News

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...

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,...

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,...

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.

A new episode of the Best Horror Movie You Never Saw video series has just been released, and with this one we’re looking back at one of the more overlooked entries in the filmography of the late, great George A. Romero. The movie is the 1988 release Monkey Shines (watch it Here), and you can hear all about it in the video embedded above!

Written and directed by Romero, Monkey Shines is based on a novel by Michael Stewart. The film has the following synopsis: What starts as an innocent attempt to have a specially trained monkey help a paralyzed man get a new lease on life turns into a hell of unleashed rage. Monkey Shines, is a chilling look at how one man’s inner fury is telepathically channeled through his beloved monkey which carries out his most devious thoughts.

Jason Beghe, John Pankow, Kate McNeil, Joyce Van Patten,...

Mark Rosman‘s The House on Sorority Row (1982) and Stewart Hendler‘s Sorority Row (2009) feel shoved aside in their respective horror classes. Titles like Pieces, Black Christmas, and The Dorm That Dripped Blood get more frequent mentions when discussing pre-90s sorority or dormitory slashers. Remake debates rarely include Sorority Row in their reassessments of unfairly stigmatized 2000s horror revamps based on nostalgia biases (among other reasons). It’s interesting how both seem equally less popular despite their amassed cult followings after meager box office openings.

It’s almost like Hendler attempted to shake the original’s mojo by deeming Sorority Row an adaptation of Rosman’s screenplay Seven Sisters — the earlier iteration of what would become The House on Sorority Row. Don’t mind the trickiness because Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger write their re-imagining indebted to The House on Sorority Row. Maybe late-2000s remake fatigue led to...

1977: Leslie Charleson assumed the role of Monica on Gh.

1992: Elizabeth Keifer debuted as Blake on Guiding Light.

2007: The 10,000th episode of One Life to Live aired on ABC.

2007: As the World Turns' Luke and Noah shared an historic kiss."The best prophet of the future is the past."

― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1933: On radio soap opera Ma Perkins, Ma (Virginia Payne) has found out about Cousin Sylvester's marriage proposal to Penny, and she wondered what kind of men the cousins were.

1967: On Dark Shadows, Julia (Grayson Hall) warned Victoria (Alexandra Moltke) not to become too chummy with Barnabas (Jonathan Frid).

1967: On Another World,...

1977: Leslie Charleson assumed the role of Monica on Gh.

1992: Elizabeth Keifer debuted as Blake on Guiding Light.

2007: The 10,000th episode of One Life to Live aired on ABC.

2007: As the World Turns' Luke and Noah shared an historic kiss."The best prophet of the future is the past."

― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1933: On radio soap opera Ma Perkins, Ma (Virginia Payne) has found out about Cousin Sylvester's marriage proposal to Penny, and she wondered what kind of men the cousins were.

1967: On Dark Shadows, Julia (Grayson Hall) warned Victoria (Alexandra Moltke) not to become too chummy with Barnabas (Jonathan Frid).

1967: On Another World,...

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...

A 59-year-old radio DJ who claims William Shatner is his biological father is suing the Star Trek star for $170 million, according to a lawsuit filed in Florida.

In court documents published by Page Six, Peter Sloan claims his biological mother, Canadian actress Kathy McNeil, had a short affair with Shatner while they were working together in Toronto. The late actress gave Sloan up for adoption five days after his birth.

Shatner has denied he is Sloan's father, according to court documents.

According to the lawsuit, Sloan met Shatner in 1984 on the Burbank, California set of T.J. Hooker, and Sloan claims...

A 59-year-old radio DJ who claims William Shatner is his biological father is suing the Star Trek star for $170 million, according to a lawsuit filed in Florida. In court documents published by Page Six, Peter Sloan claims his biological mother, Canadian actress Kathy McNeil, had a short affair with Shatner while they were working together in Toronto. The late actress gave Sloan up for adoption five days after his birth. Shatner has denied he is Sloan's father, according to court documents. According to the lawsuit, Sloan met Shatner in 1984 on the Burbank, California set of T.J. Hooker, and Sloan claims...

William Shatner has been hit with $170 million (£120 million) lawsuit from the man claiming to be his long-lost son.

The Star Trek legend had previously denied fathering Peter Sloan, who also goes by Peter Shatner, with late Canadian actress Kathy McNeil after a one-night-stand in 1956. Peter was born without William's knowledge and given up for adoption.

William claims Peter is trying to prosper from the alleged family connection, but the 59-year-old wants the actor to submit to a DNA test to prove his paternity once and for all.

Peter filed the lawsuit in Tampa, Florida last week (ends27Mar16) demanding $170 million for libel, defamation and slander, according to New York Post gossip column Page Six. He also wants a jury trial.

In the paperwork, the Florida radio host claims he met William in 1984 on the set of TV show T.J. Hooker and the actor initially "admitted he was the plaintiff’s...

Oh my, how the mighty had fallen! I had vague memories of Monkey Shines when I watched it over twenty years ago and, after revisiting this, it all makes sense why this film doesn’t spring to mind when I think of Romero’s great early body of work. George A. Romero’s first studio film ideally should have been the perfect opportunity for him to showcase his talent in a direction that nobody would expect and on paper it would seem that was his intention.

The story itself isn’t exactly straight horror. In fact, the first hour of the film plays off of a tragedy and is meant to create empathy for Jason Beghe’s character in a way that Christy Brown earns empathy in My Left Foot, but Beghe’s character isn’t developed enough to forgive or understand his selfish demeanor. He’s portrayed as simply...

Though he’s best known for his legions of the living dead, George A. Romero has captured other deadly forces with his camera, including a psychotic pseudonym come to life in The Dark Half (based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name) and a murderous primate in Monkey Shines. Scream Factory is bringing both films to Blu-ray with bonus features, including new audio commentaries by Romero.

Press Release - “This fall, Scream Factory will release The Dark Half and Monkey Shines, two horror favorites from acclaimed director George A. Romero. Making their Blu-ray debuts on November 18th, 2014, each release also boasts brand new bonus features including all new audio commentaries with George A. Romero, new retrospective featurettes with cast and crew, behind the scenes footage, deleted scenes and much more! In addition, fans who order their copies from ShoutFactory.com will have their order shipped three weeks early!

It’s impossible for me to hide the fact that Scream Factory is one of my favorite boutique media labels. As far as content goes, they give me the type of films that I really want to see on the Blu-ray format. They’ve had a strong first couple of years, and I see no signs of them slowing down anytime soon. Two of the biggest… neigh, The two biggest releases of the 2014 Halloween Seasons is coming from these guys. I’m speaking, of course, about the Director’s Cut of Nightbreed, as well as the Complete Halloween Collection. But you’ve already heard about those, and pre-ordered them, right? Well, here is their entire fall(Sept/Oct… And some November, cause shut up.) lineup, in case a few have slipped by you.

September 9, 2014 Pumpkinhead (Collector’s Edition) Srp $29.93 Bd

Scream Factory has announced a September 9 Blu-ray release of a...

If the El Rey Network has been off your radar since "From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series" ended its first season, you may want to remedy that situation as they're running a "Romero-thon" saluting the Godfather of Zombies during the upcoming 4th of July weekend.

It all begins Saturday, July 5th, at 9:00 pm, and the following films will be shown:

Knightriders (1981) - 9:00 pm, July 5th

A medieval reenactment troupe find it increasingly difficult to keep their family-like group together with pressure from local law enforcement, interest from entertainment agents, and a growing sense of delusional from their leader. Starring Ed Harris, Gary Lahti, Tom Savini, Amy Ingersoll, and Patricia Tallman.

Monkey Shines (1988) - 12:00 midnight, July 6th

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. Starring Jason Beghe, John Pankow,...

The House on Sorority Row is once again opening up for business via the wonderful sickos over at Scorpion Releasing, and they're dead set on bringing one hell of a DVD package to fans come the end of this month!

From the Press Release

On January 24th Scorpion Releasing and Katarina's Nightmare Theater present House On Sorority Row in a two-disc remastered edition! Flirtatious young sorority sisters who are days away from graduation set out to throw one last decadent celebration. Unbeknownst to them, the strict matron of their house hides a horrendous secret thought long buried. A gruesome accident is witnessed by a hideous fiend, hidden within the once nurturing dwelling, which triggers a rampage of death and destruction. Before the end the peril faced by this sisterhood will push them to the brink of annihilation. And rivers of blood will drown all who enter...The House on Sorority Row.

Welcome to my first review in an ongoing series I call Late Night Nostalgia! We're going to take a look at some of the most enjoyable midnight popcorn flicks from the 70's and 80's. From creature features to whodunnit slashers, we'll cover them all. So throw a bag in the microwave, turn off all the lights, and let's dust off the Vcr. (Yeah, those things that play big, black casettes...)The House on Sorority Row Released 1983 Starring: Kate McNeil, Eileen Davidson Director: Mark RosmanSynopsis:       While the rest of the students head home...

The House on Sorority Row (1983) D: Mark Rosman Kate McNeil, Eileen Davidson, Harley Jane Kozak Director Mark Rosman may be a familiar name to the Nickelodeon set, especially to fans of Hilary Duff. His most recent work includes Lizzie McGuire and A Cinderella Story. But long before he worked with cute, little teeny-boppers, he directed this gem of a slasher flick back in the early 1980's. As a protégé of Brian DePalma, it should be no surprise that atmosphere and visualization take center stage for The House on Sorority Row. The cast is stacked with experienced soap stars...

If you’ve been reading my columns with The Retro Machine at all, then you know I’m one of Fused Film’s resident horror nerds. I love the genre and (almost) all it has to offer. From lesbian vampires to pranks gone awry, horror has it all. As such, I have made it my mission to become as well-versed as I can in each little subgenre. But even a girl like me can play favorites. As much as I hate to admit it, my favorite subgenre touts some of the worst horror has to offer. Despite the dreck the subgenre releases onto the masses, I love a good slasher film.

It all started when I was a wee lass. I stayed home from my kindergarten ten miles away because I had the stomach flu. I was throwing up in my footie pajamas, y’all. It was not pretty. My father,...