*Cue the music* Do, da, do, da, do, da, do, da, six more days 'til Halloween, Halloween, Halloween. Six more days 'til Halloween... I will let our readers finish the rest. Halloween is next week, so what's better than a book dedicated to the Halloween franchise? Taking Shape: Developing Halloween from Script to Scream by Dustin McNeill and Travis Mullins is available now. Also in today's Horror Highlights: a Blood & Gourd animated teaser, the newly restored Eegah (1962) on Blu-ray and DVD, and Red Letter Day Blu-ray release details.
Taking Shape: Developing Halloween from Script to Scream Book Release Details: "Silver Shamrock. Thorn. White Horses. It’s all in here. Join authors Dustin McNeill and Travis Mullins for a deep dive into the evolution of Halloween’s vast mythology. Extensively researched, this is the ultimate guide to the first forty years of Haddonfield history. Rejected scripts, deleted scenes, unused ideas, alternate versions – this is a book about what you did and didn’t see on the big screen. TAKING SHAPE also features new interviews with filmmakers from every installment. Prepare to gain new insight into Halloween’s iconic boogeyman. Oh, you don’t believe in the boogeyman? You should.
TAKING SHAPE contains:
- Comprehensive story analysis on the entire series!
- A rundown of all deleted and alternate scenes!
- A look at what scholars got right (and wrong) about H1!
- Exclusive details on Nigel Kneale's original H3 script!
- Comparisons of early scripts to the final theatrical films!
- A rare interview with H5 screenwriter Michael Jacobs!
- An exhaustive account of H6's troubled production!
- An examination of H20’s roots as a direct-to-video sequel!
- A revealing look behind the grunge of the Rob Zombie era!
- Insight into how test audiences and execs shaped the films!
- In-depth dissection of the official novelizations!
Taking Shape: Developing Halloween from Script to Scream By Dustin McNeill and Travis Mullins
Published by Harker Press
Available in Paperback and Kindle eBook
440 pages."
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Blood & Gourd Animated Teaser Revealed: "It’s Devil’s Night in Olympia, WA – and out at Henderson Farms, the festivities are reaching a crescendo. Young and old have gathered to pick their own pumpkin, drink hot apple cider, and partake in the usual pumpkin farm fare. However, something has awakened from deep within the fertile soil. After years of abuse and humiliation, the pumpkins are ready...to pick US!
You can beg!
You can plead! You can scream! But these hell’s lanterns are lit only with a burning desire to: Watch. You. Die!
To show off the look and atmosphere of the series, as well as to announce the crowd-funding campaign for Blood & Gourd #4, launching in early 2020, Dead Peasant has produced an animated Blood & Gourd promotional video! The promo features art from the first three issues, brought to life by animator, Greg Rozeboom. It also features music by the Detroit punk rock trio, Nuke, and the Hell-Riders.
Blood & Gourd is a critically acclaimed comic book series written and created by Jenz K. Lund. It features art by notable comic book artists such as Jonas Scharf (Bone Parish, Avengers; Halloween Special, War for the Planet of the Apes), Juanan Ramirez (Uncanny X-Men, Web of Venom; Ve'Nam, Stephen King's Dark Tower), and Juan Albarran (Nightwing, Batgirl). Additional artists include: Dave Acosta, Fran Gamboa, Roberta Ingranata, and The Gurch!
Dead Peasant is a 100% creator-owned and operated indie publisher. Through crowd-funding and sheer determination, its team has successfully conjured up one of the most bizarre, offbeat, and exciting comic book series in years. Their dedicated fan base affectionately calls themselves ‘stemheads’, and they’re ready to help bring Blood & Gourd to the masses!
Comics can be purchased at webleedhalloween.com and at fine comic book stores everywhere."
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Eegah (1962) Blu-ray and DVD Release Details: "'Watch Out for Snakes!'
Mystery Science Theater 3000's Favorite Seven-Foot-Tall Caveman as Never Seen Before in Special, Restored Collector's Edition of 1962 Cult Classic, Available Nov. 26.
The "name written in blood," Eegah, returns to the spotlight for a special-edition release from The Film Detective (TFD), a leading classic media streaming network and film archive that restores classic films for today's cord-cutters.
On Nov. 26, TFD will release a must-have collector's set for any cult fan that includes a 4K restoration of Eegah (1962); the 1993 Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) version of the film; and exclusive interviews with star Arch Hall Jr., who portrayed the local teenage hero, and MST3K creator Joel Hodgson.
Originally designed as a vehicle for his son, filmmaker Arch Hall Sr. assumed the roles of writer, producer, director, and actor to bring the film to fruition, utilizing pseudonyms like “Nicholas Merriwether” and “William Watters” to prevent his name from appearing multiple times in the credits.
Incorporating all of the rock ‘n’ roll, pop culture staples of the ‘60s, he added a rampaging, seven-foot-tall Neanderthal to create the thrilling comedy, which follows Eegah (Richard Kiel), a prehistoric caveman who is nearly run over by Roxy Miller (Marilyn Manning) on her way to a party. Forming a romantic interest in the young beauty, Eegah holds Roxy and her father (Hall Sr.) captive in his lair. It’s up to local gas station attendant Tom Nelson (Hall Jr.) to rescue his sweetheart from the raving brute.
Matching the whimsical tone of the movie itself, Arch Sr. once said, “It was always sort of a subject of laughter that the darned thing did so well."
Despite its campy prehistoric origins, the legacy of Eegah has stood the test of time. In 1993, the movie was picked up for an episode of MST3K (1988-1999), a comedy series that made playful commentary on entertainment’s most-notorious B-movies, recently revived on Netflix in 2017. The episode further immortalized the film’s most famous, satirical line, “Watch out for snakes,” a comment noticeably dubbed during post-production. Eegah embedded itself so deeply into the culture of MST3K, that the show took to the road in 2017 for a live Watch Out for Snakes Tour.
MST3K is not the only organization with a longtime appreciation for the legacy of Eegah. Something Weird Video, an American film distributor dedicated to the preservation of exploitation films, has served as an integral part of Eegah’s preservation. Commented owner Lisa Petrucci, "Something Weird is pleased that Eegah is getting the deluxe Blu-ray video release that it deserves! This will be the best version of the film ever made available!"
EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL FEATURES: Joel Hodgson, creator of MST3K, gives his take on the Hall family and his evolving appreciation for the film following the 1993 episode; and the star himself, Arch Hall Jr., shares personal insights on his father’s spur-of-the-moment plot idea, reveals which of his family members appear in cameos throughout the film and offers behind-the-scenes details from production.
With a 4K restoration by Peter Conheim from the Cinema Preservation Alliance, Eegah is available for purchase from TFD Nov. 26 on limited-edition Blu-ray ($24.99) and on DVD ($19.99). By ordering through the Movie Zyng links below, viewers will receive a $1 discount off the suggested retail price. Eegah is presented in HD with an aspect ratio of 16x9 and original sound with English subtitles available.
With only 1,500 Blu-rays available, fans can secure a copy before they go extinct by pre-ordering now at:
Blu-ray: https://zyng.us/Q2AQEW
DVD: https://zyng.us/D80ENF
About The Film Detective:
The Film Detective (TFD) is a leading distributor of restored classic programming, including feature films, television, foreign imports, and documentaries. Launched in 2014, TFD distributes its extensive library of 3,000+ hours of film on DVD and Blu-ray and through such leading broadcast and streaming platforms as Turner Classic Movies, NBC, EPIX, Pluto TV, Amazon, MeTV, PBS and more. In 2018, TFD released its classic movie app and has since launched its 24/7 linear channel on Sling TV, STIRR, and DistroTV. Visit us at www.TheFilmDetective.com
Eegah
The Film Detective
Genre: Cult
Original Release: 1962 (Color)
Not Rated
Running Time: Approx. 206 Minutes (Including Special Features)
Suggested Retail Price: $24.99 (Blu-ray) / $19.99 (DVD)
Pre-Order Date: Oct. 14, 2019
Release Date: Nov. 26, 2019
Catalog #: FB1004 (Blu-ray) / FD1004 (DVD)
UPC Code: #810017886692 (Blu-ray) / #810017886685 (DVD)."
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Red Letter Day Blu-ray and VOD Release Details: "While adjusting to a new life in a quiet suburban community, a recently divorced mother (Dawn Van de Schoot), and her two teens receive mysterious red letters instructing them each to kill or be killed. As the bloodshed begins, they find themselves in a race against time to protect the ones they love from the people they thought they knew.
RED LETTER DAY World Premiered at the celebrated Cinequest Film Festival and went on to play L.A.’s Screamfest, FrightFest London, Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, and both Sydney Underground and Calgary Underground Film Festivals.
The film is the feature directorial debut from Cameron Macgowan, who’s previous work has won awards and garnered critical acclaim at international film festivals across the world including SXSW, Fantasia, and the Toronto International Film Festival.
Macgowan wrote the neighborhood-nightmare, which stars Dawn Van de Schoot (Tom Stone), Hailey Foss (Sarabha: Cry for Freedom), Roger LeBlanc (Painkillers), Tiffany Helm (Friday the 13th: A New Beginning) Kaeleb Zain Gartner, and Peter Strand Rumpel. RED LETTER DAY was produced by Jason Wan Lim and executive produced by Macgowan, Rhett Miller, Trevor Griffiths, and Amy Griffiths. Kyle Cooper and Sara Corry co-produced.
Red Letter Day: 75 minutes / Canada / English
The Blu-ray release of RED LETTER DAY features audio commentary with the director, executive producer, and cinematographer, as well as the special exclusive featurettes Suburban Skirmish – "The Making of Red Letter Day and Her Eyes" – My Dance through the movies with Actor Tiffany Helm.
RED LETTER DAY will open in select cinemas Nov. 1st and land on Blu-Ray and VOD Nov. 5th from Epic Pictures and DREAD."
Tamika hails from North Beach, Maryland, a tiny town inches from the Chesapeake Bay.She knew she wanted to be an actor after reciting a soliloquy by Sojourner Truth in front of her entire fifth grade class. Since then, she's appeared in over 20 film and television projects. In addition to acting, Tamika is the Indie Spotlight manager for Daily Dead, where she brings readers news on independent horror projects every weekend.
The first horror film Tamika watched was Child's Play. Being eight years old at the time, she remembers being so scared when Chucky came to life that she projectile vomited. It's tough for her to choose only one movie as her favorite horror film, so she picked two: Nosferatu and The Stepford Wives (1975).
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