News

In 1974, Tobe Hooper‘s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre changed the face of horror. Next month, actors Ed Neal, John Dugan, Allen Danziger, Teri McMinn, and William Vail will participate in the first official 50th anniversary cast reunion at Creep I.E. Con in Southern California.

Brett Wagner, who donned the Leatherface in the 2003 version of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre before suffering from heat stroke during the production, will also be among the celebrity guests. Dubbed “The Lost Leatherface,” he dawned the iconic flesh mask as he claimed the remake’s first victim, played by Eric Balfour.

“We were filming the summer months in Austin,” Wagner explains. “It was so hot. I felt it coming. I hit the ground.” He returned to finish the scene after rehydrating, but he describes the effects of the injury as “the most pain I’ve ever been in in my life.” Unable to wait for his full recovery,...

A Nightmare On Elm Street

Directed by Wes Craven

Written by Wes Craven

1984, USA

A Nightmare on Elm Street has a special place in my heart. It was not only the first horror film I had ever watched, but it was the first film in which I took notice of a film’s director and its stars. Prior to A Nightmare On Elm Street, perhaps the only director I was familiar with was George Lucas. A Nightmare On Elm street was my gateway into the world of cinema, and I owe Wes Craven for that. For those who dare dismiss it as trash, I give you 2060 words as to why you are so very, very wrong.

Wes Craven intended Nightmare to be an exploration of surreal horror as opposed to just another stalk-and-slash horror movie, and not only did Nightmare offer a wildly imaginative, inspired concept, but it was a...

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Directed by Wes Craven

Written by Wes Craven

2014, USA

Wes Craven intended Nightmare to be an exploration of surreal horror as opposed to just another stalk-and-slash horror movie, and not only did Nightmare offer a wildly imaginative, inspired concept, but it was a solid commercial genre entry for the dating crowd. Elm Street was New Line’s first genuine mainstream cinematic venture (after Alone In The Dark), and made the company a huge pile of money. The film was shot in 30 days at a cost of roughly $1.8 million, but it made back its figure and then some on opening weekend. New Line Cinema was saved from bankruptcy by the success of the film, and was jokingly nicknamed “the house that Freddy built.” Perhaps the most influential horror film of the ’80s, Craven’s 1984 slasher about a quartet of high school kids terrorized in their dreams...

Every year, we here at Sound On Sight celebrate the month of October with 31 Days of Horror; and every year, I update the list of my favourite horror films ever made. Last year, I released a list that included 150 picks. This year, I’ll be upgrading the list, making minor alterations, changing the rankings, adding new entries, and possibly removing a few titles. I’ve also decided to publish each post backwards this time for one reason: the new additions appear lower on my list, whereas my top 50 haven’t changed much, except for maybe in ranking. I am including documentaries, short films and mini series, only as special mentions – along with a few features that can qualify as horror, but barely do.

****

Special Mention:

Häxan

Directed by Benjamin Christensen

Denmark / Sweden, 1922

Häxan (a.k.a The Witches or Witchcraft Through The Ages) is a 1922 silent documentary about the history of witchcraft,...

By Todd Garbarini

Swamp Thing (1982) is a peculiar entry in the Wes Craven canon. For a director who cut his teeth in porn (most directors began their careers as editors in this field in the early 1970s) and directed such fare as The Last House on the Left (1972) and The Hills Have Eyes (1977), Swamp Thing is a much gentler film. One of the few PG-rated entries to his credit, it was made just a few years prior to his very own A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), the movie that turned the horror film industry on its ear with the introduction of Fred Krueger and which spawned one of the most successful franchises in the genre.

Released on Friday, February 19, 1982 by the late Joseph E. Levine’s long-defunct Embassy Pictures, Swamp Thing is a film version of the DC Comic that was created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson. Set in...

Throughout November, Sos staffers will be discussing the movies that made them into film fanatics.

A Nightmare on Elm Street has a special place in my heart. It was not only the first horror film I had ever watched but it was the first film in which I took notice of a film’s director and its stars. Prior to A Nightmare On Elm Street, perhaps the only director I was familiar with was George Lucas – after all Return Of The Jedi was the first film I had seen on the big screen. The difference between the two, and the reason why I decided to write about Nightmare, is because unlike Star Wars, a film that was pushed upon me by my older brother, Nightmare was something that I took interest in on my own. Perhaps it was the brim hat Freddy wore, and his sharp claws, or perhaps it...

Join guest of honor John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing, Escape From New York) all weekend at Fright Night Film Fest/Fandom Fest. Carpenter’s latest movie “The Ward” is making its way to horror fans all around the world this year. The Walking Dead will be representing all weekend with the zombies from the hit show appearing. Melissa Cowan, Addy Miller, Keisha Tillis and Brittany Murphy will all be appearing.

Any Star Wars fans out there? Of course there is! Both boba Fett’s will be at Fandome Fest, meet Jeremy Bulloch (The Empire Strikes Back) and Daniel Logan (Attack of the Clones, Star Wars:Clone Wars)

Other awesome guests for the weekend include Henry Winkler (Happy Days, The WaterBoy, Scream), Edward Furlong (The Crow Wicked Prayer, Terminator 2, Pet Semetary 2) Michael Biehn (Aliens, Tombstone, Terminator) and Jennifer Blanc (Dark Angel, The Crow) will be screening their new movie and Biehn’s directorial debut,...