News

Hollywood veteran Peter Navy Tuiasosopo passed away during the early morning hours of Monday, Feb. 10, at the age of 61. He was best known for portraying E. Honda in Street Fighter (1994) and the lovable offensive lineman Manumana “the slender” in the sports comedy Necessary Roughness. The actor’s son, Manoah Peter Tuiasosopo, shared the sad news on social media in a poignant post, which praised his father’s touching life (via Facebook):

"Dear family & friends, [it is] with a heavy heart, my family and I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. Our father, Peter N. Tuiasosopo, passed away this morning at 3:16 a.m. My dad lived an amazing life and in no way does his impact stop here. We will continue to live with him in spirit, and as saddened as we are, he is without a doubt in Heaven with his brothers, sisters, parents, daughter, and Jesus,...

While the horror genre has traditionally been intended for a more mature audience, numerous 'gateway' movies are targeted towards younger viewers and have a lower MPAA rating. Goosebumps is a great example, as are Coraline, The Corpse Bride, and the TV show Wednesday. However, young people will find a way to watch content that's not suitable for their age range, regardless of the censors.

Horror movies are designed to terrify, disgust, and thrill audiences in equal measure, and there's no fun in sticking to PG-13 horror movies forever. As such, it's no surprise that millennials have been brought up on more extreme films from the genre. Some of the best gateway horror movies may have been R-rated upon release, but would likely get a lower rating in some cases now. However, that's not to say they're appropriate for fans who experienced them way too young.

Arachnophobia Directed By Frank Marshall...

In light of the news that All My Children is potentially being rebooted as a holiday movie on Lifetime, Soap Hub reached out to a few of your favorite Santa Barbara alums to see their thoughts about the potential to bring their show back.

History

Santa Barbara aired on NBC from July 30, 1984, to January 15, 1993. Created by the legendary soap opera writer and producer, Bridget and Jerome Dobson, the show became one of the more iconic soaps of its era, known for its unique blend of romance, drama, and intrigue.

Set in the fictional coastal town of Santa Barbara, California, the series focused on the powerful Capwell family and their interactions with rival families, including the Lockridges and the Andrades. The Capwells, led by patriarch C.C. Capwell, were central to the show’s plots, which involved love triangles, business power struggles, family secrets, and dramatic twists. The show was known for its rich,...

Intro: Marriage. Divorce. Dating. Unplanned pregnancy. Psychological counseling. Gambling debts. Sexual awakening. Absentee fathers. Balloon animals. Cowboys. It’s all covered in the 1989 comedy Parenthood – which tells the stories of parents, grandparents, and a whole lot of kids. This led to Oscar nominations, financial success, and even a couple TV series follow-ups – and we’re about to hear all about it, because it’s time for Parenthood to be Revisited.

Set-up: Legendary producer Roger Corman gave Ron Howard his first shot at directing a feature film with 1977’s Grand Theft Auto. At the time, Howard was best known for his acting roles, having played Opie Taylor on many episodes of The Andy Griffith Show and then Richie Cunningham on many episodes of Happy Days. It was while he was working on Happy Days that he met the writing duo of Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, as Ganz was a supervising...

Reflecting on Arachnophobia, Jeff Daniels found working with a giant spider memorable. Daniels enjoyed the experience, preferring spiders over snakes. The actor's last two weeks on set included bidding farewell to John Goodman and sharing the spotlight with the massive spider.

Jeff Daniels fondly reflects on Arachnophobia as James Wan prepares a remake of the cult classic '90s comedy-horror movie. Directed by Frank Marshall and executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Daniels 1990 creature feature concerned a small California town beset by an invasive species of aggressive and deadly spiders. Co-starring Harley Jane Kozak, the late Julian Sands, and James Handy alongside John Goodman as a kooky, spider-hating exterminator, the film grossed a solid $53 million against a budget of $22 million, and is now set for a remake produced by Wan and helmed by Happy Death Day writer-director Christopher Landon.

Speaking exclusively to Screen Rant in an interview ahead of the premiere...

Jeff Daniels shared memorable spider moments from Arachnophobia & appreciated it wasn't about snakes. Arachnophobia stands out with a mix of horror & comedy; high expectations for the upcoming remake. Director Christopher Landon might capture the comedic essence of Arachnophobia in the remake.

Jeff Daniels has shared his memories of working with a real giant rat-eating spider on the 1990 comedy-horror movie Arachnophobia. As James Wan prepares to remake the cult favorite, Daniels recalled the creepy time he spent working with his eight-legged co-star in an interview with Screen Rant about his Netflix miniseries A Man in Full.

Arachnophobia, directed by Frank Marshall and produced by now-Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, was not a movie to watch if you break out in a sweat at the sight of that dark shape scurrying across the floor. Telling the tale of a Californian town overrun by a deadly species of spider, the film co-starred John Goodman...

The ending of When Harry Met Sally was not how it was initially conceived, and director Rob Reiner is opening up about what changed his mind.

In a new interview for Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, Reiner revealed that the 1989 romantic comedy had a “tearjerking ending.”

“The original ending of the film that we had was that Harry and Sally didn’t get together,” Reiner said on the CNN show.

The film’s ending has Billy Crystal’s Harry see Meg Ryan’s Sally at a New Year’s Eve party, where he declares his love for her. After sharing a kiss, it’s revealed that they go on and get married three months later.

Reiner said he changed the ending after meeting his wife, Michele Singer, who he met during filming. The director that if it hadn’t been for him finding love in real life, Harry and Sally...

It’s time for another episode of the Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie? video series, and with this one we’re paying tribute to the late, great Julian Sands with a look back at the 1990 “nature run amok” film Arachnophobia (buy it or watch it Here). To hear all about it, check out the video embedded above!

Directed by Frank Marshall from a script crafted by Don Jakoby, Wesley Strick, and Al Williams, Arachnophobia has the following synopsis: After a nature photographer dies on assignment in Venezuela, a poisonous spider hitches a ride in his coffin to his hometown in rural California, where arachnophobe Dr. Ross Jennings has just moved in with his wife, Molly, and young son. As town residents start turning up dead, Jennings begins to suspect spiders and must face his fears as he and no-nonsense exterminator Delbert McClintock fight to stop a deadly infestation.

Sands...

The “Arachnophobia” remake has (eight) legs, with Amblin Partners announcing Thursday that it has closed a deal with Christopher Landon (“Paranormal Activity”) to write and direct the horror-comedy.

The original 1990 film, directed by Frank Marshall, tells the story of a small California town that is invaded by a colony of deadly South American spiders that were accidentally brought into the U.S. The film starred Jeff Daniels as a doctor who leads the effort to defeat the colony; John Goodman, as an exterminator who assists; with Julian Sands and Harley Jane Kozak in supporting roles.

Steven Spielberg was credited as an executive producer on the original film, and it marked Marshall’s feature directorial debut. It was the first movie released by Disney’s Hollywood Pictures label, and was produced by Amblin and Tangled Web Prods.

Variety‘s review of the original film said that “‘Arachnophobia’ expertly blends horror and...

Christopher Landon (Freaky) will write and direct an Arachnophobia remake for Amblin Partners, Deadline can confirm.

The original 1990 horror-comedy starring Jeff Daniels watched as a species of South American killer spiders hitched a lift to the U.S. in a coffin—subsequently beginning to breed and kill within a small California town. Frank Marshall directed in his feature debut, with Julian Sands, Harley Jane Kozak and John Goodman rounding out the cast. Walt Disney Studios subsidiary Hollywood Pictures produced the pic, which grossed 53.21M against a 22M budget.

Amblin is partnering on the remake with James Wan’s Atomic Monster, with Wan (Malignant) and Michael Clear (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It) set to produce, and Judson Scott on board as executive producer. Marshall will also exec produce, with President of Production Jeb Brody overseeing the project for Amblin, alongside EVP Lauren Abrahams and SVP Mia Maniscalco.

Landon...

Mike Fenton, the legendary casting director who worked on the “Back to the Future” franchise, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and scores of other classic movies and TV shows, has died. He was 85.

Fenton co-founded what is now known as Casting Society of America in 1982. He was a prominent casting director for more than 40 years, with a mile-long resume that stretched from “The Andy Griffith Show” and “That Girl” to “Chinatown,” “American Graffiti,” “The Godfather II,” “Blade Runner,” “A Christmas Story,” “Norma Rae,” “Footloose,” “Honeymoon in Vegas” and “Chaplin.”

“Working with Mike Fenton was like working in a candy store — he made casting a blast,” Steven Spielberg said in a statement. “His fervent support of actors was the stuff of legend, and after landing a part, any actor’s smile was rarely as wide as Mike’s. He didn’t just support actors, he launched crusades.

1986: Another World's Cecile faced the guillotine.

1986: Santa Barbara's Mary died after a "C" fell on her.

1989: Guiding Light's Reva was rowed to her wedding.

2008: The Bold and the Beautiful's Bridget and Nick married."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1965: On Another World, John Randolph (Michael M. Ryan) persuaded his daughter, Lee (Gaye Huston), that going home after her battle with virus pneumonia would be alright.

1966: On Dark Shadows, Victoria Winters (Alexandra Moltke) met Carolyn Stoddard's (Nancy Barrett) boyfriend, Joe Haskell (Joel Crothers...

1980: Atwt's Barbara told Tom about the son she gave away (Paul).

1980: The Edge of Night's Margo needed surgery to survive.

1994: All My Children's Brooke had a nightmare.

2004: Original cast member John Clarke ended his run on Days of our Lives."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1965: On Peyton Place, Michael (Ed Nelson) told Constance (Dorothy Malone) that Elliot belonged in the past. "Michael, he's here now," Connie told him in an effort to make him see it wasn't that easy. "So am I,...

1981: Helena arrived in Port Charles on Gh.

1986: Aw's Cass and Kathleen were married.

1986: Gl's Maeve interrupted Reva & Kyle's wedding.

1995: The end of Loving."History is a vast early warning system."

― Norman Cousins

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1964: On Another World, Mary Matthews expressed concern to her husband, Jim, over the relationship between Tom Baxter and their daughter Pat (Susan Trustman), a relationship that Mary sensed was falling apart. Pat arrived home looking exhausted, and Mary told Jim she thought Pat had been overworking herself since her recent recovery from illness. Laura Baxter, already distraught over Ken's request for a divorce, was further...

1968: It was Nick and Althea's wedding day on The Doctors.

1983: Guiding Light's Eli Sims wanted revenge.

1998: Paul Anthony Stewart debuted as Danny on Guiding Light.

2003: All My Children's Erica made an unwelcome discovery."The best prophet of the future is the past."

― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1957: On The Edge of Night, Mike (John Larkin) realized Billy's blood type was not a match with Roger or Mary.

1964: Geoffrey Lumb made his first appearance in Another World as Mitchell Dru in a crossover from P&G's As the World Turns. He had previously played the character on The Brighter Day before joining Atwt and Aw.

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Haunted house attractions, mazes, hayrides, and ghost tours resurrect from their slumber as soon as the Halloween season approaches, including the House of Torment in Austin, Texas, and we have details on that after the first item on today's Highlights, which is a one night only, fully restored screenings of The House on Sorority Row. We also have details on director Vincenzo Natali's Hannibal episodes screening at FannibalFest 2018, and info on Paul Ruditis's Vault of Frankenstein novel.

The House on Sorority Row Theatrical Screenings Details: "What: The House on Sorority Row – in theaters for One Night Only – digitally remastered and featuring an exclusive five-minute rapid-fire remix by Attack Media.

When: Thursday, September 27th (Check local listings for times)

Where: Nationwide, Theater listings and tickets on sale now www.Retronightmares.com.

Special ticket promotion with Atom Tickets -- Get $5 off a purchase...

Before she was one of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills or ruling daytime soaps on The Young and the Restless and Days of our Lives, Eileen Davidson starred as a sexy sorority sister with a sinister secret. She may be leaving the small screen soon as she exits Y&R, but here’s a chance to see her early work on the big screen and see she's as fierce (and ageless) as she ever was! '80s cult horror classic The House on Sorority Row is coming to theaters nationwide for just one night only (September 27th) as the opening event for the "Bloody Disgusting Presents Retro Nightmares" Cinema Series.

After a seemingly innocent prank goes horribly wrong, a group of sorority sisters are stalked and murdered one by one in their sorority house while throwing a party to celebrate their graduation.

"I am beyond excited to have The...

Five cult classics, including The House on Sorority Row, are being revived on the big screen by Bloody Disgusting for their "Retro Nightmares" cinema series kicking off on September 27th. Also in today's Horror Highlights: Travel Channel's "Ghostober" programming details, the latest addition to Mezco's Living Dead Dolls line, and the Indiegogo campaign for Masters of the Grind.

Bloody Disgusting's Retro Nightmares Film Series Details: Press Release: "Just in time to kick off the Halloween season, five HD digitally remastered cult horror classics--as voted online by fans--will be coming to the big screen as part of the “Bloody Disgusting Presents Retro Nightmares” Cinema Series this fall: The House on Sorority Row, Amityville: The Evil Escapes, Amityville: It’s About Time, Sweet Sixteen, and The Convent. Tickets are on sale now at www.Retronightmares.com for theaters nationwide.

Preeminent American horror genre website Bloody Disgusting, independent distribution company Multicom Entertainment Group,...

1986: Another World's Cecile faced the guillotine.

1986: Santa Barbara's Mary died after a "C" fell on her.

1989: Guiding Light's Reva was rowed to her wedding.

2008: The Bold and the Beautiful's Bridget and Nick married."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."

― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1965: On Another World, John Randolph (Michael M. Ryan) persuaded his daughter, Lee (Gaye Huston), that going home after her battle with virus pneumonia would be alright.

No matter how much you may love and admire Steven Spielberg and James Wan for their original works, you have to raise an eyebrow on their decision to remake 90’s horror-comedy Arachnophobia.

The remake is in its very early stages at this point with only Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment and Wan’s Atomic Monster and the film’s original director, Frank Marshall as an executive producer attached. It is not thought that Wan will direct.

Marshall made his directorial debut on Arachnophobia in 1990. The original film starred Jeff Daniels and John Goodman and focused on a newly discovered Venezuelan spider being transported to a small American town, and producing a new species of deadly spiders, which begin killing the town’s residents. The film made approximately $53 million at the box office.

Also in the news – Further footage revealed for Shane Black’s The Predator in new TV Spot

The film...

With a reboot of 1990's Arachnophobia in the works, spiders could be crawling back to the silver screen in a big way, so someone please pick up the phone and give exterminator extraordinaire John Goodman (aka Delbert McClintock) a call before it's too late.

Deadline reports the news of the Arachnophobia reboot, revealing that the project is in the "early stages" of development. Should it move forward, Wan would be one of the producers of the new Arachnophobia movie, with the original film's director, Frank Marshall, executive producing. A writer and director for the reboot have yet to be revealed.

A hair-raising horror comedy that really gets under the skin of viewers not fond of things that are furry, eight-legged, and go bump in the night, Arachnophobia centers on a small California town besieged by spiders after an Amazonian arachnid stops by for a venomous visit. Starring Jeff Daniels, Harley Jane Kozak,...

Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment and James Wan’s Atomic Monster are teaming up on a remake of 1990’s horror-comedy “Arachnophobia.”

The film, which was unveiled on Monday, is at the early stages with no director, actors, or writers attached. Wan will not direct.

The original was helmed by Frank Marshall in his directorial debut, and starred Jeff Daniels, John Goodman, Harley Jane Kozak, and Julian Sands. It was the first movie released by Disney’s Hollywood Pictures label, and was produced by Amblin and Tamgled Wed Prods. The film centered on a newly discovered Venezuelan spider being transported to a small American town and producing a new species of deadly spiders, which begin killing the town’s residents.

“Arachnophobia,” named after the fear of spiders and other arachnids such as scorpions, made use of Avondale spiders from New Zealand, which were picked due to their large size and harmless nature.

An Arachnophobia remake is in the works. While it's said to be in the early stages of development, it's being reported that The Conjuring director James Wan is working on a remake of the 1990 horror/comedy. Wan isn't planning on directing this new take on the giant, deadly spider horror flick. Instead, he'll produce through his Atomic Monster production company alongside the folks at Amblin Entertainment. James Wan acknowledged the news on Twitter, joking that he would like to see John Goodman back in the remake and seemingly alluded to the fact that Roseanne was recently canceled.

"Goodman is available, right?? Hmm. #arachnophobia"

We can only hope John Goodman would be available and interested come time for cameras to roll on this one. Maybe throw a Jeff Daniels cameo in there as well for good measure? James Wan and Amblin are searching for a writer to pen the Arachnophobia remake now.

1980: Atwt's Barbara told Tom about the son she gave away (Paul).

1980: The Edge of Night's Margo needed surgery to survive.

1994: All My Children's Brooke had a nightmare.

2004: John Clarke ended his run on Days of our Lives."Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."

― Machiavelli

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1965: On Peyton Place, Michael (Ed Nelson) told Constance (Dorothy Malone...

College graduation should have been the time of their lives, but a group of sorority sisters instead find themselves fighting for their lives in The House on Sorority Row. In March of 2018, Scorpion Releasing will deliver a limited edition Blu-ray of the 1983 slasher film with over 45 hours of color correction, and as a special holiday treat, they've unveiled the new cover art as well as the release details for the anticipated Blu-ray.

From Scorpion Releasing: "Here is the custom cover art from artist The Glitchway for our re-issue of The House On Sorority Row that will be sold exclusively on Ronin. The reverse will feature a unique different art, since the famous art has been done to death as it was used in over five different releases.

This is a brand new 2k scan of the original negative, with over 45 hours of color correction, done Exclusive for this release.

I don’t know if you’re anything like me, but I can often spend hours upon hours trawling through iTunes looking for new movies to buy… Usually I’ll randomly come across a title I haven’t seen in years and use the “Cast & Crew” links to make my way down the rabbit hole to the more obscure side of Apple’s digital movie service.

Now whilst many will decry that iTunes is a terrible VOD service due to Apple’s desire to lock its audience to their platforms, if you have an Apple TV or iPad be aware – there are some truly obscure films hidden away in the depths of the vast collection of movies. Some of which have been made available in the UK for the first time since VHS and a Lot that have been added to the service in their original uncut form!

So, with...

Stars: Sarah Butler, Jennifer Landon, Doug McKeon, Gabriel Hogan, Harley Jane Kozak, Michelle Hurd, Megan Raich, Russell Charles Pitts, Karen Strassman, Andrew Dits, Adam Dunnells, Christopher Hoffman, Alissa Juvan | Written by Daniel Gilboy | Directed by R.D. Braunstein

Yep, this the third film (and probably won’t be the last) in the revamped franchise, but is actually the sequel to the remake which makes the second film that much more useless and quite frankly unneeded. That being said, as absurd as the plot of the second entry is, it does have one thing going for it that this film does not; actual entertainment value. Oh boy, this is going to be tough!

In a nutshell, I Spit on Your Grave 3: Vengeance Is Mine sees Sarah Butler reprise her role as Jennifer Hills. She finds herself in therapy. She then proceeds to tell us about her experiences with a support group she becomes a part of.

Each and every month, we here at Sound On Sight dedicate the entire month to a specific theme. Sometimes we follow an event, an actor, a filmmaker and so on, as decided by our readers who vote on our monthly poll. February of 2013 was dedicated to actor Keanu Reeves. When the results came in, just about everyone was surprised that Keanu won over Steven Soderbergh, who finished a close second. But what has been even more surprising is that our Keanu Reeves marathon is without a doubt the most successful so far – driving in more traffic than the likes of Quentin Tarantino and 007.

Despite the fact that his acting has frequently been ridiculed as wooden, Keanu has always had a magical presence everywhere he appears, both on and offscreen. There is something to be said about a man who dropped out of high-school to follow his dreams of acting, and 27 years later,...

Many people don't know about the lost verse of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" wherein the arachnid protagonist invades a small town and nearly kills everyone with its highly toxic venom and rapid reproduction rate. Luckily, Director Frank Marshall adapted it for film under the title Arachnophobia, starring Jeff Daniels, Julian Sands, John Goodman, and Harley Jane Kozak. Not only is the film rather entertaining, it one ups Jaws in the creature feature horror factor by making you afraid to ever again put on slippers, take a shower, use a toilet, eat popcorn, or investigate an old barn. Even if you "don't mind" spiders (tough guy talk for 'I get really quiet and wait for it to stop moving so I can step on it and end any chances it might have of biting me'), Arachnophobia is about as effective a thriller as there is.

Just in time for Halloween we're...

Last week, Joss Whedon returned to our screens with the DVD and Blu-ray release of The Cabin in the Woods, with which Drew Goddard (Cloverfield) made his directorial debut to brilliant critical acclaim, with a script he co-wrote with Whedon.

This week, Whedon returns once more to our home entertainment systems with the release of The Avengers, the year’s biggest film to date, and the third-highest-grossing film of all time. It’s been one we’ve been looking forward to ever since its release, and now it has arrived for us to bask in its awesomeness once more.

My picks of the week:

Joss Whedon’s The Avengers & Jay Oliva’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Part 1.

And Bond 50 – the complete 22-film James Bond collection on Blu-ray.

The Avengers Iframe Embed for Youtube

DVD, Blu-ray, and Blu-ray 3D

Joss Whedon’s The Avengers has been almost universally praised by...

Arachnophobia will soon arrive on Blu-ray for the first time since it's theatrical release in 1990 from Disney. The release is part of Disney's recent deluge of catalog releases on Blu-ray. It was directed by Frank Marshall and executive produced by Steven Spielberg. What sets this horror thriller apart from other films in it's genre is the great cast. Arachnophobia stars Jeff Daniels, Harley Jane Kozak, Julian Sands, John Goodman, Stuart Pankin, and Henry Jones.

Don Jakoby wrote the screenplay, which tells the story of a vicious spider from the South American rain forest who hitches a ride to a small California town in the casket with a dead body. Soon after arriving, the large spider mates with a local spider. Not long after, the small town is infested with venomous spiders and the population begins to die off one-by-one. The doctor and bumbling police chief are aided by an insect...

As far as creature features go, Jaws is easily the most celebrated and critically acclaimed of the bunch, and for good reason. Steven Spielberg’s decision (and various technical limitations) to not show the shark but rather suggest it through musical cues, glimpses of the dorsal fin, and blood in the water made the entire ocean a very scary place for the characters and audiences alike. For many similar films, this technique has worked brilliantly, but for one very simple reason it wasn’t the way to go with Director Frank Marshall’s Arachnophobia (which Spielberg consulted on): most people are freaked out by spiders. It’s that very inherent and basic fear that makes the film’s use of actual spiders, an entertaining script, and some terrific performances by Jeff Daniels, Harley Jane Kozak, and John Goodman such a thrill-ride to this day.

Read more...

The House on Sorority Row is once again opening up for business via the wonderful sickos over at Scorpion Releasing, and they're dead set on bringing one hell of a DVD package to fans come the end of this month!

From the Press Release

On January 24th Scorpion Releasing and Katarina's Nightmare Theater present House On Sorority Row in a two-disc remastered edition! Flirtatious young sorority sisters who are days away from graduation set out to throw one last decadent celebration. Unbeknownst to them, the strict matron of their house hides a horrendous secret thought long buried. A gruesome accident is witnessed by a hideous fiend, hidden within the once nurturing dwelling, which triggers a rampage of death and destruction. Before the end the peril faced by this sisterhood will push them to the brink of annihilation. And rivers of blood will drown all who enter...The House on Sorority Row.

Creepy ... crawly ... creepy ... crawly…creepycreepycrawlycrawly, creepycreepycrawlycrawly ... Certainly no one every musically expressed humanity's inherent fear of the creepy crawlies better than The Who in the 1966 John Entwistle-penned song Boris the Spider. This number was an ode to one particular ill-fated spider, but it smartly illustrated the strange, seemingly inborn fear, the majority of us have of bugs ... yuck!

With the release of Guillermo del Toro's Director's Cut of his buggy nightmare, Mimic on September 27th, we at Dread Central have decided to take a look back at 10 of our favorite bug-themed films throughout the years. Here they are, numbered, but in no particular order. Entomologists, this one's for you.

1. Although there are a slew of films we can use to kick this off, I think it's only right to go with The Fly because it was a hit not for one generation, but two. Also, it spawned three...

On this date in...

1984: Y&R's Jeanne Cooper (Katherine) was supposed to begin a two week tour of Ontario on this day but had to cancel when she was hospitalized after accidentally drinking coffee that contained a cleaning solution.

1986: On Santa Barbara, former nun, Mary Duvall McCormick (Harley Jane Kozak), was killed by having a giant neon letter "C" (for "Capwell" atop the Capwell Hotel) land on her while she was standing on the hotel roof.

1992: Patsy Pease returned to Days Of Our Lives as Kimberly.

1995: Loving began implementing changes that would ultimately lead to a transformation to The City.

1999: The character of Charity Standish debuted on Passions played by Molly Stanton.

2005: Terri Garber debuted on As The World Turns as Iris Dumbrowski.

2008: The mood turned tense at Bridget and Nick's garden wedding at the Marone estate on The Bold And The Beautiful when Katie momentarily interrupted.

To celebrate the release of The Reef, out on DVD today, I thought it would be fitting to take a look back at some of my favourite killer animal movies. A genre that often suffered from cheap, exploitation movies, killer animal flicks can offer some true, unbridled entertainment too.

So if being hunted by a giant alligator, or eating by a variety of giant spiders are your thing, then continue on to the first entry in my list:

#5 – Anaconda

Yes, the film stars Jennifer Lopez and was widely panned by critics upon release. But have you ever had this much fun watching a giant snake on camera? Giving you the kind of shit that David Attenborough just can’t deliver, this snake is definitely the daddy of all snakes.

Not only does our killer snake knowingly stalk this group of National Geographic misfits, implying some kind of vendetta it also...

In Part One of our interview, Jon Lindstrom shared his musical roots with The High Lonesome, memories of playing Hollywood clubs in the 80s, as well as some of the struggles behind the scenes at Santa Barbara. In Part Two he reveals more anecdotes about Santa Barbara, and his process of playing tortured twins Ryan and Kevin on General Hospital. Which famous soap actor almost got the role instead of Lindstrom? Find out below!

We Love Soaps TV: From the viewer’s standpoint, the 1985-1986 season you were on Santa Barbara was such a treat.

Jon Lindstrom: It was a beautifully written and produced show. It was so well done. I’m happy for that. The work showed. It was hard work, and we all sweated bullets to make it happen.

We Love Soaps TV: Your character, Mark McCormick, was popular while being so very hated.

Jon Lindstrom: Everybody hated that guy.

When hearing the name "Jon Lindstrom," most soap fans immediately think of his critically acclaimed role as Craig Montgomery on As The World Turns, rational and tortured Kevin Collins on General Hospital and Port Charles, or even scary sociopath Mark McCormick on Santa Barbara. What most soap fans don't know is that this Emmy-nominated actor has been rocking out on his drums since age seven, and was an integral part of the Billboard chart-topping band The High Lonesome in the '80s and '90s. In this new interview, Lindstrom will trace the origins of his musical passion, as well as recollect some of his most memorable moments on his numerous shows.

We Love Soaps TV: Jon, it is so wonderful to speak with you. One of the things that has been hard about covering soaps the last few years has been seeing so many people on and off screen...

The House on Sorority Row (1983) D: Mark Rosman Kate McNeil, Eileen Davidson, Harley Jane Kozak Director Mark Rosman may be a familiar name to the Nickelodeon set, especially to fans of Hilary Duff. His most recent work includes Lizzie McGuire and A Cinderella Story. But long before he worked with cute, little teeny-boppers, he directed this gem of a slasher flick back in the early 1980's. As a protégé of Brian DePalma, it should be no surprise that atmosphere and visualization take center stage for The House on Sorority Row. The cast is stacked with experienced soap stars...

Babies can come as quite a surprise… especially if you aren’t pregnant! In honor of Life As We Know It, which comes to theaters on Friday, we are dedicating our list to the joys of inheriting a child!

Top Ten Unexpected Child Movies

Honorable Mention: Superman The Movie

The Old Testament has inspired many works of art. Perhaps there’s none more famous than Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s Superman. Borrowing from the story of Moses, baby Superman (known on Krypton as Kal-El) floats thru the cosmos in a spaceship instead of a basket drifting down a stream. The first scenes of Richard Donner’s 1978 Superman The Movie are set on the aforementioned planet Krypton as noted scientist Jor-El and his wife, Lara, decide to place their only child in an experimental space ship directed at the planet Earth. Marlon Brando and Suzanne York are heartbreaking as the...

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

There’s nothing more relaxing than a massage. And of course, the natural close second: watching some horrible mutation running amok, destroying whole cities and eating the faces right off the less important characters. Third would have to be aromatherapy and Gregorian chant music. So along those lines, and in honor of the deliciously freaky Splice, we decided to put together a list of the best homicidal creepy crawlies in movies. Feel free to use this list as a guideline for relaxation after a long, stressful day. Hot cocoa…screaming…a nice warm fire…bones crunching…

7. The Photosensitives in Pitch Black (2000)

Recap:a space ship crashes on a sun-baked alien world and maroons a group of survivors, including a violent murderer (Vin Diesel). After some initial exploration and an unfortunate death or two, the survivors figure out that there are millions of horrible,...

All Paramount is likely to get for Christmas from this kids' feature is a pleasing yuppie demographic -- not many happy kid viewers but the titters of approval from all the right adults, with all the right toys. Too bad it's not for the Thursday night time slot watched by the oat bran and Beemer crowd; as a movie, the only thing it's likely to generate on Saturday afternoons is long bathroom lines of bored kids.

Still, it's tempting to praise Paramount for realizing it doesn't take a couple of years to crank out a back-lot movie. But expeditious excellence cannot overcome tired scriptwriting. While its Christmas boxoffice stocking may be pretty much limited to lumps of coal, the captivating title alone will ensure rentals.

Unfortunately, kids aren't going to sit through this thing unless an authority figure is camped right next to them to ensure attention -- it's goody-goody and it's boring.

The story of two WASPy rich kids who miss their father (their parents are divorced), ''All I Want for Christmas'' is a modern-day family story in which, typically, the family is a bit broken. But Mom Harley Jane Kozak) still loves Dad (Jamey Sheridan) although he's been going through a midlife crisis, presumably some sort of lost-youth thing since he's established a 1950s restaurant.

Anyway, the kids want him back; indeed, he's a definite improvement over Mom's current beau, a financial geek.

Certainly, getting the family back together for Christmas is a laudable narrative goal, but screenwriters Thom Eberhardt and Richard Kramer have concocted a movie that is more wishy-washy adult melodrama than a thoughtful, robust kid's movie.

All too often, the dialogue is stilted way beyond the kids' years, while the drama itself all too often replicates big people's movies -- discussions about modern art, restaurants, relationships -- all the neurotic stuff of the self-absorbed set.

Worst of all, the two lead characters are not likely to generate much empathy from the kid crowd: the boy is bland and the girl is a prissy, butt-in-front-of-the-line twit.

And it's not simply because they're children of privilege. John Hughes' tykes are privileged but are full of beans and all the crackling stuff that kids love. It's because there's a decidedly silver-spoonish quality to the writing that tarnishes the heartfelt potential of this project.

Although the story line does accelerate into a pleasing high-speed ruse that the kids orchestrate to get the parents back together, it's not particularly involving or even logically clear.

Under Robert Lieberman's cautious and static direction, ''All I Want for Christmas'' comes across as a movie package overwrapped by the Correctness Council. Those great nutrients, slapstick and visual humor, are kept to a maddeningly minimal level (the only positive kid audience reactions came here) and can't quite burst the film's hoity-toity bubble.

Among the players, Lauren Bacall is a delight as the acerbic grandma; Harley Jane Kozak is well-cast as the patrician mom, while Leslie Nielsen is wasted as a nondescript Santa.

Tech contributions, despite some obvious mattes, are up to snuff with special praise to Bruce Broughton for the energetic, traditional score.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

Paramount

Producer Marykay Powell

Director Robert Lieberman

Screenwriters Thom Eberhardt, Richard Kramer

Executive producer Stan Rogow

Director of photography Robbie Greenberg

Production designer Herman Zimmerman

Editors Peter E. Berger, Dean Goodhill

Co-producer Vicky Herman

Costume designer Nolan Miller

Music Bruce Broughton

Casting Judith Holstra

Color/Stereo

Cast:

Ethan O'Fallon Ethan Randall

Hallie O'Fallon Thora Birch

Catherine O'Fallon Harley Jane Kozak

Michael O'Fallon Jamey Sheridan

Stephanie Amy Oberer

Lillian Brooks Lauren Bacall

Santa Leslie Nielsen

Running time -- 92 minutes

MPAA Rating: G

(c) The Hollywood Reporter...