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Carl Reiner's 1961 sitcom "The Dick Van Dyke Show" was immensely popular over its five seasons, and won 15 Emmys in its lifetime. Like several sitcoms of its ilk, "The Dick Van Dyke Show" was a metanarrative autobiography about a character named Rob Petrie (Van Dyke) who was a comedy writer for an in-universe variety show called "The Alan Brady Show." Petrie, from appearances, is an amalgam of Van Dyke and Reiner. Indeed, in the show's original pilot -- back when it was going to be called "Head of the Family" -- Reiner played Rob Petrie himself. The show was more or less a common domestic drama beyond that, with many stories springing from Rob's relationship with his wife Laura (Mary Tyler Moore), or their son Richard Robert Oscar Sam Edward Benjamin Ulysses David "Ritchie" Petrie (Larry Mathews). The show featured wacky buddies, obsequious bosses, and other broad character types that,...

Earlier this year, NBC pulled out all the stops for it special “Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love.” And on Dec. 21, CBS is throwing a birthday party for one of its biggest stars, Dick Van Dyke, who headlined the landmark 1961-66 sitcom “The Dick Van Dyke Show” as well as the lighthearted detective series “Diagnosis, Murder,” which ran from 1993-2000.

“Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic” is a two-hour valentine to the actor, who celebrated his birthday on Dec. 13, featuring special guests such as Jane Seymour, Rob Reiner, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen and testimonials from Carol Burnett, Mark Hamill and “Mary Poppins” herself, Julie Andrews. Song-and-dance also play an important part of the special. Van Dyke earned a Tony in 1961 for “Bye Bye Birdie” and reprised his role in the 1963 musical. He introduced the Oscar-winning tune “Chim Chim Cher-ee” from 1964’s “Mary Poppins” as well as the...

A cursory glance at B-movie maven Charles Band’s filmography reveals a long-standing fascination with little creatures, permeating a great number of Full Moon Features’ productions. The diminutive monsters lend themselves well to Full Moon’s latest merchandising venture, blind box collectibles dubbed Tiny Terrors.

The first series features 10 classic Full Moon characters with odds between 1/24 and 1/8: Blade, Tunneler, Leech Woman, Torch, and Six Shooter from the Puppet Master franchise, Jack Attack and Baby Oopsie from Demonic Toys, Radu from Subspecies, Eebee from Evil Bong, and The Gingerdead Man. Blade and Eebee also have translucent chase variants.

Wrapped in foil packaging within a 4.75″ box, each vinyl figure stands between about 3″ and 4.5″ inches tall. Tunneler is the shortest, since he’s bent over in attack position — a fine concept, though in practice it’s more difficult to display than the rest — while Torch is the biggest, thanks to his helmet spear.

by Baby Clyde

From Rydell to Ridgemont and The High School of Performing Arts nothing seemed more exciting to a British tween in the 80’s than going to school in America. They had jocks and cafeterias and grade point averages. We had cricket and Spam Fritters and mock exams. There were no proms in the UK. No leather jacketed bad boys or Homecoming Queens. Nobody drove their own cars to school (Their own Cars!!!). It was blazers, morning prayers and the occasional coach rip to Hever Castle if you were lucky. We had Grange Hill. They had The Breakfast Club.

It's hard to explain just how cool the American education system seemed to us as kids back then. We thought that all US teens lived in their own John Hughes movie the same way the rest of the world thinks that we Brits attended Hogwarts. For that you can mostly blame The Brain,...

Let’s take a minute and give thanks for the Mad Scientist. Like any other cinematic profession, there can be good and evil examples of both; some want to heal the world, others want to crush it. The Brain (1988) gives us a villain squarely in the latter camp, and he’s not even the head baddie (see: title). A modern day love letter to the genre, The Brain is weird enough for a passé crowd yet conventional enough to work as a straight up monster movie.

Given a limited release in its homeland in November, the achingly Canadian film was released stateside on video in December. Some critics appreciated the good-natured update to the schlocky sci-fi fests of yore; others did not, and to them I say they can’t all be Invasion of the Body Snatchers, bunky.

But by gum they can be fun; even though the seams threaten to burst at every turn,...

In 1962, Joseph Green's The Brain That Wouldn't Die thrilled B-movie fans with its depictions of depravity and scientific mayhem. It packed in ingredients that audiences loved: an obsessed doctor losing his way, beautiful women in peril, technological marvels hinting at the world of tomorrow and a terrible monster which we know is there but aren't allowed to see until the end. It may not have been very good by other measures but it lingered in the public imagination. Derek Carl's remake endeavours to bring it into the modern age whilst reproducing pats of it shot for shot.

The plot concerns surgeon Bill (Patrick D Green), whose brilliance is overshadowed by that of his father and who takes refuge in a Re-Animator-style obsession with defeating death. After his fiancée Jan (Rachael Perrell Fosket) is decapitated in a car accident, he succeeds in keeping her head alive and, with the assistance.

Stars: Rachael Perrell Fosket, Patrick D. Green, David Withers, Jason Reynolds, Robert Blanche, Mia Allen, Julia Bray, Gaelle Lola Beauvais, Alex Tiefenthaler | Written by Hank Huffman | Directed by Derek Carl

Remember back in 1998 when everyone threw their arms in the arms and complained incessantly about Gus Van Sant’s shot-for-shot remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho? Well if Gus van Sant had followed the formula of Derek Carl and Hank Huffman’s remake of The Brain That Wouldn’t Die then maybe there wouldn’t have been that many complaints!

If you haven’t seen the original, this version of The Brain That Wouldn’t Die tells the story of a mad scientist Dr. Bill Courtner (Patrick D. Green) who develops a means to keep human body parts alive. After a car accident he keeps his fiancée Jan Compton’s (Rachael Perrell Fosket) severed head alive for days in his laboratory.

The Animaniacs are back, and so are Pinky and the Brain! Hulu revealed our first look at the reboot of the classic 90s cartoon at the recent virtual New York Comic Con, with a hilarious Jurassic Park-themed promo, and now we’ve got this proper trailer that unveils some actual footage from the show, including a glimpse of those lab rats who are always trying to take over the world.

22 years after Animaniacs wrapped up its original run, the Warner Brothers Yakko and Wakko and their sister Dot are back for more of the series’ patented mix of cartoon mayhem and satirical humor that makes it still a great watch for adults. Of course, the reboot will also mine a lot of comedy from the characters interacting with the modern world – like Pinky getting catfished online by an actual catfish and Yakko swallowing the wrong kind of tablet. And hey,...

Hulu dropped a first look at its “Animaniacs” reboot during New York Comic Con Sunday, featuring an animated Steven Spielberg using “Jurassic Park”-style technology to bring back the Warner brothers, Yakko and Wakko, and the Warner sister, Dot.

The clip was released during a virtual panel with “Animaniacs” executive producers and the voice cast, which you can view via the video above. The tease, which is from Episode 1 of the streaming service’s upcoming reboot, starts at the 18:40 mark and goes until 20:13.

In the brief scene, you’ll see an animated version of the iconic filmmaker, who produced the original “Animaniacs” series, bring cartoon takes on “Jurassic Park” characters Alan, Ellie and Ian, plus Hulu and Warner Bros. executives, out to see the revived Yakko, Wakko and Dot in a bit that’s basically straight out of the 1993 film.

“Alan, this species of cartoon has been extinct since 1998. I mean,...

*a screener of this film was provided by Full Moon Features. Coming to Blu-ray on Dec 20 is Head of the Family, and Charles Band could not be happier. This producer also wrote and directed this product under a pseudonym. This work is one he can be proud of, as it has all the strangeness of maybe being inspired by Pinky and the Brain of Animaniacs fame of all things! Myron (effectively played by J.W. Perra) is the head of a family of mutants — Otis (Bob Schott) has super strength, Ernestina (Alexandria Quinn) is voluptuously beautiful and Wheeler (James Jones) has super enhanced senses. Well, they could be a twisted version of Marvel Comics' "Uncanny X-men" when you realise Myron is like Professor X. He shares a psychic bond with his children, and he abuses them — well more so at Otis than the others. Myron is just a big head with a tiny body.

Charles Band’s 1996 classic Head of the Family, about a guy with a huge head and a tiny body who acts as the patriarch to his clan, will finally be hitting Blu-ray on December 20. And you though your parents… Continue Reading →

The post Fill Your Christmas Stockings With Charles Band’s Head of the Family Blu-ray appeared first on Dread Central.

To celebrate the upcoming release of Marvel's Monsters Unleashed #1, launch parties will be hosted at local comic stores on January 18th. Look for exclusive items at these launch parties including a Monsters Unleashed sketchpad. Also: casting details for The Humanity Bureau, details on the Stanley Wiater horror auction, the Coffin Joe trilogy is coming to DVD, a look at the short film Trouser Snake, and Head of the Family Blu-ray release details.

Monsters Unleashed Launch Party, Sketchpad, and Variant: Press Release: "New York, NY—November 30th, 2016 — Run if you can! Hide if you must! Monsters have invaded the Marvel Universe! Nothing can prepare heroes across the globe for Monsters Unleashed! But you can be prepared! To coincide with the highly anticipated release of Monsters Unleashed #1, Marvel is bringing widescreen action and epic destruction to your local comic shops with Monsters Unleashed Launch Parties. Not only is your local comic shops...

Know what we love about Charles Band and his adorable loonies over at Full Moon Entertainment? They're our kind of sick! Well, that and they're always giving away free stuff to fans! We appreciate both counts more than you know!

So in honor of Easter weekend you cats will be able to watch "The Ganja Version" of Head of the Family over on their subscription-based video streaming service, FullMoonStreaming.com, for Free! That's right, Free! That's just enough to make a deity rise from the grave, no?

The flick starts streaming Saturday evening, 4/19, through Sunday, 4/20. That's right, kids; Saturday night at 11:59 pm, the 420 parties can kick off with a great start!

But wait! That's Not all! Over on their official site there’s the Golden Moon treasure hunt. The first 100 people to find the 5 hidden moons and the secret words will get a free limited edition numbered signature series print,...

Charles Band and Full Moon Entertainment have infected just about every possible medium that they could have with their unique brand of lunacy, but they're getting ready to head out into a new frontier with the magazine Delirium.

From the Press Release

A brand new, bi-monthly, Full Color, cult, horror, sci-fi and fantasy Print magazine that scours true tales from the legendary Full Moon archives… and beyond.

For over four delirious decades, filmmaker Charles Band has steadily pumped out a dizzying wealth of some of cinema’s weirdest and wildest horror, fantasy and exploitation genre movies with his iconic labels “Empire Pictures” and “Full Moon Features.” Along the way he has nurtured and enabled such talents as Stuart Gordon, Barbara Crampton, David Schmoeller, Demi Moore, Michael Pataki, Helen Hunt, Viggo Mortensen, Christopher Lee, Tim Thomerson, John Carl Buechler, Don Mancini, Timothy Van Patton, Jeffrey Combs, Michael Moriarty, Andrew Prine, Klaus Kinski,...

Full Moon Features recently announced that more of their cult horror titles would be released on Blu-ray. The first batch includes the first three Puppet Master movies available on Blu-ray individually or in a three-disc set. We have release details, plus a look at the HD-remastered trailers for all three films.

For over thirty years Charles Band has been creating modern day horror classics such as Puppetmaster, Trancers and Subspecies. According to Charles Band, Chairman and Founder of Full Moon Features, “After testing the Blu-ray market with the original Puppetmaster, and Subspecies, Full moon will move forward with additional Blu-ray releases of the best selling titles in the Full Moon catalog. The fan response has been overwhelming in support of Blu-ray, and they are demanding more. Featuring wide-screen 16:9 fully remastered picture and sound, these transfers have never looked more beautiful, and we’ll re-release the titles on DVD as well.

Full Moon Entertainment has unveiled its remastered Blu-Ray versions of Puppet Master, Puppet Master II and Puppet Master III, and we have the details, along with three remastered trailers giving a taste at what has been done to improve each film. There’s also a promise of more horror films coming from the company.

Here’s the press release from the company:

On September 18th, 2012, the premiere Full Moon Blu-ray releases will be the first three Puppet Master films, available individually and as a three-disc set. Subsequent releases will include sequels from the Subspecies and Trancers franchises, as well as classic films directed by Stuart Gordon such as Pit and the Pendulum starring Lance Henkrisen and Castle Freak starring Jeffrey Combs.

Other Full Moon classics seeing release on Blu-ray for the first time include Dollman and Dollman vs. The Demonic Toys starring Tim Thomerson, Vampire Journals, Doctor Mordrid, Demonic Toys,...

Full Moon Entertainment is on the verge of releasing the remastered Blu-ray versions of the original Puppet Master, Puppet Master II, and Puppet Master III; and to celebrate their arrival, they've unleashed brand new trailers for each!

From the Press Release:

On September 18th, 2012, the premiere Full Moon Blu-ray releases will be the first three Puppet Master films, available individually and as a three-disc set. Subsequent releases will include sequels from the Subspecies and Trancers franchises, as well as classic films directed by Stuart Gordon such as Pit and the Pendulum starring Lance Henkrisen and Castle Freak starring Jeffrey Combs.

Other Full Moon classics seeing release on Blu-ray for the first time include Dollman and Dollman vs. The Demonic Toys starring Tim Thomerson, Vampire Journals, Doctor Mordrid, Demonic Toys, Head of the Family and more to be announced later in 2012. They will be available for the low price of only...

After testing the waters with Blu-ray versions of Puppet Master and Subspecies, Full Moon has announced that they are working on bringing more of their horror catalog to Blu-ray. The first new release includes the first three Puppet Master films:

Press Release: For over thirty years Charles Band has been creating modern day horror classics such as Puppetmaster, Trancers and Subspecies. According to Charles Band, Chairman and Founder of Full Moon Features, “After testing the Blu-ray market with the original Puppetmaster, and Subspecies, Full moon will move forward with additional Blu-ray releases of the best selling titles in the Full Moon catalog. The fan response has been overwhelming in support of Blu-ray, and they are demanding more. Featuring wide-screen 16:9 fully remastered picture and sound, these transfers have never looked more beautiful, and we’ll re-release the titles on DVD as well.”

On September 18th, 2012, the premiere Full Moon Blu-ray...

There's nothing like a good old fashioned Full Moon feature to conjure up the chills and laughs of days gone by. The studio announced today that even more of its library is going high-def! I'm clearing a spot for Castle Freak right now!

From the Press Release

For over thirty years Charles Band has been creating modern day horror classics such as Puppetmaster, Trancers and Subspecies. According to Charles Band, Chairman and Founder of Full Moon Features, “After testing the Blu-ray market with the original Puppetmaster, and Subspecies, Full moon will move forward with additional Blu-ray releases of the best selling titles in the Full Moon catalog. The fan response has been overwhelming in support of Blu-ray, and they are demanding more. Featuring wide-screen 16:9 fully remastered picture and sound, these transfers have never looked more beautiful, and we’ll re-release the titles on DVD as well.”

On September 18th,...

George Clooney and Bonnie Hunt heaped praise on acting legend Carl Reiner on Thursday as he was feted in Hollywood with a lifetime achievement award.

The 89 year old was the guest of honour at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' An Evening Honoring Carl Reiner event, and a host of big names turned out to celebrate the star.

Dick Van Dyke, Hunt and Lily Tomlin were among the guests who were treated to a film montage looking back at Reiner's career, and they spoke fondly of their pal, who created sitcom Head of the Family, which became The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Van Dyke says, "He used to tell the writers, 'I don't care how crazy it gets as long as it starts with credibility and it could happen.' He kept it real."

Hunt adds, "You know, he just has incredible talent and incredible kindness and it's always been the combination of those two things at the forefront of everything he does."

Reiner's Ocean's Eleven co-star Clooney presented the veteran star with his award.

Following the death of his mother, the young ‘J’ Cody goes to live with his estranged gangster relatives. With conflict escalating between his family of criminals and the police’s armed robbery division, J finds himself at the centre of a cold-blooded vengeance plot. As he naively navigates his way through the criminal underworld, he is forced to question where his loyalties lie as he tries to decipher who he can trust and who can protect him as he struggles for his own survival.

To mark the release of Animal Kingdom, in cinemas Friday 25th February, we thought we’d browse through the crime genre to create our ultimate crime syndicate!

Head of the Family – Don Corleone (The Godfather)

There is none more measured than Don Vito Corleone. Calm, measured and keen to broker a deal that is often refused. A part of the old school elite that have realised...

Horror fanatics are still buzzing like chainsaws over the Academy Awards’ genre montage. Anywhere there could be a conversation about it online, there was one. Many were upset over the Twilight ‘tweens’ participation, as if their mere presence sent a message about the state of scary in Hollyweird, USA.

A few seemed happy, though, to just get a glimpse of their beloved Evil Dead and Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 if only for a few seconds. But many called the selections generic and thoughtless, demanding the likes of Demons and TerrorVision instead (well, maybe not TerrorVision; that was just me).

How about Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer? Re-Animator? It’s Alive? Tombs of the Blind Dead? Coffin Joe? No list is perfect, but with a bit more care and a phone call to any one of us, the Oscars could have elevated that section into a real scream. Or maybe they...

It’s that time of year again, kids. Dread Central’s 2010 Horror at the Oscars coverage. Horror was indeed present this year and in black-tie. While Roger Corman and Lauren Bacall were honored a few months back at the Governor’s Award Ceremony, it was an unexpected delight to see Corman, recipient of the lifetime achievement Oscar, enjoy a standing ovation on national television.

I was, however, very disappointed that neither of them were allowed to speak. Roger Corman’s contributions to modern cinema are too vast for him to just stand up and wave. James Cameron was one of many Corman acolytes present, and his nomination speaks to Corman’s tremendous legacy. On the Terminator DVD Cameron mentions, "I trained at the Roger Corman Film School.” Jonathan Demme, Martin Scorsese, and Francis Ford Coppola, among many others, were also former students.

The terror continued with a spoof of Paranormal Activity...

One of the real joys of Back Catalogue is getting to sift through movies I actually want to watch instead of whatever happens across my desk. This look at the older titles available through Vci Entertainment offered a little bit of everything. Mario Bava, made for TV fare, cult classics, exploitation and even documentary. Needless to say this was quite a viewing party.

Kiss Of The Tarantula was a definite first into the DVD player for me as I loves me some campy spider action. The film follows the mold of other movies like Willard, and Stanley, leaving out the supernatural element. Poor misunderstood, constantly picked on Susan isn't able to control spiders, she just raises them in the family mortuary. And when the locals (and her lecherous uncle) get a little too aggressive poor Susan pops a few of her eight legged friends in for visit.

Death by spider...

Full Moon is famous for promising a lot of things and not delivering. So I was skeptical when it was announced that they had six new movies planned for this year: Puppet Master: Axis of Evil, Demonic Toys 2, Gingerdead Man 3: Roller Boogieman, Bride of Head of the Family, Killjoy III and Evil Bong II: King Bong. I didn't really expect to see all six released in 2009, but I did hope that they would have more than one finished (Evil Bong 2) and one in post production (Puppet Master). Lets just say they have a bit of catching up to do, and now Tim Thomerson tells Fango that they are kicking around the idea to make Trancers 7!?!

Old-school Full Moon fans rejoice! Several malicious dolls and weird characters you grew up with are returning quite soon…and in a castle you may well remember.

It’s no secret that Charles Band, head honcho of all things Full Moon, is resurrecting his favorite franchise icons. We’ve previously reported on Band’s continuing efforts regarding Bride Of The Head Of The Family and the Gingerdead Man series. And now, with the help of regular scripter Silvia St. Croix and FX man Gage Munster, Band is bringing more Demonic Toys, Killer EYEs and a new crop of terrible toys called Skull Heads your way.

“I’m really excited, because Charles is going back to the old style that he used to do in his films, like shooting in Italy,” St. Croix, who has taken on writing and directing responsibilities on Demonic Toys 2: Personal Demons, tells Fango. “I’m...