Michael Caine had an interesting run of genre flicks starting in the late ‘70s. The Swarm (1978) was laughed off the screen, Dressed to Kill (1980) was enjoyed by audiences and critics alike, and The Hand (1981) dropped his batting average once again. Nestled in between all those was The Island (1980), a killer pirate movie from the author of Jaws and directed by the man behind The Bad News Bears. What could go wrong? Well, everything, according to most folk. It’s an odd one to be sure, but the wild tonal shifts that prevent the ship from staying on a clear course make it a fascinating treasure that gets better with each viewing.
Released in June by Universal, The Island had a surefire pedigree for success; the Jaws juggernaut of producers Zanuck and Brown and author Peter Benchley (here, adapting his own novel) promised a good time to be had by all.
Released in June by Universal, The Island had a surefire pedigree for success; the Jaws juggernaut of producers Zanuck and Brown and author Peter Benchley (here, adapting his own novel) promised a good time to be had by all.
- 1/21/2017
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
The late ’80s provided a veritable potpourri for horror film fanatics. Slashers had petered out, and filmmakers were keen on exploring other avenues, everything from a parasitic drug slug (Brain Damage) to possession (The Unholy), and all points in-between. Of course, mileage may vary, and many have fallen through the cracks or are best forgotten. Possibly one of the oddest of the bunch is Anthony Hickox’s Waxwork (1988), a goofball mixture of Hammer and Amicus brought kicking and screaming into the modern era with a touch o’ teen comedy sensibility. And in horror, odd never hurts—and sometimes it even helps create an unassuming delight such as this.
Produced and distributed by Vestron Pictures, who scored big the previous year with the terrifying Dirty Dancing, Waxwork was given a limited release in June in the Us and the rest of the world the following year. Made for $1,500,000, it only returned $800,000 domestically.
Produced and distributed by Vestron Pictures, who scored big the previous year with the terrifying Dirty Dancing, Waxwork was given a limited release in June in the Us and the rest of the world the following year. Made for $1,500,000, it only returned $800,000 domestically.
- 4/30/2016
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Here’s some great news for fans of 80s’ horror, those fine upstanding folk at Image Entertainment will be releasing the Midnight Madness Series starting in September. They have a veritable truckload of classics from Lakeshore Entertainment coming our way, including the release of Vamp on Blu-ray. Others include Children of the Corn, Hellraiser and Creepshow 2. For a full release schedule check out below. In the meantime I suggest saving up your notes as it could get expensive!
Children of the Corn (Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital; September 6th)
Based on the classic short story by Stephen King, this film is about a young couple (Linda Hamilton, Terminator 2, and Peter Horton, “thirtysomething”) stranded in a rural town in Nebraska. They are surrounded by prospering corn fields…and a terrifying secret. This horror favorite has spawned six sequels and many imitations. See how the Corn first took root!
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark...
Children of the Corn (Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital; September 6th)
Based on the classic short story by Stephen King, this film is about a young couple (Linda Hamilton, Terminator 2, and Peter Horton, “thirtysomething”) stranded in a rural town in Nebraska. They are surrounded by prospering corn fields…and a terrifying secret. This horror favorite has spawned six sequels and many imitations. See how the Corn first took root!
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark...
- 8/12/2011
- by Jude
- The Liberal Dead
Oh. My. God. Image Entertainment, you have made my day! The announcement of the lineup for Image's Midnight Madness Series has set my feet to dancing. And if you're a fan of '80's horror, you might find a little Michael Flatley in yourself because this is a killer list of films.
Okay, your interest must be piqued at this point, right? Dying to hear the list? I'll keep you in suspense no longer. Imagine I'm Michael Madsen in Reservoir Dogs and lend me your ear. (trumpet fanfare) I give you the Image Midnight Madness Series lineup:
Let's start with the heavy hitters (film descriptions from Image Entertainment):
Hellraiser (Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital; September 6th)
Horror master Clive Barker wrote and directed this seminal 1987 nightmare classic, featuring the first appearance of the iconic Pinhead. A story of puzzle boxes, Cenobites, ritual sadomasochism and dismemberment, this is a thrillingly perverse...
Okay, your interest must be piqued at this point, right? Dying to hear the list? I'll keep you in suspense no longer. Imagine I'm Michael Madsen in Reservoir Dogs and lend me your ear. (trumpet fanfare) I give you the Image Midnight Madness Series lineup:
Let's start with the heavy hitters (film descriptions from Image Entertainment):
Hellraiser (Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital; September 6th)
Horror master Clive Barker wrote and directed this seminal 1987 nightmare classic, featuring the first appearance of the iconic Pinhead. A story of puzzle boxes, Cenobites, ritual sadomasochism and dismemberment, this is a thrillingly perverse...
- 8/11/2011
- by Doctor Gash
- DreadCentral.com
DVD Playhouse September 2010
By
Allen Gardner
The Girl Who Played With Fire (Music Box Films) Follow up to the hit The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo finds Lisabeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) and Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) joining forces once again as Blomkvist is about to break a story on Sweden’s sex trade, which leads unexpectedly to a dark secret from Elizabeth’s past. Starts off well, then quickly nose-dives into sensationalism and downright silliness, with a pair of villains who are straight out of a Roger Moore-era James Bond film. A real letdown for those of us who felt Dragon Tattoo had finally breathed life into the cinema’s long-stagnant genre of the thriller. Bonuses: English language track; Trailer. Widescreen. Dolby 5.1 surround.
The Killer Inside Me (IFC Films) Michael Winterbottom’s adaptation of Jim Thompson’s classic, and notorious, novel about the psychotic mind of a small town sheriff (Casey Affleck,...
By
Allen Gardner
The Girl Who Played With Fire (Music Box Films) Follow up to the hit The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo finds Lisabeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) and Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) joining forces once again as Blomkvist is about to break a story on Sweden’s sex trade, which leads unexpectedly to a dark secret from Elizabeth’s past. Starts off well, then quickly nose-dives into sensationalism and downright silliness, with a pair of villains who are straight out of a Roger Moore-era James Bond film. A real letdown for those of us who felt Dragon Tattoo had finally breathed life into the cinema’s long-stagnant genre of the thriller. Bonuses: English language track; Trailer. Widescreen. Dolby 5.1 surround.
The Killer Inside Me (IFC Films) Michael Winterbottom’s adaptation of Jim Thompson’s classic, and notorious, novel about the psychotic mind of a small town sheriff (Casey Affleck,...
- 9/25/2010
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.