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As the nights grow longer and the air turns crisp, it’s the perfect time to settle in with some of the best spooky films ever made. From eerie silent classics to modern horror hits, spooky cinema has evolved across decades, yet each era has its own spine-tingling gems. Whether you love atmospheric terror or heart-pounding scares, here’s a journey through the best films from the 1920s to today that will give you chills. Things to do: Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel, by clicking here. Limited Time Offer – Free Subscription to The Hollywood Insider Click here to read more on The Hollywood Insider’s vision, values and mission statement here – Media has the responsibility to better our world – The Hollywood Insider fully focuses on substance and meaningful entertainment, against gossip and scandal, by combining entertainment, education, and philanthropy. 1920s - 1980s ‘The Haunting’ (1963) Cast: Julie Harris,...

After merging his Atomic Monster film and TV production company with Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions earlier this year, James Wan looks to have finally set his next movie to direct, a remake of the 1954 monster horror film Creature From the Black Lagoon. More on this upcoming movie and Wan's potential involvement below.

Many people might recognize Wan as the creator of the highly successful The Conjuring Universe. He's also the co-creator of other successful horror franchises, such as the Saw franchise and the Insidious film series. But while he's been signed on as producer or executive producer on recent projects, he hasn't sat in the director's chair since 2023's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

Now, it's been reported that he's in early talks to direct a Creature From the Black Lagoon remake for Atomic Monster and Universal Pictures. He will reportedly produce the film through his Atomic Monster production company,...

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom director James Wan is set to return to the ocean for his next feature.

Universal has been trying to get a remake of Creature from the Black Lagoon off the ground for a few years at this stage, and the project is finally moving forward with the horror maestro at the helm.

According to THR, Wan is in early talks to direct a reimagining of the black-and-white '50s classic, which was helmed by Jack Arnold.

The original focused on a group of scientists attempting to study an ancient prehistoric monster known as the Gill-Man, who soon becomes dangerous and begins to pick them off after taking a shine to Julia Adams' character. It's still viewed by many as one of the most influential horror films of all time.

This take is described as being "a grounded, modernized retelling that will lean into visceral horror,...

By the 1950s, the Universal Monsters had become a punchline with most of them ending their onscreen careers meeting Abbott and Costello. Many of them had become victims of their own success, becoming so iconic that they had lost any ability to frighten anybody. Creatures from outer space, radioactive monsters, and giant bugs had taken over the throne as horror’s reigning attractions and anything that deviated from these felt passé and played out. Universal itself supplied plenty of its own creations into this theatrical landscape and relegated its classic monsters to the small screen. Into this environment came something new from the studio that all but created the modern horror film when Universal unleashed Creature from the Black Lagoon into the world.

There is much about the Creature that is similar to the Universal monsters that have come before. Like Lon Chaney’s Phantom, Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein Monster,...

The Beach Boys were one of the biggest musical groups of the 1960s. But that doesn’t mean they completely dominated the entertainment industry. The band provided the theme song for a short-lived ’60s sitcom that few have heard of today.

The Beach Boys’ massive musical success, including dozens of hit songs and best-selling albums

The Beach Boys were formed in 1961 and were composed of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their friend Al Jardine. Brian was the creative mastermind behind the group’s music, while dad Murry Wilson managed them.

The group dominated the charts in the ’60s with hit singles like “Surfin’ U.S.A,” “Fun, Fun, Fun,” “I Get Around,” “Help Me, Rhonda,” and “California Girls.” The Beach Boys have sold over 100 million records worldwide and still tour today.

The Beach Boys provided the theme song for ‘Karen,’ a one-season sitcom from the ’60s

Undeniably,...

Mill Creek’s latest disc collection gathers three Columbia Sci-fi faves and throws in a Blu-ray debut for a fourth. It’s a good selection: two giant Ray Harryhausen monsters, one marginal bad-taste Sam Katzman zombie epic, and a quirky Lou Costello comedy with Dorothy Provine doing a wholesome take on Allison Hayes’ biggest role. Do these encodings measure up to fancier editions? We give them a spin.

Sci-Fi from the Vault: 4 Films

Blu-ray

Creature with the Atom Brain, It Came from Beneath the Sea, 20 Million Miles to Earth, The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock

Mill Creek Entertainment

1955-1959 / B&w / 303 min. / Street Date February 14, 2023 / Available from Mill Creek Entertainment / 29.99

Starring: Richard Denning; Kenneth Tobey & Faith Domergue; William Hopper & Joan Taylor; Lou Costello & Dorothy Provine.

Directed by Edward L. Cahn, Robert Gordon, Nathan Juran, Sidney Miller

Disc collectors are now tempted weekly by plenty of interesting disc releases...

“I Love Lucy” writers Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll Jr. thought the seminal CBS comedy series starring Lucille Ball, her husband Desi Arnaz, William Frawley and Vivian Vance would last three months. When I chatted with the duo, who wrote 181 episodes of the classic, in 2001 for the L.A. Times, Davis recalled watching the premiere Oct. 15, 1951 at the home of series director Marc Daniels. “Emily, his wife, was the camera coordinator. She was a good cook. She had dinner and watched the show.” Ball, Davis noted, “was terribly funny and wonderful. We had hopes for the show. We hoped it would be on for 13 weeks.

How about 71 years and counting?

The series ended in 1957 never below No. 3 in the ratings. It was followed by “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” specials from 1957-60, “I Love Lucy” continued in reruns on CBS on primetime for two more years and ran on the...

Another key ’50s sci-fi makes it to Blu-ray in an admirable encoding. Roger Corman’s end-of-the-world survivalist struggle against radioactive mist and three-eyed mutants shines in the glory of Superscope: Richard Denning and cute Lori Nelson must contend with a human monster in Touch Connors’ gangster. Adele Jergens spices things up, while Paul Birch delivers downer sermons about doomsday. It’s a truly marvelous atom fable, full of fanciful silly-science that makes for good storytelling. With a commentary by Tom Weaver. And don’t forget to click the ‘Rhododendron’ link.

Day the World Ended

Blu-ray

1955 / B&w / 2.00:1 widescreen / 79 min. / Street Date December 21, 2021

Starring: Richard Denning, Lori Nelson, Adele Jergens, Touch Connors, Paul Birch, Raymond Hatton, Paul Dubov, Jonathan Haze, Paul Blaisdell, Chet Huntley (voice).

Cinematography: Jock Feindel

Set Decoration: Harry Reif

Film Editor: Ronald Sinclair

Special Effects: Paul Blaisdell

Original Music: Ronald Stein

Written by Lou Rusoff

Executive Producer:...

CineSavant’s reviews for the new Blu ray set, Cold War Creatures-Four Films from Sam Katzman, are in two parts. You can find Glenn Erickson’s review of Zombies of Mora Tau and The Giant Claw in Part One.

Cold War Creatures: Four Films from Sam Katzman

Blu ray

Arrow Films

1955, ’56/ 1.85

Starring Richard Denning, S. John Launer, Steven Ritch

Directed by Edward L. Cahn, Fred F. Sears

Sam Katzman began his Hollywood career in 1933 with His Private Secretary, a romantic comedy starring John Wayne made for Screencraft Pictures—he endured for five decades, hopscotching from Victory Pictures to Monogram to MGM before bowing out in 1972 with The Loners, an Easy Rider rip-off starring Dean Stockwell (who called the movie “a mess”). But it was at Columbia where the familiar Katzman brand was born—exploitation fodder inspired by the fish stories found in tabloids. These were movies about headlines, not human beings,...

A CineSavant Article A mention in a book by Tom Weaver of an odd shared visual in two Universal-International movies of the 1950s prompts a quick frame-grab comparison, and also some thoughts about how movies were really made back when twenty dollars was probably considered a big budget expenditure. Some savant I am … I simply didn’t see what was in front of my eyes! A contributor (and friend) had to hold me by the neck to see what a few others have figured out before. Bud and Lou are involved, so who can complain?

Now for some fun, the man said. This one gets filed in the In Box for ‘Odd Mysteries.’ Friend and advisor Craig Reardon has been enduring the world’s forced isolation (cough) by doing what we all do when the going gets tough, watching TV.

Craig found something while doing a feature-by-feature survey of...

Verily, Blu-ray 3-D is better than most theatrical 3-D! Paramount’s fourth and last 3-D production went out to theaters only in 2-D, so for all practical terms this Kino/3D Archive restoration is a depth-format premiere. Expect a kissing scene or two: lusty Fernando (¿Quién es más macho?) Lamas and demure Rhonda Fleming succumb to the sweaty allure of the tropics. He pushes the sex appeal more than she does! Together they take a 3-D trek to where the headhunters roam, into a jungle to secure a golden treasure.

Jivaro

3-D Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1954 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 92 min. / Street Date March 26, 2019 / 34.95

Starring: Fernando Lamas, Rhonda Fleming, Brian Keith, Lon Chaney Jr., Richard Denning, Rita Moreno, Marvin Miller, Morgan Farley, Pascual García Peña, Nestor Paiva, Gregg Barton.

Cinematography: Lionel Lindon

Film Editor: Howard Smith

Original Music: Gregory Stone

Written by Winston Miller, story by David Duncan

Produced by William H. Pine,...

It’s controversy in the Black Lagoon! Universal releases a much-desired box of all three Gill Man epics — but goes cheap on the encoding and hands us a 3-D rendering of Revenge of the Creature at half-resolution. When is a Blu-ray not a Blu-ray? When it’s not even full HD. And all that after commissioning a state-of-the-art 4k 3-D video remaster!

Creature From the Black Lagoon: Complete Legacy Collection

Creature from the Black Lagoon (3-D + 2-D), Revenge of the Creature (3-D) + 2-D, The Creature Walks Among Us (2-D)

Blu-ray

Universal Studios Home Entertainment

1954-1956 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 79, 82, 78 min. / Street Date August 28, 2018 / 39.98

Starring: Julie Adams, Lori Nelson, Leigh Snowden, Nestor Paiva, Richard Carlson, Jeff Morrow, John Agar, Rex Reason, Richard Denning, John Bromfield, Jeff Morrow, Greg Palmer…

and as the Gill Man: Ricou Browning, Ben Chapman, Don Megowan, others.

Cinematography: William E. Snyder; Charles S. Welbourne; Maury Gertsman

Film...

One of my favorite classic Universal monster movies is The Creature From the Black Lagoon. There is just something about the setting, the characters, the story and the monster design that sucked me right in. 

The film was actually supposed to be part of Universal Pictures' Dark Universe, but we don't know exactly where that whole plan currently stands at the moment. Regardless, if the studio ever does decide to move forward with a remake of The Creature of the Black Lagoon, Rob Zombie is interested in taking it on.

During an interview with HDNet that was uncovered by JoBlo, the director expressed his interest in the film saying:

"One thing I always thought was possible was to remake the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Because the creature itself, in that phenomenal suit they constructed, could be exactly the same. So I think Creature from the Black Lagoon could be a cool one.

Wow! Prime stop-motion animation from the heyday of monstrous science fiction, in a new restoration that puts a brilliant shine on those creepy crawly critters. Richard Denning fights giant arachnids while Mara (swoon) Corday frets and wrings her hands, waiting for the next kissing scene. The new scan clears up a lot of flaws, and gives us a much better look at the Lost Art of stop-motion magic.

The Black Scorpion

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1957 / B&W / 1:78 widescreen / 88 min. / Street Date March 20, 2018 / available through the WBshop / 21.99

Starring Richard Denning, Mara Corday, Carlos Rivas, Mario Navarro, Carlos Múzquiz, Pascual García Peña

Cinematography Lionel Lindon

Special Effects Willis H. O’Brien, Pete Peterson

Art Direction Edward Fitzgerald

Film Editor Richard L. Van Enger

Original Music Paul Sawtell

Written by Robert Blees, David Duncan and Paul Yawitz

Produced by Jack Dietz, Frank Melford

Directed by Edward Ludwig

The ’50s big-bug monster show...

Jim Knipfel Mar 8, 2019

The Creature From the Black Lagoon kicked off one of the most successful trilogies in early horror movie history.

The poor Gill Man never had a chance. Arriving six years after the golden age of Universal Horror was capped with Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, 1954’s The Creature from the Black Lagoon was never able to clumsily shuffle his way into the expanded universe shared by Dracula, The Wolf Man, Frankenstein’s Monster, and, if briefly, The Invisible Man.

Of course, given the three-film franchise’s contemporary time frame and American setting, it would’ve been a stretch anyway to find some reason to have him mix it up with the Wolf Man. In that way, the Gill Man was like the Mummy, forced to carry his series alone. Even if this aquatic fish face would go on to become the most iconic and influential cinematic monster of the 1950s,...

Susan Hayward. Susan Hayward movies: TCM Star of the Month Fiery redhead Susan Hayward it Turner Classic Movies' Star of the Month in Sept. 2015. The five-time Best Actress Oscar nominee – like Ida Lupino, a would-be Bette Davis that only sporadically landed roles to match the verve of her thespian prowess – was initially a minor Warner Bros. contract player who went on to become a Paramount second lead in the early '40s, a Universal leading lady in the late '40s, and a 20th Century Fox star in the early '50s. TCM will be presenting only three Susan Hayward premieres, all from her Fox era. Unfortunately, her Paramount and Universal work – e.g., Among the Living, Sis Hopkins, And Now Tomorrow, The Saxon Charm – which remains mostly unavailable (in quality prints), will remain unavailable this month. Highlights of the evening include: Adam Had Four Sons (1941), a sentimental but surprisingly...

Glenda Jackson: Actress and former Labour MP. Two-time Oscar winner and former Labour MP Glenda Jackson returns to acting Two-time Best Actress Academy Award winner Glenda Jackson set aside her acting career after becoming a Labour Party MP in 1992. Four years ago, Jackson, who represented the Greater London constituency of Hampstead and Highgate, announced that she would stand down the 2015 general election – which, somewhat controversially, was won by right-wing prime minister David Cameron's Conservative party.[1] The silver lining: following a two-decade-plus break, Glenda Jackson is returning to acting. Now, Jackson isn't – for the time being – returning to acting in front of the camera. The 79-year-old is to be featured in the Radio 4 series Emile Zola: Blood, Sex and Money, described on their website as a “mash-up” adaptation of 20 Emile Zola novels collectively known as "Les Rougon-Macquart."[2] Part 1 of the three-part Radio 4 series will be broadcast daily during an...

Though he's perhaps best known for writing The Scarlet Letter, author Nathaniel Hawthorne also left his mark on the macabre, penning tales that can still be told to chilling effect around the campfire. Three of these stories made it onscreen in Sidney Salkow's 1963 anthology horror film, Twice-Told Tales. Not long after announcing they are bringing Burnt Offerings to Blu-ray and DVD this October, Kino Lorber has revealed they have another Halloween goodie up their sleeve, as they will also release Twice-Told Tales on Blu-ray and DVD before the flickering flames of jack-o'-lanterns cast shadows across your doorstep.

Via Facebook, Kino Lorber announced they will release Twice-Told Tales (1963) on Blu-ray and DVD with a brand new HD transfer this October.

Directed by Sidney Salkow, Twice-Told Tales stars Vincent Price, Sebastian Cabot, Brett Halsey, Beverly Garland, Richard Denning and Joyce Taylor. Stay tuned to Daily Dead for more updates on this release.

Last of the great Universal monsters, sporting a brilliant man-in-suit design that can’t be beat and has resisted years of attempted remakes and redesigns. The most iconic of the now-classic Jack Arnold/William Alland sci-fi pix and probably the most famous of sci-fi fan Richard Carlson’s numerous genre starring turns. Ditto for co-stars Richard Denning and the still-stunning Julia Adams. One of the greatest‚ 3-D movies of the ’50s. Even Marilyn Monroe was moved by the Gill Man’s doomed beauty-and-the-beast plight.

Cary Grant movies: 'An Affair to Remember' does justice to its title (photo: Cary Grant ca. late 1940s) Cary Grant excelled at playing Cary Grant. This evening, fans of the charming, sophisticated, debonair actor -- not to be confused with the Bristol-born Archibald Leach -- can rejoice, as no less than eight Cary Grant movies are being shown on Turner Classic Movies, including a handful of his most successful and best-remembered star vehicles from the late '30s to the late '50s. (See also: "Cary Grant Classic Movies" and "Cary Grant and Randolph Scott: Gay Lovers?") The evening begins with what may well be Cary Grant's best-known film, An Affair to Remember. This 1957 romantic comedy-melodrama is unusual in that it's an even more successful remake of a previous critical and box-office hit -- the Academy Award-nominated 1939 release Love Affair -- and that it was directed...

Top 100 horror movies of all time: Chicago Film Critics' choices (photo: Sigourney Weaver and Alien creature show us that life is less horrific if you don't hold grudges) See previous post: A look at the Chicago Film Critics Association's Scariest Movies Ever Made. Below is the list of the Chicago Film Critics's Top 100 Horror Movies of All Time, including their directors and key cast members. Note: this list was first published in October 2006. (See also: Fay Wray, Lee Patrick, and Mary Philbin among the "Top Ten Scream Queens.") 1. Psycho (1960) Alfred Hitchcock; with Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam. 2. The Exorcist (1973) William Friedkin; with Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Jason Miller, Max von Sydow (and the voice of Mercedes McCambridge). 3. Halloween (1978) John Carpenter; with Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, Tony Moran. 4. Alien (1979) Ridley Scott; with Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt. 5. Night of the Living Dead (1968) George A. Romero; with Marilyn Eastman,...

Over the past couple weeks, I’ve dedicated a lot of time to covering the World 3-D Film Expo, which took place at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood and knocked my socks off. One of the headlining films, the most exciting one for us certainly, was Creature From The Black Lagoon, the legendary monster flick from Jack Arnold that starred Richard Carlson, Richard Denning, Nestor Paiva, and one Julie Adams, who may very well be the most famous scream queen of all-time thanks to her iconic role as Kay.

Julie and her son, Mitchell Danton, were in attendance for the Expo (for two screenings, Wings Of The Hawk also played) for a book signing and Q&A after the screening. I was lucky enough to get a chance to talk with the delightful pair, catching them after a late breakfast (as Mitch says, “a day can never start too late,...

After opening day of the World 3-D Film Expo III at the Sid Grauman Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, where two diverse hits from 1953 where aired, Hondo and House Of Wax, the next day brought with it the blockbuster outing of the entire festival. Especially for monster kids.

Following The Maze and Bwana Devil, Saturday brought us Jack Arnold’s Creature From The Black Lagoon on the big screen, in 3-D, how it was intended to be seen, with star Julie Adams (aka Kay Lawrence, the luminescent bombshell in the classic white swimsuit) in attendance for a Q&A after the show. It doesn’t get much better than that.

I was blessed with the opportunity to talk with Julie Adams and her son Mitch Danton before the festival, in an interview that is forthcoming (stay glued to Facebook, Twitter, and the website for details!). At the Expo, I was able...

Creature from the Black Lagoon

Directed by Jack Arnold

Written by Harry Essex and Arthur A. Ross

U.S.A. 1954

The Universal monsters that so many people recognize and accept as iconic and saw the light of day on the cinema screen were products of the 1930s, the two most popular being of course Frankenstein and Dracula, each released as early as 1931. By the 1950s, the studio’s output with regards to ‘classic’ creatures had dwindled considerably, even though science-fiction flicks were tremendously popular by then, with plenty of adventures concerning the invasion of outer-space attackers descending upon our planet. There was one particular outing that would, in fact, have a lasting impact on the collective minds of monster movie fans, that being Creature from the Black Lagoon. Part of the film’s popularity had to do with its presentation in 3D. Yes, studios were testing that technology out even...

All moviegoing human beings go through a horror fixation at some point, and part of that ride is discovering that scary movies feature pleeeeenty of hot men. Sure, it's mostly the female babysitters and big-breasted sorority girls who steal most of the screen time, but tons of notable horror flicks feature hunks in key roles. And in key death sequences. Which is somehow therapeutic to me. Don't ask.

In honor of October's shadowy pall, here are the 10 greatest hunks of horror. Pay attention, because some of these gents may pop up again in our Best Movie Ever column this month.

10. Rider Strong, Cabin Fever

Cabin Fever is so gross, but so righteously bizarre. Part of its appeal is the eminently lovable Rider Strong, the Boy Meets World alum who rents a cabin in the woods with his idiotic friends and suffers the wrath of a disgusting virus. But before the bloody bombast takes over,...

Actress Joan Taylor, best remembered for two sci-fi / horror B movies of the late 1950s, died March 4 in Santa Monica, in Los Angeles County. Taylor was 82. According to various sources, Taylor was born Rose Marie Emma in Geneva, Illinois, on August 18, 1929. She was the daughter of Austrian vaudeville player Amelia Berky and an Italian-born immigrant who later became a Hollywood prop man. Curiously, last Friday night I watched for the first time the 1957 Columbia release 20 Million Miles to Earth. Though wasted in a non-role in this King Kong rip-off with stop-motion animation by Ray Harryhausen, Taylor looked quite pretty (as an Italian) whether angry at leading man William Hopper (son of gossip columnist Hedda Hopper) or screaming at the ballooning Martian creature. I guess it says something about her screen presence that I was rooting for the Martian Monster to gobble up the film's director (Nathan Juran), writers (Robert Creighton Williams...

Let’s go behind-the-scenes with the greatest Universal monster.

The Creature From The Black Lagoon (aka The Gill-man) is the best Universal monster. It just is. Deal with it. Now look at it. Just look:

This cannily staged still followed a reported mishap on the set of The Creature from the Black Lagoon in which Ben Chapman, in the sight-impaired Creature costume, bonked star Julia Adams’ head while carrying her through the on-set catacombs. What’s great about this pic is that everybody’s accounted for–that’s director Jack Arnold, appropriately concerned, at upper left, flanked by an uncharacteristically mellow Creature, co-star Richard Denning, star Richard Carlson and an unidentified studio nurse, all fixated on a seemingly serene Julia (sometimes Julie) Adams.

Speaking of fixated, I’ve been fixated on Ms. Adams since I was a kid and a few years ago got to act on it by casting...

Howard Rodman brings us the greatest of all the Universal monsters and exposes The Creature From The Black Lagoon.

Last of the great Universal monsters, sporting a brilliant man-in-suit design that can’t be beat and has resisted years of attempted remakes and redesigns. The most iconic of the now-classic Jack Arnold/William Alland sci-fi pix and probably the most famous of sci-fi fan Richard Carlson’s numerous genre starring turns. Ditto for co-stars Richard Denning and the still-stunning Julia Adams. One of the greatest 3-D movies of the ’50s. Even Marilyn Monroe was moved by the Gill Man’s doomed beauty-and-the-beast plight.

Click here to watch the trailer and then keep reading for some extra annotations.

There’s not much to be said about The Creature that probably hasn’t already been said. Jack Arnold’s movie is just all-around wonderful. It’s kind of a testament to the...

Come find your own watery grave as we dig into the deep and bring you a week of water-based monster movies! Follow along for this week’s preview!

On Monday, June 6, Howard Rodman brings us the trailer to (arguably) the very best of the Universal monster movies, The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Last of the great Universal monsters, sporting a brilliant man-in-suit design that can’t be beat and has resisted years of attempted remakes and redesigns. The most iconic of the now-classic Jack Arnold/William Alland sci-fi pix and probably the most famous of sci-fi fan Richard Carlson’s numerous genre starring turns. Ditto for co-stars Richard Denning and the still-stunning Julia Adams. One of the greatest 3-D movies of the ’50s. Even Marilyn Monroe was moved by the Gill Man’s doomed beauty-and-the-beast plight.

On Wednesday, June 8, join Joe Dante for the trailer to The Monster of Piedras Blancas.

Last of the great Universal monsters, sporting a brilliant man-in-suit design that can't be beat and has resisted years of attempted remakes and redesigns. The most iconic of the now-classic Jack Arnold/William Alland sci-fi pix and probably the most famous of sci-fi fan Richard Carlson's numerous genre starring turns. Ditto for co-stars Richard Denning and the still-stunning Julia Adams. One of the greatest 3-D movies of the '50s. Even Marilyn Monroe was moved by the Gill Man's doomed beauty-and-the-beast plight.

Starring: Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Richard Denning

Director: Leo McCarey

The Scoop: (1957) Widely considered one of the best romantic films ever, the American Film Institute ranked this movie fifth on its list of best love stories in American cinema. The film stars Grant as a rich playboy who meets the woman of his dreams (Kerr) on a cruise. They vow to meet again in New York, but when she is struck by a car, a series of misunderstandings lead to a final, heart stopping reunion.

Special Features: Commentary, featurettes, historical retrospective, archival footage, trailer

Unrated, 119 min. | Watch the trailer...

Hitting movie theaters this weekend:

The Roommate – Minka Kelly, Leighton Meester, Cam Gigandet

Sanctum – Richard Roxburgh, Ioan Gruffudd, Allison Cratchley

Movie of the Week

Sanctum

The Stars: Richard Roxburgh, Ioan Gruffudd, Allison Cratchley

The Plot: An underwater cave diving team experiences a life-threatening crisis during an expedition to the unexplored and least accessible cave system in the world.

The Buzz: This film looks stunning. I’m excited to see it in IMAX 3D. With a cast of relative unknowns (save Richard Roxburgh of Moulin Rouge) the star of this one looks to be cinematographer Jules O’Loughlin.

This is S.O.P. as far as Hollywood marketing is concerned, but I’ve always been annoyed when production credits are used to dupe the cinematically challenged populace. This film is produced by James Cameron, not directed. Direction credits go to Alister Grierson, a relatively untested director; Sanctum being only his second feature,...

Neva Patterson, Cary Grant, Richard Denning, Deborah Kerr, An Affair to Remember Neva Patterson, best known for her role as Cary Grant's fiancee in Leo McCarey's 1957 romantic comedy classic An Affair to Remember, died Tuesday, Dec. 14, at her home in the Los Angeles suburb of Brentwood of complications from a broken hip. Patterson was 90. A stage, screen, and television actress, Patterson (born in Nevada, Iowa, on Feb. 22, 1920) appeared in dozens of TV series, 15 features, and on Broadway originated the role of The Seven Year Itch's Helen Sherman, played by Evelyn Keyes in Billy Wilder's 1955 film. But despite good supporting roles in Richard Quine's funny Judy Holliday comedy The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956), Walter Lang's Desk Set (1957), and Frank Perry's David and Lisa (1962), Patterson is chiefly remembered for stoically losing Cary Grant to Deborah Kerr. An Affair to Remember, which many find inferior to [...]...

This week’s Wamg Top 10 is having a look at all the on and off-screen couples of Hollywood. The Drew Barrymore/Justin Long romantic-comedy, Going The Distance, comes out next Friday on September 3rd, so we thought we’d give it a go with our list of favorite “Work and Play Couples.” Let us know what you think and who you would put on the list in the comments section below.

Honorable Mention: Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz

Lucille Ball was a rising star under contract to Rko Studios when she was cast as the female lead in the film version of the Broadway smash Too Many Girls. Prior to the start of filming she was introduced to the young Cuban singer who had taken New York City by storm, Desi Arnaz. Stories from several sources in that Rko office said that sparks flew when they locked eyes on each other.

With a resurgent craze for 3D sweeping Hollywood, we delve into the archives to salute the best 3D effects from old-school movies…

It seems like every other movie is getting released in 3D these days. And just when you thought an HD television was good enough, now it’s time to throw that in the trash and upgrade to high-definition 3D. Even movies shot in two dimensions are getting retro-fitted – often to their detriment (yes, that’s you Last Airbender) - with 3D.

Does today’s 3D need a lesson from yesterday? Here are a several notable 3D effects hailing from the bygone era of anaglyph 3D and earlier polarized lens efforts:

Harpoon gun - Creature From The Black Lagoon

Numerous point-of-view shots feature projectile weapons being fired at audiences, but this one still tops the list, just as Jack Arnold’s 1954 creature feature is one of the best of its kind.

Paul Dunlap was a prolific film composer in the 1950s and 1960s, scoring over 200 features. He was best known for providing themes and scores for numerous science fiction and horror thrillers of the decades. His music highlighted attacks by prehistoric beasts in 1951’s Lost Continent starring Cesar Romero, and an alien robot invasion in 1954’s Target Earth with Richard Denning and Kathleen Crowley. He scored Michael Landon’s transformation from man to monster in I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957), and provided music for such other Aip and United/Allied Artist cult classics as I Was a Teenage Frankenstein (1957), Blood of Dracula (1957), How to Make a Monster (1958), Frankenstein – 1970 (1958), Invisible Invaders (1959), The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959), Angry Red Planet (1959), Shock Corridor (1963), and Black Zoo (1963).

Dunlap was born in Springfield, Ohio, on July 19, 1919. He began working in films in the early 1950s, scoring westerns, war and action films including The Baron of Arizona...

The other day when it was announced that Scott Caan would be Danno on 'Hawaii Five-o,' it struck me that this new revamped version of the CBS crime drama was going to be fast-tracked for the fall. It just seems like 'Hawaii Five-o' is this pilot season's 'NCIS: Los Angeles' -- a veritable sure thing.

It's even more of a mortal lock today with this addition to the cast: Jean Smart will be joining 'Hawaii Five-o' as Hawaii Governor Pat Jameson. She will be the one person to whom Steve McGarrett has to answer. This is a direct link back to the original series, in which Jack Lord as McGarrett reported to the Governor, then played by Richard Denning.

Continue reading Jean Smart Joins 'Hawaii Five-o'

 

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From a First Lady to a Governor.

Jean Smart, who earned two Emmy nominations for her role as First Lady Martha Logan on Fox's "24" has joined CBS' "Hawaii Five-o" remake, playing Hawaii Governor Pat Jameson.

In other pilot castings, former "Ed" star Tom Cavanagh has closed a deal to play the lead in ABC's drama pilot "Edgar Floats."

The new "Hawaii" centers on an elite branch of the Hawaii State Police headed by Steve McGarrett (Alex O'Loughlin) and answerable only to the governor (Smart) who is described as "a local Hawaiian with a Washingtonian's backbone" and a completely honest politician.

With women having made great strides in politics in the forty years since the original series, the creators of the updated "Hawaii," "Star Trek" writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and "CSI: NY' executive producer Peter Lenkov, went for a gender switch. On the original, Gov. Paul Jameson was played by Richard Denning.

After 12 seasons on the air, CBS' Hawaii Five-o finally came to an end. Unfortunately, it went out with more of a whimper than a bang.

Hawaii Five-o centers around Jack Lord and James MacArthur as detectives Steve McGarrett and Dan Williams who work for the fictional Hawaiian state police department. Others in the cast include Kam Fong, Herman Wedemeyer, Harry Endo, Zulu, Richard Denning, Al Harrington, Al Eben, Peggy Ryan, Glenn Cannon, Danny Kamekona, Moe Keale, Douglas Mossman, and Kwan Hi Lim. The show’s straightforward storytelling, fast-paced action and strong ensemble cast kept the show popular for years.

The last episode of the police series, number 278, is titled "Woe to Wo Fat." It was first aired on April 5, 1980. By this time in the show's history, both MacArthur (Danny "Danno" Willams) and Fong (Chin Ho Kelly) had left the series.

The third time might be the charm for both a Hawaii Five-o remake and a popular CBS star.

The original Hawaii Five-o series ran on CBS for 12 years, from 1968 until 1980. Jack Lord stars as Steve McGarrett, the leader of an elite branch of the fictional Hawaii State Police. His right-hand man is Dan "Dan-o" Williams (James MacArthur). Others in the cast include Kam Fong, Herman Wedemeyer, Harry Endo, Zulu, Richard Denning, Al Harrington, Al Eben, Peggy Ryan, Glenn Cannon, Danny Kamekona, Moe Keale, Douglas Mossman, and Kwan Hi Lim.

A revival series was first attempted in 1997, led by legendary producer Stephen J. Cannell. A pilot was filmed with Gary Busey in the lead role and several castmembers from the original series returned for the project. Lord was in ill health (he died in 1998) and didn't participate and the...

Variety is reporting that Carl Rinsch, director of February’s forthcoming remake of George Romero’s The Crazies, is in talks with Universal to direct the studios’ long gestating remake of the 1954 classic Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Recently Breck Eisner (Sahara) had been attached to helm the project, but left earlier this year.

Gary Ross (of Seabiscuit and Pleasantville) wrote previous drafts of the project. Fans will no doubt know that Gary Ross is in fact the son of Arthur Ross, one of the co-writers of the original Creature from the Black Lagoon (along with Maurice Zimm and Harry Essex).

Rinsch is currently next directing 47 Ronin, also for Universal, a samurai-adventure pic to star Keanu Reeves.

Universal is eager to continue resurrecting their classic monsters, the Black Lagoon remake would fall into place behind U’s The Wolfman, starring Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving,...