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Wes Craven is one of the all-time masters of horror. Although he sadly passed away in 2015, he left behind a four-decade-plus filmography to remember him by. If you're a fan of the genre, you've probably seen his big masterpieces like A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream, but his career goes way beyond those iconic films. In 1978, right as his career was really beginning to take off, Craven collaborated with horror's "it" girl of the decade, Linda Blair. The young actress had created one of the most terrifying characters a few years earlier as the possessed Regan in The Exorcist, and now the two would come together to make a TV movie which would come out on NBC in 1978. Titled Summer of Fear (also known as Stranger in Our House), this honestly isn't one of Craven's best movies, but it's an important one. He may not have had the career he did without it.

It’s busy and Twister-y at the box office this weekend, but a few indies are hoping to catch a breeze with very well-reviewed Oddity looking to expand the market for high-end horror and Widow Clicquot to attract fans of good period films and bubbly.

Oddity from IFC Films, is a supernatural home-invasion horror from writer-director Damian McCarthy (Caveat). It opens on 790 screens, the widest new indie release this week. Carolyn Bracken stars as Dani, who is restoring an old castle in rural Cork County, Ireland, with her husband Ted (Gwilym Lee), a doctor at a facility for the criminally insane. When Dani is brutally murdered, her blind occultist twin sister Darcy (also Bracken) goes after those responsible using inherited haunted items as her tools of revenge. Premiered in SXSW’s Midnighter section, taking the Audience Award. At 98% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

Vertical’s Indie drama Widow Cliquot is...

The Omen was a blessed success upon its release, earning a spot among the top 10 highest-grossing films of 1976. One of those ticket buyers was Wes Craven, who had already made his debut with The Last House on the Left and was gearing up for his sophomore film, The Hills Have Eyes.

“I remember thinking, ‘Big studio, won’t have a cutting edge to it. Gregory Peck, how can he be scary? I like him, but.’ And it was. I was totally amazed,” the master of horror recalled in a 2006 DVD special feature in which he waxes poetic about The Omen for some 20 minutes.

“I think [Richard] Donner is just one of our primo filmmakers.” Craven had been watching the future Superman and The Goonies director’s work since his early days helming episodes of classic TV shows like The Twilight Zone and Gilligan’s Island. “Every so often, he just knocks something...

The episode of The Test of Time covering Pumpkinhead was Written by Andrew Hatfield, Narrated by Niki Minter, Edited by Mike Conway, Produced by John Fallon and Tyler Nichols, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

The horror landscape is filled to the brim with icons and mascots that were successful and failures. The big ones like Freddy, Jason, and Michale speak for themselves, hence only needing their first names mentioned here. You could even go another round with Pinhead, the Leprechaun or Leatherface for that matter. Looking down the aisle at the literal murderer’s row of horror movie villains, you can’t shake a stick without hitting some one-off baddies that were clearly meant for multi-movie stardom but due to box office or critical hate were relegated to one movie. Killers like Horace Pinker from Shocker, Dr. Decker from Nightbreed, and Cropsey from The Burning. What about those stuck...

This past summer, as Hollywood faced its second major strike, the president of actors union SAG-AFTRA took the podium. She was without makeup, she was raspy and she was pissed. Gone was the ozone-shattering hairspray and the wild prints plucked right from the zoo. Nowhere in earshot was the dog whistle voice and the dolphin laugh. This was Fran Drescher: not the street-smart bimbo of somehow successful sitcoms and expectedly by-the-numbers romances, but the woman who will do anything to show her loyalty and not back down from anything. She had done it throughout her career through battles with industry execs and cancer, and now she was doing it against some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

Wtf Happened to…Fran Drescher?

But to truly understand what the fuck happened to Fran Drescher, we go back to the beginning. And the beginning began when she was born on September 30th,...

Ahoy, summer sirens and disco demons! This week, your Nightmare on Film Street horror hosts Kim & Jon are cranking up the heat with a sizzlin’ dive into the Summer of Fear (1978). Forget about pool parties and BBQs; this summer is all about witchy vibes and stolen boyfriends!

In Summer of Fear (1978) (or Stranger in Our House depending on who you ask) Linda Blair stars as the all-American girl whose life gets flipped faster than a burger on a grill when her mysterious “cousin” rolls into town. Is she a witch? A femme fatale? A sneaky succubi? She’s snatching boyfriends, party dresses, and even galloping away with Linda’s beloved horse! So, put on your best 70’s party attire (or just steal someone else’s), and join us for a summer tale that’s more spellbinding than a disco ball on a hot summer night. Join ussssss…

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Gilmore Girls focused on the hectic relationship between mother and daughter, Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, but it also showed Rory's relationship with literature and every book she reads. According to Book Riot, the characters read and refer to just shy of 410 books once the Netflix revival, A Year in the Life, came out in 2016. But there’s a big difference between books and authors that were referenced, and the books Rory was seen reading.

At the beginning of Gilmore Girls, Rory was just 16 years old and would rather spend her time reading. She said it best at her high school graduation in season 3, episode 22, “Those Are Strings, Pinocchio”: “I live in two worlds; one is a world of books.” Reading not only gave Rory a sense of peace but also took her out of dramatic realities. Unironically, some books Rory read paralleled her own life as a young woman...

Netflix's Summer of Fear is set to conclude when Fear Street Part 3: 1666 debuts this Friday, and Netflix has released a new trailer for the film which gives us a taste of what we're in for. Based on R.L. Stine's best-selling horror series, Netflix's Fear Street trilogy follows Shadyside's sinister history through a nightmare 300 years in the making.…...

When filmmaker Leigh Janiak signed on for her first studio outing after the success of her 2014 indie horror hit “Honeymoon,” she went pretty big: not just one film, but three, an interconnected trilogy of horror features based on R.L. Stine’s beloved bestselling “Fear Street” series. As the trilogy — a time-spanning series that turns Stine’s sprawling collection of stories into an ambitious, gory new horror franchise — readies to roll out on Netflix over the next three weeks, Janiak is thrilled with how it all turned out, even if the road there was a little scary.

The film was originally set up at 20th Century Fox back in 2015, as part of production company Chernin Entertainment’s long-running pact with the studio. Janiak and her writing partner Phil Graziadei came on board in 2017, and readied to craft a trilogy of films for theatrical release in the summer of 2020. Disney’s acquisition...

The first trailer for Netflix's highly anticipated adaptation of R. L. Stine's Fear Street teases the Summer of Fear, with the streaming platform set to release each movie in the upcoming trilogy one week after another this July. Each Fear Street installment will transport audiences to a different period of time, exploring the horrors that take place in the fictionalized city of Shadyside.

In 1994, a group of teenagers discovers that the terrifying events that have haunted their town for generations ​may all be connected - and that they may be the next targets. Based on R.L. Stine's best selling horror series, the trilogy follows the nightmare through Shadyside's sinister history.

In a first for Netflix and for the horror film genre, Netflix is announcing that the upcoming Fear Street Trilogy will be released as an epic summer movie event over three consecutive weeks this July.

Watch the Fear...

R.L. Stine (Goosebumps) and director Leigh Janiak’s Fear Street movie trilogy hits Netflix next summer as the “Summer of Fear.” And today, Community star Gillian Jacobs (Come Play) teases fans will love the trilogy. Jacobs tells ComicBook.com: “It was so much fun. Leigh [Janiak], who wrote and directed three films back to back, truly the undertaking, they’re still […]...

Netflix is bringing R.L. Stine to its subscribers in a big way. The company has closed a deal for the Fear Street movie trilogy, which was originally produced by Fox. Disney inherited the movies after purchasing most of Fox's media assets last year. But, in light of current events, and with these adaptations not suiting the usual Disney vibe, the studio decided to cut a deal with Netflix. So, instead, the streaming service will be turning summer 2021 into The Summer of Fear.

According to a new report, Netflix has acquired the rights to all three Fear Street movies from Disney. Financial details were not disclosed at this time. It's said that Netflix will release all three of them a month apart from one another next summer. The company will be tying these into a themed event called The Summer of Fear. Production has already wrapped on all three movies, with Leigh Janiak behind the camera.

In addition to this being a golden era of Stephen King adaptations, this is also a bloody good time for R.L. Stine fans, and that will continue into next year, as Netflix has reportedly made an agreement with Disney to pick up a trilogy of films based on Stine's Fear Street series set in the seriously spooky town of Shadyside.

Deadline reports that Netflix has acquired the three Fear Street movies and is planning to release them a month separate from each other throughout the summer of 2021, which will reportedly be referred to as "The Summer of Fear."

Produced by Chernin Entertainment, all three movies were directed by Leigh Janiak (Honeymoon) and co-written by Janiak and Kyle Killen, and they take place over three time periods: one in 1994, one in the 1600s, and, according to Bloody Disgusting (via Production Weekly), one in 1978.

The trilogy's cast includes Kiana Madeira, Olivia Welch,...

Gags the Clown is making house calls on Blu-ray and DVD this November, and the audio horror anthology Come Join Us By the Fire can be found now on the Google Play store. Continue reading for more details. Also in today's Horror Highlights: a new Spiral clip, Indie Memphis Film Festival lineup details, and Don't Get Stabbed! game now on Amazon.

Gags The Clown Coming to Blu-ray and DVD: Chicago, Il – The clown hunt continues this November with Lauren Ashley Carter in horror comedy Gags The Clown by Adam Krause. The feature film, inspired by the viral media frenzy and worldwide phenomenon of ‘clown roaming’ will be released on Blu-ray and DVD by Doppelgänger Releasing (the genre label of arthouse distributor Music Box Films) and horror genre website Bloody Disgusting beginning November 26th.

A small city in Wisconsin is terrorized by a mysterious clown who roams the streets late at...

Remember when creepy clowns were randomly roaming around small towns in the dead of night a few years ago? This freaky phenomenon was sparked by Adam Krause's short film Gagsin, which has been expanded into the feature film Gags the Clown, coming to spread demented laughter and twisted horror on VOD beginning September 3rd from Doppelgänger Releasing and Bloody Disgusting... potentially setting the stage for more creepy clown sightings this fall.

Press Release: Chicago, Il – Horror comedy Gags The Clown, which delighted and terrified audiences at its 2018 Cinepocalypse world premiere, will be released by Doppelgänger Releasing (the genre label of arthouse distributor Music Box Films) and horror genre website Bloody Disgusting beginning September 3, 2019. This is the feature film debut for director Adam Krause and was inspired by the viral media frenzy and worldwide phenomenon of ‘clown roaming’ sparked by his sixteen-minute short film Gagsin 2016.

“Gags the Clownis a scary,...

Like most of his peers in horror’s hallowed halls, Wes Craven contributed his share to the small screen; Summer of Fear (1978), Chiller (1985), and several episodes of The Twilight Zone revival (’85–’86) are indications of an artist who liked to keep busy and sometimes pay some bills. Invitation to Hell (’84) would seem to be a case for the latter, but it has an irresistibly goofy charm that’s impossible to resist.

Originally an ABC broadcast from Thursday, May 24th, Invitation stood no hope in you know where of winning the night; CBS had Magnum, P.I. and Simon & Simon, while the Peacock strutted around with their comedy lineup of Gimme A Break!/Family Ties/Cheers/Night Court. Those were impossible odds, even for the devil himself. Oh well. Throw on your tracksuit, grab your water bottle, because you’ve just received your Invitation to Hell.

Let’s open up our brimstone...

The rowdy Heavy Trip is coming to Amazon Prime on February 28th. Also in today's Highlights: details on the third annual Bloody Gras and the trailer for 1st Summoning.

Heavy Trip Coming to Amazon Prime: "The raucous and rollicking Finnish comedy Heavy Trip, about a small-town Finnish heavy metal band that blasts its way out of the quiet countryside for a big debut gig in Norway, will begin streaming on Amazon Prime at the end of February 2019.

In Heavy Trip, Turo (Johannes Holopainen) is stuck in a small village in the Finnish countryside where his greatest passion is being the lead vocalist for the amateur metal band Impaled Rektum. The only problem is that he and his fellow headbangers have practiced for 12 years without playing a single gig. But that’s all about to change when the guys meet the promoter of a huge heavy metal music festival in Norway...

We've been excited for Daily Dead readers to see Heavy Trip since Heather Wixson gave it a four-star review at Cinepocalypse, and it looks like we won't have to wait long, as the film will be released in select theaters and VOD this October in the Us:

Press Release: Chicago, Il – The raucous and rollicking Finnish comedy Heavy Trip, about a small-town Finnish heavy metal band that blasts its way out of the quiet countryside for a big debut gig in Norway, will open in top markets across the U.S. in conjunction with a nationwide VOD debut this October.

In Heavy Trip, Turo (Johannes Holopainen) is stuck in a small village in the Finnish countryside where his greatest passion is being the lead vocalist for the amateur metal band Impaled Rektum. The only problem is that he and his fellow headbangers have practiced for 12 years without playing a single gig.

"Who am I here?" Before he was John Locke, Terry O'Quinn was Jerry Blake in The Stepfather, one of several horror movies that will be featured in Shout! Factory TV's "Summer of Fear" streaming lineup:

Press Release: Los Angeles – Shout! Factory TV serves up serious chills this summer with all kinds of horror gems in the Summer of Fear collection. Cult hit titles Chopping Mall, Doppelganger, Ed and His Dead Mother, The Monster Club, The Stepfather and The Terror Within will premiere on the service July 1.

The Summer of Fear presents a terrifyingly talented cast of actors, including Vincent Price in The Monster Club, Drew Barrymore in Doppelganger, Steve Buscemi in Ed And His Dead Mother, Terry O’Quinn in The Stepfather, and, well, what Chopping Mall might lack in star-power it makes up for in adorable killer robots.

Chopping Mall Synopsis

Eight teenagers are trapped after hours in a...

More than a fascinating curio, Summer of Fear (aka Stranger in Our House) showed that Wes Craven was a talented director and that Linda Blair could more than hold her own at the center of a dramatic film. First broadcast on the NBC television network on October 31, 1978 as Stranger in Our House, the film was adapted by Glenn M. Benest and Max A. Keller from Lois Duncan's novel. The book was first published in 1976 and tells the story of a young woman named Julia (Lee Purcell) who comes to live with the her aunt's family after her parents are killed in an automobile accident. The screen version is told through the eyes of Rachel Bryant (Linda Blair), a teenage girl who loves...

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

With Halloween only two weeks away now, that means we have another killer batch of home entertainment releases arriving this Tuesday, primed to get everyone in the mood for the macabre. Cult film lovers should get those wallets ready, as Kino Lorber is keeping busy with The Terror Within II, Revenge of the Dead, and a 4K special edition of RawHead Rex, too.

For those who still venture out into the real world to make their media purchases, Target has the exclusive on season one of Stranger Things that comes in nifty retro packaging, and Criterion has put together a stellar Blu for Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

Other notable releases for October 17th include American Gods: Season One, Wes Craven’s Summer of Fear, Red Christmas, Spider-Man: Homecoming, The Honor Farm, and Alfred Hitchcock: The Ultimate Collection.

American Gods: Season One (Lionsgate, Blu-ray & DVD)

When...

Greetings again, fellow horror nerds. We’ve got another somewhat lengthy release list for you this week. Obviously there are a few discrepancies to get out of the way so let’s do so now. Wes Craven’s Summer Of Fear may have… Continue Reading →

The post DVD and Blu-ray Releases: October 10, 2017 appeared first on Dread Central.

With the Halloween season finally upon us, that we’ve got a ton of horror and sci-fi titles headed our way via VOD and various digital platforms throughout the month of October. Things kick off with the 1992 horror comedy Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which hits Digital HD for the first time ever on October 2nd. The very next day, Cult of Chucky, Super Dark Times, The Forlorned, and Realive all make their respective debuts, and just a few days later the holiday horror flick Better Watch Out arrives on October 6th.

October 10th is another busy day, with the digital releases of Wish Upon, Dementia 13, The 13th Friday, War for the Planet of the Apes, and Wes Craven’s cult classic Summer of Fear, and for those looking to spend their Friday the 13th at home, you’ve got M.F.A., Brawl in Cell Block 99, and the Psycho-themed documentary 78/52 to look forward to.

Pray for day. Linda Blair starred in a handful of horror movies in the wake of The Exorcist making her a household name, and two of them are soon headed to Blu-ray. First up is 1978’s Summer of Fear, directed by Wes Craven, coming in October from Doppelgänger Releasing. The other is 1981’s Hell Night, just […]...

If you enjoyed Scott Drebit's It Came From the Tube column on Wes Craven's Summer of Fear, then you were likely excited when Music Box Films' Doppelgänger Releasing announced a Collector's Edition Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD release for the 1978 TV movie earlier this summer, and now the special features for the new home media release have been revealed, along with the official release date.

Arrow in the Head recently unveiled the following list of special features that will be included on the Summer of Fear Blu-ray when the witchcraft film is released on October 10th, the same day it will be released on DVD, Amazon Instant, Google Play, iTunes, YouTube, and Vudu:

Exclusive new interview with Linda Blair Director commentary by Wes Craven Poster and still gallery Original trailer

For more details, we have information from the previous press release below, along with the official cover art (via Blu-ray.

Though Linda Blair is best known for her work with director William Friedkin in The Exorcist, she also worked with another master of horror/thriller genre. Wes Craven's Summer of Fear Special Collector's Edition hits Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD October 10 via Music Box Films. Also known as Stranger in [...]...

We told you back in July that Doppelgänger Releasing will be unleashing Wes Craven‘s 1978 Summer of Fear on Blu-ray and Digital HD Oct 10, 2017, for the first time ever. That’s still the plan, and we’ve got all the release info today. Originally released under the title Stranger in Our House, the made-for-television film premiered on Halloween night in 1978 […]...

One of horror master Wes Craven’s lesser known films, Summer of Fear, is finally making its Blu-ray premiere after nearly 40 years, and we have all the details you need! From the Press Release: This summer, Doppelganger Releasing brings back… Continue Reading →

The post Wes Craven’s Summer of Fear Heats Up on Blu-ray for the First Time! appeared first on Dread Central.

We’re very happy to learn that Wes Craven’s classic 1978 film Summer of Fear will finally be released on Blu-ray for the first time on October 10 courtesy of Doppelgänger Releasing. This news comes via Bloody Disgusting. Also know as… Continue Reading →

The post Wes Craven’s Summer of Fear Hitting Blu-ray This October appeared first on Dread Central.

Bloody Disgusting is excited to reveal that Music Box Films’ Doppelgänger Releasing will be unleashing Wes Craven‘s 1978 Summer of Fear on Blu-ray and Digital HD Oct 10, 2017, for the first time ever. Starring The Exorcist‘s Linda Blair, Lee Purcell, and Jeremy Slate, a teenage girl’s life is turned upside down after her cousin moves […]...

If you enjoyed Scott Drebit's recent It Came From the Tube column on Wes Craven's Summer of Fear, then you'll be pleased to know that Music Box Films' Doppelgänger Releasing has announced a Collector's Edition Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD release for the 1978 TV movie, with plans to unleash the movie's dark magic sometime this summer.

Stay tuned to Daily Dead for more updates on this home media release, including the cover art and release date, and check out the official press release for more details:

Press Release: Chicago, Il (June 1, 2017) – In the early Seventies, he convinced us that The Hills Have Eyes…In the Eighties, he plunged audiences into A Nightmare on Elm Street…In the Nineties, he made audiences Scream…

This summer, Master of Horror Wes Craven returns with his 1978 cult favorite Summer of Fear, also known as Stranger in Our House, starring Linda Blair, Lee Purcell,...

Sometimes, TV horror is the perfect medium for a particular kind of story. Perhaps a story that doesn’t rely on effects or sensationalism to affect the viewer; a tale that works in a simple, straightforward way, dealing with all too common emotions experienced by the regular teenage mind. To wit, Summer of Fear (1978) Aka Stranger in Our House, a chiller directed by the late legend Wes Craven based on the bestselling Ya novel of the same name by Lois Duncan (I Know What You Did Last Summer). It’s a breezy thrill ride that also shows Craven could successfully work in the mainstream.

Originally airing Halloween night on NBC under the Stranger title as one of their The Big Event titles, its toughest competition was ABC’s Three’s Company/Taxi/Starsky and Hutch dynamo. But no worries, if you needed a horror fix on Halloween night, this is what you were watching.

By Ernie Magnotta

Although I was barely ten years-old, I remember feeling terrified while watching horror master Wes Craven’s 1978 made-for-tv thriller Summer of Fear (under its alternate title Stranger in Our House) as well as thoroughly enjoying his adaptation of the comic book Swamp Thing four years later, but it wasn’t until November of 1984, while viewing the trailer for some new horror flick called A Nightmare on Elm Street, that I recall hearing and remembering the name Wes Craven. After being thrilled by this masterpiece which, in my opinion, is Craven’s greatest work, I certainly wanted to learn more about this extremely talented filmmaker. After doing a bit of research, I quickly discovered that I had already seen Craven’s original and very interesting Deadly Blessing (1981) and, also, his other masterpiece (in my opinion): 1977’s The Hills Have Eyes. Whenever someone mentions Wes Craven, I immediately think of Nightmare and Hills,...

Review Ryan Lambie 19 Mar 2013 - 06:54

One of Wes Craven's less prominent early movies makes its Blu-ray debut. Here's Ryan's review of the 1981 horror, Deadly Blessing...

In the early 1970s, Wes Craven made the leap from academic to filmmaker, working at the sleazier end of the movie industry with director and producer Sean S Cunningham on films with titles like Together, Honey Pie and Hot Cookies. It was with his horror films The Last House On The Left (1972) and The Hills Have Eyes (1977) that Craven became recognised as a director in his own right, and their shocking subject matter and violence gained him a considerable amount of notoriety among critics and censors.

Although Craven continued to dabble in exploitation cinema after The Hills Have Eyes (he served as cinematographer on The Evolution Of Snuff in 1978), the end of the 70s saw him gradually shuffle towards the mainstream; 1978's Stranger In Our House...

When the current theatrical reboot (a sequel and toothless TV remake had already come and gone) of Carrie was announced, there was a lot of teeth gnashing and cries of "leave the classics alone!," mostly by me. But as details began to leak out, the prospect became more intriguing. Gay director Kimberly Pierce gave us the masterpiece Boys Don't Cry, and the fabulous Julianne Moore signed up to play Carrie's psychotic fanatical mother. Chloe Moretz doesn't look anything like Stephen King's Carrie, but then neither did Sissy Spacek, so I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Carrie was supposed to open in March, but the studio has pushed it back to October, which means they're either hoping for Halloween dollars ... or it's a sign of a troubled production.

But while we wait to rain judgment down on the new version of our favorite telekinetic teen, let's take...

What better time of year than right now to review the classic Dark Night Of The Scarecrow. Back in March we announced that Dark Night was Finally making its way to DVD and thanks to our friend John Sullivan aka The Creepy Custodian we have a full review for you Bidites to feast on...

Through the 70's and by the early 80's, the horror genre was finding it's way to a brand new audience. Made-for-tv movies such as "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" (1973), "Stranger in Our House" (Later re-titled Summer of Fear) (1978), "Midnight Offerings" (1981) and "Don't Go To Sleep" (1982), were scaring their way into living rooms and reaching a broader range of people who normally might not be exposed to these kinds of films or to the horror community in general. And while these were not big theatrical releases with huge promotional campaigns, because of excellent screenwriting and storyline,...

I'm not a huge vampire, werewolf, or monster person; I'm all about the witches! In my opinion, witches are the best of the supernatural things out there.

So, I thought I would present my top 5 witch movies. Not in any order.

Suspiria-an American dancer joins a dance school with a secret, it's coven of witches! The scenes and graphics are beautiful and haunting. I felt this movie and the horror was original and deep. Superb, Argento!

Midnight Offerings-truly a classic. The best teen witch movie ever. Robin moves into town inhabited by Hecate witch who wants it all. The two cross paths when a boy gets involved.

Stranger in Our House/Summer of Fear-i read this book many years ago and I saw this movie on Saturday Nightmares on USA network. This story is about a girl who new babysitter-like friend could be a witch.

The Craft-an emo witch girl flick.