News

December 20th doesn’t boast a lot of home entertainment releases for horror and sci-fi fans, but what we are getting is an eclectic assortment of Blu-rays and DVDs all the same.

If you missed Rob Zombie’s latest film during its brief theatrical and VOD runs, 31 arrives on both Blu-ray and DVD this Tuesday for you to catch up on all the murderous mayhem just in time for the holidays.

Arrow Video is releasing their limited edition Hellraiser: The Scarlet Box trilogy, which is a must-own set for any Clive Barker fan out there, and also coming home December 20th is The Disappointments Room with Kate Beckinsale and Doctor Who: Series Eight, Part Two.

31 (Lionsgate, Blu/Digital HD & DVD)

From the visionary mind of Rob Zombie comes the horrific story of five carnival workers who are kidnapped on Halloween and held hostage in a large compound. At the mercy of their captors,...

Arrow Video has a few items for horror fans to place under the tree and slip into stockings this holiday season, and we have full release details and cover art for their December Blu-ray releases of Hellraiser: The Scarlet Box Limited Edition Trilogy, Creepshow 2, and The Driller Killer (which is now slated for a December 13th release).

Press Release:Mvd Entertainment Group furthers the distribution of Arrow Video in the Us with three great new titles in December. The biggest release of the the month is Hellraiser: The Scarlet Box Limited Edition Trilogy, a limited edition run of 10,000 deluxe box-sets featuring Clive Barker's iconic and seminal horror classic Hellraiser. Arriving just in time for Christmas on December 13th, this exclusive box set will include the first three films in the Hellraiser saga alongside an abundance of bonus materials and never-before-seen footage.

The horror continues with the...

Arrow Video just made Us Hellraiser fans Very happy. Just in time for Christmas, they're releasing Hellraiser: The Scarlet Box in December, bringing restored versions of the first three Hellraiser films to Blu-ray with an extensive set of bonus features:

New Us Title Announcement: Hellraiser: The Scarlet Box

Release Date: December 13th - Pre-order links should be live next week!

Region: A

It Will Tear Your Soul Apart

Stephen King was once quoted as saying: “I have seen the future of horror… his name is Clive Barker.” That future became reality when, in 1987, Barker unleashed his directorial debut Hellraiser – launching a hit franchise and creating an instant horror icon in the formidable figure of Pinhead.

Barker’s original Hellraiser, based on his novella The Hellbound Heart, follows Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence) as she comes head-to-head with the Cenobites – demonic beings from another realm who are intent on reclaiming...

Happy Wednesday everyone, and welcome back to the seventh installment of Daily Dead’s annual Holiday Gift Guide, where we put the spotlight on gift ideas for genre fans of all ages and tastes. For today, we’ve got several wacky books that might be of interest to any of you that still feel like a kid at heart and we also profile Ted Geoghegan’s directorial debut, We Are Still Here, the perfect thriller for this wintry season.

Also featured in today’s Holiday Gift Guide is the awesome apparel from Beware the Moon clothing, the killer soundtracks offered from Waxwork Records, and much more.

This year’s Holiday Gift Guide is being sponsored by Rlj Entertainment and their recent terrifying yuletide release, A Christmas Horror Story, and to help you guys get into the spirit of the season, we’ve put together 10 amazing prize packs filled with goodies,...

When discussing iconic horror film series of the modern age, the likes of A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday The 13th, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Scream always come up, and rightly so, but whereas they are often spoken of with wry, knowing smiles, when it comes to Hellraiser, and Pinhead, brows often become furrowed and conversations become serious, such is the reverence for Clive Barker’s most famous creation.

Those of us who were captivated by Hellraiser when it first graced cinema screens way back in 1987 have never quite forgotten the power and intelligence of that first film, and were equally enrapt by the sequel Hellbound the following year, and to a lesser extent by 1992’s third offering Hell On Earth. For us, the Hellraiser series pretty much concludes, as the subsequent sequels were dismal, so it is a joy to see that Arrow Video have chosen to...

Special Mention: Dressed To Kill

Directed by Brian De Palma

Written by Brian De Palma

1980, USA

Genre: Thriller

Brian De Palma’s films, like Tarantino’s, are a cinematic mash-up of influences from the past, and in De Palma case he borrows heavily from Alfred Hitchcock. Obsession is De Palma’s Vertigo, Blow Out his Rear Window, and with Dressed to Kill the director set its sights on Psycho. Dressed To Kill is more thriller than horror but what a stylish and twisted thriller it is! The highlight here is an amazing ten-minute chase sequence set in an art gallery and conducted entirely without dialogue. There are a number of other well-sustained set pieces including a race in the subway system and even, yes, a gratuitous shower murder sequence. Dressed To Kill features an excellent cast (Michael Caine, Nancy Allen, Angie Dickinson), a superb score (courtesy of Pino Donaggio) and...

There have been many screen monsters who have become iconic to genre fans and in the 80s the likes of Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees ruled the roost. With the coming of Pinhead though things changed, even if he was never meant to be the star of Hellraiser...

Arrow Video are releasing Hellraiser: The Scarlet Box Limited Edition Trilogy just in time for a Halloween and for fans of Clive Barker’s creation, this is a perfect set. Featuring Hellraiser, Hellraiser 2: Hellbound, and Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth, it seems fitting that these are the only films included. They were the closest to the truth vision of what Hellraiser was, even if the third was a move to bring the films more into the mainstream.

Making my way through the discs for review I was reminded just how good the films were and how for the most part they don’t feel dated.

*Updated with full list of bonus features and new photos.* Just in time for Halloween, Arrow Video will release fresh 2k restorations of Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser II, and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, complete with plenty of bonus feature goodies in the Hellraiser: The Scarlet Box UK Blu-ray set.

Slated for an October 26th release in the UK, Hellraiser: The Scarlet Box includes the Hellraiser: Evolutions documentary, a 200-page hardcover book examining Clive Barker's Hellraiser universe, and much more.

From Arrow Video: "Stephen King was once quoted as saying: “I have seen the future of horror… his name is Clive Barker.” That future became reality when, in 1987, Barker unleashed his directorial debut Hellraiser – launching a hit franchise and creating an instant horror icon in the formidable figure of Pinhead.

Barker’s original Hellraiser, based on his novella The Hellbound Heart, follows Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence) as...

Didn’t get enough red-hot reviewin’ action in my last mega-column, creeps? Well e’en if ya did—too bad! Here comes another crapload of monsters, madmen and my patented high-larious wiseass ass-wisery!

Clive Barker’S Origins: Salome/The Forbidden

• Release Date: Available Now on DVD

• Written By: Clive Barker

• Directed By: Clive Barker

• Starring: Doug Bradley, Clive Barker, Peter Atkins, Anne Taylor, Graham Bickley

Here are a couple of flicks that I have a real history with! Way back in the distant past, a gaggle of my ghoulish gang would huddle around the ol’ cathode ray tube and blast our eyeballs with all manner of vicious visuals that were contained in these magical black rectangles called VHS tapes. Now, a lot of what some of you fiends take for granted these days (Italian gore, splatter flicks, etc.) could be damn hard to get unless you dipped yer toes in some pretty grey waters.

The last week of August features an eclectic array of titles that should be of interest to horror and sci-fi fans. In order to give viewers a chance to revisit last season before the next run of the series begins in October, Anchor Bay Entertainment is releasing season five of The Walking Dead on Blu-ray and DVD this week. Scream Factory has put together another killer cult classic double feature with their Blu-ray presentation of Metamorphosis and Beyond Darkness, and for those of you Clive Barker enthusiasts out there, you’ll finally have a chance to own the Master of Horror’s visionary short films, Salome and The Forbidden, for the first time ever this Tuesday.

Other titles arriving on August 25th include Blu-ray releases for The Sender and Student Bodies from Olive Films, newer indie horror films like Beg, Morbid and Atom the Amazing Zombie Killer, and both Jacob...

We’ve seen the clichés time and time again: flesh-munching zombies, deranged hitchhikers, disturbingly naive teenage babysitters, evil cliques of high school girls, whackos off dirt roads in rural America…. However, there are many movies that thrive upon original ideas and unique plots. One of the most imaginative figures in the realm of contemporary horror is Clive Barker. He has always eschewed formulas and clichés in favor of experimental (and often confusing or deceptive) visual storytelling devices and atmosphere.

Barker first formed a theater in London at age 21 to produce the plays he wrote, all of which were recognized for their horrific but fantastical elements. The profoundly unique and imaginative qualities that composed Barker's work is what led his novels to being adapted into films, which then inspired him to direct his own: enter Hellraiser (1987) . Based on his novella entitled The Hellbound Heart, the movie follows the alternate world of...

The folks at One Way Static Records must have chanted “Candyman” five times while looking in the mirror, because their latest release is the soundtrack to 1992’s Candyman, a film based on Clive Barker’s Books of Blood short story, “The Forbidden.” Making its vinyl debut, the eerie soundtrack by Philip Glass is available to pre-order, and we have song samples and a look at the gatefold and cassette cover art.

Press Release - “One Way Static Records is really proud to be bring you their latest release, A release where we had the chance to work with two icons in their own respective fields!

Today we present to you the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to Clive Barker’s 1992 ‘Candyman’ composed & performed by Philip Glass.

Clive Barker who wrote the story for Candyman is a multi talented artist, painter, director & producer. The extent of his work is endless. Spawning Nightbreed,...

Although by the early 1990s horror fans had mostly tired of the Jasons Freddies and Michael Myers in the genre Clive Barker was undeterred and went forward with his own angel of death based on his story The Forbidden. Off a budget of 8 million the genius behind Hellraiser (1988) transformed the Bloody Mary urban legend into one of the creepiest killers of all time. With mixed reviews by critics and a moderately successful stint at the box office netting just under 26 million Candymans acclaim and popularity have grown considerably over time.

On this day in 1952 Clive Barker was born in Liverpool England. Like Lovecraft Barker creates realms parallel to our mortal world with darker atmospheres and sinister natural orders. After enticing horror fans to follow him into a world where pleasure united with pain in Hellraiser he attempted to draw them into another world on the fringes of our own in Nightbreed (1990). Although a flop his short story The Forbidden became the basis for another contemporary classic Candyman (1992).

If you're here skimming through this website, then we'd like to think that you're already a fan of Clive Barker. And even if you're not fully well-versed in his body of work whether it be his films, novels, short stories, art, etc, we've got something super cool that you're bound (or hellbound?) to appreciate!

Below you'll find the very first two short films that Clive ever made as a filmmaker back in college titled "Salomé" and "The Forbidden" (Not to be confused with his Books Of Blood short story of the same name which later was adapted into the movie Candyman). Previously, the only way to see these were as bonus features on an import Hellraiser boxed set that Anchor Bay UK out out several years ago. Now you can get a rare glimpse at the very beginning stages of one of the most influential minds in horror fiction. Full...

Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman. One silly sounding word repeated five times into a mirror, which unleashes all kinds of mayhem -- and, as it happens, one of the more original horror creations of the last few decades. The hook-handed son of a slave (as embodied by Tony Todd) summoned by the chanting of his name, created by horror legend Clive Barker (along with writer/director Bernard Rose), he's appeared in three films to date. And while the substandard sequels saw the character lose his luster, it doesn't change the fact that the original "Candyman," which was released twenty years ago today on October 16th, 1992, is a fairly superior and unusually intelligent horror flick. It began with a short story. British author Barker's major breakthrough came with his "Books Of Blood" series in 1984, and in the fourth installment (published in 1985), there was a story named "The Forbidden" -- which shares a title,...

Occupy Midian is where the monsters are. But that’s later on down the road. This is the story of a man, an icon to many, a shadow filled with light. A man who created the ultimate shaggy-dog monster film and has been resurrected to cross the countryside unspooling it’s cinematic treasures for the world to see. It was a long road and begins the same way all stories begin … with a man.

That man, is Clive Barker. His work is worthy of study over and over again, for as long as anyone can. His work reaches into a deeper subconscious that others can only dream of reaching. He moves people, he changes people. I remember reading the “Books of Blood,” which was my first introduction to Clive (like most others), and being moved. My eyes pored over every page, soaking in and reveling in every single gory detail.

Horror fans may have mixed feelings about the ongoing Final Destination franchise, but with Final Destination 5 fated to make it’s stand in theaters on Friday, August 12th, one thing we can count on is a roller coaster of death-defying thrills. Actor Tony Todd also returns as the mysterious Mr. William Bludworth, a mortician with an unusual knowledge of death and the rules of the fabled Grim Reaper. In honor of the talented character actor, I present my Top Ten list of favorite Tony Todd roles.

10. The Rock (1996)

“I’m not a soldier, Major. The day we took hostages, we became mercenaries. And mercenaries get paid. I want my fucking money!”

In Michael Bay’s entertaining action-thriller, Tony Todd plays Captain Darrow, a military officer now loyal to Brigadier General Francis Hummel (Ed Harris) who seizes Alcatraz and holds tourists hostage as he plans a homegrown terrorist plot for...

Before you guys get over-excited, we have yet to confirm this as 100% true.  I received an e-mail today from a guy who claims to be a close friend of Clive Barker.  He stated that the writer of "The Forbidden", the short story the original "Candyman" was based upon, is planning a reboot for the movie and our source even claims Barker plans to direct.  That would be f#$king awesome!  Again, we have yet to confirm this, so consider this to be a rumor for now.  We're going to investigate and see if we can't get some confirmation.  The original "Candyman" is one of the best horror movies of all time and if there are plans to remake it, Barker is the only guy I would trust to do it right.

The 30th anniversary of Fangoria magazine will be honored at a special panel to be held at the 42nd edition of Spain’s prestigious Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, to be held October 1-12. Longtime Fango editor Tony Timpone will be attending, joined by British correspondents Alan Jones, Calum Waddell and Axelle Carolyn, as well as Italian correspondent Roberto D’Onofrio. The Fango salute will take place on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. in the Tramuntana Room at the Meliá Hotel.

“For the last 30 years, Fangoria has been the cornerstone of the Sitges program’s diet,” says festival director Angel Sala, “the number-one source of information to feed the bowels of the beast. Fango has been the written witness of the horror scene around the world for over three decades. Sitges can only bow and pay due respect with a celebration for the fans.”

“The panel will be...

The Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia announces its complete program. There are still a few surprises to be confirmed, like the closing gala, but they have already put together the final list of films that will be screened at Sitges 09. Below you’ll find the titles of each film and their sections as well as links for the films that we have already reviewed here on Sound On Sight. Opening Film [Rec]2. Paco Plaza and Jaume Balagueró. 2009. Official FANTÀSTIC In Competition Section Accident. Soi Cheang. 2009. Accidents Happen. Andrew Lancaster. 2009. The Children. Tom Shankland. 2008. [1] Cold Souls. Sophie Bartes. 2009. The Countess. Julie Delpy. 2009. Les Derniers Jours Du Monde. Jean-Marie and Arnaud Larrieu. 2009. Dogtooth (Kynodontas). Yorgos Lanthimos. 2009. Dorian Gray. Oliver Parker. 2009. Enter The Void. Gaspar Noé. 2009. Grace. Paul Solet. 2009. [2] Heartless. Philip Ridley. 2009. Hierro. Gabe Ibáñez. 2009. La Horde. Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher. 2009. Ingrid. Eduard Cortés. 2009. Kinatay. Brillante Mendoza. 2009. Metropia. Tarik Saleh. 2009. Moon.

The full lineup has been announced, and among the load of genre fare that's been running the fest circuit are the world premiers of:

Vincenzo Natali's latest, Splice, which we're all excited about.

Simon Fellows twisted adaptation Malice in Wonderland (trailer)

Along some of our personal favorites:

Black Dynamite (friggin awesome)

Swiss scifi flick Cargo (trailer)

Pater Sparrow's incredible Stanislaw Lem adaptation 1 (review)

The Mo Brothers Indonesian slasher Macabre (review)

Atm (get it?) horror-comedy The Human Centipede (review)

Full list after the break.

Opening Film

[Rec]2. Paco Plaza and Jaume Balagueró. 2009.

Official FANTÀSTIC In Competition Section

Accident. Soi Cheang. 2009.

Accidents Happen. Andrew Lancaster. 2009.

The Children. Tom Shankland. 2008.

Cold Souls. Sophie Bartes. 2009.

The Countess. Julie Delpy. 2009.

Les Derniers Jours Du Monde. Jean-Marie and Arnaud Larrieu. 2009.

Dogtooth (Kynodontas). Yorgos Lanthimos. 2009.

Dorian Gray. Oliver Parker. 2009.

Enter The Void. Gaspar Noé. 2009.

Grace. Paul Solet. 2009.

Heartless. Philip Ridley. 2009.

Hierro. Gabe Ibáñez. 2009.

La Horde. Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher.

Genre fave Tony Todd told Fangoria Radio last week that the team behind Final Destination 4, due in theaters August 21 from Warners/New Line, has yet to hire him to reprise the role of mortician Bludworth (pictured) that he played in the initial trilogy. “They sent me the script a while ago,” Todd said of the David (Final Destination 2) Ellis-directed 3-D sequel, which opens with a spectacular racetrack disaster. “But they have yet to bring me in.”

Todd, who appeared on screen in the first two Final Destination movies, came in at the 11th hour to do voiceover work on the third film to insure series continuity, so the scenario may repeat on the new movie. Regardless, the actor has plenty to keep him busy. Todd begins a seven-episode arc on Fox’s 24 this season (he also appears in the 24: Redemption two-hour movie airing this Sunday), and Bloodwars, in...