Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection Blu-ray

In the fall, Universal Studios Home Entertainment will bring the Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection to Blu-ray. This eight-disc, limited-edition box set compiles nine films from the studio's venerated horror movie catalog, all of which make their respective U.S. Blu-ray debuts through this package.blu-ray.com source

The films include:
Dracula (1931)
Drácula [Spanish-language version] (1931)
Frankenstein (1931)
The Mummy (1932)
The Invisible Man (1933)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The Wolf Man (1941)
Phantom of the Opera (1943)
Creature from the Black Lagoon (3-D, 1954)

Juan Of The Dead

“Shaun of the Dead” set the bar incredibly high for what has come to be known as the “zombedy”. It is by far a prime example of the genre and still reigns supreme. Since then, there have been a slew of zombedies that have ranged from horrible to hilarious but lacked the heart and soul of “Shaun”. The zombie film that I have been most looking forward to seeing the past year has been “Juan of the Dead”. Not only is it Cuba’s first zombie film, it’s the first film since “Shaun” (the “Juan of the Dead” title is an obvious homage) to capture that heart and soul. It’s chock full of hilarity and political satire that would make George Romero proud.

Juan (Alexis Diaz de Villegas) is a slacker. He doesn’t work and spends most his time drinking, fishing, thieving, and fornicating with the married neighbor lady. He, along with his pal Lazaro have a simple life in Havana. That is until they realize that something strange is happening. You see, the dead are roaming the streets and are hungry for flesh. Juan is ready to rise to the occasion…..for a small fee that is. On their adventure they have Lazaro’s son Vladi, Juan’s daughter Camila (Andrea Duro), cross-dressing China (Jazz Vila), and muscle bound beast Primo (Eliecer Ramirez). When business begins to slow down they are faced with the choice on if they should stay and fight or flee to Miami.

The key to a successful film like this is to have characters that you enjoy investing your time in. Juan is basically a loser, a screw up. The film is very much his story and we see a full arc of progression for him. He and Lazaro make some very questionable decisions, though we doubt their integrity, the result of their actions is often hilarious. I’ve heard some people complaining about the main characters being unlikable and I disagree. They never really change who they are but they have the opportunity to redeem themselves and that is part of why I loved the film so much.

There are some really great gags in the film. At least two I had never seen before.One of the gags I enjoyed was with the character Primo. This guy is just a monster of a man, just huge with tattoos on his face. Yet he faints every single time he sees blood. Some really funny moments arise from it. The zombie make-up looked really good and most the CGI was used when needed and looked much better than average. The film has a very polished look and the $3 million they spent on the film was put to great use. One of my favorite scenes is the hordes of zombies walking along the ocean floor.

Director Alejandro Brugues also found it important to follow in the footsteps of the genres godfather, Mr. George Romero, and fill the film with political commentary. Swipes are taken at Castro, the U.S government, and still manages to show that the Cuban people are strong in the face of adversity.

“Juan of the Dead” was everything I had hoped it would be. Sometimes anticipation is your worst enemy when waiting to see something since the majority of the time you end up disappointed and the film never lives up to our own ridiculous standards. This time, the film does. Everything is dealt out in portions that were always just enough. We all know the saying about too much of a good thing, “Juan of the Dead” was always just enough, a perfect blend of humor, horror, and commentary.and a film that is destined to become not only a milestone in Cuban film history as well as a modern classic of the genre. This is one you shouldn’t miss.by zman

Horror Comedy The Selling Comes Home

Emily Lou’s horror comedy The Selling is finally making its way towards a U.S. release date, and we have all the details you need below.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, GoDigital has picked up the comedy horror feature The Selling for a VOD release date this August 21st.

The film stars Gabriel Diani, Janet Varney, Jonathan Klein, Etta Devine, With Nancy Lenehan and Barry Bostwick as “Father Jimmy”.

Synopsis: “A too honest for his own good real estate agent must sell a haunted house before its ghostly inhabitants ruin his life.”

Unfortunately the trailer has been set to private, but if you turn your attention HERE, you can check it out.

For more information, hit up their official Facebook page.by deth_banger

"THE RENEVANT" Coming In August

Lightning Entertainment has struck a deal with notable New York-based independent distribution company Paladin to handle the theatrical release of the award-winning horror comedy THE REVENANT, it was announced today by Lightning president Robert Beaumont, and Paladin’s president Mark Urman.

Paladin plans to release the film theatrically in August in an initial 10 markets. That same day, the film will be available as a premium V.O.D., as part of an event driven day-and-date Ultra VOD bow through Lightning’s distribution arm, Lightning Media. The DVD will be released through Lionsgate under Lightning Media’s on-going partnership with the company.

A horror comedy in the vein of SHAUN OF THE DEAD and ZOMBIELAND, THE REVENANT tells the story of a soldier and his slacker best friend who become zombies, and then use their newfound powers to become vigilante crime fighters with hilariously mixed results when their adventures become more complicated and bloody than expected. A breakout hit on the film festival circuit, THE REVENANT has garnered exceptional reviews and won numerous awards including the Best Director and Audience Awards at Fantastic Fest and Zompire,and the Audience Award at CineVegas; and played to packed houses at top festivals like Sitges, the Brussels International Film Fest, and the Fantasia Film Festival. “We are thrilled that THE REVENANT has found a theatrical home at Paladin,” said Beaumont. “Mark’s prowess in theatrical distribution, as well as his well-honed skills in the U.S. independent marketplace
by thebigbadwolf

Gratwick Films The Perfect House

Lots of films are made without money, studio backing, Hollywood contacts or professional actors every year, but very few have the polish and cache of Gratwick Films groundbreaking independent feature film "The Perfect House".

"The Perfect House" marks the official feature directorial debut of Buffalo (NY) native Kris Hulbert, but also makes cinematic history in filmmaking as the world' s first indie feature film to ever premiere on an independent-movie distribution platform built for Facebook.

Written/Produced by Kris Hubert and Co-directed by the latter and Randy Kent, "The Perfect House" is the buzz-heavy anthology horror movie about a dream-house with a hidden dark past. The film features an ensemble cast including Jonathan Tiersten, Andrea Vahl, Chris Raab aka "Raab Himself", Will Robertson, John Philbin, Becky Friedman, Hans Hernke, Holly Greene, Dustin Stevens, Jamie Lee Baker and Angelina Leigh, to name a few. Currently available on Facebook for only $3, "The Perfect House" is continuing its successful interactive run. It will next be released on DVD July 17 and on VOD on October 1, 2012.
by thebigbadwolf

THE GATE in Production

Below is the scifi-horror short, THE GATE, that you really need to check out. THE GATE is written and directed by Matt Westrup and stars John Mawson, Robert Rowe, and Tryphena Russel and in it’s short running time contains violent genetic mutations, robotic-powered armor, and some great looking CG creatures, and a few genuine scares!! And if you like it (which I’m sure you will) there’s great news … THE GATE is being developed into a feature-length film that Wayfare Entertainment will produce. I haven’t been this excited over a horror short in a really long time!!

The Collapsed

Post-apocalyptic America. The zombie apocalypse. These are all themes of the coming of the end of days, end of civilization, and the end of humanity as we know it, thus making for a rather solid setting for a movie. From THE ROAD to most recently, THE DIVIDE, these type of flicks generally invoke responses of terror, horror, and maybe most of all, depression. Yup, these movies are depressing as f*ck. And then there’s THE COLLAPSED, a super low-budget indie flick that plays up the end of the world, but with a small twist that sort of sets it apart from the pack.
The film follows a family of four (parents and their 2 adult children) as they attempt to survive the apocalypse by heading into the forest and taking their chances with nature. Ok, so it starts out like THE ROAD or even THE WALKING DEAD in some regards, but let’s face it—for a low budget flick, it’s the best situation possible as there’s not much to fake in terms of showing a forest void of people. Masked men with machine guns are on their tale as well as another unseen and deadly force, which is likely the reason for the whole end of humanity to begin with, is also amongst them in the woods (again, THE ROAD comes to mind with the crazy f*ckers in the woods chasing them down).

So as a concept, THE COLLAPSED works really well. The filmmaking is top notch, the cinematography is polished, and it feels like a big budget Hollywood picture. They also do this thing with focusing on the woods and their whole environment that was actually pretty cool. Also, the musical score is actually spot-on, as it adds to most of the film’s tension, escalating moments that would normally not be that big of a deal into something more.

However, what almost out-right killed this movie for me were the performances of the entire cast (save for the main dude, who was merely mediocre). The mother being the worse, with the daughter not far behind—seriously, these two were painful to watch. Every time they opened their mouths I felt like I was watching some high school drama production, only worse. And the mom—she didn’t even have to open her mouth to start being extraordinarily annoying and not worth a grain of salt in the acting department. Seriously, how did they get this gig? She had to of have been the only one to audition because these two were just ridiculous. So ridiculous that they practically made the movie unwatchable—lucky for us, they’re not in the entire thing. That said, the brother isn’t all that much better, nor are “the others” that show up at the end. For as solid as the production and the filmmaking is (for their budget and whatnot), the performances by the actors almost ruin the whole thing.

That aside, THE COLLAPSED offers what you’d expect to get out of a post-apocalyptic movie with a pretty good twist at the end that I only slightly saw coming. It’s a small film that aims to do big things and does so for the most part, making it a watchable experience overall, through I was keeping an eye on the clock as it drags here and there.byammon gilbert