Coronavirus Mortality Updates: 2020 - 2023 |
APRIL 21 |
PET SEMATARY Turns 36
It's the original movie based on the book that Stephen King wishes he never wrote. A book so brutal and scary the King of Horror novelists regrets it.
Screenwriter Ken King tells us how Director Mary Lambert's magnum opus grabbed him by the throat in his review of PET SEMATARY.
And -
SILENT HILL Turns 20
Director Christophe Gans was riding high on the International Horror hit, BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF. For five years he'd struggled to convince game maker Konami, that he was the one to make the feature film of their number one game, SILENT HILL. He got the budget to bring together the best practical effects team, digital artists, and the top monster choreographer. Everyone gave it their best and it all shows.
The only problem was, there was one key person there whose best wasn't good enough. He spent the next 20 years trying to fix his mistake.
I'll tell you all about it in my review of 2006's SILENT HILL.
Plus -
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.
Actor, Producer Jennifer Blanc-Biehn (THE CROW, KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE, DARK ANGEL [TV], MY APOCALYPSE, PRANK, THE JACK OF SPADES, THE BLOOD BOND, THE ABSENT, THE DIVIDE, THE VICTIM, JACOB, AMONG FRIENDS, TREACHERY, THE NIGHT VISITOR, THE LEGEND OF DARK HORSE COUNTY, MINDLESS, EVERLY, HIDDEN IN THE WOODS, HAVENHURST, DEADLY SIGNAL, SHE RISES [2016], DEADLY RETREAT, ALTERED PERCEPTION, FETISH FACTORY, KILLER WEEKEND, SORRY I KILLED YOU, TERROR EYES) is 52.
Actor James McAvoy (CHILDREN OF DUNE, ATONEMENT, WANTED, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, TRANCE, X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN, X-MEN: APOCALYPSE, ATOMIC BLONDE, SPLIT, WATERSHIP DOWN [TV], GLASS, DARK PHOENIX, IT: Chapter Two, MY SON, HIS DARK MATERIALS [TV], SPEAK NO EVIL, POSE) is 47.
Look for James in the 2026 Thriller, CONTROL.
| DRESS NICE | |
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APRIL 20 |
YOU DUG IT
Good 2 Know: Any weekend box office drop of less than 50% is good. Any weekend B.O. drop smaller than 30% of the previous is excellent.
General Rules:
A. Theaters get approximately 50% of the gross in North American B.O. (negotiable).
B. Distributors omitting Production budget figures believe the movie will under perform.
C. Total gross by the 3rd weekend accounts for at least half of movie's total theater ticket sales regardless of length of stay.
D. After the 3rd weekend, as screens drop, theater 50/50 B.O. split rises about 10% each weekend, favoring the theater, until it stops at 80/20 (negotiable).
2. PROJECT HAIL MARY in its 5th weekend, held on to 2nd place from last weekend with a healthy 15% loss in box office and adding 3 additional screens. This weekend saw it nearly triple its Production Budget of $200 mill with well over $570 mill in box office world wide.
3. Lee Cronin's THE MUMMY opens against two powerhouses this weekend, bringing in $35 million world-wide against a $22 mil budget on 3,304 screens.
8. BHOOTH BANGLA, despite opening on only 500 screens, earned enough to make the Top Ten. Here's hoping this Indie from India is good enough to get a wider release by next week.
YOU BURIED IT
12. EXIT 8, which opened at #8 last weekend, had too few screens and was too difficult for most movie goers to find. It lost 50% in box office despite adding a mere 15 screens (bringing its screen total to 510).
17. FACES OF DEATH stepped off a cliff after last week's opening at #7, dropping ten places and posting an 82% loss in ticket sales against a 500 screen cut.
Figures calibrated from reporting by Box Office Mojo and The Numbers. Should there be differences between the two, I err on the side of caution and post the most positive numbers.
And -
Dario Argento's TRAUMA is 33
Three common threads of agreement can be found among the fans of Dario Argento.
One - He has his best and his worst.
Two - Fans can't agree on which is his best and which is his worst.
Three - His movies are visually nightmarish dreams of eye candy.
Reviewer Max Glaessner delves into why he feels TRAUMA is a massively under rated Argento ... masterpiece?
Plus -
HOT FUZZ is 19
After the success of SHAUN OF THE DEAD, Director Edgar Wright, and actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, were back. This movie would be nothing like their past successes. They were neither boastful or cocky. Instead they were all confident and in their sophomore outing delivered their second classic in a row, HOT FUZZ.
Finale -
HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
by E.C. McMullen Jr.
Actor Crispin Glover (FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER, RIVER'S EDGE, WILD AT HEART, WILLARD, SIMON SAYS, THE WIZARD OF GORE, BEOWULF, FREEZER BURN: THE INVASION OF LAXDALE, 9, THE DONNER PARTY, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, FREAKY DEAKY, AIMY IN A CAGE, WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE, SAAT DES TERRORS, AMERICAN GODS [TV], BY THE RIVERS OF BABYLON, SMILEY FACE KILLERS) is 61.
Look for Crispin in the expected 2024 release of MR. K. Also in 2024, BY THE RIVERS OF BABYLON.
Actor Clint Howard (EVILSPEAK, THE WRAITH,
B.O.R.N., FREEWAY, INITIATION: SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 4, DISTURBED, THE ROCKETEER, SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 5, BODY CHEMISTRY II, CARNOSAUR, INFESTED, BIGFOOT: THE UNFORGETTABLE ENCOUNTER, LEPRECHAUN 2, ICE CREAM MAN, SAWBONES, TWISTED LOVE, DIGITAL MAN, HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP [1996], TWILIGHT [1998], THE DENTIST 2, BLACKWOODS, HOUSE OF THE DEAD, THE MISSING, BIG BAD WOLF, Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN, THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEASTO, BLOODRAYNE: THE THIRD REICH, DOWN THE ROAD, BLUBBERELLA, SPARKS, THE LORDS OF SALEM, HUFF, THE PROFANE EXHIBIT, FUNHOUSE MASSACRE, FEAST OF FEAR, AMERICAN BIGFOOT, THE CHURCH [2018], 3 FROM HELL, FEAST OF FEAR, LA FLAMME ROUGE, BEYOND PARANORMAL) is 66.
Actor Andy Serkis (THE ESCAPIST, THE LORD OF THE RINGS [all], DEATHWATCH, BLESSED, KING KONG, THE PRESTIGE, THE COTTAGE, EXTRAORDINARY RENDITION, BURKE AND HARE, RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES [2010 - all], THE HOBBIT [all], AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, BLACK PANTHER, THE BATMAN) is 61.
Andy shares an April birthday with fellow LOTR alumni, Sean Bean, and fellow RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES alumni, David Hewlett.
SUNDAY -
Actor Tim Curry (THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, THE SHOUT, LEGEND, CLUE, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, IT [TV - 1990], THE SHADOW, CONGO, GARGOYLES [TV], THE MASK [TV], AAAHH!!! REAL MONSTERS, DOOM RUNNERS [TV], ADDAMS FAMILY REUNION, THE NET [TV], SCARY MOVIE 2, BLOOD MOON, TALES FROM THE CRYPT: RITUAL, BURKE AND HARE, GINGERCLOWN) is 80.
Horror Artist Ghoulish Gary is 52 today. Visit him at GhoulishGary.com.
Today's birthday girl is making just enough mystery thrillers to unbalance her career making rom coms. Do you remember any of her romantic comedies? Neither do I. But everyone recalls her twisted side. Happy Birthday to,
Actor Ashley Judd (THE PASSION OF DARKLY NOON, A TIME TO KILL, KISS THE GIRLS, EYE OF THE BEHOLDER, DOUBLE JEOPARDY, HIGH CRIMES, TWISTED, BUG, MISSING [TV], OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN, DIVERGENT, INSURGENT, ALLEGIANT, TWIN PEAKS [TV - 2017], BERLIN STATION [TV], LAZARETH) who is 57.
Horror Writer / Film maker Gregory Lamberson (Book: JOHNNY GRUESOME. Movies: SLIME CITY, NAKED FEAR, SLIME CITY MASSACRE, SNOW SHARK: ANCIENT SNOW BEAST, CREEPERS, JOHNNY GRUESOME, WIDOW'S POINT, FRENZY MOON) is 61.
THE SCORPION KING Turns 24
The Rock had his own starring role and the movie did okay, but the then WWF (now WWE) owned his Wrestling Ring name. The Rock knew he, and not the WWE, built his audience. So in the Ring he's The Rock. In Life he's Dwayne Johnson, and in this movie he's a wandering warrior named Mathayus. This is how he came to be known as THE SCORPION KING.
Careful though, it involves Scorpions.
SATURDAY -
Actor David Hewlett (THE DARK SIDE, PIN, DEEP SLEEP, SCANNERS II: THE NEW ORDER, SPLIT IMAGES, THE FIRST CIRCLE, BLACK DEATH, MONSTER FORCE [TV], BAD DAY ON THE BLOCK, CUBE, NIGHTWORLD: SURVIVOR, THE TRIANGLE, CENTURY HOTEL, TREED MURRAY, CYPHER, BOA VS. PYTHON, DARKLIGHT, STARGATE: ATLANTIS [TV], SPLICE, RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, MORLOCKS, RAGE OF THE YETI, HAUNTER, DARK MATTER [TV], INCORPORATED [TV], THE SHAPE OF WATER, DEPARTURE, Guillermo del Toro's NIGHTMARE ALLEY, LEVELS, A THOUSAND CUTS, LEVELS) is 57.
Writer / Director / Producer / Actor Eli Roth (CABIN FEVER, 2001 MANIACS, HOSTEL [all], GRINDHOUSE, DEATH PROOF, THE LAST EXORCISM [all], PIRANHA 3D, AFTER SHOCK, THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS, HEMLOCK GROVE [Internet TV], THE SACRAMENT, THE STRANGER, CLOWN, THE GREEN INFERNO, KNOCK KNOCK, SOUTH OF HELL [TV], REAL SCARES [TV], CABIN FEVER [2016], AFTERLIFE [TV], ELI ROTH'S HISTORY OF HORROR [TV], THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS, HAUNT, DEATHRIDER IN THE HOUSE OF VAMPIRES, Eli Roth Presents: A GHOST RUINED MY LIFE [TV], Eli Roth Presents: THE HAUNTED MUSEUM [TV], BORDERLANDS) is 53.
Look for Eli's upcoming Horror Thriller for 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, LAKE MEAD.
Which has now been removed from Eli's IMDb, signifying LAKE MEAD as dead.
Look for Eli Roth's upcoming 2026 Horror Thriller, ICE CREAM MAN.
Actor David Tennant (DOCTOR WHO: SCREAM OF THE SHALKA [2003 - TV], THE QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT [2005 - TV], HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE, DOCTOR WHO [TV], TOTALLY DOCTOR WHO [TV], FRIGHT NIGHT [2011], BAD SAMARITAN, GOOD OMENS [TV], DEADWATER FELL [TV], INSIDE MAN [TV], THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB) is 55.
Writer, Producer, Director Edgar Wright (ASYLUM [TV], SPACED [TV], SHAUN OF THE DEAD, HOT FUZZ, GRINDHOUSE, THE WORLD'S END, ATTACK THE BLOCK, LAST NIGHT IN SOHO, THE RUNNING MAN) is 52.
| DRESS NICE | |
