Horror Movies

Last week we caught up with Powerman 5000 frontman Spider One to chat about his latest film project, the horror-comedy web series "My Wife Is a Demon," as well as the next Powerman 5000 album and more! Brother to musician and filmmaker Rob Zombie, Spider One burst onto the industrial heavy metal music scene in 1999 with the successful release of the Powerman 5000 album Tonight the Stars Revolt! (the album contained the memorable single "When Worlds Collide" and would go on to sell more than a million copies). He then flexed his film muscles in 2011 with "Death Valley", the horror-comedy mockumentary broadcast by MTV (and now available on Netflix), which he conceived and co-executive produced. With Powerman 5000 prepping to release a new album and embark on a subsequent world tour in the coming months, the vocalist riffed on that with us as well as his web series "My Wife Is a Demon" (check out the first three episodes below). "We are hard at work on the next record," stated Spider One of the next (and currently untitled ) Powerman 5000 album. "I'm not certain of a release date yet, but one thing's for sure: The record's going to crush!" (Writer's note: I've had the chance to listen to the tracks in progress and would have to agree with his glowing assessment. It sounds absolutely huge). As for his inspiration for "My Wife Is a Demon," Spider One said, "The idea first came about on a phone call with Adam Carr, who plays Alan in the shorts. Adam called me and asked what I thought about the concept of a guy being married to an actual demon and the relationship is slowly killing him. I loved it because it is ridiculous and funny but also because the heart of the idea is pretty grounded. Taking real life marital problems and warping them through a demonic prism was compelling to me." Directed by Spider One, "My Wife Is a Demon" was co-written and produced by him and Carr and additionally stars Karen Soni as the therapist and Lyndsi LaRose as Debbie, the series' demon wife (she also produced). "The plan for this project was to have no plan! Ha!" answered Spider One when queried of the possible continuation of the series or expansion thereof. "Usually I shoot or write stuff with the sole purpose of pitching to a network," he continued. "'My Wife Is a Demon' was made for fun with no grand goal. Which is probably why it will be a million dollar idea! Ha. That said, we are talking about shooting more, possibly taking Alan and Debbie out of the therapist's office and into the real world." As for what other genre projects he's got up his "action-rock" sleeve, " I have a few things in the works," he told us. "A couple of feature scripts and a couple of TV concepts, the coolest being something called 'Apt. 13' (more about that here). Lets just say it's 'The Young Ones meets The Munsters'! Total rock 'n roll monster madness!" Speaking of rock 'n roll madness, watch Dread Central in the coming weeks for the chance to score some VIP tickets to a special, "invite only" Powerman 5000 show in Hollywood, CA, and stay up-to-date with all things Spider One via his Twitter feed @therealSpider1 and those hi-fi sci-fi electro metal robot rockers Powerman 5000 on their official site and on Twitter as well @therealPM5K. If you're not familiar with the band, check out the video for "When Worlds Collide" below. VISIT THE EVILSHOP @ AMAZON! Got news? Click here to submit it! Warp your marital problems through a demonic prism in the comments section below.

Here at Dread Central we have an insane amount of love for "Supernatural" star Jim Beaver. Having said that it's with great pleasure that we report that Beaver has signed on for active duty in Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak. Read on for details. The news comes from Beaver himself via his Facebook page. "Okay, I’m back again with that big deal that I couldn’t talk about but couldn’t shut up about either. Well, now I can talk about it, because today it came true. Guillermo del Toro, director of PAN’S LABYRINTH, HELLBOY, and the upcoming PACIFIC RIM, has cast me in one of five leading roles in his new film CRIMSON PEAK, a Gothic ghost story also starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Jessica Chastain, and Charlie Hunnam. We start shooting in Toronto in January.” He joins the previously announced Mia Wasikowska who will play a young author named Edith Cushing, who discovers that her charming new husband is not who he appears to be. Jessica Chastain also stars alongside Benedict Cumberbatch and Charlie Hunnam. Plot details are unknown as del Toro and Lucinda Coxon work through a rewrite on a script del Toro and Matthew Robins originally penned. Del Toro previously described the film as “a very set-oriented, classical but at the same time modern take on the ghost story. It will allow me to play with the conventions of the genre I know and love and at the same time subvert the old rules.” Legendary will produce and be a participating financing partner on the movie, with Universal Pictures retaining an option to finance at a later date. Look for more hopefully soon! VISIT THE EVILSHOP @ AMAZON! Got news? Click here to submit it! Get spooked in the comments section below!

Monsters have invaded your city! People are dying left and right! A state of emergency has been declared! What do you do? What... do... you... do? According to this latest one-sheet for the phenomenal horror comedy Grabbers you break this glass! Look for the film July 19th on the IFC Midnight banner in select theaters and on cable VOD, iTunes, Amazon, Xbox Zune, PlayStation, SundanceNow.com and other digital VOD outlets. Helmed by Jon Wright and penned by Kevin Lehane, the creature feature stars Richard Coyle (Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time), Ruth Bradley (Flyboys), and Russell Tovey ("Being Human" UK). Synopsis: Ciarán O’Shea, the handsome though washed up policeman of sleepy Erin Island, has a daily routine consisting mainly of hanging out at the pub with the local drunks and various other charmingly eccentric characters. But his day is about to go horribly wrong. Teamed up with the unwanted help of Lisa – an uptight workaholic policewoman from the Irish mainland – they suddenly find themselves dealing with dead whales, decapitated fishermen and weird alien creatures or “grabbers”. Like a giant squid with tentacles, fanged jaws and a three-foot barbed tongue, they’re making mincemeat of the locals. Faced with another imminent attack, O’Shea and Lisa figure out that the only person to survive the last onslaught only did so because he was so drunk his blood was literally toxic to the monsters. So there is only one thing for it: They have to get the entire village as drunk as possible in order to survive the night ... a task that the villagers apply themselves to with gusto. But one person must remain sober so for the first time in years O’Shea has to face up to things without a drink. When things don’t go to plan, an extremely drunk Lisa and a very sober O’Shea have to reconcile their differences and somehow save the day. VISIT THE EVILSHOP @ AMAZON! Got news? Click here to submit it! Grab alcohol in the comments section below!

A new trailer has arrived for the upcoming apocalyptic horror comedy The World's End, which ends the trilogy of parody films that started with Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz and it takes a both a look back and a look ahead. Check it out! The World's End is directed by Edgar Wright and stars Simon Pegg along with long time buddy Nick Frost, Rosamund Pike, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, and Eddie Marsan. Synopsis 20 years after attempting an epic pub crawl, five childhood friends reunite when one of them becomes hell bent on trying the drinking marathon again. They are convinced to stage an encore by mate Gary King, a 40-year old man trapped at the cigarette end of his teens, who drags his reluctant pals to their home town and once again attempts to reach the fabled pub, The World’s End. As they attempt to reconcile the past and present, they realize the real struggle is for the future, not just theirs but humankind’s. Reaching The World’s End is the least of their worries. VISIT THE EVILSHOP @ AMAZON! Got news? Click here to submit it! End it all in the comments section below!

Jeffrey Siniard, the excellent writer and blogger at A Beachfront Cineaste, provides us our first reader list of the day. Jeffrey writes: “Here is my list for the top 10. In accordance with your point system (and unlike the films list), these have been ranked from first to last. The first two picks for me were easy, while the rest were much more difficult.” 1. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver): Alien. Even if Alien were her only appearance, Ripley is a fascinating character. We see her commitment to her job in refusing to allow entry to the landing party, combined with compassion for their predicament. She nearly falls to pieces under the stress, then gathers her composure and faces down monsters biological, mechanical, and corporate - and she never fails to show compassion or sympathy even when it would be in her best interests not to do so (rescuing Jones, checking on Parker and Lambert even knowing the Alien might be there, or even unplugging Ash). These qualities shine through in every situation Ripley faces, throughout the Alien Series. Ripley is not just a great science fiction character, but one of modern cinema's greatest heroes. 2. Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer): Blade Runner. "More human than human" is the motto of the Tyrell Corporation, and it applies in Batty's case. Beyond the even the landmark special effects and production design, Batty is what endures in Blade Runner. He's everything that is great and terrible about humans in a 4 year package, showcasing tremendous maturity, intelligence, and compassion coupled with an almost childlike innocence, yearning, and rage. As Tyrell says: "The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and you have burned so very very brightly Roy." 3. Dr. Morbius / The Monster from the Id (Walter Pidgeon): Forbidden Planet. What's fascinating is how Morbius and his alter-ego are a representation of a human future so bound to technological innovation that it has split the logical intellectual and the emotional savage into distinct characters. You see Morbius emotional detachment in every interaction, even with his prized creations: daughter Altaira and Robby the Robot. He's always present and in control, even when frustrated. On the other hand, The Monster from the Id disappears and reappears at random, and when present, is never under control. 4 (tie). James Kirk (William Shatner and Chris Pine) Star Trek. Shatner's Kirk goes from middle aged and still reckless in The Wrath of Khan to fully seasoned and mature beyond his years, enduring the loss of his friend and his ship along the way. When he accepts responsibility in The Voyage Home, there's a sense that he's really, truly owning his choices for the first time. Pine's Kirk matures similarly but much sooner in life, and there's a different kind of assured confidence from facing the worst case scenario without cheating that his Kirk takes to the captain's chair at the end of Star Trek Into Darkness. 4 (tie). Spock (Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto) Star Trek. Nimoy's Spock spends most of his late adult life coming to the realization that logic is only a means and not the end. What Nimoy portrays so eloquently is shown to us in a rawer form by Quinto, who hasn't gained the years of experience and insight which his older version had as a cushion, and you can see him almost at war between the logic he was raised to accept and the raging anger and loss that percolates beneath the surface. 6. Dr. Zaius (Maurice Evans) Planet of the Apes. What makes Zaius so captivating is his pure commitment to preserving Ape Society at whatever cost; including ignoring scientific truth, quashing religious freedom, and even destroying intelligent life. That he does so while radiating intelligence and charisma makes him all the more compelling... that he radiates intelligence and charisma and KNOWS he's correct about mankind is deva

Lots of new photos from the upcoming R-rated Riddick flick have made their way to the Internet thanks to their amazing ability to see in the dark and the mythical download button we utilize whenever we can. Check 'em out here. Riddick stars Vin Diesel and is based on a script by David Twohy, who wrote both Chronicles of Riddick and Pitch Black, where he first created the character of Riddick. Joining Diesel are a returning Karl Urban (Star Trek) as Vaako; Jordi Molla as Santana, the arrogant captain of the mercenary ship; Matt Nable (Killer Elite) as Boss Johns, a man looking for answers; Katee Sackhoff (TV's "Battlestar Galactica") as the Nordic mercenary Dahl; and Bokeem Woodbine (Total Recall) as bounty hunter Moss. Rounding out the cast are Dave Bautista (The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption), Conrad Pla (Immortals), Raoul Trujillo (Apocalypto), Nolan Funk (Aliens in America), and two-time Grammy Award-nominated singer Keri Hilson. Synopsis: Riddick, the latest chapter of the groundbreaking saga that began with 2000’s hit sci-fi film Pitch Black and 2004’s The Chronicles of Riddick reunites writer/director David Twohy (A Perfect Getaway, The Fugitive) and star Vin Diesel (the Fast and Furious franchise, xXx). Diesel reprises his role as the antihero Riddick, a dangerous, escaped convict wanted by every bounty hunter in the known galaxy. The infamous Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he’s encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty. The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose pursuit of Riddick is more personal. With time running out and a storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won’t leave the planet without Riddick’s head as their trophy. VISIT THE EVILSHOP @ AMAZON! Got news? Click here to submit it! Find Riddick in the comments section below.

Word has come via e-mail that a ghostly new flick is now before cameras courtesy of our friends across the pond. Read on for the first word and details surrounding Blood Curse: The Haunting of Alicia Stone. Rising British horror actress Melissa Hollett (pictured; Dead Walkers: Rise Of The 4th Reich, Dead Cert, Exorcist Chronicles), has landed the lead in the flick, which is being produced for American studio Chemical Burn Entertainment and is due for release in spring 2014. Nathan Head also appears. Blood Curse: The Haunting of Alicia Stone is currently being shot on the South Coast of England in Brighton. The film tells the story of Alicia (Hollett) and her husband, Jason (played by real-life husband Keiron Hollett), encountering strange phenomena upon receiving a gift from an estranged relative. VISIT THE EVILSHOP @ AMAZON! Got news? Click here to submit it! Curse others in the comments section below!

Forty years ago today, The Exorcist (1973) was released in United States theaters, and in many senses, the age of the modern horror film truly began. At the time, William Friedkin's film met with tremendous controversy, instead of the universal acclaim some people associate with it today. The Nation's Robert Hatch called it an "exceedingly well-made bad picture" and noted that The Exorcist "denigrates medicine and psychiatry, it involves the Catholic Church in mumbo-jumbo and, by grotesque make-up and camera trickery...it turns a 12 year old girl into a spectacle of loathsome ugliness for the sole purpose of mindless entertainment. It should be scorned." (February 2, 1974, page 157). Jay Cocks at Time Magazine called The Exorcist "vile and brutalizing," and Film Quarterly termed it "the trash bombshell of 1973, the aesthetic equivalent of being run over by a truck...a gloating, ugly, exploitation picture..." The Reverend Billy Graham went even further, and accused The Exorcist of causing depression and spiritual angst in 1970s movie audiences. He said: "A psychiatrist friend of mine has told me that he is seeing new patients all the time whose troubles can be directly traced to their having seen this film. They report recurring nightmares and problems they never had before. My friend is concerned, as I am, that there will be more of it, if people continue to flock to the box office." Other critics were more approving. Stanley Kauffmann at The New Republic called it the "most scary" picture he had seen in years and declared that "The Exorcist will scare the hell out of you." Similarly, Films in Review noted that "the horror film will never be the same," while Roger Ebert called it "one of the best movie of its type ever made; it not only transcends the genre of terror, horror and the supernatural, but it transcends such serious, ambitious efforts in the same direction as Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby." I agree with the critics who detect the artistry in William Friedkin's film. As I've written many times before, I credit the early parts of the film (the scenes set in Iraq, and later in a Georgetown Hospital) for rendering the special-effects-driven last act so damned effective, and so damned scary. Friedkin directs these early sequences as if they are a documentary -- like a cinema-verite travelogue -- and the result is a grounded, gritty sense of reality that completely captures the senses and absorbs attention. These first two acts are so believably vetted that the third act -- even with the spinning head and split-pea vomit -- still plays, somehow, as realistic. Novelist William Peter Blatty based his tale of demonic possession on a real-life story he had heard at George Washington University in 1949, but developed it so that it would become the terrifying story of a mother losing a child, and of a child corrupted. The film isn't exploitative (particularly of Blair), because the point is indeed, childhood destroyed, ravaged by evil. When our children are threatened in movies, all our futures or tomorrows are imperiled. Also, I often consider The Exorcist a deliberate meditation about the structure of the universe. Is there such a thing as the Devil, or is what we perceive as the devil really just a mental illness? The film’s first act suggests one answer, based in the knowledge of antiquity. The second act, set in the hospital (replete with painful-looking spinal tap) suggests the latter. And then the third act goes nuts with violence and graphic effects, but also examples of human heroism and nobility. The film thus provides two answers about life and the cosmos. The first is that if there is a Devil there must, by implication, be a God too. And secondly, that acts of human courage and kindness can, finally, beat the Devil. The Exorcist may be brutal, but i

Another set of The Walking Dead Minimates is on its way from Diamond Select this summer, but there's a catch: The assortment, known as "Hershel's Farm," is a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive. Product Details: At Comic-Con International in 2012, Diamond Select Toys released the first two-pack from their line of The Walking Dead Minimates, based on the best-selling Skybound comic book by Robert Kirkman. The two-pack quickly sold out, and DST swore to top themselves in 2013. Now, with the third full series of The Walking Dead Minimates in stores, DST and Skybound are proud to announce a new exclusive four-pack for this year's Comic-Con! This year's Comic-Con exclusive Walking Dead Minimates box set is titled Hershel's Farm, and it includes four different Minimates based on the famous farmhouse story arc. Included in the set are Hershel, his deceased son Zombie Shawn, Lookout Duty Rick, and a Barn Zombie. The Minimates come in a blister-carded four-pack, and each stands 2 inches tall, with a variety of interchangeable parts and accessories, including a pitchfork and a blanket. The set will be limited to only 3,000 produced. The set will be available at the Diamond Select Toys booth, #2607, as well as from various retailers around the show floor. Comic-Con International takes place July 18-21 at the San Diego Convention Center. Get regular updates from Diamond Select on Facebook and Diamond Select on Twitter. VISIT THE EVILSHOP @ AMAZON! Got news? Click here to submit it! Shamble on into the comments section below!

Sometimes things are just better left alone. Untreated. For instance, one quick trip to the shrink can open up one hell of a spooky and deadly can of worms. That's exactly the case with this latest indie film Armynel. Read on for details. Director Lance Dumais takes us on a multi-layered thrill ride into the dark recesses of the mind. The killings begin after a woman falls victim to her own dark past. In order to stop the madness, she must do what needs to be done. Armynel, starring Danielle DiLorenzo (2010 "Survivor" contestant) will be released on DVD July 16th, 2013. Synopsis For Savannah, a personal assistant at a law office struggling with a dark secret, bad dreams soon become nightmares and then progress to hallucinations. Finally, she can't take it anymore and decides to tell her girlfriend Felicia. Felicia tries to help by introducing her to psychiatrist Doctor Dale. As she begins her hypnosis therapy sessions and her dark secrets come to light, tragedies begin happening around Savannah, and all the signs point to her being the suspect. VISIT THE EVILSHOP @ AMAZON! Got news? Click here to submit it! Face your past in the comments section below!