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The most popular subgenre of horror nowadays is “elevated horror”; you know, the kind of movies where there’s more focus on themes and social commentary, and fear is induced via metaphors and not through disgusting visuals. And I like some of them. But, gun to my head, if I have to say what my favorite subgenre of horror is, I think it’s going to be those that are categorized as horror B-movies. There’s something about the wacky camerawork, jarring editing, cheap production design, gross special effects, and an odd mixture of earnestness and self-awareness that I really enjoy. I am talking about stuff like Horror Express, Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead films, the Friday the 13th movies, and almost every other George A. Romero flick. With everything becoming more and more polished, even the emulation of those raw and crude aesthetics feels “safe.” So, how well does...

Spooky Season is still just a dream for many in the United States, as August heat locks in and September is only a faint hope. But as of the date of this writing, there are just 90 days to Halloween, which means it’s officially time to at least start pondering a costume.

If you need a little inspiration to truly get into the creepy spirit, Sling Freestream has a wide variety of titles that users can watch every day during their Halloween countdown. There’s no credit card or other payment information required to access the 400+ free streaming channels and 41,000 on-demand titles on Sling Freestream, and users can watch content from top horror repositories like Screambox, FilmRise, Alter Horror and many more.

Watch Now $0 / month sling.com What Horror-Themed Channels Are Available With Sling Freestream? Screambox

Screambox is already one of the most recognized names in horror streaming, and its...

Step into the mesmerizing world of Peter Cushing, the legendary actor whose name is synonymous with captivating performances and unforgettable characters. In this list, we’re counting down the 10 best Peter Cushing movies that have enthralled audiences and solidified his status as a true icon.

From battling monsters to unraveling mysteries, Cushing’s magnetic presence and exceptional talent have left an indelible mark on the world of cinema. So, fasten your seatbelts and get ready for a thrilling journey through the best of Peter Cushing’s extraordinary filmography.

Warner Bros. The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

In this horror classic, Cushing brings the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein to life with unparalleled charisma and intensity. His portrayal of the mad scientist is a masterclass in captivating performances and solidifies his place as a horror legend.

Hammer Film Productions Horror of Dracula (1958)

Witness Cushing’s electrifying performance as the fearless vampire hunter, Professor Abraham Van Helsing,...

Step into the mesmerizing world of Peter Cushing, the legendary actor whose name is synonymous with captivating performances and unforgettable characters. In this list, we're counting down the 10 best Peter Cushing movies that have enthralled audiences and solidified his status as a true icon.

From battling monsters to unraveling mysteries, Cushing's magnetic presence and exceptional talent have left an indelible mark on the world of cinema. So, fasten your seatbelts and get ready for a thrilling journey through the best of Peter Cushing's extraordinary filmography.

Warner Bros. The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

In this horror classic, Cushing brings the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein to life with unparalleled charisma and intensity. His portrayal of the mad scientist is a masterclass in captivating performances and solidifies his place as a horror legend.

Hammer Film Productions Horror of Dracula (1958)

Witness Cushing's electrifying performance as the fearless vampire hunter, Professor Abraham Van Helsing, in this iconic Hammer Horror production.

Plot: A vampire slayer targets billionaire bloodsuckers who have lured a group of social media influencers to their remote compound.

Review: Just one month after the theatrical and VOD release of the thriller Dig, which was directed by K. Asher Levin and starred Thomas Jane, we’re getting the theatrical and VOD release of another Levin / Jane collaboration… and this one is quite different from their previous one. The new(er) movie is a horror comedy called Slayers, which finds Jane taking on the role of experienced vampire slayer Elliot Jones. The narration from Jones informs us that vampires have existed since the dawn of time – and humans have been secretly warring against them for thousands of centuries. While Jones has been in the slayer game for a couple decades at this point, he’s just one of the latest slayers in a long line of them, including some major historical figures.

Devil worshippers are running amuck in Greece, haven’t you heard? This Greek-English horror show stars Peter Cushing and Donald Pleasance, so it can claim a built-in fan interest factor whether it’s good or bad. It’s fun to check out just to see what these stars got themselves into for a paycheck, back when Hammer was calling it quits and quality roles for U.K. pros were few and far between. Even Michael Powell’s name gets dropped in connection to this ‘shocker,’ which we saw here in the states under the title Land of the Minotaur. The pagan Minotaur god is no Bullwinkle J. Moose: he demands that all trespassers in his pagan temple die, and possessed kids are doing the killing.

The Devil’s Men

All-region Blu-ray

Powerhouse Indicator

1976 / Color / 1:85 1:66 widescreen / 94 + 86 min. / Land of the Minotaur / Street Date February 21, 2022 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99

Starring: Donald Pleasence,...

Shudder is pulling out all the shivery stops to commemorate the startling fact that we are exactly halfway to the most beloved date on any horror fan’s calendar, Halloween. Yes, that’s right, this month (April) is the six-month mark and the world’s scariest streaming outlet is celebrating with “Halfway to Halloween,” a massive slate of programming that begins on April 1 and continues throughout the rest of the month.

This is no April Fool’s joke (although we have some if you want). Shudder is rolling out a brand new batch of exclusive and/or original programming, including the second season of its acclaimed Creepshow series, the premiere of a new series of original short films called Deadhouse Dark, the highly anticipated sequel to its In Search of Darkness documentary, the return of The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs, and the 2021 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards.

But wait, the...

“The police don’t believe in monsters,” we learned in Ed Woods’ 1955 B-movie horror favorite Bride of the Monster. But Full Moon Features does, and they know where to find them. On Friday, July 31, the channel and app dropped seven cult classics to their new 20-film series Haunted Hollywood. Every Friday for 13 weeks, they will add a new scary flick. Some of these films are frightening in their content, others for the stories behind the film. For some of these movies, the most horrifying thing is they ever got made in the first place.

Real life and Hollywood history blend in macabre ways, and no one blends these stories better than David Del Valle. The film historian and agent to the stars hosts Haunted Hollywood, opening each showing with a personal story. Del Valle hosted a series of television interviews entitled “Sinister Image,” speaking with moviemakers as varied as Cameron Mitchell to Russ Meyer.

Arrow Video is excited to announce the June rollout of titles on their subscription-based Arrow Video Channel, including the exclusive debut of Miguel Llans&#243's Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway. A hit on the international festival circuit, the film boasts an Irish-accented Joseph Stalin, a kung-fu-fighting Batman, a mix of Afro-futurism, Cold War paranoia, Lynchian surrealism, the dystopian world of Philip K. Dick and 60s exploitation cinema.

Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway is available June 1st exclusively on the Arrow Video Channel in the Us and the UK. Additional new titles available June 1st include The Woman (UK/Us), Bloodtide (UK/Us), Dream Demon (UK/Us), White Fire (UK/Us) and The Stuff (Us). The Arrow Video Channel is available on Apple TV in the UK and Us, as well as on Amazon in the UK.

In Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway,...

We're back with another edition of Horror Highlights! In today's installment, watch the short film The Mother of Beauty, check out the new red band trailer for Becky, and find out what's coming to the Arrow Video Channel:

The Mother Of Beauty Short Film: "In ‘The Mother of Beauty’ a single mother-to-be lives in isolation on the edge of the wilderness. She makes a living through her work with vulture culture: using the remains of dead animals to create art and memorialize the lives that once were. As she attempts to overcome the struggles of parenthood, the forces of life and death pull her in opposing directions, and she must find a way to reconcile the two before they tear her apart."

Director: Nick Meunier

Producer: J.W. Cole

Co-producer & Writer: Lonnie Nadler

Starring: Tristan Risk

Director Of Photography: Steven Hayes

Production Design: Rob Warren

Editor: Adam MacKay

---------

Becky Red Band Trailer: "Spunky and rebellious,...

Review by Roger Carpenter

At first glance, Horror Express wouldn’t seem to be the type of film a company such as Arrow Video USA would release. Sure, it’s a European horror film and sure, it’s a bit of a cult film as well. But the film has had so many budget VHS, DVD, and Blu releases one can’t help but wonder why Arrow would give it any special treatment.

Until you see the film itself.

Horror Express, directed by Spanish journeyman director Eugenio Martin, has two things going for it that many films of this ilk don’t: it’s a well-made, rip-roaring adventure yarn and it’s also much more than a low budget horror offering.

Though the film was made on a very low budget, Director Martin had already had enough experience with low budgets to know how to produce a quality film with few resources.

Love is certainly in the air this week, especially with our horror and sci-fi home releases, as we have plenty of tainted love on tap for those of you who tend to enjoy the darker side of romance. Scream Factory is ready to put you in the mood with both the Collector’s Edition of Valentine and their Poison Ivy box set, and Arrow Video has assembled an impressive Special Edition of Audition that fans are definitely going to want to pick up on Tuesday.

For those of you looking for some less romantically-inclined entertainment, Popcorn is getting the SteelBook treatment, and you can take a ride aboard the Horror Express as well. Other notable releases for February 12th include Possum, Killer Campout, Doom Room, Haunted Hospital: Heilstätten, Purgatory Road, and Nightflyers: Season One.

Audition: Special Edition

One of the most shocking J-horror films ever made, Audition exploded onto the...

It’s a spooky, snowy train ride across thousands of miles of Siberian rails — trapped on board with a victim-possessing creature from outer space, with eyes that kill! Actually, ‘Pánico en el transiberiano’ is a fine show for Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, a Spanish-made chiller with a smart script and some effective shocks.

Horror Express

Blu-ray

Arrow Video

1972 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 90 min. / Street Date February 12, 2019 / Available from Arrow Video

Starring: Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Telly Savalas, Alberto de Mendoza, Silvia Tortosa, Julio Peña, Ángel del Pozo, Helga Liné.

Cinematography: Alejandro Ulloa

Original Music: John Cacavas

Written by Arnaud d’Usseau, Julian Zimet

Produced by Bernard Gordon

Directed by Eugenio Martín

Dedicated horror fans look to the past to uncover forgotten chillers, or just to complete their lists of rare items unseen. For instance, although no release date has been given, we’re told that Kino Lorber will be giving...

       

Horror Express starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee will be available on Blu-ray From Arrow Video February 12th

Horror royalty and Hammer alumni Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee reunite for this tale of mad monks, primitive humanoids and bloodthirsty zombies set aboard a train bound for Moscow all aboard the Horror Express!

Renowned anthropologist Saxton (Lee) boards the Trans-Siberian Express with a crate containing the frozen remains of a primitive humanoid which, he believes, may prove to be the missing link in human evolution. But all hell breaks loose when the creature thaws out, turning out to be not quite as dead as once thought!

Directed by Spanish filmmaker Eugenio Martin, Horror Express remains one for the most thrilling chilling horror efforts of the early 1970s.

Special Edition Contents

Brand new 2K restoration from original film elements High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation Original Uncompressed mono audio Optional English subtitles for...

When you think of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee collaborations, thoughts of multiple Dracula movies may be the first things to cross your mind, but the legendary actors also appeared in many other horror movies together, including Horror Express, which will be released on a special edition Blu-ray from Arrow Video in February.

Due out in the Us on February 12th from Arrow Video, the new Blu-ray release of Horror Express will include a new 2K restoration, a new audio commentary with authors Stephen Jones and Kim Newman, an introduction by Chris Alexander, and more. Below, we have Arrow Video's full announcement (via Facebook) as well as a look at the new cover art by Graham Humphreys.

From Arrow Video: "New UK/Us/CA Title: Horror Express (Blu-ray)

Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee reunite for this tale of mad monks, primitive humanoids and bloodthirsty zombies set aboard a train bound for Moscow.

Arrow Video, the international gold standard for cult and genre home video distributors, has revealed their February 2019 release lineup and it looks like it's going to be another expensive month for film collectors. February's releases include classic '70s horror and giallo, as well as contemporary Japanese classics from Kurosawa Kiyoshi and Miike Takashi, and a recent festival hit from France. The UK will see a pair of Cannes selections in Gaspar Noe's dancers-on-drugs festival favorite, Climax , as will Kurosawa Kiyoshi's 2017 film, Before We Vanish. The Us, on the other hand, will see a release of Miike Takashi's Audition in an edition that already appeared overseas in 2016. All territories will see a pair of '70s classics in Eugenio Martin's Horror Express, Luigi...

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

1976 saw the publication of John Brosnan’s excellent book The Horror People. Written during the summer of 1975, it makes interesting reading 40 years down the line. Those who feature prominently in the book – Peter Cushing, Vincent Price, Jack Arnold, Michael Carreras, Sam Arkoff, Roy Ward Baker, Freddie Francis, Robert Bloch, Richard Matheson and Milton Subotsky – were still alive, as were Ralph Bates, Mario Bava, Jimmy Carreras, John Carradine, Dan Curtis, John Gilling, Robert Fuest, Michael Gough, Val Guest, Ray Milland, Robert Quarry and Michael Ripper, all of whom were given a mention. Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Junior, Michael Reeves and James H Nicholson were not long dead. Hammer, Amicus and American International Pictures were still in existence. George A Romero had yet to achieve his prominence and Stephen King wasn’t even heard of!

Brosnan devoted a chapter to a new British company called Tyburn Films. Founded by the charismatic and ambitious Kevin Francis,...

TV/film composer and conductor John Cacavas, whose credits include Airport 1975 and 1970s TV series Kojak, died January 28 at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 83. The South Dakota native scored numerous TV series and films throughout his career beginning with the 1972 feature Horror Express. He went on to score the next two movies in the Airport franchise, Airport 1975 and Airport ’77. Cacavas had developed a strong friendship with Telly Savalas, leading to a long tenure as composer for the Kojak TV series (1973-78), including the series theme for its fifth and final season on CBS. His other TV credits include Hawaii Five-o, Matlock, Switch, Columbo, Mrs. Columbo, Quincy, Buck Rogers, Gangster Chronicles, Lady Blue, Four Seasons and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. He also composed movies-of-the-week, TV pilots, mini-series and specials such as A Time to Triumph, Eddie Capra Mysteries, She Cried Murder, Time Machine, By Reason Of Insanity,...

The Hudson Horror Show returns to Poughkeepsie, NY, on November 16, and this installment of the event is bringing some truly iconic Kurt Russell films as well as some forgotten gems.

Headlined by Russell's classics Escape From New York and The Thing, this edition of Hudson Horror Show may end up being the best one yet. In addition to those two films, you'll also get Invasion of the Bee Girls and Horror Express as well as a fifth "mystery" film which won't be announced until the day of the show.

The last event completely sold out so if you're interested in attending, we'd recommend you get yourself moving and order your tickets today. Plus, yours truly will be there hosting and handing out goodies!

For more info and to purchase tix, visit the official Hudson Horror Show website, "like" Hudson Horror Show on Facebook and follow Hudson Horror Show on Twitter...

The lineup for Hudson Horror Show 8 has been officially announced and includes 35mm screenings of Escape From New York, The Thing, and more:

“Hudson Horror Show is proud to announce our full lineup for the Hudson Valley’s horror and exploitation film festival, Hudson Horror Show. Hhs #8 will be on Saturday, November 16th 2013, at Silver Cinemas South Hills 8 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Doors open at noon, show starts at 1Pm.

Headliner #1 is the 1981 sci-fi/action classic Escape From New York. John Carpenter directed one of the most amazing genre casts ever featuring Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasance, Isaac Hayes, Harry Dean Stanton, Adrienne Barbeau, Tom Atkins, Lee Van Cleef and of course Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken, who we all heard was dead.

Headliner #2 is the 1982 horror/sci-fi thrill ride John Carpenter’S The Thing. Carpenter and Russell teamed up again for one of the scariest films ever made, which boasts the...

Last year we ran a schedule of every TV/Cable network schedule we could find that could be construed as Horror or Halloween related for the month of October. Let’s just say it proved useful for our readers and even for our staff when they were looking to find something to watch, wanted to program their DVR’s or didn’t want to miss out on some great “live” Horror. Isn’t there something about having a movie fed to you on TV as opposed to watching it on Blu-ray or DVD or streaming? We may not like commercials, but the randomness that you can associate with a TV program itinerary is novel. It removes a little bit of control from the audience who is all to concerned with being in control these days (just look at the reasons behind publishing a piece like this).

So here’s the 2013 Halloween Seasonal TV Preview,...

Sneak Peek director Douglas Hickox' 1979 action adventure "Zulu Dawn", prequel to the classic feature "Zulu", now available in a re-mastered HD Blu Ray/DVD Combo Pack from Severin Films.

The film stars stars Burt Lancaster, Peter O’Toole, Simon Ward, Bob Hoskins and Sir John Mills :

"...the shocking true story events of 'The Battle of Isandlwana', started January 1879, when arrogant officials of the British colony of Natal, Africa issued a list of unauthorized ultimatums to the 'Zulu Nation'.

"When the 'Zulu King' refused their demands, the Empire declared war.

"And in a series of grave tactical blunders, a garrison of 1,500 British soldiers faced an army of 25,000 enraged Zulu warriors in what would become the most horrifying disaster in British military history..."

Special features include short films with Zulu War expert Ian knight, the film's historical advisor Midge Carter, a visit to the actual locations of the battle of...

"I am not a demon. I am a lizard, a shark, a heat-seeking panther. I want to be Bob Denver on acid playing the accordion." –Nicolas Cage

Greetings from the apocalypse! The spring equinox is upon us, and even though we know what it looks like from space what's more important is how it looks from Miami, Florida … bikinis and big booties, yo! This weekend there's lots in store for all my party peeps, unless you're on the east coast, in which case it might snow again. Spring Break, Y'all!

Friday, March 22

Pow! In Theaters

There's a cinematic grudge match happening this year between Roland Emmerich's big budget "White House Down" and this week's solid B-movie rip-off "Olympus Has Fallen," which is somehow hitting screens first. Despite a bravura attack sequence that will leave you genuinely shaken (and possibly xenophobic towards North Koreans), "Olympus" eventually descends into another carbon...

If you've never witnessed the sheer unbridled lunacy of Jim VanBebber's The Manson Family, then do yourself a favor - correct that cinema sin Now. Or even better wait just a bit longer and see the flick like never before on the big screen and in 1080p!

From the Press Release

Severin Films announces the May 7th Blu-ray debut of Jim VanBebber’s legendary, award-winning indie The Manson Family on the 10th anniversary of its original release. Us theatrical dates in 20 major cities are scheduled through March and April, and new poster artwork has been created by artist Stephen Romano for the occasion. VanBebber’s highly anticipated new short Gator Green will accompany many of the screenings and will also be included in the extras-packed Special Edition Blu-ray release.

The theatrical run launches at Landmark Theatres locations in Denver and San Francisco on March 22nd and will continue through April,...

Even the casual horror fan has seen ‘70s horror films like Halloween and Jaws, but if you take a step away from the mainstream, there is a veritable candy store of titles that influenced the horror boom of the ‘80s. We’ve put together a list of slightly lesser known 1970s titles that we think every horror fan should see. We have steered clear of the obvious choices. So you will not see Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Alien, or even Black Christmas on our list. We have dug a little deeper to spotlight some titles that don’t always get the mainstream acclaim or recognition that they most certainly deserve.

Below, you will find an assortment of films that we think will give any viewer not intimately familiar with the horrors of the 1970s a good jumping off point to embrace one of the richest decades that horror cinema has to offer.

It’s Monday, so we all know what that means! Yes, it’s time for another rundown of DVDs and Blu-ray’s hitting stores online and offline this week. It’s a very light week this week, so let us breakdown the new releases and highlight what you should – and shouldn’t – be buying from today, February 4th 2013.

Pick Of The Week

Death Race 3: Inferno (DVD/Blu-ray)

Repentant convict Carl Lucas (Luke Goss) aka Frankenstein is a legendary driver in the brutal prison blood sport known as Death Race. Only one victory away from winning freedom, Lucas is plunged into his most vicious competition yet: the first-ever desert Death Race. Through South Africa’s infernal Kalahari Desert, Lucas is pitted against ruthless adversaries and powerful forces at work behind the scenes to ensure his defeat. Also starring Danny Trejo and Ving Rhames, Death Race: Inferno is an insane, action-packed thrill ride.

Christopher Lee Halloween! week continues at Trailers from Hell with director and Tfh creator Joe Dante introducing "Horror Express," calling the film "one of the most satisfying screen pairings of longtime friends Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing." This Spanish-British coproduction, shot in Madrid under the evocative title Panic on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, remains one of the most satisfying screen pairings of longtime friends Christopher lee and Peter Cushing. Nevertheless Cushing, mourning the passing of his wife, initially tried to leave the picture before shooting and had to be talked into going through with it by Lee, with both later admitting it was one of their most enjoyable experiences. Initially unheralded, it's since become a fan favorite.

0:00 - Intro 3:25 - Review: Total Recall 51:45 - Headlines: Vertigo Dethrones Citizen Kane as Best Movie of All Time, Jimmy Fallon to Host Academy Awards?, Jon Chu in Talks for He-Man Movie, Bill Murray Definitely Out of Ghostbusters 3, Eccentric Billionaire Wants to Make a Real Jurassic Park, Killing Them Softly Trailer 1:08:50 - Other Stuff We Watched: Bernie, Horror Express, Cannibal Ferox, Audition, Q: The Winged Serpent, Rec 3: Genesis, River of No Return, The Nesting, Code of Silence, Detachment, Total Recall 2070, Good Guys Wear Black, The Octagon, I Saw the Devil, Stand By Me, Star Trek: Tng on Blu-ray, Toy Story, The 400 Blows 2:19:10 - Junk Mail: Christopher Nolan Paying Tribute to the '60s Batman, What Does a Producer Do, Directors That Never Lived Up to their Potential or Went Downhill, 30 for 30 Faves + Gay Cinema, The King Sound Clip, Ranking the Adam McKay / Will Ferrell Comedies,...

Cinema Retro has received the following press release:

Horror Hosts Cyberschizoid and Scare Sarah present the Classic Horror Campaign's most requested movie Horror Express (1972) in a diabolical double bill with Bela Lugosi creepy classic White Zombie! (1932)

The Classic Horror Campaign was set up to persuade the BBC to bring back their iconic Saturday night classic horror double bills which were so popular in the 1970′s and early 1980′s. The campaign has grown from an online petition and now includes this website, a Facebook Page, Twitter account and a regular series of classic horror double bill screenings around the UK.

Now you can recapture those halcyon days of the old BBC2 Saturday night horror double bills in a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere at one of London's premiere boutique cinema venues.

§ Saturday 7th July 2012 @3pm

§ Roxy Bar & Screen, Borough High Street, London

§ Admission £ 6 per person

§ Free horror giveaways from Shock Horror Magazine

§ Bar...

In honor of the recent Blu-ray/DVD release of the 1972 classic Horror Express by Mpi/Severin Films, Trembles tackles the tale in this week's Motion Picture Purgatory.

Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing star as rival turn-of-the-century anthropologists transporting a frozen "missing link" aboard the Trans-Siberian Express. But when the prehistoric creature thaws and escapes, it unleashes a brain-scarfing spree that turns its victims into the eye-bleeding undead. Can the crafty colleagues stop this two-million-year-old monster, hordes of zombie passengers, and a psychotic Cossack officer (Telly Savalas) before terror goes off the rails? Silvia Tortosa (When the Screaming Stops) co-stars in this all-time fright favorite from director Eugenio Martín and the blacklisted Hollywood screenwriters of Psychomania.

The eyes are the window of the soullessness!

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Scarf some brains in the comments section below!

On May 27, British film icon Christopher Lee turns 90 years old. In his long and storied career, he's delivered countless fantastic performances in everything from medieval adventures to gothic scary stories. (You may know him as Saruman, Count Dooku, the Man with the Golden Gun or even Count Dracula.) And he has no plans to slow down, as indicated by recent roles in the Oscar-winning"Hugo" and this month's "Dark Shadows" -- not to mention an upcoming return to Middle Earth with this December's "Hobbit." Lee is not just an actor, but a decorated military man and bombastic heavy metal singer, with a crazy family lineage to boot. To celebrate the legend's 90th birthday, we present 90 reasons why Christopher Lee is awesome. 1. He's the step-cousin of "James Bond" creator Ian Fleming, and was the author's first choice to play Dr. No in the film adaptation. 2. He's in the Guinness Book of...

Horror Express (1972) Stars: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Telly Savalas Director: Eugenio Martin Producer: Bernard Gordon, Gregorio Sacristan Writer: Arnaud d'Usseau, Julian Zimet (as Julian Halevy) Horror film fan favorites Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing are back together again in 1972s Horror Express, a tale of prehistoric terror set aboard a moving train. Unfortunately for both veterans stars, the promising premise of the film quickly…...

Rage

2010 USA 85min

Writer and Director: Chris Witherspoon

Starring: Rick Crawford, Audrey Walker, Chris Witherspoon, Anna Lodej, and M.L. Maltz

Review by J Astro

Rage was handed to me for review with no cover art or explanation, just a plain white disc with red lettering in a clear plastic cover. Within roughly the first ten minutes of watching it, it occurred to that I had actually heard of this movie before, having noticed a few reviews of it on various other individual blogs and sites in the past few weeks. Rage has been getting some solid attention recently, and deservedly so, because it is a standout among indie horror efforts. It’s by no means flawless or my new favorite movie of the year or anything, but it sure beats the hell out of most other “home grown” horror-thriller exploits. And I was happy to go into it “blind...

The Woman In Black

2012 UK 95mins

Director: James Watkins

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaràn Hinds, Janet McTeer, Misha Handley, and Liz White

Hammer Film Productions

Review by J Astro

Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere. That is the key to The Woman In Black, legendary English studio Hammer Film Productions’ first original big-screen venture in decades. The Hammer brand, so infamous and beloved from the late Fifties and into the early Seventies for producing titillating tales of the macabre that helped to redefine classic monster icons and to introduce the fright genre en masse to the likes of Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Oliver Reed and countless others has returned, after lying dormant for many years. Upon being resurrected by its new backers, Hammer has recently had a hand in unleashing Let Me In on theater-goers, which was the English language remake of the popular Swedish vampire chiller Let The Right One In. Hammer has...

Born Of Earth

2008 USA 84mins

Director: Tommy Brunswick

Starring: Daniel Baldwin, James Russo, Shannon Zeller, Jennifer Kincer, and Brad Dourif

Entertainment One

Review by J Astro

Here it is, the year 2012, and we’re just getting around to this monstrous offering from back in ’08… not because we’re lazy, but because, from what I understand, it’s only now getting distribution attention. One could be forgiven for not exactly waiting with bated breath for this release. I had never even heard of it before, honestly. And for good reason – it just ain’t that special.

My main issue with throwaway films like Born Of Earth is a matter of simple volume. I honestly feel that too many movies get made nowadays “just because.” The market is over-saturated with knock-offs and cheap copies. Somebody gets themselves a fistful of cash and borrows a camera and decides to churn out some bare-bones semblance of horror flick.

Def-con 4

1985 Canada 88min

Director: Paul Donovan, et al

Starring: Lenore Zann, Maury Chaykin, Tim Choate, Kate Lynch, Kevin King, and Jeff Pustil

Hell Comes To Frogtown

1988 USA 86min

Director: Donald G. Jackson and R.J. Kizer

Starring: “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Sandahl Bergman, William Smith, Rory Calhoun, Cliff Bemis, Nicholas Worth, and Kristi Somers

Image Entertainment

Review by J Astro

Two cinematic blasts from Hollywood’s not-too-distant Cold War-inspired past are re-packaged together as a post-apocalyptic tag team on this two-for-one offering, which was made available by the folks at Image Entertainment just a few weeks ago (release date December 13, 2011). Each feature on this single-sided disc comes with its own title screen, scene selections, and a theatrical trailer. The DVD itself plays a few other vintage trailers (C.H.U.D., anyone?) before the main film selection menu. Otherwise, it’s all a pretty bare bones affair. But with mega-blockbusters like these,...

Images: Sony Home Entertainment

Hostel Part III

2011 USA 88min

Director: Scott Spiegel

Starring: Kip Pardue, Brian Hallisay, John Hensley, Sarah Habel, Thomas Kretschmann, Chris Coy, Skyler Stone, Nikola Shreli

Sony Home Entertainment

Review by J Astro

As regards the Hostel franchise and its peers, I suspect that many diehard readers of Famous Monsters might primarily be more at home with the “classic” monster archetypes such as zombies, vampires, aliens, etc. In fact, the horror community in general has been rather vocal as of late in hastily brushing aside the “torture porn” trend that has inundated the genre scene in recent years, and which was partly ushered in by Rob Zombie, Eli Roth, and the Saw franchise. Like all fads, it rapidly engendered a lot of imitators, some passable but most direly inferior, and soon the backlash was apparent in critics’ dismissal of such grisly, one-note affairs as just another one of “those” movies.

First things first, in the interests of full disclosure and potential embarrassment: prior to watching this blu-ray, I had never seen Horror Express. Clearly, I had been missing out. I don’t want to over-hype this thing for those who have not seen it and I definitely don’t want to even approach hyperbole, but this film is bat-shit-bananas. How this was made, let alone with rather big names in the cast, on such a grand scale baffles me. Every once in a while, a group of crazy folk (in this case, Europeans) trick someone with money into financing a film that knows no bounds and/or logic. One of those occasions, spawned this film.

Now, I don’t want people to read that and think that this is going to be the most ridiculous thing that have never seen. No. It really isn’t that. This isn’t the...

Images courtesy Dead Weeds Pictures

Roman’S Bride

2010 USA 85mins

Director: Michael Paul

Writer, Producer: Anne Paul

Starring: Anne Paul, Michael Rennat, Stanley Massey, Lisa Rennat, “Xd-1″ Rutherford

Dead Weeds Pictures

Available: www.RomansBride.com

Review by J Astro

Handing out opinions on truly independent movies can be a tricky proposition, since in most cases you have to constantly maintain a balance between what is the filmmaker’s actual intent and/or capability, and what the budgetary constraints were. Would a film have been better if they’d had more money? Did the parties responsible cleverly overcome the limitations of a minuscule bankroll… or would the film have sucked at any price? When you consider this, it’s easy to see why a lot of first-timers hedge their bets and come out with goofy, often derivative horror offerings. Fake blood is cheap and you can write cheesy jokes and bad dialogue for free.

Images courtesy Warner Bros.

Final Destination 5

2011 USA 92mins

Blu-Ray/DVD combo or DVD alone

Director: Steven Quale

Starring: Nicholas D’Agosto, Emma Bell, Miles Fisher, Arlen Escarpeta, P.J. Byrne, David Koechner, Courtney B. Vance, and Tony Todd

Warner Bros. Pictures

Review By J Astro

At home alone the other night, I agonized between my top two choices for the evening’s entertainment; the newly released DVD of Final Destination 5, or a copy of Pauly Shore’s Encino Man that I picked up on the cheap. “I’ve already seen Encino Man,” I thought to myself. “Yeah, but you’ve basically already seen Final Destination four times before, too” came my internal reply. Ooooh! Burn! Good one, me!

But seriously. When I throw myself behind a series, I’m usually in it for the long haul, no matter how bad things get. I stuck with the entire Saw franchise,...

Images courtesy Severin/Mpi

Horror Express

1972 91mins Britain, Spain

Blu-Ray/DVD combo

Director: Eugenio Martin

Starring: Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Telly Savalas, Alberto de Mendoza, Helga Line

Severin/Mpi

Review By J.Astro

“Monster? We’re British, you know!”

So goes my personal favorite line of dialogue from Peter Cushing’s character in Horror Express, and it embodies the dry wit with which this flick positively crackles. Message boards on genre sites & horror blogs across the land have long chattered with enthusiasm for a decent release of this film, since it was egregiously out of print for quite a long time, except in the guise of el-cheapo, fly-by-night knockoffs with terrible sound or muddy, chopped up, incorrectly framed transfers. There was a slightly better/”official” iteration put out some years ago under Image Entertainment’s EuroShock label, but that is now only available on the secondary market, at a drastic...

The weather outside isn't the only thing that's frightful as we have compiled a list of the year's best and worst Blu-ray packages for you or the horror fan on your holiday shopping list! Being that you can score a player for way less than 200 bucks now, there's little reason not to upgrade to the glorious world of high definition horror. Read on to find out where the smart money is!

There's no doubt Blu-ray players will once again be a pretty hot item this year, but what of the movies available for them? If you already own the DVD of your favorite flick, is there a need to replace it with a Blu-ray? I'm here to answer all of your questions in the fourth annual ...

Before we get into my picks (most of which are also available in new DVD versions; see review for information), let's take a second...

Better late than never with the shill…I mean the Wow Look At All These Great Things! (And, all joking aside, I do mean that sincerely.)

We’ve finally done it. We’ve reached the end of our biggest year ever here at Trailers From Hell, a year with a lot of growing pains and a lot of triumphs. So allow me to extend some seasonal greetings to you, readers, watchers, visitors and strangers who may have just now stumbled upon our humble little site. (If you’re of the latter group, really, what took you so long?) We can only hope to keep growing the site though (please tell your friends!), and our always-amazing, never-ceasing stable of gurus only increases the realm of greatness we hope to bring you.

In the spirit of the season — that spirit being crass consumerism, of course — we thought we might direct your attention...

Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and Telly Savalas in a Spanish horror film from the writers of “Psychomania”? Thank you, Severin Films, you always know just what I want. This time I’m talking about the new Blu-ray release of Eugenio Martin’s 1972 genre jaunt, “Horror Express”. There’s a droning, discordant score; major, highly questionable plot points that are simply glossed over and pushed aside with a wave of the hand; and, most importantly, a brain-sucking monster loose on a trans-Siberian train. What’s not to like about that? “Horror Express” is classic, grainy, low-budget horror. It is weird and gory, the plot goes in unexpected directions and there are eyeballs and blood and brains and scalpels, and is just as much fun as all of that sounds. At the outset we’re told that what follows is a “true and faithful account” of a real 1906 archeological dig in China.

Two things separate Horror Express from the usual '70s horror b-movie slop. The first is the cast. Somehow this Spanish production managed to snag the reigning kings of b-horror, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. This was toward the end of their decades-long run of Hammer films (Horror of Dracula, Curse of Frankenstein, about a billion others), and one of the only times the pair played compatriots rather than adversaries. The second is the production and writing team, much of which had been blacklisted during the McCarthy era.

Read more...

26 minutes and 30 seconds.

That's the exact moment I fell in love with "Horror Express," the 1972 horror film that's new this week on Blu-ray. That's when Peter Cushing finally confronts Christopher Lee about the possessed fossil he's brought on the Trans-Siberian Express. This frozen prehistoric ape man, discovered by Lee in a Manchurian cave, should be long dead and locked inside an enormous trunk. Somehow it manages to thaw itself out, escape, and go on a killing spree. Confronted with the empty trunk and the evidence of a murder, Cushing delivers this whopper of a line: "Are you telling me that an ape that lived 2 million years ago got out of that crate, killed the baggage man and put him in there, then locked everything up neat and tidy and got away?" To which Lee replies, "Yes I Am! It's alive! It Must be!"

Yes, it must be. There's no other...

Hitting movie theaters this weekend:

Shame (limited) - Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale

Sleeping Beauty (limited) - Emily Browning, Rachael Blake, Ewen Leslie

Movie of the Week

Sleeping Beauty

The Stars: Emily Browning, Rachael Blake, Ewen Leslie

The Plot: A haunting portrait of Lucy (Browning), a young university student drawn into a mysterious hidden world of unspoken desires.

The Buzz: This film’s trailer contained more than a few subtle hints that Sleeping Beauty was to enact some very sinister sexual episodes, and a very creepy/harsh vibe was diffused throughout. I saw the film a few weeks ago and found that it fully lived up to its advertising.

The film was thoroughly dark, and had somewhat of a male-hating bent to it — I suppose that’s why I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d anticipated I would. There’s also a professed loathing of the wealthy therein,...

Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Indians meets Hammer Films meets a prehistoric creature from another galaxy meets Telly Savalas in the 1972 Euro-horror curiosity Horror Express, now unearthed for a lovingly curated Blu-ray/DVD, which offers an absurd abundance of riches for cult-movie aficionados. And yet in spite of its pedigree, the film still had to be rediscovered and championed after slipping into the public domain and becoming one of those oddities that people half-remember seeing on late-night cable or murky VHS. Poised on the edge of camp, Horror Express nimbly cycles through genres, with drawing-room mystery and procedural elements ...

After committing many food crimes last week I'm back and basically just fatter than I was last week. Ugh. While there wasn't much in the way of new horror flicks being released over the shopping weekend, hopefully you were able to score some sweet deals from Amazon or other online merchants. I picked up I Am Legend, Let Me In, and several other Blus for $4.99 - without leaving my house. Good stuff. Onto this week's releases which are led by the anthology gross out flick Chillerama and one of the best horror-comedies of the year, Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil. And if you've always wanted a Blu-ray version of Horror Express you're lucky day is finally here thanks to Mpi.

How is everyone’s wallets doing after last week’s most American shopping day? I hope you still have enough left over to buy some poorly transferred horror films brought to you by the slackers over at Echo Bridge. Fear not though, Chillerama is out this week and that makes up for all the garbage being thrown at us recently. On a side note, if you plan on blowing your brains out this season, make sure you pick up VH1 Storytellers: The Dixie Chicks before you go through with it. I just want to make sure your reasons are justified; that’s all.

30 Minutes or Less

What a well-made yet unfunny film. I was disappointed by this title and it mostly has to do with the great cast delivering flat, cringe-worthy lines. Watch the trailer, those are literally the only comedic parts in the the film. I wrote a...