Connect with us

News

Miskatonic Institute Of Horror Studies Is A True School For Screams

Published

on

Horror has often been associated with the arcane. Curiosity for knowledge of beyond that mortals cannot even comprehend. And right now, there is an organization for all those educational desires; The Miskatonic Institute Of Horror Studies! Per their website, this non-profit organization was founded by Kier-La Janisse in March 2010 in Canada, but has since grown to recurring events in London, New York, and most recently Los Angeles. ”

In fall of 2018, Miskatonic will be launching a pilot semester in Los Angeles, co-directed by Kier-La Janisse with Rebekah McKendry and Elric Kane of Blumhouse’s Shock Waves podcast, which will be hosted at the storied Los Feliz headquarters of the Philosophical Research Society, founded by occultist Manly Palmer Hall in 1934.”

Rebekah McKendry and Elric Kane introduce the event. Image via Jacob Davison.

I had the good fortune of attending the first Miskatonic Los Angeles class: a conversation with PhantasmBubba Ho-Tep, and John Dies At The End director/writer Don Coscarelli! An event lined up with his new biographical book True Indie: Life and Death in Filmmaking. The event held at a lecture hall in the Philosophical Research Society building, which coincidentally is where I took a semester in yoga. A sizable crowd attended to hear the life and career path of one of the ‘Masters Of Horror’ straight form the man himself. After a short introduction from Rebekah McKendry and Elric Kane, as well as Philosophical Research society school president Dr. Greg Salyer giving a brief history on the premises, JACKALS screenwriter and Deadright Horror Trivia co-host Jared Rivet took the stage as the night’s moderator before being joined by Don Coscarelli.

Don Coscarelli and moderator Jared Rivet. Image via Jacob Davison.

It was a fascinating conversation and presentation from one of independent horror’s most treasured heroes. Starting from his roots in Long Beach and his numerous struggles trying to get his first feature, Jim: The World’s Greatest off the ground to further career difficulties throughout. But all the way, Don persisted and made numerous friends like Reggie Bannister and Angus Scrimm and still managed for the most part to make the kinds of projects he wanted. Going into more recent movies like John Dies At The End and the finale to his beloved franchise, Phantasm RaVager. Though the event was three hours long (with a ten minute intermission in the middle) the night slipped past me as I hung on every word to the very end. Eventually ending the night to a roar of applause and a book signing of True Indie afterward.

Don Coscarelli and Jared Rivet talk Phantasm. Image via Jacob Davison.

If you’re looking to broaden your education of all things horror, I cannot reccommend attending these classes enough. The next being Rebekah McKendry’s “I Dream Of Deep Water: An Exploration Of The History And Psychology Of Aquatic Horror” tomorrow in Los Angeles with more courses of carnage to come!

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

News

Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

Published

on

Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading

Movies

New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

Published

on

Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading

News

Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

Published

on

The Blair Witch Project Cast

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

Blair witch
The Blair Witch Project Cast

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

The blair witch project

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading