One of the all-time foundational fixtures in horror is the vampire. That means over a century’s worth of bloodsuckers in film, in various styles and mythology, from across the globe.
As prominent as this movie monster is, with dozens of adaptations of Bram Stoker’s Dracula alone, there’s an overwhelming selection of vampire fare that makes it easy for many worthwhile gems to fall through the cracks. This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to underseen vampire horror movies worth seeking out.
As always, here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Mr. Vampire – The Criterion Channel – Plex, the Roku Channel
This supernatural genre-bender from director Ricky Lau stands far apart from standard vampire fare thanks to its comedy, martial arts, and jiangshi. Taoist priest Master Kau (Lam Ching-ying) guards the realm of the living by maintaining control...
As prominent as this movie monster is, with dozens of adaptations of Bram Stoker’s Dracula alone, there’s an overwhelming selection of vampire fare that makes it easy for many worthwhile gems to fall through the cracks. This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to underseen vampire horror movies worth seeking out.
As always, here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Mr. Vampire – The Criterion Channel – Plex, the Roku Channel
This supernatural genre-bender from director Ricky Lau stands far apart from standard vampire fare thanks to its comedy, martial arts, and jiangshi. Taoist priest Master Kau (Lam Ching-ying) guards the realm of the living by maintaining control...
- 4/23/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
It’s a busy week for horror with The Pope’s Exorcist and Renfield arriving on the big screen. The latter reimagines classic Universal Monsters characters with a comedic twist, though it’s hardly the first to depict bloodsuckers in a humorous way. This week’s streaming picks celebrate vampire horror-comedies, giving you plenty of options to sink your teeth into.
Here’s where to watch these titles this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Blood Relatives – AMC+, Shudder
Writer/Director Noah Segan’s feature debut brings a charming soft touch to the vampire tale, favoring dad jokes and affecting bonds over savage bloodletting. Blood Relatives sees a nomad’s life upended by the arrival of a daughter he never knew he had, causing a seismic shift in his isolated bachelor lifestyle. The twist here is that the central character is a bloodsucking vampire whose inner...
Here’s where to watch these titles this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Blood Relatives – AMC+, Shudder
Writer/Director Noah Segan’s feature debut brings a charming soft touch to the vampire tale, favoring dad jokes and affecting bonds over savage bloodletting. Blood Relatives sees a nomad’s life upended by the arrival of a daughter he never knew he had, causing a seismic shift in his isolated bachelor lifestyle. The twist here is that the central character is a bloodsucking vampire whose inner...
- 4/10/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Stirring parents up into a paranoid mob is an American tradition, and it's one of our lousiest. The poorly-researched anti-comic book tome "Seduction of the Innocent" led to a public comic book burning in the 1950s and decades of oppressive self-censorship within the publishing world. Violent video games like "Mortal Kombat" were accused of corrupting our children in the 1990s, leading to congressional hearings and a video game rating system.
That these waves of mob mentality are almost universally viewed, years later, as embarrassing ignorance and/or obvious manipulations doesn't seem to stop the cycle from starting up, over and over again. Apparently, nobody ever learns anything. Even when we finally admit that there was nothing terribly sinister about the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons — which was also accused of corrupting kids for many years — and transform it into a family-friendly fantasy movie (for the second time), we find ourselves...
That these waves of mob mentality are almost universally viewed, years later, as embarrassing ignorance and/or obvious manipulations doesn't seem to stop the cycle from starting up, over and over again. Apparently, nobody ever learns anything. Even when we finally admit that there was nothing terribly sinister about the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons — which was also accused of corrupting kids for many years — and transform it into a family-friendly fantasy movie (for the second time), we find ourselves...
- 3/31/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
Whatever people were expecting from David Gordon Green's "Halloween Ends," the third and final film in his revival trilogy of John Carpenter's 1978 horror classic, it almost certainly wasn't the strangely subdued film he's delivered. The previous installment, "Halloween Kills," seemed to be setting up one last grudge match between Jamie Lee Curtis' Laurie Strodeand her seemingly unkillable nemesis Michael Myers. After all, the stakes had been raised to a series-high personal level with Michael's murder of Laurie's daughter, Karen (Judy Greer). To me, this would've been a disappointingly pat resolution to Green's new take, which had wiped out every sequel to Carpenter's original and started from scratch. Fortunately, Green felt the same way.
"Halloween Ends" kicks off with a teenage babysitter, Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell), accidentally killing his bratty charge, and proceeds, for a shockingly lengthy stretch of the film, to work shockingly well as a young outlaw romance.
"Halloween Ends" kicks off with a teenage babysitter, Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell), accidentally killing his bratty charge, and proceeds, for a shockingly lengthy stretch of the film, to work shockingly well as a young outlaw romance.
- 10/17/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
In 1984, a film about blue-collar entrepreneurs fighting a war against government bureaucracy — and an omnipotent eldritch god — solidified Ivan Reitman’s cinematic legacy.
If there’s one film that Reitman, who died Saturday at the age of 75, will probably be remembered for, it’s “Ghostbusters” — the blockbuster adventures of four misfits that blurred the lines between broad comedy, monstrous horror and working-class heroism.
But while “Ghostbusters” may have been Reitman’s biggest financial success, it’s that particular blurring of the lines that was the filmmaker’s lifelong calling card. Reitman repeatedly told stories that precariously but impeccably elevated the humor and heart in practically every genre.
The son of Hungarian Jewish immigrants (his mother an Auschwitz survivor and his father a World War II freedom fighter), Reitman grew up in Canada and studied music in college, gradually working his way into producing low-budget independent films. Reitman directed the comedies...
If there’s one film that Reitman, who died Saturday at the age of 75, will probably be remembered for, it’s “Ghostbusters” — the blockbuster adventures of four misfits that blurred the lines between broad comedy, monstrous horror and working-class heroism.
But while “Ghostbusters” may have been Reitman’s biggest financial success, it’s that particular blurring of the lines that was the filmmaker’s lifelong calling card. Reitman repeatedly told stories that precariously but impeccably elevated the humor and heart in practically every genre.
The son of Hungarian Jewish immigrants (his mother an Auschwitz survivor and his father a World War II freedom fighter), Reitman grew up in Canada and studied music in college, gradually working his way into producing low-budget independent films. Reitman directed the comedies...
- 2/14/2022
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
Adventures in Babysitting….With Vampires After spending the past few weeks discussing Chuck Russell’s 1988 remake of The Blob, the much-maligned 10th installment in the Friday the 13th franchise (Jason X) and the punk-but-not-really slasher film The Ranger, we’re heading to New York to discuss Richard Wenk’s 1986 comedy horror film Vamp. In the film, two pledges (Chris Makepeace and […]...
- 3/30/2020
- by Trace Thurman
- bloody-disgusting.com
A lot of actors start out in commercials or modeling or something innocuous where few if any people really get to know them but eventually a good number of people tend to finally start gaining the type of notoriety they want as they find their way onto the big or small screen. Chris Makepeace had the distinction of being in a couple of movies that helped to make him one of the most well-known talents in show business since people still talk about the less than PC movie Meatballs. This wasn’t even considered to be his best movie, but the
Whatever Happened to Chris Makepeace?...
Whatever Happened to Chris Makepeace?...
- 2/17/2020
- by Tom
- TVovermind.com
Barbara Ann Gutman, a longtime Hollywood production accountant whose résumé includes Dick Tracy, The Birdcage, Primary Colors and seven seasons of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, has died. She was 61.
Gutman died Oct. 8 in Santa Monica from complications after suffering a major health trauma and was surrounded by family and friends, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Born on April 27, 1958, Gutman's career spanned three decades in film and TV production, starting as an assistant accountant in 1986 on Vamp, a horror pic that starred Chris Makepeace and Sandy Baron. Other movie credits include ...
Gutman died Oct. 8 in Santa Monica from complications after suffering a major health trauma and was surrounded by family and friends, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Born on April 27, 1958, Gutman's career spanned three decades in film and TV production, starting as an assistant accountant in 1986 on Vamp, a horror pic that starred Chris Makepeace and Sandy Baron. Other movie credits include ...
- 10/18/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Barbara Ann Gutman, a longtime Hollywood production accountant whose résumé includes Dick Tracy, The Birdcage, Primary Colors and seven seasons of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, has died. She was 61.
Gutman died Oct. 8 in Santa Monica from complications after suffering a major health trauma and was surrounded by family and friends, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Born on April 27, 1958, Gutman's career spanned three decades in film and TV production, starting as an assistant accountant in 1986 on Vamp, a horror pic that starred Chris Makepeace and Sandy Baron. Other movie credits include ...
Gutman died Oct. 8 in Santa Monica from complications after suffering a major health trauma and was surrounded by family and friends, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Born on April 27, 1958, Gutman's career spanned three decades in film and TV production, starting as an assistant accountant in 1986 on Vamp, a horror pic that starred Chris Makepeace and Sandy Baron. Other movie credits include ...
- 10/18/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Ryan Lambie Jul 9, 2019
Mazes and Monsters provided the first feature role for a young Tom Hanks in 1982... and warned against the perils of Dungeons & Dragons...
This article comes from Den of Geek UK.
Where there's great popularity, there's sometimes an equal and opposite backlash. Pokémon has occasionally been accused of promoting everything from Satanism to animal cruelty. The book Why Knock Rock, published in 1984, warned of the morally corrosive dangers hidden in the music of Judas Priest, Kiss, and Led Zeppelin. Before all this though, there was the moral panic surrounding Dungeons & Dragons. From humble beginnings, the role-playing game quickly became a phenomenon in the 1970s, taking the company behind it--Tactical Studies Rules, founded by Gary Gygax--from a tiny cottage industry to a 600-strong firm by the end of the decade.
Dungeons & Dragons' brilliance lies in its freeform design; with only a few raw materials--dice, counters,...
Mazes and Monsters provided the first feature role for a young Tom Hanks in 1982... and warned against the perils of Dungeons & Dragons...
This article comes from Den of Geek UK.
Where there's great popularity, there's sometimes an equal and opposite backlash. Pokémon has occasionally been accused of promoting everything from Satanism to animal cruelty. The book Why Knock Rock, published in 1984, warned of the morally corrosive dangers hidden in the music of Judas Priest, Kiss, and Led Zeppelin. Before all this though, there was the moral panic surrounding Dungeons & Dragons. From humble beginnings, the role-playing game quickly became a phenomenon in the 1970s, taking the company behind it--Tactical Studies Rules, founded by Gary Gygax--from a tiny cottage industry to a 600-strong firm by the end of the decade.
Dungeons & Dragons' brilliance lies in its freeform design; with only a few raw materials--dice, counters,...
- 3/29/2017
- Den of Geek
Watch This offers movie recommendations inspired by new releases or premieres. Since it’s Chicago Week here at The A.V. Club, we’re looking back on some essential Chicago movies, set (and often filmed) in the Windy City.
My Bodyguard (1980)
My Bodyguard has slipped under the radar since its 1980 debut, but it’s the kind of film that appears timeless, decades later. Frankly, in today’s fervent “anti-bullying” educational landscape, it should be dusted off and submitted as required viewing for middle-schoolers. Tony Bill’s directorial debut features floppy-haired Chris Makepeace as new kid Clifford, who quickly gets tormented by a gang of thugs at his Chicago high school. The thugs are led by Moody, played by an astonishing Matt Dillon, simultaneously menacing and charming at all of 16 years old. Clifford gets the idea to hire the school’s biggest kid, Ricky Linderman (Adam Baldwin), to ...
My Bodyguard (1980)
My Bodyguard has slipped under the radar since its 1980 debut, but it’s the kind of film that appears timeless, decades later. Frankly, in today’s fervent “anti-bullying” educational landscape, it should be dusted off and submitted as required viewing for middle-schoolers. Tony Bill’s directorial debut features floppy-haired Chris Makepeace as new kid Clifford, who quickly gets tormented by a gang of thugs at his Chicago high school. The thugs are led by Moody, played by an astonishing Matt Dillon, simultaneously menacing and charming at all of 16 years old. Clifford gets the idea to hire the school’s biggest kid, Ricky Linderman (Adam Baldwin), to ...
- 3/28/2017
- by Gwen Ihnat
- avclub.com
Ryan Lambie Mar 29, 2017
Mazes And Monsters provided the first feature role for a young Tom Hanks in 1982 - and warned against the perils of Dungeons & Dragons...
Where there's great popularity, there's sometimes an equal and opposite backlash. Pokemon has occasionally been accused of promoting everything from Satanism to animal cruelty. The book Why Knock Rock, published in 1984, warned of the morally corrosive dangers hidden in the music of Judas Priest, Kiss and Led Zeppelin.
Before all this, there was the moral panic surrounding Dungeons & Dragons. From humble beginnings, the role-playing game quickly became a phenomenon in the 1970s, taking the company behind it - Tactical Studies Rules, founded by Gary Gygax - from a tiny cottage industry to a 600-strong firm by the end of the decade.
Dungeons & Dragons' brilliance lies in its freeform design; with only a few raw materials - dice, counters, a rulebook - the game conjures...
Mazes And Monsters provided the first feature role for a young Tom Hanks in 1982 - and warned against the perils of Dungeons & Dragons...
Where there's great popularity, there's sometimes an equal and opposite backlash. Pokemon has occasionally been accused of promoting everything from Satanism to animal cruelty. The book Why Knock Rock, published in 1984, warned of the morally corrosive dangers hidden in the music of Judas Priest, Kiss and Led Zeppelin.
Before all this, there was the moral panic surrounding Dungeons & Dragons. From humble beginnings, the role-playing game quickly became a phenomenon in the 1970s, taking the company behind it - Tactical Studies Rules, founded by Gary Gygax - from a tiny cottage industry to a 600-strong firm by the end of the decade.
Dungeons & Dragons' brilliance lies in its freeform design; with only a few raw materials - dice, counters, a rulebook - the game conjures...
- 3/28/2017
- Den of Geek
Welcome back for Day 9 of Daily Dead’s fourth annual Holiday Gift Guide, readers! Once again, our goal is to help you navigate through the horrors of the 2016 shopping season with our tips on unique gift ideas, and we’ll hopefully help you save a few bucks over the next few weeks, too. For today’s gift guide, we’re showcasing several of the amazing Arrow Video releases of 2016, and we're also featuring the work of IBTrav Illustration & Design, the Mondo soundtrack release for Deathgasm, more enamel pins, a book celebrating Marvel’s Doctor Strange, Horror LEGOs, recent Monster High releases, and so much more!
This year’s Holiday Gift Guide is sponsored by several amazing companies, including Mondo, Anchor Bay Entertainment, DC Entertainment, and Magnolia Home Entertainment, who have all donated an assortment of goodies to help get you into the spirit of the season. Daily Dead also recently...
This year’s Holiday Gift Guide is sponsored by several amazing companies, including Mondo, Anchor Bay Entertainment, DC Entertainment, and Magnolia Home Entertainment, who have all donated an assortment of goodies to help get you into the spirit of the season. Daily Dead also recently...
- 12/7/2016
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Reviewed by Kevin Scott, MoreHorror.com
Vamp (1986)
Written by: Richard Wenk, Donald P. Borchers
Directed by: Richard Wenk
Cast: Chris Makepeace (Keith), Robert Rusler (A.J.), Dedee Pfeiffer (Allison), Sandy Baron (Vic), Gedde Watanabe (Duncan), Billy Drago (Snow), Grace Jones (Katrina).
Sometimes some pretty influential stuff by some pretty talented filmmakers has to season into its own. After being around long enough to see something make its debut, fall into obscurity for a couple of decades, be lovingly put on life support by loyal fans, and then rise like a phoenix to the accolades it deserved all along, I’ve got some perspective. That perspective is more than affirmed with “Vamp”. This 1986 horror comedy was well ahead of its time, and was influential in more ways than one.
Vamp had the pedigree of being a New World Picture. That may or may not seem obscure, but Cannon and New World...
Vamp (1986)
Written by: Richard Wenk, Donald P. Borchers
Directed by: Richard Wenk
Cast: Chris Makepeace (Keith), Robert Rusler (A.J.), Dedee Pfeiffer (Allison), Sandy Baron (Vic), Gedde Watanabe (Duncan), Billy Drago (Snow), Grace Jones (Katrina).
Sometimes some pretty influential stuff by some pretty talented filmmakers has to season into its own. After being around long enough to see something make its debut, fall into obscurity for a couple of decades, be lovingly put on life support by loyal fans, and then rise like a phoenix to the accolades it deserved all along, I’ve got some perspective. That perspective is more than affirmed with “Vamp”. This 1986 horror comedy was well ahead of its time, and was influential in more ways than one.
Vamp had the pedigree of being a New World Picture. That may or may not seem obscure, but Cannon and New World...
- 10/25/2016
- by admin
- MoreHorror
If you read our "Class of 1986" issue of Deadly Magazine from earlier this year, then you know Richard Wenk’s Vamp is a film that is near and dear to my horror-loving heart. The 1980s were an exceptional time for vampire-themed cinema, with films like Fright Night, The Lost Boys, Near Dark, and The Hunger immediately capturing the imaginations of filmgoers during that era. But the one film that has been grossly overlooked over the last 30 years has been Vamp, and it’s great to see Wenk’s incredibly clever and funny take on a very popular sub-genre celebrated in grand fashion with the recent Special Edition Blu-Ray release from Arrow Video.
For the uninitiated, Vamp follows college students Keith (Chris Makepeace) and Aj (Robert Rusler), who are desperate to move into their fraternity house to escape dorm life, but before they can start packing their bags, they’re tasked...
For the uninitiated, Vamp follows college students Keith (Chris Makepeace) and Aj (Robert Rusler), who are desperate to move into their fraternity house to escape dorm life, but before they can start packing their bags, they’re tasked...
- 10/20/2016
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Richard Wenk's 1986 horror comedy is even better than we remember -- funny, reasonably scary, and stylish. Grace Jones' vampire queen is intimidatingly strange, and great makeup effects and polished direction insure that the jokes and chills get equal attention. Vamp Blu-ray Arrow Video 1986 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 93 min. / Street Date October 4, 2016 / Available from 29.95 Starring Chris Makepeace, Sandy Baron, Robert Rusler, Dedee Pfeiffer, Gedde Watanabe, Grace Jones, Billy Drago, Brad Logan, Lisa Lyon. Cinematography Elliot Davis, Douglas F. O'Neons Makeup Effects Greg Cannom Editor Marc Grossman Original Music Jonathan Elias Written by Richard Wenk story by Wenk, Donald P. Borchers Produced by Donald P. Borchers Directed by Richard Wenk
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
There's a lot of love for '80s pictures out there, mainly because the kids who went to see them back in the day are now in their forties and are beginning to feel pangs of nostalgia,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
There's a lot of love for '80s pictures out there, mainly because the kids who went to see them back in the day are now in their forties and are beginning to feel pangs of nostalgia,...
- 10/4/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Happy October, everyone! As expected, our favorite month is kicking off with a ton of horror and sci-fi home releases – 25 to be precise – and there’s a great selection of new and old titles coming our way on October 4th. As far as recent movies, The Purge: Election Year, The Mind’s Eye, Swiss Army Man and Fender Bender all arrive on both Blu and DVD this week, as well as the stunning South Korean horror film The Wailing. Several great cult classics are getting the HD treatment on Tuesday, including Terence Fisher’s The Earth Dies Screaming and Richard Wenk’s Vamp (both hugely underrated films, in my opinion).
Other notable Blu-ray and DVD releases for October 4th include X-Men: Apocalypse, House of Manson, Daughter of Dracula, Sharknado: The 4th Awakens, They’re Watching and Chosen Survivors.
The Earth Dies Screaming (1964) (Kino Lorber, Blu-ray)
Their target: Humanity.
Other notable Blu-ray and DVD releases for October 4th include X-Men: Apocalypse, House of Manson, Daughter of Dracula, Sharknado: The 4th Awakens, They’re Watching and Chosen Survivors.
The Earth Dies Screaming (1964) (Kino Lorber, Blu-ray)
Their target: Humanity.
- 10/4/2016
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Bloodsuckers, the water-soaked paranormal, and a Herschell Gordon Lewis film collection are coming out on Blu-ray this October from Arrow Video, and the official special features lists and cover art for The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast collection, Dark Water (2002), and 1986's Vamp tease plenty to enjoy on all three releases:
"Mvd Entertainment Group furthers the distribution of Arrow Video in the Us with several new titles in October...
Dark Water [Blu-ray + DVD] (October 11th)
After terrifying audiences worldwide with the blockbuster J-horror classic Ring and its sequel, director Hideo Nakata returned to the genre for Dark Water, another highly atmospheric, and critically acclaimed, tale of the supernatural which took the common theme of the "dead wet girl" to new heights of suspense and drama.
Based upon on a short story by Ring author Koji Suzuki, Dark Water follows Yoshimi, a single mother struggling to win sole custody of her only child, Ikuko.
"Mvd Entertainment Group furthers the distribution of Arrow Video in the Us with several new titles in October...
Dark Water [Blu-ray + DVD] (October 11th)
After terrifying audiences worldwide with the blockbuster J-horror classic Ring and its sequel, director Hideo Nakata returned to the genre for Dark Water, another highly atmospheric, and critically acclaimed, tale of the supernatural which took the common theme of the "dead wet girl" to new heights of suspense and drama.
Based upon on a short story by Ring author Koji Suzuki, Dark Water follows Yoshimi, a single mother struggling to win sole custody of her only child, Ikuko.
- 9/16/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
This fall, Arrow Video will take viewers back to the After Dark nightclub with their Blu-ray release of 1986’s Vamp on October 4th in the Us (in addition to a UK Blu-ray and DVD release on October 3rd):
Vamp Us Blu-ray details from Amazon: “Two fraternity pledges head to a seedy part of town to find some entertainment for their college friends but are faced with bloodthirsty vampires!
Keith (Chris Makepeace, Meatballs) and Aj (Robert Rusler, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy s Revenge) want to make the right impression at college and so they devise a plan to get them into the best frathouse on campus. They head to the After Dark Club where they want to find a stripper for a party their friends won t forget, instead they find themselves among vampires led by Kinky Katrina (Grace Jones, A View to a Kill)!
Almost certainly...
Vamp Us Blu-ray details from Amazon: “Two fraternity pledges head to a seedy part of town to find some entertainment for their college friends but are faced with bloodthirsty vampires!
Keith (Chris Makepeace, Meatballs) and Aj (Robert Rusler, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy s Revenge) want to make the right impression at college and so they devise a plan to get them into the best frathouse on campus. They head to the After Dark Club where they want to find a stripper for a party their friends won t forget, instead they find themselves among vampires led by Kinky Katrina (Grace Jones, A View to a Kill)!
Almost certainly...
- 8/3/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
What's in Netflix's '80s grab bag? Swoony Merchant-Ivory films; a trio of John Hughes romantic comedies; early films with Sean Penn and Matt Dillon; Oscar-winning turns by Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster and Daniel Day-Lewis; and a few classics you already know by heart.
Mixed in are probably a few critically acclaimed films you've never seen but always meant to, whether it's B-movie fun like "Big Trouble in Little China" or ultra-arty Nc-17 fare like "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover."
(Availability subject to change. DeLorean and pink prom dress not included.)
1. "A Room with a View" (1986) Nr
Helena Bonham Carter is torn between freethinker Julian Sands and stuffy fiancé Daniel Day-Lewis in this sumptuous (and very funny) Merchant-Ivory period romance.
2. "The Accused" (1988) R
It's tough viewing, but Jodie Foster is mesmerizing as a rape victim who faces down her assailants in court.
3. "Bad Boys" (1983) R
Sean Penn...
Mixed in are probably a few critically acclaimed films you've never seen but always meant to, whether it's B-movie fun like "Big Trouble in Little China" or ultra-arty Nc-17 fare like "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover."
(Availability subject to change. DeLorean and pink prom dress not included.)
1. "A Room with a View" (1986) Nr
Helena Bonham Carter is torn between freethinker Julian Sands and stuffy fiancé Daniel Day-Lewis in this sumptuous (and very funny) Merchant-Ivory period romance.
2. "The Accused" (1988) R
It's tough viewing, but Jodie Foster is mesmerizing as a rape victim who faces down her assailants in court.
3. "Bad Boys" (1983) R
Sean Penn...
- 12/22/2014
- by Sharon Knolle
- Moviefone
As my older kids get ready to head off to sleep-away camp, I've been indulging their interest in summer camp movies. Unfortunately for them, many camp flicks are decidedly grown up (or horror, like "Friday the 13th"), but we've managed to scour Netflix, Amazon, and iTunes for a selection of movies that older kids and teens will enjoy, and will prepare them for a much tamer (we hope), but no less memorable time at camp. Some of the best camp movies such as, "Space Camp," "The Parent Trap," "Camp Nowhere," and "Heavyweights," weren't available to stream but are definitely worth checking out.
Rated G Pick: "Camp Rock" (2011, 99 minutes)
Netflix
Amazon Instant
iTunes
Kids Will Love: The Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato might be past their heyday, but that doesn't mean kids won't respond to the "School of Rock" meets "High School Musical" with a dash of "Cinderella" in this summer...
Rated G Pick: "Camp Rock" (2011, 99 minutes)
Netflix
Amazon Instant
iTunes
Kids Will Love: The Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato might be past their heyday, but that doesn't mean kids won't respond to the "School of Rock" meets "High School Musical" with a dash of "Cinderella" in this summer...
- 7/10/2013
- by Sandie Angulo Chen
- Moviefone
Anyone who knows me knows that I have some seriously mad love for the 1986 horror comedy cult classic Vamp, directed by Richard Wenk and starring Chris Makepeace, Robert Rusler, Gedde Watanabe, Sandy Baron, Grace Jones and the delightful Dedee Pfeiffer.
While I'm still unsure of just how I talked my mom into renting Vamp for me in the first place, I can distinctly remember every single moment of the very first time I took this often overlooked gem home from the video store. While there had been several vampire movies in that era of genre filmmaking that I really loved as a kid, I always felt like Vamp was something totally different and weird- and I liked that.
For those of you who've never seen Vamp (last time I checked, it was on Netflix Instant), the movie follows two college kids named Keith (Makepeace) and Aj (Rusler), who have to...
While I'm still unsure of just how I talked my mom into renting Vamp for me in the first place, I can distinctly remember every single moment of the very first time I took this often overlooked gem home from the video store. While there had been several vampire movies in that era of genre filmmaking that I really loved as a kid, I always felt like Vamp was something totally different and weird- and I liked that.
For those of you who've never seen Vamp (last time I checked, it was on Netflix Instant), the movie follows two college kids named Keith (Makepeace) and Aj (Rusler), who have to...
- 4/30/2013
- by thehorrorchick
- DreadCentral.com
Chicago – Now that Wes Anderson’s marvelous “Moonrise Kingdom” has finally received a much-belated wide release, it’s an ideal time for audiences to revisit Bill Murray’s first cinematic excursion to summer camp. Ivan Reitman’s 1979 hit, “Meatballs,” is famous primary for giving the SNL vet his first starring role, which is appropriate considering Murray is the only reason worth watching it.
As far as “snobs vs. slobs” farces of the ’70s go, “Meatballs” is a passable but wholly unremarkable escapist lark. It assembles a series of misfit stereotypes—the clueless nerd, the fat kid, the guy who can’t help blowing stuff up—and has them go through the motions. There isn’t a single gag involving the hapless counselors-in-training at Camp North Star that is the least bit funny or surprising. Half of the film’s 99-minute running time is so tiresome that it will undoubtedly lead...
As far as “snobs vs. slobs” farces of the ’70s go, “Meatballs” is a passable but wholly unremarkable escapist lark. It assembles a series of misfit stereotypes—the clueless nerd, the fat kid, the guy who can’t help blowing stuff up—and has them go through the motions. There isn’t a single gag involving the hapless counselors-in-training at Camp North Star that is the least bit funny or surprising. Half of the film’s 99-minute running time is so tiresome that it will undoubtedly lead...
- 7/3/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
A Planet Fury-approved selection of notable genre releases for June.
Harold and Maude (1972) Criterion Blu-ray and DVD Available Now
Forty years later, this 1972 Hal Ashby cult favorite remains a lovably eccentric meditation on life. The romance between a death-obsessed youth (an adorable Bud Cort) and a vivacious geriatric (the mythic Ruth Gordon) is still as beguiling and heartfelt as it was upon its original release. Written by Colin Higgins (9 to 5, Foul Play) and featuring an iconic soundtrack with several Cat Stevens hits, this is a must-have release for cult film buffs.
The much-anticipated Criterion release features:
A new high-definition digital restoration with uncompressed monaural soundtrack, optional remastered stereo soundtrack, audio commentary by Hal Ashby, Nick Dawson and Charles B. Mulvehill, illustrated audio excerpts of seminars by Ashby and Colin Higgins, new interview with songwriter Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens), plus a booklet featuring an essay by critic Michael Wood and more!
Harold and Maude (1972) Criterion Blu-ray and DVD Available Now
Forty years later, this 1972 Hal Ashby cult favorite remains a lovably eccentric meditation on life. The romance between a death-obsessed youth (an adorable Bud Cort) and a vivacious geriatric (the mythic Ruth Gordon) is still as beguiling and heartfelt as it was upon its original release. Written by Colin Higgins (9 to 5, Foul Play) and featuring an iconic soundtrack with several Cat Stevens hits, this is a must-have release for cult film buffs.
The much-anticipated Criterion release features:
A new high-definition digital restoration with uncompressed monaural soundtrack, optional remastered stereo soundtrack, audio commentary by Hal Ashby, Nick Dawson and Charles B. Mulvehill, illustrated audio excerpts of seminars by Ashby and Colin Higgins, new interview with songwriter Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens), plus a booklet featuring an essay by critic Michael Wood and more!
- 6/13/2012
- by Bradley Harding
- Planet Fury
I thought it was funnier. Meatballs looms large in the memory as Bill Murray’s first big film and a laugh riot along the lines of Caddyshack. It certainly has the right pedigree as it came from director Ivan Reitman and was co-written by Harold Ramis. The film was a hit when first released in 1979 and spawned several sequels and now it is making its Blu-ray debut on Tuesday from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.
It has not aged well. The humor is mild, even for 1979, when Animal House rewrote the rules a year earlier. This PG-rated comedy features the counselors and kids at Camp North Star, a ramshackle summer camp. Despite a reporter telling us the camp charges $1000 a week, we have no idea where the money goes given the dilapidated bunks, grounds, and facilities. The kids aren’t required to wear camp uniforms and they don’t seem to be following much of a schedule.
It has not aged well. The humor is mild, even for 1979, when Animal House rewrote the rules a year earlier. This PG-rated comedy features the counselors and kids at Camp North Star, a ramshackle summer camp. Despite a reporter telling us the camp charges $1000 a week, we have no idea where the money goes given the dilapidated bunks, grounds, and facilities. The kids aren’t required to wear camp uniforms and they don’t seem to be following much of a schedule.
- 6/13/2012
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
After producing Animal House in 1978 — an experience that only reinforced his desire to direct — 31-year-old Ivan Reitman gave himself a five-month window to conceive and shoot his own movie. He started with a simple premise — a crazy summer camp — but not much else in terms of Hollywood support or financing. (The budget was less than a million dollars.) But he thought he had an ace in the hole in Bill Murray, the then-27-year-old who was just emerging as one of the new faces on Saturday Night Live. If only he could persuade the contrarian comic, who he knew from...
- 6/12/2012
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Blu-ray Release Date: June 12, 2012
Price: Blu-ray $14.99
Studio: Lionsgate
Bill Murray goes to summer camp in Meatballs.
The Blu-ray debut of the 1979 comedy Meatballs, one of Bill Murray’s (Get Low) earliest films, offers fans another opportunity to giggle over their favorite lines (via the prompting by a high-definition presentation).
Directed by Ivan Reitman (No Strings Attached), the film stars Murray as Tripper, the head counselor of Camp North Star, an off-the-wall summer getaway for kids and various misfits. Tripper guides his loveable campers and spirited staff members on a quest for fun in the sun. But this one summer has a couple of unique situations brewing for Tripper in the form of a runaway camper (Chris Makepeace, My Bodyguard), a cute fellow counselor (Kate Lynch, New Year) and an end-of-the-season Olympics competition against a rival camp filled with rich kids.
Lionsgate is also re-issuing a DVD edition of Meatballs for...
Price: Blu-ray $14.99
Studio: Lionsgate
Bill Murray goes to summer camp in Meatballs.
The Blu-ray debut of the 1979 comedy Meatballs, one of Bill Murray’s (Get Low) earliest films, offers fans another opportunity to giggle over their favorite lines (via the prompting by a high-definition presentation).
Directed by Ivan Reitman (No Strings Attached), the film stars Murray as Tripper, the head counselor of Camp North Star, an off-the-wall summer getaway for kids and various misfits. Tripper guides his loveable campers and spirited staff members on a quest for fun in the sun. But this one summer has a couple of unique situations brewing for Tripper in the form of a runaway camper (Chris Makepeace, My Bodyguard), a cute fellow counselor (Kate Lynch, New Year) and an end-of-the-season Olympics competition against a rival camp filled with rich kids.
Lionsgate is also re-issuing a DVD edition of Meatballs for...
- 4/16/2012
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
The episode of Raw airing the night after WrestleMania is always an interesting one. It's both an epilogue to WrestleMania's Super Bowl and also a season premiere to a new year of big storylines. It feels fifty-percent hung-over and fifty-percent mindblowing new developments. The April 3, 2012 episode may be the best post-WrestleMania Raw ever. Read on to find out why.
Quick Results
Santino Marella defeated Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger in a triple-threat match
Lord Tensai defeated Alex Riley when the ref stopped the match
Mark Henry defeated C.M. Punk by count-out
Kofi Kingston defeated Cody Rhodes
The Miz defeated Zack Ryder
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: WWE Monday night Raw, April 2, 2012
State of the WWE Universe Address
The entire locker room is gathered for the new permanent Raw and SmackDown General Manager, "Mr. Excitement" John "Johnny Ace" Laurinaitis with, number one croney, "Mr. Jennifer Hudson" David Otunga.
Quick Results
Santino Marella defeated Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger in a triple-threat match
Lord Tensai defeated Alex Riley when the ref stopped the match
Mark Henry defeated C.M. Punk by count-out
Kofi Kingston defeated Cody Rhodes
The Miz defeated Zack Ryder
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: WWE Monday night Raw, April 2, 2012
State of the WWE Universe Address
The entire locker room is gathered for the new permanent Raw and SmackDown General Manager, "Mr. Excitement" John "Johnny Ace" Laurinaitis with, number one croney, "Mr. Jennifer Hudson" David Otunga.
- 4/3/2012
- by Eric Larnick
- Aol TV.
Here’s some great news for fans of 80s’ horror, those fine upstanding folk at Image Entertainment will be releasing the Midnight Madness Series starting in September. They have a veritable truckload of classics from Lakeshore Entertainment coming our way, including the release of Vamp on Blu-ray. Others include Children of the Corn, Hellraiser and Creepshow 2. For a full release schedule check out below. In the meantime I suggest saving up your notes as it could get expensive!
Children of the Corn (Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital; September 6th)
Based on the classic short story by Stephen King, this film is about a young couple (Linda Hamilton, Terminator 2, and Peter Horton, “thirtysomething”) stranded in a rural town in Nebraska. They are surrounded by prospering corn fields…and a terrifying secret. This horror favorite has spawned six sequels and many imitations. See how the Corn first took root!
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark...
Children of the Corn (Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital; September 6th)
Based on the classic short story by Stephen King, this film is about a young couple (Linda Hamilton, Terminator 2, and Peter Horton, “thirtysomething”) stranded in a rural town in Nebraska. They are surrounded by prospering corn fields…and a terrifying secret. This horror favorite has spawned six sequels and many imitations. See how the Corn first took root!
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark...
- 8/12/2011
- by Jude
- The Liberal Dead
Oh. My. God. Image Entertainment, you have made my day! The announcement of the lineup for Image's Midnight Madness Series has set my feet to dancing. And if you're a fan of '80's horror, you might find a little Michael Flatley in yourself because this is a killer list of films.
Okay, your interest must be piqued at this point, right? Dying to hear the list? I'll keep you in suspense no longer. Imagine I'm Michael Madsen in Reservoir Dogs and lend me your ear. (trumpet fanfare) I give you the Image Midnight Madness Series lineup:
Let's start with the heavy hitters (film descriptions from Image Entertainment):
Hellraiser (Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital; September 6th)
Horror master Clive Barker wrote and directed this seminal 1987 nightmare classic, featuring the first appearance of the iconic Pinhead. A story of puzzle boxes, Cenobites, ritual sadomasochism and dismemberment, this is a thrillingly perverse...
Okay, your interest must be piqued at this point, right? Dying to hear the list? I'll keep you in suspense no longer. Imagine I'm Michael Madsen in Reservoir Dogs and lend me your ear. (trumpet fanfare) I give you the Image Midnight Madness Series lineup:
Let's start with the heavy hitters (film descriptions from Image Entertainment):
Hellraiser (Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital; September 6th)
Horror master Clive Barker wrote and directed this seminal 1987 nightmare classic, featuring the first appearance of the iconic Pinhead. A story of puzzle boxes, Cenobites, ritual sadomasochism and dismemberment, this is a thrillingly perverse...
- 8/11/2011
- by Doctor Gash
- DreadCentral.com
Everyone loves a good underdog. Maybe he’s the kid in school that just can’t win, like in Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, or maybe they are just a misunderstood nerd that ends up saving the day in the end. Either way, underdogs have a special place in our heart, and that is why this weeks top ten is
Top Ten Underdogs (in children’s movies)
Be sure to tell us your picks too!!!
Honorable Mention: Daniel Larusso aka Daniel-san – The Karate Kid (1984)
The Karate Kid starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita is one of those movies that you either care nothing about or absolutely love. There’s not really anything in between and I happen to fall into the latter category. Obviously, I could start out by saying that the director was no other than John G. Avildsen (yeah, the guy that directed Rocky) and...
Top Ten Underdogs (in children’s movies)
Be sure to tell us your picks too!!!
Honorable Mention: Daniel Larusso aka Daniel-san – The Karate Kid (1984)
The Karate Kid starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita is one of those movies that you either care nothing about or absolutely love. There’s not really anything in between and I happen to fall into the latter category. Obviously, I could start out by saying that the director was no other than John G. Avildsen (yeah, the guy that directed Rocky) and...
- 3/29/2011
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
In an effort to get into a fraternity two friends, Keith (Chris Makepeace) and Aj (Robert Rusler) travel to the ‘wrong side of town’ to find a stripper to hire for a college party. Taking along the nerdy Duncan (Gedde Watanabe), simply because he has a car, they find that beneath the already seedy surface lies an even seedier underbelly of vampires in the After Dark strip club. The club is run by the sleazy Vic (Sandy Baron) and the star attraction is the frightening Katrina (Grace Jones).
Vamp boasts a cast of cult eighties stars, including Robert Rusler (Weird Science, Thrashin’), Chris Makepeace (Meatballs), Gedde Watanabe (Sixteen Candles) and Deedee Pfeiffer (That’s right, Michelle’s sister) and the inclusion of the iconic and extravagant Grace Jones as a key vampire/stripper also represents a pretty inspired piece of casting.
The premise is also pretty fantastic for a film of this type,...
Vamp boasts a cast of cult eighties stars, including Robert Rusler (Weird Science, Thrashin’), Chris Makepeace (Meatballs), Gedde Watanabe (Sixteen Candles) and Deedee Pfeiffer (That’s right, Michelle’s sister) and the inclusion of the iconic and extravagant Grace Jones as a key vampire/stripper also represents a pretty inspired piece of casting.
The premise is also pretty fantastic for a film of this type,...
- 2/21/2011
- by Craig Skinner
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Arrow Video continue to endear themselves to all fans of cult and old school horror with yet another gem of a release in the slinky form of the 80s bloodsucker “Vamp”. Infamous mainly for its starring the one and only Grace Jones, one of the most terrifying creatures every to stalk the planet, in the lead, the film is a strange and somewhat obscure, though very welcome choice for the re-release treatment. The film is definitely one to stir memories of anyone who spent many of their formative years trawling video shops for genre fun, with an awesome cast that includes Chris Makepeace (“Meatballs”), Robert Rusler (“Nightmare on Elm St 2”), Dedee Pfeiffer (“House 3: the Horror Show”) and Sandy Baron (“Leprechaun 2”), not to mention sinister character actor Billy Drago. As usual, Arrow have pulled out all the stops, with the usual gorgeous custom DVD box art and collector’s booklet,...
- 2/3/2011
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
Bruce Campbell is reportedly planning a horror equivalent of The Expendables. If this is the case, who would star in it, and what gory events would take place? Here are Duncan’s suggestions…
Now, news that Bruce Campbell is reportedly planning a horror equivalent of The Expendables is, in itself, enough to make me want to proclaim that the world is a beautiful place, filled with beautiful things, as merely putting just Bruce Campbell in a film is normally enough to get me to watch it. But, let's all calm down for a minute and look a bit closer at the facts.
In a recent interview with the La Times, Mr Campbell was asked about his concept for taking Bruce Vs. Frankenstein (a sequel to 2007's My Name Is Bruce) and making it 'The Expendables of horror'. His reply was: "Yeah, The Expendables, or more like the It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World...
Now, news that Bruce Campbell is reportedly planning a horror equivalent of The Expendables is, in itself, enough to make me want to proclaim that the world is a beautiful place, filled with beautiful things, as merely putting just Bruce Campbell in a film is normally enough to get me to watch it. But, let's all calm down for a minute and look a bit closer at the facts.
In a recent interview with the La Times, Mr Campbell was asked about his concept for taking Bruce Vs. Frankenstein (a sequel to 2007's My Name Is Bruce) and making it 'The Expendables of horror'. His reply was: "Yeah, The Expendables, or more like the It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World...
- 9/14/2010
- Den of Geek
The Littlest Hobo: The Complete Second Season
Stars: London the dog, Chris Makepeace, Keenan Wynn, John Vernon, Cameron Mitchell, DeForest Kelley | Directed by Various
The Littlest Hobo returns to UK DVD with it’s second season courtesy of Mediumrare Entertainment.
For those of you unfamiliar with the classic 80’s TV show, it follows the adventures of a German shepherd that travels from town to town helping those in need and also solving crimes, much like Skippy did in the outback of Australia, and Bruce Banner did in the previous decade in The Incredible Hulk. Once his task is done he moves on to the next town, the strains of the theme tune playing in the background as he does, and what a tune – “Maybe tomorrow I’ll wanna settle down, until tomorrow I’ll just keep moving on”. Classic.
The 80’s revival of The Littlest Hobo (the original series...
Stars: London the dog, Chris Makepeace, Keenan Wynn, John Vernon, Cameron Mitchell, DeForest Kelley | Directed by Various
The Littlest Hobo returns to UK DVD with it’s second season courtesy of Mediumrare Entertainment.
For those of you unfamiliar with the classic 80’s TV show, it follows the adventures of a German shepherd that travels from town to town helping those in need and also solving crimes, much like Skippy did in the outback of Australia, and Bruce Banner did in the previous decade in The Incredible Hulk. Once his task is done he moves on to the next town, the strains of the theme tune playing in the background as he does, and what a tune – “Maybe tomorrow I’ll wanna settle down, until tomorrow I’ll just keep moving on”. Classic.
The 80’s revival of The Littlest Hobo (the original series...
- 9/11/2010
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Tony Bill's My Bodyguard is next up for the remake treatment. The re-do of the 1980 film, which starred Chris Makepeace, Adam Baldwin and Matt Dillon, is being set up at Dimension Films. Jeff Lieber is penning the script about a boy who enlists his new school's most feared kid when he finds himself being bullied. John Davis is producing with Marc Toberoff, chairman of Intellectual Property Worldwide, who acquired exclusive rights to the property. IPW's president of production, J. Todd Harris, who brought the project to Davis, also will produce. Davis executives Wyck Godfrey and Brian Manis will executive produce. IPW's vp production Craig Roth will co-produce.
- 7/28/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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