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For those of you old enough to remember the 1990s, there was a trend in PC gaming during that decade which saw the rise of what was dubbed the "interactive movie." It was a concept that had been brewing since at least the days of producer William Castle and "Mr. Sardonicus," if not earlier but where Hollywood had tried and failed to put such an idea into movie theaters (see: the 1995 experiment "Mr. Payback"), the gaming industry made much better headway into combining the rich narrative and emotional experience of cinema with the personalization and immediacy of video games. Still, the format was inelegant; even watershed games like "Phantasmagoria" and "Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger" featured cutscenes with professional actors in-between moments of non-cinematic gameplay. In other words, the best "interactive movie" games were still just games with bits of movies interspersed throughout.

For my money, the dream...

This article mentions real-life fatal accidents, murders, and other tragic occurrences.

Most horror movies are already terrifying enough on screen to leave the audience shaking with fear, but sometimes, the terror sadly does not stop there. Some of the most hauntingly scary movies hide behind-the-scenes stories that are just as unnerving as the films themselves. Sometimes, these off-screen details end up becoming part of the movie's pop culture impact, even though often due to misinformation and urban legends.

From apparently cursed productions to mysterious, eerie occurrences, many of the horror movie classics that defined the history of the genre are associated with behind-the-scenes tragedies or at least strange cases. While no movie production is immune to those types of occurrences, they ended up becoming even more noticeable when tied to the production of a horror film.

The Tragic Fates Of Crew And Cast Members Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

One of the most...

Presented by Steven C. Miller’s Werewolves, Bloody Disgusting is looking to the stars and howling at the moon with Werewolves Week. Today, Rachel Reeves takes a bite out of seven under-seen werewolf movies you don’t want to miss.

Werewolves have long prowled the shadows of horror cinema, their natural knack for a meaty metaphor and fur-clad ferocity captivating audiences for generations. While classics like An American Werewolf in London, The Howling, and The Wolf Man often lead the crowded werewolf genre pack, it also teems with lesser-known gems waiting to sink their teeth into new fans.

From campy cult favorites to atmospheric thrillers brimming with eerie allure, the enduring appeal of the werewolf metaphor lies in its raw exploration of duality—the primal versus the civilized, man versus the beast. It’s a vessel for themes of transformation, rage, addiction and identity, resonating with anyone who has wrestled with their inner demons.

Family gatherings can be murder. Even worse if you are not a member of the immediate family. As we head into this year’s holiday season, I have no doubt that many reading this will feel that even more acutely than in the past. Sure, there will be the usual gathering around the table (or in front of the TV with paper plates if you’re anything like my family), food will be served, drink will be had, and conversation will abound, but the latter especially could lead to more than a little family tension. Which is why William Castle’s classic 1959 film House on Haunted Hill feels especially appropriate for this edition of Gods and Monsters as we approach Christmas 2024. You may well feel like a stranger among strangers this year, as the guests of eccentric millionaire Frederick Loren (Vincent Price) and his wife Annabelle (Carol Ohmart) no doubt do.

Following a two-hour masterclass at the Cairo Film Festival, Gaspar Noé spoke with Variety about future genres he’d like to tackle: “The main film genres that really would interest me for a future project are documentary, war film, and horror. Probably I should even try to mix those three genres. I also would like to do a movie with young children, or a movie for children.”

The Argentinian director of “Irreversible” (2002) and “Vortex” (2021) had earlier answered questions from British-Iranian critic Mo Abdi, telling the audience of his sold out event: “Kids are like small adults. When we are kids we are in danger. You are exposed to everything. I’m very attached to kids in life, though I don’t have kids. The relationship you have with kids is direct and playful. I would like to do a movie with little kids. They relate to fragility, they relate to...

I love a gimmick. If there's a movie trying something new or restrictive, I want to see how the filmmakers pull it off. So when I smelled that A24 had partnered with olfactory-based tech company Joya Studio for multi-sensory screenings of Heretic, I blew my nose and prepared to sniff...

Why The Exorcist Was Banned in Several Countries—The Controversial Details Explained! (Photo Credit – Facebook)

Horror movies are no strangers to scandal, but The Exorcist? It practically invented it. William Friedkin’s 1973 shocker set new standards for controversy, sending waves through theaters worldwide. With the story of a young girl possessed by a demonic force, the film’s shocking content stirred enough outrage to get it banned in parts of the U.K. That move only fueled its forbidden appeal, helping it rocket to box-office superstardom.

Unlike any horror film, The Exorcist played up the drama, diving into themes that religious groups considered beyond offensive. The producers knew the storm they were wading into and leaned into it. Playing off its reputation, it excited the marketing by encouraging stories of people fainting and even suffering heart attacks in the theater. Audiences were both captivated and horrified, and the film quickly amassed a cult following,...

It's time for a Smell-o-Vision special!

The final film from director, producer, and American genre film icon William Castle was 1974’s surreal fantasy Shanks, which is making its 4K Ultra HD debut from a brand new restoration from its original negative courtesy of the Vinegar Syndrome sub-label Cinématographe. And it’s available for pre-order Now.

Cinématographe previews, “Shanks is a decidedly surrealist amalgamation of quirky fantasy and mid ’70s character-driven horror. Anchored by a delectable dual performance from celebrated French actor Marcel Marcau, with potently eerie camera work by 13 Ghosts cinematographer Joseph F. Biroc and an atmospheric score by legendary composer Alex North, we’re proud to present Castle’s often overlooked slice of mid- 70s alienation in its 4K Uhd debut from a brand new restoration from its original negative.”

The 2-Disc Set features a 4K Ultra HD disc plus a Region A Blu-ray disc.

Special Features include…

New audio commentary with film historians...

The Academy Film Archive has the largest collection of movie trailers on celluloid in the world — well over 60,000 — and on October 12 the Academy Museum will give the public a rare opportunity to see some highlights at “Don’t Go into the Vault: An Academy Film Archive Trailer Show in 35mm.” Just in time for Halloween, the trailer show showcases a wide range of horror films from the 1950s to the 1980s, with everything from well-known auteur classics to obscure slasher films in the mix.

“It’s an opportunity for us to show off trailers in our collection that otherwise could not be seen,” Academy preservationist Cassie Blake told IndieWire. “It’s almost like a little mixtape you present to everyone.” The show was curated by Blake and fellow Academy preservationist Tessa Idlewine, who are not announcing the lineup ahead of time but promise a wide range of entertaining material.

“There...

This Halloween, check out the free streaming platform for cult classic and indie horror films: Dark Matter TV.

With Halloween approaching, you may be wondering what free streamers there are out there to set the tone with a scary movie as you eat candy corn and wait for trick-or-treaters to raid your candy stocks. One to consider is the aptly named Dark Matter TV, a free ad-supported streaming platform that will bring the screams this Halloween without scaring your wallet. Keep reading to see if you should add Dark Matter TV to your streaming library.

Watch Now Free darkmattertv.com Everything You Need to Know About Dark Matter TV:

What Is Dark Matter TV?

How Much Does Dark Matter TV Cost?

What Hit Movies Can You Watch on Dark Matter TV?

What Platforms Can You Watch Dark Matter TV With?

What Is Dark Matter TV?

Dark Matter TV is a free,...

Coralie Fargeat’s ‘The Substance’ is a body horror masterpiece that’s as smart as it is gross, but the film’s exploration of vanity, desperation, and the male gaze have coursed through her entire filmography.

“Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? Younger, more beautiful, more perfect.”

This article contains spoilers for The Substance.

There have been sensationalist advertisements for radical, renegade filmmaking as far back as the days of William Castle’s boundary-breaking cinematic experiences. In an age where 20-minute standing ovations at film festivals are the norm and horror film screenings are accompanied by nurses, priests, and barf bags, it’s become increasingly easy to tone out and dismiss buzzy advertisements. It may therefore seem redundant and hollow to praise Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance as a body horror masterpiece that will make the audience scream, squirm, and spew, but it’s a rare...

I've never seen anything quite like writer/director Aaron Schimberg's "A Different Man," a movie that defies convention and typical dissection even as it begs you to talk about it. Is it a wry psychological horror fable, like something out of late-era William Castle? Or is it a paranoia-fueled thriller torn from the American New Wave of the '70s? Perhaps it's a biting inversion of the "body horror" subgenre, a knowing satire of how cinema has typically depicted and treated individuals with facial differences? Maybe it's just a dark, surreal comedy about a man thrust into an unusual situation, and the fallout of his increasingly deranged choices.

Yes. The answer to all of that is yes. Somehow. "A Different Man" recalls so many different filmmakers, straddles so many different genres, that it becomes unclassifiable. It writes own rules and it stands alone. I spent every minute of this...

Nothing like a little decapitation to ring in the spooky season! Expanding on one of its most beloved showcases, “Mind F*ck Night” the Lower East Side Film Festival is unveiling a new, three-day pop-up festival called “Off/Season.” The series will focus on terrifying, mind-altering, genre-defying cinema and feature a curated selection of advanced screenings, retrospectives, short films, as well as filmmaker Q&As and receptions, all held at the Alamo Drafthouse, Lower Manhattan location from October 2-4.

In honor of the film’s 60th anniversary, “Off/Season” is proud to present “Strait-Jacket” from B-Movie horror master William Castle. Featuring screen legend Joan Crawford, this “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” follow-up continued the star’s decent into hagsploitation, but has become a cult classic in its own right, with her madly swinging an axe becoming one of cinema’s most iconic images. Castle’s daughter, Terry Castle, will be...

Another remake of William Castle’s horror classic House on Haunted Hill is on the way, and Bloody Disgusting has learned that Daniel Roebuck (Terrifier 3) has signed on.

Director Dustin Ferguson (Spider Baby) is in production now on the remake of the classic horror film House on Haunted Hill, which of course got its first remake back in 1999.

Victoria Price, daughter of horror legend Vincent Price, is executive producing the new take and will also star. Principal photography is expected to wrap this month.

The House on Haunted Hill remake’s script is set in 1976 and follows a news team investigating the infamous Hill House on live television, only to face dire consequences.

Rounding out the cast is scream queen Brinke Stevens (The Slumber Party Massacre), Jennifer Moriarty (Spider Baby), August Kyss (Murderbot), C. Courtney Joyner (Puppet Master 3: Toulon’s Revenge), Erik Anthony Russo (Spider Baby), and Mitchel Wyatt,...

Quick Links Beetlejuice 3 Latest News Beetlejuice 3 Is Not Confirmed Beetlejuice 3 Cast Details Beetlejuice 3 Story Details Beetlejuice 3: Further News & Info

Tim Burton's beloved film Beetlejuice got the legacy sequel treatment with 2024's Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, but will the horror comedy franchise return in Beetlejuice 3? The 1988 film concerned the recently deceased Maitland family (Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin) who turn to a ghastly bio-exorcist to scare away the Deetz clan who have just moved into their home. The 2024 legacy sequel caught up with the Deetzes all those years later, and found Betelgeuse up to his usual antics in the afterlife. With such an imaginative and open-ended concept, the possibility of another Beetlejuice sequel is never off the table.

It took nearly 40 years for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice to finally surface, and the wait was clearly worth it as the movie quickly became a box office bonanza. This, more than anything else, may be...

Producer Tommy Haper teases that "anything could happen" regarding Beetlejuice 3. Tim Burton is less convinced regarding the idea of a Beetlejuice franchise, and instead just hopes audiences enjoy his upcoming sequel. Beetlejuice 3 couldn't work without Burton, but it would also need a compelling reason to exist from a story and character perspective.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice director Tim Burton addresses whether there's a Beetlejuice 3 on the horizon. After the first film became a cult classic following its release in 1988, Burton is now returning to his horror-comedy world for a sequel, which features Michael Keaton reprising his role as Betelgeuse. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice releases in theaters next month, with anticipation understandably high regarding whether the sequel will live up to the original.

In a recent interview with Total Film (via GamesRadar+), Burton and producer Tommy Harper are asked about whether there's any possibility of a Beetlejuice 3. While Harper teases that "anything could happen," the...

Art the Clown is back in Terrifier 3. Here’s the new teaser trailer to prove it – which, fair warning, contains a bit of gore.

The Christmas-themed Terrifier 3 has writer and director Damien Leone and producer Phil Falcone back behind the camera, with David Howard Thornton reprising his role as Art The Clown. The trailer gives brief glimpses of what to expect, but suffice it to say that it looks to be more violent night than silent night.

The synopsis reads as follows:

Art the Clown is set to unleash chaos on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County as they peacefully drift off to sleep on Christmas Eve. This third film is centered around Art the Clown and it is the fourth feature-length film to include the character (after the anthology film All Hallows’ Eve) in the Terrifier franchise.

Few things are better for the box office for a...

For as long as there have been films, there have been filmmakers attempting to enhance the theatrical experience through the use of gimmicks. From the red-eyed skeletons of William Castle to the “odorama” cards of John Waters’ Polyester, gimmicks are the puns of the filmmaking world: memorable and effective in small quantities, but annoying when overused.

That’s why I get why so many people reject 3D cinema. After all, modern theater screens ended up becoming oversaturated with lazily post-converted cash-grabs rather than movies that were shot on actual stereoscopic cameras. However, having just recently fixed my own aging 3D TV and binge-watched dozens of gimmicky genre films, I’m pleased to say that there are a surprising number of fun 3D experiences beyond the usual suspects.

With that in mind, here’s a list recommending six underrated horror movies that were shot in 3D!

As usual, don’t forget...

From his early work like the Roger Corman-produced “Hollywood Boulevard” and the found footage extravaganza “The Movie Orgy” to the deliriously self-referential “Gremlins” films and “Looney Tunes: Back in Action,” Joe Dante has always been one of the most cine-literate of all directors, a filmmaker preoccupied with our relationship to the movies we watch and with cinema’s larger role in the culture. Dante’s 1993 comedy “Matinee” is possibly his greatest film in this regard, a meditation on the role horror movies play in our lives and a love letter to the people who make them. It follows a few days in the lives of kids who live on a Florida military base during the buildup to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962; as the terror of the real world increases, they take refuge in the monster movies of Lawrence Woolsey (John Goodman), a producer who arrives in town to screen his latest horror flick,...

Back in the late 90s, a handful of powerful Hollywood producers set out on what was then a very exciting venture for genre fans: Dark Castle Entertainment, a production company dedicated to making medium-budget horror movies with A-list casts. Inspired by the legacy of beloved 50s schlockmeister William Castle, Dark Castle was going to remake some of the producer-director’s most famous works, like House on Haunted Hill and 13 Ghosts, in addition to focusing on original material. These movies weren’t going to be cheapies like Castle’s were – they’d have substantial budgets for the genre, top-tier creative teams behind the camera, and recognizable faces from film and television in front.. It was an inspired idea, and though now we look back on the venture with bittersweet memories, Dark Castle definitely left its mark on the horror genre. Calling Warner Bros. its home, Dark Castle had put out...

The Exorcist Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images The internet is filled with facts, both true and otherwise. In Film Trivia Fact Check, we’ll browse the depths of the web’s most user-generated trivia boards and wikis and put them under the microscope. How true are the IMDb Trivia pages?...

The Exorcist

Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

The internet is filled with facts, both true and otherwise. In Film Trivia Fact Check, we’ll browse the depths of the web’s most user-generated trivia boards and wikis and put them under the microscope. How true are the IMDb Trivia pages?...

When Bernard Hill died recently, I wrote about the unique feeling accompanying the real-life death of an actor when that actor has been especially associated with a dramatic death scene onscreen. That feeling is only magnified when it’s been a very long time since the actor performed the demise in question. Juanita Moore, with her character’s funeral in 1959’s “Imitation of Life” being the grandest of any in the movies, only dying in real life in 2013 is an example.

One of the most extreme of these has just occurred, a death that also represents the severing of another critical link to Old Hollywood. Darryl Hickman died this past Wednesday, May 22, at the age of 92. He was a child actor in “The Prisoner of Zenda” and John Ford’s “The Grapes of Wrath” who, upon exiting his teenage years, decided he wanted to become a monk. He entered a...

From one 1999 horror remake to another. After rewatching The Haunting with eyes that were both more critical and 25 years older, it got me thinking about the other remake that came out that year. One that was a remake of a far sillier movie and that was the first effort from a new studio, namely Dark Castle Entertainment. The original was from a far less dark castle in that of schlock and gimmick purveyor William Castle and it starred Vincent Price as a man offering strangers money to stay in an allegedly haunted house for a night. While The Haunting failed on multiple levels to improve with age, how does House on Haunted Hill (watch it Here) look after a quarter of a century? Does its cheesy yet graphic tone feel at home in the time of A24 and elevated horror or should it forfeit its 1 million dollar check and leave the cursed grounds forever.

Baltimore native John Waters is filmdom’s pencil-mustached titan of trash who has spent a lifetime of dumpster-diving into a vat of bad taste, sleaze, kinky gross-outs, over-the-top camp, maudlin melodramatics, sick jokes, taboo sexuality, vulgarity and bizarre personalities. At least he has a fabulous sense of humor. The director is a New York University film school dropout who instead became a scholar of transgressive, envelope-shredding cinema, influenced by the directorial likes of Herschell Gordon Lewis, Federico Fellini, William Castle, Douglas Sirk and Ingmar Bergman. Early on, Waters assembled a stock company of players from suburban Baltimore who he would the Dreamlanders, including Mink Stole and Edith Massey.

But Waters would find his true muse and favorite leading lady in his childhood friend, Glenn Milstead, a drag queen whose alter-ego was known as Divine. When Milstead died at age 42 from an enlarged heart in 1988, Waters’ output went more mainstream, with...

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Matinee 4K Uhd from Shout Select

Shout Select proudly presents Matinee on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on June 25. The 1993 comedy has been newly restored in 4K from the original negative, supervised by director Joe Dante, with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos sound.

John Goodman stars as a filmmaker loosely based on B-movie legend William Castle. Cathy Moriarty, Simon Fenton, Omri Katz, Kellie Martin, and Lisa Jakub round out the cast. Charles S. Haas (Gremlins 2: The New Batch) penned the script.

Special features include: a new commentary by film critics Drew McWeeny and Eric Vespe; new interviews with Martin and David Clennon; interviews with Dante, Moriarty, Jakub, production designer Steven Legler, editor Marshall Harvey, and...

Sydney Sweeney is no doubt dominating the big screen with her movies; after Anyone But You and Madame Web, she’s now basking in the glory of her latest horror film, Immaculate. The movie was highly praised by actress and host Drew Barrymore on her show where Sweeney recently appeared.

Sydney Sweeney in Immaculate

Many have noticed the similarities between Immaculate and the heavily criticized film Rosemary’s Baby before the actress revealed taking some inspiration from it. For horror fans, it was easy to detect the parallels.

Sydney Sweeney On The Inspiration Behind Horror-Mystery Film Immaculate

During her guesting on The Drew Barrymore Show, actress Sydney Sweeney shared she got her passion for horror movies from her father. She also mentioned the inspiration for Immaculate.

“He introduced me to the horror genre because he was a fan of horror films, loved horror films. Like Halloween is his favourite holiday. Rosemary’s Baby...

Whether you love or hate them, remakes have been around for a long time, and they’re not slowing down anytime soon. An update on The Crow is set to arrive this summer, with Hollywood’s version of Speak No Evil not far behind, just as two upcoming examples.

While not all remakes can hold a candle to the original, there’s been no shortage of fantastic movies that reworked genre favorites in thrilling new ways. Some of which even managed to eclipse the original classics, like 1986’s The Fly or 1982’s The Thing.

This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to horror remakes that set themselves apart from the source material, either through expanded storytelling or heightened, visceral horror.

Here’s where you can stream them this week.

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

The Blob – Tubi

Chuck Russell and Frank Darabont’s remake of...

Aquarius Releasing founder Terence “Terry” Levene, who released dozens of B-movies in grindhouse theaters in the 1970s and ’80s and beyond, died Jan. 13 in Englewood, NJ. He was 90.

After working at Commonwealth United, Levene started Aquarius Releasing, which released genre films ranging from kung fu to sci-fi and far beyond and serve as a sub-distributor for Roger Corman and others. Aquarius had offices above the Selwyn Theatre on 42nd St. in New York, and released films including “Silent Night, Deadly Night,” “Isaac Hayes: Black Moses of Soul” and Lucio Fulci’s “The Beyond” (retitled as “Seven Doors of Death.”)

Among the other films he distributed or booked were the New York release of the wildly successful sex film “Deep Throat,” the Northeastern release of “Halloween” and John Sayles’ “Alligator.”

In the tradition of other exploitation film mavens like William Castle, Levene passed barf bags to patrons of “Doctor Butcher M.D....

The episode of Best Horror Movie You Never Saw covering Gothika was Written and Edited by Paul Bookstaber, Narrated by Kier Gomes, Produced by John Fallon and Tyler Nichols, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

Back in the late 90’s, early 2000s the horror genre was in that weird phase of encapsulating what it truly wanted to be. Hot off the heels of Scream, horror movies focused much more on the teenage angst, and lifestyle. But there comes a time when some hidden gems make their way to the silver screen that branch off the beaten path with a more adult-themed tale, drenched in psychological/mental horror. What if one day you’re living your average life, working your 9-5, and suddenly black, out only to wake up, institutionalized and accused of committing a crime you can’t seem to remember doing? In 2003, director Mathieu Kassovitz gave us a True...

Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird" is about as quintessentially American as a classic book can get. The 1960 novel, which is still commonly read in schools today, follows young Alabaman girl Scout Finch as she endures the trials and tribulations of her pre-teen years -- and witnesses the grim realities of the Jim Crow-era South. Some aspects of "To Kill A Mockingbird" haven't aged perfectly, but the book remains beloved for good reason. It's funny, sharp, and emotional, full of wisdom and harsh truth, and builds a world that's vividly alive.

That world made the leap from the page to the big screen in 1962, when director Robert Mulligan and playwright Horton Foote adapted "To Kill A Mockingbird" as a film. The movie version is indelible in its own right. It's anchored by a precise performance from Gregory Peck, who plays compassionate defense attorney Atticus Finch. In the 60 years since...

Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film "Psycho" famously employed a gimmick in its advertising to set it apart from the thrillers of the day. Movie posters and other print ads featured pictures of Hitchcock himself, pointing to his wristwatch, declaring that audiences watch "Psycho" from the very beginning, or face ejection from the theater. This came at a time when many theaters were still operating by a non-scheduled system, showing a well-moneyed "A" feature, followed by cartoons, shorts, newsreels, commercials, and a cheaper "B" feature. This is where we get the term "B movie" from. The cycle would then repeat. You could spend four or five hours in the theater if you wanted to. The entire loop would then repeat, and you could catch up with the movie on its second go-'round. This is where we get the phrase, "This is where we came in." 

Hitchcock, of course, was repeating the sensationalist gimmicks of William Castle,...

The episode of Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie? covering Final Destination 5 was Written, Narrated, and Edited by Tyler Nichols, Produced by Andrew Hatfield and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

The Final Destination series is in the midst of a near 13 year break. But thankfully that should be ending next year with the sixth entry in the series. But there was another time when the franchise seemed as good as dead. After The Final Destination came out, it seemed like that was the end of any cheating of death. But thankfully Eric Heisserer came along with an script that would blow audiences away. So we’re getting into all the gymnastics mishaps, terrible bridge construction, and massages with a not so happy ending, as we look at Wtf Happened To Final Destination 5 (watch it Here).

After the fourth entry in the series, Warner Bros (having...

BayView Entertainment have released the documentary Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story on Digital platforms including Amazon Prime Video.

Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story will be available to view on AVOD from 1st January 2024.

“I think one of the main reasons why I’m such a hardcore follower of Viral Marketing is because it’s a gimmick that manages to involve audiences in the film they’re anticipating, and the internet has introduced many methods of interaction with audiences to films they’re looking forward to, and I think it’s a wonderful throwback to William Castle, whose own showmanship was such a form of P.T. Barnum marketing that he’s sorely missed in a world of spoon fed horror films and lethargic monster pictures.

Castle involved you in his movies, he convinced you that his films were horrifying and would perhaps scare you so much that you’d need a death certificate,...

BayView Entertainment will be releasing the documentary Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story on Est/VOD/SVOD Digital platforms such as Tubi, Hoopla, Flix Fling, Plex and Amazon Prime Video on 28th November 2023.

Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story will also be available to view on AVOD from 1st January 2024.

“I think one of the main reasons why I’m such a hardcore follower of Viral Marketing is because it’s a gimmick that manages to involve audiences in the film they’re anticipating, and the internet has introduced many methods of interaction with audiences to films they’re looking forward to, and I think it’s a wonderful throwback to William Castle, whose own showmanship was such a form of P.T. Barnum marketing that he’s sorely missed in a world of spoon fed horror films and lethargic monster pictures.

Castle involved you in his movies, he convinced you...

Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story is coming to VOD Platforms, Tubi, Hoopla, Flix Fling, Plex and Amazon Prime on November 28th from Bayview Entertainment. Throughout the 1950’s and 60’s, William Castle produced and directed a series of horror films marked by their outrageous audience participation gimmicks. Castle treated moviegoers to buzzing seats, flying skeletons, …

The post Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story documentary featuring Vincent Price & Joan Crawford coming to VOD Platforms on November 28th from Bayview Entertainment appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

Clockwise from bottom left: The Thing (screenshot), Insidious (screenshot), Alien (screenshot), Friday The 13th (screenshot)

You might love them or you might loathe them, but you cannot deny that the jump scare has flourished, developing into a cornerstone of modern horror moviemaking. Their presence (or lack thereof) has the power...

Clockwise from top left: The Conjuring (Photo: Michael Tackett/Warner Bros.); The Shining (Screenshot: Warner Bros/YouTube); Beetlejuice (Screenshot: Warner Bros./YouTube); Poltergeist (Screenshot: MGM/YouTube)Graphic: The A.V. Club

This house … is clean. Or at least it should be. The enduring brilliance of the haunted house subgenre is its...

Classic Hollywood stars, known for their work in other genres, also took on roles in horror movies, delivering iconic performances. Famous actresses like Barbara Stanwyck and Joan Crawford showcased their talent in psychological horror films, proving their versatility. Notable actors such as Charlton Heston and Gregory Peck dipped their toes into the horror genre, adding depth to their filmography.

Many actors choose to stay away from horror movies for different reasons, so it might come as a surprise that some classic Hollywood actors, known for their works in other genres, appeared in at least one horror movie. The horror genre has seen a variety of actors, many of them known for their performances in other genres, while others dedicate most of their careers to appearing in scary movies. However, what might seem surprising to many, is to know that some classic Hollywood stars also gave the horror genre a chance at some point.

On February 6, 2006 — just a little over three months after the release of "Saw II" — critic David Edelstein published an op-ed in New York Magazine entitled "Now Playing at Your Local Multiplex: Torture Porn." It's one of those catch-all "state of the cinema" pieces that critics, journalists, and other culture commentators love to write every so often, attempting to point out a media trend as it's happening; I myself have written several such pieces during my career.

Sometimes these articles are thoughtful observations on what the medium is doing and where it may be heading. Sadly, more often than not, they act as glorified dog whistles, seeking to stir up controversy and public opinion against the oh-so-scary New Thing We Don't Like. As such, it almost doesn't matter that Edelstein spends the bulk of the piece attempting to reconcile with post-9/11 horror films, gliding over and seemingly missing the point of...

Naming horror movies is a serious business. It needs to sound scary, it shouldn’t give too much away, ideally it shouldn’t be named the same as someone else’s film, but it should also be memorable enough to stick in the brain. So unsurprisingly a lot of horror filmmakers have opted to call their movie “scary sounding adjective”.

But which word is scariest? We have ranked the movies based entirely on how alarming our perception of the adjective is. Come at us in the comments.

7. Ominous

Rain clouds can be ominous. Your boss saying “can I borrow you for a minute” can be ominous.

But to describe your child dying in an accident and a mysterious stranger offering to bring him back to life as “Ominous” feels like a bit of an understatement. That’s the plot of this film from 2015 by Peter Sullivan, which sounds like it...

It’s a bonus episode of Nightmare on Film Street, and we’ve gone ghostly! Join your horror hosts Kimmi & Jon as they crack open the coffin lid on 13 Ghosts: The Series. Think back to William Castle’s iconic 1960 rendition and then fast-forward to its 2001 Dark Castle revamp. Feeling nostalgic yet? Well, hold onto your ghost detectors because there’s a brand new chapter unfolding.

Stepping into our spooky studio are Series Creators Patrick Mediate, Ashley Robinson, and Aaron McLane of Primordial Pictures. They’ve been huddling with Dark Castle Entertainment, cooking up a television series concept for 13 Ghosts. And here’s the kicker: they’re dabbling with Augmented Reality. Think your regular binge-watch, but with a ghostly cameo in your snack bowl.

But wait, there’s a plot twist! While Dark Castle’s giving a thumbs up, Sony Pictures Television is still playing hard to get. What’s...

John Waters is no longer a cult filmmaker. The filmmaker, author, artist, actor, and spoken-word performer has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1990 (David Lynch was his sponsor). He’s screened “Hairspray” in the museum’s theater (with a Q&a moderated by Oscar-winner Barry Jenkins). The Academy Film Archive preserved his PSA, “John Waters Doesn’t Want You to Smoke.” He’s even getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As Waters likes to note, he’s so respectable he could puke.

At this point, everyone loves John Waters. John Waters should be hosting the Oscars, an idea so commonly held that if you ask the upbeat and unerringly polite Academy CEO Bill Kramer the odds of making that happen, you can hear him doing his best not to roll his eyes. “If I had a dime for every time that question’s been asked,...

Prepare to be haunted anew, dear readers! The cult favorite horror film Thir13en Ghosts, a Dark Castle Entertainment remake of the 1960 13 Ghosts, is rising from the grave. This time, it’s not just a remake but a full series adaptation and expansion of the Dark Castle version that’s set to chill our screens.

The banshee-find baker’s dozen began with director William Castle’s 13 Ghosts in 1960, later reincarnated by Dark Castle Entertainment as Thir13en Ghosts in 2001. And now, the haunting legacy continues with a potential series adaptation, and we’ve got the scoop!

Dark Castle’s Thir13en Ghosts

The 2001 film Th13teen Ghosts, directed by Steve Beck, tells the story of a family that inherits a seemingly spectacular glass mansion from their eccentric uncle, only to discover it’s a sinister machine designed to contain 12 vengeful spirits. The film featured a star-studded cast including Tony Shalhoub, Embeth Davidtz,...

A few days ago, Dread Central learned that Patrick Mediate of Primordial Pictures, The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead VFX supervisor Aaron McLane, and Ashley Robinson, a co-producer of Fear the Walking Dead, are teaming up with Dark Castle Entertainment to develop and pitch a TV series inspired by William Castle‘s 1960 classic 13 Ghosts and its 2001 remake. Now we’ve gotten an Exclusive look at a couple slides from the show’s comprehensive development deck, and you can check them out below!

The plan is that the 13 Ghosts series would consist of thirteen episodes. The team behind the project shared the following information: “Every culture in the world has its ghost stories, and this re-imagining of 13 Ghosts presents an international sampling of these supernatural tales. The ghost stories within each episode will have their own stylistic look and feel that will be explored and influenced by each individual director.

The latest horror classic to make the jump to 4K Ultra HD is 1968’s Rosemary’s Baby, which Paramount is bringing to 4K Ultra HD just in time for Halloween this year.

Rosemary’s Baby debuts on 4K Ultra HD on October 10, 2023.

The release celebrates the 55th anniversary of the Oscar-winning horror movie, and the fresh new 4K Ultra HD package also includes a Blu-ray as well as a Digital Code.

Rosemary’s Baby also gets new artwork for the 4K release, seen below.

“This adaptation of Ira Levin’s best-selling novel is the story of a loving young New York City couple who are expecting their first child. Like most first-time mothers, Rosemary (Mia Farrow) experiences confusion and fear. Her husband (John Cassavetes), an ambitious but unsuccessful actor, makes a pact with the devil that promises to send his career skyward.

“Director Roman Polanski elicits uniformly extraordinary performance from the all-star cast.

Betta St. John, who portrayed the lovely island girl Liat in the original Broadway production of South Pacific and starred as a princess alongside Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr in the MGM romantic comedy Dream Wife, has died. She was 93.

St. John died June 23 of natural causes at an assisted living facility in Brighton, England, her son, TV producer Roger Grant, told The Hollywood Reporter.

The California native played one of the survivors of an airline crash, who is chased by a crocodile in Tarzan and the Lost Safari (1957) — the first Tarzan film in 15 years and the first one in color — and then returned for Tarzan the Magnificent (1960). Both films starred Gordon Scott as the King of the Jungle.

St. John also starred with Stewart Granger, Ann Blyth and Robert Taylor in All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953); with Victor Mature, Piper Laurie and Vincent Price in the 3-D adventure Dangerous...

Back in the 1980s, the term “home video” actually referred to movies that had been transferred to honest-to-goodness analog videocassette tape. Keen-eyed genre mavens would excitedly trawl the aisles of their local emporium, often choosing between titles based on little more than lurid cover art and advertising hype.

One of the premier purveyors of the most cherished low-budget, unabashedly lowbrow entertainments was Charles Band’s Empire Pictures, staffed by a tightly knit “band of outsiders” whose names crop up time and again across the studio’s roster of deliriously enjoyable sci-fi and horror films. As it happens, Empire was a pure product of the decade, founded in 1983 and defunct by 1989, when it made way for Band’s next (and still flourishing) endeavor: Full Moon Features. Now, the fine folks at Arrow Video have gathered together a bumper crop of Empire’s output in their lavishly produced box set Enter the Video Store: Empire of Screams.

The Halloween episode of Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie? was Written by Eric Walkuski, Narrated and Edited by Tyler Nichols, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

In 1978, the landscape of horror changed forever with the release of John Carpenter’s Halloween (watch it Here). Jumping off from a very simple premise, Carpenter crafted a vision of terror unlike anything that had been seen before. Though there were movies not unlike it prior to its release, Halloween’s success would inspire a brand new subgenre: the slasher film, and while there have been many imitations – not to mention sequels and remakes – few horror movies have achieved the kind of glowing praise and reverence that the original Halloween has. Not to mention the fact that it introduced us to one of the most infamous screen villains of all time, Michael Myers, the unstoppable killer without a conscience.