News

Prolific actor James Laurenson, who played Doctor Weir in the royal period drama The Crown, has died. He was 84. His passing was reported by multiple U.K. news outlets on Friday, May 10. A cause of death has not yet been provided. Born on February 17, 1940, in Marton, North Island, New Zealand, Laurenson made his acting career in the United Kingdom after moving there in the mid-1960s. He made his on-screen film debut in 1969 in Ken Russell’s romantic drama Women in Love. Throughout his career, Laurenson has had guest roles in numerous classic TV series such as Coronation Street, Z-Cars, The Professionals, Hammer House of Horror, Cagney and Lacey, Remington Steele, Bergerac, Midsomer Murders, Prime Suspect, Silent Witness, Hustle, Endeavour, Spooks, and many more. In more recent years, he played Earl of Westmoreland in the BBC adaptations of William Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Parts I and II and starred in...

While Midnight Pulp and TokuSHOUTsu are joining forces for the 3rd annual “Monster Bowl” this Sunday, Shout! TV has put together their own Super Bowl alternative.

Shout! TV proudly presents the “Wolf Bowl,” a supernatural streaming event broadcasting 24 hours of werewolf movies on Shout! TV and Scream Factory TV on Sunday, February 11.

The 24-hour “Wolf Bowl” 2024 marathon features classic werewolf films including Dog Soldiers, Bad Moon, Brotherhood of the Wolf and The Beast Must Die, as well as werewolf episodes of Elvira’s Movie Macabre and Hammer House of Horror.

The “Wolf Bowl Marathon” can be viewed on Shout! TV (edited for broadcast) and Scream Factory TV (uncensored); as well as the Shout! TV app on Roku, Android, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV; and the following digital streaming platforms – Amazon Freevee, Amazon Prime Channels, Local Now, Plex, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Roku Premium Subscriptions, Samsung TV Plus, Sling TV,...

Hammer Films is delighted to announce that their upcoming horror thriller Doctor Jekyll will be available exclusively in the UK on Digital Download from 11th March 2024. An isolated mansion, a mysterious locked room, creepy corridors, a dusty cellar and a mad doctor… Hammer Horror is back! Dive into the haunting and enigmatic world of Doctor Jekyll. Starring the incomparable Eddie Izzard in a role like you’ve never seen before. A fresh, horror-filled take on a timeless tale, this adaptation promises to send shivers down your spine. Adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novel, Doctor Jekyll is directed by Joe Stephenson, and also stars Scott Chambers and Simon Callow, as well as Lindsay Duncan, Jonathan Hyde, Morgan Watkins and Robyn Cara.

“In a year that marks a monumental milestone for Hammer Films, our 90th anniversary, we are proud to present ‘Doctor Jekyll’. This release is not just a new chapter...

In the age of streaming television, horror is alive and well. Shows like "Stranger Things" and "Wednesday" are topping Netflix's charts, "What We Do in the Shadows" continues to prove series adaptations of movies can be even better than the source material, and although "The Walking Dead" came to a conclusion with its 11th season, its multiple spin-offs are certain to keep its spirit shambling along for years to come. But what if you're looking for something off the beaten path?

The good news is that there's a whole world of horror television lurking in the shadows, hungrily waiting for its next captive audience. From old-school anthology series to a Danish supernatural hospital drama, or even obscure relics of the Y2K age, we've put together a lineup of forgotten or simply underappreciated shows that are worth checking out. While some of these might take a little elbow grease...

Everyone remembers the sensation of fear coursing through their veins the first time they ever heard the ominous whispering of "Ki ki ki, ma ma ma" in "Friday the 13th." The terrifying slasher from Victor Miller and Sean S. Cunningham spawned a massively popular franchise and inspired countless rip-offs, but few films can hold a candle to the unbridled terror found within the trees and cabins of Camp Crystal Lake. Now, horror maven Bryan Fuller is taking us back to camp with the upcoming A24 prequel series, "Crystal Lake."

The "Friday the 13th" franchise is comprised of 12 films, three seasons of a television series, novels, comic books, video games, and plenty of tie-in merchandise. While prequel stories have been told in the novels and comics, "Crystal Lake" will be the first time we see the story of what came before Jason Voorhees' untimely death during summer camp on screen — fully fleshed out.

The phrase “Joanna Hogg’s Shutter Island” is not a line that many critics expect to bust out in their lifetimes, but with her sixth feature the British director has made a fascinating foray into genre cinema that, while firmly in keeping with the rest of her quasi-autobiographical works, makes a surprising departure from the upper-middle-class realism of her signature film The Souvenir.

Venice competition entry The Eternal Daughter stays very much in the same social milieu, and reunites Hogg with Tilda Swinton in a dual role, but there is also a tremendous sense of unease here, whether one sees it as a spooky story about a woman’s search for self or what it’s like to book a staycation in the UK these days.

Venice Film Festival 2022 Photos

Swinton plays Julie, a filmmaker who is taking her mother Rosalind (also Swinton) on a birthday trip to an ancestral home,...

Real-world journalism comes with some occupational hazards, but usually death isn’t one of them. In the horror genre, on the other hand, members of the press find themselves in danger every time they get a hot lead on something weird and unexplained. Their tenacity never does them any good; one minute they’ve found the story of their career, the next they’re never heard from again.

Journalists often get in over their heads in horror. Something goes wrong in their investigation, and they end up becoming the story. As these five TV-anthology tales illustrate, digging for the truth can also mean digging your own grave.

Out of the Unknown (1965-1971)

Deathday

Out of the Unknown was one of several BBC anthologies from the ’60s and ’70s. And like others from this era, this show was almost entirely scrubbed from existence. It was common practice to erase series back then,...

1980, early October. Nine-year-old me was supposed to be asleep, but wasn't. Loud dramatic music was playing downstairs, so I couldn't resist a surreptitious peep at what Mum and Dad were watching, and I was confronted by something that would stick with me forever: a children's birthday party, where all the young attendees were liberally covered with blood. Later in life, not sure whether I'd partly imagined it, I'd seek it out. It turns out that the scene was from an episode of "Hammer House of Horror," specifically the none-too-ambiguously titled "The House That Bled to Death."

That's where my interest in anthology television comes from. There's...

The post The 15 Best Anthology TV Series Ranked appeared first on /Film.

With offerings like Death Line and Stage Fright in their August lineup, Arrow's service continues to be a go-to destination for lovers of cult cinema:

"London, UK - Arrow Video is excited to announce the August 2021 lineup of their new subscription-based Arrow platform, available to subscribers in the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland.

The August lineup leads with the Arrow release of Noel David Taylor's bizarre filmmaking comedy Man Under Table, available exclusively to subscribers in the US, Canada, the UK and newly launched in Ireland. The feature debut from writer/director Noel David Taylor, who also stars as Guy, a beleaguered, hilariously obnoxious scriptwriter navigating his way through the chaotic indie film scene in a dystopian Los Angeles, Man Under Table world premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival and screened at the Chattanooga Film Festival. The film will debut on Arrow August 2nd.

Man Under Table...

The clock is ticking, kids! Halloween is now officially less than a week away, and one of my favorite October traditions is indulging in all sorts of Halloween-themed TV specials, both new and old. So, if you’re someone who enjoys all the seasonal offerings from the small screen, I’ve updated my annual list of Halloween TV specials and classic horror series that are currently streaming on a variety of platforms.

Happy Streaming, everyone!!

Halloween Foodie Finds:

Halloween Baking Championship (Multiple Seasons)

You can stream the first four seasons currently on Hulu.

Halloween Wars (Multiple Seasons)

You can stream seasons 3 through 8 currently on Hulu.

Classic TV Series:

Elvira’s Movie Macabre (Season 1)

You can stream season 1 on Peacock.

Tales From the Cryptkeeper (Multiple Seasons)

You can stream all three seasons currently on Tubi TV.

Chillers (Season 1)

You can currently stream season 1 on The Roku Channel.

Masters of Horror (Multiple Seasons...

“It’s a classic ghost story with one of the best filmed jumps ever,” sums up Andy Nyman of Herbert Wise’s 1989 TV movie of The Woman in Black, “It properly delivers, and it properly delivers in a fantastically old fashioned way. It’s a proper ghost story at Christmas.” He’s not wrong. Now restored and released on Blu-ray with a load of new extras, the movie is still incredibly effective. Nyman has recorded a new commentary for the film along with fellow horror experts Kim Newman and Mark Gatiss. Nyman has a personal connection to the film too – it was his very first TV role, playing legal clerk Jackie, opposite Stephen Mackintosh as his sidekick. 30 years on and coming back to do the commentary was a joy, he explains.

“Oh, look, I honestly love it all so much,” he beams. “I never take anything for granted.” Nyman and...

So a bus driver, a priest, and a cop walk into a church.

“Charming” and “adorable” might not be the words you’d want to immediately associate with a Panamanian horror film about witches and cannibals, but Diablo Rojo Pty forces your hand. This adorable yet terrifying tale of the devils in Panama (based on the folklore of La Tuliviejai) is full of heart, charm, and the passion you associate with its geographical area.

Chased out of a bar by a suspected witch, a bus driver and his young pal hit the streets in their party bus only to be hassled by some cops. Stopping to avoid colliding with a woman in the street, the group is attacked by a winged demon who, after mangling an officer’s hand, throws them off course and into Chiriqui, a Panamanian province rumoured to be home to witches, cannibals, and other potential devil-aligned baddies.

Happy Monday, guys! For today’s installment of our ongoing “From Streams to Screams” series, we’re taking a moment to celebrate one of my favorite storytelling aspects in genre cinema: anthology films. The best part about horror anthologies, to me, is the fact that they often have something in them for every type of genre fan, which means that if you’re reading this, most likely there’s going to be something in this list you’ll enjoy.

One note: Nightmare Cinema doesn’t arrive on Shudder until late October, so I didn’t include it here, but you should definitely make time for it once it debuts on their service in a few weeks.

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (Available on Hulu & Amazon Prime)

From Stephen King (Pet Sematary), Michael McDowell (Beetlejuice), George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead) and Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of Sherlock...

In the latest installment of his ongoing interview series, host Stuart Wright talks with 606 Distribution co-founder Pat Kelman about his 5 Great British Horror Films, which include:

Eve Vault of Horror (1973) Frankenstein & the Monster From Hell (1974) The Omen (1976) The House that Bled to Death

606 Distribution acquired two new films at Cannes 2019. Silver Bear-winner System Crasher (Systemsprenger), and French music drama Le CHoc Du Futur (UK Title Tbc)

System Crasher joins 606’s roster of striking female-centred films, with a Triple-f rating of writer and director (Nora Fingscheidt), and an electrifying performance by 11 year old Helena Zengel. Le Choc Du Futur is directed by French music veteran Marc Collin of the band Nouvelle Vague, and describes itself as “an ode to the women in France in the 1980s who helped develop electronic music.” It stars Alma Jodorovsky and Clara Luciani.

(The impressive and Gothic Oakley Court, star of many horror pics.)

By Mark Mawston

Cinema Retro’s Mark Mawston was invited to cover a rather special event being held at the wonderful Oakley Court near Windsor, just across the river and virtually facing Hammers old studios at Bray. Oakley, the setting for many a Hammer and Amicus film, was utilized for its Gothic look and proximity from Bray, starting way back in 1949 when Hammer were still under their Exclusive Films moniker. Film fans will immediately recognize Oakley as the home of Tim Curry’s Dr. Frankenfurter in the 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, so a more apt location for a memorabilia fair would be hard to find. The timing was also perfect as it was held just before Halloween. Collectors and dealers from all over the country (and further afield) met to exchange stories as well as merchandise...

One of the best damned British anthology series is no doubt “Hammer House of Horror,” and if you’re a BritBox subscriber, you can dig on all the spookiness just in time for Halloween! BritBox, the streaming service from BBC Worldwide… Continue Reading →

The post Hammer House of Horror Streaming on BritBox for Halloween; Exclusive Clip! appeared first on Dread Central.

Matt Edwards Oct 20, 2017

How about experiencing Hammer Horror - live? We went to London to find out more...

Hammer House Of Horror Live: The Soulless Ones is the resurrected horror brand's first stab at immersive theatre. Den of Geek headed to West London, excited to experience what promised to be a night of ghastly fun and ghouls, and keen to find out what the on earth immersive theatre is.

“Would you like a cape?” asked the usher.

“No thanks.”

“No, you have to take a cape. I just asked to be polite.”

It didn’t seem so polite to me, but he tipped me off that I should hang onto to my satchel as the bag check gets busy at the end of the night so I considered us squared away.

I found myself in a dim hallway, having picked up my ticket from the box office and cleared through...

Hammer House of Horror will soon be going live on the stage, which sounds like an experience not to be missed. From the Press Release: Undisputed home of horror brought to life like never before this October Iconic British brand… Continue Reading →

The post Hammer House of Horror Goes Live appeared first on Dread Central.

Secret Cinema and Crystal Maze staff hired for October event.

Hammer Films, the iconic British horror production house, is planning an immersive cinema/theatre event that will run in London in October.

Dubbed Hammer House of Horror Live, the newly-commissioned experience will welcome up to 200 visitors a night to Hoxton Hall in east London, with the event running October 3-31.

Based on an original script, the experience will give participants the opportunity to witness a vampiric ritual, including elements of live theatre, immersive film and digital technology.

The event’s production team is being headed up by Anna Söderblom, founder of theatre-focused entertainment company Storia, with production manager Andy Reader, whose credits include three major Secret Cinema productions: Star Wars, Dr Strangelove and 28 Days Later.

Söderblom will direct and has co-written the experience with Oscar Blustin, founder of theatre company Specifiq, who has worked on previous immersive productions including The Crystal Maze.

Stewart Pringle of London...

The 1971 Hammer horror cult classic "Twins of Evil" will receive a rare big screen showing on Tuesday May 30 at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Brooklyn. Showtime is at 9:30. Here is the official description from the Alamo Drafthouse web site:

Hosted by TV writer/producer, recovering film critic Bruce Bennett. Admission only $10!

By 1971 the UK Hammer House of Horror had traded cleavage and blood trickle for R-rated female nudity and comparatively extravagant applications of “Kensington Gore”. Twins Of Evil literally doubles down on the nudity care of comely Maltese identical siblings Madeleine and Mary Collinson. And writer Tudor Gates’ grafting of vampire yarn with witch-hunt mentality jeremiad offers plenty of opportunities for bloodletting - particularly via a climactic beheading. But with all due respect to the Collinsons, the most memorable charms on display in Twins Of Evil are of a more backward-glancing variety. Taking a page from Michael Reeves’ Witchfinder General,...

The Horror Channel has an Easter treat for fans of Hammer films, as their UK-only Hammer-thon will air March 26th and 27th. Also in this round-up: release details for The Ones Below, a trailer for The Cleansing Hour short film, eight preview pages from Monster World #3, and information on The Last American Horror Show.

UK Horror Channel’s Hammer-Thon: Press Release: “Hammer film fans are in for a treat….Horror Channel is to screen an Easter Hammer-thon with back-to-back Hammer classics.

Some of Hammer’s most popular films, including The Revenge Of Frankenstein, The Devil Rides Out and The Brides Of Dracula will be broadcast across the weekend from 3pm – 10pm on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th March.

Plus, Horror Channel will be presenting ‘Hammer Thursdays’ from Thurs 7 April for six weeks. This will be a Hammer movie at 9pm followed by a double-bill of Hammer House Of Horror at 10.50pm.

Editor’s Note: Apologies to the readers of Dtb and to the author of all the Coffin Couture posts, Cherry Bombed for being tardy with this post. We hope that you still find it useful!

After this long, hot, horrible summer, Coffin Couture is Back on Destroy the Brain with our annual, fashionable recommendations for the coming Fall season.

This time around on Cc I decided to focus on the needs of incoming students who also happen to be horror film fanatics. From accessories that homage the great films of Hammer, to beautifully crafted eyeglass frames with an all over Ouija board pattern (yes, really), this year going back to school won’t be as painful as it was for those damn stupid kids that got carved up at the lake this summer and never made it to first period.

Curse of Frankenstein bag

As I can never get enough...

Stars: Michael Shannon, Samantha Morton, Peter Fonda, Natasha Calis, Charlie Tahan, Peter Fonda, Leslie Lyles | Written by Stephen Lancellotti | Directed by John McNaughton

John McNaughton, enfante-terrible of the BBFC thanks to his stunning 1986 debut feature Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, returns to genre film making after two decades away from horror (his Masters of Horror episode in 2006 is his only “horror” credit in 25 years), with Can’t Come Out to Play, a psychological thriller starring Britain’s very own Samantha Morton and everyone’s favourite Superman villain, Michael Shannon, who play married medical professionals Katharine and Richard Young who keep their sick son Andy isolated from the outside world in their remote countryside house.

However that isolation is broken when Maryann, following the death of her parents, moves in with her grandparents just down the road. Having left all she knows behind and feeling alone, she eventually befriends Andy...

“The British Film” collection was launched by Network Distributing in April 2013 as part of a five-year plan to release over 450 vintage British films through a deal with Studiocanal. Many of the films have never been available to own and will benefit from new transfers. We’ve already reviewed a couple of their previous releases, the Hammer horror pairing of Countess Dracula and Twins of Evil – and now we take a look at two more interesting British horrors of the 1970s…

The Shout

Stars: Alan Bates, Susannah York, John Hurt, Robert Stephens, Tim Curry | Directed by Jerzy Skolimowski

Synopsis: During a cricket match at an insane asylum between the inmates and the local villagers, Crossley and Graves keep themselves entertained by telling stories. Crossley tells of how he came to possess supernatural powers enabling him to kill with a single shout and although his companion dismisses the tale as an insane fantasy,...

Stars: Michael Shannon, Samantha Morton, Peter Fonda, Natasha Calis, Charlie Tahan, Peter Fonda, Leslie Lyles | Written by Stephen Lancellotti | Directed by John McNaughton

John McNaughton, enfante-terrible of the BBFC thanks to his stunning 1986 debut feature Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, returns to genre film making after two decades away from horror (his Masters of Horror episode in 2006 is his only “horror” credit in 25 years), with a psychological thriller starring Britain’s very own Samantha Morton and everyone’s favourite Superman villain, Michael Shannon, who play married medical professionals Katharine and Richard Young who keep their sick son Andy isolated from the outside world in their remote countryside house.

However that isolation is broken when Maryann, following the death of her parents, moves in with her grandparents just down the road. Having left all she knows behind and feeling alone, she eventually befriends Andy – despite the vehement protest of his overprotective mother,...

It has been dismissed over the years as cheesy, cheap and laughable but, as has been the case on many occasions, Hammer Films have had the last laugh. They boast a back-catalogue that is to horror movies what The Rolling Stones’ discography is to rock music. Fifty-nine years after the release of their first horror movie proper (The Quatermass Xperiment), Hammer’s films have survived scrutiny and re-evaluation and have now attained National Treasure status. Moreover, in terms of sheer importance, the Hammer films were some of the most influential of the past half-century. The ripple-effect of their imitators cashing in on their success would beget the careers of some of the biggest names in Hollywood today.

And yet since 1984 Hammer has been a dormant entity, existing only in the memory: a pile of ashes, a cape and a signet ring waiting to be reanimated by the crimson, jugular discharge of some poor,...

President & CEO of Hammer and Vice-Chairman of Exclusive Media, Simon Oakes, announced today that Hammer, an Exclusive Media company, will produce a new version of The Abominable Snowman. The project is being developed by Hammer in association with Ben Holden (The Quiet Ones, The Woman in Black: Angel of Death).

In this modern take on the Yeti myth, a scientific expedition’s illegal ascent up an unclimbed peak of one of the World’s most formidable mountains accidentally awakens an ancient creature that could spell a certain end for them all.

Watch the trailer from the 1957 British horror film.

The original screenplay by Matthew Read (Pusher, Hammer of the Gods) and Jon Croker (The Woman In Black: Angel of Death, Desert Dancer) will put a modern twist on the 1957 iconic original film from Hammer’s extensive canon of work. The project marks a continuation of Hammer’s ongoing campaign to...

Dario Argento once said, "Horror is like a serpent; always shedding its skin, always changing. And it will always come back." Abertoir, Wales’ International Horror Festival that wrapped this past Sunday, November 10th, has been celebrating horror’s malleability and resilience for eight years.

This year you could find Argento’s operatic giallo style reinvented by French filmmakers Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani in The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears; vampires got a makeover in Kiss of the Damned and Chimeres; ghosts found new life in Ghost Graduation, Forgotten, and Soulmate; found footage was resurrected as Catholic horror in Borderlands; and creature features took a strange turn with The Station and Bad Milo.

Festival director Gaz Bailey had to watch a lot of awful films to find the best the genre had to offer. And he looks for one thing above all else when selecting a film: originality.

Jeanette Winterson’s novella centres on a 17th century witch trial.

Hammer has acquired the film rights to Jeanette Winterson’s The Daylight Gate, the novella released under the Arrow Books Hammer imprint from Random House in August 2012.

The deal is part of Hammer’s ongoing strategy to develop projects created by its literary and theatrical deals.

Set in the early 17th century, The Daylight Gate is based on the notorious Pendle Witch Trial and comprises magic, superstition and murder.

Winterson said: “I was interested to take the Hammer novella commission to write a good story around the notorious Pendle witch trials of 1612. Now I am intrigued and excited to see what new form these ghosts can inhabit. Stories from the past are always present; it is our imaginations that make it so.”

The announcement was made by Simon Oakes, vice chairman of Exclusive Media and Hammer Films’ president and CEO.

Hammer, owned...

Hammer and Horror Film Day!

Saturday November the 9th ( 10am – 5pm )

Central Hall Westminster.

Storey’s Gate, Westminster, London SW1H 9Nh

UK’s longest running film fair and convention.

Now in it’s 40th year!

The Convention presents dealers from all over the UK, Europe, Us ,

Canada and South America.

Specialising in rare original film memorabilia and collectables.

Taking place six times a year these are truly unique events for anyone with an interest in films!

With actors and director’s signings, illustrated talks, retrospectives and film screenings taking place through out the day.

Items covering the history of cinema can be found. From the silents to the present.

From rare items of the 1920’s to new releases and the latest heart throb.

Among the many different field of cinema covered at the show is – Classic Hollywood, horror films, sci-fi, the best of British and European cinema as we as cult tv!

Roy Z is a badass musician and producer who is known for his killer work with Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford and Judas Priest. We recently chatted with Roy about his work on the Zombie Squash game starring George A. Romero, his current music projects and much more.

Amanda Dyar: Tell us, what have you been up to nowadays?

Roy Z: I've been mixing, writing, recording and developing artist, working with new young artists, teaching, you name it. I'm currently mixing, what I would call an international group, because they're all from different countries, called One Machine. I'm mixing their debut now. My good buddy, Steve Smythe is in the band, who, when I first met him, was in Testament in 2003 when we toured together with Halford. I've also been working and developing a group called Art of Shock. I'm doing their Ep now and they're going...

This week saw the release of a new book that details the life and career of horror legend, Peter Cushing. Titled, Peter Cushing: A Life in Film, we have an exclusive excerpt that talks about The Curse of Frankenstein, and multiple photos from the book:

“Peter Cushing was an unforgettable presence in cult cinema of the fifties, sixties and seventies, and remains one of Britain’s best-loved film stars. Cushing made a huge impact in the groundbreaking television adaptation of Nineteen Eighty-Four, and went on to find international fame as Baron Frankenstein and Doctor Van Helsing in the most acclaimed films from the Hammer house of horror. During his lengthy career, Cushing also played Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes and Grand Moff Tarkin, the villain of the original Star Wars.

Author David Miller has written a definitive guide to the stage and screen career of a legendary star, drawing upon...

Titan Books has just released a brand new book that outlines the life of one of film’s greatest cult icons, Peter Cushing. If you’re a hound for classic horror cinema, you know Cushing from his roles as Baron Frankenstein and Doctor Van Helsing in the films from the Hammer house of horror. Cushing’s other star... Read More...

Writer and actor Richard O'Brien and composer Richard Hartley remember how three weeks at the Royal Court turned into a gender-bending 20th Century Fox extravaganza

Richard O'Brien, writer and actor

I'd been in Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair, and was starting to think I wouldn't mind seeing a musical that appealed to me, an eternal adolescent. I loved B-movies, rock'n'roll and glam, so thought I'd do a parody – or homage – to all those things.

Then Jim Sharman, the director of Jesus Christ Superstar, asked me to audition for a play at London's Royal Court. There I met Richard Hartley, who was writing its incidental music. One night, Jim brought Richard round to my place, and I sang them some of my songs, including Science Fiction/Double Feature and Hot Patootie. Jim thought they'd make a great show and called me afterwards saying: "They've asked me to do another play at...

Submit your vote for Reviewer of the Year!

Every year, the Classic Horror Film Board recognizes the best in the horror/sci-fi/fantasy realm with the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. Fans of the genre can vote for their favorites in over thirty categories, and this year, Cinelinx would like to ask you to vote for one of our own, staff writer Victor Medina, as Reviewer of the Year (Category 29)! We've even included the ballot below so you can vote!

Votes must be submitted by copying and pasting the ballot into your personal email, making your choices, including your name, and sending it in. Votes for Reviewer of the Year are write-in only, so you must be sure to include Vic's name yourself under Category 29 when you vote. Pre-filled ballots are not allowed, so we can't do it for you! Remember, you must write in "Victor Medina, Cinelinx.com" yourself.

This week Michael & I discuss Lovely Molly. Lovely Molly is directed by Eduardo Sanchez (co-director of The Blair Witch Project). The film was previously reviewed by Mike Hassler which you can read here.

Show Notes:

Intro

What We’ve Been Watching* (1:30)

*This is a repeated segment from Episode 102 due to Michael & I recording Episodes 102 & 103 back to back.

Michael: Girls (Season 1), Entrance

Andy: The X Factor, Hammer House of Horror (Episode 1), The Voice, Face Off

Picks of the Week for October 2, 2012 (16:56)

Michael’s Pick:

Price: -

Andy’s Pick:

Price: $111.99

Break (29:12)

Lovely Molly Discussion (31:05)

Outro (1:02:00)

Contact us Email Michael & Andy at podcast@destroythebrain.com Leave us a voicemail at 206-309-4353

Leave us a review & Subscribe on iTunes | Follow us on Twitter & Facebook | Join the Facebook Group Here!

Need a costume this Halloween and are ordering online? Get 20% Off One Single Item from Spirit Halloween...

This week we discuss the new film recently released by Lionsgate Home Entertainment Kerry Prior’s The Revenant. You can read the official written review here and/or listen to both Michael & I speak about it.

Show Notes:

Intro

What We’ve Been Watching (1:30)

Michael: Girls (Season 1), Entrance

Andy: The X Factor, Hammer House of Horror (Episode 1), The Voice, Face Off

Picks of the Week for September 25, 2012 (15:02)

Michael’s Pick:

Price: $178.99

Andy’s Pick:

Price: $24.99

Feedback (27:49)

Break (33:51)

The Revenant Discussion (35:41)

Outro (1:12:34)

Contact us Email Michael & Andy at podcast@destroythebrain.com Leave us a voicemail at 206-309-4353

Leave us a review & Subscribe on iTunes | Follow us on Twitter & Facebook | Join the Facebook Group Here!

Need a costume this Halloween and are ordering online? Get 20% Off One Single Item from Spirit Halloween (*Restrictions Apply)! Use Promotional Code: Spooky...

Legendary UK film studio Hammer didn't only dabble in films; Hammer also created thirteen one-hour shorts to be shown on television as Hammer House of Horror. These episodes aired on ITV during the fall of 1980.

I watched Witching Time to get a feel for the release as well as the series. It's a funny thing to pop in a DVD of a made-for-tv series and find the episode shows full nudity before the credits even roll, as is what happens in Witching Time. The UK has always been more open about such things than the supposed 'Land of the Free', and this was certainly true in 1980. That's not to say the nudity shown in Witching Time is overtly lascivious - it's fairly restrained, actually - but it is a reminder how lamely conservative our own "oh please, think of the children" television is.

Witching Time tells the story...

Home Invasion is a weekly post every Tuesday which shows you what is being released on Blu-Ray & DVD today! We scoured through Amazon to bring you everything you might be interested in. Our Picks of the Week are releases that we are looking forward to checking out, have reviewed and/or were are Picks of the Week on the Dtb Podcast. All descriptions are courtesy of Amazon.com.

This week is pretty slim on new quality releases. However, there are some children friendly Halloween releases and some multi-film combo packs for some films that are worth picking up as well as some hi-def re-releases of some great flicks.

Price: -

Click Here to buy the Blu-RayClick Here to buy the DVD

It’s the film that divided audiences at our local Late Nite Grindhouse program earlier this year but we still feel it should be seen by all fans of genre cinema.

Synapse Films is putting together a collection featuring all 13 episodes of the British TV horror anthology Hammer House Of Horror from the iconic Hammer Studios, according to Fangoria. The collector’s edition will feature famed actors such as Peter Cushing, Denholm Elliott, Brian Cox, Pierce Brosnan and Kathryn Leigh Scott.

The episodes are presented in the order of air date, with new introductions for each feature, Grave Recollections: A Visit With Kathryn Leigh Scott, Hammer Housekeeping: A Visit With Mia Nadasi and animated skills. The five disc set retains all the blood, guts and nudity that made their films so macabre.

The set comes out September 11th.

The legendary Hammer Studios is widely recognized as the high watermark of the gothic macabre, creating some of the most chilling and recognizable horror films of all time.

Synapse Films is proud to present this essential collection of all 13 tales of terror from the legendary British film studio into The Complete Hammer House of Horror collector's set.

In 1980 Hammer took over the old Hampden Manor House in the heartland of England and produced a series of thirteen horror stories to air on British television.  With a host of Hammer regulars, including Peter Cushing (Twins of Evil, Star Wars) and Denholm Elliott (Raiders of the Lost Ark), classic thespians including Brian Cox (The Ring), Patricia Quinn (The Rocky Horror Picture Show), Georgina Hale (The Devils), Diana Dors (Theatre of Blood) and Dark Shadows stalwart Kathryn Leigh Scott, along with early appearances by actors like Pierce Brosnan (GoldenEye), each episode provides a...

One of our favorite shows around these parts is the anthology series "The Hammer House of Horror", and though it's been released on DVD before, you know the good folks over at Synapse Films are going to put together a package that puts that one to shame!

From the Press Release

Each generation creates tales of horror… stories that seep through the very heart of our collective fears. The legendary Hammer Studios is widely recognized as the high watermark of the Gothic macabre, creating some of the most chilling and recognizable horror films of all time. Synapse Films is proud to present this essential collection of all 13 tales of terror from the legendary British film studio into The Complete Hammer House Of Horror collector's set!

In 1980 Hammer took over the old Hampden Manor House in the heartland of England and produced a series of thirteen horror stories to air on British television.

I really do believe that Synapse just may be the number one producer of quality horror DVD and Blu-rays. Every month they blow my mind with another great release. This month it’s the announcement of Hammer House Of Horror.

As a young horror fan, I really wasn’t that into the Hammer brand of horror and as such have not seen these episodes before. My appreciation for all things Hammer came later in life but… More...

We’ve known that Synapse Films had plans to release Hammer House of Horror since 2010, but it is now official and will be released later this year. The complete 13-episode TV series will be available in a 5-dvd set on September 11th. According to Fangoria, the episodes will be presented in their original airdate order and are completely uncut:

“Produced in 1980, Hammer House Of Horror consisted of 13 episodes shot at Hampden Manor House in the heart of England, with directors including Hammer vets Peter Sasdy and Alan Gibson and featuring actors such as Peter Cushing, Pierce Brosnan, Brian Cox and Denholm Elliott. Synapse’s five-dvd set will present the episodes in original airdate order, uncut with all the nudity and violence intact, presented in the original 1.33:1 broadcast aspect ratio.”

The DVD set will sell for $39.95 and we’ve included a look at the cover art below. Here is a...

We've updated our Film4 Fright Fest line-up story with tons of images. Read on to see what you may have missed and what's brand spanking new! Dig it!

Programme - Screen 1

Thursday Aug 23

Opening Film - The Seasoning House (World Premiere)

Special make-up prosthetics and splatter genius Paul Hyett makes his directorial debut with a harrowing exploration into tense claustrophobia, hard-hitting action and rollercoaster suspense. In a Balkan brothel, where girls kidnapped by soldiers in war-torn zones are prostituted to the military and civilians alike, Angel (Robin Day) is the deaf mute orphan enslaved to care for the inmates. But unbeknownst to her captors, she moves between the walls and crawlspaces of the seasoning house planning her escape. Psychological horror in the nerve-shredding Alfred Hitchcock and Roman Polanski style but with an ultra-modern twist.

89 mins Director: Paul Hyett UK 2012

Rosie Day – Angel

Sean Pertwee – Goran

Kevin Howarth – Viktor

David Lemberg...

With Toy Fair 2012 officially over, we Finally managed to get all of our images uploaded. While we brought you the main stuff separately, we've set up a special section of our Facebook page to bring you the odds and ends!

We're talking about new collectibles from "The Twilight Zone", "The Six Million Dollar Man", "Dexter", Mars Attacks, Death Note, Left 4 Dead, Ghostbusters, The Hammer House of Horror, The Universal Monsters, Living Dead Dolls, tons of bobbleheads, mini-mates, oozing aliens, and so much more!

Click here, then here, and finally here for three massive galleries. If it was cool and horror-related and it was on display, you'll find it in one of our galleries.

For the very best and most extensive coverage of the event, check out Nomad's Idle Hands Blog.

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For the first time in over two decades, Britain's infamous Hammer House of Horror is finally back in business. The first feature to come from the legendary studio is The Woman in Black, a supernatural thriller. Daniel Radcliffe plays a young lawyer who heads out to a remote parcel of property to settle an estate. Instead of paperwork, he finds a vengeful ghost terrorizing the locals. We spoke with director James Watkins about Harry Potter, joining the legendary production studio, and "emotional horror." How did you get involved in The Woman in Black? It was boringly straight-forward: they sent me the script, I read it, I liked it, and we took it from there. We developed the material a little further from...

The director Don Sharp, whose long career included a string of Hammer classics, has died aged 89.Born in Tasmania, Sharp headed for England after the Second World War, embarking on a film and television career that spanned four decades. He started out with acting roles in the likes of The Cruel Sea and the famous BBC radio sci-fi series Journey Into Space, but soon turned to writing and directing.Following some domestic dramas, crime thrillers and teen rock'n'roll movies in the fifties, he scored his first job with Hammer on 1963's Kiss Of The Vampire, the studio's second attempt at a Dracula follow-up without Christopher Lee (or indeed Dracula). He did however get to work with Lee on the subsequent The Devil Ship Pirates and Rasputin The Mad Monk, and away from Hammer, the pair also collaborated on the first two films in the Fu Manchu series, before the reins slipped to Jesus Franco.

Highland Myst Entertainment will be launching its new sister company, Highland Myst UK, with the production of The Nightmare Box, and we have the first details on the film, which is set to begin filming in England this January.

The Nightmare Box is the chilling story about a young woman who wakes up in a strange room with no idea who she is, where she is, or how she got there and must unravel the mystery of her identity while dealing with a variety of fantastical and frightening characters.

"The Nightmare Box is an experimental movie blending horror and psychological drama," shares director Jon Keeyes. "I've always wanted to do a movie that really twists the perceptions of reality and creates some bizarre and surreal characters that may or may not exist in reality. The movie is a dark journey filled with horror, violence, sex, guilt, shame, and how people...

Hammer has launched an official print-on-demand online store today, featuring iconic UK quad artwork from legendary horror titles including One Million Years B.C. and The Devil Rides Out.

The store features high-quality reproductions of UK quads from the extensive Hammer library including the latest titles Let Me In and Wake Wood, along with newly-restored posters for such beloved horror classics as X The Unknown, The Abominable Snowman and Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell, all of which are reproduced for the first time and exclusively available.

Each classic poster featured on the site will be available in two styles; “restored”, appearing as new, and “aged”, subtly weathered to create a retro aesthetic.

Designed by renowned film poster artists Bill Wiggins, Mike Vaughan, Vic Fair and the legendary Tom Chantrell, and curated by Marcus Hearn, Hammer’s official historian, the artwork will be available as posters (paper or canvas; framed or unframed), prints,...