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3 items from 2013

2 April 2013 1:04 PM, PDT | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »

Jess Franco, the prolific Spanish filmmaker who became renowned for his low-budget cult films, died in Malaga, Spain, of heart complications. He was 82.

Franco’s feature pic debut came in 1959 with “We Are 18 Years Old,” but the helmer found more mainstream success with 1962′s “The Awful Dr. Orlof,” which received wide distribution Stateside and in Blighty. He is best known for his contributions to the cinema fantastique genre, which veered away from the mainstream and employed supernatural phenomena in otherwise realistic narratives. Notable credits include “Necronomicon,” (1967), “Count Dracula” (1969), “Vampyros Lesbos” (1970), “Dracula vs. Frankenstein” (1971), and “Oasis of the Zombies” (1983).

The auteur steered the 1960s Spanish horror boom, and even in the face of fascist censorship, placed sex, blood and gore at the front and center of his motion pics.

Born Jesus Franco on May 12, 1930, in Madrid, Spain, the would-be cineaste got his start composing music at age six and followed that »

- Sean Fitz-Gerald

18 March 2013 4:49 PM, PDT | Planet Fury | See recent Planet Fury news »

Here's a Planet Fury-approved selection of notable genre DVD releases for the months of February and March 2013.

The Blob (1958) Criterion Collection Blu-ray & DVD Available Now

This entertaining low-budget favorite gets some well-deserved respect from the folks at Criterion. A gelatinous creature from outer space begins to devour the inhabitants of a small town. Each time it consumes a new body, it grows bigger. A couple of teens (including the wooden Steve McQueen) attempt to warn the town and save the population from certain blech! Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. directs the mayhem with a sure hand while Bart Sloane's great special effects still pack a punch. Followed by the bizarre comedy sequel, Son of Blob, in the early ’70s (directed by Larry Hagman!) and a great, underrated remake in 1988 by Chuck Russell.

Special Features:

* New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack

* Two audio commentaries: one by producer Jack H. Harris »

- Bradley Harding

22 February 2013 8:53 PM, PST | DreadCentral.com | See recent Dread Central news »

Five down and five to go! We've reached the halfway point of the Top 10 Greatest Horror Movies… Ever! list, and now it's time to start busting out the real heavy hitters.

Night of the Living Dead is nothing short of iconic, single-handedly not only launching a legendary film series, but it's the film that gave birth to one of our favorite movie beasties: the zombie.

#5-Night of the Living Dead

"They're coming to get you, Barbara."

And they came... big time.

Nearly 50 years after that classic line was uttered and Bill Hinzman shuffled into our lives as Zombie #1, the living dead are not only still coming to get us, but they've gotten exponentially badder as time has gone on. Zombies are the stars of loads of movies, TV series, video games, comic books, etc. Zombies are chic, and it can all be traced back to one Pennsylvania farmhouse.

With Night of the Living Dead, »

- Doctor Gash

3 items from 2013