Daytona USA was a hit ‘90s arcade racing game by Sega that helped millions of kids pretend they were bad-ass NASCAR drivers, and sported a famous theme song that certain Kotaku editors still get stuck in their heads to this day. This week, it was discovered that one of the old cabinets was hiding $400,000, ammunition,…
Daytona USA was a hit ‘90s arcade racing game by Sega that helped millions of kids pretend they were bad-ass NASCAR drivers, and sported a famous theme song that certain Kotaku editors still get stuck in their heads to this day. This week, it was discovered that one of the old cabinets was hiding $400,000, ammunition,…
With the passing of Donald Sutherland, I was looking through his catalogue for stuff I hadn’t seen yet as I like to look at the entire catalogue to find some hidden gems. What I was reminded of while looking was his stellar horror output over the years. Fallen, The Puppet Masters, Don’t Look Now, Virus, the Salem’s Lot TV miniseries, and of course Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors are all fun to great but for my money, his turn in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (watch it HERE) and really the movie in general, is his best stuff. After buying the wonderful 4K from Kino Lorber and rewatching it, I’m also ready to crown it as the best San Francisco based horror movie too. While it can feel every bit as long as it’s 1 hour and 55-minute runtime, it uses that slow build tension to really hammer home what you see on your screen. As remakes go, the 78 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers is slept on far too often and ultimately one of the best out there. Its time for a revisit.
As I said, this movie is a remake of the 1956 Don Siegel classic that itself is an adaptation of the book The Body Snatchers by sci-fi favorite Jack Finney. I like that one a lot and it broods in many of the 50s political and thematic sci fi ideals and tropes. The reason I wanted to cover this one is because, make no mistakes, this is sci-fi horror. From the effects to the nihilism and downbeat ending that was prevalent in the 70s to many of the horrifying details you see with multiple viewings, the movie is scary in its execution and implications. The impetus for the remaking of this movie starts with how much director Phillip Kaufman loved the original. He hadn’t even read the book until after he agreed to remake the movie.
Kaufman is an Oscar nominated writer and director who also penned the story for Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Outlaw Josey Wales while also directing The Right Stuff and Rising Sun. He reached out to original director Don Siegel and ended up developing the ending of the movie with him and original star and Joe Dante favorite Kevin McCarthy. The two have cameos in the movie too, as a taxi driver pod person who rats out two of the characters and as someone who bares a striking resemblance to his character from the first movie. This is the kind of call back that is more than just the type of fan service we get when movie universes are tied together, and more thinking mans moment. The moment takes you by surprise even though the way the scene is shot should prepare you for a jump scare even if the conversation between characters goes on for longer than normal before the scare. Kevin McCarthy’s character looks like he’s been awake for days and he tries to warn us and the main characters of their impending doom. This man could, potentially, be the same character from the first film that made it to San Francisco, but he could also just be a wink and a nod to the original.
Kaufman wasn’t the only owner of this project as the script was done by W.D. Richter who was nominated for an Oscar for his screenplay for Brubaker in the early 80s but, let’s be honest here, he is way more important for writing movies like Needful Things, the 1979 Dracula, and, oh yeah, Big Trouble in Little China. While he only directed two movies, one of them was The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai Across the 8th Dimension. While we will never see that amazing character fight the Crime League we were teased about at the end of the first movie, I still want to put him in the sci-fi horror movie Hall of Fame just for those beautiful contributions.
The movie follows the basic idea of the original movie and book where there is an alien invasion of spores that slowly attempt to take over the population of the planet starting in one town. People begin to act strangely and slowly but surely the core main characters become aware of the plot and try to fight it. The alien race floats to earth as spores and when humans fall asleep, they are absorbed and replicated as unfeeling replacements of their former selves while their bodies are disposed of. While the new versions remember everything about their former lives, they no longer have the drive or will to do anything but exist and continue their lives. Kauffman does a wonderful twist here with transporting the action and story to his beloved San Francisco which also happens to be one of the most populus and busy cities in the U.S. He also wanted to weave into the story his own very progressive beliefs and those of that in the city in the 70s. The stark dichotomy between his own beliefs and the very city’s core itself and the result of the pods taking over people and making them into lifeless and more importantly belief less drones is great to watch unfold.
In addition to Sutherland’s great turn as a health inspector who is at first searching for a rational explanation for the woman he loves, he is joined by Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, and Leonard Nimoy in supporting roles. Sutherland’s Matthew Bennell is one of the great characters in a horror movie. He is rational but emotional, makes the best decisions he can while also fighting until the very end, and has a good mix of bravery and intelligence that fleshes him out for the audience in a way that few characters in these movies are. Brooke Adams plays his love interest whose boyfriend, played by The Brood‘s Art Hindle, is one of the first characters to turn. It’s a great tell for the audience even if we already know what’s coming. He’s a sports obsessed dentist with Warriors playoff tickets one night but when Elizabeth (Adams) brings home a curious flower and pod for the night, she awakens to a new man both literally and figuratively when he cleans up the remains of his former human shell with zero emotions and in a suit that doubles as a metaphor for the alien race using us as suits for their new home.
What is something that may go unnoticed on a first viewing but is unavoidable and quite horrible after you do see it is when the boyfriend takes the trash out with the remains, we see a lot of what looks like dust or cobwebs in the garbage truck. We see more and more of these in dumpsters, trashcans, and additional garbage trucks throughout the movie and while our heroes never notice it, it’s the evidence of the city and mankind itself crumbling away. The horror of this movie continues in various ways with how the pods attach themselves to sleeping humans before spitting out unformed bodies that eventually copy the host, to Jeff Goldblum’s body double starting to look like him down to both of their nose’s bleeding. All of the effects are practical, and even quite cheap to produce by Kauffman’s own admission, and they all hold up well. Ok there is that one scene where the dog that was seen with the homeless guitar player appears again with his face on the dogs body and that doesn’t look great but the idea behind it is awful. The dog and man are getting absorbed at night and Matthew kicks the pod which makes it mix the two hosts together in a twisted fashion. That also means there is a human body out there potentially with a dog’s head and face on it.
Goldblum and Cartwright play a husband and wife who are friends with Matthew that get thrust into the plot when they stick with Elizabeth and Matthew. Goldblum has some great genre credits that include another all-time remake in The Fly as well as Jurassic Park and The Sentinel. Veronica Cartwright is wonderful here and will forever be known as Lambert from Alien along with parts in anthology Nightmares and The Witches of Eastwick. Finally, Brooke Adams, who I just discovered is married to Tony Shalhoub, is also no stranger to horror with roles in Naziploitation classic Shock Waves, The Dead Zone, and The Unborn. While I’m here I’ll also mention her episode of Wings because Lance and I need to get that show out there more. I say finally like I wasn’t going to mention Leonard Nimoy but that’s because the dude sung the Hobbit song, so everyone knows him.
With their world shrinking and getting outnumbered with each passing moment, the characters are chased, drugged, absorbed at times, made paranoid about who, if anyone, they can trust. One of my favorite moments is when Matthew tries to call outside the city for help and the person on the other line addresses him by name when they couldn’t have possibly known who he was. It seals the deal, but you still think there is a chance until right up to the end. With such a huge location that can lead to anywhere, the pod aliens use that transit ability to begin branching out, so to speak to other parts of the world. When it gets down to two characters, they try to get on some shipping boats to get out only to learn that these ships are also being used to transport pods, potentially worldwide. It’s a gut punch of a moment that also has one of the best uses of both Amazing Grace on the bagpipes and a blending of diegetic and non-diegetic music. Even though they are trapped, we do remember via a slight throwaway line that these pod people can be tricked but for how long. The final sequence leads to one of horror’s greatest endings that is still in many ways unmatched.
The movie was a hit for United Artists when it was released right before Christmas on December 22nd, 1978. I don’t have a budget listing for it but the movie made nearly 25 million at the box office and was a huge hit with critics and movie goers alike. It won multiple genre awards and has been listed amongst the best remakes ever even if there isn’t much press for it almost 50 years later. Its sense of paranoia oozes through every scene and almost matches other perennial remake favorite The Thing in that category. Its score, cinematography, acting, and directing are all top notch and its worth seeking out in it’s newest 4K iteration from Kino Lorber and all its special features after its initial bare bones DVD release. It’s the best version of this story on page or screen and the next best would be the next version from Abel Ferrara in the early 90’s but more on that sooner than you think. Donald Sutherland should be celebrated for his body of work as well as the person he was but don’t sleep on this late 70s horror gem. In fact, if you’ve seen it, maybe don’t sleep at all…
Two previous episodes of Revisited can be seen below. To see more of our shows, head over to the JoBlo Horror Originals channel – and subscribe while you’re at it!
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According to a developer who worked on every game in the Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games franchise, the reason there’s no appearance for the joint Nintendo and Sega venture during the 2024 Paris Olympics is because, well, the whole series is dead and gone. A rumor backed up by Eurogamer reporting that the…
According to a developer who worked on every game in the Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games franchise, the reason there’s no appearance for the joint Nintendo and Sega venture during the 2024 Paris Olympics is because, well, the whole series is dead and gone. A rumor backed up by Eurogamer reporting that the…
The tail-end of July has seen something of a defibrillator shocking some life back into Marvel. Not only has the anticipated film Deadpool & Wolverine become a massive opening and sending fans home with giddiness over some immensely deep cuts from the comic book film world, but Marvel Studios’ panel from Comic-Con has dropped some big upcoming news as well. The biggest reveal (which also seems to be kind of a controversial one) was Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU, this time as the iconic villain Doctor Doom in the next Avengers entry, Doomsday.
World of Reel is now reporting that it was revealed in an uncovered interview between Kevin Feige and Jon Favreau that Downey Jr. had met with Feige to possibly play Doctor Doom in 2005’s Fantastic Four from 20th Century Fox. Feige was a producer on that film and as he and Favreau reflect on their first MCU film Iron Man, Favreau says,
I remember that Robert had come in for a general [meeting] on [Iron Man] and you had already met with him for Doctor Doom or something.”
Favreau continued, “I think he had come through on Fantastic Four. So everybody knew who he was. I remember sitting down with the guy and I was like, ‘He’s got that spark in his eye and he’s ready.’ That’s when we were in your office and we were putting to his headshot and saying we’ve gotta try and figure this out [for Iron Man].”
The part of Victor Von Doom would eventually go to Julian McMahon, who was on the hit FX show Nip/Tuck at the time. McMahon would play Doctor Doom opposite the Fantastic Four cast that included Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Jessica Alba as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm/The Thing and a pre-Captain America Chris Evans as Johnny Storm/Human Torch. 2005’s Fantastic Four would not become the adaptation that fans were hoping for, but the film would become a hit and warrant a sequel that brought in The Silver Surfer along with Galactus.
Galactus will be making an appearance in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. However, Doctor Doom is also known as a villain that is closely tied with Marvel’s first family, so it’s possible we see a tie-in with Victor Von Doom prior to Doomsday, most likely in a post-credits scene.
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PLOT: Far away, in the desolate Serbian wilderness, a U.S.-led fracking crew uncover a dormant monster gestating inside a centuries-old French soldier. Now awakened and exposed in its most dangerously fragile state, it tears through the men on the grounds in search of a new womb.
REVIEW: There’s a certain charm to the Adams Family’s filmography, delivering unique story after unique story. And I won’t lie, there’s something sweet about a family banding together to make a horror film together. Made all the more exciting to see the strides they’ve made with each film. Hell Hole feels like the Adams leveling up their filmmaking skill to the next level. And it’s an experience you won’t soon forget.
Following a fracking crew set up in the Serbian wild, we get a mix of characters ranging from locals to the American workers. While fracking, they accidentally discover a monster that had been dormant. And this monster is angry and violent. I really enjoyed how the creature was presented, with just the right mix of practical and digital. There’s always a charm to these lower-budget films going hard with FX. And the creature’s lore is intriguing.
The team of Toby Poser and John & Lulu Adams (Zelda is absent due to attending college at the time) really knocked it out of the park here. The script is constantly entertaining, and they make Toby always has such a fun energy to her performances but this may be her best. John really rocks this score. It goes from near silent to energetic and pounding in an instant and it really works to energize the film. And the script from all three, domino effects in a fun way.
Some of the performances don’t entirely work, as they’re contending with different languages and lower experience. But no one is egregious enough that they ruin any moments. Gorehounds are going to be eating well with this one as things definitely get wet. There’s a lot of practical violence but even the digital effects are handled really well. They clearly don’t have a large budget and are very strategic with what they show. I wish other filmmakers would show the same level of restraint.
The cinematography can be a bit hit or miss, with the Serbian landscape being well utilized but the interiors being a bit bland. Hell Hole is a delicious mix of violence and dark humor. I really wasn’t sure what to expect with it opening on old-timey French soldiers, but the film perfectly combines the past with the present. The kinetic camerawork has an Evil Dead feel at times and the rocking score keeps the energy up throughout.
HELL HOLE IS CURRENTLY PLAYING FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL AND RELEASES TO SHUDDER ON AUGUST 23RD, 2024.
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From the creatives behind Toy Story, Cars, A Bug’s Life, and Shrek comes Spellbound, a whimsical animated adventure from Skydance Animation for the whole family! What happens when the rulers of a kingdom become magically transformed into monsters, and their only hope of being restored is their determined daughter and a population of frightened followers in the grips of panic? We’re about to find out, thanks to Skydance’s Spellbound trailer!
Here’s the official synopsis for Spellbound courtesy of Netflix:
Every kid has trouble getting along with their parents sometimes, but this is ridiculous. In the new animated adventure Spellbound, Ellian (voiced by Rachel Zegler) squares off with her mother and father, the king and queen of Lumbria. But this isn’t your typical family drama — a mysterious spell has transformed Ellian’s parents into massive, rampaging monsters.
Beneath all of the magic and mayhem, Spellbound is a human story, a brand new one that director Vicky Jenson (Shrek) told Netflix uses fantastical elements to tell an all too relatable tale: “If we start with the familiar — the kingdom, a princess, a king, a queen, and a spell — we could use that to express the story of this family.”
Jenson said, “For me, the story is even more universal than the specifics of this family dynamic. For me, it speaks to kids and their parents, to the kind of alienation that can happen as we grow up, and the steps we have to make towards each other to weather it together and come through the other side with better understanding.”
So, as Ellian hits the road to try to break the spell on her parents, don’t be too surprised if you see a few things in Lumbria that you find recognizable along the way. The film’s new trailer showcases just a few of those similarities to our world, from a rideshare uh, frog who receives five literal stars to a “wand” that functions like a car key fob. “Finding the allegory, finding the fairy tale paradigm, the shape of it, I think is what was a real breakthrough for us,” Jenson said.
Spellbound stars Rachel Zegler as Ellian, whose dream has been to participate in an animated musical since she was a child—and with music arranged by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, no less.
Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem star as Ellain’s royal parents. “Nicole’s the biggest actress there is. She’s super in demand,” Jenson said. “But then, when she saw it, even [on a] laptop, she goes, ‘Oh, I love it. I want to be a part of this.’”
Meanwhile, Bardem had his own journey to Spellbound. “He just would come straight from the set of Dune: Part Two,” Jenson said. “He’s like, ‘I apologize, I’ve been wearing a rubber suit all day.’” Bardem channeled his hot days into a not-so-kingly soundtrack: “A lot of the animal noises, some of the monster dad sounds, he definitely created,” Jenson added. “He played around with wolf growls and stuff, and incorporated that into his laugh.”
Today’s Spellbound trailer teases spirited voice performances from an eclectic cast, including John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis, Tituss Burgess, and Nathan Lane. Vicky Jenson directs Spellbound from a script by Lauren Hynek, Elizabeth Martin, and Julia Miranda.
Jenson’s Spellbound aims to make magic on Netflix this holiday season, beginning November 22.
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There was no greater comedic wild man than John Belushi. A force on and off the screen, the guy stands as one of the most influential of his generation. And while we know this wasn’t always the best thing for others, his persona and charisma were unlike anything the world of entertainment had seen before. Tragically, Belushi himself would succumb to his addictions in 1982, but he still had a support system that wanted him to stick around forever, chiefly in Blues Brother-in-arms Dan Aykroyd.
Speaking with Rolling Stone, Aykroyd remembered having to find the balance of keeping Belushi without being overbearing to the point he would turn on him. “I was pretty hands on and monitoring his behavior minute to minute — and then also letting the leash out a little bit, knowing that, if I pull too hard or resisted, he would head up into the trees. He’d be gone. And so, handled him very carefully. Tried to meter the control there, which is very hard when someone likes cocaine. Meter that control, try to hide a packet now and again, and make sure there’s enough around so we get through. Or make sure there are days when it’s not done, nights when it’s not done.”
But Aykroyd could only watch over Belushi so much. In March 1982 – two years after his stint on Saturday Night Live ended and The Blues Brothers crashed into theaters – Belushi died after being injected with a speedball (a combo of cocaine and heroin) following a night with Robin Williams and Robert De Niro. The woman who delivered that dose, Cathy Smith, would end up serving time for second degree murder.
But no doubt the legacy of John Belushi lives on, both as a comedic tour de force and a cautionary tale. As Aykryod put it, “What he will be remembered for, we can’t change — and that’s the spectacular work that he did and the ignominious manner of his demise. So that’s all there. But I think what if you have to inform people about who he was privately: he was well read, he was warm, he was funny, he was magnetic. He was a true thousand-watt aviation lamp walking around.”
What is your favorite John Belushi moment in movies and TV? Drop your pick below!
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We learned a lot more about Thunderbolts during Marvel’s presentation at San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend, but Florence Pugh dropped one more tidbit while speaking with Variety. When asked what was the most “massive stunt” she did in the upcoming Marvel movie, Pugh said, “Jumping off the second tallest building in the world” before making a quick exit.
For the record, the second tallest building in the world is Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. At 678.9 m, only the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is taller, at 828 m. During the Thunderbolts Comic-Con panel, Pugh said, “I think we all feel cool doing stunts… This movie is so wonderful and bizarre, and it’s very brave and it’s because of this cast.“
In addition to Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Thunderbolts also stars Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Wyatt Russell as US Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, and Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster. Geraldine Viswanathan will also make an appearance, replacing Ayo Edebiri, who was originally attached. Lewis Pullman is also on board as The Sentry, taking over for Steven Yeun, who was cast in the role before he had to leave. Harrison Ford will also appear as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, reprising his role from Captain America: Brave New World.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige added that the group doesn’t take its name from Ford’s character, but when asked for an explanation regarding the asterisk in the title, he would only say, “You have to see the movie.” A trailer for Thunderbolts was also screened at Comic-Con, showcasing Yelena catching up with Red Guardian. We then see the individual characters tricked into meeting up, where they realize they’ve each been set up on dangerous missions. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine says, “We’re brought up with this belief that there are good guys and bad guys. But really, there are bad guys and there are worse guys.“
Thunderbolts* will be released in theaters on May 5, 2025, as the final installment of Phase Five.
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