lovecraft influence stringing these films together, unifying their respective Apocalypses through this style of monstrosities.

The Thing is a glorious boiled down whodunit of a horror film that has a bunch of researchers stowed away in Antarctica trying to determine which among them is the titular life assimilating entity. And really, if you haven’t seen The Thing yet, stop reading this and put it on immediately. It’s the very best sort of practical horror that has a killer ending to boot. While this film might not seem to have the scope of an Apocalypse to it, there’s an oblique line in the picture about how this creature could roughly take over the earth in three years if it’s allowed to escape. Prince of Darkness meanwhile gets behind the beyond-bizarre premise that Satan is actually an abstract equation that’s currently in the corporeal form of green liquid that’s being held in a special canister. Once this canister of Devil Goo starts to become active, university students are brought in to figure out what’s going on here. There’s a lot going on in this film between science and religion, with the film doing its best to dismantle both. The End of Times devastation going on in this instance is taking place more in a universal Good vs. Evil sense, even if the film is largely stuck in the basement of a church. If this Anti-God is unleashed, the world doesn’t stand a chance at surviving.

Carpenter saves his most nihilistic take on the subject matter for the end, with In the Mouth of Madness. Here Sam Neill’s insurance investigator character is tasked with locating the missing famous horror author, Sutter Cane. This slowly turns into the classic tale of art and fiction becoming so popular that they start to take on a life of their own, with Cane’s work brainwashing and influencing anyone that reads it. Like a “zombie book”, so to speak. In this film the characters are not even trying to prevent the end of the world this time, but rather just escape the town and survive for now. That’s how hopeless and resigned this trilogy becomes.

Carpenter’s “Apocalypse Trilogy” becomes increasingly bleak with each film, but this also might be because each one falls in a different part of his tumultuous career, where his reputation and viewpoint are perpetually shifting. We start locked in a cabin with this sort of terror in the first film to eventually seeing widespread devastation by the end of the final one. We’re in the middle of watching the whole world fall apart as the movie for Cane’s In the Mouth of Madness sees release. All of these films deal with the same disaster, just from endlessly interesting differing perspectives.

Edgar Wright’s “Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy”
Films: Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End

Also known as the “Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy,” this bizarre genre-embracing trilogy by Wright is modeled after Krzystof Kieslowski’s Three Colours trilogy crazily enough. Each of these films, in addition to featuring Cornetto ice cream in some way, also celebrate a different genre that’s reflected by a different Cornetto flavor, whether it’s a zombie film, cop spectacle, or science fiction outing. Wright’s signature visual style, as well as the themes of the individual against the collective and perpetual adolescence, carry through each of the pictures, tying them together, too. Not to mention the consistent casting of Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright in each film.

Representing the strawberry-flavored brand of Cornetto is Shaun of the Dead, due to the film’s bloody and gory core. Shaun of the Dead subverts the zombie genre in a number of delicious ways. It might attack zombie staples with some inspired ideas, but it says even more on the topic of friendship and love, between both a man and a woman and a man and his mate. The next picture, Hot Fuzz, looks at two police investigators who are digging into a string of murders. Hot Fuzz is admittedly more an action film than it is horror. That being said, there’s such stylized violence going on that its inclusion here feels more than justified. Hot Fuzz is really just Edgar Wright pulling the trigger on as many cop clichés as possible, creating a bloody, extravagant masterpiece in the process. Much of the core fundamentals of Shaun of the Dead are carried over, like being outnumbered against a powerful force. The film features the original blue colored Cornetto, representing the film’s cop focus.

With The World’s End, it’s the green mint chocolate chip Cornetto that gets to be featured, with the flavor symbolizing the “little green men” and sci-fi angle that the film plays with. All of the films in the trilogy deal with the concept of friendship and maturity, but The World’s End makes it its priority with the entry’s focus looking at a bunch of long-time friends reuniting to go on a pub crawl. This walk down memory lane is abruptly interrupted by some wildly inventive aliens as the film takes a complete 180 while slamming the pedal down on the crazy. The choreography of the fight scenes here is truly a sight to behold, with the stunts adding upon the art that Wright perfects in his previous two pictures.

Wright’s films work strongly as a collective, carrying the same energy through each of them and involving epidemics that seem to take place on a global scale (okay, Hot Fuzz is stretching that a little). They all manage to smuggle relationship comedies into heavy genre numbers and they all stick the landing with their bizarre mash-ups. As a whole these films help reinforce that as crazy as things may get, there are still fundamentals like friendship that are crucial and will break through in the end.

Lucio Fulci’s “Gates of Hell Trilogy”
Films: City of the Living Dead, The Beyond, The House by the Cemetery

Each of the films in the Italian “Godfather of Gore,” Lucio Fulci’s, “Gates of Hell Trilogy” all essentially set out to tell the same story as they depict a different gate to Hell opening up and the chaotic aftermath (with there also being a very Lovecraft-heavy vibe present here, too). They might feature the loosest connective tissue amongst the rest of the unofficial trilogies looked at here, but they undeniably chronicle a point in Fulci’s career where he’s interested in telling the same sort of story. Each of these films explore the idea of stopping a Hellmouth in different fashions. If anything, the films foster a connection between how nonsensical they are regarding disorder reigning.

Fulci’s City of the Living Dead looks at a priest hanging himself in a cemetery as the means of opening its gate to Hell. Naturally its appearance sees investigation and tries to be shut down before things get too out of hand. City of the Living Dead also introduces the visual style and brand of gore that will be consistent throughout the rest of the trilogy, too (although is also present in a lot of Fulci’s work in general). The Beyond deals with a woman who inherits a hotel that decades ago had a woman lynch mobbed and nailed to the hotel’s wall, thus opening this film’s respective gate of Hell. A lot of The Beyond is just dealing with the horrors of Liza Merril’s new residency and the gauntlet that it puts her through. While feeling a little more isolated than the other films here, it still effectively creates the sense of doom and the trouble that the world is in.

Fulci concludes all of this with The House by the Cemetery, which borrows much from The Shining and Amityville Horror to its credit. This film looks at a family that moves into a house where a young couple was murdered decades ago, in turn opening the gate of Hell du jour for this picture, with something sinister still residing in the basement. While a much more methodical and restrained film than the previous two in this trilogy, it still carries the same sense of dread as you watch people be unsafe amidst their home. The abomination of Dr. Freudstein from the basement, and his many murders, adds to this tension nicely. Fulci’s maggot fascination that is present throughout these films hits a fever pitch with how Freudstein literally has maggots for blood here. There’s also a heavy angle on children having psychic powers, with the film’s inclusion of children at all making it a little more interesting than its predecessors. The ending acts as a beautiful culmination of everything and manages to say much of what the previous films do in their entirety purely within its final minutes. It’s a chilling, different take on this evil idea.

Certainly different than the rest of these trilogies, the “Gates of Hell Trilogy” almost feels like a burst that Fulci had to get out of his system. These films aren’t spread out across the span of his career, but rather were made consecutively across 1980 and ’81, very much seeming like extensions of the same idea. Fulci certainly exhausts the topic, saying a ton on damned domiciles and the unfortunate souls who take up residence within them.

We’re surely far from seeing the end of this entertaining phenomenon, with certain contemporary directors who indulge in horror, like Nicolas Winding Refn or Eli Roth, seeming like perfect candidates to experiment with the concept. But what about you? Are there any horror directors that you’d like to see return to a certain idea and turn a few spiritual sequels out?

The post Looking at the Best Thematic Horror Trilogies appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Lost Themes received critical acclaim and adoration from fans and casual music listeners alike. After all, it was an album of brand new music that was deeply rooted in the cinematic electronic/synth movement that Carpenter basically created. To say that his work has been an influence on countless artists since is an understatement. The revival of “retrosynth” sees pretty much every artist citing Carpenter as a huge inspiration.

Today sees the release of Carpenters second solo album, which is aptly titled Lost Themes II. What comes from this 11-track collection are a series of songs that are everything you could want from Carpenter. Let your horror movie imagination flow as you listen to these tracks because you might find some gold.

The album opens with the groovy and thick “Distant Dreams”. I’m telling, you when that standard rock beat comes in during the last quarter of the song, it’s exceptionally hard to not feel like a badass. This is what Snake Plissken must listen to when he gets ready for some seemingly impossible mission that he will certainly overcome.

The album follows with “White Pulse”, a track that is almost schizophrenic in nature. The first half sounds like something one would hear in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Then, the second half breaks itself into two pieces, the first of which is an industrial nightmare that sounds like the music Trent Reznor would hear in his dreams. The track ends with a soft lullaby, almost like one has arisen and that the, “…morning sun has vanquished the horrible night”.

“Persia Rising” has a charm that I can’t quite put my finger on but I relish its mystery while “Angel’s Asylum” brings the energy back up, actually upping the “rock” aspect of the album. “Hofner Dawn” provides a simple yet pleasant interlude. There is something almost fantasy-esque about this track, as though one would hear it playing an SNES or PS1 J-RPG.

Meanwhile, “Dark Blues” is quite a mature offering, sounding like something you’d hear in a seedy strip club, one where the women are just as dangerous, if not more so, than the clients. “Bela Lugosi” calls to mind a haunted castle, lightning streaking across the rainy sky. Could this be because the name inspired me? Absolutely. But I’m totally okay with it.

The closing track, “Utopian Facade”, makes me wish Carpenter would return to the world of film and give us one more masterpiece. It’s an epic track that bears all the earmarks of the majesty he’s given us.

To say that Carpenter knows the world of electronica and synth is an understatement. As I mentioned above, the man practically created a genre, cultivating a sound that is undeniably him. All Lost Themes does is confirm this to anyone who might have had a doubt.

The Final Word: Lost Themes II is a delightful album that is as charming as anything the composer/director has released over the course of his career. My only complaint is that some of the songs aren’t memorable – even after spinning the album a few times, I heard some tracks as though it were the first time – and “Virtual Survivor” feels derivative of previous works. But that doesn’t stop this album from being something wonderful. If you’re a fan of John Carpenter, you would do well to add this to your collection.

The post John Carpenter’s ‘Lost Themes II’ is a Delight (Review) appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“During the 1980s over 70% of American adults believed in the existence of abusive Satanic Cults…Another 30% rationalized the lack of evidence due to government cover ups…The following is based on true unexplained events…” – ‘House of the Devil’ opening title card

If you’re looking for him, you can find Satan anywhere.

He’s a completely universal topic and one of the history’s oldest antagonists. There is always going to be evil. That’s why this area continues to be mined for creative horror gold and will probably never stop. Concepts like morality and the ultimate battle of good versus evil will never go out of style. We’re about to have two shows on television dealing with some iteration of the Devil (Damien and Lucifer), and peripheral horror genres like witches and exorcism so usually go hand-in-hand with that of Satanism, too. Suddenly all of these different streams have been leading to us currently experiencing an oversaturation in Satan. We can’t get enough of it. With the imminent release of The Witch, a film heavily steeped in Satanism that is stirring up a lot of excitement, it makes sense to explore the relationship that horror films have seen with Satanic cults and the related territory through the years.

The trajectory that Satanism would take in horror films is that initially they were rather historically based examples of horror, where the mere concept of cults alone was enough to excite the audience. It makes sense for cinema needing to establish a palate when it comes to this area before doing anything too complicated with it. Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages is often recognized as one of the first films about witches, but the same can be said for the doors it opens towards Satanism as well. It’s still surprising that this film came out in 1922 considering some of the visuals that it manages to pull off. After focusing on history alone, the films would then shift into a pulpier, more exploitation style, as well as featuring the socialite, community-minded renditions of Satanists that would fill the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Here cinema is often depicting Satanists as WASPy, rich, upper-class socialites that are the ones pulling the strings behind everything. They almost approach their “ascension” as just another trend and the latest way of gaining power. It’s this sort of mentality that is so haunting in works like Rosemary’s Baby (and later again in Polanski’s The Ninth Gate, in the ‘90s), All the Colors of the Dark, or The Seventh Victim (which manages to carry this theme, despite seeing release in 1943). So often these Satanists have the power of a community behind them, as they face off against some sort of vulnerable outsider. It’s a formula designed for alienation, with other films from the time like City of the Dead (aka Horror Hotel) or The Devil Rides Out (with Richard Matheson adding his trademark Twilight Zone twist to the idea) hitting this feeling quite effectively.

We also see a lot of subversions on this basic principle going on, like in the case of the more recent Starry Eyes, where the evil cult comes in the form of influential, abusive movie producers. In the end, it’s all just people of power taking advantage of these sacrifice’s need for validation and acceptance. These victims also might want more out of life, but not in the same greedy way that their Satanic oppressors do. It’s usually more of a “Cinderella-esque” story where these ignored individuals finally want a place to fit in, which is even more devastating once they’re made victims.

There are still deviations from all of this that happen though, like when Satanists happen to fall completely on the other end of the spectrum. I Drink Your Blood for instance offers up Satan worshippers who are loose hippies that are simply interested in freedom and bucking the system by worshipping something iconoclastic, rather than being a part of the top 1% who are still hungry for more. There are of course also anachronistic depictions of Satanic cults, and with there being a considerable amount of crossover between films dealing with witches and films dealing with Satan, it’s not surprising to see a lot of earlier Satanic fodder being set in the 1600s, when this fear was at a fever pitch and “witches” were at their most rampant.

A lot of Satanic material from this period like The Devils, Blood on Satan’s Claw, Alucarda, and Satan’s Blood focus on this material. The ridiculous, The Return of the Walpurgis (aka Curse of the Devil) even has particular fun with these trappings by having its protagonist cursed into turning into a werewolf as punishment for witch execution. Just as popular for this time were also films where little villages in England would seem to be overrun with Satan friendly communities, much to the detriment of the passing visitors, as is the case in Night of the Demon, Horror Hotel, and Race With the Devil.

A lot of the time though, these Satanists are simply falling somewhere in between these examples. These Satanists are not skewing either extreme, but are instead the most milquetoast, “regular” people you’d ever encounter. These are slice of life people living on the outskirts of town. This often is much more frightening than some obvious sort of threat and films like House of the Devil and the “Siren” segment out of this year’s Southbound are all the stronger for it. The poignancy here is gained from the idea that these Satanists and cults are everywhere; they could even be those quirky neighbors from across the street. And what’s scarier than the idea of this deep evil just being a very swept-under-the-rug sort of problem? Who knows how many more are still out there…

As alluded to earlier, the ‘60s and ‘70s also fell during a time in cinema where Satanists and witches were nearly synonymous with titillation. Many of these films would star comely virgin girls that were big honking targets for those predatory Satanists. It’s not surprising to see words like “Cheerleader” crop up in a number of these films’ titles, as if they went as naturally together with Satan as werewolves do with silver bullets. It’s kind of hard to believe that exploitative Satanist fare like Satan’s Cheerleaders, Satan’s School for Girls, and Don’t Deliver Us From Evil are not just titles for pornos.

Another popular topic within this realm that began seeing experimentation with is that of the devil being reincarnated, or acting as some sort of fresh messiah for the dark lord. These films typically have various gatekeepers in place to make sure the birth goes according to plan, or to lure the mother into a false sense of security, usually in the form of the rich socialites that are already so present in the genre. This is what is going on in works like To the Devil a Daughter, Bless the Child, and of course, Rosemary’s Baby. At the same time, some of these films instead explore the concept through a fully grown offspring, with the focus not being on the protection of this individual, but rather them realizing and coming to terms with their powers and who they are, such is the case in Satan’s School for Girls, Fear No Evil, and most of The Omen series.

Naturally, as this genre would become increasingly established and Satanic stories were acting as less of a shock to the system, experimenting by placing you inside the fractured mental state of the possessed and the object of these cults would prove to be a fascinating design. There’s plenty of mileage to derive from a straight narrative showing you the dangers of Satanists while genuinely fearing for the safety of the protagonists, but to make you feel out of sorts and disoriented can be an even more powerful experience. Films like Possession and All the Colors of the Dark pull from Giallo horror sensibilities to deliver a Satanist experience unlike what you’re used to. Even the Asian horror film Jigoku from the ‘60s qualifies in a bizarre way due to the innovative anthology approach that it takes on the topic of sinners, devils, and cults. It literally has characters uniting at the Gates of Hell and meeting the Lord of the Underworld, yet still speaks volumes on the essence of evil and Satan.

After these decades would do solid work solidifying the genre, it would again re-invent itself, looking to the past for support. It’s at this point in the ‘80s and ‘90s (but sometimes earlier) that fantasy and comedy take on the territory and begin to see popularity. While they might not be staunchly Satanic cult films per se, there has still been a trend in the comedic and fantasy genres of films that have been wanting to indulge in Satan. Something like Legend, The Devil’s Advocate, Bedazzled (both versions), or even Woody Allen’s Deconstructing Harry all offer up unique visual interpretations of Hell or the Devil and surely wouldn’t exist without the prior work that Satanist films laid down. Even superhero films would begin playing with the territory, like in the case of Ghost Rider or Guillermo Del Toro’s Hellboy films, due to how plentiful the topic was becoming. Prolific director, John Carpenter, would play with form in his divisive Prince of Darkness that introduces Satan slime, and it almost feels like he’s doing a retake on The Thing, but with a Satanic angle instead. Even the Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle, End of Days, turns the idea of Satanism into a dumb action film as the Antichrist attempts to find a bride in New York City.

During the ‘80s actual Satanist cults were also at an all-time high with “Satanic Panic” in full effect and that reality obviously shaping the films of the future that would follow. Satanic Panic began from the spiritualism of the ‘60s not panning out, combined with the increased supernatural embracing on the ‘70s. This very much took on the feeling of McCarthyism, too, in regard to how anyone could be a part of this, and you’d have no idea. It’s at this point that the material becomes its most reflexive, having decades of previous films, as well as actual history now, to pull from. House of the Devil pointedly sets itself during the ‘80s specifically for this reason. Suddenly films are again going back in time and re-appropriating the past in order to tell new stories, or taking tired stories from the 1600s and rejuvenating them now. A film dealing with the same Satanist fodder as The Witch that came out in the ‘60s or ‘70s would likely have little impression on the rest of the genre’s landscape. However something like that seeing release now connects in a whole other way. People are losing their minds over it, even!

It’s in that sense that everything old feels new again, and with the sinister topic being approached from so many different angles in horror currently, it looks like we’re going to be frightened by the dark lord for many years to come. When you’re covering your face and watching through squinted eyes as you scream at The Witch this weekend, take a second to think about how far the genre has come, and be thankful that you’re not getting a bunch of DD-cupped cheerleaders turning into goats on the silver screen.

The post Get In Front of Me, Satan – Exploring Satanism In Horror Films appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Rachel (Kate Alden) and her sister Anna Wade (Chelsea Farthing) live with their parents in a small farming community. Their father, Michael (Tony Doupe), has been looking for information regarding their mother Linda’s (Tonya Skoog) past. After a private investigator drops off a mysterious object that seems to be related to the necklace Linda wears, Linda is killed in an accident, and forces Rachel and her sister to leave the farm. Returning two years later to search for their father, the community is mysteriously deserted. Eventually, the two sisters discover more about the mysterious object, and specifically, what was in it.

One of the things that made Prince Of Darkness so enjoyable was its atmosphere, and for The Hollow One, atmosphere is one of the film’s strong points. There’s always something off-putting about a quiet town, which is magnified once you have start introducing the idea of the town suddenly becoming deserted, save for the townsfolk that are there left and acting strange. A strong use of colour and lighting in the cinematography also adds to the atmosphere. Cinematographer Connor Hair makes a strong contrast between the big city and the remote Washington farmland with bright colours used for the former, transitioning to a muted palette for scenes in the latter. It also helps to have some things that are definitely out of place, such as jars of black goo everywhere or trails of blood. The design for The Hollow One, while blatantly CGI, is still interesting and is a different take than what you’d normally expect. A good sound design and an equally-strong score completes the overall effect, and The Hollow One seemingly has the start of something good.

On the topic of the acting, while the performances were, for the most part, acceptable, the script let the actors down in many instances (more on that later). Alden turned in an acceptable performance as Rachel, but fell into the cliched “final girl” role once things got going. Farthing also did what she could with her role as Anna, as did Jesse James in the role of Anna’s boyfriend, Matt. Again, both actors did what was needed, but also fell into the same sort of cliched role as Alden, all of which led to the start of the film’s problems.

Despite a great setup, The Hollow One stumbled with falling into familiar territory with many aspects of its characters. While it’s understandable that in some horror films, you have to accept a certain degree of disbelief when it comes to character actions. In The Hollow One, the main characters seemingly ignore some pretty obvious warning signs that things aren’t okay, and instead proceed further. Those jars of black ooze aren’t given much of a second thought. Neither are the townsfolk covered in blood, or the trails of blood. Hell, speaking in demonic voices doesn’t seem to phase these people. Apart from the acting, the film also has a problem with pacing. Again, there’s a limit these days to how slow a film can burn before you really test the patience of the audience, especially when you factor in these characters. The ending, while having an appropriate twist, isn’t as satisfying as it should be, and doesn’t feel like there’s enough resolution in the ending.

Presentation and atmosphere aside, The Hollow One feels just like its name. The characters haven’t been given the attention needed, and instead are given the familiar roles that we’ve seen in many other past films, and whose actions indicate a lack of attention in the writing. This in turn makes the slow pace of the film aggravating to sit through. It’s really unfortunate, since it’s clear that Hendrickson definitely has an eye for how a film should look and feel. However, it’s also yet another case of a director pulling double duty with the writing, and falling short in that department. Had Hendrickson stuck to the directing duties and given the writing job to someone else, The Hollow One possibly wouldn’t feel like it was a case of style over substance.

The post [Review] ‘The Hollow One’ Lives Up to Its Name appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In a joint interview, Gunship and myself caught up with Carpenter to ask a few questions about music, video games, and other random bits. I’ll tell you right now that there’s nothing about a new movie or anything along those lines. Instead, this is an interesting peek into the mind of one of horror’s most prolific and fascinating directors.

Make sure to pick up your copy of Gunship via Bandcamp as well as John Carpenter’s Lost Themes via iTunes.

As mentioned above, Carpenter lent his voice to the opening of “Tech Noir”, offering a delightfully somber and apocalyptic monologue. Carpenter, simply stated that his inspiration, “…is all in the words.” As for why he agreed to do it, he described the group as “…nice and cool,” adding that it, “…would be fun to collaborate with Gunship.”

When asked about the resurgence of retro and horror influenced synth music, Carpenter was both bewildered and pleased. “The retro synth resurgence is puzzling to me. Why now?” he asks. “On the other hand, I don’t care why now. A lot of great music is getting made.”

Perhaps one of the most interesting teases is that Carpenter told us, “I would love to compose music for a someone else’s film.”

The director does choose to remain secretive about some little tricks he has up his sleeve, however. When asked about how the opening bass arpeggio was created on “Night” from Lost Themes, Carpenter coyly responded, “That is secret information.”

Continuing that playful streak, Carpenter told us his favorite video game is Borderlands 2, although, “…for reasons of nostalgia: Sonic The Hedgehog“.

Gunship posed an interesting question for Carpenter, asking if a benevolent private investor offered you a blank cheque to create something with – it could be a movie, a video game, a building, absolutely anything – what would it be? Showing off his love of the past, Carpenter responded, “I’d build a shrine to 1950’s science fiction films.”

In his personal life, the biggest risk Carpenter has taken that he is the most proud of was, “…Learning how to fly a helicopter,” and that the film he is most proud of making was The Thing.

But perhaps the most important thing that Carpenter told us was when he was asked what advice he’d give to himself when he was 25 years old?

“Relax.”

The post John Carpenter Talks to BD and Gunship (Interview) appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

To celebrate these demented sounds, I turned to Meredith Yayanos of The Parlour Trick to create a list of her most unsettling sounds and cues. To say that she succeeded in this list is an understatement as her list tackles everything from clips from horror films to glitched out computer drones, TV broadcast hijacks to animals in the wild.

Yayanos writes:

Greetings, kind spirits. Lovely to be here. May I suggest, depending on your proclivities, that you either listen to all of this stuff in a well-lit room while cuddling your favorite binky, or in pristine None-More-Goth darkness? Your call, of course.

In honor of it being Halloween, aka Goth Christmas, aka The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Meredith is selling 5 extremely rare, long sold-out vinyl copies from her personal stash of The Parlour Trick‘s album A Blessed Unrest through her Bandcamp site, autographed, with some extra goodies thrown in. $50 bucks a pop. (Limit of one per customer, please.) Hurry! They’re likely to sell out very quickly.

I own a copy of A Blessed Unrest and I can assure you that $50 is well worth every penny. The packaging is gorgeous and the vinyl is a beautiful red. Plus, it sounds absolutely divine and terrifying on vinyl.

Alright, onto the list!

The post 15 Flavors Of Nope: Musician Meredith Yayanos’ List of Most Unsettling Sounds appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

When asked what score was the most fun, Carpenter replied, “I really enjoyed working on the score for Big Trouble In Little China—that was a lot of fun. Additionally I enjoyed the Prince of Darkness score, some of the later scores I did were really fun. When you have everything all hooked up, you have the film in front of you and the synths and you have a choice of sounds. That’s the most fun.”

It’s a really interesting interview as it delves into the mind of Carpenter from an angle that doesn’t get a lot of notice. You can read it at the above link.

The post John Carpenter Talks Scoring His Films appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Per their Facebook page, “Check out the official, spot-on and nightmarish new artwork for our upcoming Collector’s Edition of John Carpenter’s ‘Prince Of Darkness’, illustrated by artist Justin Osbourn. (As always, the original theatrical poster image will be on the flip-side for you purists to enjoy too.) Pre-order links will be up soon at ScreamFactoryDVD.com where there will be an exclusive limited 18” x 24” poster offer with purchase. More details on extras will be announced later on this Summer.”

Street date is set for September 24th and extra features will be revealed closer to that date. What kind of features would you like to see?

The post Does The ‘Prince Of Darkness’ Blu-Ray Have Scream Factory’s Very Best Cover Art? appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Every career has peaks and valleys. In some careers the valleys are more severe and in others the peaks are more triumphant, but they exist. They’re unavoidable from both creative and commercial standpoints. I think it would be fun to examine this from time to time on BD (even though some of the most exciting voices in horror need another film or two under their belt to qualify), with the amount of “Bests” and “Worsts” varying each time.

First up? John Carpenter. I feel like he’s the perfect starting point. Not only does he have a large output, but he’s had one of the more interesting careers in horror, full of ups and downs (and the occasional creative triumph that he was punished for professionally).

Head inside for the 5 Best (And 1 Worst) Films Of John Carpenter.

1: THE THING

No surprise here, most Carpenter fans I talk to have either this or Halloween at the top of their list. For me, The Thing just has a better replay value. It’s an incredibly assured film, expertly paced with a perfectly dour tonal pitch. Carpenter has made several classics, but none quite as perfectly balanced. It was also his first foray into big-budget (at the time $10M was a lot for a horror film) studio filmmaking. Famously, The Thing tanked at the box office. In an alternate universe where this film was a hit, Carpenter’s post 1982 career-trajectory looks quite a bit different.

2: HALLOWEEN

Halloween has had the biggest cultural impact out of any film in Carpenter’s filmography. Without it, the slasher genre as we know and love it today wouldn’t exist (and if it did, it wouldn’t be the same – there certainly wouldn’t be a Friday The 13th). Aside from its massive popularity, Halloween is another near-perfect film. On only his third feature (after Dark Star and Assault On Precinct 13), Carpenter had mastered a sense of restraint that eludes most horror filmmakers to this day. I’m not just talking about the largely bloodless nature of the film – the decision to simply not explain how or why Michael Myers became evil incarnate is a master stroke. He just is, which is scarier than any cause and effect scenario.

3: BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA

Initially I put Big Trouble In Little China at number four, just under Escape From New York. But, as good as Escape is, I simply don’t reach for my copy of it nearly as much as I reach for this one. China is just too much fun. It feels huge, has a great villain in Lo Pan and is more fun than the last two Indiana Jones films combined. It also plays out a neat reversal on the hero/sidekick dynamic, with Kurt Russell’s Jack Burton being way more ineffectual than Dennis Dun’s Wang Chi despite his leading man status and placement. You can really feel Carpenter spreading his wings here but, much like The Thing, his ambition went unrewarded financially.

4: ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK

Escape From New York gave birth to Carpenter’s most iconic anti-hero in Kurt Russell’s Snake Plissken in addition to an entertainingly menacing and apocalyptic vision of New York City. This film, along with They Live, really hammers home Carpenter’s mistrust of authority and actually feels a bit dangerous at times. It certainly doesn’t play it safe when it comes to its characters.

5: IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS

I know a lot of people would put They Live in this spot but, truth be told, that film only works for me in fits and starts (not that it doesn’t have some brilliant moments). Dark Star and Assault On Precinct 13 might be “cooler” contenders as well, but there’s something relentlessly entertaining about In The Mouth Of Madness. It has a great madcap energy, some genuinely freaky images, a great villain in Jurgen Prochnow’s Sutter Cane and a deliciously unhinged performance by Sam Neill at its center. From opening to closing credits, it’s every bit as alive as some of Carpenter’s more traditionally well regarded works.

GHOSTS OF MARS

It’s not like the five movies above are the only great Carpenter films. The tender Starman is surprisingly great and They Live works as an entertaining political statement while The Fog, Christine and Prince Of Darkness are all rock solid horror films.

While Vampires and Escape From L.A. were fairly flawed, they actually have their moments. But I can’t really say the same for Ghosts Of Mars. The red planet might be our closest neighbor, but you’d have to travel light years beyond it to find a universe in which this film actually works.

The Ward is something of an improvement, but I can’t help but agree with the general consensus that Carpenter probably feels discouraged with the film business (and with making movies in general). I can’t say I blame him, he’s made more great films than most “name” directors but has rarely attained anything resembling their commercial success. Here’s hoping he gets back in the saddle and, afforded the opportunity, makes another great film. I know he’s got at least one left in him.

What are your favorite (and least favorite) John Carpenter films?

The post The 5 Best (And 1 Worst) Films Of John Carpenter!!! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The post Album Review: Xander Harris ‘Urban Gothic’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The post It’s a Double Murder! ‘Devil’ vs ‘Prince of Darkness’! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.