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Alex Proyas' 1994 Gothic superhero-adjacent film "The Crow" -- based in the 1989 comic book by James O'Barr -- may not be the best film of the 1990s, but it might be the most 1990s film of the 1990s. Proyas' bleak, overdecorated Bauhaus aesthetic, paired with the film's self-pitying themes of violent, vengeful angst, speak incredibly loudly to the Gen-Xers who saw it as teens. "The Crow" gave voice to a certain generation's tendency to see the world as corrupt and untrustworthy, and it was only rising above death and destroying the evildoers that a bleak kind of catharsis might be achieved. "The Crow" is adolescent, yes, but important. 

The plot of "The Crow" is dark and simple. In a dark, alternate version of Detroit, Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) is shot and killed while he watches his fiancée (Sofia Shinas) get brutally assaulted. A mystical crow, however, finds Eric's departed soul and reunites it with his body,...

The Story: A college kid (Brandon Lee) witnesses a gangland hit. Betrayed by witness protection, he’s recruited by a task force headed by a no-nonsense cop (Powers Boothe) as a pawn, but little do they know he’s more than able to handle himself against any of his foes.

The Players: Starring: Brandon Lee, Powers Boothe, Tzi Ma & Nick Mancuso. Directed by Dwight H. Little.

The History: The early nineties were the heyday of the martial arts movie star. Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme were consistently churning out hits, so if they could become icons, why not a guy like Brandon Lee? He was movie star handsome, could move, was charismatic and could act. Oh yeah – he also happened to be the son of the greatest Kung-Fu movie star of all time, Bruce Lee.

“I wouldn’t want to refer to them as stepping stones. That seems to demean them.

A few months ago, director Dwight H. Little – the director of such films as Rapid Fire (starring Brandon Lee), The Phantom of the Opera (starring Robert Englund), the Steven Seagal vehicle Marked for Death, Free Willy 2, the Wesley Snipes mystery Murder at 1600, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, Tekken, and my favorite of the Halloween sequels, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers – released a memoir called Still Rolling: Inside the Hollywood Dream Factory (copies can be purchased at This Link). In one passage of the book, Little discusses the series of mistakes and oversights that led to Brandon Lee’s tragic shooting death on the set of The Crow. With a remake of The Crow set to reach theatres in June and Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed having just been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the case of the shooting death on the set of that film,...

“I want friend like me.”

Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, and Tom Stockman

No other actor in the long history of horror has been so closely identified with the genre as Boris Karloff, yet he was as famous for his gentle heart and kindness as he was for his screen persona. William Henry Pratt was born on November 23, 1887, in Camberwell, London, England. He studied at London University in anticipation of a diplomatic career; however, he moved to Canada in 1909 and joined a theater company where he was bit by the acting bug. It was there that he adopted the stage name of “Boris Karloff.” He toured back and forth across the USA for over ten years in a variety of low-budget Theater shows and eventually ended up in Hollywood. Needing cash to support himself, Karloff landed roles in silent films making his on-screen debut in Chapter 2 of the 1919 serial The Masked Rider.

Don’t call them Bad Movies — when something’s this enjoyable, other verbal put-downs are more appropriate. This low-grade German sexploitation horror pic spent its full budget on its roster of frisky Berlin showgirls. After years of study, experts have finally proven that it was filmed with a camera. Severin’s special edition does justice to a cult non-classic with an uncut original German version, plus a second American version and extra alternate scenes. Alexander D’Arcy’s scary horror-face is a childhood monster magazine memory. The creepy title critter looks like a land crab morphed with a really pissed-off Woody Woodpecker.

Horrors of Spider Island

Blu-ray

Severin Films

1960 / B&w / 1:665 widescreen / 84, 79 min. / Ein Toter hing im Netz, It’s Hot in Paradise / Street Date June 16, 2020 /

Starring: Harald Maresch (Temple Foster), Helga Franck, Alexander D’Arcy, Helga Neuner, Rainer Brandt, Dorothee Parker, Gerry Sammer, Eva Schauland, Helma Vandenberg (Helma van den...

The Crow was a massive hit when the comic book tale was eventually released in May, 1994, but sadly, its star was no longer here to witness its success. The Crow is a dark, brooding, gothic, action filled meditation on revenge, justice, love, and the afterlife, strengthened with bits of dark humor and a haunting performance by the late Brandon Lee, who was tragically killed in an on-set accident.

The Crow is remembered for Lee's brilliant portrayal of the movie's hero, musician Eric Draven, who returns from the dead to extract revenge on the Motor City thugs who murdered both him and his fianc&#233. A supernatural bird guides Draven through Detroit on Devil's Night, one year to the date after crime kingpin Top Dollar ordered his henchmen to kill the soon to be wed young couple. One by one, Eric makes his way through Tin Tin, Funboy, T-Bird, and Skank, until...

The Crow was a massive hit when the comic book tale was eventually released in May, 1994, but sadly, its star was no longer here to witness its success. The Crow is a dark, brooding, gothic, action filled meditation on revenge, justice, love, and the afterlife, strengthened with bits of dark humor and a haunting performance by the late Brandon Lee, who was tragically killed in an on-set accident.

The Crow is remembered for Lee's brilliant portrayal of the movie's hero, musician Eric Draven, who returns from the dead to extract revenge on the Motor City thugs who murdered both him and his fianc&#233. A supernatural bird guides Draven through Detroit on Devil's Night, one year to the date after crime kingpin Top Dollar ordered his henchmen to kill the soon to be wed young couple. One by one, Eric makes his way through Tin Tin, Funboy, T-Bird, and Skank, until...

Well it’s the start of another week, so you know what that means – yet more DVD and Blu-ray releases hit the high street, ready and waiting to swallow up all your hard-earned cash! So here’s the rundown of what’s available to buy from today, October 17th 2011.

Pick(S) Of The Week

The Woman (DVD/Blu-ray)

When lawyer and proud family man Chris Cleek (Sean Bridgers – True Blood, Deadwood) stumbles across a wild, feral woman (Pollyanna McIntosh – Exam, Burke and Hare) bathing in a woodland stream near his isolated country home, he makes a decision that will dramatically change both their lives. Capturing her, Chris chains The Woman up in the fruit cellar below his house, intending to tame and civilize her. But when the task at hand proves to be more difficult than first imagined, he sets in motion a collision course for a brutal showdown between...

Today we continue our five-part Halloween Week retrospective on "The Crow," celebrating the film's 15th anniversary with cast and filmmaker interviews that explore its origin and legacy. Check back each day this week for another installment of our "15 Years Of Devil's Night" series.

Part Two: Johnny Depp? Christian Slater? Bon Jovi?! Casting Eric Draven

By Ryan J. Downey

Before "The Crow," Brandon Lee's biggest role was in "Rapid Fire," an above-average action flick carried mostly by his grace, charm and combination of various martial arts styles years before the phrase "Mma" was popularized. His other credits included "Showdown in Little Tokyo" opposite Dolph Lundgren, little seen low-budget foreign action flicks "Laser Mission" and "Legacy of Rage" and the televised "Kung Fu: The Movie," with David Carradine.

Brandon dropped nearly 40 lbs. to play Eric Draven and was deeply involved in his characterization and fight choreography. His performance was at once...