News

The sun is out and the screaming is about to start, because the sensational 9th Annual Tampa Bay Screams Horror Convention is set to thrill horror and movie enthusiasts once again. The convention will take place from Friday, June 28th to Saturday, June 29th at the Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center, located at 4951 78th Ave. N. in the sunny Pinellas Park/St. Petersburg, Fl.

This year’s event promises an indoor celebration of horror, sci-fi, and pop culture, offering a weekend packed with excitement for fans, collectors, and cosplay artists. The convention will be open from 5 Pm to 10 Pm on Friday and from Noon to 5 Pm on Saturday. Best of all, there is free parking available for all attendees.

The Tampa Bay Screams Horror Convention is renowned for its vibrant atmosphere and extensive lineup of activities. Attendees can look forward to meeting horror celebrities, exploring the “Dealer’s Dungeon” vendor expo hall,...

Chainsaw Man Is Coming to Crunchyroll: "Crunchyroll has announced that a new series has made the cut and will be included in one of its upcoming seasons as it has acquired the streaming rights to the highly anticipated anime adaptation of Chainsaw Man. Crunchyroll will simulcast the series from Japan later this year, subtitled and dubbed, in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. Dubs will include English, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, and German.

Based on the widely popular and award-winning manga of the same name written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto and serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump, Chainsaw Man is directed by Ryū Nakayama (Fate/Grand Order Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia; The Rising of the Shield Hero).

“With dark humor, dynamic characters and a sharp story, Chainsaw Man is one of the most anticipated new series this year, and we are wickedly excited to...

April’s horror and sci-fi home media releases are ending in a big way, as we have a lot of genre goodness to look forward to with this week’s 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD offerings. In terms of new titles, Roland Emmerich’s Moonfall is arriving this Tuesday on a variety of formats, and both Gia Elliott’s psychological thriller Take Back the Night and Dead by Midnight Y2Kill are headed to DVD as well.

Arrow Video is giving Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys the 4K treatment this week, and Vinegar Syndrome has several titles headed to 4K this week, too, including Scanner Cop, Scanner Cop II: The Showdown, Madman, and a Schizoid/X-Ray double feature. Severin Films is showing some love to the Ozploitation flick Stone with a Special Edition release, and Agfa/Bleeding Skull are putting out Emily Hagins’ Pathogen on Blu-ray, too.

Other titles headed home on...

Chicago – As a TV and Movie Star, Sally Kellerman may not be a household name, but as an influencer in the “New American Cinema” of the 1970s she was everywhere. In addition, her TV appearances in the 1960s featured a variety of roles in many of the iconic series of the era, including the original “Star Trek.” She’s probably best known for her movie role as Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in ‘Mash’ (1970), for which she scored an Oscar nomination. Kellerman died on February 24th, 2022, at age 84.

Sally Claire Kellerman was born in Long Beach, California, and attended Hollywood High School, where her singing voice got noticed by Verve Records … but at the time she was too shy to take the offer. She took on acting classes from noted instructor Jeff Corey in Los Angeles, with classmates like Jack Nicholson and Dean Stockwell. Her first film role was in...

Chicago – In the strange old days of three TV Networks and the fan-based crossovers that would come out of it, there was Gerald “Kookie” Kookson the Third of the ABC-tv show “77 Sunset Strip” (1958-1964). Kookie loved rock ’n roll, hair combing and cracking wise like a beatnik. For some reason, he became a break out star and full partner in the private investigation office of the title. Kookie was portrayed by Edd Byrnes, who passed away on January 8th, 2020, at age 87.

Edd 'Kookie' Byrnes in 2009, Exclusive Photo by Joe Arce

Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

If being Kookie weren’t enough, Edd Byrnes also had a novelty hit single (featuring Connie Stevens) with “Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)” which shot to Number Four on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959. His star was at its peak at that point, the Kookie character was the Fonzie of this day,...

Released in theaters a little more than 14 months after its predecessor, Hellbound: Hellraiser II had the unenviable task of following up one of the most innovative and boundary-pushing genre films of the 1980s. Tony Randel took over the directorial duties on Hellbound, and he did a brilliant job sidestepping the pitfalls that can often trip up a sequel film effort, ambitiously blazing a new path in the Hellraiser universe by taking viewers into the labyrinthine realm of Leviathan and providing fans with a greater understanding of the franchise’s Cenobite antiheroes as well. Hellraiser II also introduces one of the series’ most dominant and unforgettable villains by way of Dr. Channard (Kenneth Cranham) and transforms Hellraiser’s wicked stepmother Julia (Clare Higgins) into a bona fide evil queen.

Simply put, Hellraiser II is a perfect example of what every filmmaker at the helm of a sequel should aspire to achieve,...

Before he came face to face with Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Peter Barton faced a different kind of cinematic killer alongside Linda Blair in Hell Night. With the 1981 horror film coming out soon on a Collector's Edition Blu-ray / DVD with a new 4K scan from Scream Factory, we've been provided with an exclusive behind-the-scenes clip to share as a special treat for Daily Dead readers.

In the behind-the-scenes clip below, Barton reflects on a humorous time when it was difficult for him to maintain a straight face during filming, and he also talks about the high level of energy that goes into a performance when actors are playing characters who are fighting for (or fear for) their lives.

Scream Factory's Hell Night Collector's Edition Blu-ray / DVD will be released on January 2nd, 2018, and we have a look at the full list of special features...

One of my absolute favorite 80s flicks, Hell Night, is coming to Blu-ray in grand fashion via Scream Factory; and we couldn’t be more excited it you locked us into a well known haunted house and then sent a deranged killer after us! The film, directed by Tom DeSimone (Reform School Girls) and produced by […]

The post Hell Night Hazes Blu-ray in January appeared first on Dread Central.

After facing off against the demon Pazuzu in The Exorcist, Linda Blair faced off against a vicious murderer that made some horror fans "pray for day" in the 1981 slasher film Hell Night (read our own Scott Drebit's Drive-In Dust Offs on the film here), coming out this January on a Collector's Edition Blu-ray / DVD combo pack from Scream Factory that's brimming with almost four hours of bonus features:

Press Release: One dark night 12 years ago, madman Raymond Garth butchered his wife and children in their mansion before killing himself. Legend has it that one child survived the slaughter and remains hidden in the house as a deformed monster. Years later on pledge night, a group of new fraternity and sorority pledges must spend an evening in this creepy mansion on the anniversary of the killings. But what starts off as a night of innocent pranks and rowdiness soon turns deadly…...

“Even for criminals you’re just a particularly poor reflection on womanhood.”

Caged Heat screens Friday, June 9th at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood). This is the first film in their ‘Tribute to Jonathan Demme’ The movie starts at 8:00pm.

Who doesn’t love a good Women’s prison film? – Chained Heat, Hellhole, Ilsa She Wolf Of The SS, The Big Bird Cage, The Big Doll House, Reform School Girls, and The Concrete Jungle all sit proudly on my Wip (Women in Prison) DVD shelf. One of the very best of this beloved subgenre is Caged Heat (1974), a wonderful exploitation masterpiece and the directing debut of Oscar-winner Jonathan Demme, that has everything you could possibly hope for in a Women-In-Prison movie: nudity, shower catfights, lesbian coupling, race wars, murder, chain-swinging, switch-blade slashing, and shock therapy!

Chained Heat stars Erica Gavin (of Russ Meyer’s Vixen fame) as Jackie,...

Arrow Video has unveiled their amazing February 2016 slate, and TwitchFilm HQ is salivating over the amazing collection of releases coming to both sides of the Atlantic.Since Arrow Video opened up shop in the U.S., they've increased the number of monthly releases as well as presenting some amazing exclusive treats for both the British and American customers. Next February sees British home video fans getting a brand new edition of Miike Takashi's breakout hit Audition on Blu-ray, as well as Plasmatics' Wendy O. Williams vehicle Reform School Girls (DVD only), Mario Bava's Five Dolls for an August Moon (already on Us Blu-ray from Kino Lorber), and a plain Jane reissue of the gorgeously terrifying original Hellraiser trilogy. On Us shores, we'll see an exclusive Blu-ray release...

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

Caged Heat screens Saturday November 22nd at 8pm as part of The St. Louis International Film Festival. There will also be a concert by Stace England and the Screen Syndicate, who play an album of songs inspired by Roberta Collins, one of the film’s stars. The Venue is Kdhx (3524 Washington Boulevard‎ St Louis, Mo 63103)

I love Women’s prison films – Chained Heat, Hellhole, Ilsa She Wolf Of The SS, The Big Bird Cage, The Big Doll House, Reform School Girls, and The Concrete Jungle all sit proudly on my Wip (Women in Prison) DVD shelf. One of the very best of this beloved subgenre is Caged Heat (1974), a wonderful exploitation masterpiece and the directing debut of Oscar-winner Jonathan Demme, that has everything you could possibly hope for in a Women-In-Prison movie: nudity, shower catfights, lesbian coupling, race wars, murder, chain-swinging, switch-blade slashing, and shock therapy!

Wow! You’re probably...

Caged Heat screens Saturday November 22nd at 8pm as part of The St. Louis International Film Festival. There will also be a concert by Stace England and the Screen Syndicate, who play an album of songs inspired by Roberta Collins, one of the film’s stars. The Venue is Kdhx (3524 Washington Boulevard‎ St Louis, Mo 63103)

I love Women’s prison films – Chained Heat, Hellhole, Ilsa She Wolf Of The SS, The Big Bird Cage, The Big Doll House, Reform School Girls, and The Concrete Jungle all sit proudly on my Wip (Women in Prison) DVD shelf. One of the very best of this beloved subgenre is Caged Heat (1974), a wonderful exploitation masterpiece and the directing debut of Oscar-winner Jonathan Demme, that has everything you could possibly hope for in a Women-In-Prison movie: nudity, shower catfights, lesbian coupling, race wars, murder, chain-swinging, switch-blade slashing, and shock therapy!

Wow! You’re probably...

Alexa here with my own contribution to the year in review. Everyone seems to agree that 2012 was a great year in film, and many are dissing 2011 in the process. Was 2011 really that bad? I would argue no...but I digress.  This week is about honoring the films of last year, and we will hear from Seth MacFarlane's loud mouth on Thursday which will get the most attention in the coming weeks. So rather than add another best-of list to the heap, I thought I'd share instead my favorite film moments of 2012: my best cinematic experiences, old and new, best film celebrations, and generally the moments that reinvigorated my love of the medium.

10. Discovering the joys of reform school

After finding a musty promotional packet for So Young, So Bad at a thrift store in Georgia, I found myself down a juvenile delinquent rabbit hole, devouring many films in the reform school girl genre,...

Chicago – The characteristics of the classic B-movie during the 1970s and ‘80s usually required prisons, women and uniforms designed to easily tear away. The Music Box Theatre in Chicago will highlight that era on Friday, October 12, when they present “Chained Heat.” One of the co-stars of that essential women’s prison movie, Sybil Danning, will be at the theatre in person to introduce the film.

Born Sybilie Joanna Denninger in Weis, Austria, Danning was the daughter of a U.S. Army major, and spent time between the United States and Austria as she grew up. After trying out working in the dental field and cosmetology, she began modeling and acting in the early 1970s, making her debut in an Austrian film called “Komm nur, mein liebstes Vögelein.” After working her way through that film industry, she began her American career with “Bluebeard” (1972) and “The Three Musketeers” (1973), but was also doing such...

Last May "Elvira's Horror Hunt" began searching for features and shorts to be screened at the September HorrorHound Weekend with grand prize winners to be announced by Elvira herself during the con. Seven features and 13 shorts have been selected, and we have all the details here.

From the Press Release:

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, is excited to announce the films which have been selected for the 2012 edition of “Elvira’S Horror Hunt,” a horror film festival and competition presented in association with “Stan Lee’s Comikaze” and HorrorHound Magazine. The Festival, hosted in person by Elvira and Peaches Christ, is taking place in Indianapolis, Indiana, September 7th-9th.

Three (3) features and three (3) short films will be selected and presented to an all-star jury which includes Sybil Danning (Reform School Girls, Grindhouse), Bill Moseley (Texas Chainsaw Massacre II, Repo! The Genetic Opera), film writer and personality Job Bob Briggs,...

Hey there, Fiends! First of all I would like to wish you all a happy Easter and hope that you have had a killer day! On to the show! Last night we concluded our once in a lifetime interview with the absolutely amazing Sybil Danning!

We were once again joined by our own "Apocalypse" Amy Lynes as well as a very special guest co-host, the "Monster Man" himself, Syfy Channel's Cleve Hall!

Together we spoke about the campy but super-classic Howling II, the conceptual fight sequence between herself and punk legend Wendy O. Williams in the cult classic Reform School Girls, and the future vampire role that Sybil plans on unleashing to the horror masses!

Talking with Sybil was a "bucket list" moment for myself and the Dungeon. For everyone that has followed the show for the first time straight from the almighty Dread, we thank you so much! And...

Once again, it's time for more various oddball trailers from the far reaches of cinema obscurity. So, without any further ado, let's check out some "coming attractions"! This week with an all "Girls" theme!

Gas Pump Girls (1979)

The late 70's was the last great hoo-rah for sleazy sexploitation films made specifically for the drive-in theater before cable TV and home video took over as the preferred (and more convenient) method for those looking for mindless T&A to take in a flick.

One such late 70's drive-in sex comedy was Gas Pump Girls directed by Joel Bender.

The film centers around June (Kristen Baker from Friday the 13th Part 2 and Midnight Madness), a ridiculously sexy young girl who takes over a gas station formerly run by her uncle. As you'd expect, business isn't exactly booming, but when June and her equally sexy friends (notably Sandy Johnson from Halloween and H.

For this week's Tfe contributors roundup, I thought I'd force a confession... but alas, I didn't manage to catch anything that embarrassed anyone, damnit! Except myself! My queue is stupid

What's Next On Your DVD Queue?

Jose: The Red Shoes and the first four seasons of "Doc Martin" which I have to review for work.

Ja: Simon Rumley's terrifically unsettling Red White and Blue which unsettled me, terrifically, last year and Undertow, that Peruvian movie which I think you interviewed the director. [Editor's Note: Yes, yes, I did.]

 Alexa (Curio): I'm really, really going to watch them when I'm not chasing my toddler or passing out: Gloria (John Cassavetes' film, not the one with Sharon Stone! This is a re-watch, I just like it) and Reform School Girls (the one with Wendy O Williams from 1986).

Robert (Distant Relatives): First up is The Circus, the only Chaplin silent comedy I haven't seen. It...

When I first set out to do a retrospective series on some of my favorite films, I wanted to make sure I hit all genres, not just horror, which is my favorite. Also, getting an interview to go with the column has always been icing on the cake, but if I am not able to get one for a particular movie, it will never stop me from giving it some love. The kind of films that fueled Rhonda Shear’s USA Up All Night were sex-comedies, and the number of them that have never received a DVD release are staggering.

In my past life, one of the many perks of being employed at a video store were the screeners that you were able to keep. I was in nerd heaven when I worked at a location that was adjacent to the district office where hundreds of movies arrived for the taking.

.Not available on DVD. column since it began nine months ago and I realize that 19 of the previous 24 films I.ve written about are from the decade of the 1970.s. It.s not that there aren.t worthy forgotten films of the 50.s, 60.s or 80.s that have yet to see life in digital format, it.s just that, being born in 1961, it was the .70.s when I came of age and I.ve always had a fixation with the many films I saw at the drive-in in the last half of that decade. Besides, only from the politically incorrect .70.s could have come a disco musical comedy about a woman with a talking vagina.

Chatterbox, made in 1977, is no porn film (though bare breasts abound), but a silly R-Rated comedy based on a ridiculous but titillating situation that today doesn.t seem at all sleazy or dirty but really funny and kind of innocent.

The Devil Puppet is making Moronic Mark watch a romantic comedy for Valentine's Day. Luckily, Mark remembers the movie Chatterbox, which is about a woman with a talking and singing vagina (named Virginia) and their quest for love. It's not really a horror movie, but it's directed by a guy who directed 4 "Freddy's Nightmares" and movies like Angel III: The Final Chapter and Hell Night, along with the classic flick, Reform School Girls. It's definatly something you don't see everyday. And frankly, It's not too bad.

Legendary femme fatale Sybil Danning has joined the lineup of the next West Coast edition of Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors convention, to be held April 17-19 at the Los Angeles Convention Center (1201 South Figueroa). Danning’s long career in exploitation has included roles in Howling II, Amazon Women On The Moon, The Tomb, Reform School Girls, Chained Heat, Luigi Cozzi’s Hercules and Rob Zombie’s Halloween and Werewolves Of The SS trailer from Grindhouse.

The Austrian actress recently joined the cast of The Lair, the hit here! vampire series that returns to the cable network’s lineup in August. “I am in five of 13 episodes of season three of The Lair,” Danning tells Fango. “I loved working with my dear friend Fred [Olen Ray, the show’s creator] and all the people on the Lair set, but I cannot mention anything about my character whatsoever! So we will keep it mysterious!” For more on the sultry actress,...

This week Gorked-out Andrew and Wendy O. Williams share the spotlight in an interview so exploitative that some will get tough...some will go insane...some will die! Tom DeSimone joins the Deadpit crew this week, and he'll be sharing the inside scoop on some classic 80's films including "Hell Night" and "Reform School Girls". You'll pray for day when we dim the lights and take a look at two new DVDs including the 20th Anniversary Edition of Tom Holland's killer doll opus "Child's Play" and the shocking Ellen Page/Catherine Keener melodrama "An American Crime". All this bombascity plus a new contest for Scarefest tickets, new written reviews, exciting news on upcoming interviews, and an epic call-in portion for the ages...only on Deadpit.com!