Forget JAWS 19…Here’s JAWS 3D!

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Forget JAWS 19…Here’s JAWS 3D!

The internet is ablaze with the phony baloney and admittedly uproarious very real trailer for the very fake feature JAWS 19.

The preceding laff riot was produced as part of a marketing campaign to support the 30th Anniversary Blu-ray and DVD release of Robert Zemeckis’ timeless (har) comedy/fantasy classic BACK TO THE FUTURE and it’s equally witty and worthy sequels. For fans of the mind-bending BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II,  JAWS 19 is significant as Marty (Michael J. Fox) strolls by a theater playing this fictional flick, which was meant to open on October 21st, 2015. Funny stuff…

Alas, one of the very real sequels referenced in the spoof is even funnier…

Director Joe Alves’ 1983 dimensional dud JAWS 3D is about as erect a middle finger to Steven Spielberg’s immaculate 1975 original as you can get. Which is not to say it’s not a fun flick; it most certainly is, and it boasts a rather stirring knock-off John Williams score, composed by Alan Parker (no, not the director of ANGEL HEART and THE WALL, thank you, a different Alan Parker). In it, the Brody boys, last seen as teens in the sturdy but soulless JAWS 2, are now all growed up, with the elder Mike (played by Dennis Quaid) now a marine biologist at SeaWorld and his little brother Sean (John Putch) now a goofy cowboy who’s terrified of the water and – in a roundabout tie-in back to BACK TO THE FUTURE – dating a lass named Kelly, played by Marty’s mom Lea Thompson.

At the core of JAWS 3D is a gloriously flat stereoscopic salute to everyone’s favorite ocean-life Guantanamo Bay, the dolphin death camp known as SeaWorld, framed by a wickedly goofy plot that has a biggie-sized shark infiltrating the park and feasting on a few divers (in one of the few decent 3D gags, a victim’s severed arm comes floating off screen into your lap). Mike and his gal pal and fellow biologist Kathryn (Bess Armstrong) capture the beast and try to turn the Great White into a half-assed attraction at the park but the poor thing dies of stress and blowhard park manager Calvin Bouchard (Louis Gossett Jr., sandwiched between AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN and IRON EAGLE) shakes his fists and curses the commercial fates.

Problem is, the now dead shark was only a baby and, when mama finds out that Jr. met his fate at the mitts of some damned dirty humans, she busts her 10 tonne, 30 foot ass through the park’s iron underwater gates and proceeds to lay 3D waste to everyone and everything in her path.

JAWS 3D boasted special effects that were closer to special defects.

JAWS 3D is a goofy romp that suggests the shark may or may not have followed the Brody’s to Florida, an idea that is hammered home with even greater ham in the legendary but actually not-really-all-that-bad JAWS: THE REVENGE. The film – whose script was penned by series regular Carl Gottlieb and none other than the greatest dark fantasy writer of all time, the late Richard Matheson – is a hodge-podge of warmed over JAWS character arcs (Gossett Jr. is essentially Murray Hamilton’s callous mayor while Armstrong and Quaid both channel Roy Scheider’s Brody AND Richard Dreyfuss’ Hooper), the setting is silly, the dialogue goofy, the climax jaw-dropping (slave dolphins to the rescue!) and the 3D generally sucks. The film was released at the tail (har) end of the 2nd mini-3D craze (which utilized the split-stereoscopic process wherein two images were squished onto one frame and a special lens was placed on the project to blend the left and right polarized image) and was obviously tricked out with dippy “gotcha” gags in post production. The scene where the blue-screen toy shark (which looks like a cut-out moving across a still photo) comes through the glass window of the underwater lookout is a knee-slapper and the flying “jaws” themselves that hurtle to the screen after the shark has been dynamited (spoiler, sorry…) are just plain tacky.

JAWS in yo FACE!

On the plus side, the late Simon MacCorkindale is in it. He played MANIMAL. And MANIMAL is awesome.

JAWS 3D is available on Blu-ray in a 3D version for 3D TV’s. It is also available in 2D as just plain old JAWS 3 on DVD.

JAWS 19 does not exist.

And the BACK TO THE FUTURE 30th Anniversary Trilogy streets on October 20th.

This time it’s really, really personal…

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Robert Z’Dar Slasher EASTER SUNDAY Locks World Premiere

Shock Till You Drop

Robert Z’Dar Slasher EASTER SUNDAY Locks World Premiere

The late Robert Z’Dar stars in indie slasher EASTER SUNDAY.

The late, great Robert Z’Dar, MANIAC COP himself, left us earlier this year, leaving behind a wild tapestry of arch, cult cinema. One of his final films is the the ultra-gory , indie slasher satire EASTER SUNDAY, written and directed by Jeremy Todd Morehead; SHOCK has learned that EASTER SUNDAY (dig that wild Marc Schoenbach poster!)  will have its world premiere on October 16th at the Four States Slasher Con in Winchester, VA.

 

Says Morehead:

 

“I am beyond thrilled that this goofy, bloody movie I’ve had in my head since I was 18 years old is about to premiere on the big screen at Four States Slasher Con,” exclaims Morehead. “It has been an amazing ride, and I think what my crew and I pulled off with very little resources is rarely achieved from a movie of our size. Some people tried to convince me that it could not be done. Well, it’s premiering on October 16. This has been a dream of mine for most of my life, and I am ecstatic over what we have accomplished with Easter Sunday.”

 

Check out the new trailer below and hang out with the EASTER SUNDAY team on their official Facebook Page.

 

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When Your Flesh Screams Slated for October Release

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When Your Flesh Screams Slated for October Release

The indie horror flick, WHEN YOUR FLESH SCREAMS, will be getting a full release from LeglessCorpse Films on October 6, 2015. WHEN YOUR FLESH SCREAMS is written and directed by Guillermo Martínez, and stars Omar Musa, Victoria Witemburg, Oscar Molinari, Omar Musa, and Alicia Julianez. Check out the press release for the plot crunch, the trailer, and all the various mediums it is being released on:

LeglessCorpse Films releases WHEN YOUR FLESH SCREAMS 

September  30, 2015, Huntsville, AL. LeglessCorpse Films will release Guillermo Martínez’s WHEN YOUR FLESH SCREAMS on limited edition BluRay, DVD, Steelbook DVD/BluRay, and Harmful Syndiate Video VHS.

A homage to the great revenge films of the past like Wes Craven’s Last House On The Left and Meir Zarchi’s I Spit On Your Grave. 

Martina, a biology student, who after moving from her hometown to complete her studies decides to undertake an excursion to the outskirts of the city in search of rare and exotic specimens for research. Not finding the specimen after a long search, she decides to rest by the roadside. At that time, her new psychotic neighbors propose to take her to the woods where they claim is the specimen that she seeks. Martina accepts the crossing naturally, but on the way the thugs kidnap her, determined to cause all sorts of sinister and gruesome acts, both physical and psychological. The story takes an unexpected turn when Martina decides to release her pent- up anger.

WHEN YOUR FLESH SCREAMS will be released on DVD (SRP $11.99) and BluRay (SRP $14.99) formats on October 6th with a VHS (SRP $19.99) release on October 12th. VOD dates will be coming soon. Free limited edition poster included with steelbook, VHS, and Bluray orders and while supplies last on DVD orders.

BluRay’s will be numbered and limited to 100, Steelbooks onumbered to only 20, and VHS numbered to only 13 ONLY. 

All formats are available at LeglessCorpseFilms.com

Stay Bloody!!!

Filed under: Breaking News, Exploitation Flicks, Females in Horror, New Horror Releases, New Posting, Upcoming Releases

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Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension TV Spot Unleashes Hell

Shock Till You Drop

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension TV Spot Unleashes Hell

A new Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension TV spot

Paramount Pictures and Blumhouse Productions have released the new Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension TV spot, which you can view below! Opening in theaters on October 23, the film marks the final installment of the franchise, which began in 2009 with Paranormal Activity.

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension centers on the Fleeges — father Ryan (Chris J. Murray), mother Emily (Brit Shaw) and their young daughter Leila (Ivy George) — who move into a house and discover a video camera and a box of tapes in the garage. When they look through the camera’s lens, they begin to see the paranormal activity happening around them – including the re-emergence of young Kristi and Katie. The video camera footage will be presented in 3D in theaters.

“All the questions that everyone has asked from the past ‘Paranormal Activity’ films: What does Toby look like? What’s the backstory to the families? These questions have been teased out. Now they will be answered,” producer Jason Blum said previously.

Gregory Plotkin directs The Ghost Dimension from a script by Adam Robitel and Gavin Heffernan. Oren Peli produces with Jason Blum, and Steve Molen is executive producer.

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Monster Mag Meltdown: FILMFAX #141 Reviewed

Shock Till You Drop

Monster Mag Meltdown: FILMFAX #141 Reviewed

In this new column, SHOCK reviews newly published monster movie magazines currently haunting newsstands.

In this space, SHOCK will aim to comb the newsstands and specialty shops for the finest in print periodicals, limited run fanzines and mass-produced magazines that aim to celebrate monster culture in all its guises. As many readers know, your newly minted editor has just stepped away from a six-year gig serving as the editor of the elder statesman of horror and cult film periodicals, FANGORIA. During that period, I produced and wrote much of 70 some-odd mags and not only curated their content but played an active part in the mechanisms to make sure each issue made it on to stands. In other words, myself and my staff worked like dogs with limited resources to keep the flag flying and deliver what we aimed to be an exciting read and an essential collectible.

So, when I speak of the challenges of the niche print media industry today, I’m not talking in abstracts from the point of view of someone only vaguely aware of the process. I know of which I speak. In fact I still curate and publish a magazine (DELIRIUM) so I’m still in the game. It is this front line, from the mud and blood spattered trench perspective that has made me appreciate each and every magazine I see on the stands even more. I’m a horror fan first; a pop culture junkie second and a fervent admirer of the brave, somewhat mad men and women who bust their souls to make these products and keep the magic alive…

With that out of the way, let’s dive in.

I recently picked up a copy of a mag I’ve long grooved on, FILMFAX and truth be told, I’m a little bit late out of the gate with this particular issue. FILMFAX is a quarterly printed zine (based out of Illinois and edited and published by memorabilia collector Michael Stein) charting classic horror, sci-fi an fantasy film culture and this edition, issue #141, is the July-September round. They have, in fact JUST released their big Halloween issue (#142, October – December with Christopher Lee on the cover) but I’ll be damned if I could find it anywhere, so we’ll settle for this one. Although “settle” isn’t the right word as FILMFAX #141 (105 pages, $9.95) an absolutely spectacular read.

The issue starts off , like every FILMFAX issue, with an extensive letters section that reveals just how much affection readers have towards the magazine. A letters section is important. It creates a sense of community. Now, when I took over FANGORIA, the letters section had been shelved as the (now defunct) FANGO forum and social networks took over the job of connecting readers, but having a letter in print is a different beast. It feels real. It certainly feels extra real and is of vital import to the reader whose impassioned words and thoughts get locked for life in the pages. I saw this trend, this sense of pride, when I brought the section back into FANGO. Published readers would chase letters thanking us for printing their letters in the hopes of seeing their name in print one more time. And of course, they’re the ideal way to put the previous issue to bed before moving on to the next.

FILMFAX #141 also contains their usual array of in-depth interviews and thought pieces and there are some genuinely stunning pieces here. Journo Jan Alan Henderson contributes a wonderful feature chat with former actor Donnie Dunagan, the curly-haired cherubic actor whose role in horror history was cemented after Boris Karloff steadied him with his block-boot in 1939’s SON OF FRANKENSTEIN. And though the now 81 year old Dunagan’s role in that dreamy, Gothic masterpiece will forever be his calling card, Henderson takes the ample space Stein allots him to go deep into his life, his family and his smattering of other roles. It’s a fine, edifying interview, beautifully illustrated in monochrome.

Other highlights of this issue include Stein’s joyous look at robots in 1960’s sci-fi film and television, the 5th part in an ongoing series; he careens wildly through everything from the goofy 1960 nudie flick BEAUTY AND THE ROBOT to the Andy Warhol fave CREATION OF THE HUMANOIDS to key episodes of THE TWILIGHT ZONE and beyond. The feature is illustrated with a wealth of rare stills and lobby cards, no doubt taken from Stein’s personal collection. Then Stein and writer Brett Weiss (whom I published at least once, I believe) chase this great piece with an even more esoteric bit of awesomeness in “Robots in Popular Music”, blasting through the history of robo-centric pop music (and yes, of course Kraftwerk’s signature tune “The Robots” is in here). It’s a left-field treat that you won’t read anywhere else.

Equally awesome is Brian Albright’s comprehensive interview with director/producer Stephen Traxler about his cult 1978 eco-monster mash SLITHIS that charts the ups and downs of making a man-in-a-suit creature feature on a chocolate bar budget.

Things get even weirder when Paul Amundsen steps up with an impossibly detailed account of the making of the truly ludicrous (and totally lame) 1960 feature SNOW WHITE AND THE THREE STOOGES, including a fun sidebar interview with champion skater and SNOW WHITE star Carol Heiss. Padding out the peripherals of the periodical are a wealth of ads both from the house (plugging postcards, posters and back issues from the FILMFAX collection) and via other clients, many that most of the current monster mags sell space to as well. But here, even those ads are rendered in black and white, making them seem even more inclusive to the fabric of the magazine.

FILMFAX remains a beautiful print magazine and an essential piece of the ongoing worship of horror history and issue #141 is another fine work that balances the commercial realities of staying in business, with the sheer joy of being a fan.

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Watch Under the Dark Wing Right Here

AnythingHorror Central

Watch Under the Dark Wing Right Here

One of my favorite indie horror filmmakers, Christopher Di Nunzio, is making his most recent horror short available for free online. The short film, UNDER THE DARK WING, clocks in around fifteen minutes and is a visually lyrical short film about confronting the unknown. The short is directed by Di Nunzio, is co-written by Di Nunzio and Pedro Alvarado, and stars Jessy Rowe, David Graziano, Fiore Leo, and Keith Bennett. Check out the plot crunch and then watch the short, in its entirety, below.

Johnny Boy goes on a routine job, things go awry when he meets a vulnerable young girl. His boss George sees her as a money making opportunity. Neither one has a clue of the deep dark secret that lays within the girl. Once revealed it will change the lives of these thugs forever.

Leave me and filmmaker Di Nunzio your thoughts in the comments section below.

Stay Bloody!!!

Filed under: Horror Short Films, Independent Horror Scene, New Horror Releases, New Posting

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Korean Classic WHISPERING CORRIDORS to Get Chinese Remake

Shock Till You Drop

Korean Classic WHISPERING CORRIDORS to Get Chinese Remake

Classic Korean horror film WHISPERING CORRIDORS to get a Chinese remake.

Reporting from the Busan market in China, Variety has revealed that Park Ki-hyung’s Korean horror masterpiece WHISPERING CORRIDORS will be receiving a Chinese language remake, apparently to be called simply WHISPERING CORRIDOR. Only one corridor. Just one.

From Variety:

Production will be handled by Beijing-based Beautiful Creative Force Culture Media, October Pictures’ Seoul branch, and the original franchise’s production house Cine2000. Zhen Qin, who studied film directing in Korea’s Chungang University and directed “Twin Spirit,” a horror film starring a Korean actress last year, will direct the remake. According to October Pictures producer Charles Kim, the remake deal has been made due to the growing demand for genre films in the ever-expanding Chinese market.

WHISPERING CORRIDORS was a sensation in Korea and spawned four loosely connected sequels. The film is a supernatural horror movie about a ghost rampaging through a girl’s school. Problem is, China refuses to make ghost-centric films and considering they have no all-girls school in China. Needless to say this will no doubt be a radically different picture…

“We are currently developing the script that the censorship board hopefully will not reject,” said the Chinese exec producer Liu Hongbin. “We chose ‘Corridor’ because it is an all-time classic Korean horror franchise that deeply influenced audiences in both Korea and China, and I promise that this Chinese version will not be a simple spin-off, nor a naive remake.”

SHOCK will lay more info about the project on you when we get it.

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