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The four films collected in Severin’s new set Hard Wood chronicle a seismic shift in cult filmmaker Ed Wood’s oeuvre. They see him moving from utterly idiosyncratic mashups of sci-fi and horror like Bride of the Monster and the immortal Plan 9 from Outer Space (not to mention the mockumentary delirium of Glen or Glenda?) to other perhaps less reputable pastures in the land of exploitation filmmaking. Starting with The Sinister Urge in 1960, except for one reasonably charming excursion into cornpone comedy, Wood largely confined himself to working within the increasingly explicit realm of sexploitation films.

Wood co-wrote but did not direct 1963’s Shotgun Wedding, a prime example of the hicksploitation craze that swept the nation in the early ’60s after the runaway success of the TV show The Beverley Hillbillies, which, in the world of exploitation filmmaking, bore fruit like Herschell Gordon Lewis’s gore-laden Brigadoon riff Two Thousand Maniacs!

Rob Zombie welcomed back bassist Rob “Blasko” Nicholson for his first show with the band in 18 years, kicking off a co-headlining tour with Alice Cooper.

Blasko made his return on Tuesday (August 20th) when the trek commenced with a gig at the Isleta Amphitheater in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In a repeat of last year’s “Freaks on Parade Tour,” Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper are on the road with Ministry and Filter through mid-September (get tickets here).

Get Rob Zombie Tickets Here

Rob Zombie’s 15-song set included many songs from Blasko’s era of the band, including four songs from 1998’s Hellbilly Deluxe (“Dragula” closed the set) and three songs from 2001’s The Sinister Urge. There were also some obligatory White Zombie selections. Right before the set, Zombie posted a photo of himself and Blasko in Instagram, writing, “15 minutes until Zombie. Albuquerque get ready!”

Blasko, who left Zombie in...

Just hours after bassist Piggy D. revealed that he was exiting Rob Zombie’s band early on Tuesday morning (January 30th), Zombie announced the return of his original bassist, Rob “Blasko” Nicholson.

“After 18 years I am thrilled to announce that Blasko has returned! ☠️ The original 4 string Zombie monster is back. Get ready for a crazy summer of mayhem,” posted Zombie on Instagram (see below), along with the band’s new lineup of himself, Blasko, guitarist Mike Riggs, and drummer Ginger Fish.

Earlier in the day, Piggy D stated, “Dear Friends, My time with Zombie has come to an end. It was an honor to entertain you for the last 18 years. I look forward to the future and wish everyone the best. Peace & Love, Matt Montgomery aka Count D., Piggy D., Giggles.”

Piggy actually replaced Blasko back in 2006 after the latter left Zombie to join Ozzy Osbourne’s band. With Ozzy...

It’s an unfortunately quiet time for Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans. About a year ago, it was announced that Netflix was not going to be picking up the series for another season. While waiting for the contract to run out so they could move the series elsewhere, creator Joel Hodgson was able to fall back on doing a third tour of live shows through the country. This plan dissipated once Covid reared its ugly head.

As we wait for time to move forward so that MST3K can breathe again, we can at least take solace in Thanksgiving, the holiday where MST3K truly gets to thrive. Since its inception, MST3K has been linked to Thanksgiving and it’s been an annual tradition to celebrate the series with a Turkey Day marathon. Especially in the digital age, Turkey Day means getting to sit down and enjoy six classic episodes of MST3K...

On this day in 1924 the worst filmmaker the American Film Institute ever encountered Ed Wood was born. Like many filmmakers that cant get adequate backing for their work Wood began by making many microbudget horror movies. Those that became prominent only after his death include Bride of the Monster (1955) starring Bela Lugosi Plan 9 From Outer Space (1956) starring Lugosi and Vampira (Maila Nurmi) Night of the Ghouls (1958) The Sinister Urge (1960) and Necromania (1971).

Chicago – Would I love Ed Wood as much without Tim Burton’s amazing film of the same name? Probably not. I’ll admit that I can’t watch “Bride of the Monster” and Not think of Martin Landau’s Oscar-winning performance and I smile when thinking of Wood directing some of his awesomely-bad features but I’m really picturing Johnny Depp more than the actual filmmaker. Does it matter? For whatever reason you enjoy the king of Z-movie cinema, the 6-disc “Big Box of Wood” set is a treasure for cheesy movie fans.

DVD Rating: 3.5/5.0

Where does one even begin to review the filmography of Ed Wood? He was a Horrible director. And yet there’s something about his most beloved works (“Plan 9 From Outer Space,” “Bride of the Monster,” “Glen or Glenda” [which is, sadly, not includes in this 13-movie set]) that reflects the overwhelming love for cinema held by their director. Ed Wood loved movies. He...

There was only one Ed Wood. To call the man different is a bit of an understatement. One thing is for sure though ... for better or worse, Ed has become a legend, and a new box set is on the way that celebrates the very best (and worst) from the world's most infamous filmmaker.

From the Press Release

Ed Wood was an American screenwriter, director, producer, actor, author, and editor who often performed many of these functions simultaneously. In the 1950s, Wood made a number of cheap genre films (and attempted a number of failed TV pilots), now enjoyed for their technical errors, unsophisticated special effects, large amounts of ill-fitting stock footage, idiosyncratic dialogue, eccentric casts and outlandish plot elements, although his flair for showmanship gave his projects at least a modicum of critical success.

Wood's popularity waned soon after his biggest "name" star, Bela Lugosi, died. He was able...

On July 12, S’More Entertainment will issue Big Box of Wood, the most comprehensive group of movies by the renowned bad moviemaker Ed Wood Jr. (Plan 9 from Outer Space) ever released in a single DVD collection.

Vampira lives in Ed Wood's deliciously bad Plan 9 From Outer Space.

Clocking in at nearly 17 hours, the six-disc Big Box of Wood DVD includes 11 films and two TV specials spanning Wood’s 24-year filmmaking career. It will carry a list price of $49.98.

Included in the box are six of Wood’s later exploitation films from the Seventies, including two that have never before been released on DVD: 1972’s Snow Bunnies and 1976’s Beach Bunnies.

Here’s a list of everything that’s included in the collection:

Plan 9 from Outer Space (1958)

Jail Bait (1954)

Bride of the Monster (1955)

The Violent Years (1956)

The Sinister Urge (1960)

Orgy of the Dead (1965)

Drop Out Wife (1972)

Fugitive...