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In the article series Sound and Vision we take a look at music videos from notable directors. This week we look at two strikingly different music videos by Don Coscarelli. Phantasm looms as a shadow over Don Coscarelli's work. His weird and wonderful horror series, full of feverish dreamlike scenery and phantasmagorical bad guys has stood the test of time. The Tall Man is a villain for the ages. Still, you can't help but feel that Coscarelli is much more than just his mainstay series. Take for instance Bubba Ho-Tep, part crazy horror comedy, part reminiscence on getting older. Or John Dies At the End, that blends his signature sense of surrealism with something more apocalyptic. And lest we forget that Coscarelli did more than...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

When Quentin Tarantino emerged on the scene with "Reservoir Dogs" in 1992, he proudly wore his influences on his sleeve. Tarantino is as much of a student of the screen as he is a creator of movies for it, marrying the cinematic language of the violence in exploitation and martial arts films with the character-driven writing of high-art, American auteurism. All of the trademarks of Tarantino's filmography were on display in his debut feature, like eclectic soundtracks, non-linear storytelling, and buckets of blood. Even before the film was released, Hollywood legends like Don Coscarelli were baffled by the brilliance on display from a first-time filmmaker.

Tarantino had made a crime thriller, but instead of it being about a group brought together to carry out the crime in the climax, it focused on the aftermath when six individuals operating under pseudonyms — Mr. White (Harvey Keitel), Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), Mr.

The 1980s may have been the decade of the slasher flick, but fans of vampires and werewolves had plenty to enjoy, too -- the classic creatures were having their biggest moment since the '30s and '40s heyday of Universal monster movies. Although bloodsuckers just about edged it in terms of quality and variety, there was some really good lycanthrope action around, most notably John Landis's "An American Werewolf in London" and Joe Dante's "The Howling." Elsewhere, you had Michael J. Fox's slam-dunking furball in "Teen Wolf;" Neil Jordan's dark take on Little Red Riding Hood in "The Company of Wolves;" and the Wolf Man teaming up with his old Universal buddies again in "The Monster Squad." Somewhat lost in the mix was "Silver Bullet," a creepy and underrated tale from the pen of Stephen King.

The author from Maine was just about everywhere in the mid-'80s.

It’s always exciting to get to share recommendations where one iconic filmmaker champions the work of another. Fortunately, I’ve got just such a scenario for you at present. That’s right, dear reader, I have a film recommendation from celebrated creator Guillermo del Toro. This pick sees the Mimic director singing the praises of Don Coscarelli’s John Dies at the End. As if that weren’t exciting enough already, del Toro adds a third beloved creator to the mix, likening Coscarelli’s undeniably trippy creation to the unflinching output of genre stalwart Sam Raimi.

Finding this recommendation took a little bit of digging, but it was well worth it. Way back in 2016, del Toro jumped on Twitter (it will never be X for this critic) to show some much-deserved love to John Dies at the End. His post reads: “Film: John Dies at the End by Don Coscarelli.

More terrifyingly free horror titles are now available on Vizio WatchFree+ for June, including Don Coscarelli’s horror classic Phantasm, Scott Derrickson’s terrifying Sinister, Rob Zombie’s slasher sequel Halloween II, and fan favorite The Collector.

WatchFree+ has thousands of free premium movies and shows that can be streamed on demand on Vizio TVs, or Anyone can enjoy titles like these and more using the Vizio mobile app! All you need is a free Vizio Account to start enjoying WatchFree+.

Here’s the full lineup of fresh horror arrivals on June 1, 2025…

Sinister

A controversial true-crime writer finds a box of Super 8 home movies in his new home, revealing that the murder case he is currently researching could be the work of an unknown serial killer whose legacy dates back to the 1960s.

Cast: Ethan Hawke (Training Day), Juliet Rylance (American Gothic), James Ransone (The Black Phone)

The Descent...

Bubba Ho-Tep is a silly good time. It’s an unorthodox take on genre cinema that features a great showing from Bruce Campbell as an aging, undead Elvis. I like the film (and Campbell) so much that I once dedicated an installment of the Dread Central newsletter, The Harbinger, to the Don Coscarelli-directed effort. Though the picture has its fans, I think it’s actually a bit underrated. However, the feature has at least one high-profile fan. During a recent look at Mike Flanagan’s Letterbox profile, I learned that the Absentia director is also a die-hard Bubba Ho-Tep enthusiast.

That’s right; Flanagan added the flick to a Letterboxd list chronicling his favorite horror movies. Nice work, Mike.

The setup for this Mike Flanagan-approved horror-comedy goes like this:

After falling into a lengthy coma following a freak accident involving hip gyration, an aged Elvis Presley (Campbell) wakes up...

If Fright-Rags‘ Phantasm collection doesn’t scare you… you’re already dead!

The Tall Man looms over new artwork by Justin Osbourn, Morningside Mortuary gets its own deadly design by Kyle Crawford, and the classic poster art is represented with a distressed design.

Super soft 4.5oz 100% pre-shrunk ringspun cotton T-shirts are $33. Osbourn’s design is also available on baseball tees for $40, while the poster art comes on zip-up hoodies for $55.

The collection also includes a souvenir cup featuring art by Matthew Skiff. The 32-ounce plastic cup costs $7.

Written and directed by Don Coscarelli, the 1979 horror cult classic stars A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Reggie Bannister, Kathy Lester, and Angus Scrimm.

If you’re a Phantasm phan, be sure to share your appreciation with Bannister by sending him mail while he’s in hospice care.

The post The Tall Man Looms Over Fright-Rags’ ‘Phantasm’ Collection appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The Bubba Ho-Tep soundtrack is available on vinyl for the first time from Waxwork Records.

Composed by Brian Tyler, the score is pressed on Egyptian Sand & Silver Swirl colored vinyl.

It’s housed in heavyweight gatefold packaging with matte satin coating featuring artwork by JJ Harrison with an 11×11 art print insert.

Priced at $32, the album is expected to ship in April.

Based on the novella by Joe R. Lansdale, the 2002 horror-comedy is written and directed by Don Coscarelli (Phantasm). It stars Bruce Campbell as Elvis Presley and Ossie Davis as John F. Kennedy.

The post Waxwork Records Is Taking Care of Business with ‘Bubba Ho-Tep’ Vinyl appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Quick Links What Was The Beastmaster About? How Does Kraven the Hunter Relate to The Beastmaster?

The following contains spoilers for Kraven the Hunter, now playing in theaters.

With J.C. Chandor's Kraven the Hunter and other Sony Marvel movies, many expect homages to the Spider-Man films, or the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general. However, Kraven the Hunter draws energy from another surprising franchise:The Beastmaster, which began in the 1980s.

This medieval-mystical fantasy story didn't do big numbers at the box office, nor did it win over critics. But as the decades passed, the franchise developed a cult following. Coincidentally, Aaron Johnson-Taylor's Kraven has abilities very similar to the protagonist from that property. Not to mention, his mission and overall ethos have parallels to what The Beastmaster presented.

What Was The Beastmaster About? The Beastmaster's Dar Used Animals to Save the World

Related Kraven the Hunter's Dismal Thursday Box...

There's something sort of mythical about the state of Texas. It's one of the biggest states in the United States, both in terms of its geographical size and population, but it has an equally big reputation. Movies set in the state tend to be just as big, whether they're the laid-back ensemble comedies of Richard Linklater or one of the many gritty Westerns to which Texas has played host. But which among them is the best film set in Texas? Figuring that out is a pretty gargantuan task given the sheer number of truly great movies set in Texas, but I gave it my honest best. 

That being said, David Byrne's wacky musical comedy "True Stories," Ivan Reitman's farcical "Twins," Brian Robbins's soapy football drama "Varsity Blues," James L. Brooks's family tragicomedy "Terms of Endearment," and David Mackenzie's hard-boiled neo-western "Hell or High Water" all make the honorable mentions list.

The Halloweenies celebrate the 45th anniversary of an all-timer: Don Coscarelli‘s Phantasm.

Join co-hosts Michael Roffman, Dan Caffrey, McKenzie Gerber, and special guest Adam Carston of Windy City Ballyhoo/Make My Day: A Clint Eastwood Podcast as they revisit the 1979 DIY masterpiece. Together, they dig deep into its roots, try to make sense of the plot, marvel at the music, and chart how Coscarelli’s first two films — 1976’s Jim the World’s Greatest and Kenny & Co. — feel like precursors, making all three a perfect aesthetic trilogy of the ’70s. Both films are available to stream on YouTube, and we highly advise you watch them.

Note: This episode was recorded in February 2024 and is being unlocked for the holidays.

Subscribe to the Halloweenies via Apple Podcasts , Stitcher , Spotify , and RSS . New to the Halloweenies? Catch up with the gang by revisiting their essential episodes on past franchises such...

In honor of Phantasm‘s 45th anniversary, the film’s original motion picture soundtrack is available on vinyl for $60 via Waxwork Records.

Drawing inspiration from Goblin‘s work in Suspiria and Mike Oldfield‘s “Tubular Bells” from The Exorcist, the synthesizer score is composed by Fred Myrow (Soylent Green) and Malcolm Seagrave.

The deluxe 3xLP album includes the expanded and complete score sourced from the original 1979 master tapes, never-before-released score cues from the Phantasm recording sessions, and the newly remastered original 1979 score album.

The records are pressed on “Silver Sphere” metallic silver colored vinyl and housed in a heavyweight triple gatefold jacket featuring artwork by Graham Humphreys and an 11×11 insert with liner notes by writer-director Don Coscarelli.

“I recently received notice that our long-term film storage vault in the basement of the historic Howard Hughes Headquarters building on the corner of Romaine and Sycamore in Hollywood was being permanently closed.

Fantasy is a hard nut to crack. Where science fiction can build on the rust and chrome of worlds we know, fantasy asks us to envision something new, often helped along by tidbits of real world history (as many fans of George R.R. Martin know quite well). To bring these worlds to life on screen requires more magic than words on a page, making the special effects budget blow the king's purse wide open.

When it works, it's something special. We get to see impossible worlds, meet cultures and countries where the riddle of steel and the law of chivalry thrive. We take to skies full of dragons, and sandy deserts full of bandits. Of this grand niche, the sword and sorcery movie is the most approachable, with a down to earth ruffian flair. The distinction between this and high fantasy is slim, but for our purposes, if the world...

Now that they’ve set the year’s best film for a December 10 debut, the Criterion Channel have unveiled the rest of next month’s selection. John Waters’ films are inseparable from John Waters’ presence, making fitting Criterion’s decision to pair an eight-film retrospective (Multiple Maniacs to Cecil B. Demented) with his own “Adventures in Moviegoing” wherein the director extols virtues of Bergman, Chabrol, Barbara Loden, and Samuel Fuller. His own Polyester will have a Criterion Edition alongside the Bob Dylan doc Don’t Look Back, an iconic film in its own right and, I think, fitting companion to The Unknown with Lon Chaney, also streaming on Criterion. No Country for Old Men and Election receive likewise treatment; the latter appears in “MTV Productions,” a series featuring Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, The Original Kings of Comedy, and (coming close to Freddy Got Fingered for least-expected 2024 addition) Jackass: the Movie.

Politics can be scary, and today is Election Day. Whether you’re in need of a distraction from the news or simply looking for themed viewing inspiration, here’s a handy guide to Election Day horror movies to keep your mind preoccupied. These eight horror movies feature politicians, presidents, political divides, and capitalism, all filtered through the lens of horror.

Consider this your reminder to go vote, then come home and escape into the faux universes where aliens have invaded, governments sanction full-blown murder holidays, and more.

Here are eight Election Day horror movies to watch today…

The Dead Zone

Directed by David Cronenberg, this adaptation stars Christopher Walken as John Smith, a young school teacher who slips into a coma for five years due to a car accident. When he comes to, he finds his lady love has moved on and has a new psychic ability that gives him insight into anyone he touches.

The concept of the movie cameo no longer means what it used to. Nowadays, we have entire feature films serving as a cameo delivery system, where "cameos" aren't brief appearances by very recognizable figures, but are actually entire supporting roles. Thanks to the comic book movie and the output of Marvel Studios in particular, the cameo has since become far more than the Easter egg it used to be. In a cinematic landscape where what we now call cameos can range from teaser appearances of characters to be seen in a future film to big-name actors who were merely kept out of the marketing materials, is there any room for the classic-style cameo anymore?

Fortunately for us horror nerds, along comes "Terrifier 3" to answer that question with a resounding "Yes." The latest installment in the Art the Clown saga includes all manner of cameo appearances, ranging from some actors...

2005 saw the birth of a series whose time had come: Masters of Horror, a showcase for new work by the reigning kings of the genre. While they waited for new feature films, fans enjoyed hour-long tales of terror from the creators of classics like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Re-Animator, and many more. It was the perfect sandbox for the filmmakers who revolutionized horror in the late 20th century. However, since then, a new generation of innovators has arrived, and they need a place to play.

Horror anthologies usually operate according to a specific tone or theme, and Masters of Horror was the most ambitious of them all. The show platformed the pioneering directors who had broken new ground since the 1970s, showing more extreme sex and violence, and more profound psychological and political content. But horror has evolved yet again since 2006, and its new stars deserve a similar outlet for their achievements.

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Stephen King's body of literary work is astounding. While most adaptations of his literature enjoy widespread popularity (with a few evoking middling or downright unsatisfactory results), some end up flying under the radar despite being otherwise worthwhile. Dan Attias' "Silver Bullet," which is based on King's horror novella "Cycle of the Werewolf," suffered a similar fate: although generally enjoyable (it even made our rundown of the best Stephen King horror movies to watch during Halloween), this adaptation doesn't do justice to its source material at all and takes a stiff, uninspired approach to a tale about werewolf terrorizing a small town and how it affects the young protagonist, Marty Coslaw.

King was intimately involved with "Silver Bullet" once he was brought on board to supervise the first draft of the screenplay, but the film's failure to capture this conventional...

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One of the hardest parts of working in the film industry is the fact that your work, no matter how hard you've worked on it and/or how proud you are of it, can't move forward until you let other people pass judgment on it. That screenplay that you've poured every ounce of your creative energy into for months is finished, and now you've got to get notes from your friends, your agent, and anyone who might be interested in working on it. It's terrifying. And the situation gets more fraught when you're showing a cut of the film. You've been working with an editor to craft a compelling motion picture, and all that effort could come undone over two hours in a screening room.

When you've been through this, when you know how it feels to take a barrage of constructive criticism,...

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Put yourself into a 1987 state of mind, and imagine you're using the computer from "Weird Science" to create the perfect young actor. You want it all: A hunk with legitimate performing chops who can do finely composed drama as easily as he does zany comedy. He can be the world's sexiest man and its biggest blithering idiot. He's also got an athletic frame onto which you can pack layers of muscle. Can he sing and dance? Probably, but we're not trying to take roles away from our underserved musical theater stars, so let's not get greedy. All the other stuff you want a star to do, however, he does it.

So feed your snipped-from-magazine clippings of Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Cary Grant, Gary Cooper and the like into the computer, and who do you come up with? Lorenzo Lamas?? You've got yourself a virus,...

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Demi Moore moved around a lot in her childhood, and her life wasn't wholly rosy. As she's described it, Moore frequently relocated around the U.S., struggling with her mother and her stepfathers, and often finding herself malnourished. When she was 16, Moore dropped out of high school and took a job as a receptionist at 20th Century Fox. She signed a modest modeling contract and was making ends meet. Her next door neighbor was, it turned out, Nastassja Kinski, and the German actor encouraged Moore to take acting classes. She continued to model while working her way into films, making her debut in the 1981 movie "Choices." The following year, Moore appeared in the 3-D monster movie "Parasite."

These were the first two steps in a career that experienced a massive upward trajectory. By 1984, Moore was already playing lead characters in major studio productions.

Horror movies are closely associated with rapid succession sequels than they are legacy sequels. (How many years did we have a new “Saw” and/or “Paranormal Activity” sequel to look forward to?) But there are still a fair amount of legacy horror sequels – follow-ups that take much longer to marinate than the traditional sequel – and these are the ones that were definitely worth the wait.

Universal “Psycho II” (1983)

The first true legacy horror sequel was a follow-up to perhaps the most celebrated horror movie ever, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 shocker “Psycho.” “Psycho II” was directed by Australian filmmaker Richard Franklin, whose previous movie “Road Games” is one of the greatest Australian thrillers ever, and was written by Tom Holland, who would go on to direct future classics “Fright Night” and “Child’s Play.”

The sequel sees Norman Bates (once again played by Anthony Perkins) finally released from prison and attempting to enjoy a normal life,...

The comedy genre has delivered audiences some of the best stories of all time, from cult classics like The Big Lebowski to the absurd antics of Airplane!. The genre has seen some of the best legends in Hollywood come and go, from dramatic actors like Clint Eastwood and Liam Neeson to hilarious stars like Seann William Scott and Will Ferrell, who built a career there. While accolades for good acting often go to stars of dramas, thrillers, science fiction and Westerns, comedy has no shortage of brilliant, career-defining performances.

Comedy movies are often overlooked when it comes to the performances of actors, largely due to its tendency towards zany, over-the-top and sometimes campy performances that lack the subtlety and weight of dramas. The genre has as much range as its best stars, and some of the more nuanced and immersive roles from a variety of stars have showed it deserves...

One of the horror genre’s many low budget indie classics is the 1979 film Phantasm (watch it Here), which was made on a budget of around $300,000 by writer/director Don Coscarelli when he was in his early twenties. Shot on weekends with rented equipment, Phantasm took almost two years to complete… and the result was a box office success that is now widely regarded as one of the greatest horror films ever made. 2024 marks the 45th anniversary of Phantasm – and it also happens to mark the 10th anniversary of author Dustin McNeill’s book Phantasm Exhumed: The Unauthorized Companion… so this seemed like the perfect time to dig up an interesting story from McNeill’s book, where he reveals that Don Coscarelli’s mom wrote a script for Phantasm II years before her son got around to working on the sequel!

Released in March of 1979, Phantasm had the following synopsis:...

Bruce Campbell and director Don Coscarelli are celebrating 21 years of that nasty, Egyptian soul-sucking mummy matching wits with the King of Rock and Roll and JFK. Some kind of Bubba Ho-Tep is terrorizing the residents of Shady Rest, and its up to a presumed Elvis Presley impersonator (Campbell) and former United States President John F. Kennedy Jr. (Ossie Davis) to save the day in the hilarious horror comedy, Bubba Ho-Tep. Campbell jumped on social media to share an image and post written by Coscarelli, in which the actor added by emphasizing just how much of an independent venture the 2003 release was. Campbell wrote:

Lots of talk about Indie this and Indie that. Don [Coscarelli] not only financed Bubba himself, he self-distributed. THATs an Indie.

Lots of talk about Indie this and Indie that. Don not only financed Bubba himself, he self-distributed. THATs an Indie. https://t.co/TmAWZqAnLR pic.twitter.com...

Bruce Campbell and Don Coscarelli are celebrating 21 years of Bubba Ho-Tep. It's an indie film through and through, as the two say, proud of the accomplishments the project managed to achieve.

On the social media platform X, Bubba Ho-Tep director Don Coscarelli shared poster art for the cult classic film. The art features Campbell in the role of Elvis Presley, now living in a nursing home after faking his death decades prior. Behind him is the silhouette of the ancient mummy who's been resurrected, leaving it up to Elvis and JFK (Ossie Davis) up to stop him. With such an outlandish concept, the movie is not the kind of project that would typically be put out by a major movie studio, leaving it up to the Bubba Ho-Tep team to not only make the film, but handle its distribution as well.

Lots of talk about Indie this and Indie that.

Somehow, ‘Lil Cinephile has returned.

The book series, a spin-off of the wildly successful Cinephile: A Card Game, returns with a new volume of books designed to make your baby the coolest kid at day care. “My Fist Sci-Fi Movie,” “My First Kung Fu Movie” and “My First Midnight Movie,” represents the next chapter of the book series, with installments that “take readers on a cinematic journey of filmmaking styles from around the world,” according to the official synopsis.

These new books were written by Cory Everett and illustrated by Julie Olivi and cover everything from “2001: A Space Odyssey” to “Enter the Dragon” to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” This might be the greatest set of ‘Lil Cinephile books yet. Expect your budding to cineaste to have some new favorites.

Independently made and produced, “My First Sci-Fi Movie,” “My First Kung Fu Movie,” and “My First Midnight Movie,” will be available from lilcinephile.

Bubba Ho-Tep is a unique and fun twist on Elvis' story, with Elvis teaming up to fight a mummy. The movie features Elvis living a peaceful life without his music, giving a fresh portrayal. Despite being underrated, Bubba Ho-Tep gained cult classic status due to Campbell's performance and originality.

The life and career of Elvis Presley have been the subject of many movies and TV shows, but theres one horror comedy starring Bruce Campbell that gave a twist to the kings story. Many music icons have had their lives and careers portrayed in various forms of media, whether due to their great success, the tragedies they went through, or their many achievements. Among them is the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, whose story has fascinated fans and artists alike, getting different interpretations over the years.

Some of the most recent and successful takes on the life of Elvis Presley are Baz Luhrmanns Elvis,...

Bubba Ho-Tep offers a unique take on Elvis Presley's life, with a twist that sets it apart from other biopics. Bruce Campbell pays tribute to the anniversary of Presley's death by reflecting on the surreal nature of portraying the late singer at the same age as when he died. Despite lacking Presley's iconic music due to budget constraints, Bubba Ho-Tep remains a cult classic in the horror genre.

As the late singer enjoys a surge in popularity amid multiple recent biopics, Bruce Campbell reflects on playing Elvis Presley in Bubba Ho-Tep. The Evil Dead star led the cast of the 2002 horror-comedy as Presley, who actually swapped places with an impersonator after becoming disillusioned with stardom, and now lives in a Texas retirement home, where no one believes he's the real Elvis. When the residents of the retirement home become the target of a revived mummy, Elvis and a...

B-movie legend Bruce Campbell is one of a handful of actors to play late singer Elvis Presley in a feature film. However, Campbell's version might have been the strangest of them all, but it wasn't the plot that weirded out the actor by taking on the role.

In a post on the social media platform X, Campbell shared a video of Elvis from his final concert in 1977. The video was shared on the 47th anniversary of the "Jailhouse Rock" singer's passing in honor of keeping his memory alive. Campbell also included an image from the set of Bubba Ho-Tep, the 2002 film in which he played an older version of Elvis. As the Evil Dead star noted, he was 42 when he played the role, and that just so happened to be the same age Elvis died, which was a "weird" feeling for the actor.

It was weird to play Elvis when...

There was a time when most genre fiction was lumped together as a single collection of unserious literature by both critics and magazines. This is why weird fiction often shared an audience with sword and sorcery (and why writers like Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft could connect over their stories), with both genres influencing each other as they evolved.

There’s a similar inter-genre connection in the world of film, as many scholars have noticed a pattern where horror filmmakers eventually move onto bigger and more expensive fantasy projects. From Cannibal Holocaust’s Ruggero Deodato directing 1987’s The Barbarians to B-movie maestro Peter Jackson helming the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it seems like the horror genre somehow produces the best fantasy storytellers. However, today I’d like to discuss a particularly strange sword and sorcery flick directed by none other than Phantasm’s Don Coscarelli. Naturally, I’m...

Intro: What is the first movie that comes to mind when you hear the name Elisabeth Shue? Do you think of her as the Karate Kid’s love interest? The babysitter who went on an adventure through downtown Chicago? The Oscar-nominated prostitute from Leaving Las Vegas? Chances are, the movie that comes to mind is not Link. A horror movie where Shue shares the screen with a homicidal orangutan that’s passed off as being a chimp. Link isn’t very well known, but it should be. If you haven’t seen it, it’s the Best Horror Movie You Never Saw.

Creators / Cast: Link (watch it Here) was directed by Alfred Hitchcock devotee Richard Franklin, an Australian filmmaker who, for a while, looked like he could be one of the best sources for new Hitchcockian thrillers once the Master of Suspense had passed away. Franklin had even been friends with Hitchcock,...

The rise of widely available internet during the late 90s and early 2000s gave up-and-coming authors a brand-new avenue through which they could share their words with the world without the need for publishers. Back then, free-to-read blogs and personal websites weren’t just gathering places for readers, they were also a forum that allowed writers to directly connect with their audience and spin yarns that old timey editors would probably have considered too niche for mainstream publication.

And while not all of these online stories were created equal, with some ending up unfinished and forever trapped in cyberspace, others became so popular that the leap from screen to the printed page was all but inevitable. One of my favorite examples of this is the iconic John Dies at the End, a book series that originally began as a hilarious in-universe blog run by “David Wong” (who we now know...

The Hostel television show has cast Paul Giamatti in a major role. This casting makes good on a promised collaboration between Giamatti and Eli Roth that almost started with the original Hostel. While Giamatti's character in the show is unknown, he would be well-suited to play a villain.

The upcoming Hostel show is bringing together a long-awaited Hollywood pairing. The horror franchise began in 2005 with Eli Roth's gory horror movie of the same name. After it grossed $82 million against its $4.8 million budget, the movie earned a 2007 sequel, which was also helmed by Roth. However, the franchise petered out relatively quickly, only earning one more installment, which was a direct-to-video sequel helmed by From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money director Scott Spiegel that went direct-to-dvd in 2011.

In early June 2024, The Hollywood Reporter reported that a Hostel television show was in development that would be a "reinvention" of the Eli Roth horror movie.

The majority of the big franchise horror icons have gotten their own Funko toys by now, but one icon you haven’t yet been able to add to your collection is the Tall Man from Phantasm, played by the late Angus Scrimm across four movies between 1979 and 2016. For the 45th anniversary of the original horror classic, the Tall Man is finally getting his own Funko toy!

The upcoming Phantasm collectible has been previewed by Funko this week, the toy capturing Angus Scrimm’s iconic visage and even coming complete with a silver death sphere.

Preview the Tall Man toy below and expect it to hit toy shelves soon.

The only other official Tall Man toy we’ve gotten over the years was from Neca’s Cult Classics line of figures, part of the second series that was released way back in 2005.

Speaking of Phantasm, franchise creator Don Coscarelli returns to...

45 years ago, writer/director Don Coscarelli delivered one of the best horror films ever made: Phantasm, a film which spawned three sequels that Coscarelli wrote and directed himself, then a fourth that he wrote with director David Hartman. Earlier this year, we learned that Coscarelli would be celebrating the 45th anniversary of Phantasm by expanding the franchise with a book called Phiction: Tales from the World of Phantasm, which was initially only available as a limited edition hardcover. Now paperback and Kindle editions of Phiction are available as well, and you can pick up a copy on Amazon!

With a page count of 171, Phiction contains the following six stories:

· In Life and Death in the ‘Nam, we explore the origin story of our favorite ice cream vendor hero Reggie and his first encounter with the supernatural forces of evil in the jungles of the Vietnam war. It’s a two-fisted...

This year marks the 45th anniversary of Don Coscarelli’s horror classic Phantasm, and Coscarelli returns to that iconic universe with his brand new book Phiction: Tales from the World of Phantasm. Phiction explores characters and stories from the Phantasm universe, with an introduction by best-selling author Joe R. Lansdale (Bubba Ho-Tep).

In the wake of a hardcover limited edition version of Phiction being put up for grabs at a special event back in March, the paperback version of the book is now available.

You can grab your paperback copy from Amazon today!

Coscarelli notes within the pages of the book that his days of directing Phantasm movies are behind him, but Phiction is without question the next best thing. What you’re getting here are Six brand new stories written by Coscarelli himself, each of them expanding upon characters from the movies. The stories wonderfully add to the lore of the Phantasm Universe,...

Terrifier 3 has cast a star to play the real Santa Claus. Daniel Roebuck will play Santa during Art the Clown's Christmas rampage. Roebuck is an actor with many horror titles on his resume including the Rob Zombie movies Halloween II and The Munsters.

Terrifier 3 has now cast the actual Santa Claus. The upcoming slasher sequel will be set on Christmas, eschewing the typical Halloween setting of the previous rampages of its now iconic villain Art the Clown. In addition to Art star David Howard Thornton and writer-director Damien Leone returning for the project, it will also feature Terrifier 2 survivors Lauren Lavera and Elliot Fullam as Sienna and Jonathan Shaw as well as Samantha Scaffidi as Victoria Heyes, a character introduced in the first movie.

Bloody Digusting has now shared an exclusive image of Santa Claus from the upcoming Terrifier 3, who will be played by Daniel Roebuck.

Don Coscarelli perhaps does not get enough credit for crafting one of horror's most enduring franchises with "Phantasm." Dating back to the sleeper hit from 1979 that introduced audiences to Angus Scrimm's The Tall Man, the series pressed on for five films that premiered periodically all the way through 2016. Coscarelli directed the first four entries personally before handing the reins over to David Hartman for "Ravager". A segment in "V/H/S/99" even paid homage to "Phantasm." Not many franchises can say they got to five movies across nearly four decades.

But what of those who have never taken the plunge into this delightfully strange universe? What of those genre fans who are interested in seeing what Coscarelli dedicated so much of his life to? We're here to make it easy for you to do just that by providing the correct viewing order for the "Phantasm" movies, as well as...

Bill Cone only had one acting credit to his name, and that single screen appearance didn’t last very long, but it’s worth taking note of because it happens at the beginning of one of the best horror movies ever made, writer/director Don Coscarelli’s 1979 classic Phantasm (watch it Here). Cone plays a character named Tommy in that film, and it’s his death that gets the story rolling. Sadly, today we have to report that Bill Cone has passed away.

The news of Cone’s death was first shared on the official Phantasm Facebook page, where it was also revealed that he had contributed to the soundtracks of both Phantasm and Coscarelli’s earlier film Kenny & Company. Here’s the text from their post: “We are saddened to learn of the passing of one of the core Phantasm cast members, Bill Cone (aka Tommy from the...

Known to horror fans for his brief but memorable appearance as Tommy in Don Coscarelli’s original horror classic Phantasm (1979), actor and musician Bill Cone has passed away.

Bill Cone also worked behind the scenes on the horror classic, providing key contributions to its iconic soundtrack. Story goes that Cone was a fan of horror movies and expressed an interest in dying onscreen in one, which led to Coscarelli casting him as the ill-fated Tommy, whose death kickstarts the events of the film. And into the hallowed halls of horror history he went.

The official Phantasm page on Facebook writes, “We are saddened to learn of the passing of one of the core Phantasm cast members, Bill Cone (aka Tommy from the original Phantasm). In addition to acting, Bill was a superlative musician. He was a key collaborator on the original Phantasm soundtrack, providing skilled guitar work.

“Previous to that,...

After the Easter chocolate coma subsides April will have fooled us and we can turn our attention to the fine programming that the folks at Arrow Video Player have in store for us.    First, we want to draw attention to the short film, Meat Friend, that our own Izzy Lee made. It's awesome and available to watch on the player from April 12th.    Family business done there is programming related to 420, released on April 20th. Phantasm director Don Coscarelli is on board for this month's Selects program. The month caps off with a 4K release of cult classic Basket Case.    All the programming is in the full announcement below.   Arrow Astounds with April Additions to Streaming Service April 2024 Lineup...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

As Benjamin Franklin famously wrote, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”

The horror genre offers a controlled environment in which viewers can reflect on their own morality, whether it be via catharsis or escapism, but a personal loss can complicate one’s relationship with horror. Even the most hardened of fans may struggle to find comfort in the genre after experiencing the death of a loved one.

45 years ago today, Phantasm helped viewers confront death head-on while subtly exploring the grief that accompanies it. In the film, 13-year-old Mike (A. Michael Baldwin) convinces his older brother-turned-guardian Jody (Bill Thornbury) and their affable neighborhood ice cream man, Reggie (Reggie Bannister), to investigate a mysterious mortician dubbed The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm).

Phantasm was the third feature from writer-director Don Coscarelli. The seed was planted upon witnessing the audience react to a small jump...

Stars: James David West, Brendan Bald, Kyle Rankin, Liz Atwater, Meg Barlowe, Austin Copps | Written by Jerry Robbins | Directed by Chris Hollo

The Legend of Lake Hollow is the first feature from director Chris Hollo. If you’re into country music, his name may be familiar to you as the official photographer for The Grand Ole Opry, a position he’s held since 2000. However, that has little in common with this film which opens with Mark and Carson arriving at the lakeside cabin they’ve rented. They’re barely in the door when they start checking out pictures from the property’s trail cams, and see something with a wicked set of claws.

Before they can act on that, Mark’s brother Dan arrives with his fiancé Shay and her friend Laurie. It’s not long before they’re hearing strange noises from the woods and finding more odd pictures captured by the trail cams.

For this month’s installment of “TV Terrors” we revisit Showtime’s “Masters of Horror,” which was created by Mick Garris and aired for two seasons between 2005 and 2007.

It seemed like a horror fan’s wet dream: a horror anthology series with some of the greatest horror filmmakers of all time lensing short format horror films for premium cable. Although horror icons had teamed in the past to bring us series like “Tales from the Darkside” and “Tales from the Crypt,” there wasn’t a modern series that brought them all together to have a chance to tell their stories in the anthology format. “Masters of Horror” seemed like a prime opportunity to re-invent the waning anthology horror format, and while it didn’t quite re-invent the wheel as planned, it brought with it a lot of great content from some bonafide horror icons.

“Masters of Horror” was originally envisioned...

Key takeaways: Some horror movies use trippy and surreal elements to create a unique and terrifying experience. The incorporation of hallucinatory imagery and surreal elements can heighten the scares in a horror movie. These movies often play with time, space, and the medium of film itself to disorient and frighten viewers.

While the horror genre can be pretty straightforward in its scares, some of the genre’s weirder efforts use their trippy, surreal tone to terrify film fans. Horror movies are usually creepy, but they aren’t always strange. Some uninspired slashers and supernatural horror movies rely on the same familiar jump scares, gruesome gore, and predictable tropes to unsettle audiences. However, plenty of horror movies delve into weirder, more offbeat territory in their attempts to scare viewers. Some horror movies feel more like a bad acid trip than a standard issue scary story, and this makes them all the more effective.

45 years ago, writer/director Don Coscarelli delivered one of the best horror films ever made: Phantasm, and film which spawned three sequels that Coscarelli wrote and directed himself, then a fourth that he wrote with director David Hartman. Now, to celebrate the original film’s 45th anniversary, Coscarelli is expanding the franchise – not with another movie, but with a book called Phiction: Tales from the World of Phantasm. Our friends at Bloody Disgusting report that Molotov Press will be publishing this “new limited collector print edition of original stories written by Don Coscarelli, the creator of the Phantasm films.” “The book will be released on the 45th Anniversary of the 1979 film with a celebration event and signing at Dark Delicacies in Burbank, CA on Saturday, March 23rd at 2Pm.”

Coscarelli and franchise star Reggie Bannister will be at the Dark Delicacies event. Plus, “the Phantasm 2 ‘Cuda muscle car will be...

This year marks the 45th anniversary of Don Coscarelli’s horror classic Phantasm, and Coscarelli has joined forces with Dark Delicacies for new book Phiction: Tales from the World of Phantasm. The book is described as “a new limited collector print edition of original stories written by Don Coscarelli, the creator of the Phantasm films.”

Phiction explores characters and stories from the Phantasm universe, and it also includes an introduction by best-selling author Joe R. Lansdale (Bubba Ho-Tep), Bd has learned.

Bloody Disgusting has also exclusively learned that Dark Delicacies will host a celebratory 45th anniversary event complete with a book signing and star Reggie Bannister in-person! In a once in-a-lifetime opportunity, the Phantasm 2 ‘Cuda musclecar will be on-site at Dark Delicacies and fans can take a photo riding shotgun With Reggie! Additionally, the original “Spacegate Poles” from Coscarelli’s personal prop collection will also be available for photos with fans.

“If you tell them I want to be a human, I’m gonna burn the agency.”

That was Paul Giamatti’s reaction when his agents took issue with his desire to be cast as an ape in Tim Burton’s 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes. In a recent THR roundtable, the actor, who’s considered an Oscar front-runner for his starring role in Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, mentioned to the esteemed group, which consisted of Colman Domingo, Mark Ruffalo, Andrew Scott, and Robert Downey Jr, that to him one of the biggest highlights of his career was playing the orangutang “human-trader” Limbo, in that often-maligned film.

“If that had been it for me, I would have died happy. I couldn’t believe I would get to play a talking orangutang.” As cited above, he said his agents suggested he try to play a human instead, prompting his tongue-in-cheek threat.

Paul Giamatti is one of the most highly respected actors working in the industry today, and he’s also quite prolific, with over 115 screen credits to his name. Last night, he won a Golden Globe for his performance in the excellent comedy / drama film The Holdovers – and during a red carpet interview at the event, he revealed there’s one area where he feels his career is lacking: he hasn’t worked on enough horror projects.

Asked if there’s a genre he would love to work in, Giamatti answered, “Horror. I’d like to do more horror. I love horror.” When asked what his favorite horror movie is, he replied, “Oh, that’s a very tricky question. I like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre a lot. I love horror. Love it!” When the interviewer was a bit shocked and appalled that Giamatti is such a Chainsaw fan, Giamatti stood up for it: “Great movie!