DRAG ME TO HELL - THE PIT OF HORROR REVIEW -- [Posted 2 June 2009]
[Posted By Petch Lucas]
'BEST WORST MOVIE' DOCUMENTARY PREMIERED AT SXSW! -- [Posted 19 March 2009]
[Posted By Petch Lucas]
ADVANCE 'LAST HOUSE' SCREENING IN DALLAS! -- [Posted 8 March 2009]
[Posted By John Gray]
PITCH IN AND HELP 'KILL FRANK'! -- [Posted 14 February 2009]
[Posted By Petch Lucas]
FRIDAY THE 13TH - THE PIT OF HORROR REVIEW -- [Posted 13 February 2009]
[Posted By Petch Lucas]
MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D - THE PIT OF HORROR REVIEW -- [Posted 16 January 2009]
[Posted By Petch Lucas]
CRAIG SINGER FILLS US IN ON 'PERKINS 14'! -- [Posted 10 January 2009]
[Posted By Petch Lucas]
PAT HINGLE: 1924-2009 -- [Posted 6 January 2009]
[Posted By Petch Lucas]
SAW V - THE PIT OF HORROR REVIEW -- [Posted 24 October 2008]
[Posted By Petch Lucas]
WIZARD WORLD TEXAS TO HOST TEXAS FEAR FEST! -- [Posted 26 September 2008]
[Posted By Rich Carlin]
NEW HALLOWEEN COMIC, PAPERBACK IN PRINT! -- [Posted 5 August 2008]
[Posted By Petch Lucas]
THE DARK KNIGHT - THE PIT OF HORROR REVIEW -- [Posted 25 July 2008]
[Posted By Rich Carlin]
LOST BOYS: THE TRIBE - SCREENING! -- [Posted 25 July 2008]
[Posted By Rich Carlin]
ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE - REVIEWED -- [Posted 27th June 2008]
[Posted By Rich Carlin]
DAY OF THE DEAD (2008) - REVIEWED -- [Posted 27th June 2008]
[Posted By Rich Carlin]
THE RUINS - REVIEWED -- [Posted 27th June 2008]
[Posted By Rich Carlin]
MOTHER OF TEARS - REVIEWED -- [Posted 27th June 2008]
[Posted By Rich Carlin]
PROM NIGHT (2008) - REVIEWED -- [Posted 27th June 2008]
[Posted By Rich Carlin]
FEAR FEST 3 - MORE UPDATES! -- [Posted 9 June 2008]
[Posted By Rich Carlin]
FEAR FEST 3 - ANNOUNCED FOR OCT 3RD, 4TH & 5TH (2008)! -- [Posted 14 April 2008]
[Posted By Rich Carlin]
DEAD OR AMERICAN - SINGLE RELEASE -- [Posted 12 April 2008]
[Posted By John Gray]
DOOMSDAY - THE PIT OF HORROR REVIEW -- [Posted 17 March 2008]
[Posted By John Gray]
FEAR FEST 2 -- [Posted 17 March 2008]
[Posted By Rich Carlin]
'RED VELVET,' IF YOU PLEASE! -- [Posted 29 February 2008]
[Posted By Petch Lucas]
GEORGE ROMERO DROPS BY THE PIT! -- [Posted 20 February 2008]
[Posted By Petch Lucas]
JESSICA ALBA COMPLETES A TWO-PUNCH.... -- [Posted 3 February 2008]
[Posted By Petch Lucas]
....INTERVIEW WITH DIANE LANE! -- [Posted 31 January 2008]
[Posted By Petch Lucas]
Drag Me To Hell has a lot going both for it and against it as it enters the horror ring. In its corner, it's directed and co-written by the celebrated Sam Raimi. It deals with issues of eternal damnation, lurking demons and decomposing old ladies, among other horrors. Elsewhere, it's branded by that hated PG-13 rating. On the heels of that, let's add that there's no nudity, and the violence is mostly bloodless. Did I mention that the hardest swearing in the film is a sparing use of "bitch" or "damn"? I personally find those "deficiencies" rather refreshing, and Drag Me To Hell, despite some theological absurdities, is one of the most original and jarring horror jaunts in many years.
Christine Brown (Alison Lohman), an ambitious young loan officer in a big city bank, is up for a promotion. Her boss, the officious Mr. Jacks (David Paymer), hints that "making tough decisions" is the key to upward mobility in this company, especially since there's a rival candidate working for the same promotion. Stu Rubin (Reggie Lee), a newcomer to the bank, but clearly a go-getter, suddenly gets private lunches with Mr. Jacks, and Christine feels a need to show her professional fortitude to Jacks. She finds it in an encounter with an enigmatic gypsy woman....[READ FULL REVIEW]
We've all seen Troll 2. Whether we rented the VHS at some point since its early 90's debut on home video, watched some midnight movie retrospective ten or fifteen years later, or even caught it for the first time at a horror convention in recent years. We're all in agreement....for being one of the worst films ever made, we love it unconditionally. Be it the hilariously bad acting, the incompetently written dialogue by non-English-speaking scribes, hideous storytelling, inept blocking and laughable special effects, it's a smorgasbord of every smidgen of badness that can be added to the kettle of a bad horror movie. And as such, it succeeds on the entertainment level like no other film deserves to.
Michael Paul Stephenson, who at eleven starred in this tainted opus, has turned his once-embarassing turn into a labor of love and constructed the documentary Best Worst Film, which had been in production for a while now and even made a stop at our own Texas Fear Fest 2 last year, where a good bit of footage was filmed and which just might make it into the final cut. Fellow actor George Hardy, an Alabama dentist who has reason to enjoy his B-movie-star status at these events, was also onhand. And the fans, as usual, made no secret of their love for this unusual masterpiece. Indeed, double decker balogna sandwiches and the trademark green "NILBOG" milk were a mainstay at the event.
Best Worst Movie had its debut screening this past weekend at the South By Southwest 2009 convention in Austin, Texas. We enjoyed hosting them last year at Texas Fear Fest 2. Let's wish them the best of luck with their remarkable movie about a....well, remarkable movie which bears repeat viewing, again and again (preferably with friends, and with many beers!). Click HERE for more info on the documentary!
Masters of horror Wes Craven and Sean Cunningham revisit their landmark film that launched Craven’s directing career and influenced decades of horror films to follow: The Last House On The Left. Bringing one of the most notorious thrillers of all time to a new generation, they produce the story that explores how far two ordinary people will go to exact revenge on the sociopaths who harmed their child.
The night she arrives at the remote Collingwood lakehouse, Mari (Sara Paxton) and her friend are kidnapped by a prison escapee and his crew. Terrified and left for dead, Mari’s only hope is to make it back to parents John and Emma (Tony Goldwyn and Monica Potter). Unfortunately, her attackers unknowingly seek shelter at the one place she could be safe. And when her family learns the horrifying story, they will make three strangers curse the day they came to the Last House on the Left.
You're in the Dallas area and want to see an advance screening? We thought so. So here's how you do it. Simply show up at Hot Topic or Spencer's Gifts inside the Golden Triangle Mall in Denton, TX and mention Pit Of Horror. While supplies last, you'll get your golden ticket, good for admission at midnight at this time and location:
Thursday, 13 March 2009
7:30 pm
8687 N Central Expy
Dallas, TX 75225
(214) 265-7138
Click HERE for more info about the movie!
From the disturbed mind of horror mastermind Tom Holland, director of the original Child's Play and screenwriter of the classic Psycho II comes this new exercise in psychological terror. Billionaire Frank Reynolds has had an auto accident, turning him into a brain-dead paraplegic. His family and business associates gather at his mansion to have him declared legally incompetent, so they can divide up his fortune. Only someone else has other ideas, and starts killing them off. Trapped in the mansion, they quickly realize if they don't discover who the killer is, they will all become victims.
Here is your opportunity to be a part of horror movie history! Instead of being an idle spectator, YOU have the opportunity to get involved in the development and production of a real Hollywood horror film. Click HERE to find out more!
No point in beating around the bush here. All worries that this "re-boot" of the beloved Jason Voorhees cycle would repudiate the continuity of the old films can be laid to rest. Marcus Nispel's Friday The 13th can easily be slid--well, admittedly with some suspension of disbelief--alongside the old Paramount installments as just one of the crowd. And given that the six-years-ago box office bonanza Freddy Vs. Jason failed to usher in a new run of either character's series, if this will ring the machetes, then so be it.
With the opening credits showing quick flashbacks to Mrs. Voorhees' 1980 rampage and subsequent beheading, the story quickly shifts to present day, with a character named Whitney (Amanda Righetti) and four friends traipsing into the Crystal Lake area, looking for a rumored marijuana field. They quickly get more than they bargained for when a certain sack-headed slasher shows up and rains blood on their parade. At this point, perhaps fifteen minutes into the film, the title card Friday The 13th finally slam-cuts onto the screen....[READ FULL REVIEW]
The word "remake" has these days been modified, at least where cinema is concerned, to such lofty terms as "re-imagining" and "re-invention." Hell, come to think of it, I tried to coin "re-accomplishment" for Rob Zombie's Halloween feature from last year; it didn't catch on, incidentally. But Patrick Lussier's My Bloody Valentine 3D, a fresh take on the feisty 1981 Canadian slasher, is in a class of its own. And the stunning three-dimensional visuals are only a sidebar, not the mainstay of this winningly creepy horror romp.
The film moves at a strikingly rapid clip. For a moment, I wondered if the projectionist had mistakenly put on the last reel, and this was about five minutes into the screening. But he hadn't, because this film has a get-up-and-go agenda and wastes no time setting up a backstory and then engineering a fake-out second prologue. In the interest of exposition, the small mining township of Harmony, Pennsylvania suffers a terrible tragedy in which an inexperienced miner accidentally triggers a collapse which traps six miners. When the debris is finally cleared, only one miner is still alive. It is the comatose Harry Warden (Rich Walters), but it's quickly discovered that he used his pick-axe to murder the other five to conserve oxygen for himself....[READ FULL REVIEW]
Now in its third year of fantastic success, After Dark presents its latest onslaught of "Films To Die For," and thanks to a note from our good friend Dante Tomaselli, we've managed to land an interview with Craig Singer, the talented director who helmed last year's Dark Ride entry. This time, he's taken the reins of Perkins' 14, a chilling tale of regret, failed attempts at attonement, and then all-out horror and mayhem.
Singer took the time to participate in a Pit Of Horror interview which should be inspiring not only to the independent scribe, but also to the fledgling director who just needs a nudge in the right direction. The interview can be read here. Again, we appreciate Craig's input and insight.
Hollywood has lost one its most endearing and beloved character actors. Veteran stage and screen star Pat Hingle has died from complications following a long
battle with leukemia. He was 84 years old.
Hingle began working in television in the 1950's and later parlayed into motion pictures, including an acclaimed turn in 1978's Norma Rae with Sally Field.
To genre fans he is best remembered as Commissioner James Gordon in all four original Batman films, as well as Mr. Hendershot from Stephen King's 1986 camp
classic Maximum Overdrive. More recently he appeared opposite Betsy Palmer in the 2006 comedy/drama Waltzing Anna.
[WATCH TRIBUTE CLIP]
You have to give it to the PR folks at Lionsgate. They chose a ballsy, pull-no-punches tagline for
Saw V that matches the absence of subtlety in titling your movie Snakes On A Plane.
The first time I read it, I laughed aloud. More about the tagline later.
Saw V is the second installment of the serrated series to be written by Patrick Melton
and Mark Dunstan, who co-wrote the immediate predecessor and are now tasked with explaining just
how FBI profiler Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) wound up in the position of being a Jigsaw accomplice.
The ending of their previous effort left many confused and feeling cheated by a cheap twist, but the
backstory of Hoffman's gradual possession by the manipulating moralizer is telegraphed remarkably well,
and Hoffman's motivations are surprisingly well-conceived.....
[READ FULL REVIEW]
Congers, NY (September 24, 2008) – Wizard World Texas just got even bigger with the announcement today that the pop culture extravaganza will host the hottest horror show in Texas, Texas Fear Fest, as part of the festivities November 7-9 at the Arlington Convention Center.
On top of the impressive list of comic book talent already attending at this year’s Wizard World Texas convention, Corey Feldman (“The Lost Boys,” “Friday the 13th 4” & “5”), Danny Trejo (“From Dusk Till Dawn,” “Rob Zombie’s Halloween”) and cast members from “Friday the 13th: A New Beginning,” “Monster Squad” and “Halloween 4” will be on hand to meet and greet their fans. In addition to the guests, there will be special events, including screenings of “Friday the 13th: A New Beginning” and “Monster Squad” and Fear Jam, a concert featuring murder metal pioneers Macabre, Michale Graves, formerly of The Misfits, FirstJason, and The Horrifics with special guest Eerie Von of Danzig and Samhain.
“Wizard is thrilled to be able to play host to such a popular event and work with Texas FearFest partners John Gray and Sean Clark,” said Wizard Senior VP/Operations Joe Yanarella. “This amazing opportunity allows us to bring in more guests and more excitement and grow our show larger than ever before.”
“This really is a merger of powerhouses,” said Fear Fest’s John Gray. “What a fantastic opportunity for the fans of Fear Fest and Wizard! It also lets me combine my two great loves—horror and comics, so I am personally ecstatic!”
“Being able to join forces with an established and well respected company like Wizard World is truly a blessing for us,” added Sean Clark.
For complete information on guests, events and tickets, visit txfearfest.com. Texas FearFest is sponsored by pitofhorror.com, dreadcentral.com and conventionallstars.com.
Wizard World, the largest family-friendly comics and pop culture convention in the United States, returns to Texas November 7-9 at the Arlington Convention Center.
[VISIT FEAR FEST WEBSITE] [VISIT FORUM]
Big news from Halloween Comics! The second series, entitled "Halloween: The First Death Of
Laurie Strode" and taking place in 1979 after the events of the first and second films in the series,
begins in September and can be ordered and reserved in retail comic outlets, as well as online at
Diamond Comic Distributors.
The comic features illustrations by Jeff Zornow and is written by Stefan Hutchinson.
Moreover, "Halloween: Nightdance" was released in it's entirety as a trade paperback this week. The trade
contains all four issues of the hit mini-series that brought the Shape back to comic books.
It's available from all good comic shops, in addition to bigger retailers such as Amazon and
bookstores. In addition to the four issues, there's a batch of bonus features, such as a cover gallery,
press clippings dealing with the story's aftermath, and an original story entitled 'Charlie'.
Reviewing a film like this, given its critic-proof nature plus its nearly-guaranteed posthumous
Oscar nomination, is somewhat irrelevant. But I'll give it a shot anyway.
The Dark Knight is, despite a few caveats, a remarkably implicit morality tale with a
multitude of awe-inspiring action sequences thrown in. Add in that the principle actors
deliver commanding performances, and you've got that rare specimen: a comic strip film which
just might ring some Oscar cherries... [READ FULL REVIEW]
PITOFHORROR.com and DREADCENTRAL.com, in conjunction with Warnerbros will be theatrically screening
Lost Boys: The Tribe and The Lost Boys on July 29th at the Studio Movie Grill in Dallas TX! As you know the 2009 Fear Fest
will be a Lost Boys themed show. Click HERE for more details on this one-off blu-ray screening!
"All the Boys Love Mandy Lane" isn't your typical Ambercrombie catalogue list of CW
rejects and cliched stalk and slash kills. It's a smart, well written, well directed
film that could literally revive the slump that horror has been in as of late. But,
with the troubled release of the film, my fear is that it will wind up on the video
store shelf next to The "Grudge 3" and "Boogeyman 2". Lets hope not, because it is
seriously one of the best horror films of the last ten years. [READ FULL REVIEW]
A couple of years ago director Zack Snyder and writer James Gunn did the unthinkable
and took on a new version of George A. Romero's classic zombie opus Dawn of the Dead.
Despite fan backlash, the film turned out utterly amazing and won over the hearts and brains
of most horror fans, originally opposed to the idea. It was smart, scary, and downright funny..
[READ FULL REVIEW] - Starring Mena Suvari (yum) and Ving Rhames.
It is something of a cliché amongst fans of horror that the genre had its heyday in the 1970s
and early 1980s, and has been utterly rotten ever since, "The Ruins" is a minimal exception.
It's neither great nor terrible. But it definitely has it's moments. Scott B. Smith adapts his
own novel of tourism gone wrong with this horror film. In THE RUINS... [READ FULL REVIEW]
An ancient urn is found in a cemetery outside Rome. Once opened, it triggers a series
of violent incidents: robberies, rapes and murders increase dramatically, while several
mysterious, evil-looking young women coming from all over the world are gathering in the city.
All these events are caused by the return of Mater Lacrimarum, the last of three powerful
witches who... [READ FULL REVIEW]
What do you call a slasher movie with no slashing? Prom Night... the remake that is.
No disco, no Jamie Lee, and no heads rolling down the dance floor. The remake of the
classic horror film from 1980, Prom Night is another film that only shares the title in
common with the original... [READ FULL REVIEW]
More updates of FF3! Tom Towles has just been reconfirmed to appear! Tom starred in Michael Mann's 'MIAMI VICE', Rob Zombie's 'House of 1000 Corpses' and the classic genre piece, 'HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER'. Also confirmed for the show are Dominick Brascia and Ron Sloan, quite possibly making FF3 the largest ever FRIDAY THE 13TH PART V: A NEW BEGINNING reunion ever! It cant' be missed, stay tuned!
FEAR FEST 3 has been announced, and it's a cracker for 80's horror fans! For the next event, being held this October 3rd, 4th and 5th, reunions for
The Monster Squad, Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning and Halloween IV are in place. The event will take place at the Hyatt Regency hotel at DFW Airport. The reunions, Including Tom Noonan, Duncan Regehr, Danny Steinmann,
Tom Morga, Danielle Harris and George Wilbur are to be complimented with screenings of each movie (see website for details)! Also appearing are Tom Towles,of 'Henry: Portrait of a serial killer', 'House of 1000 Corpses' and Michael Mann's 'Miami Vice' and Renny Harlin, director of Die Hard 2, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 and Cliffhanger, among many other great guests! Check out the site for
all the details, but it's set to be a great event already...
[VISIT FEAR FEST WEBSITE] [VISIT FORUM]
Dead or American (bio) have been at it for a while now. Taking influences from Fugazi, Helmet and Jesus Lizard, their debut album, "Ends", received
some excellent reviews from UK magazines Rocksound and Powerplay among others. However
they have recently recorded a new album, "Thaumaturgy", with Kurt Ballou of God City Studio (and Converge). This is easily their best material to date. Fresh back from a UK tour they've decided to release
"SHIBBOLETH", from the new album, as a free download single, complete with artwork and a B-side cover. You can download the single here, alternatively, visit their myspace... c'mon, it won't cost you a cent...
[SINGLE DOWNLOAD] [DorA MYSPACE]
"Doomsday" is three equal parts of three different
films. Grab your "Escape From New York" DVD , then
your "Camelot" DVD, and finally your "The Road
Warrior" DVD, hit pulse on your blender... and there
you have "Doomsday". The new flick from "The Descent"
director Neil Marshall. Fans will say it is a great
sci fi movie, but really it's a straight-forward
"action movie." Fans will also point to its satirical
and irreverent tone, and yes, I will grant that it
does have an edge, although not as sharp as I would
have liked.
[READ FULL REVIEW]
First of all, we'd like to thank all the fans who attended the show. We'd also
like to thank all of our guests, vendors, staff and volunteers. The event was a huge
success, granted we had a few kinks to work out. However, FEAR FEST 3 is already scheduled for
next March and we have the experience to improve upon the most recent show to make sure things run
much more smoothly. For a review of the show from a non-biased camp, check out ICONS OF FRIGHT's write up. [DISCUSS ON OUR FORUMS]
Red Velvet is the stylish new horror effort from 3Mac Studios. First-time helmer Bruce Dickson, who had previously handled visual effects on Spider-Man 3, directs, and Henry Thomas (Masters Of Horror: Chocolate) and Kelli Garner (Bully) star. Thomas plays a self-described "storyteller," whose macabre yarns intrigue his neighbor (Garner) following a chance encounter. How these tales of terror correlate with real-life events which may be happening around them provides the story's arc and catalyst for suspense. Look for a cameo by the legendary Forrest J. Ackerman! Red Velvet's new trailer can be viewed here, while clicking the graphic to the above right will take you to the official website.
The Pit and Dread Central are grateful to 3Mac Studios for their generous sponsorship to FEAR FEST 2, and we are all too happy to feature a Red Velvet panel featuring both Thomas (in his first convention appearance) and Garner, plus a world-premiere screening of the film. As several new guests have been added to the docket (particularly a punch-up of our Fright Night reunion!), and as there have unfortunately been a few cancelations, you might want to check Fear Fest's guest page for the updated line-up. Hope to see you this weekend!
The man responsible for the zombie genre--the great George A. Romero--has very kindly taken part in a short interview with the Pit, conducted by our own Paul Salfen. With his newly released Diary Of The Dead, Mr. Romero imparts some movie-making wisdom, and proves to be a great sport all the while.
The interview can be read here. Enjoy.
Many thanks to George Romero for the interview!
We've seen the commercial for The Eye, and it looks pretty damned good. But even better-looking is star Jessica Alba, who kindly gave our intrepid correspondent Paul Salfen an insightful interview about her preperations upon playing a blinded character and her thoughts on other possibly recurring genre roles (think, Fantastic Four, Sin City, etc.). The Eye has opened at the #2 spot domestically, but during a rather tepid box office weekend for the competition as well. Let's hope things pick up.
Read Paul's interview here, or just click the above graphic to your right.
Veteran actress Diane Lane, who has graced the screen in countless motion pictures such as Murder At 1600, The Perfect Storm and Hollywoodland has kindly spoken to the Pit about her current role in the well-publicized Untraceable. The tale of a tech-savvy detective on the trail of a diabolical murderer who uses the internet as his thrill-show forum, her character takes on such a heroic mantle as Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) in Silence Of The Lambs.
The interview was conducted by Paul Salfen and can be read here. Great job!
