The Terminator Gets Naked
Whilst not strictly a slasher, James Cameron’s original sci-fi classic The Terminator borrowed enough from the genre that comparisons between the T-800 and Halloween’s Michael Myers are evident.
July 2009
Roth’s Thanksgiving Financed, Now Cooking
Here’s the very latest on Eli Roth’s THANKSGIVING in both full-film and trailer incarnations, you turkeys!
From TV To DVD: Harper’s Island
I feel kinda guilty I never kept up with CBS TV’s HARPER’S ISLAND, but the only serial TV show I can fit into my busy life is LOST and only LOST. But I digress: HARPER’S ISLAND was pitched as a simple concept – a finite series where each week, another character/suspect is knocked off and the killer’s identity revealed in the final ep. I only watched the pilot before I was called to rejoin the Dharma Initiative.
Still, I was super-impressed at the pilot, which contained a gory double-death, interesting characters and chin-stroking mystery. It’s perhaps apt that Paramount are releasing the full series on DVD, those cats were responsible for APRIL FOOL’S DAY (1986), a film HARPER’S ISLAND shares a great deal of favorable similarity with: A whodunnit set on an island amongst a celebratory setting, and heavily Agatha Christie inspired.
What I missed week-to-week will surely be a treat to watch in one go, like a sprawling, epic 8-hr+ slasher saga. Disc streets on October 8th, more details as they become available – join me in repenting by picking up a copy.
Killer Sites: Critical Condition
Because reciprocal links are so 1998. Critical Condition – a long running website that started as a fanzine in the early 80’s. I can only hope 25 years from now that Retro Slashers is still thriving in some medium. There are reviews aplenty but the crowning achievement of editor/publisher Fred Adelman is his Visual History of Video Companies project. Covering both the major players and budget labels from the golden age of video tape horror & exploitation, even a seasoned collector such as myself is frequently in shock-slash-awe at the rare delights on show. Vestron, Embassy, Gorgon, Magnum, Thriller etc., the garishly air-brushed gang’s all here. A little trivia for you, our “slasher team” banner is a heavy alteration of a fantastic advert found on CriticalCon for TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and other Media Home Video horror releases.
Following on from last year’s outrageous slasher homage Gutterballs (reviewed Elm Street Shoot Ends – Backlash Begins
Remember Platinum Dunes, Michael Bay’s remake machine that gave us their ‘re-imagining’ of Friday the 13th earlier this year? Well, their latest venture, A Nightmare on Elm Street, has now officially wrapped production and is set to make its way to the editing room.
Gutterballs (2008) Review
CAUTION: CONTAINS EXPLICIT MATERIAL
After the glossy makeover that Scream had given to the genre, the slasher film came dangerously close to becoming acceptable, safe and almost cool.
Exclusive Interview With Wrong Turn 3 Star Janet Montgomery
With starring roles in such promising horror flicks as The Hills Run Red and Wrong Turn 3, English beauty Janet Montgomery has the makings of a 21st century scream queen. Retro Slashers finds out more.
Update on H2 and the fate of the Weinstein Co
Previously: Will Rob Zombie and H2 save the Weinstein’s from Financial Collapse
Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood Daily is reporting the struggling Weinstein Co. has hoarded enough cash to release Inglorious Basterds and (more importantly) H2 next month. The release of both films seemed in doubt earlier this year when TWC was forced to restructure the company just to stay afloat. TWC pulled all of their other major releases in order to have the financial reserves to release and promote IB and H2 a week apart in August. Any profits Tarantino’s film makes will be divided between TWC and Universal, who helped produce IB. Since TWC owns 100% of H2 the studio is placing its financial future on Rob Zombie’s sequel.
Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
More Images From The Final Destination
One film I’m actually really starting to look forward to is The Final Destination, in what promises to be a gruesome and fun experience. Following on from the images first published by DVD-Forum last week, here’s a new selection from the film’s official site and Facebook page!