News

It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's a giant spider! Fathom Events and the 2019 RiffTrax Live series have come to bring you the cult classic The Giant Spider Invasion. Continue reading for ticket information as well as a breakdown of this kitschy film. Also in today's Horror Highlights: Ghost Adventures' Halloween spectacular and HELLmington release details.

RiffTrax Live: Giant Spider Invasion Fathom Events Details: "The 2019’s “RiffTrax Live” series continues on August 15th & 20th with “RiffTrax Live: Giant Spider Invasion.”

Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett (of Mystery Science Theater 3000 fame) are back in cinemas with 1975’s awesome-arachnid-science-fiction-horror-cult- classic: one of the most popular MST3K movies ever!

Starring Alan Hale Jr, the (Skipper from “Gilligan’s Island”), Barbara Hale and Robert Easton, who’s been in more movies than a No Smoking disclaimer, The Giant Spider Invasion” explodes across the screen in a pristine new digital transfer.

Following the sidesplitting kick-off to the 2019 “RiffTrax Live” series with the wonderfully awful rubber monster B-movie “Octaman,” and the Casper Van Dien sword-and-laser swashbuckling space odyssey “Star Raiders” in June, RiffTrax’s Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett (of Mystery Science Theater 3000® fame) are back in cinemas in August with “RiffTrax Live: Giant Spider Invasion.” One of the most popular MST3K movies ever, comedy fans won’t want to miss this epic riff on the 1975 science fiction horror cult classic presented by RiffTrax and Fathom Events.

Thursday, August 15, 2019 at 8 p.m. Et (live) / 7 p.m. Ct (live) / 7 p.m. Mt (tape delayed) / 8 p.m. Pt (tape delayed) and rebroadcast on Tuesday, August 20 at 7:30 p.m. local time.

Tickets for “RiffTrax Live: 2019” titles can be purchased at www.fathomevents.com/series/rifftrax-live and participating theater box offices. For a complete list of theater locations, visit the Fathom...

Hosted by Fathom Events, Rifftrax Live: 2019 will feature three classic B-movies for your cinematic viewing pleasure. On the docket this time around is Octaman, Star Raiders, and The Giant Spider Invasion. Continue reading for a breakdown of each movie and showtimes. Also in today's Horror Highlights: The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies - London's African Horror: Shades of Superstition and Ghost Town podcast episode details.

Three Rifftrax Live: 2019 Fathom Events Details: "RiffTrax’s Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett (of Mystery Science Theater 3000 fame) are back in cinemas to celebrate the 10th anniversary of RiffTrax Live with three all-new riffs on what are sure to be fan favorites with “RiffTrax Live: 2019.” Join Mike, Kevin and Bill as they take on B-movie classics: the guy-in-a-rubber-suit creature feature “Octaman,” the Casper Van Dien space odyssey “Star Raiders,” and new HD transfer of the MST3K favorite “Giant Spider Invasion.

Gavin Jasper Feb 20, 2019

The latest RiffTrax Live Kickstarter is in full effect with three movies on the menu, including an MST3K classic.

Watching RiffTrax tends to be a pretty great time, but nothing beats a good ol’ edition of RiffTrax Live. This tradition has lasted a good ten years, starting with Plan 9 From Outer Space back in 2009. Every year, Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett watch some bad movies (or a bunch of bizarre shorts) in front of an audience and the whole thing is broadcast to hundreds of different movie theaters via Fathom Events.

Why, you can read more about it in my Complete History of RiffTrax Live!

The thing about these events is that they’re usually preceded with a big Kickstarter campaign to fund the shows. Originally, back in 2013, they tried to do a Kickstarter to fund a RiffTrax Live for Twilight (one of...

Every horror fan has their favorite type of monster. Some people love shambling zombies, others prefer squid-faced aliens from beyond the stars, and I’m sure there are a few people out there who would swear that The Mangler is the greatest beast to grace the silver screen. But for me, one archetype has always reigned supreme: the scaly fish-man.

I can’t explain why, but ever since I was a kid, sea life has always interested me, so it should come as no surprise that as far as famous monsters go, the Gill-man’s always been my favorite. Unfortunately, being a fan of the Gill-man can lead to some issues. Unlike Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Mummy, the Gill-man was an original creation of Universal, and as such, was not in the public domain. So, while there are many great films bearing those iconic names, the Creature from the Black Lagoon only has three,...

This spring, beware the Octaman, a 1971 creature feature rising from the radioactive depths to come out on Blu-ray and DVD from Kino Lorber.

From Kino Lorber: "Coming April 2017! On DVD and Blu-ray!

Kl Studio Classics in conjunction with MGM!

Octaman (1971) Special Edition

Starring Pier Angeli (Sodom and Gomorrah), Kerwin Matthews (Jack the Giant Killer), Jeff Morrow (This Island Earth) and Buck Kartalian (Planet of the Apes) – Shot by Robert Caramico (Eaten Alive) - Written, Directed and Produced by Harry Essex (Creature from the Black Lagoon, It Came from Outer Space)

Loaded with Extras! Bonus Features to be announced!"

Synopsis (via Blu-ray.com): "A scientific expedition to a remote Mexican fishing community discovers unhealthy amounts of radioactive waters. What they find is a seven foot tall mutant species of octopus with amazing strength and a lust for killing, and soon the expedition realizes that the monster is now on a bloody rampage.

[Image via Every '70s Movie] Award-winning makeup artist Rick Baker, who is famous for his work in horror cinema (An American Werewolf in London, The Exorcist, Videodrome) is a frequent Tweeter. Thank goodness for that, since the FX designer recently took to the social media website to share a photo of the first gig he ever got. Octaman was unleashed on the masses back in 1971 and was met with dismal ratings. The monster movie, about a team of researchers who are terrorized by a humanoid octopus, has since developed a cult following. If you’re thinking, “Gee this all sounds awfully familiar,” you would be right, as director and screenwriter Harry Essex also wrote the famed Creature from the Black Lagoon. Octaman doesn’t pretend to be something...

Read More...

A Planet Fury-approved selection of notable genre releases for October.

Cinderella (1950) Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Blu-ray and DVD Available Now

The Walt Disney classic finally makes it high definition debut. Though it was made over half a century ago, Cinderella remains a timeless work of animation. Part of its lasting appeal can be attributed to the amazing concept art of Mary Blair, whose gorgeous backgrounds and unique color palettes help to define its iconic visual style. Though she was only credited with color and styling, her influence in the look and feel of the finished product cannot be denied. Another aspect that is often overlooked is the lovely vocal contribution by actress Ilene Woods. She brings a measured confidence to the beloved heroine and her singing voice is as gorgeous as the animation.

Special Features:

• Tangled Ever After Animated Short

• Behind the Magic: A New Disney Princess Fantasyland...

Octaman is a pretty terrible movie. I know this better than anyone; yet, I love every single second of it despite its numerous shortcomings. I love the monster, the baby monsters, you name it. Some may think I'm nuts, but I cannot help myself.

Finally, after decades of waiting, the film is getting an official DVD release from Bayview Entertainment/Widowmaker.

Octaman is the sought after (mainly by maniacs like myself) 1972 cult classic from director Harry Essex (Creature from the Black Lagoon) and comes to DVD in a newly remastered from 35mm widescreen edition. It features special effects makeup by future Academy Award winner Rick Baker (An American Werewolf in London) and stars Kerwin Matthews (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad), Jeff Morrow (This Island Earth), and Pier Angeli (Battle of the Bulge). The DVD has original trailers, video interview, and a Retromedia Drive-In wrap-around. The DVD also includes a bonus...

If you have Netflix and are a horror fan in need of something to watch this Labor Day weekend, one look at this gargantuan list I compiled of the new terror titles Netflix has added for instant streaming in just the first three days of this month should keep you busy until Labor Day next year. You'll find something for everyone, from older titles to recent releases, famous to obscure, classic to not-so-classic, monsters to maniacs - you name it.

For the record, I considered compiling this list in alphabetical order or by year of the film's release, but then I realized I had already spent well over an hour just sorting through the massive catalogue of titles Netflix has now made available for instant streaming and realized Labor Day would be over by the time I finished arranging this list in any kind of order. Ready? Here you go.

Rick Baker, makeup effects man in such films as An American Werewolf In London, talks about his involvement in Men In Black III and The Wolfman...

Werewolves, exploding people and severed limbs, special makeup effects legend Rick Baker has been creating strange and extraordinary cinematic moments for almost 40 years.

Responsible for the once ground-breaking transformation sequences in American Werewolf In London (which won him the first Oscar for best makeup effects) and Michael Jackson's Thriller, his technical know-how blended with David Cronenberg's warped imagination to create some extraordinary moments in 1983's Videodrome, including a gun made of flesh and bone and an hypnotic pulsating television.

Within the last decade, Baker has lent his talents to projects as diverse as Hellboy, X-Men: The Last Stand, Norbit (we'll forgive him for that one), and the Men In Black movies. And in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Baker revealed that...