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‘Halloween: The Changing Shape of an Iconic Series’: The Horror News Network Review

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Fans and critics were certainly split over last October’s Halloween reboot.  While critics gave the film praise for updating the franchise for a modern audience, fans who have followed the series since John Carpenter’s original were less impressed, finding the film to be derivative and (the cardinal sin of any horror film) not scary enough.

Despite the mixed feelings about 2018’s version of Michael Myers tale, fans still hold the series in high regard, including some of the questionable later entries in the series.  Author Ernie Magnotta is one who certainly hold the films near and dear to his heart, but he also approaches the many Halloween films with a critical perspective in his new book Halloween: The Changing Shape of an Iconic Series. read more

Donald Moffat, Star of ‘The Thing’, Passes Away at 87

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Veteran actor Donald Moffat, who’s long and distinguished Hollywood career spanned six decades, passed away on Thursday, December 2oth.  According to his daughter Lynn, the star of stage and screen suffered complications from a stroke at his home in Sleepy Hollow, NY.  He was 87.

Moffat was born in the England in 1930, and moved to the United States in 1956 prepared to taking his acting career to the next level.  He found success on Broadway, having been nominated for two Tony Awards.  The highlight of  his Hollywood career would be portraying Lyndon B. Johnson in 1983’s The Right Stuff, along with recurring roles in the TV series Logan’s Run and Dallas.  His IMDB credits include 121 acknowledged roles, spanning an incredible 49 years.  He retired from acting in 2005, with his final role being that of a judge on the hit series Law & Order: Trial by Jury. read more

Universal Shares ‘Halloween’ Deleted Scene

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Mere weeks before the home video release of the latest entry in the Halloween franchise, an early glimpse of one of the special features is now streaming on YouTube.

From Universal Home Entertainment’s YT channel, the deleted scene features Aaron Korey (Jefferson Hall) and Dana Haines (Rhian Rees), the documentary filmmakers who are researching the masked killer Michael Myers, during a pretty solid faux scare.

Reprising her iconic role from the original 1978 film, Jamie Lee Curtis comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked killer who has haunted her since narrowly escaping the night he went on a killing spree forty years prior on Halloween night. read more

‘Halloween’s’ Voice of Dr. Loomis Colin Mahan: The Horror News Network Interview

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Casual fans of  horror movies, and Halloween in particular, always assume that the hardcore fans love Michael Myers or Laurie Strode the best.  But real fans love one man and one man only when it comes to the original Halloween films: the maniacal and hysterical Dr. Loomis (played by the inimitable Donald Pleasence).

When news of the remake started to circulate through the horror community, many fans wondered if the legacy of the great actor and his portrayal of Loomis would be honored.  Thankfully, Loomis’ voice made it into the film, but was the audio captured from a previous film or outtakes?  As it turns out, the recording of “the good doctor” was performed by voice actor and comedian Colin Mahan.  In this exclusive interview, Mahan discusses how he landed the job, the pressure involved in recreating the classic voice, and how comedy and horror are not too far apart on the entertainment spectrum. read more

‘Halloween’ Chops the Box Office to Pieces With a $77.5 Million Dollar Debut

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Expectations were high for the long-awaited reboot of John Carpenter’s Halloween, and it is safe to say that the film didn’t disappoint at the box office with a $77.5 million three-day debut.  The total was the second largest October opening weekend of all-time, coming less than $3 million shy of the record set by Sony’s Venom (early reports had the film beating Venom, but that slippery symbiote held on to his title, at least for now).

With a $10 million dollar production budget, Halloween (2018) was a major success for Universal and Blumhouse, and the film is sure to add to its total over the next few weeks with little horror competition on the horizon. Halloween (2018) fared well with critics (currently 80% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and a good, but not great B+ Cinemascore with fans.  The horror community has been less than impressed with the film, which could add up to a larger drop-off than expected next week (look no further than HNN’s John Evans, whose 2000 word plus review gives you every reason to wait to see Halloween at home at best, and perhaps skip it at worst). read more

‘Halloween (2018)’: The Horror News Network Review

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Halloween fans are used to being disappointed. However, after decades of false starts, inconsistency, and mind-bending retcons, our love of the original 1978 masterpiece has remained steadfast and our optimism for an effective follow-up has never been affected by a long line of attempts which never quite hit the high watermark that John Carpenter established with Halloween and arguably maintained with 1981’s Halloween II. Halloween (2018) was supposed to change everything. Directed by David Gordon Green and based on a script by Green and Danny McBride- the duo known for dark and complex non-horror titles such as Eastbound & Down and Vice Principals– the early hype for the film focused on a concerted effort to return to the franchise’s roots, both thematically and narratively. This mission was reinforced by another return of Jamie Lee Curtis as the iconic Laurie Strode, a guest appearance by Nick Castle as The Shape, and John Carpenter’s direct involvement in the franchise by acting as executive producer and providing music for the new film. And then came the trailer- a nearly perfect study in the recreation of the visual and auditory style of the original movie- which resulted in a fever pitch of anticipation for fans who were eager to believe that it was finally happening… he was finally going to come home in style! Unfortunately- and it brings me no pleasure to say this- the greatest moments of the film were all featured in that fateful trailer, and the new Halloween movie suffers greatly due to baffling choices with both story and character. There are fleeting moments in the film which will inspire even the most orthodox Halloween fan, but those moments are earned by the legacy of the franchise rather than the merits of the movie itself. read more

John Carpenter Teases Potential ‘They Live’ Sequel

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“They” will live again, according to director John Carpenter that is, who said in an interview with Den of Geek that a sequel to 1988’s They Live is certainly possible.

Although he remained coy with details on a follow up film, Carpenter did reveal that for a time a remake was in the works with Matt Reeves, known for his directorial work on Cloverfield and War for the Planet of the Apes, set to direct.

“There was a feature film,” Carpenter said. “It was a feature film called ‘Resistance,’ written by, oh, the guy who did the ‘Apes’ movies. Matt Reeves. But then he moved on.” read more

40th Anniversary Restored & Remastered Edition of ‘Halloween’ to Arrive in Theaters This September

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Fans are on the edge of their seats waiting for the October 19th release of the highly anticipated Halloween sequel starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle… but CineLife Entertainment just announced a new project that’s sure to help make the wait much more tolerable! Starting on September 27th, 2018, fans can watch John Carpenter’s Halloween on the big screen in an all new 40th anniversary restored and remastered edition of the film!

The Hollywood Reporter has attained a press release from CineLife, detailing their partnership with Compass International Pictures, and Trancas International Films to bring the 1978 classic to select theaters worldwide. Even better, the restoration and remastering of the classic film has been, “created under the supervision of original cinematographer Dean Cundey”! Movie buffs know that Cundey has contributed to some of the most visually impressive films of all time in his storied career, including Jurassic Park, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Big Trouble in Little China, and Back to the Future Part II and III. read more

Dwayne Johnson Will Not Be Portraying Jack Burton in the ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ Sequel

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Fans of Kurt Russel’s portrayal of Jack Burton should breathe a sigh of relief because according to an exclusive report by Collider, Dwayne Johnson will not be portraying everyone’s favorite reluctant hero in the planned remake of John Carpenter’s 1986 genre-bender, Big Trouble in Little China.

Hiram Garcia, president of production at Seven Bucks Productions (a company founded by co-CEOs Johnson and Dany Garcia) and one of the producers of the upcoming Big Trouble in Little China, stated that “There’s a lot of things going on with [Big Trouble in Little China]. We are in the process of developing that, and let me tell you, the idea is not to actually remake Big Trouble in Little China. You can’t remake a classic like that, so what we’re planning to do is we’re going to continue the story. We’re going to continue the universe of Big Trouble in Little China.” read more

‘The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31’: The Horror News Network Review

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In 1982 John Carpenter unleashed a horror film that chilled viewers bones and took paranoia to an unseen level. Set in the harsh weather backdrop of Antarctica, a group of researchers are attacked by a hostile shape-shifting alien. The Thing boasted renowned actors such as Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David, and Richard Dysart in the ensemble cast.

Released in November 2017 by Mondo Games and Project Raygun, The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31 takes us back to Outpost 31 and to the harsh weather of Antarctica. All twelve characters from the film MacReady, Blair, Nauls, Palmer, Childs, Dr. Copper, Norris, Bennings, Clark, Garry, Fuchs, and Windows are available for players. Each of the player comes with their own miniature game piece and an ID card complete with a quote from the movie and their unique “captain powers.” read more