If you, like me, are a child, you’ll regularly refresh the new releases on the official Pokémon store to see what madcap paraphernalia its selling today. With almost daily drops, these additions can be anything from a statue of Ditto eating Pewter Crunchies, to an entire range of wildly overpriced Pikachu-themed…

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Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Netflix‘s live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender comes to the streamer on February 22, 2024, giving the beloved animated series another shot at presenting the beloved adventure with flesh-and-blood actors. Speaking of which, we’ve got firebenders Daniel Dae Kim (Fire Lord Ozai) and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (General Iroh), and Dallas Liu (Prince Zuko), alongside the Avatar himself, Gordon Cormier (Aang), Kiawentiio (Katara), and Ian Ousley (Sokka) to discuss their exciting new series!

Speaking with Daniel Dae Kim and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, we discuss Kim’s transformation into Fire Lord Ozai after playing two characters in the original series and its sequel, The Legend of Korra, and dig into Lee’s outstanding on-screen chemistry with Dallas Liu. The duo also discusses the best and worst aspects of working on such an established and treasured intellectual property.

Speaking with the young members of the cast, we discuss the pressures of representing the four pillars of The Last Airbender series and their intense martial arts training leading up to filming.

“Water. Earth. Fire. Air. The four nations once lived in harmony, with the Avatar, master of all four elements, keeping peace between them. But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked and wiped out the Air Nomads, the first step taken by the firebenders towards conquering the world,” reads the official description. “With the current incarnation of the Avatar yet to emerge, the world has lost hope. But like a light in the darkness, hope springs forth when Aang, a young Air Nomad — and the last of his kind — reawakens to take his rightful place as the next Avatar. Alongside his newfound friends Sokka and Katara, siblings and members of the Southern Water Tribe, Aang embarks on a fantastical, action-packed quest to save the world and fight back against the fearsome onslaught of Fire Lord Ozai. But with a driven Crown Prince Zuko determined to capture them, it won’t be an easy task. They’ll need the help of the many allies and colorful characters they meet along the way.“

Avatar: The Last Airbender stars Gordon Cormier as Aang, Kiawentiio as Katara, Ian Ousley as Sokka, Dallas Liu as Prince Zuko, Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as General Iroh, Ken Leung as Commander Zhao, and Elizabeth Yu as Princess Azula. The live-action series will debut on Netflix on February 22nd.

The post Interview: Daniel Dae Kim, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, and the young cast bend our ears about Avatar: The Last Airbender appeared first on JoBlo.

Every week, out of the kindness of its bulging heart, Epic gives a game away for free on its PC games store it desperately wishes you’d use instead of Steam. Pure altruism, no doubt. At the time of writing, for instance, you can pick up Dakar Desert Rally gratis. From February 22, it’ll be Super Meat Boy Forever…

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Every week, out of the kindness of its bulging heart, Epic gives a game away for free on its PC games store it desperately wishes you’d use instead of Steam. Pure altruism, no doubt. At the time of writing, for instance, you can pick up Dakar Desert Rally gratis. From February 22, it’ll be Super Meat Boy Forever…

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Thanks to your votes, we have compiled the final list of nominees for The 22nd Annual Golden Schmoes, honoring the best movies of 2023! Final voting is on now and ends at midnight on March 1st, with winners to be announced on Friday, March 8th, with the Oscars set to happen the following Sunday, March 10th. For those experiencing the Golden Schmoes for the first time, CLICK HERE to see what it’s all about. You can get a ton more info in our FAQ, but the process is a piece of cake and lots of fun. Even if you didn’t participate in the nominations part of the process, you can still help vote for the winners.

The nominations were an interesting bunch, but the Schmoes were dominated by the Barbenheimer phenomenon, with Barbie and Oppenheimer the movies with the two most votes. Barbie managed to edge out Oppenheimer in terms of award nods, with 17 nominations, while Christopher Nolan’s film earned 14.

MOST NOMINATIONS BY FILM:

Barbie: 17 nominations

Oppenheimer: 14 nominations

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: 10 nominations

Killers of the Flower Moon: 10 nominations

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: 7 nominations

No records were broken in terms of MOST nominations (which to this day still belongs to Christopher Nolan’s Inception with 19 nominations). One thing worth noting is how our readers corrected many of the presumed Oscar snubs. Greta Gerwig earned a nomination for best director (for Barbie), Margot Robbie got a best actress nod, Zac Efron got some love for The Iron Claw, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse cleaned up. John Wick: Chapter 4 also did really well, particularly in the action categories, as did the underrated Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. Once again, the amazing range of votes made me very proud to be part of the JoBlo community. I think our readers have awesome taste in movies!

Check out the complete list of nominations below and start voting right here! Are some of your favorite 2023 movies in this year’s Golden Schmoes?

PAST WINNERS:

2022/ 2021/ 2019/ 2018 / 2017 / 2016 / 2015 / 2014 / 2013 /2012 / 2011 / 2010 / 2009 / 2008 / 2007 / 2006 / 2005 / 2004 / 2003 / 2002 / 2001

The post The Golden Schmoes: The Nominees Are In! appeared first on JoBlo.

As 2024’s big bad—Late Stage Capitalism—continues its grim rampage, some developers are looking to more innovative approaches to avoid the publishing industry’s self-sabotaging need for impossibly endless growth. Stormgate creator Frost Giant—a studio created by former StarCraft 2 devs—is following up on its recent…

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As 2024’s big bad—Late Stage Capitalism—continues its grim rampage, some developers are looking to more innovative approaches to avoid the publishing industry’s self-sabotaging need for impossibly endless growth. Stormgate creator Frost Giant—a studio created by former StarCraft 2 devs—is following up on its recent…

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Eighties television was a land of new ideas that hadn’t been seen before.  It was also a place where old tropes were made shiny and new with a modern sheen that intrigued audiences and would produce classics like the hospital drama St. Elsewhere and the crime drama Hill Street Blues. 

It would be a humdinger of a decade within the genre of mystery and detectives.  It would see the return of the iconic detective Mike Hammer in a new series and would also bring us the dramedy Moonlighting.  We’d also be treated to one of the greatest performances of Sherlock Holmes ever with the amazing Jeremy Brett.

It would also bring us a female detective who, in a world filled with male counterparts, couldn’t catch a break until she made up her own male counterpart in a boss named Remington Steele.  The rest, as they say, is history, which would actually involve not only James Bond but even Robocop.  Are you intrigued by the mystery yet?  Well, let’s investigate further as we uncover Remington Steele‘s secrets in this episode of Gone But Not Forgotten.

Remington Steele actually started out as an idea from the late 60s by Robert Butler.  Butler attempted to make a series based around a female detective, but no one thought it would play at the time because no one was ready for a female in such a role.  Even though, at the time, there had been some success with the spin-off Girl From UNCLE starring Stephanie Powers.

Butler’s idea would not be seen on screen until the early 80s.  He was inspired to return to the idea after TV showed there was an audience for a female-led series.  Eventually, the series would be asked for a pilot at NBC, with the premise adding the fact that the lead character’s fictitious boss would appear and make her life chaotic.  This idea would be tweaked slightly and become the series we know today.

The interesting premise bridged classic noir with a modern setting and sense of the times.  Remington Steele actually dealt with sexism head-on with its plot.  Laura Holt was a smart and savvy private investigator who had spent a while learning the craft.  But as a woman in a field dominated by men (both in fiction and nonfiction), she couldn’t find a client.  That was until she came up with the idea of a fake male boss with his name on the office door.  

Laura comes up with the name Remington Steele (a combo of a typewriter company and a football team) and one with a nice ring to it.  As it were, Mr. Steele is the man behind the woman, and is never seen by his clients who are suddenly knocking down the newly painted door.  Laura interacts with the clients while her mysterious (and non-existent) boss is never seen.

Eventually, Laura has two employees, the only ones who know the secret of Mr. Steele, Murphy Michaels, a fellow investigator with a more than platonic interest in Laura.  Bernice is the agency’s secretary.

Then, one day, things become complicated.  During a job for an entrepreneur wanting to launch his own car company who is showcasing some rare jewels to help promote the opportunity to get in on the venture, The Remington Steele detective agency runs into a snag.  Their client, Gordon Hunter, wants Steele on site in person as this event is the biggest in his life.

Laura decides to make this work, much to Murphy and Bernice’s disbelief.  In a ruse, they rent a room in the hotel the showcase is taking place in and fill it with clothes and evidence that Mr. Steele is staying there.  Of course, none of the clothes or items have been used, but the appearance is what’s important.

The snag appears when jewel thieves show up on-site, three total.  Two very rough individuals named Kessler and Neff and a rather posh gentleman with dark hair named…well…he’s telling everyone his name is Ben Pearson.  Pearson (we’ll call him that) is spying on the operation and taking photos.  He eventually meets with Laura, tells her he’s trying to keep the jewels safe, and works for the South African government, the country the jewels are from.

After a number of close calls for both Pearson and Holt, the real Ben Pearson shows up, and his imposter finds himself in a bit of a pickle.  This he quickly fixes by explaining to Gordon Hunter that he’s actually Remington Steele.  On the other hand, Laura is under the impression that the real Ben Pearson is the fake Remington Steele, and while she has to keep up her charade, the newly created Mr. Steele has to keep up his.

The game of false identity and the comedy of errors keep happening after Laura discovers that her fake Pearson is, in fact, the real fake Remington Steele (does this make sense) during the unveiling of Hunter’s automobile.  And I have to tell you…the look that Stephanie Zimbalist glares at Pierce Brosnan here is some of the best barely-contained fury I’ve ever seen.

What follows is Kessler and Neff killing the real Ben Pearson and leaving him in fake Steele’s hotel room.  Fake Steele and Laura sort of join forces with Fake Steele having the dead Pearson discovered by his own killers and conveniently timed police who arrest them, all the while assuming that Fake Steele is Real Steele (apologies to Hugh Jackman.)  

But things aren’t over yet.  Laura, much to the chagrin of Murphy Michaels, lets Fake Steele go, and as he’s heading to the airport, it’s discovered the jewels are gone.  Assuming Fake Steele didn’t live up to his promise of not stealing them, Laura and Murphy head after him.  It’s then at the airport, after a shout of “Stop thief!”  that we see it’s actually a desperate Gordon Hunter who has taken the jewels after losing his life’s work and savings.  Laura and Fake Steele stop him, with Steele as the real Remington Steele (that really does sound like a brand of electric shaver), giving credit to shout of for the success as well.

Assuming that Fake Steele has left for good, Laura is shocked to discover that Remington Steele is actually in his office and ready to meet their latest client.  And so begins the series proper.

The pilot episode of Remington Steele would air on NBC on October 1^st, 1982, and would be written by co-creator Michael Gleason.  Gleason’s other co-creator, Robert Butler, would direct the episode titled the very Bond-sounding License to Steele.  

Laura Holt would be played by the lovely and talented Stephanie Zimbalist.  Zimbalist came from an acting family and already had a long body of work before taking on the role of Laura in both stage and screen.  Her father, actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr., also had a massive amount of work in his career, which included TV and films such as 77 Sunset Strip, Wait Until Dark, various TV guest roles and the recurring role of Alfred Pennyworth on the Batman The Animated Series as well as its off-shoot films.

Stephanie almost didn’t take the role, not certain about being on a regular series and tied to it.  But she eventually relented.  Laura Holt was classy and intelligent and could hold her own with the mysterious Mr. Steele.  She spoke with an almost regal flare and in a way that harkened back to the classic films of the 30s and 40s that would shape a lot of the Remington Steele backbone.  In fact, there are references throughout the series to many feature films, starting with the pilot and Steele’s aliases, all being characters Bogart played.

Remington Steele got a lot of ratings and fans thanks to Stephanie Zimbalist’s role of Laura and how she portrayed a strong, independent woman who actually was better at the gig than her male counterpart.  Steele was learning the craft of being a detective as he went, most of his knowledge coming from movies.  Laura took the initiative and became her own boss in a time and place that didn’t accept that as easily as it should have.  It inspired many girls and women who watched and helped boost the series to a hit.

Stephanie would even write an episode of the series during the 3^rd season, Steele In The Chips.  Keeping the series a family affair, her own real-life father, Efrem, would appear in the last season as Remington Steele’s father (in a switch not playing Laura’s), who sadly dies before he can tell his son what his real name is, thus leaving Remington Steele as Remington Steele.

Pierce Brosnan wasn’t the massive star he is today when he took the role of Remington Steele.  He’d done some films and TV work, which he was more well-known for then.  These TV appearances include one episode of the Hammer House of Horror called The Carpathian Eagle and his biggest and most well-known role prior to Steele as Robert Gould Shaw in Nancy Astor.  

Brosnan’s portrayal of the suave and mysterious con man come detective would create an icon for women worldwide to swoon over.  It would also set Brosnan up to be considered a successor for Roger Moore, who was getting ready to part soon from the role of James Bond…but we’ll get to that in a moment. 

Brosnan’s movie star looks mixed well with the series’ modern noir look style.  But the casting that seemed meant to be almost didn’t happen.  As I said, Brosnan wasn’t that well known at the time, and the studio didn’t think he’d work or have enough pull for an audience.  Originally, the role was intended for British actor Anthony Andrews.  Andrews had a posh delivery and style and was as suave as possible in roles like The Scarlet Pimpernel and Ivanhoe.  He also had a massive TV repertoire, including Upstairs, Downstairs and the massive hit Brideshead Revisited.  It almost happened that Andrews got the part, but the powers that be relented, and Brosnan won the day.

The first season would include Murphy Michaels, played by James Read, and Janet DeMay as Bernice Foxe only.  These two would be written out of the show in the 2^nd season.  I found it funny as a North and South fan, which starred James Read as George Hazard opposite Patrick Swayze’s Orry Mane also had Philip Casnoff, who played the true bastard villain Bent in the series as “the real Ben Pearson.”  I don’t even think they shared a scene in the episode, but it made my TV geek heart happy.

The 2^nd season would see Doris Roberts added to the cast as Mildred Krebs.  Krebs was originally supposed to be a mid-30s lovely who was a possible rival for Remington Steele,, who would be the new secretary.  But Roberts made an impression and read for the role, and it was retooled for her.  Now, she was an ex-IRS agent who had originally been investigating Steele’s tax records and winds up working for him.

Beverly Garland, a classic Hollywood actress with a massive body of work, including a lot of sci-fi and TV, would be cast as Laura’s mother, Abigail.  

Keeping the series a family affair, Brosnan’s late wife, Cassandra Harris, would play two roles in the series as ladies from Remington Steel’s past.  Harris was actually a Bond Girl, having starred opposite Roger Moore in For Your Eyes Only.  This connection to the franchise brought attention to Brosnan’s role as the next Bond after Moore, the film’s maker.  But as we know, that didn’t happen until later.  And we’ll get to why in a moment.

Throughout the series every episode would somehow work the name Steele into the title.  Each episode would start with a very noir-like voice-over by Laura giving the background on her fake, now sort of real boss and the secret of Remington Steele.

Over the series, Remington Steele and Laura would work together, solving crimes and having some rather world-hopping adventures in the process.  As always with these types of stories, there was the “will they or won’t they” factor.  And to its credit, Remington Steele teased this until the very last episode, setting up they are finally going to at the end of the series.

Remington Steele did great in the ratings and eventually moved to Tuesdays after The A-Team.  The budget got bigger thanks to the success, and the series would have episodes filmed on location in places like Ireland, London, and more around the world.  This added to the slick nature of the production and the old-school Hollywood feel.

Over the course of the series, numerous guest stars would appear with many familiar names and faces showing up.  Geena Davis, Sharon Stone, Paul Reiser, and Delta Burke were just a few.  But my favourite would be when Tom Baker, the Doctor himself, appeared in a villainous turn and kidnapped Mildred.  He’s wonderfully unhinged at moments, and I love it.

But not everything was apparently great.  Much like Moonlighting (which was created by Remington Steele producer Glenn Gordon Caron), there were tales of issues between the two lead actors and on-set tensions that got hot.  There were reports that Brosnan and Zimbalist wouldn’t even talk to each other unless they were filming a scene.  In later years, the actors admit that it had been tense, but they truly respect and admire one another.

The series would go for four seasons and then be cancelled, with Laura and Steele marrying to keep him from being deported.  This was supposedly the last episode of the series, and as such, the actors were ready to move on.  Brosnan was finally getting ready to step into the stylish shoes of James Bond, and Zimbalist had taken the role of Officer Anne Lewis in Robocop. 

But wait, Gone But Not Forgotten, you’re saying, that didn’t happen. Nancy Allen was in Robocop, and Timothy Dalton was James Bond after Moore.  And we’d say, yep, you’re right…only with fewer curse words, we’re sure than Brosnan and Zimbalist would.

See, what happened was really similar to what went down with Tom Selleck and Magnum PI when it came to the role of Indiana Jones.  The fans wanted Remington Steele back.  The show was still doing well even when it got cancelled, so NBC said, “Okay, let’s do a 5^th season.”  

The 5^th and FINAL season would actually be a truncated run with 6 stories with two parts each, basically movies.  But because of this surprise return, Brosnan and Zimbalist had to return and say no to their feature film offers.   Remington Steele would end with the final 5^th season, adding Jack Scalia as Tony, who is a threat to Steele.  But the finale on February 17th in 1987 would see Steele and Laura still married, only now, with a real relationship…perfect for a few days after Valentine’s Day.

Moonlighting, funnily enough, wouldn’t have happened without Remington Steele, but actor Pierce Brosnan wasn’t thrilled about it, saying in one interview the series was a rip-off, but at least it took risks.  Again, having been created by one of the producers and showrunners of Remington Steele and having that old-school Hollywood vibe, it’s easy to see their similarities.

Both series also had some great music, but I think Remington Steele beat Moonlighting when it came to its theme.  That’s because going along with that movie feel for the series, they got one of cinema’s greatest composers to pen the theme in Henry Mancini.  This is the gent who gave us Moon River, The Pink Panther, The Theme from Love Story, and who had won 20 Grammys over his career and 4 Oscars.  Mancini went for a full noir saxophone feel with the music, and it was perfect.  He’d also create Laura Holt’s theme as well.

Over the years, Remington Steele has grown in a fan base and has become a favourite of many more viewers.  This is thanks to syndication, DVD releases of the entire show, and channels like MeTV and ION showing the series.  

The show also still holds up.  This is due to great acting, writing, and a story that still sadly resonates with many women but also gives them a great role model in Laura, who decided to take things into her own hands.  While it might not be as overtly comedic and manic as its cousin Moonlighting, Remington Steele had the right perfectly shaken martini of genres and ingredients for fans.

As we know, Pierce Brosnan did get to become Bond, and while he may not have gotten the best writing, he made an impact and has since become one of the most well-known actors in the world.  

Stephanie Zimbalist is also still acting, working in the theatre and even performing in a one-woman show as Katherine Hepburn, in various TV roles and films.

And here we come to the part of Gone But Not Forgotten where we ask that old question: should Remington Steele return?  At one time, Pierce Brosnan talked about doing a feature film sequel and producing it with his production company, but that will most likely not happen.  At least yet.  

Something that I’m VERY happy didn’t happen was a proposed half-hour comedy sitcom remake that NBC was considering that I hope was burned in a fire, never to be found again.  That nearly happened in 2013…and again, hopefully, burned, never to be seen.

Honestly, I don’t think we need a new Remington Steele.  The original series, as I said, still holds up and has that certain something you can’t easily replicate.  I’d love to see Pierce Brosnan’s idea happen for a sequel film starring him and Zimbalist to see how their characters are still solving mysteries and catching bad guys today or coming out of retirement to solve something only they can do.  But we don’t actually need it.   

Remington Steele is still just as shiny (pun again) and new as when it first appeared on TV screens 42 years ago (Ouch…that hurt to say.)  The secret of Remington Steele isn’t hard to figure out.  You make something timeless, and it just is.

The post Remington Steele (1982-1987): Gone But Not Forgotten appeared first on JoBlo.

Over the years horror has evolved into many weird, wonderful and gruesome as f**k genres; the 70s saw slashers emerge with films such as Prom Night and Halloween, then by the 90s (and beyond) the Scream franchise took on the horror mantle for slasher flicks. We’ve also been treated to classic monster movies that began with the likes of Frankenstein in 1931, to the sexy, arthouse stylings of Giallo horror, while splatter flicks, also known as torture porn, burst onto the scene in the brutal eye-gouging form of Hostel, while the supernatural still play a major role in scaring audiences nowadays. Of course, these are just the tip of the spooky iceberg when it comes to the delightful smorgasbord of horror subgenres, and there’s one that continues to thrill fans on both the small screen and theatrically; the zombie movie. However, up until 2004, the zombie genre had offered some amazing titles, but not any that managed to shoe-horn as many unexpected genres as the movie we’re talking about today. Thanks to a love of George A. Romero’s classics such as Night of the Living Dead, plus an episode of Spaced, director, and huge horror fan Edgar Wright, helped to spawn a whole new subgenre of horror; the Romantic Zombie Comedy, or Rom-Zom-Com, with 2004’s Shaun of the Dead (watch it HERE). It brought us a tale of slackers, family, zombies, a love triangle, and vinyl records being used as lethal weapons. But, does it blend all of these elements into a gory, funny and satisfying new subgenre? Let’s find out, here on WTF Happened to Shaun of the Dead!

Before Edgar Wright entered the cultural zeitgeist with his Cornetto Trilogy, starting of course, as we all know, with Shaun of the Dead, he helped to create a small screen love-letter to horror and science fiction with the UK made series, Spaced. Starring Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes, Nick Frost and directed by Edgar Wright, the episodic single camera show is a hilarious love letter to pop culture such as cartoons and video games plus, more specifically, Star Wars and horror films. Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes (who was known as Jessica Stevenson at the time) play aspiring comic book artist, Tim, and writer Daisy respectively, who meet by chance in a cafe while flat hunting, and soon form an inseparable bond.

Every episode of Spaced is designed with such passion for its influences, and the series’ writers inject superb sight gags and bizarre cutaways at every possible opportunity. Just take the ‘Scooby Doo’ moment from episode one, for example, or when Tim is fired from his job at the local comic book store for berating a kid for liking Jar Jar Binks. He’s also seen burning his Star Wars merchandise after watching The Phantom Menace for the first time. It’s these nods and winks to pop culture, and especially the zombie moment from episode three, season one, that led Spaced to ultimately inspire Shaun of the Dead. While playing Resident Evil 2, Tim fantasizes about killing zombies with familiar, non-diegetic zombie sounds. It’s hilarious, and looking back on Shaun of the Dead, you can see the clear influence and love Pegg and Wright had for the genre right there in that scene.

I’ll get right to the point, Shaun of the Dead is awesome. It’s funny as f**k, gory when it wants to be and features endless quotable moments, all set to a banging soundtrack. Plus, Prince’s Batman soundtrack gets deservedly smashed in one hilarious scene. Also, when it was released in 2004, British cinema was chucking out the likes of…erm…Sex Lives of the Potato Men, a so-called comedy featuring…You know what, it doesn’t matter, it was atrocious and despite the UK releasing some admittedly excellent movies that year, nothing revolutionary was happening for UK horror. Yet.

Thankfully then, along came a wunderkind director, who had already established himself with the aforementioned Spaced, and was primed and ready to unleash his unique visual style upon the cinematic landscape. Following that classic episode of Spaced, titled ‘Art’, in which Tim hallucinates a zombie invasion while high on amphetamine, Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright set about writing their own horror comedy, with Wright describing the process as, ‘One evening, I was round at Simon [Pegg] and his pal Nick Frost’s flat for drinks when I said we should make our own zombie movie, a horror comedy. It would be from the point of view of two bit-players, two idiots who were the last to know what was going on, after waking up hungover on a Sunday morning.’ By 1999 they had pitched the film to Film 4, who had to pass due to a lack of funding. Other companies also passed on the movie, citing their confusion about what it was trying to be exactly, simply not getting the premise. Hindsight really is a wonderful thing.

Ultimately, UK based production company Working Title picked the movie up which was somewhat ironic, given that the film mocks the rom-coms they’re most well known for producing. However, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, two of the most prominent top brass at Working Title are shrewd operators and, along with producer Nira Park, they knew they had something potentially very special with Shaun. The script was written by both Simon Pegg and director Edgar Wright, and heavily influenced by movies such as Braindead, The Birds, Raising Arizona, Back to the Future and, of course, Night of the Living Dead. The cast was soon assembled and alongside Simon Pegg was his long time friend Nick Frost, who incidentally had never acted before, as Ed, and Kate Ashworth as Shaun’s girlfriend Liz. Most of the actors were made up of British comedians, comedy actors and sitcom stars from not only Spaced, but other shows such as Black Books and The Office.

Rounding out the secondary roles were Peter Serafinowicz, Dylan Moran, Martin Freeman, Tamsin Greig, Julia Deakin plus Penelope Wilson as Shaun’s mother, and the great Bill Nighy as his stepdad Phillip. The movie also features several cameos playing zombies in the movie; including Rob Brydon, Joe Cornish and Michael Smiley. Also, for the zombie extras, the production called upon Spaced fan communities for the scene in which Shaun and friends are holed up in The Winchester, with the marauding undead outside. Over one hundred and fifty zombie extras were used until local children saw the zombie make up and pleaded to be involved, resulting in an extra fifty child zombies being added.

However, despite being a firm favorite of mine, what’s the verdict on the movie, twenty years after it first shuffled into cinemas, demanding brains and dodging the Batman soundtrack? Well, it’s safe to say that it still holds up as an all time classic piece of not only British cinema and horror, but also as it was marketed at the time – as a Rom-Zom-Com! Simon Pegg plays Shaun, a down on his luck slacker who works in the local electrical store, shares a flat with his even lazier mate Ed in London’s Crouch End, and likes a good old drink in his local pub. His girlfriend Liz has finally had enough and dumps him just as a plague hits Britain and the streets are filled with vicious, flesh-eating zombies. Not that Shaun notices at first though, as exemplified by the scene where he wanders past the living dead, on his way to buy a cornetto and a diet coke from the local convenience store.

Liz wants nothing more from Shaun, other than to grow up and be a man, and while this seems initially impossible, once the gravity of the zombie infestation becomes apparent, he goes on a zombie dodging quest to protect Liz at all costs. And his mother too. Some may have seen Shaun of the Dead as a parody, but instead it pays homage to the horror genre with great affection. The opening section showcases Wrights’ clever cinematography and in-camera transitions by showing several montages of Londoners going about their day, like zombies themselves; they’re either glued to their phones, staring into space on the bus or trudge about their daily existence while at work. It’s a great bit of foreshadowing and also a neat commentary on how we’re all basically zombified in some way, just without a penchant for eating brains that is.

Ultimately, the movie works because every element of it is razor sharp. The comedy is spot on and the script zings with endlessly quotable lines while the gore doesn’t let the horror elements down. You can’t help but have a massive cheesy grin on your face when the slimy prick David has his entrails ripped out, or when Shaun, Liz and Ed face-off against the zombies to Queen’s classic, ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’. The fact that it plays out like a feature length episode of Spaced is also no bad thing.

Shaun of the Dead opened in the UK on April 9th and grossed upwards of $3 million dollars over its opening weekend, across 367 cinemas. It managed to hold out a top ten spot in the UK for five consecutive weeks, while its US and Canadian release on September 24th saw it gross $3.3 million over its three day weekend, across 607 theaters. Following a brief re-release in 2020 and 2022, Shaun ultimately made $38.7 million worldwide, against a budget of $6 million dollars.

Critically, the movie was met with much, well deserved, praise. On Rotten Tomatoes, because you know, some folk like to see the stats from that website, it holds a 92% fresh rating from 218 reviews, with the critics consensus saying, “Shaun of the Dead cleverly balances scares and witty satire, making for a bloody good zombie movie with loads of wit”. In the UK the BBC called it a “side-splitting, head-smashing, gloriously gory horror comedy” that will “amuse casual viewers and delight genre fans”. Similarly gushing with praise were The Guardian who awarded it four out of five stars, saying how it, “boasts a script crammed with real gags” and is “pacily directed and nicely acted”. In the US, film critics Roger Ebert and Robert K. Elder praised the movie for bringing something new and refreshing to the horror genre overall.

Ultimately then, Shaun of the Dead set its stall out to be a loving homage to the sci-fi and horror movies that influenced Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg, and it delivered in spades. It even made cricket bats cool again. Well, almost…Of course, it was just the beginning for Wright, Pegg and co, with two more movies in their ‘Cornetto Trilogy’ following; the excellent Hot Fuzz in 2007 and the divisive The World’s End in 2013. As usual though, it’s YOUR opinion that means the most to us here at JoBlo, so what do you make of Shaun of the Dead? Does it successfully re-invent the horror genre, while also creating a new sub-genre, or should it be chained up like zombie-Ed? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll see you beautiful gore-hounds next time. Thanks for watching!

A couple of the previous episodes of WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? can be seen below. To see more, head over to our JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!

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Why are dolls so damn petrifying? What gives? Is it the inanimate stillness? Is it the rosy cherubic cheeks, beady eyes and perpetual childlike appearance staring at you lifelessly for all eternity? Or the opposite? Is it the lifelike mobility and creepy android behaviour of the more advanced dolls? What the hell is it? Well, whatever it is, such fear has been used to tremendous effect in the history of horror cinema. So much so, in fact, that the mere appearance of creepy dolls have become passé in favor of out-and-out murderous munchkins. Sentient, semi-ambulatory killer dolls! It’s madness! But it’s a madness that we’re into, with M3GAN such a hit last year that it’s getting a sequel, while another killer doll movie, Imaginary, is on its way to theaters next month. Thus, we’ve decided to celebrate this murderous pieces of plastic by putting together a list of some of the all-time best killer dolls ever to hit the screen. Not killer doll MOVIES per se, but specific dolls themselves. Here is our list of the Top 10 Killer Dolls!

ANNABELLE (THE CONJURING UNIVERSE)

This is a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” list entry if there ever was one. If we don’t include Annabelle – who scared the piss out of people so badly in the opening scene of The Conjuring, she got her own damn franchise – there will be a lot of fans asking, “How could you leave Annabelle off a top 10 doll list?” If we do include her, genre fans will also point out that Annabelle doesn’t actually kill anybody. It’s the demon she hangs out with that’s the problem. But she is so popular, we’re forced to include her anyway. She may not walk around slashing up victims with a knife, but when she’s around people are still in mortal danger.

DOLLY DEAREST (1991)

Score another one for the ladies! Okay, a plastic toy with a wig really, but damn, is Dolly Dearest one psychotic ball of PMS! I mean, just look at that f*ckin’ face! Obviously, an unofficial Mexican knockoff of Chucky’s Child’s Play, made in 1991, seven years before the actual Don Mancini franchise added a little estrogen to the formula (Jennifer Tilly yo!), I do believe Ms. Dearest is the first female killer doll to get her very own movie. Not a very good one, mind you, but hey, progress is measured a step at a time. That said, in a pre-CG era of good old-fashioned practical FX and nascent animatronic work, Dolly Dearest is actually pretty legit. At least for its low budget and B-movie spirit. Little bitch pulls out the clever, the cutting knife, and murderous mind-control.

DUMMY (TRILOQUIST – 2008)

Anyone seen the extremely gory trash-heap of a picture called Triloquist? Don’t blame you if not, this sucker didn’t exactly set the world on fire. It definitely has a dastardly dummy on an indiscriminate death march. And guess what? It comes from the man who graced us with Leprechaun (and the less popular Rumpelstiltskin), Mr. Mark Jones. That should give you an idea of the cheeky tone in Triloquist, where the character actually called Dummy is on a vengeful killing spree after its owner ODs. Props to longtime TV actor Bruce Weitz for lending his voice for Dummy, striking a tastelessly humorous tone to reflect his wicked ways.

PIN (1988)

If not the artiest, sure to be the most recondite entry on this here list is Pin, the outlandish 1988 psychological sibling curio. What a weird ass flick! If you’ve not seen it, as lifelong Pinocchio obsessives, a brother and sister find emotional solace in the life-size wooden doll they they’ve affectionately named Pin. Thing is, Pin is an anatomical medical dummy, replete with exposed veins, organs and arteries… as if a freshly skinned human. Shite’s gnarly. Then, when the sis picks up a new boyfriend, the brother gets so jealously irate that he recruits the help of his pal Pin to rid the motherf*cker. Even if it means murder! It’s a gripping tale of obsession, possession, lost identity and bizarre body politics. Truly twisted!

FATS (MAGIC – 1978)

As unheralded as his searing psychological thriller Magic is, so too is the fact Sir Richard Attenborough, who brought us such sweeping epics as Chaplin and Ghandi, actually directed it. Moreover, the flick was written by equally legendary scribe William Goldman. And if that’s not enough for you, Fats, the mysterious lifelike dummy puppeteered by Anthony Hopkins is one of the most frighteningly fascinating killer dolls to ever hit the screen. Mysterious, suspenseful, ambiguous, the unnervingly blurred line between Hopkins’ homicidal intent and the possibility of Fats being truly possessed by an unseen force is the true Magic of the movie.

CLOWN DOLL (POLTERGEIST – 1982)

Be honest, how scared were you when you first laid eyes on that mortifying giant clown doll in POLTERGEIST? Don’t lie, you sprayed your shorts a little, didn’t you?! No doubt, the scene in question’s a panties-pisser! Granted, the maniacally-grinning toy didn’t actually kill anyone, but damn did he try to stalk and strangle little Robbie into eternal sleep! Luckily little man made out alive, just in the nick of time, narrowly escaping as the killer clown tethers its wiry arm tightly around the kid’s throat before dragging him under the bed. Shite’s hectic! And what makes the sudden attack so great is the subtle allusion to such throughout the movie… a little clue here, a background reveal there… the doll ominously watching over the entire house as it becomes possessed.

M3GAN (2023)

There are a lot of dolls on this list that make you wonder, “Are they really killers or not?” A couple, like Annabelle and Clown Doll, definitely didn’t kill anybody. But there’s no confusion over whether or not the AI-powered robot doll M3GAN is a killer. She’s supposed to be a little girl’s best friend, but she’s not wired quite right, turning her protectiveness into a homicidal rampage. M3GAN can do the latest trendy TikTok dance to entertain the youngsters, then she racks up a body count when she’s not showing off her moves.

ZUNI DOLL (TRILOGY OF TERROR – 1975)

Who’s down with the 1975 horror anthology Trilogy of Terror? Well for those who are, you already know which entry is the best. Yup, the last! That little f*ckin’ mini Zuni Doll is a goddamn menace! What’s cool about this one is the size and unique look… a tiny figurine with a huge head, giant fangs, and razor sharp spear. An ancient scroll with the accursed text is spoken aloud and soon this little tyke is torturing its owner in her high-rise apartment. I won’t spoil the ending for those who’ve not seen it, but I will say this. Oven! Oh, it’s worth noting that the great Dan Curtis directed this flick, and did a TV sequel in 1996 called Trilogy of Terror 2, in which the maniacal Zuni doll reappears… both in the flick and on the poster.

BLADE (PUPPET MASTER FRANCHISE)

F*ckin’ hell! We can probably pluck two-dozen deadly dolls from the entire Puppet Master franchise (or any Charles Band movie!), but when all is said and done, there’s really only one boss that needs answering to. Yup, I’m talking about my man Blade! You know, the long white-haired skeletal looking fella rockin’ a black trench-coat and fedora, basically looking like a mini-Kane from Poltergeist II. You know the dude! Blade’s attitude depends on what his puppet master is telling him to do – sometimes he’s a force of evil, sometimes he’s a hero. Regardless of what his orders are at any given time, one thing is for sure: you don’t want to be on his bad side.

CHUCKY (CHILD’S PLAY FRANCHISE)

Allow me to echo the immortal words of Charles Lee Ray. Don’t f*ck with the Chuck! Sorry, I love that line reading from Brad Dourif in Child’s Play 3 so much I feel the need to quote it annually. Now back to the Chuckster! This angry little foul-mouthed heathen, often hysterically desperate to transfer his soul from a plastic toy to a human boy, is easily the illest of his ilk. Little bastard’s sick! Real shite, as far as killer dolls are concerned, who’s better? Chucky is the absolute king because of the first rate practical FX and animatronics melded with a colorfully drawn character… one that not only speaks, but hurls obscenities and epithetic Freddy-like one-liners that are just as cutting as his weapon of choice. Besides, he bagged Jennifer Tilly for f*ck’s sake! Like I said, King! They did a serviceable job trying to make a different version of Chucky in the 2019 remake, where Mark Hamill provided the voice of an AI-equipped version of the little guy, but it just couldn’t compete with the original.

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