News

Michael Villella, the actor best known for his iconic debut role in The Slumber Party Massacre, passed away on November 23 following health complications, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 84 years old.

The Slumber Party Massacre was developed as a spoof of the slasher genre with a feminist commentary, and many of the movie's humorous moments come from writer Rita Mae Brown's wry observations of the genre and how women characters are often treated.

Villella, whose power drill is undoubtedly the star of the show, slices and dices his way through everyone in his path. His portrayal of Russ Thorn is a sight to behold. While the killer hardly speaks at all until a scene towards the end, this does nothing to lessen his menace. If anything, it only heightens it. His mannerisms and eyes are extremely expressive. He radiates an aura of darkness from a single stance, the...

Best known for playing the slasher Russ Thorn in 1982 classic The Slumber Party Massacre, actor Michael Villella has passed away at the age of 84, we’re sad to report this week.

A message posted to the actor’s official Facebook page reads, “It is with a Heavy that Michael Pasquale Villella has left this world, may he rest in peace. May God welcome Michael with open arms and bring him into heaven.” TMZ adds, “he passed away on Saturday afternoon due to multiple organ failure after spending over a month in the hospital.”

In addition to memorably playing the power drill-wielding killer in director Amy Holden Jones’ The Slumber Party Massacre, Michael Villella’s credits also include the movies Love Letters (1983), Gotham (1988), Wild Orchid (1989), and Wild Orchid II: Two Shades of Blue (1991), and the television shows “Amazing Stories” (1987) and “Getting Away With Murder” (2007).

More recently, he appeared in short films...

Forty-two years ago, actor Michael Villella (whose last name was sometimes spelled Villela in credits) made his screen acting debut in the classic slasher The Slumber Party Massacre. He went on to earn several more acting credits over the years – and today, we have to share the sad news that Villella has passed away at the age of 84.

As confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, news of Villella’s passing first emerged on Facebook, on both his own profile and his daughter Chloe’s. According to TMZ, he died due to multiple organ failure after spending over a month in the hospital.

Following his screen debut, Villella landed roles in Love Letters, an episode of Amazing Stories, Gotham (1988), Wild Orchid, Wild Orchid II: Two Shades of Blue, an episode of Getting Away with Murder, and some short films. He had a character name in the first Wild Orchid, Elliot Costa, but...

Michael Villella, the actor known for playing the serial killer Russ Thorn in the cult classic “The Slumber Party Massacre,” has died. He was 84.

Villella’s death was announced Saturday through a statement on his Facebook page: “Michael Pasquale Villella has left this world, may he rest in peace. May God welcome Michael with open arms and bring him into heaven.”

His daughter, Chloe Villella, also confirmed the news on social media. A cause of death was not disclosed.

Villella made his onscreen debut as the drill-wielding killer in 1982’s “The Slumber Party Massacre,” also starring Michelle Michaels and Robin Stille. The film, directed by Amy Holden Jones and written by Rita Mae Brown, was originally meant to be a parody of the slasher genre but ultimately became a straight horror movie.

Although “The Slumber Party Massacre” received mixed reviews from critics, the 1982 original garnered a cult following and inspired...

Michael Villella, an actor known for his role in cult classic The Slumber Party Massacre, has died. He was 84.

Villella’s daughter Chloe confirmed her father’s death on social media on Saturday. Villella’s own Facebook page also announced his death the same day, writing, “Michael Pasquale Villella has left this world, may he rest in peace. May God welcome Michael with open arms and bring him into heaven.”

TMZ reported he died of organ failure after around month in the hospital.

Villella played Russ Thorn, the power-drill murderer in 1982’s The Slumber Party Massacre which also starred Michelle Michaels and Robin Stille. Directed by Amy Holden Jones and co-written by Jones and Rita Mae Brown, the film was Villella’s acting debut.

Though originally intended as a slasher parody, the movie ultimately became a straight horror movie, garnered a cult following and inspired several sequels and spin-offs. Villella...

Michael Villella has died. Best known for playing Russ Thorn, the drill-wielding maniac in The Slumber Party Massacre, Villella died Saturday, November 23, of organ failure, per TMZ. His daughter Chloe confirmed his death on Facebook. Villella was 84.'

Starring as Russ Thorn in 1982's Slumber Party Massacre, Villella became an...

Actor Michael Villella, best known for playing serial killer Russ Thorn in the beloved horror classic Slumber Party Massacre, has passed away. He was 84 years old.

Per TMZ, Villella died on Saturday afternoon after spending more than a month in the hospital. His death was attributed to multiple organ failure. Villella's daughter, Chloe Villella, confirmed her father's passing with a social media post that stated, "May you rest in peace daddy." Included with the post was an image of a lit candle alongside a photo of Villella.

Villella has long been a beloved actor with horror fans with The Slumber Party Massacre building up a large cult following over the past 42 years. The film, which features comedy elements as a spoof of the slasher genre, saw Villella in the role of Russ Thorn, a drill-wielding killer. The film spawned multiple sequels along with a remake that was released in 2021, though...

Michael Villella, the actor known for playing killer Russ Thorn in The Slumber Party Massacre (1982), has died. He was 84.

The actor’s daughter Chloe Villella announced her father’s death Saturday on Facebook. “May you rest in peace daddy,” she wrote with a photo of her dad displayed next to a burning candle.

Michael died of multiple organ failure following more than a month in the hospital, according to TMZ.

Playing power drill-weilding killer Russ Thorn, Michael made his onscreen debut in co-writer/director Amy Holden Jones’ Slumber Party Massacre, which was conceived by co-writer and feminist activist Rita Mae Brown as a slasher parody but was ultimately filmed as a straightforward horror. The movie has inspired a cult following, as well as multiple sequels and spin-offs over the years.

Michael has also appeared in such films as Love Letters (1983), Gotham (1988) and Wild Orchid (1989), as well as episodes of Amazing Stories...

Mark Damon, an actor-turned-independent sales executive who was a force in the foreign sales world and at film markets for many decades, died Sunday in Los Angeles, according to his wife. He was 91.

Damon won the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer for his starring role in 1960’s “House of Usher” for director Roger Corman, who died Thursday, then went on to appear in numerous Spaghetti Westerns and other B-movies shot in Europe, from “Johnny Yuma” to Mario Bava’s “Black Sabbath.”

Born Alan Harris in Chicago, Damon earned an Mba at UCLA, then moved to Rome where he established a busy acting career. When he returned to the U.S., he founded Producers Sales Organization to bring American independent films to international distributors, helping launch the American Film Market and Independent Film & Television Alliance.

He explained how his business started in a 2013 Variety profile: “Back in 1975, it was very tough.

Roger Corman's 1960 feature films "House of Usher" was the first film in a long series of Edgar Allan Poe-based movies at American International Pictures. From 1960 to 1964, Corman directed eight Poe films, with all but one of them starring Vincent Price. After "House of Usher," Corman made "The Pit and the Pendulum," "The Premature Burial," the anthology film "Tales of Terror," "The Raven," "The Haunted Palace," "The Masque of the Red Death," and "The Tomb of Ligeia." Technically, 1963's "The Haunted Palace" isn't a Poe movie. It was named after Poe's 1893 poem but was in fact based on the 1927 short novel "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" by H.P. Lovecraft. Poe, it seems, was a bigger marquee name than Lovecraft, so the latter author's story was merely folded into Corman's short-lived but well-remembered Poe subgenre. 

Fans of gothic horror would do well to marathon all eight movies. They're all...

Carré Sutton — who famously starred (as Carré Otis) alongside Mickey Rourke in the racy 1989 film “Wild Orchid” — filed a lawsuit in New York on Thursday where she claimed she was raped by an executive for Elite Model Management when she was 17 years old.

According to the lawsuit, Sutton says she was discovered by a modelling scout in 1985 and subsequently moved to New York City in 1986 at the behest of John Casablancas, the agency’s founder (who died in 2013). After struggling in New York, Sutton says she was sent to Paris by Elite in the hopes that her look “would have strong appeal in Europe.” She was told that she would be living with Gerald Marie, the head of Elite’s European division, who was “interested enough in her career success that she could live in his personal residence.”

But according to Sutton, she was “raped repeatedly by Marie and later...

To understand Leroy Virgil, who records as Hellbound Glory, is to understand how large a role Reno plays in his music. His 2017 album Pinball was inspired by his benders in the Nevada city’s bars. On June 5th, he releases an expanded love letter to “The Biggest Little City in the World” with the new album Pure Scum.

Produced by Shooter Jennings, a longtime champion of Virgil who also produced Pinball, the LP is awash in the traditional country sounds of fiddle, steel, and shuffling acoustic guitar, and features all...

Patricia Louisianna Knop, a television and film screenwriter best known for co-writing the 1986 drama “9 1/2 Weeks,” died Aug. 7 from undisclosed causes. She was 78.

Knop’s daughter, artist Gillian Lefkowitz, announced the news last week. “Rip to my incredible mother ♥️ magical thinker, treasure seeker, writer, painter, sculpture, dreamer, builder, creator of so many things, lover of life,” Lefkowtiz wrote on Instagram. “You will be missed and beyond. It’s an end of an incredible era.”

Knop’s first credited screenplay was for the 1976 adaptation of “The Passover Plot,” followed by “Lady Oscar,” from director Jacques Demy in 1979. But she was best known for several film and television projects, mainly erotic dramas, that she wrote or co-produced in the 1980s and 1990s while working with her husband, producer Zalman King.

Also Read: All 21 Richard Linklater Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best (Photos)

Among these projects were “9 1/2 Weeks,” starring Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger.

Patricia Louisiana Knop, a film screenwriter and television producer known for 9 1/2 Weeks, Wild Orchid and the Showtime series Red Shoe Diaries, died at age 78 on Aug. 7 in Santa Monica, Calif. from what her publicist said was a lengthy illness.

She was married for 46 years to producer/director Zalman King, who collaborated with her on many projects, including the scripts for Wild Orchid and 9 1/2 Weeks. He died in 2012.

Knop was born on Oct. 23, 1940 in Muskegon, Michigan. As a teenager longing for adventure, she wrote to the captain of a boat docked in Florida, and asked if she might join his crew. He said yes, so she boarded a train and made the long journey alone, only to discover that the captain had no idea who she was and what he had agreed to. However, he took her on.

At sea, she met and fell in love with fellow crewman Zalman King Lefkowitz.

Screenwriter Patricia Louisianna Knop, who collaborated with her producer-director husband Zalman King on erotically-charged films of the late 1980s and 1990s including “Siesta” and “9 1/2 Weeks,” died Aug. 7 in Santa Monica after a lengthy illness.

“9 1/2 Weeks,” starring Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger, was directed by Adrian Lyne, co-produced by King and co-written by Knop. The film proved controversial for its explicit S&m-theme and was heavily cut before its U.S. release.

Her writing credits also include “Delta of Venus,” “Wild Orchid” and “Red Shoe Diaries.” King directed “Wild Orchid” and the pair collaborated on the screenplay for the film starring Rourke and Jacqueline Bisset, which also had to be cut in order to obtain an R-rating.

Knop’s other screenplays included “Lady Oscar” and “Silence of the North.”

Knop met King on a Caribbean-bound schooner in 1961, and King began acting on TV shows. Knop also co-wrote the book for Broadway...

Producer Mark Damon, whose credits include “2 Guns” and “Lone Survivor,” has bought the film and television rights for Israeli war story “Angels in The Sky” in a pre-Cannes Film Festival deal.

Damon, the co-head of Dcr Finance Fund and Foresight Unlimited, will executive produce with Dcr Finance Fund as primary financial backer. Damon will partner with former Paramount Pictures executives Mike Flint and Jerry Meadors along with Mark Lansky, an investment specialist who is the nephew of Meyer Lansky. Flint is the producer.

Foresight and Dcr will launch sales at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, which opens May 14. Peter Dekom is the project’s legal consultant.

The 2017 book, written by Bob Gandt, dramatizes the 1948 conflict in the Middle East immediately after the state of Israel was formed, which triggered a nine-month war waged by five Arab nations. About 150 overseas pilots and their crews, dubbed the Machal, made up most...

Oleg Vidov, a box-office star in the Soviet Union who defected to the U.S. and appeared in Red Heat with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Wild Orchid opposite Mickey Rourke, has died. He was 73.

Vidov died Monday from cancer-related complications in Westlake Village, Calif., his friend Kathy Jura announced.

Born in Filimonki on the outskirts of Moscow, Vidov was the son of a schoolteacher and a Finance Ministry deputy. He graduated from the acting and directing departments of Vgik, the Ussr's acclaimed film school, and appeared in several features in his native land, including The Headless Horseman (1972).

Although Soviet actors...

★★☆☆☆ If Wikipedia is to be believed, the orchid family is one of the two largest families of flowering plants known to man; they're everywhere, going wild without a whisper of a care and making love in expensive hotels. But sadly, not all orchids are quite so relaxed; some lack self-confidence and need a little help to loosen up and explore their flowering sexuality and this (almost) truth seems to be the pungent metaphor at the centre of Zalman King's exceedingly odd, but still pretty awful Wild Orchid. Emily Reed (Carré Otis) is a polite young Mid-Western lawyer who heads to New York to seek her fortune and sexual awakening.

To mark the release of Wild Orchid on 8th February, we’ve been given 3 copies to give away in a Dual Format (Blu-ray & DVD) edition. Set in the sultry splendor of Rio de Janeiro, Wild Orchid stars Mickey Rourke (9 1/2 Weeks), Jacqueline Bisset (Bullitt) and supermodel Carre Otis in a “torrid” (Variety) adventure

The post Win Wild Orchid on Blu-ray & DVD appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Well before the mainstream fascination with the soft-core sexual sensibilities of Fifty Shades of Grey, one of the more notable alums of such boundary pushing was American filmmaker Zalman King. After producing the infamous sensation that was Adrian Lyne’s 9 ½ Weeks, King moved into filmmaking himself, debuting in 1988 with Two Moon Junction, before collaborating with his wife Patricia Louisiana Knopp on what stands as his most high profile title with Wild Orchid in 1989, reuniting him with Weeks stars Mickey Rourke. As is often the case with cinema seriously interested in exploring eroticism and titillation, the title suffers from a lot of misplaced energy. Character development and its semblance of a narrative appear to be roughly hewn afterthoughts, its most pronounced moments revolving around extremely stylized sexual congress between several different characters (and stylized in the vein of what we see on display in Verhoeven’s Showgirls).

Emily (Carre Otis) has...

The iconic 80s slasher flick Slumber Party Massacre is coming out tomorrow March 18 for the first time on Blu-ray, and our good friends from Scream Factory is sponsoring yet another awesome contest.

Scream Factory is giving one Slumber Party Massacre Blu-ray And one blood-splattered pillow case to each contest winner. This time, there will be Two winners!

This is what the Slumber Party Massacre pillow case looks like. The pillow case is out of stock at Scream Factory but you can also search for the item on eBay to see how much it is worth!

Dread Central readers can to enter this contest by sending us an E-mail Here including your Full Name and Mailing Address. We’ll take care of the rest. If the link doesn't work for you (because your browser is not set up with your email program), email us directly at contests@dreadcentral.com with the...

As far as 80s slasher flicks go, their poster art doesn't get much more iconic than Slumber Party Massacre's, which is set to adorn a Blu-ray case for the very first time. Read on for all the details about Scream Factory's latest release!

From the Press Release

This March 2014, loyal fans and horror enthusiasts are invited to join Scream Factory™ for the ultimate sleepover when Amy Holden Jones’ The Slumber Party Massacre, starring Michele Michaels (Death Wish 4: The Crackdown), Robin Stille (Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-o-Rama), Michael Villela (Wild Orchid) and Andree Honore (Strange Reality), debuts on Blu-ray™ for the first time on March 18, 2014. This highly collectible Blu-ray edition features new high definition transfer and killer bonus content. A must-have for all slasher fans and movie collectors, this definitive Blu-ray release of The Slumber Party Massacre is priced to own at $24.97 Srp.

The Slumber Party Massacre (1982) helped...

This March 2014, loyal fans and horror enthusiasts are invited to join Scream Factory™ for the ultimate sleepover when Amy Holden Jones’ The Slumber Party Massacre, starring Michele Michaels (Death Wish 4: The Crackdown), Robin Stille (Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-o-Rama), Michael Villela (Wild Orchid) and Andree Honore (Strange Reality), debuts on Blu-ray™ for the first time on March 18, 2014. This highly collectible Blu-ray edition features new high definition transfer and killer … Continue reading →

Horrornews.net...

Scream Factory is giving 1982′s The Slumber Party Massacre a high-def upgrade in March and they’ve provided us with the official release details:

“This March 2014, loyal fans and horror enthusiasts are invited to join Scream Factory™ for the ultimate sleepover when Amy Holden Jones’ The Slumber Party Massacre, starring Michele Michaels (Death Wish 4: The Crackdown), Robin Stille (Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-o-Rama), Michael Villela (Wild Orchid) and Andree Honore (Strange Reality), debuts on Blu-ray™ for the first time on March 18, 2014. This highly collectible Blu-ray edition features new high definition transfer and killer bonus content. A must-have for all slasher fans and movie collectors, this definitive Blu-ray release of The Slumber Party Massacre is priced to own at $24.97 Srp.

The Slumber Party Massacre (1982) helped define the slasher film ethos of the 1980s. Put together by first-time director Amy Holden from a script, titled “Don’t Open the Door,...

We salute our dear friends of many years Oleg and Joan on Oleg's birthday. He is one of the major figures in world cinema and is involved now in an exciting documentary on Tarkovsky, the great Russian director.

Oleg Vidov, known as the Russian Robert Redford, celebrated his 70th birthday last week in Moscow during a primetime TV special on Russia's First Channel, hosted by Andrei Malakhov.   He has appeared in 50 films since 1961, some of them the most popular Soviet films ever made.  They are still regularly broadcast on Russian television today. His U.S. credits include "Red Heat," "Wild Orchid," and "Thirteen Days."

Oleg now lives in Malibu with Joan Borsten, his wife of 28 years. They met in Rome in 1985, when he defected, the first major Soviet actor ever to leave the Ussr for the United States.  At that time Joan was writing for the La Times entertainment section. They were introduced by Richard Harrison, an American actor living and working in Rome (with over 120 film credits to his name) who personally took Oleg to the Us Embassy to apply for political asylum.  28 years later, Richard and Francesca, now Malibu residents, hosted Oleg's U.S. birthday celebration.

Even at 70, there is no rest for Oleg as his current film is being the voice of the revered Russian Director Andrei Tarkovsky in a documentary called Time Within Time, based on Tarkovsky's diary, and directed by Pj Letofsky. Tarkovsky (1932-1986) is one of the top 10 Directors of all time (IMDb.com), and #1 in Russia.

Tarkovsky was the first person Oleg called when he himself arrived in Rome in 1985. Tarkovsky had defected 2 years earlier and was living in Italy. Pj approached Oleg early on to be the 'voice' for the project, but didn't know the extent of Oleg's relationship with Tarkovsky. Although they had different roles in the Soviet film world, they knew each other, and Oleg was mentioned  in the diary.

Pj said, 'When we started recording the narration, it was immediately obvious that this was very personal for Oleg. He knew all the  people in the diary, and all the struggles working in that system. We would take breaks during the recording and you could see Oleg going back in his mind, telling me stories how he planned his escape from the Soviet Union'...

Time Within Time is a very compelling story of its day- of international film, art, politics with a real life cast of characters including Michaelangelo Antonioni, Tonino Guerra, Andrei Konchalovsky, Ingmar Bergman, to name a few. 

'By using Tarkovsky's diary, his words, it's almost like he wrote the script for me' says Letofsky.

Tarkovsky- Time Within Time is in the finishing stages. For more information visit www.newcastleproductions.com or contact Pj Letofsky at pjletofsky[a]gmail.com...

He could have been another Brad Pitt. Instead he's doing one-man stage shows. Is it time for a rescue plan?

For some time now, I have belonged to a secret society known as the League of Rueful Val Kilmer Enthusiasts. It consists of men of a certain age who adore Tombstone and Heat, and who also have a soft spot for The Doors and The Ghost and the Darkness. And, of course, Top Gun. What unites the members of the league is our affection for the actor himself, mingled with regret that Kilmer did not become the intergalactically famous star we wanted him to be. We also resent the fact that he did not make more movies like Heat while he was young and athletic enough to pull it off.

Because now it is too late. Kilmer has reached the point in his career where he is performing in a one-man show called Citizen Twain,...

 

Zalman King, who left a successful acting career to become a triple threat director, producer and writer, has died from cancer at age 70. King is best known for specializing in high end soft-core erotica. He produced the successful 1990s cable TV series Red Shoe Diaries and also wrote and produced the kinky theatrical hit film 9 1/2 Weeks in 1986 starring Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger. Other controversial hit films include Wild Orchid and New Moon Junction. For more click here...

When a pre-x-Files David Duchovny was hired by filmmaker Zalman King ( 9 1/2 Weeks, Wild Orchid, Two Moon Junction) for the Showtime series Red Shoe Diaries, he admits he was a bit on the inexperienced side. “As an actor I was terrible. I was green and I didn’t know it, and he didn’t tell me — which is good. I was blissfully ignorant of my own limitations,” laughs Duchovny. “Zalman just filled me with confidence. When he told me I was great, I believed it, and I started to make my way towards getting better as an actor. For a guy...

Zalman King, the filmmaker behind a string of popular and steamy erotic thrillers in the ’80s and ’90s, died on Friday at age 70, according to the Associated Press, citing his son-in-law. The cause was cancer. Born Zalman King Lefkowitz, King began his career acting on TV in the ’60s. But his real breakthrough came when he and his wife, Patricia Louisianna Knop, wrote the screenplay for 1986′s 9 1/2 Weeks. Slickly directed by Adrian Lyne and produced by King, the kinky, soft-lit, taboo love story starred Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke and was a hit at the box-office, spawning a slew of racy imitators.

"Released in 1938 and now available in a remastered edition from the Warner Archive Collection, The Great Waltz was one of Louis B Mayer's frequent attempts to bring culture to the American masses by buying up wholesale lots of European talent," writes Dave Kehr in the New York Times. It's a "biographical fantasy woven, with no particular concern for the truth, around the figure of the Austrian composer Johann Strauss." And now out from New Yorker Video, "the 1975 film adaptation of Schoenberg's Moses und Aron by Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet stands in roughly the same relation to The Great Waltz as Schoenberg's dissonant, 12-tone compositions do to Strauss's infectious oom-pah-pahs. Schoenberg's unfinished opera is a work of the utmost sobriety and seriousness — a philosophical assertion of monotheism that confirmed Schoenberg's reconversion to Judaism — and it is presented by Straub and Huillet in a form that avoids any theatrical effects (or,...

Los Angeles -- Actor and filmmaker Zalman King, who became known for his erotic work after writing and producing his breakthrough film "9 1/2 Weeks," has died. He was 70.

King's son-in-law Allison Burnett says the filmmaker died Friday morning at his home in Santa Monica, Calif., after a six-year battle with cancer.

Born Zalman King Lefkovitz in 1941, King began his career as an actor in the 1960s. He and wife, Patricia Louisianna Knop, collaborated on the screenplay for "9 1/2 Weeks," which became a cult hit starring Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke.

King's other credits include "Wild Orchid" and "Two Moon Junction," which he wrote and directed.

He is survived by his wife and daughters Chloe King and Gillian Lefkovitz.

Some sad news has come in: Producer, director, and screenwriter Zalman King, age 69, died this morning at his Santa Monica, California, home following a six-year battle with cancer. While best known for his erotically-charged projects like 9 1/2 Weeks, "Red Shoe Diaries," and Wild Orchid, King did dip his toes into the horror genre on more than one occasion.

He got his start as an actor in the 60's and 70's (this writer being a big fan of his back in those days) but gained the most notoriety for writing, producing, and directing the aforementioned titles. His genre-related performances included appearances on the small screen in "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" back in 1964 and "The Munsters" in 1965 as well as the feature films Saint Francis, Galaxy of Terror, Blue Sunshine, and Trip with the Teacher.

In his later career King focused on documentaries about musicians, directing films about country singers Willie Nelson and...

Producer, director and screenwriter Zalman King, whose credits include erotically-charged films such as "9 1/2 Weeks," "Red Shoe Diaries" and "Wild Orchid," died Friday morning at his Santa Monica home following a six-year battle with cancer. King, whose wife Patricia Louisianna Knop, was at his side at the time of his death, was 70. Born Zalman Lefkovitz in 1942 in Trenton, N.J., King was primarily known for his racy fare of the '80s and '90s, though his son-in-law, Allison Burnett, told TheWrap that his reputation failed to capture the totality of...

Actor/director Zalman King has died, aged 69.

King was best known for his steamy thrillers like 9 1/2 Weeks, Two Moon Junction and Wild Orchid. He also brought the controversial Red Shoe Diaries to TV.

He passed away in Los Angeles on Friday.

Charlie Sheen was among the first people to pay tribute to King, taking to his Facebook.com page to write, "the world lost a brilliant and noble soul today. My dear friend of 40 years, Zalman King, just lost his battle with cancer. Fought like a recon marine til the bitter end. Say a prayer for his amazing wife Pat and their lovely daughters. Safe travels my friend."...

The director of the erotically charged films Two Moon Junction, Wild Orchid and Red Shoe Diaries and producer/co-writer of Adrian Lyne’s cult hit 9½ Weeks died today at his home in Santa Monica after a long battle with cancer, a family member confirmed to Deadline. He was 70. King, dubbed “the high priest of erotic filmmaking,” has dozens of film and TV producer, director and writer credits and often collaborated with his wife, writer-producer Patricia Louisianna Knop. They co-penned 9½ Weeks, the 1986 film that starred Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger as a pair of strangers who begin a relationship based solely on sex and was notably hot and heavy for its time. The MGM title grossed $6.7 million. King and his wife also co-wrote 1989′s Wild Orchid, starring Rourke and Jacquline Bisset, as well as many episodes of Red Shoe Diaries, the Showtime series that spawned a 1992 TV movie and numerous direct-to-video titles.

Zalman King, who directed 1990’s Wild Orchid and produced 1986’s 9 ½ Weeks, died Feb. 3. He was 69 years old. King, who was born Zalman Lefkovitz in Trenton, New Jersey, had bit parts in 1960s TV shows before segueing into directing and producing. His trademark was work with a strong, somewhat artistic, erotic content. His most successful films as a director were 1988’s Two Moon Junction and 1992’s Red Shoe Diaries, which went on to be a series on Showtime. His most recent credit was as the exec producer on Showtime’s Body Language.

read more...

Actor Mickey Rourke has accused his ex-wife of "chasing the buck" by detailing their relationship in a new book.

The Wrestler star wed Carre Otis in 1992 after they co-starred in movie Wild Orchid, but their tumultuous union was rocked by allegations of domestic abuse and the model/actress' heroin addiction. They divorced six years later.

In her new memoir, Beauty, Disrupted, Otis claims she only married Rourke because she was terrified he would kill himself if she turned down the offer - and the actor is unhappy with her allegations.

Rourke tells CNN talk show host Piers Morgan, "From what I've heard about it... It's probably kind of like a little bit of sour grapes, chasing the buck and a delusional, narcissistic self-centred point of view."...

Actress/model Carre Otis has urged her ex-husband Mickey Rourke to let go of the emotional "baggage" surrounding their failed marriage because he will never be able to move on if he continues to stir up old feelings.

The actors wed in 1992 after co-starring in Wild Orchid, but their tumultuous relationship was rocked by allegations of domestic abuse and Otis' heroin addiction, which led to their divorce six years later.

In 2008, Rourke confessed he had never fully recovered from the split, despite their difficult partnership, admitting that he had resigned himself to a life of meaningless trysts because he would never be able to match the powerful love he had found with Otis.

He said, "I waited 10 years for her to come back... I won't compromise. Carre was thunder and lightning. If I can't have thunder and lighting then I won't have anything. It'll be a one-night stand here and there, but I'm not going to compromise. I can't."

Otis reveals she was furious with her ex's comments because she had just started a family with her second husband, environmental scientist Matthew Sutton - but her anger soon turned to pity because she realised the only person Rourke was hurting was himself.

Appearing on U.S. newsman Anderson Cooper's new talk show on Tuesday, Otis says, "It (Rourke's comments) was totally inappropriate. I'm a wife and a mother of two little girls today and I have done so much work (to heal emotionally) and that was so long ago. And for me it just felt like, really a testament to his evolution, and (he should) just let it go.

"His star (in Hollywood) is rising and it should rise, and he doesn't need to bring up a bunch of old stuff. It doesn't benefit him; it doesn't serve him well to carry that baggage any longer."

And Otis insists she has nothing but praise for the achievements he's made in his movie career.

She adds: "I'm thrilled with Mickey for his success... Everybody deserves success, everybody deserves happiness... We all deserve to heal and get well and that comes from a really genuine place in myself."...

Carre Otis has revealed how it is a "miracle" she is alive after Mickey Rourke's loaded gun once accidentally went off in her purse, leaving a bullet lodged just inches away from her heart.

The Wild Orchid star wed first husband Rourke in 1992 and in her new memoir, Beauty, Disrupted, she admits she nearly lost her life when the actor's gun, which he carried for safety, discharged and sent a bullet whizzing into her chest.

And Otis admits she kept the terrifying incident a secret for years so as to not attract bad publicity.

In an excerpt from the book in the New York Post, she explains, "We were almost at the restaurant when I looked down and saw a .357 Magnum on the floor near my feet... Mickey parked the car and leaned towards me, his voice soft but firm. 'Otis, remember, it's for our protection. I am sorry, though. I'll talk to the guys about putting these things away.'

"What I didn't know was that he thought it would be a good idea to stash the gun inside my bag."

The couple ate dinner and returned home, where she then put her purse down in the kitchen.

She continues, "I slung my bag off my shoulder and tossed it onto the counter. Boom! A tremendous noise reverberated through the kitchen... And just then I noticed that everyone was staring at me, their eyes widening. I stood there, suspended in time. My head reeled. I began to sway slowly from side to side... I looked down at my bluejeans, my white shirt, and my black leather jacket. What was this strange red puddle flowing out around me in an eerily perfect circle?

"I looked back up at the guys, confused and bewildered... I gasped, and then a wild scream erupted from me. The gun in my purse, the one without a safety, had discharged the second I'd slung my bag onto the counter.

"I wailed. It hurt so much to move. 'This is a nightmare. Clean this up!' Mickey was agitated. I could tell he had grave concerns that the would press would get wind of the incident. I panicked, wondering which was more important: my life or covering up the fact that I'd been shot with Mickey Rourke's gun?"

"I had been hit with a hollow-point bullet. It was a miracle I was alive - never mind alive with my arm still attached to my body! The bullet had entered just two inches from my heart. The police questioned me, but no charges were filed."...

Mickey Rourke has given up dating actresses because his divorce from Carre Otis left him emotionally scarred.

The Wrestler actor endured a tumultuous relationship with Wild Orchid star Otis, which hit an all-time low when Rourke was arrested in 1994 for spousal abuse, two years after the pair wed.

The charges were dropped after the former couple reconciled, but Rourke and Otis failed to save their marriage and their divorce was finalised in 1998.

And even though he's set to star alongside Hollywood beauties Megan Fox and Eva Green in two forthcoming films, Rourke won't ever be tempted into a romance another movie star.

He says, "I don't want to live with an actress again, no matter how they look. I'm working opposite Megan Fox and Eva Green next, and I'm certainly not complaining. But I'll tell you, once bitten..."...

Black Eyed Peas star Fergie has revealed that her pre-fame drug addiction left her paranoid and delusional. The singer, who has now been clean for over ten years, admitted that she first became hooked on illegal substances in order to escape her troubles in girl group Wild Orchid. "I thought it would be disloyal if I left, but I wasn't happy anymore with the music we were doing," Angry Ape quotes her as saying. "I really internalised it and found my outlet in the underground club scene and the raves. "I had a blast but those things can only last for so long. (more)...

Before you bury your talons in this week's Blood Spattered Blog, be sure to read the first installment of my interview with cinema legend Mark Damon…

For those of you who were left hanging on a cliff anticipating my Italian terror tinged follow-up, here it is.

The Many Lives of Mark Damon, Part Two:

In The Devils Wedding Night, you worked with an Italian actress who pretty much helped define femininity for me as a kid…I'm talking about Rosalba Neri, or as she's known in anglicized prints, Sarah Bay. Tell me about her…

Ah yes, Rosalba. When I did my first picture with her - I think it was Johnny Yuma - I'd flirt with her like mad and laugh so much and we really became great, great friends. She was a bit like Barbara (Steele) really, she had that same vivacious energy. I put her in The Devils...

Actor Mickey Rourke is still suffering from the pain of his divorce from ex-wife Carre Otis - 10 years after they split.

The Angel Heart star married Otis in 1992 after starring together in movie Wild Orchid.

The pair had a tumultuous relationship, which saw Rourke accused of domestic abuse and Otis admitting to being a heroin addict. They eventually divorced in 1998.

But Rourke confesses he has never fully recovered from the love split - despite their difficult partnership.

When asked if he still pines for Otis, he says, "Pine? No, there's got to be a worse word than that. Not being here would have been much, much easier. It was something really special, but it was just fire on fire."

Rourke is convinced he will never find another woman to match up to Otis' standards - but since the death of his brother Joe in 2004, he no longer holds out hopes of a reconciliation.

He adds, "I waited 10 years for her to come back, until Joe died. And when Joe died I stopped waiting for her. I won't compromise. Carre was thunder and lightning. If I can't have thunder and lighting then I won't have anything. It'll be a one-night stand here and there, but I'm not going to compromise. I can't."...

The prints of Darren Aronofsky’s new film, The Wrestler, have barely dried (or what is the digital equivalent?) and already it has won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival and is on its way, possibly, to the Peoples Choice Award at Toronto. After the emotional and visual epic of The Fountain, the director has scaled the scope of his new film down to about as intimate as one can get (this sentence amusing in and of itself considering the subject matter is Pro Wrestling). There are essentially three characters in the film, the stylistic tics are kept to a subtle minimum and the actors are simply allowed to perform. At the packed public afternoon screening in Toronto, Aronofsky was on hand to introduce the film and kept his opening remarks to a minimum, saying simply all one needs to make a good film is a lens and good performers.