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In 1982, anthropologist Wade Davis traveled to Haiti on a mission: to investigate documented cases of zombiism, specifically cases of people who had been declared dead but who then miraculously came back to life. Davis immersed himself in the very real world of Haitian voodoo, witnessing an array of unbelievable rituals and fascinating rites, prompting him to write the book The Serpent and the Rainbow, which would go on to become a bestseller. Referred to in certain circles as a sort of real life Indiana Jones, Davis’ profile rose and, of course, Hollywood came calling, hoping his tales of voodoo and mystery might translate into a spectacular big screen adventure. Davis was wary of Hollywood and worried the adaptation of his book would bastardize his accounts, but hoped if the right people were involved, his story would be given a respectable treatment. As is often the case in the City of Angels,...

The desert will again be a hotbed of deceit and larceny in luxurious black-and-white as the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival returns to Palm Springs this Thursday through Sunday, with the quintessential noir classics “The Killing” and “Double Indemnity” bookending a marathon weekend that otherwise tends toward more rarely screened ‘40s and ‘50s titles.

Several sons or daughters of the original actors or directors will be on hand, but of special interest to festival attendees will be the presence of one of the actual filmmakers: James B. Harris, 94, Stanley Kubrick’s producing partner for several of his best early films, who’ll be able to speak first-hand about the making of 1956’s “The Killing,” the crime drama that turned out to be Kubrick’s first real masterpiece.

“I’m just utterly thrilled that ‘The Killing’ will show and Jimmy will be the guest on opening night,” says the festival’s longtime guiding light,...

FX released a new trailer for “American Horror Story: Double Feature,” the 10th season of “American Horror Story,” which premieres on FX on Aug. 25 at 10 p.m.

Each season of the horror anthology series follows new characters in a new setting, and this “Red Tide” trailer sees a struggling writer (Finn Wittrock), his pregnant wife (Lily Rabe) and their young daughter move to an isolated beach town with mysterious residents for the winter.

The series is executive produced by creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, along with Alexis Martin Woodall, John J. Gray and Manny Coto. Watch the trailer below.

Also in today’s TV news roundup:

First Looks

CBS Media Ventures released a trailer for “The Rachael Ray Show” premiering on Sept. 13. The trailer features Capital Cities’ song “One More Minute.” and clips of Ray garnishing dishes, drinking wine and laughing in her kitchen. Guests include Jessica Alba, Cameron Diaz,...

The creative and tireless team at Screamfest has always done an amazing job of celebrating the horror genre's present while honoring its past, and their second wave of programming certainly confirms this notion, as this year's Hollywood-based festival will include anniversary screenings of Bride of Chucky and The Serpent and the Rainbow, in addition to special screenings of Aliens and The Terminator to commemorate Gale Anne Hurd being presented with a Career Achievement Award.

Press Release: "Hollywood, Calif. – October 4, 2018 – Screamfest Horror Film Festival, America’s largest, and longest running horror movie festival, announces the second wave of its festival line up. The fest, which will run from Oct. 9-18, 2018 at the Tcl Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood, will showcase the West Coast premiere of The Unthinkable, the West Coast premiere of Welcome to Mercy and the U.S. premiere of the animated feature “Chuck Steel: Night of The Trampires.”

This year,...

By Todd Garbarini

Laemmle’s Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills will be presenting a Digital Cinema Package (Dcp) screening of George Stevens’s 1953 film Shane. The 118-minute film, which stars Alan Ladd as the hero and Jack Palance, Ben Johnson, Elisha Cook, Jr., will be screened on Sunday, August 26, 2018 at 3:00 pm.

Please Note: At press time, actor/producer David Ladd (son of actor Alan Ladd) will participate in a Q&A after the screening at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre on Sunday, August 26.

From the press release:

Shane (1953)

65th Anniversary Screening

Sunday, August 26, at 3 Pm

Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre

Q&A with David Ladd, Actor-Producer and Son of Alan Ladd

Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a 65th anniversary screening of one of the most beloved Westerns of all time, George Stevens’ production of 'Shane.' The 1950s happened to be a golden age for cowboy sagas,...

This early gore-horror picture has a remarkable emphasis on human values, believe it or not, with a ‘monster’ that nevertheless is a paragon of loving gentleness. Add Donald Pleasance as a surly, posh-hating police inspector, and the shock value makes the Hammer films of the early ’70s taste like weak tea.

Death Line

Blu-ray + DVD

Blue Underground

1972 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 87 min. / aka Raw Meat / Street Date June 27, 2017 / 39.98

Starring: Donald Pleasence, Norman Rossington, David Ladd, Sharon Gurney, Hugh Armstrong, June Turner, Christopher Lee.

Cinematography: Alex Thomson

Art Direction: Dennis Gordon-Orr

Film Editor: Geoffrey Foot

Original Music: Jeremy Rose, Malone Wil

Written by Ceri Jones from a story by Gary Sherman

Produced by Paul Maslansky

Directed by Gary Sherman

In 1972, making a horror film was a safe way to start a career: almost anything screen-able could get a release, and if your show had enough shock value, it might even get positive critical attention.

Next stop, cannibalism! The subway tunnels below London are home to flesh-eating horrors in Death Line, aka Raw Meat. With their Collector's Edition Blu-ray of the 1972 movie hitting shelves on June 27th, Blue Underground is taking the cult horror film on the road this summer to screen the 2K restoration in select theaters.

The Death Line 2K restoration is currently scheduled to screen in five locations this summer, with four of the screenings including a live Q&A with director Gary Sherman. We have the official theatrical tour dates that have been announced thus far, and you can get a tease of what to expect from the Collector's Edition Blu-ray / DVD combo pack in the new promo video below.

Scheduled theatrical screenings for the Death Line 2K restoration:

"6/02: Coolidge Corner Theatre w/Director Gary Sherman Q&A (Brookline, Ma)

6/20: Nitehawk Cinema w/Director Gary Sherman Q&A (Brooklyn,...

Next stop, cannibalism! The subway tunnels below London are home to flesh-eating horrors in Death Line, aka Raw Meat, and Blue Underground has revealed the release date and special features for their Blu-ray / DVD 2K Collector's Edition restoration of the 1972 horror film starring Donald Pleasence.

Blue Underground will release their Collector's Edition Blu-ray / DVD of Death Line on June 27th with an audio commentary, interviews, and a collectable booklet.

From Blue Underground: "When a prominent politician and a beautiful young woman vanish inside a London subway station, Scotland Yard’s Inspector Calhoun (Donald Pleasence of Halloween) investigates and makes a horrifying discovery. Not only did a group of 19th century tunnel workers survive a cave-in, but they lived for years in a secret underground enclave by consuming the flesh of their own dead. Now the lone descendant of this grisly tribe has surfaced, prowling the streets for fresh victims…...

British horror was still going through a transitional phase by the early ‘70s. Trying to turn people’s perception away from cobweb strewn castles and fog laden swamps, they played in the modern day with such classics as Tales from the Crypt, The Abominable Dr. Phibes, The Vault of Horror, Theatre of Blood, and Asylum. (Okay, those are either anthologies or Vincent Price films, but there are many other goodies as well.) So strong was the vibe that an American made the leap across the pond for his directorial debut, Raw Meat Aka Death Line (1972), a grimy, funny, and surprisingly poignant first effort from Gary Sherman (Dead and Buried).

Released in England in ’72 under the original Death Line title, it would take until September of ’73 to be unleashed on American soil by Aip under its better known moniker. Critics were decidedly mixed on Raw Meat; Roger Ebert considered it a “good debut” for Sherman,...

For quite some time now, the folks at Scream Factory have been hard at work on a Collector's Edition Blu-ray of the late, great Wes Craven's The Serpent and the Rainbow. Today, they have rewarded fans' patience by revealing the release's official list of special features, and they are well worth the wait.

In addition to a fresh HD transfer taken from The Serpent and the Rainbow's original inter-positive, this Collector's Edition Blu-ray also includes a new commentary with lead actor Bill Pullman and a "making of" featurette with an impressive number of interviews. Scream Factory will release this special Blu-ray on February 23rd:

Press Release: Loyal fans of legendary director Wes Craven (Scream, The People Under the Stairs, A Nightmare on Elm Street) know well the terrifying story of one man's nightmarish journey into the eerie and deadly world of voodoo from the 1988 horror cult classic The Serpent And The Rainbow,...

On Saturday, October 22nd, 2011, the eleventh annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival Awards were held in Hollywood, California, to celebrate the ten days of original horror programming which had preceded it, most notably the China Brothers’ Crawl (which took home awards for Best Director and Best Cinematography). Today results were released for the fest’s Screenplay Competition, and we’ve got ‘em. Read on for the winners!

Screamfest, which is spearheaded by founder and director Rachel Belofsky, has built a reputation over the last decade as having its finger on the pulse of the horror genre. Recent films programmed at Screamfest that have garnered a lot of attention include Let the Right One In, Trick 'r Treat, Splinter, Martyrs, The Signal, and Paranormal Activity.

Best Screenplay

Blood Type:v

by Eric Maloney

Top 5 Screenplays

Blood Type:v

by Eric Maloney

Exit 49

by Lanny Grant

Someone Must Die

by Joe Henriques

The Sticks

by...

Apparently back in March it was announced that Platinum Dunes were handling another remake of an 80s horror classic known as Monster Squad and now the film has landed two new writers. Heat Vision Blog is reporting that Mark Gunn and Brian Gunn have been hired to write the update for The Monster Squad remake.

In the initial report back in March it was indicated that original producer Rob Cohen would also produce the remake, but now this new story reveals that Cohen will also direct the film as well. Cohen will be producing with Platinum Dunes principals Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Bradley Fuller along with David Ladd.

The original film centered on a group of horror-obsessed teenagers who discover that classic movie monsters such as Dracula, Frankenstein and The Wolfman have come to their small town to retrieve a mysterious amulet.

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The Monster Squad remake will be written by Mark and Brian Gunn We reported back in March that Platinum Dunes were handling a new remake of an 80s classic and now the film has landed two new writers. Heat Vision Blog is reporting that Mark Gunn and Brian Gunn have been hired to write The Monster Squad remake.

Our initial report indicated that Rob Cohen, who produced the original 1987 The Monster Squad film, will also produce the remake, but now this new story reveals that Cohen will also direct the film as well. Cohen will be producing with Platinum Dunes principals Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Bradley Fuller along with David Ladd.

The original film The Monster Squad centered on a group of horror-obsessed teenagers who discover that classic movie monsters such as Dracula, Frankenstein and The Wolfman have come to their small town to retrieve a mysterious amulet.

No production...

Paramount Pictures has hired cousins Mark and Brian Gunn to write the script for The Monster Squad remake to be produced and directed by Rob Cohen, who produced the original film. The 1987 film told of a monster-lovin' group of kids who side with the Frankenstein monster and must do battle with Dracula, the Wolfman, the Mummy and the Gill-Man. Cohen last directed the Universal sequel The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor . Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller of Platinum Dunes are producing as well, as is David Ladd. The Gunns most recently workedo n the screen play for Journey to the Mysterious Island , the sequel to Journey to the Center of the Earth in the works at New Line/Warner Bros. That film is scheduled for a release on September 23, 2011.

Screenwriting cousins Mark and Brian Gunn have been hired to write Paramount’s remake of The Monster Squad. Rob Cohen, who produced the original film, will also produce and direct the new version. [Heat Vision]

The original Monster Squad was released in 1987 and was directed by Fred Dekker, who also co-wrote the script with Shane Black. It followed the story of a group of kids who discover a plot by Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Gill Man and The Mummy to try and take over the world. The choice of Cohen as director is relevant and arguably good considering that he last directed the Universal sequel The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, which grossed $389 million worldwide.

The production team also includes big names such as the Platinum Dunes team (Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller) and David Ladd (Hart’s War).

Have you seen the original Monster Squad? Is it deserving of a remake?...

Within the opening scenes of A Dog of Flanders my hand was already reaching for the fast-forward button. As I take my job as a critic and writer seriously, I held back, and I’m very glad I did. What was initially beating me over the head with its half-century-old cinematic sensibilities quickly drew me in and got a great emotional response out of me, like few films of the era can.

The movie’s about a kid, Nello (David Ladd), who finds a beaten dog and nurses him back to health. He lives an exceptionally poor life with his grandfather (Donald Crisp), making what little living they can by selling milk for farmers. Nello has dreams of being an artist, and as we soon find out, he also has exceptional ability. But with three mouths to feed now there’s obviously no money for art supplies, so he paints with iodine,...

Our friends over at USC got in touch to let us know that they've added quite a few more guests to this event, so we're re-posting this with updated details.

Those eager to catch Fangoria Blood Drive alum Paul Solet's Grace have a chance to do so for Free, provided they live close enough to see it at USC.

On June 12th (Tomorrow!), the USC School of Cinematic Arts' Alumni Screening Series will present Grace at 7pm, University Park Campus, Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre/Frank Sinatra Hall.

In an unforgettable emotional and psychological journey into terror, a young woman is forced to make the ultimate motherly sacrifice.

The School of Cinematic Arts and Anchor Bay Entertainment invite you and a guest to a special preview screening of Grace, followed by a Q&A with writer/director Paul Solet and composer Austin Wintory.

Free admission. Open to all.

About Grace

Love.

NEW YORK -- In the latest financing initiative to emerge in Hollywood, Film 7 Entertainment Group is launching the venture capital fund Film 7, aiming to back about 25 features in the less-than-$20 million budget range during the next five years.

What makes Film 7 unique is its founding management team, which boasts a who's who of veteran producers, including Barrie Osborne (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Doug Claybourne (The Fast and the Furious), David Ladd (Hart's War), longtime Francis Ford Coppola producer Fred Roos (The Godfather: Part II and Part III) and Clint Eastwood producer David Valdes (Unforgiven). Among them, they have made more than 100 films. Film 7 managing director of finance Brad Blackman rounds out the team.

Film 7 producers, along with investors from Silicon Valley and other non-Hollywood sources, are aiming to develop a library of features through the team's industry connections. They will draw revenue from theatrical, home video, television, merchandising, music publishing and other ancillary sources.

"We are creating a unique and lucrative vehicle for investors, focused around the role, integrity and talent that producers bring to the filmmaking process," said David Valdes, interim CEO of Film 7 Entertainment Group.

Producer-director Irwin Winkler, who is putting the finishing touches on his Cole Porter musical De-lovely, will turn to a study of sibling rivalry for his next film. He is in final negotiations to direct Man on Third for MGM. Based on Columbus Slaughters Braves, the debut novel from writer Mark Friedman, Man focuses on the relationship between two brothers. One is a successful Major League Baseball player, the other a scientist who lives in his shadow. Friedman has adapted the screenplay. Winkler, David Ladd, Rob Cowan and Charles Winkler will produce with Elizabeth Ingold and Erik Baiers overseeing for the studio. MGM is looking to shoot early next year for an end-of-year release date. Helmer Shawn Levy, a college friend of Friedman's, was previously attached to the long-gestating project. Man will mark Winkler's seventh directorial outing. His latest effort, De-lovely, is set to be unveiled as the closing-night film at the upcoming Festival de Cannes. Winkler's other directing credits include At First Sight and Life as a House. Winkler is repped by CAA, while Friedman is repped by UTA.

According to Army Archerd's Thursday column, seven members of the filming team on Hart's War were attacked by bandits, described as "gypsies," in a late night robbery attempt in Prague. Among the group were producer David Ladd and up-and-coming Irish actor Colin Farrell. Ladd was robbed, but Archerd reports that Farrell "beat one of his attackers, sending him flying." When Archerd asked if star Bruce Willis had been accosted by the gypsies, Ladd laughingly replied "No one made that fatal mistake." (Editor's note: This news item was compiled by IMDb staff.)...