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If you thought that the only deadly simian that you would see on your screen this year was Osgood Perkins' adaptation of Stephen King's The Monkey, you thought wrong. Next month, a cult-classic movie by horror master George A. Romero (Night of the LivingDead) is getting the 4K Uhd treatment: Monkey Shines. The 1988 movie is often overshadowed by Romero's more famous movies, but this one earned a small cult status after an initial lukewarm reception. The special 2-disc edition will be released on June 3.

Monkey Shines tells the story of Allan (Jason Beghe), a man who suffers a terrible accident that makes him quadriplegic. After that, he is given a service monkey appointed to help him with daily tasks. The problem is that the adorable Ella suddenly starts to develop a fiercely aggressive behavior, putting the lives of several people at risk.

The horror movie was written by Romero himself,...

The fourth and final season of HBO's spiritual satire The Righteous Gemstones may be its wildest yet. This week's episode, the fifth of the season, wears its cinematic influences on its sleeve, with two plotlines drawing inspiration from two lesser-known films by two of the 20th century's most visionary directors. In a new interview with IndieWire, the show's creators discuss how elements from Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon and George Romero's Monkey Shines made their way into "You Shall Remember."

Barry Lyndon served as the inspiration for a face-off between Jesse Gemstone (Danny McBride) and rival preacher Vance Simkins (Stephen Dorff), complete with slow zooms and Franz Schubert’s “Piano Trip No. 2." Says McBride, film history "is always a point of reference for us, and sometimes that means taking something like Barry Lyndon and injecting it into the stupid s*** we do to try to create something special." Meanwhile,...

Whether it’s the original director or not, following up all time classics in a series is a tall task. We have seen it with many of the greatest movies of all time like Rick Rosenthal having to follow up John Carpenter and Halloween or John Boorman following up William Friedkin and The Exorcist. Sometimes the original director has a go at it for contractual obligations like Tobe Hooper and Cannon films giving us Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 or for passion like John Carpenter himself electing to attempt to give us a better version of Escape from New York but in Los Angeles. Sorry, John, we still think you are wrong about that one. One director that made a career of it was George Romero. While he certainly had a varied career with things like Knightriders, Creepshow, and Monkey Shines, he is also the godfather of modern zombie horror. After Night of the Living Dead...

Scream Factory’s June home video line-up consists of 4K upgrades for a pair of deep cuts from masters of horror: George A. Romero‘s Monkey Shines and Clive Barker‘s Lord of Illusions.

Monkey Shines will be released on 4K Ulltra HD + Blu-ray on June 3.

The 1988 sci-fi horror film has been newly restored in 4K from the original negative with Dolby Vision.

Romero wrote the scripted, based on Michael Stewart‘s 1983 novel of the same name. Jason Beghe, Kate McNeil, John Pankow, Joyce Van Patten, Christine Forrest, Stephen Root, Stanley Tucci, and Janine Turner star.

Disc 1 – 4K Uhd:

4K Restoration From The Original Negative (new) Presented In Dolby Vision (Hdr-10 Compatible) Audio: DTS-hd Master Audio 5.1 & 2.0 Stereo Audio Commentary With Film Critic Eric Vespe And Author Daniel Kraus (new) Audio Commentary With Director And Writer George A. Romero

Disc 2 – Blu-ray:

4K Restoration From The Original Negative (new) Audio: DTS-hd Master...

Theo James plays the adult version of twins Bill and Hal, and definitely brought different energy to create them (with an especially surprising vibe for Bill). Osgood wonders aloud if all objects are cursed, since they usually seem to show up in his life without warning. Grae thanks him for finally delivering what the poster for Monkey Shines always promised, and they talk about the great care that was put into the monkey cinematography with Nico Aguilar. Don’t miss Theo James’ claim on a superhero role, either.

The Monkey is the latest film from Osgood Perkins and is an adaptation of Stephen King’s 1980 short story of the same name. Twins Hal and Bill grow up alongside a sinister monkey that you absolutely must not call a toy. Death surrounds them, even when they become estranged and try to move on with their lives.

When I first read the news that one of my favorite modern directors, Osgood Perkins, would be directing The Monkey, the article was accompanied by a familiar image: a toy monkey with a cracked-out face, banging two cymbals together. My brain immediately went to George A. Romero’s underappreciated 1988 film, Monkey Shines.

I also immediately assumed Monkey Shines was based on a King story—a natural assumption. What hasn’t King written at this point, after all? In reality, of course, Perkins/King’s The Monkey has absolutely nothing to do with Romero’s Monkey Shines. But while the two properties aren’t officially connected apart from their similar imagery – oddly enough, Perkins had to redesign the toy monkey from King’s story due to a Disney copyright! – they do have a few things in common. Both Monkey Shines and The Monkey feature bat-shit crazy stories full of dark humor,...

For centuries, poets and philosophers have written about how phantasmagoria and spectral evocation lie at the heart of photography -- and the same is very much true of motion pictures. The earliest experiences in movement-imitating sequential photography have an eerie, liminal quality to them, like dispatches from another world altogether; just have a look at the 1889 Monkeyshines shorts, believed to be the first American films ever, and tell us if they don't feel like seeing a ghost.

From 1889 to now, movies have largely retained that ghostly aptitude. Film, the realm par excellence of images and impressions that detach themselves from -- and eventually outlive -- their subjects, is still arguably the best-suited medium for evoking a world beyond and dramatizing its interactions with ours. Therefore, you can count the 12 best ghost films ranked below, ranging from horror to comedy to romance and back, as 12 of the best ghost stories ever,...

Sad news made its way online over the weekend, as Lori Cardille, the star of writer/director George A. Romero’s 1985 zombie classic Day of the Dead, took to social media to confirm that her co-star Anthony Dileo Jr., known to his friends as Tim, passed away on Friday night. In Day of the Dead, Dileo played the character Miguel Salazar, who has a mental breakdown as the story plays out and, in the end, opens the gates to the underground bunker he and the other characters have been hiding out in, allowing the living dead to feast on fresh meat.

On Saturday, Cardille wrote, “It is with great sadness that I let you all know that my dear friend and colleague Anthony Dileo passed away last night from Covid. Tim was filled with love for nature, his beloved animals, family and friends and fans. He made me laugh every...

Day of the Dead actor Anthony Dileo Jr. passed away on Friday night due to complications from Covid.

A frequent collaborator of George A. Romero, Dileo played Pvt. Miguel Salazar in the 1985 zombie classic, in addition to appearing in Knightriders, Monkey Shines, and Two Evil Eyes.

Sometimes credited as Tim Dileo or Antone Dileo, the actor also played a zombie and worked as a production assistant on Tom Savini‘s remake of Night of the Living Dead, which Romero produced.

“It is with great sadness that I let you all know that my dear friend and colleague Anthony Dileo passed away last night from Covid,” Dileo‘s Day of the Dead co-star Lori Cardille shared on Facebook yesterday.

“Tim was filled with love for nature, his beloved animals, family and friends and fans. He made me laugh every day while making Day of the Dead. Tim was an accomplished pianist with a beautiful voice.

Chicago Pd has featured an abundance of characters, and many of the actors and actresses who play them are familiar faces. Series mainstays and those with much briefer runs alike have typically starred in at least one other TV show or movie fans are likely to have seen. Some of them have careers dating back decades, while others are best known for more modern work.

By sheer coincidence, many actors involved with the franchise are well-known for featuring in fantasy, sci-fi, and horror works. The stars of Chicago Pd have had major roles in franchises like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Arrowverse, and in movies like Monkey Shines. These performances are all excellent, and show the range of the long-running police procedural's cast.

Jason Beghe Plays Allan Mann in Monkey Shines

Before he was the face of Chicago Pd, Jason Beghe starred in the 1988 horror film Monkey Shines. Here,...

What if I told you that the late directing legend George Romero wrote and directed an ahead-of-its-time “one bad day” revenge slasher classic back in 2000 that mixed Michael Douglas in Falling Down with Michael Myers from Halloween and featured a live performance by The Misfits… yet no one noticed? It would take Robert Stack and a special episode of Unsolved Mysteries to uncover how a film that was arguably one of George Romero’s best films in the second half of his career went completely unnoticed, and stayed that way even as we speak today… This is just what happened to Bruiser.

Look for yourself and you’ll find a very thin file on the existence of Bruiser (watch it Here). To craft even the video you’re watching right now we had to reach into the time vault of eBay and find a DVD copy featuring a commentary from...

Following Tracy Spiridakos' exit after the season 11 finale, Chicago Pd season 12 adds a couple of new names to the show's cast list and brings back many familiar stars. The NBC police procedural series, created by Dick Wolf and Matt Olmstead, revolves around the Intelligence Unit in the 21st District of the Chicago Police Department. Led by Sergeant Hank Voight since the beginning, Intelligence has experienced many changes over the years (e.g. Detective Hailey Upton leaving Chicago Pd), and, yet, five original actors remain in the Chicago Pd season 12 cast.

The original Chicago Pd cast members no longer on the show are Sophia Bush as Erin Lindsay, Jesse Lee Soffer as Jay Halstead, Jon Seda as Antonio Dawson, Elias Koteas as Alvin Olinsky, and Archie Kao as Sheldon Jin.

After the events of the Chicago Pd season 11 finale, Voight and the remaining Intelligence Unit members try to adjust to working...

Honestly, your guess is as good as mine why this summer has been so littered with monkeys and apes, going back to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes in May, stretching through the second season of Hulu’s Hit-Monkey and into the August rush of Apple TV+’s Bad Monkey, Netflix’s Secret Lives of Orangutans and now HBO’s Chimp Crazy.

Is there a sense that we’re on the brink of postapocalyptic decay and we’re prepping for new simian overlords? Did the protracted anxiety of last summer’s dual entertainment industry strikes leave creatives feeling generally dehumanized? Or is it less specific and more general? Are monkeys just too cute for words and do we just want to get squishy with their adorable little almost-human faces and dress them up in cute outfits and take them out to the grocery store in strollers and make one...

Your browser does not support the video tag. Jason Beghe stars in Reverse the Curse alongside David Duchovny, adapting the latter's novel Bucky F*cking Dent. Beghe and Duchovny have been friends for the better part of 50 years, with the former having followed the latter's journey from writing the book to trying to turn it into a movie. Beghe praises Duchovny's ability to create a relaxed atmosphere on the sets of projects he is directing, while also going on to reflect on the improv he and his co-stars engaged in while shooting.

Jason Beghe reunites with his longtime friend David Duchovny for Reverse the Curse. Having first broken out with the George A. Romero-helmed horror movie Monkey Shines, Beghe has most recently found success for his role in the One Chicago franchise, leading the cast of Chicago P.D., in particular, as Sergeant Hank Voight for the past eleven...

Dianne Crittenden, the casting director whose impressive résumé included the first Star Wars film, The In-Laws and the Terrence Malick features Badlands, Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line, has died. She was 82.

Crittenden died Wednesday at her home in Pacific Palisades after a battle with several cancers, fellow casting director Ilene Starger told The Hollywood Reporter.

“Dianne was my mentor, we’ve known each other for 44 years,” Starger said. “She was also my dear friend, more like an older sister, really. So generous, kind, brilliant, funny. A people magnet. Her knowledge of and insight into actors was extraordinary.”

A former head of casting at Warner Bros., Crittenden collaborated with Martin Ritt on Murphy’s Romance (1985) and Stanley & Iris (1990); with Roger Donaldson on Thirteen Days (2000) and The World’s Fastest Indian (2005); and with Peter Weir on Witness (1985), The Mosquito Coast (1986) and Green Card (1990).

Crittenden was born in Queens on Aug.

A white-knuckle thrill ride directed by horror maestro George A. Romero, Monkey Shines features a top-notch cast including Jason Beige, Kate McNeill, John Pankow, Joyce Van Patten, Stephen Root, Stanley Tucci and Janine Turner as well as cutting edge 80s practical effects from Tom Savini, Greg Nicotero and Everett Burrell.

When college athlete Alan Mann is left wheelchair bound after a tragic accident, his world contracts into one of soul crushing depression and impotent rage. Abandoned by his girlfriend and left in the hands of an unsympathetic nurse who cares more about her pet parrot than her patient, Alan’s wretched life is changed for the better when he is gifted a capuchin monkey named Ella. Ella is trained to help Alan with day-to-day tasks, in essence replacing his paralysed limbs. But when Ella starts feeding off Alan’s darker impulses and revenge-filled dreams, things start to become deadly for those around him.

This month’s installment of Deep Cuts Rising features a variety of horror movies. Some selections reflect a specific day or event in August, and others were chosen at random.

Regardless of how they came to be here, or what they’re about, these past movies can generally be considered overlooked, forgotten or unknown.

This month’s offerings feature folk horror, killer animals, and more.

Dark August (1976)

Directed by Martin Goldman.

With August 22 being World Folklore Day, horror fans don’t ever have to look too far to find mysticism and superstitions. Right in their backyards are plenty of homegrown horrors that showcase the extraordinary. Martin Goldman’s Vermont-shot regional horror Dark August centers on the man who accidentally runs over and kills a little girl. While J.J. Barry‘s difficult character is found innocent in court, he still suspects the victim’s grandfather has cursed him. Now the protagonist...

Hey all, to go in tandem with JoBlo.com’s 25th Anniversary we are very proud to present to you 80’s Horror Memories, a new weekly doc-series (xxx episodes in all) which just premiered today on our YouTube Channel JoBlo Horror Originals. Feast your retinas on Episode 1 via the embed above and you can expect a new installment to go live every Monday on the channel.

Our first Episode chronicles:

“With the death of disco in 1979 and a demand for change, the 1980s evolved into a neon-soaked totally rad decade held firm together with cans of “Aqua Net” burning a hole in the ozone. Time for free love and hope for peace was over. It was time for a revolution. But with filmmakers, their creative freedoms would lead to explore more areas which haven’t been touched on before. It was the year horror would forever be changed. We’re talking Dressed to Kill,...

This Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett article contains spoilers.

The Book of Boba Fett throws quite a few new characters into the mix in “The Streets of Mos Espa,” as the city’s new daimyo continues to deal with threats to his throne. A (final?) confrontation with Black Krrsantan and the Hutt twins ushers in a new band of angsty bikers now under Boba’s employ as well as a cameo by a rancor keeper you might recognize if you’ve followed showrunner and director Robert Rodriguez’s career. In fact, this cameo is tradition in Rodriguez’s movies.

Danny Trejo as the Rancor Keeper

You might know him best as Machete, Razor Charlie in From Dusk Till Dawn, or as one of the baddies in the latter two chapters of Rodriguez’s legendary Mexico Trilogy, but you’ve definitely seen him before in one of this director’s films.

"His job is to scare you out of your whits!" Wild Eye Releasing has debuted a new official trailer for a horror icon documentary titled in full Smoke and Mirrors: The Story of Tom Savini. A legendary make-up and special effects artist, the film covers his early days in Pittsburgh, and his rise to stardom as Hollywood's most sought after special effects wizard. This premiered back in 2015 at Sitges, but is only now ready for an official release. Tom Savini is known for his work on many films directed by George A. Romero, including Martin, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Creepshow, and Monkey Shines; he also created the special effects & makeup for many cult classics like Friday the 13th (I-iv), Maniac, The Burning, The Prowler, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. The doc features Savini, Danny McBride, Robert Rodriguez, Danny Trejo, Alice Cooper, Greg Nicotero, Tom Atkins, Corey Feldman,...

February brings the release of two Warner Bros. theatricals premiering in theaters and on HBO Max on the same day. Debuting on February 12, Judas and the Black Messiah tells the story of Bill O'Neal (Lakeith Stanfield), who infiltrates the Black Panthers per FBI Agent Mitchell (Jesse Plemons) and J. Edgar Hoover (Martin Sheen). As Black Panther Chairman Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya) ascends, falling for a fellow revolutionary (Dominique Fishback) en route, a battle wages for O'Neal's soul.

Tom & Jerry, which premieres on February 26, reignites one of the most beloved rivalries in history when Jerry moves into New York City's finest hotel on the eve of "the wedding of the century," forcing the event's desperate planner to hire Tom to get rid of him.

Both films will be available on HBO Max for 31 days from their respective theatrical releases in the U.S. included at no additional cost to subscribers.

When it released Wonder Woman 1984 to its HBO Max servers in December, WarnerMedia made it abundantly clear that it was ready for a new era of movie distribution. Now, in its list of new releases for February 2021, Warner is attempting another grand experiment for HBO Max.

Judas and the Black Messiah premieres on HBO Max this Feb. 12 and is by every indication the kind of film that awards shows go gaga over. Both Daniel Kaluuya and and Lakeith Stanfield look to be at the top of their respective games in this story about Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton and the FBI that wants to take him down. Will this have the same rhetorical oomph on the small screen? Guess we’ll find out!

Read more Movies How Wonder Woman 1984’s Practical Effects Set it Apart By Delia Harrington Movies Why It’s Important that Themyscira Is Back...

This post is sponsored by

George A. Romero figuratively wrote the book on zombies with his low-budget, independent 1968 horror film epoch Night of the Living Dead. World War Z, 28 Days Later, Zombieland and even The Walking Dead trudged that territory but didn’t map much new terrain. Romero’s final novel, The Living Dead, completed by author Daniel Kraus (The Shape of Water novelization), doesn’t expand on the basics of the zombie apocalypse. It doesn’t challenge the zombie trope Romero filled out with his subsequent works on animated corpses, when The Living Dead had their Day, Dawn, Land, Diary and Survival. But, with it, Romero and Kraus do peer deeper into the mirror to find a bitter reflection of the horrors Romero brings out in The Living.

The Living Dead is character-driven in ways the feature films could never be. In Night of the Living Dead, the audience didn’t know,...

Longtime character actor Stephen Root is no stranger to acclaimed HBO series, having already appeared in Barry, True Blood, Veep and Boardwalk Empire. His next role for the network: A gig on HBO’s gritty Perry Mason reboot. In this installment of Rolling Stone’s The First Time, Root talks about his film debut, many of his beloved characters — Fuches on Barry, Jimmy James on NewsRadio, Bill Dauterive on King of the Hill — working with the Coen Brothers and his latest role.

“I had always known the original show Perry Mason from the Sixties,...

John Saavedra Apr 4, 2019

The Pet Sematary remake has a few nods to the book, original movie, and the larger Stephen King universe that you might have missed!

This Pet Sematary article contains major spoilers.

With its debut in April, Pet Sematary becomes one of the few works by Stephen King to receive multiple adaptations. Paramount, which first adapted the brutal book in 1989, brings a new vision of terror to Maine with a remake we quite enjoyed for the most part (especially the terrifying cat). 

As Constant Readers already know, Pet Sematary is just one in a web of interconnected stories that make King's version of Maine one of the most horrible places to live. The movie pays tribute to that legacy by including many easter eggs and references to not only the original book but the 1989 movie and the larger King universe. It also features a few nods to real-life...

Earlier this week was George A. Romero's birthday, and if you found yourself reflecting on the legendary director's essential filmography, insightful social commentary, and unique approach to horror and humor, you're not alone. To celebrate the life and work of Romero, the Brooklyn Academy of Music is hosting an extensive, 10-day retrospective screening series titled Living with the Dead: The Films of George A. Romero.

Featuring all six of Romero's zombie movies (including a 3D screening of Dawn of the Dead) as well as the cult favorite Martin and lesser-seen films such as Season of the Witch and There's Always Vanilla, Living with the Dead: The Films of George A. Romero will take place from February 22nd–March 3rd and will include an appearance by producer Richard P. Rubinstein, who will discuss his collaborations with Romero.

For more information, we have the official press release with full details, and you can also visit Bam.

Directors’ trademarks is a series of articles that examines the “signatures” that filmmakers leave behind in their work. In this installment, since it’s Halloween, we’re looking at the trademark style and calling signs of horror movie icon George A. Romero as director.

From a young age, George A. Romero was interested in film. He was born in the Bronx in 1940 and would frequently ride the subways as a child to go rent films. His father was a commercial artist, and this may have influenced Romero’s interests. He began making films at the age of 14 with an 8mm camera he borrowed from his wealthy uncle. He even was arrested during production of one of his first movies when he lit a dummy and then threw it off of the roof of a building. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in theater in 1960, and continued to...

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...

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,...

Monkey Shines finds George A. Romero in the somewhat unusual position of adapting someone else’s work. Brought onto the project after the dissolution of his partnership with producer Richard P. Rubinstein, Romero claims this was the only time he ever adapted someone else’s work besides Stephen King (though I’m unsure how The Crazies and Two Evil Eyes figure into his estimation). Perhaps it’s this circumstance that results in Monkey Shines being considered one of Romero’s lesser works. As the writer and director known for inventing the modern zombie and injecting strong sociopolitical messages into independent horror cinema, tackling what looks to be a scientific thriller à la Michael Crichton for his first major studio-backed film seems beneath his talents. Yet, I can’t imagine anyone else directing this film and achieving similarly successful results.

Monkey Shines tells the story of Allan Mann (Jason Beghe), an...

One of my favorite horror anthology films that I enjoyed growing up was Stephen King and George A. Romero's 1982 Creepshow. The movie was a homage to the horror comics of the 1950s. Well, according to Entertainment Weekly, The Walking Dead executive producer, and makeup legend Greg Nicotero is developing Creepshow as an anthology horror TV series and I couldn't be more excited! This is a perfect project for Nicotero to take on!

Nicotero has a long history of working in the horror business. He worked on several Romero films over the course of his career such as Day of the Dead, Monkey Shines, Land of the Dead and Diary of the Dead. He also met his makeup effects mentor Tom Savini during a Pittsburgh set visit to the original Creepshow film.

Nicotero had this to say in a statement:

"Creepshow is a project very close to my heart! It...

A cornerstone and true gentleman of the horror genre who is unfortunately no longer with us, George A. Romero's legacy will live on forever through his seminal work and infectious good nature, and those priceless traits will be commemorated today when the late Master of Horror receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Updated: We've now been provided with official details on the Walk of Fame ceremony, which will include guest speakers Edgar Wright and Greg Nicotero, as well as a statement from Romero's manager and friend, Chris Roe, who was instrumental in ensuring that Romero received the star that he truly deserves.

Here's what Roe, who is the director of the Romero Star Campaign, had to say about the ceremony:

"It has been a very long journey to make this day happen and so many have given their support. With George’s star ceremony on Hollywood Blvd.

Alamo Drafthouse's American Genre Film Archive announced an August 22nd Blu-ray release date and special features for Dusty Nelson's Effects. So many creative minds in the horror world are behind Effects, including Tom Savini, who stars alongside Joe Pilato (Day of the Dead) and John Harrison (Tales from the Darkside: The Movie).

Press Release: (Austin, TX | Tuesday, July 18, 2017) - Alamo Drafthouse's American Genre Film Archive, the largest non-profit genre film archive in the world, is excited to announce an August 22, 2017, release date for the Effects Blu-ray.

Cobbled together with loose change by George Romero's friends, Effects is a mesmerizing do-it-yourself horror movie starring Tom Savini (Dawn Of The Dead), Joe Pilato (Day Of The Dead), and John Harrison (Tales From The Darkside: The Movie). A group of coked-up filmmakers -- including Savini and Pilato -- gather in Pittsburgh to make a slasher called Duped: The Snuff Movie.

George A. Romero rarely had it easy. From the beginning, he faced obstacles to getting his vision on screen and condemnation once he succeeded in doing so. It took him 20 years to make his way into the big leagues, yet faced frustrating interference once he did. Yet today, the work endures. He never abandoned his vision, even when it prevented him from having an easier time of the process, and his movies, once attacked as grotesque exploitation, are now properly celebrated as landmarks of cinematic horror.

Indeed, Romero not invented more than a new and enduring kind of zombie movie when he directed “Night of the Living Dead” 50 years ago; in many ways, he invented independent horror cinema as we know it. There had been lots of off-Hollywood fright films before “Night” hit screens in 1968, of course—even some showcasing graphic if cheaply executed gore, like the Herschell Gordon Lewis flicks.

By Jason Lees

MoreHorror.com

The magic’s gone. We lost George Romero.

I know I’m supposed to be positive through the tears, to remember his films and his legacy and celebrate one of our best, but right now, I just can’t. I don’t know why, but the world seems smaller today. Colder.

That’s bullshit. I know why. George Romero passed away. Of all the Masters of Horror, he was My master. He was the one that scared the hell out of my when I first picked up a Fangoria. I love all of his movies, even the not-so-great ones. I was a defender of George. Most anyone reading this probably was, too. We’re the ones who bragged up “Bruiser” alongside “Martin,” the ones who loved “Monkey Shines” as much as “Creepshow.”

The magic’s gone.

I’ve seen his “Night of the Living Dead” easily twenty times,...

Predictably, most of the memorials for the late great horror director George A. Romero focused on his influence on the zombie and wider horror genre. Yes, he was important and influential in that area. But his legacy is much wider. More than any other filmmaker, Romero changed the course of independent film making in America.

Independent films have been around as long as movies existed. Indeed, in their infancy all early features from around 1912 were basically independent, before the Hollywood studio system rapidly evolved in the late teens.

Though the majors dominated moviemaking and distribution from their hub in Southern California, many independent filmmakers such as Edgar G. Ulmer, the idiosyncratic Edward Wood, African-American pioneer Oscar Micheaux and various ethnic cinemas flourished on the side. In 1955 Robert Altman was making industrial films in Kansas City when he was hired by a local businessman to make his first feature, the low-budget...

When you think of what a zombie movie is, you have George A. Romero to thank for that. While the term "zombie" existed previously, even in movies, it was his 1968 indie horror masterpiece, Night of the Living Dead, that gave us the iconic version of the undead monsters we know today. Romero continued from there with the satirical 1978 follow-up Dawn of the Dead plus the sequels Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead, Survival of the Dead and the upcoming Road of the Dead, which arrives next year directed by Matt Birman from Romero's script. In addition to his zombie classics, Romero also directed the horror movies Creepshow, an anthology inspired by old horror comic books, The Crazies, Monkey Shines...

Read More...

George Romero's death on Sunday at age 77 inspired tributes from scores of directorial peers and acolytes praising the pioneering horror director. For Guillermo del Toro, who earlier on Sunday called Romero "one of the greatest ever," the filmmaker's contribution to cinema transcended the genre he helped conceive.

"George created an entire subgenre in cinema," del Toro tells Rolling Stone. "He singlehandedly forged the tale of the cannibalistic undead Zombies.

"Before him, the Zombie existed mainly as a vague Afro-Caribbean myth about the powers of Voodoo and such," he adds.

Tony Sokol Jul 17, 2017

Director George A Romero, who changed horror films forever, has died at the age of 77.

The legendary director George A Romero, who changed the landscape of horror films with his low-budget, independent black and white 1968 zombie masterpiece Night of the Living Dead, has died at the age of 77.

According to a statement from his longtime producing partner, Peter Grunwald, Romero died Sunday in his sleep while listening to the soundtrack of one his favorite films, The Quiet Man from 1952, following a “brief but aggressive battle with lung cancer.” Romero was surrounded by family, his wife, Suzanne Desrocher Romero, and daughter, Tina Romero.

What a body of work he leaves behind.

Night Of The Living Dead was made by Romero and his friends in Pittsburgh on a budget of $114,000 and went on to become an iconic statement of horror, pulling in $30 million. The movie was based on Richard Matheson...

Legendary director George A. Romero, who changed the face of modern horror with the iconic “Night Of The Living Dead,” has passed away at the age of 77.

Responsible for the creation of the modern movie zombie, a genre staple that has lasted decades and continues to be a beloved horror conceit, Romero may have been copied but few ever beat the original. While he was best known for his franchise focusing on the undead, Romero made his mark with other scary flicks including “The Crazies,” “Martin,” “Creepshow” (which became its own series) and “Monkey Shines.” However, few of his efforts stood out from under the shadow of his zombie flicks.

Continue reading R.I.P. George A. Romero (1940-2017) at The Playlist.

The iconic filmmaker was the father of the modern zombie film.

Director George Romero, creator of the Night Of The Living Dead films, has died aged 77.

According to a statement released to The L.A. Times by his producing partner Peter Grunwald, Romero died following a “brief but aggressive” battle with lung cancer.

He is survived by his wife, Suzanne Desrocher Romero, and daughter, Tina Romero.

Romero’s low budget 1968 film Night Of The Living Dead was hugely profitable and became a cult hit. By re-defining what a “zombie” was in the horror genre, it influenced countless future films and TV shows.

The film also spawned several official sequels directed by Romero, including Dawn Of The Dead, Day Of The Dead and Land Of The Dead.

Romero’s other films included The Crazies (1973), Knightriders (1981), Monkey Shines (1988) and Bruiser (2000).

It was announced in May that he was working on the upcoming George A. Romero Presents:...

Legendary filmmaker George Romero has passed away at the age of 77. Romero is the man who basically launched the zombie film genre with his 1968 film, Night of the Living Dead. According to reports, the filmmaker died in his sleep following a battle with lung cancer.

His manager, Chris Roe, said in a statement that "George A. Romero passed away on Sunday July 16, listening to the score of ‘The Quiet Man,’ one of his all-time favorite films, with his wife, Suzanne Desrocher Romero, and daughter, Tina Romero at his side. He died peacefully in his sleep, following a brief but aggressive battle with lung cancer, and leaves behind a loving family, many friends, and a filmmaking legacy that has endured, and will continue to endure, the test of time."

I'm a huge fan of the zombie genre and that's all because of Night of the Living Dead. I have fond memories...

George A. Romero, the Night of the Living Dead director who helped turn zombies into a pop culture phenomenon, died Sunday. He was 77.

The horror filmmaker died following a "brief but aggressive battle with lung cancer" while listening to the score of the 1952 film The Quiet Man, his producing partner Peter Grunwald told the Los Angeles Times.

In addition to Romero's revered, influential Zombie Trilogy – 1968's Night of the Living Dead, 1978's Dawn of the Dead and 1985's Day of the Dead – the director also helmed horror films like The Crazies,...

George A. Romero, the director who all but invented the modern zombie genre with his 1968 horror classic Night of the Living Dead, has died at 77 of lung cancer.

Infused with social commentary and a realistic, midnight-movie terror, Romero’s brazenly stark thriller, and the sequels that followed, made as large an impact on the genre and a culture’s nightmares as any horror film since the Universal Studios monster chillers of the 1930s.

His death was confirmed by his manager Chris Roe, who released the following statement on behalf of the family:

“Legendary filmmaker George A. Romero passed away on Sunday July 16, listening to the score of ‘The Quiet Man,’ one of his all-time favorite films, with his wife, Suzanne Desrocher Romero, and daughter, Tina Romero at his side. He died peacefully in his sleep, following a brief but aggressive battle with lung cancer, and leaves behind a loving family,...

Hulu has announced the new titles that will be available to stream on the platform in May. Next month will see the streaming release of Oscar-nominated films such as Debra Granik’s 2010 drama “Winter’s Bone,” starring Jennifer Lawrence, and Tim Burton’s 2003 fantasy drama “Big Fish.”

Read More: Hulu and Annapurna Announce Streaming Partnership, With Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit Project First in Line

Hulu’s origial series “Casual” returns for a third season on May 23. The original documentary “Becoming Bond,” about the life of George Lazenby, who played James Bond in the 1969 film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,” will debut on May 20. Find the list of all titles coming to Hulu in May below.

May 1

Line of Duty: Complete Season 4 (BBC One)

South Park en Español: Complete Season 20 (Comedy Central)

48 Hrs. (1982)

Another 48 Hrs. (1990)

Arrowhead (1952)

A View to a Kill (1985)

The Bad News Bears (1976)

Bad Influence (1990)

Bait Shop...

Later this month, the mighty Kong returns to the big screen! To celebrate, we’re looking back at all the major primate appearances in film.

For as long as films were being made, humans have starred alongside primates. Unlike other animals, their human-like qualities can lend a sense of comedy or horror. Throughout the history of film, primates have been used to fulfill certain roles. In the early days, they were often a form of antagonist, carrying out dastardly deeds or causing mayhem. More common is the primate cast in a role of mischief, causing all sorts of comedic hijincks. While most primate roles were portrayed by live animals, it was not uncommon for men to dress up in ape suits for roles where the primates needed to carry out specific actions. Later, the advent of CGI has led to men mimicking primates in real time to create a motion-capture performance.

Presented by the Denver Film Society, Theresa Mercado's Scream Screen movie series continues this month at Denver's Sie FilmCenter with a new theme: "When Animals Attack!"

Each Saturday night from February 13th to March 5th, an animal-centric horror film will be screened at the Sie FilmCenter. The weekly screenings will be accompanied by additional entertainment ranging from live music performances to a presentation on one of the most dangerous spiders on Earth.

The featured films include Monkey Shines, Long Weekend (1978), Cujo, and Willard (1971). We have details on the screenings below, and to learn more, visit:

http://www.denverfilm.org/filmcenter/detail.aspx?id=28119&Fid=86

"Sat. February 13- Monkey Shines (1988) A quadriplegic man has a trained monkey help him with his paralysis, until the little monkey begins to develop feelings, and rage, against its new master. Directed by George Romero. And special guest DJ Tanner (aka Keith Garcia) will be...

Another zombie series may soon be joining "The Walking Dead" and "iZombie" on the small-screen. George A. Romero is developing an adaptation of his Marvel Comics series "Empire of the Dead" for TV, according to Variety. The 15-issue graphic novel will be adapted by Romero alongside Peter Grunwald, who first worked with Romero as a producer on his 1988 film "Monkey Shines" and later produced three entries in his "Dead" film series. The announcement was made by producer Demarest at the Cannes Film Festival. "Empire of the Dead" will release its final issue in August. The series, which also features vampires in the mix, was split into three five-issue acts.

HitFix's recent spate of "Best Year in Film History" pieces inevitably spurred some furious debate among our readers, with some making compelling arguments for years not included in our pieces (2007 and 1968 were particularly popular choices) and others openly expressing their bewilderment at the inclusion of others (let's just say 2012 took a beating). In the interest of giving voice to your comments, below we've rounded up a few of the most thoughtful, passionate, surprising and occasionally incendiary responses to our pieces, including my own (I advocated for The Year of Our Lynch 2001, which is obviously the best). Here we go... Superstar commenter "A History of Matt," making an argument for 1968: The Graduate. Bullit. The Odd Couple. The Lion in Winter. Planet of the Apes. The Thomas Crown Affair. Funny Girl. Rosemary's Baby. And of course, 2001, A Space Odyssey. And that's only a taste of the greatness of that year. "Lothar the Flatulant,...

Stars: Tom Sizemore, B.J. Hendricks, Ian Hutton, Madeline Merritt, Eli Jane, Matt Mercer, Ace Marrero, Hannah Dawson, Lucy Dawson, Elina Loukas, Val Mulligan, L. Stephen Phelan | Written by James Cullen Bressack, Jd Fairman, Michael Sean Gomez | Directed by Cameron Romero

Filmmaker baggage doesn’t come much heavier than having a world famous dad in the business. As horror names go, George A. Romero is about as big as they get, being director of the iconic Night of the Living Dead, Dawn and Day of the Dead, plus underrated gems like Monkey Shines, Martin and Land of the Dead too. Son of the great man, director Cameron Romero attempts to step out of his shadow with Auteur, a found footage film-about-a-film in which an aspiring documentary maker attempts to track down an elusive, now-missing horror director.

It’s a more promising concept than Romero Jr.’s clichéd, forgettable Staunton Hill – done well,...