Category Archives: horror
‘It’ holds off challengers to remain #1 at the box office
The biggest horror movie in decades continued to perform this weekend, holding off two new releases that could barely make an impact at the box office. Here’s what went down:
It remained on top of the box office for the second week in a row, bringing in an estimated $60 million. That number is incredible, as it shows only a 51% drop from its opening weekend debut, meaning that It is appealing to mass numbers and not just the usual horror movie fans. The film’s total sits at $218.7 million, making it the biggest September release in film history.
The week in horror: Jamie Lee Curtis, Leatherface + more
An iconic actress returns to an iconic role, playable Leatherface, and more, as we look at some of the biggest stories from the week in horror.
Jamie Lee Curtis joins the cast of Halloween
Mark October 19th, 2018 down in your calendar. That’s when Blumhouse’s Halloween arrives in theatres, featuring a script from Danny McBride and director David Gordon Green, and starring the one and only Jamie Lee Curtis, who revealed in a tweet that she’d be returning to Haddonfield and her iconic role as Laurie Strode.
“Same porch. Same clothes. Same issues. 40 years later. Headed back to Haddonfield one last time for Halloween,”
The new Halloween film will allegedly pick up after the first two films. John Carpenter is rumoured to be providing the score.
Leatherface joins the killer line-up in Dead By Daylight Read the rest of this entry
TIFF 2017: mother!
This year at TIFF we’re seeing the Trump era’s first real artistic blowback. I started with Darren Aronofsky’s mother! (opening across North America this Friday, September 15th), and holy cow, it kicked things off with a bang. That exclamation point in the title is wholly deserved, and you can add about fifteen more in your head. Part psychological horror, part religious allegory, part study of the narcissistic vampirism of the artist/creator, mother! keeps coiling in on itself, like a serpent swallowing its frenzied, burgeoning tail. But is it a tale worth watching, or the sort of child only a mother could love?
Untold Horror’s Dave Alexander on ‘It’, ‘Stranger Things’ and the Endless ’80s
Without It, we wouldn’t have Stranger Things, but without Stranger Things we wouldn’t have It – at least not quite the version of the film that hits theatres today. The Duffer Brothers, creators of Stranger Things, have cited both the Stephen King novel and the 1990 TV miniseries adaptation of it as major influences on their hit Netflix show – “probably the biggest,” noted Ross Duffer in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Years ago, before It helmer Andy Muschietti took over from Cary Fukunaga in 2015, the Duffers approached Warner Brothers about mounting the remake but were turned down because they weren’t considered established enough to take on King’s epic tale of children banding together to take on the evil, sewer-dwelling, child-eating clown-entity Pennywise. So the siblings created Stranger Things instead, which also features a close-knit group of small town misfit kids (one of them played by Stranger Things‘ Finn Wolfhard) facing an incredible supernatural evil.
Don’t Be Caught Dead Without “Deadman By Kelley Jones: The Complete Collection” On The Wednesday Run
Hands down, Deadman is one of my favourite DC Comics characters.
Created by industry legends, Arnold Drake and Carmine Infantino within the pages of Strange Adventures #205 in 1967, the relatively obscure character has remained ever-present in the DC Universe. In the last decade or two, however, because of appearances in Justice League Unlimited, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and Justice League Dark cartoons, he has slowly gained in popularity.
I was first introduced to Deadman via a seven-issue DC Comics reprint series in the mid 1980’s – stories that re-published the characters origin from those Strange Adventure pages, specifically highlighting the realistic and heroically-styled artwork of Neal Adams. I’ve since read pretty much everything that Deadman has been a central character in.
Biff Bam Pop! has highlighted Deadman and the comic book pages he graces on a few occasions, most recently in a 2016 Halloween-themed The Wednesday Run column here and a 2008 editorial call out (by yours truly) to have the character make the leap to the silver screen here.
Today sees the paperback compilation of some Deadman’s greatest tales, all illustrated by Kelley Jones, an acclaimed and fan favourite artist that simply redefined the look of the acrobat-turned-ghost-turned-superhero in the early 1990’s.
No one’s interpretation of Deadman comes anywhere near the one that Kelley Jones gave us in those Gothic tales!
Here then, is the low-down on the larger-market release of Deadman By Kelley Jones: The Complete Collection!
BBP! Guide To Fan Expo Canada 2017: Day 3 #FXC17
Two days of Fan Expo Canada have passed, and you’ve been a good little pop culture soldier.
Perhaps you’ve got a full weekend pass. Perhaps this is your first day in line. Either way, today is giant-sized Saturday – and the Metropolitan Convention Centre kicks it up into its highest gear today!
Certainly the busiest day of the four day convention, Saturday, Day 3 of Fan Expo Canada, offers up a whole host of challenges and opportunities. Your adrenaline, for one, will be coursing through your body like you’ve never experienced. But you’ll need to be a pro, and temper that enthusiasm with the knowledge that you’ll most likely be in some long lines. It’s a natural occurrence and the real test is how you can deal with that pressure.
Pro Tip: go to the bathroom early. 10 AM to 7 PM makes for a long day.
Still, it’s all worth it, as you’re bound to bump into friends you know, and the exhibitors start talking with an aim to sell product. Some of the biggest programming events are today as well – and you can find all of them here in Day 3 of Biff Bam Pop’s Guide to Fan Expo Canada!
BBP! Guide To Fan Expo Canada 2017: Day 2 #FXC17
So, how did things go yesterday? Did you find what was on your Holy Grail list?
Thursdays are meant to be a sort of Fan Expo Canada scouting mission – getting the lay of the land, what the price ranges are for the goodies you want, and meeting up with some friends…some of whom you haven’t seen in a long, long time.
Remember, it’s not a race – Fan Expo Canada is a four-day marathon.
But things really start to get heated today!
Still got those comfortable shoes on? Today’s a longer day, starting at 10 AM and running until 7 PM. So, loosen up those hamstrings and follow us into the fray of Friday’s Day 2!
Here are some of the things Biff Bam Pop! thinks you need to experience today!
#FXC17 Exclusive Interview: John Bolton On Horror, His Art & His Graphic Novel: Shame
Artist John Bolton has had a long and storied career in comic books and sequential art. He made the jump from working in English magazines such as Warrior, to burgeoning American periodicals like Epic Illustrated, in the early 1980’s. He’s been working in and around the mainstream comic book industry ever since, as comfortable drawing superheroes as much as he is painting fairies, vampires and demons.
Drawn to the genres of fantasy and horror as both an illustrator and painter, Bolton has worked alongside some of the greatest writing names the comic book industry has known, including Chris Claremont on Marada The She Wolf and Black Dragon, both for publisher Epic Comics. With Neil Gaiman in The Books of Magic for DC Comics, he created the look of the reluctant boy-wizard, Timothy Hunter, based on his eldest son. His acclaimed graphic novel series, Shame, alongside writer Lovern Kindzierski, is where Bolton’s efforts most currently dwell, with the first three acts being recently complied into a single hardcover volume.
There’s a sense of wonder, amazement, power, and sexuality inherent in Bolton’s work, combined alongside an overt menace that makes a viewer full of trepidation. Even when his sense of horror is not manifest, nothing is ever as it seems in Bolton’s completed visual offerings.
On the eve of an infrequent visit to Toronto via the 2017 edition of Fan Expo Canada, JP Fallavollita caught up with John Bolton in an exclusive interview via email, and asked him about his process, his female-driven subject matter, and his recent work on Shame.
The week in horror: Tobe Hooper passes away, Netflix releases + more
A horror legend passes away, discover the plot for Glass, find out what horrors Netflix will release in October and more, as we look at some of the biggest stories from the week in horror.
Rest in peace, Tobe Hooper
Sad news out of Hollywood Sunday morning, as friends and fans revealed that director Tobe Hooper has passed away at the age of 74. Hooper became an instant horror legend with the release of the groundbreaking Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 1974 (he also directed the film’s 1986 sequel).
He was also behind the camera for Poltergeist in 1982, which was a massive box office hit. On television, Hooper was responsible for adapting Stephen King’s vampire novel ‘Salems Lot as a critically and commercially successful miniseries in 1979.
Hooper also directed films Lifeforce and Invaders from Mars, along with episodes of Masters of Horror. Read the rest of this entry
‘Rawhead Rex’ Tears Back Into Theaters With a Loving 4K Restoration
Are you curious about the film that made Clive Barker throw up his hands and start directing his own story adaptations? Rawhead Rex is that film.
