Since Mr. Katz let us know about Amicus' involvement in the upcoming remake of Larry Cohen's cult classic film, we figured we would post some info and a picture. It's Alive is being directed by Josef Rusnak (The Thirteenth Floor, etc) and will star Bijou Phillips (Hostel, Part II, Almost Famous, etc) and James Murray as the unfortunate parents. No release has been set yet. You can check out the trailer by clicking on the photo above.
The interview we conducted with new Amicus co-owner Robert Katz is now up on our Features page. Go check it out to get some interesting insight into where he plans on taking Amicus in the future and what's coming up.
We'll be posting the first of two interviews conducted with new Amicus owners Robert Katz and Julie G. Moldo. It will go up on our website this coming Monday, April 28th. It's got some very nice info for everyone concerning the future of the company and answers to the nagging question, "Why remake an old classic?" from producer Robert Katz himself.
It's been confirmed that Stephen King's "From A Buick 8" is to be the next release from Amicus Entertainment. It's being directed by Tobe Hooper, who is definitely known for his history of horror films - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1 & 2, Poltergeist, Salem's Lot, The Mangler, and Invaders From Mars just to name a few. The screenplay is being written by "Masters Of Horror" scribe Richard Chizmar and Johnathon Schaech, who has starred in several films, including Prom Night, The Forsaken, That Thing You Do!, and The Doom Generation. He also has written for the series "Masters Of Horror". For those of you who haven't read the book, here's a quick synopsis of what to expect:
For twenty years the officers in Pennsylvania State Police Barracks have kept a secret in SHED B. A vintage Buick which lures the troopers to come and take a look. Now young Ned Wilcox, son of Officer Curt Wilcox, has started hanging around the Barracks. One day he can't resist peeking through the windows... and it's finally time to share the secret. So the veteran troopers sit Ned down on the smoking bench and tell him the story -- every skin-curdling detail...
Release date is set for 2009.
We've added a Features page for our interviews and stories we will be posting. Our first interview with Al Feldstein has been posted. We hope you enjoy it.
We had the honor of doing a short interview with Al Feldstein, who was the editor / artist / writer for EC Comics - including Tales From The Crypt, The Vault Of Horror and several others. His stories were used in the Tales From The Crypt movie that Amicus put out. He was also the editor of MAD Magazine for 28 years. The interview will be posted on Monday, April 14th right here on the Amicus website. This is the first in what we are hoping to make a monthly feature with interviews and articles about Amicus and their alumni. Be sure not to miss it.
There's a rumor that Little Shoppe Of Horrors is going to be dedicating their next entire issue of the magazine to Amicus. Could this be? They promised an article about Amicus quite a while back. I guess we'll see soon enough. If you're not familiar with Little Shoppe Of Horrors, you need to go to their website and do yourself a favor. They cover Hammer Films extensively in every single issue. Most back issues are available for purchase.
www.littleshoppeofhorrors.com
“…ingeniously nasty and often shockingly funny as it incrementally worsens a very bad situation, then provides a potent payoff with the forced feeding of just desserts. This darkly comical farce could command an enthusiastic cult during carefully calibrated theatrical rollout…” – Variety“…a wild, rough, shocking and occasionally hilarious peek into accidental evil. It’s a sophisticated thinking person’s horror movie…” – Fangoria
“…tackles the story with a unique b-movie spin turning the film into an effective absurdist black comedy…” – Daily Film Dose
“Car crashes should never be this entertaining …Had I given this one a miss I would never know how truly sick I am.” – Twitch
“a dark thriller with a creepy sense of humor…a surprisingly smart flick that…gradually explodes into a darkly satisfying finale.” – Cinematical
“a brutal, thoroughly engaging horror effort…offering up a number of memorable and downright exhilarating kill sequences…just as entertaining (if not more so) than some of [director Stuart – Re-Animator, King Of The Ants] Gordon's previous horror efforts…” – Reel Film Reviews
Stuck is going to be out in a limited released on May 30th in the U.S. It has already premiered at several film festivals, including AFI Dallas, Cannes, Toronto Film Festival, Sitges International Festival of Fantastic and Horror Cinema, and a few others.
We'll let the Variety article speak for itself:British horror film label Amicus Entertainment has been reanimated by producer Robert Katz, longtime Amicus exec Julie Moldo and financier Jay Firestone.
While the company plans to scare up remakes of such Amicus classics as "The House That Dripped Blood," the shingle will start with two original low-budget horror films. A deal is in the works with a distributor, Katz said, and the goal will be to make as many as six films per year, four budgeted under $5 million and two up to $20 million each.
Katz takes on the Amicus revival effort after concluding his 25-year partnership with Moctesuma Esparza, with whom he produced "Selena" and "The Milagro Beanfield War."
They still have several projects under the Esparza/Katz banner, but Katz wanted a change. The success of low-budget scare fare and his long relationship with late Amicus co-founder Max J. Rosenberg created the opportunity.
Amicus rivaled Hammer for the title of premier British fright film factory of the 1960s, Katz said.
"Hammer was more about monsters; Amicus was more psychological stuff," Katz said. "I'll be looking to do homages to classic titles, the ones that Max didn't sell off with long-term distribution and remake rights, like 'Tales From the Crypt.' We have a catalog that includes 'The Beast Must Die,' 'The House that Dripped Blood,' 'Scream and Scream Again' and '
Firestone previously established Fireworks Entertainment, sold it to CanWest Entertainment and became chairman-CEO. He left in 2003.
Firestone is providing funds to cover overhead and development, pre-production and deficit financing, though an imminent distribution deal will bear part of the burden.
Amicus kicks off with two Katz-produced pics budgeted under $5 million.
"Re-Animator" helmer Stuart Gordon will direct "Stuck," a thriller about a young woman who commits a hit-and-run, then finds her fate tied to her victim. Gordon wrote the script with John Strysik ("Tales From the Darkside")."
We’ve reposted Horror Hotel (or City Of The Dead, depending on what country you’re in) for your enjoyment at our MySpace. It’s still a bit blurry, but about as good as it’s going to get on here. We split it up into three parts so we wouldn’t have to compress it as much. It still looks and sounds better than it did. Leave us some comments if you would like to.
Be looking out for an interview with British horror queen Ingrid Pitt. We will be talking to her about her role in and experiences shooting The House That Dripped Blood. We'll also talk a little about her new appearance in that "rival" studios new web-based project called "Beyond The Rave". As soon as we get it finished, we'll get it posted for your enjoyment.