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Fred Gwynne: Munster on the Screen, Monster in our Hearts

Published

7 years ago

July 10, 2017

Fred Gwynne, born July 10th, 1926, gave the world a lifetime of lovable antics and treasured memories. Anyone fortunate enough to have grown up watching The Munsters will remember Gwynne’s career best as the endearingly clumsy patriarch of the monster-friendly family, Herman Munster.

Gwynne’s playful role as this gentle giant gave the already established look of Boris Karloff’s most famous role (Frankenstein) brand new life. Underneath the box-top cranium Gwynne rejuvenated a familiar looking icon and brought decades worth of giggles rather than screams as he lumbered around smashing down doors (accidentally) and breaking through walls episode to episode.

(Image courtesy of Uncle Oldie’s Collectibles)

Gwynne brought humor to a character whose counterpart previously embodied pathos and dread, but he did so without one moment of disrespect to the revered Frankenstein franchise – even though it was a departure from the gothic take on the reanimated abomination sewn together by Dr. Frankenstein.

I must stress that Herman Munster is not the classic creation of Victor Frankenstein, but the similarities are undeniable, and not just in their dapper good looks.

(Image courtesy of The Red List)

Gwynne’s Herman – much like Karloff’s counterpart – was all too eager to fit in with his neighbors, but they just couldn’t see past the monster on the outside. However, Herman proved to his viewers that it doesn’t matter what we look like on the outside, it’s who we choose to be on the inside that makes the difference.

Gwynne’s portrayal was that of a loving father who was always ready to offer his son Eddie (Butch Patrick) sound words of wisdom, and was ever supportive to his vampire wife, Lily (Yvonne De Carlo), proving to be a genuine TV role-model.

(Image courtesy of Tumblr)

With an irresistible smile and contagious charm, Fred Gwynne shone in the role. His Herman wasn’t afraid to just simply be himself regardless if he fit in or not.

Not content to leave the genre just yet, Fred Gwynne would play another pivotal role which would leave a lasting impression upon horror fans for generations to come. Still the gentleman as always, Gwynne would play the kind-hearted neighbor who would both befriend the Creed family and gravely warn them about “that damn rohd” that had claimed so many local pets.

(Image courtesy of Movie Stills Database)

Though the movie was not about his character, it’s hard to imagine Stephen King’s Pet Semetary without Fred Gwynne playing the crucial role of Jud Crandall. As the audience, we can’t help but hang onto every word he says.

When he begins to explain the darker nature of what lies restlessly beyond the make-shift graveyard, we all feel the temperature drop. Whatever scares him immediately scares us. Even South Park featured a character who was the spitting image of Gwynne’s Crandall, once again demonstrating the impact his career has held over our culture.

“Sometimes dead is better,” he would warn Louis Creed (Dale Midkiff) with a heavy air of foreboding, but already the Creeds were doomed. The accursed powers silently waiting outside the limits of the Pet Semetary had patiently launched their evil schemes against the Creed household. Desperation can lead a man to do unwholesome things, and after all, “the soil of a man’s heart is stonier.”

For a lifetime of both laughs and chills, we fondly celebrate the successful life of a kind man and honor his memory.

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Netflix Releases First BTS ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ Footage

Published

6 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Timothy Rawles

It’s been three long years since Netflix unleashed the bloody, but enjoyable Fear Street on its platform. Released in a tryptic fashion, the streamer broke up the story into three episodes, each taking place in a different decade which by the finale were all tied together.

Now, the streamer is in production for its sequel Fear Street: Prom Queen which brings the story into the 80s. Netflix gives a synopsis of what to expect from Prom Queen on their blog site Tudum:

“Welcome back to Shadyside. In this next installment of the blood-soaked Fear Street franchise, prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school’s wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider is unexpectedly nominated to the court, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of ’88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.”

Based on R.L. Stine’s massive series of Fear Street novels and spin-offs, this chapter is number 15 in the series and was published in 1992.

FEAR STREET: PROM QUEEN IS NOW IN PRODUCTION 🩸 Welcome to Shadyside High. We're gonna have a killer time. pic.twitter.com/jDl0zRa2CH
— Netflix (@netflix) April 30, 2024

Fear Street: Prom Queen features a killer ensemble cast, including India Fowler (The Nevers, Insomnia), Suzanna Son (Red Rocket, The Idol), Fina Strazza (Paper Girls, Above the Shadows), David Iacono (The Summer I Turned Pretty, Cinnamon), Ella Rubin (The Idea of You), Chris Klein (Sweet Magnolias, American Pie), Lili Taylor (Outer Range, Manhunt) and Katherine Waterston (The End We Start From, Perry Mason).

No word on when Netflix will drop the series into its catalog.

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Live Action Scooby-Doo Reboot Series In Works at Netflix

Published

7 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The ghosthunting Great Dane with an anxiety problem, Scooby-Doo, is getting a reboot and Netflix is picking up the tab. Variety is reporting that the iconic show is becoming an hour-long series for the streamer although no details have been confirmed. In fact, Netflix execs declined to comment.

If the project is a go, this would be the first live-action movie based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon since 2018’s Daphne & Velma. Before that, there were two theatrical live-action movies, Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), then two sequels that premiered on The Cartoon Network.

Currently, the adult-oriented Velma is streaming on Max.

Scooby-Doo originated in 1969 under the creative team Hanna-Barbera. The cartoon follows a group of teenagers who investigate supernatural happenings. Known as Mystery Inc., the crew consists of Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Shaggy Rogers, and his best friend, a talking dog named Scooby-Doo.

Normally the episodes revealed the hauntings they encountered were hoaxes developed by land-owners or other nefarious characters hoping to scare people away from their properties. The original TV series named Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ran from 1969 to 1986. It was so successful that movie stars and pop culture icons would make guest appearances as themselves in the series.

Celebrities such as Sonny & Cher, KISS, Don Knotts, and The Harlem Globetrotters made cameos as did Vincent Price who portrayed Vincent Van Ghoul in a few episodes.

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BET Releasing New Original Thriller: The Deadly Getaway

Published

7 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Cameron McFarland

BET will soon be offering horror fans a rare treat. The studio has announced the official release date for their new original thriller, The Deadly Getaway. Directed by Charles Long (The Trophy Wife), this thriller sets up a heart racing game of cat and mouse for audiences to sink their teeth into.

Wanting to break up the monotony of their routine, Hope and Jacob set off to spend their vacation at a simple cabin in the woods. However, things go sideways when Hope’s ex-boyfriend shows up with a new girl at the same campsite. Things soon spiral out of control. Hope and Jacob must now work together to escape the woods with their lives.

The Deadly Getaway is written by Eric Dickens (Makeup X Breakup) and Chad Quinn (Reflections of US). The Film stars, Yandy Smith-Harris (Two Days in Harlem), Jason Weaver (The Jacksons: An American Dream), and Jeff Logan (My Valentine Wedding).

Showrunner Tressa Azarel Smallwood had the following to say about the project. “The Deadly Getaway is the perfect reintroduction to classic thrillers, which encompass dramatic twists, and spine-chilling moments. It showcases the range and diversity of emerging Black writers across genres of film and television.”

The Deadly Getaway will premiere on 5.9.2024, exclusively ion BET+.