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Remembering Zelda Rubinstein

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January 27, 2015 marks the anniversary of the death of Zelda Rubinstein.  The pint-sized actress with the ten gallon screen presence, born in 1933, was 46 years old when she made her first appearance on screen in 1979’s Americathon, but it was her scene stealing turn in Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist five years later that made her a household name and a fan favorite in the horror genre for the rest of her life.

Outside of her work in films, she spent her life working for the rights of other little people and for their equal treatment in society and film, going so far as to start her very own acting company, The Michael Dunn Memorial Repertory Theater Company, with membership made up of actors ranging in height from 3’8″ to 4’6″.  She was also one of the first actors to actively work for HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, appearing in a series of print ads for L.A. Cares as “Mother” giving advice to her sons about safe sex.  She would later go on the record that she felt her career suffered due to this vocal support.

On this anniversary of her death, we revisit and remember some of Zelda’s most stand out performances, and a life well lived on film.

Poltergeist

The poor Freeling family is having a bit of a problem.  Their house has been invaded by spirits and their daughter has been taken into a parallel dimension.  They can hear her, sometimes feel her, but they cannot get her back.  A team of parapsychologists come in to investigate and ask for permission to bring in a psychic medium to help them.  Tangina Barrons enters the home and for a while, the movie is all hers.  I was completely enthralled with Zelda as Tangina.  From her first statement to her pronouncement that “This house is clean, I was riveted. She went on to appear in the two sequels.  Take a look and see for yourself.

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Anguish

In 1987, Italian director, Bigas Luna, cast Zelda Rubinstein in his psychological horror masterpiece, Anguish.  Telling the tale of a mother who controls her son psychically and forces him to commit multiple murders, the film never got the attention I thought it deserved.  Admittedly, the plot was a little muddled in places due to the movie within a movie angle that was used to tell the story, but overall it was a truly frightening film and one I thoroughly enjoyed.

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Teen Witch

Okay, so this isn’t a horror film…it’s not even a really great film, but it’s one of Zelda’s most fun roles.  Playing a descendant of the witches of Salem named Serena, Zelda proved she had some comedy chops in the movie.  One of my favorite scenes involves using the amped up power of a fledgling witch to conjure a hunk of a man so Serena can have a hot date for the night.  Take a look below as Serena meets young Louise Miller, played by Robyn Lively, for the very first time.

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Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

This movie was a little Valentine to all the horror movie lovers out there.  Boasting an original story about the rise of a brand new killer who wants his name up there with Freddie Kreuger and Jason Voorhees, the film brought in a few horror icons for various roles to up their already high ante, and Zelda was among them.  Playing a small town librarian, she was only in the film for one scene, but it was a favorite of mine.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a video clip for this one, but if you haven’t seen it, you really should.  It’s a great scene and the movie is extremely well done.

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Scariest Places on Earth

While she had a great career on film, she also made a name for herself doing voiceover work on television and film.  One of my favorites was “Scariest Places on Earth”.  The premise was simple.  Send a family into a reportedly haunted location; give them tasks and cameras to record themselves, and see if they lasted the night.  It was a lot of fun and Zelda’s narration was super creepy, giving history of the location as the episode progressed.  Check out the episode below!

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I hope you’ve enjoyed this little retrospective.  I often wish Miss Rubinstein was still with us, but her legacy will certainly live on.

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‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt

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Renny Harlin’s reboot of The Strangers isn’t coming out until May 17, but those murderous home invaders are making a pit stop at Coachella first.

In the latest Instagramable PR stunt, the studio behind the film decided to have the trio of masked intruders crash Coachella, a music festival that takes place for two weekends in Southern California.

The Strangers

This type of publicity began when Paramount did the same thing with their horror movie Smile in 2022. Their version had seemingly ordinary people in populated places look directly into a camera with an evil grin.

The Strangers

Harlin’s reboot is actually a trilogy with a more expansive world than that of the original.

“When setting out to remake The Strangers, we felt there was a bigger story to be told, which could be as powerful, chilling, and terrifying as the original and could really expand that world,” said producer Courtney Solomon. “Shooting this story as a trilogy allows us to create a hyperreal and terrifying character study. We’re fortunate to be joining forces with Madelaine Petsch, an amazing talent whose character is the driving force of this story.”

The Strangers

The movie follows a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) who “after their car breaks down in an eerie small town, are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in The Strangers: Chapter 1 the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature film series.”

The Strangers

The Strangers: Chapter 1 opens in theaters on May 17.

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‘Alien’ Returning to Theaters For a Limited Time

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It’s been 45 years since Ridley Scott’s Alien hit theaters and in celebration of that milestone, it is headed back to the big screen for a limited time. And what better day to do that than Alien Day on April 26?

It also works as a primer for the upcoming Fede Alvarez sequel Alien: Romulus opening on August 16. A special feature in which both Alvarez and Scott discuss the original sci-fi classic will be shown as a part of your theater admission. Take a look at the preview of that conversation below.

Fede Alvarez and Ridley Scott

Back in 1979, the original trailer for Alien was kind of terrifying. Imagine sitting in front of a CRT TV (Cathode Ray Tube) at night and suddenly Jerry Goldsmith’s haunting score begins to play as a giant chicken egg starts to crack with beams of light bursting through the shell and the word “Alien” slowly forms in slanted all caps across the screen. To a twelve-year-old, it was a scary pre-bedtime experience, especially Goldsmith’s screaming electronic musical flourishes playing over scenes of the actual movie. Let the “Is it horror or sci-fi?” debate begin.

Alien became a pop culture phenomenon, complete with kid’s toys, a graphic novel, and an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It also inspired dioramas in wax museums and even a frightening setpiece at Walt Disney World in the now-defunct Great Movie Ride attraction.

Great Movie Ride

The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. It tells the tale of a futuristic crew of blue-collar workers suddenly awakened out of stasis to investigate an undecipherable distress signal coming from a nearby moon. They investigate the source of the signal and discover it’s a warning and not a cry for help. Unbeknownst to the crew, they have brought a giant space creature back on board which they find out in one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.

It is said that Alvarez’s sequel will pay homage to the original film’s storytelling and set design.

Alien Romulus
Alien (1979)

The Alien theatrical re-release will take place on April 26. Pre-order your tickets and find out where Alien will screen at a theater near you.

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Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Returns with a New Friend, Plus New Life-Size Prop from Spirit Halloween

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Halloween is the greatest holiday of them all. However, every great holiday needs amazing props to go with it. Luckily for you, there are two new amazing props that have been released, which are sure to impress your neighbors and frighten any neighborhood children who are unfortunate enough to wander past your yard.

The first entry is the return of the Home Depot 12-foot skeleton prop. Home Depot has outdone themselves in the past. But this year the company is bringing bigger and better things to their Halloween prop lineup.

Home Depot Skeleton Prop

This year, the company unveiled its new and improved Skelly. But what is a giant skeleton without a loyal friend? Home Depot has also announced that they will release a five-foot tall skeleton dog prop to eternally keep Skelly company as he haunts your yard this spooky season.

This bony pooch will be five feet tall and seven feet long. The prop will also feature a posable mouth and LCD eyes with eight variable settings. Lance Allen, Home Depot’s merchant of decorative Holliday gear, had the following to say about this year’s lineup.

“This year we increased our realism within the animatronics category, created some impressive, licensed characters and even brought back some fan favorites. Overall, we are most proud of the quality and value we are able to bring to our customers with these pieces so they can continue to grow their collections.”

Home Depot Prop

But what if giant skeletons just aren’t your thing? Well, Spirit Halloween has you covered with their giant life size Terror Dog replica. This massive prop has been ripped out of your nightmares to appear frighteningly on your lawn.

This prop weighs in at almost fifty pounds and features glowing red eyes that are sure to keep your yard safe from any toilet paper throwing hooligans. This iconic Ghostbusters nightmare is a must have for any fan of 80s horror. Or, anyone who loves all things spooky.

Terror Dog Prop
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