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Coronavirus Mortality Updates: 2020 - 2023

APRIL 23

WITCH Goes Live on VOD and Digital, April, 30th

And -

David Cronenberg's eXistenZ is 25

eXistenZ

After the surprising low box office performance of 1998's DEAD RINGERS, especially after coming off hot from his previous movie, THE FLY, then the box office failures of 1991's NAKED LUNCH, then this movie, David Cronenberg announced that he no longer wanted to be considered a Horror movie director. He wasn't a Horror movie director, no way! After all, he directed M. Butterfly and Crash and they weren't Horror movies.

Exactly...

Okay, so they both fell into the purview of Body Horror, but still, David was turning over a new leaf!

Then came SPIDER, and A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, and EASTERN PROMISES. All of them centered around a tale of a person dealing with a past of grossly (torturously) distorting someone's body or a person living with a distorted body.

Yes, you could the boy out of the Horror, but you couldn't take the Horror out of the boy's mind.

Which circles us back to 1999's eXistenZ.

Plus -

BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR is Old Enough to Drink

BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR

When Stuart Gordon (FROM BEYOND) directed writers Dennis Paoli and William Norris' insane adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's RE-ANIMATOR for Producer Brian Yuzna, it was madhouse fun!

When Brian took the reigns for BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR it was madhouse fun squared!

But Brian wasn't done with us fans of the movies. Not until he took us BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR!

Also -

HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.

NIGHTBREED - Craig Sheffer

Actor Anastasia Baranova (RISE: THE BLOOD HUNTER, APOCALYPSE CALIFORNIA, THE DARKNESS II [VG], THE BUREAU: X-COM DECLASSIFIED [VG], MOSTLY GHOSTLY: HAVE YOU MET MY GHOULFRIEND?, WELCOME TO WILLITS, SYN [TV], Z-NATION [TV], EVOLVE [VG], METRO EXODUS [VG]) is 35.
Actor Jaime King (SIN CITY, THEY WAIT, THE TRIPPER, THE SPIRIT, MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D, MOTHER'S DAY, SILENT NIGHT, SIN CITY 2: A DAME TO KILL FOR, BITCH, ESCAPE PLAN 2, BLACK SUMMER [TV], OUT OF DEATH, THE RESURRECTION OF CHARLES MANSON) is 44.
Look for Jaime in the upcoming 2024 Thriller, THE WEIGHT OF DARKNESS
Actor Craig Sheffer (NIGHT BREED, BLUE DESERT, EYE OF THE STORM, BLOODKNOT, THE GRAVE, DOUBLE TAKE, EXECUTIVE POWER, THE FALL, SHADOW OF DOUBT, HELLRAISER: INFERNO, RITUAL, KILLER BUZZ, DRACULA II: ASCENSION, LOVE LIES BLEEDING, WHILE SHE WAS OUT, LIES BETWEEN FRIENDS, THE MARK [all], BATTLEDOGS, DESTRUCTION LOS ANGELES, WIDOW'S POINT, AMERICAN HORROR STORY [TV]) is 64.

WHAT TO WEAR?

RETURN TO TOP

APRIL 22

TETSUO: THE IRON MAN is 35

TETSUO: THE IRON MAN

It's not a David Lynch movie though I wouldn't be surprised if it was trying to be.

Instead, it's Actor, Writer, Producer, and Director Shin'ya Tsukamoto's greatest personal work in the Horror Thriller sub genre of Body Horror and the fork of that into Metal Mutation Horror.

TETSUO: THE IRON MAN is the movie that became Shin'ya's PHANTASM.

And -

HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
By E.C. McMullen Jr.

MARS ATTACKS - Jack Nicholson

Actor Amber Heard (SIDEFX, HIDDEN PALMS [TV], THE INFORMERS, ZOMBIELAND, THE STEPFATHER [2009], THE WARD, AND SOON THE DARKNESS, DRIVE ANGRY, PARANOIA, MACHETE KILLS, ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE [released to film festivals in 2006. Not released in U.S. until 2013], LONDON FIELDS, THE STAND [TV - 2020], IN THE FIRE) is 37.
Amber shares an April birthday with her ZOMBIELAND alumni, Abigail Breslin.
Actor Jack Nicholson (THE CRY BABY KILLER, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, THE RAVEN, THE TERROR, PSYCHE-OUT, CHINATOWN, THE SHINING, THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, BATMAN, WOLF, MARS ATTACKS!, THE PLEDGE) is 86 today.
Writer, Director, Producer & more, Ben Rock (MUTANT SPECIES, THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, ALIEN RAIDERS, VICTOR CROWLEY, 20 SECONDS TO LIVE [TV], VIDEO PALACE [TV], WRZ: WRZ: WHITE RACIST ZOMBIES) is 52.

SUNDAY -

IT Chapter 2. James McAvoy

Actor, Producer Jennifer Blanc-Biehn (THE CROW, KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE, DARK ANGEL [TV], MY APOCALYPSE, PRANK, THE JACK OF SPADES, THE BLOOD BOND, THE ABSENT, THE DIVIDE, THE VICTIM, JACOB, AMONG FRIENDS, TREACHERY, THE NIGHT VISITOR, THE LEGEND OF DARK HORSE COUNTY, MINDLESS, EVERLY, HIDDEN IN THE WOODS, HAVENHURST, DEADLY SIGNAL, SHE RISES [2016], DEADLY RETREAT, ALTERED PERCEPTION, FETISH FACTORY, KILLER WEEKEND, SORRY I KILLED YOU, TERROR EYES) is 50.
Actor James McAvoy (CHILDREN OF DUNE, ATONEMENT, WANTED, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, TRANCE, X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN, X-MEN: APOCALYPSE, ATOMIC BLONDE, SPLIT, WATERSHIP DOWN [TV], GLASS, DARK PHOENIX, IT: Chapter Two, MY SON, HIS DARK MATERIALS [TV]) is 45.

PET SEMATARY Turns 34

PET SEMATARY

It's the original movie based on the book that Stephen King wishes he never wrote. A book so brutal and scary the King of Horror novelists regrets it.

Screenwriter Ken King tells us how Director Mary Lambert's magnum opus grabbed him by the throat in his review of PET SEMATARY.

SILENT HILL Turns 18

SILENT HILL

Director Christophe Gans was riding high on the International Horror hit, BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF. For five years he'd struggled to convince game maker Konami, that he was the one to make the feature film of their number one game, SILENT HILL. He got the budget to bring together the best practical effects team, digital artists, and the top monster choreographer. Everyone gave it their best and it all shows.

The only problem was, there was one key person there whose best wasn't good enough. He spent the next 18 years trying to fix his mistake.

I'll tell you all about it in my review of 2006's SILENT HILL.

SATURDAY -

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS - 1978 Veronica Cartwright

Today's birthday girl hasn't lead a career that is dominantly Horror, Thriller, Mystery, and or Suspense, but Great Cthulhu! She stars in no less than four Horror movies that went on to be listed as Cinema's top 100!
Actor Veronica Cartwright (Alfred Hitchcock's THE BIRDS, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS [1978], ALIEN, NIGHTMARES, FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR, THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, FALSE IDENTITY, CANDYMAN: FAREWELL TO THE FLESH, THE X-FILES [TV - 1993 - 1999], THE LAST MAN ON PLANET EARTH, SCARY MOVIE 2, INVASION [TV], THE INVASION [2007], EASTWICK [TV], NEOWOLF, RESURRECTION [TV], THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN [2014], LIMBO, THE FIELD, THE PHANTOMS) is 75.
Veronica shares an April birthday with her SCARY MOVIE 2 alumni, Tim Curry.
Actor Crispin Glover (FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER, RIVER'S EDGE, WILD AT HEART, WILLARD, SIMON SAYS, THE WIZARD OF GORE, BEOWULF, FREEZER BURN: THE INVASION OF LAXDALE, 9, THE DONNER PARTY, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, FREAKY DEAKY, AIMY IN A CAGE, WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE, SAAT DES TERRORS, AMERICAN GODS [TV], BY THE RIVERS OF BABYLON, SMILEY FACE KILLERS) is 59.
Look for Crispin in the expected 2024 release of MR. K. Also in 2024, BY THE RIVERS OF BABYLON.

Actor Clint Howard (EVILSPEAK, THE WRAITH, B.O.R.N., FREEWAY, INITIATION: SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 4, DISTURBED, THE ROCKETEER, SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 5, BODY CHEMISTRY II, CARNOSAUR, INFESTED, BIGFOOT: THE UNFORGETTABLE ENCOUNTER, LEPRECHAUN 2, ICE CREAM MAN, SAWBONES, TWISTED LOVE, DIGITAL MAN, HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP [1996], TWILIGHT [1998], THE DENTIST 2, BLACKWOODS, HOUSE OF THE DEAD, THE MISSING, BIG BAD WOLF, Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN, THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEASTO, BLOODRAYNE: THE THIRD REICH, DOWN THE ROAD, BLUBBERELLA, SPARKS, THE LORDS OF SALEM, HUFF, THE PROFANE EXHIBIT, FUNHOUSE MASSACRE, FEAST OF FEAR, AMERICAN BIGFOOT, THE CHURCH [2018], 3 FROM HELL, FEAST OF FEAR, LA FLAMME ROUGE, BEYOND PARANORMAL) is 64.
Actor Andy Serkis (THE ESCAPIST, THE LORD OF THE RINGS [all], DEATHWATCH, BLESSED, KING KONG, THE PRESTIGE, THE COTTAGE, EXTRAORDINARY RENDITION, BURKE AND HARE, RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES [2010 - all], THE HOBBIT [all], AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, BLACK PANTHER, THE BATMAN) is 59.
Andy shares an April birthday with fellow LOTR alumni, Sean Bean, and fellow RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES alumni, David Hewlett.

Dario Argento's TRAUMA is 31

TRAUMA

Three common threads of agreement can be found among the fans of Dario Argento.

One - He has his best and his worst.

Two - Fans can't agree on which is his best and which is his worst.

Three - His movies are visually nightmarish dreams of eye candy.

Reviewer Max Glaessner delves into why he feels TRAUMA is a massively under rated Argento ... masterpiece?

HOT FUZZ is 17

HOT FUZZ

After the success of SHAUN OF THE DEAD, Director Edgar Wright, and actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, were back. This movie would be nothing like their past successes. They were neither boastful or cocky. Instead they were all confident and in their sophomore outing delivered their second classic in a row, HOT FUZZ.

WEAR ONE OF MINE
MORE NEWS

FEO'S BRAGGADOCIO

The ScientistFeo and Cup #118Some people think I'm more important than you (I don't, but they do. You know how they are) and this is their (HA!) evidence.

INTERVIEWS
Joe Mynhardt interviews E.C. McMullen Jr. in the book HORROR 201: The Silver Scream.

Matt Jarbo's interview with Feo Amante at The Zurvivalist.

James Cheetham's Q&A with Feo Amante at Unconventional Interviews *.

Megan Scudellari interviews Feo Amante and Kelly Parks (of THE SCIENCE MOMENT) in The Scientist Magazine.

Check out our interview at The-Scientist.com.

REFERENCES
Anthropologist Gretchen Bakke, PhD, references my UNFAIR RACIAL CLICHE ALERT as an expert resource in her 2010 Anthropological Quarterly essay @ Johns Hopkins University

Researcher David Waldron, references my review of UNDERWORLD in the Spring 2005, Journal of Religion and Popular Culture entry, Role-Playing Games and the Christian Right: Community Formation in Response to a Moral Panic (downloadable pdf).

E.C. McMullen Jr.
Author page at Amazon (Amazon.com)
Listed at GoodReads
Internet Movie Database resume (IMDb.com),
Stage 32 listing (stage32.com),
Listed at Academia.edu and is a
23 year member of the San Diego Comic Convention (SDCC).
Wikipedia 1, 2, 3, 4
Starbucks Cup #118
E.C. McMullen Jr. / Feo Amante is quoted throughout the Internet and print as a resource on,

Books That Bounce Inspiration from Shivers?*
Cirque Du Freak My Weekend of Horrors*
FilmSchoolRejects The Science of Fiction
In Defense Of J.J. Abrams PHANTASM EXHUMED: The Unauthorized Companion

*Linked to archive.org

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