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2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2001 | 1999 | 1998
1-20 of 540 articles from 2009 « Prev | Next »
Top 10 Horror Films of 2009
25 December 2009 8:00 PM, PST | MoviesOnline.ca | See recent MoviesOnline news »
Its that time gang where we look back at the best films of 2009 and this go around I want to look at the best horror films of 2009. In an effort to be as transparent as I can I should point out not every film on my list had a theatrical release in 2009. Some had theatrical releases either small or internationally before but never really got wide release until hitting dvd in 2009. So for that reason I have taken some leeway with my list.
There are tons of great horror films out there and I wish I had seen them all but here is 10 that I think stood out from the crowd and are worthy of being added to any fans collection!
Trick R treat: Trick R Treat was released into various niche film festivals and got rave reviews from horror fans and critics and when it hit dvd it lived up to all the hype. »
The Foywonder's Ten Worst Horror Films of the Decade
23 December 2009 8:31 PM, PST | DreadCentral.com | See recent Dread Central news »
The first decade of the new millennium has come to an end, and that means it is now time for film sites all over the web to begin posting their various retrospectives and lists recalling the decade that was. I generally as a rule dislike such lists because they are always so subjective. Then I said screw it and took it upon myself to do one of my own naming the ten worst horror movies of the past decade. Besides, people love bitching on the Internet about lists like this, and who am I to deny readers yet another excuse to get into pointless flame wars over personal opinions.
Of course, this list is just my personal opinion which is not legally binding ... unless Proposition 304 passes. And we all pray that it will.
I set two rules when putting this list together: Only horror movies that received fairly wide theatrical »
- Foywonder
Remembering Dan O'Bannon, Father of Alien
21 December 2009 8:06 AM, PST | Vanity Fair | See recent Vanity Fair news »
Dan O’Bannon as Pinback, here in the feeding the alien sequence from Dark Star. Photo via. Since he worked as a designer, writer, and only occasional director in an era that prized the single-minded auteur, Dan O’Bannon remained fairly obscure until his death, last Thursday, at the age of 63. But genre fans know that he was one of the great unsung heroes of one of the most critical stories of American popular culture: the ascent of the fantasy genre from children’s guilty pleasure to the red-hot center of Hollywood. He died from a three-decade battle with Crohn’s disease only hours before the opening of James Cameron’s Avatar, a $400 million blockbuster whose ambition, expense, and seriousness of purpose are, in a way, a direct tribute to the success of his passionate lifetime commitment to the fantastic. The top of his long list of accomplishment is creating, »
Excellent Genre Writer Dan O'Bannon, Dead at 63
18 December 2009 1:32 PM, PST | Cinematical | See recent Cinematical news »
If you're of my approximate generation and you enjoy pretty much the same flicks I do, then I'm sorry to say you've lost a hero this week. Dan O'Bannon, a multi-talented filmmaker with a strong affection for science fiction and horror films, passed away yesterday at the age of 63. The man will always hold a special place in my heart for one simple reason: He wrote A L I E N, which (as you probably know) is my favorite movie of all time. Mr. O'Bannon also penned a very fine Philip K. Dick adaptation of Total Recall; a kooky remake of Invaders from Mars; the high-tech helicopter thriller Blue Thunder; the adorably insane Lifeforce; John Carpenter's debut film Dark Star; the quietly creepy Dead & Buried; and the zombie classic The Return of the Living Dead (which was also his directorial debut.)
Any movie geek who grew up in the '80s knew O'Bannon's work, »
- Scott Weinberg
Remembering the late, great Dan O'Bannon
18 December 2009 8:28 AM, PST | The Guardian - Film News | See recent The Guardian - Film News news »
This unassuming, multitalented film-maker, who has died aged 63, was best known as the brain behind Alien. But he was so much more
Yesterday, following a short battle with an undisclosed illness, Dan O'Bannon sadly passed away aged 63. While his name should be vaguely familiar to cinemagoers as the writer and creator of Alien, to fans of genre films it should be tattooed somewhere on their person. O'Bannon was part of the fabric of genre films, a fixture. Though his star never rose above a certain elevation, in his own unassuming fashion he was a game-changer in more ways than Avatar will ever manage.
I've always had as much an interest in the nuts-and-bolts technical and artistic side of the movie-making process as in the finished films themselves. In the 1980s I wasn't alone: there were plenty of magazines, such as Cinefantastique, Fantastic Films and Starburst that were full of interviews with behind-the-camera workers. »
- Phelim O'Neill
Dan O’Bannon 1946 – 2009
18 December 2009 6:35 AM, PST | FilmShaft.com | See recent FilmShaft.com news »
American screenwriter and sometime director Dan O’Bannon has passed away in Los Angeles. He was 63. O’Bannon’s contribution to cinema is mainly within the science fiction genre and his screenplay ‘Star Beast’ provided the basis for the landmark classic Alien (1979).
He also provided screenplays for Total Recall and Screamers; based on original works by writer Philip K. Dick. In his early career he worked alongside John Carpenter on Dark Star, even starring as Sgt. Pinback. O’Bannon worked on Star Wars as a special-effects man.
In the 1980s, he directed the fun zombie horror flick Return of the Living Dead. His second (and last) attempt in the director’s chair resulted in The Resurrected, based on H.P. Lovecraft’s The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. His other screenwriting work includes Blue Thunder, Lifeforce, Invaders From Mars and Heavy Metal.
However, he entered into film history with Alien. Written with Ronald Shusset, »
- Martyn Conterio
R.I.P. Dan O'Bannon
18 December 2009 | shocktillyoudrop.com | See recent shocktillyoudrop news »
We're saddened today to learn of the passing of Dan O'Bannon. No stranger to sci-fi or horror fans, he'd penned the screenplays for the original Alien , John Carpenter's debut feature Dark Star , Gary Sherman's Dead & Buried , Tobe Hooper's Lifeforce and Invaders From Mars and one of our personal favorite zombie movies Return Of The Living Dead , which he also directed. We recommend you head over to his imdb credits right here , familiarize yourself with his work and celebrate it by revisiting those movies and incredible contributions to our beloved genre by a fellow fan. He will be missed. »
Alien Writer O'Bannon Dies
18 December 2009 4:21 AM, PST | WENN | See recent WENN news »
Sci-fi screenwriter Dan O'Bannon, who wrote Alien and Total Recall, has died.
O'Bannon passed away at the age of 63 in Los Angeles following a short illness.
He got his big break in the movie business with 1974's Dark Star, which he edited, starred in and co-wrote with director John Carpenter, who he met as a student at the University of Southern California's film school.
O'Bannon then went on to join the visual effects team for George Lucas' Star Wars, before writing the initial script for sci-fi classic Alien, originally titled Star Beast, with Ronald Shusett.
The duo later re-teamed to work on 1990's Total Recall, an adaptation of a short story by Philip K. Dick.
He also ventured into directing, making his debut in 1985 with Return of the Living Dead, a follow-up to George Romero's 1968 movie Night of the Living Dead.
His writing credits also include Blue Thunder, Screamers and Bleeders.
O'Bannon is survived by his wife Diane Louise Lindley and their son Adam. »
Rip: Dan O’Bannon
18 December 2009 2:34 AM, PST | Atomic Popcorn | See recent Atomic Popcorn news »
According to Harry Knowles at Ain’t It Cool News, screenwriter Dan O’Bannon has passed away. If you’re on this site, you’re surely familiar with his work. The man created Alien, worked on John Carpenter’s Dark Star, and was on the visual effects crew for a little film called Star Wars.
In addition to these, O’Bannon wrote an excellent little film called Dead & Buried, as well as Return of the Living Dead (which he also directed), Tobe Hooper’s space vampire epic, Lifeforce, and the 1986 remake of Invaders from Mars (also Hooper). He also gave us Total Recall.
We’ve lost one of the greats today, people.
Mirror/Mirror – “The Company” Says SoAlien…The Remake? »
- Andrew Ford
'Alien' writer O'Bannon dies, aged 63
18 December 2009 1:34 AM, PST | digitalspy | See recent digitalspy news »
Dan O'Bannon, the screenwriter behind Alien and Total Recall, has died at the age of 63. He passed away in Los Angeles following a short illness, reports website Ain't It Cool News. O'Bannon attended USC film school in the early '70s where he met director John Carpenter. The pair worked together on Carpenter's debut feature Dark Star, which O'Bannon co-wrote, edited, served as special effects supervisor and acted in the role of Sgt Pinback. He worked on the visual (more) »
- By Simon Reynolds
Dan O'Bannon 1946-2009
17 December 2009 11:24 PM, PST | EmpireOnline | See recent EmpireOnline news »
Dan O'Bannon, the sci-fi and horror screenwriter behind some of the genres' most recognisable titles, has died in Los Angeles following a short illness. He was 63.A USC graduate in the same year as John Carpenter, O'Bannon was instrumental in Carpenter's cracking (and crackpot) first feature Dark Star, serving as co-writer, FX supervisor, production designer and editor, and playing Sgt Pinback (who turns out not to be Sgt Pinback at all). O'Bannon is the one who chases the beachball alien all over the spaceship; an idea that would sort of resurface later...O'Bannon did some FX work on Star Wars in 1977, but is best known for kickstarting a different franchise. While authorship of Alien as we know it today is down to a number of people, there's no question that O'Bannon's Star Beast screenplay set the ball rolling, and he brought many of his colleagues from Alejandro Jodorowsky's aborted Dune to the project. »
Screenwriter Dan O’Bannon Dead at 63
17 December 2009 10:45 PM, PST | Collider.com | See recent Collider.com news »
A legendary screenwriter of science fiction and horror, Dan O’Bannon, best known for writing Alien, passed away today at the age of 63. Bannon broke out back in 1974 with the lo-budget sci-fi flick Dark Star, which was director John Carpenter’s first major film. O’Bannon not only wrote the script for Dark Star, he also edited, art designed, acted in, and handled the special effects on the film.
Then he wrote Alien, which would be his biggest film both critically and commercially. But oddly enough, O’Bannon’s most ardent fans, while they unabashedly love Alien, seem to support the guy more for his smaller cult movies like Dark Star, Dead & Buried, Blue Thunder, his segment “B-17″ in Heavy Metal, and for The Return of the Living Dead, a film he also directed.
Thanks to Harry at Ain’t It Cool for breaking the bad news and writing a nice little obit. »
- Matt Goldberg
Dan O'Bannon Dies.
17 December 2009 10:25 PM, PST | iconsoffright.com | See recent Icons of Fright news »
A sad day for science fiction and horror fans. Dan O'Bannon has died. According to Ain't It Cool News, the writer of Alien, Total Recall and Lifeforce, who directed Return Of The Living Dead, passed today after a week long hospital stay.
The talented O'Bannon started off working with John Carpenter on Dark Star, a silly space effort that would foreshadow his later, more successful works in outer space. Though never a big name in Hollywood, he crafted intelligent scripts that are among the better screenplays in horror and science fiction. He had a real feel for the genres, and was not averse to crossing them over, often to great effect.
O'Bannon's influence on genre films is still felt today. His script for Alien spawned three sequels, two spinoff with the Predator, and a whole slew of rip offs that featured similar desolate locations in outer space and hunter aliens. »
Dan O.Bannon, 63, Passes Away
17 December 2009 9:55 PM, PST | CinemaSpy | See recent CinemaSpy news »
Dan O’Bannon, science fiction screenwriter and director, passed away on December 17, 2009 in Los Angeles. He was best known for his work in the science-fiction and horror genres, with hits that included Alien, Total Recall, and The Return of the Living Dead.
O’Bannon made his first splash in 1974 with Dark Star, which expanded a low-budget, 45-minute short co-written with fellow USC student John Carpenter. Although the film had sci-fi trappings, such as a space ship and cryogenic freezing technology, Dark Star was essentially a quirky, black-hearted comedy about the ship’s misfit crew members. The movie became a cult hit; and not only did O’Bannon work on the screenplay, but he had an acting role as a character named Sgt. Pinback.
A few years later, after working on special computer animation and graphic displays for a little feature called Star Wars, O’Bannon wrote the script for Alien, »
Exclusive 'Runaways' Trailer: Kristen Stewart Parties Like A Rock Star
17 December 2009 6:16 AM, PST | MTV Movie News | See recent MTV Movie News news »
Get your first look at KStew and Dakota Fanning in action as half of the mid-'70s girl group.
Kristen Stewart in "The Runaways"
Photo: River Road/ Road Rebel
Ever since it was first announced, "The Runaways" has been making news. Now, fans have their first glimpse at the film — and a singing Kristen Stewart — thanks to this exclusive trailer you won't find anywhere else but MTV News.
"In 1975, rock was a man's world," the trailer's narrator explains as the preview begins. "Until ... "
For those of you who haven't been worshipping at the altar of mid-'70s rebellion rock, that "until" refers to the titular band that consisted of Joan Jett (Stewart), Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning), Lita Ford (Scout Taylor-Compton) and Sandy West (Stella Maeve). Coming together in Los Angeles while they were still teenagers, the foursome broke musical boundaries with their rebellious attitudes, naughty-girl personas and catchy guitar hooks. »
Black Christmas (1974): A Retrospective
17 December 2009 2:13 AM, PST | Fangoria | See recent Fangoria news »
It’s the holiday season and, for most, that means it’s that very special time of year when you get see your family; That large group of people you hate and utterly despise but, do to some arbitrary blood relation, feel provoked to associate with at least once during the bleakest, darkest, and most devastatingly cold part of the year. And, as always, what makes the company of these cringe inducing kin barely tolerable is that wonderfully distracting invention known as the television. For most kids, the holidays mean more than just Santa, and gifts, and honey-glazed ham. It means you get to crowd around the tele (in much the same way that imaginary family, in those invented greeting cards, sit around a fire) and melt away your brain on usually mindless seasonal programming.
Now whilst most children grew up on flicks such as The Little Drummer Boy, Rudolph The Red-nosed Raindeer, »
- no-reply@fangoria.com (Michael Compton)
The Creature Comfort of a Director?
15 December 2009 7:28 AM, PST | iconsoffright.com | See recent Icons of Fright news »
It appears as if the remake of the Universal Classic Creature Of The Black Lagoon may have found a director.
Commercial director Carl Erik Rinsch, who has worked for Ridley and Tony Scott, seems to be in line to direct the 1954 flick.
Universal has been talking about remaking Black Lagoon for over a decade now, and talks have included everyone from John Carpenter to Breck Eisner, so I wouldn't hold my breath waiting.
Odd that they've gone from Carpenter, a master of the genre, to Rinsch, whose 47 Ronins will be the first feature length film he's ever directed. This sounds like a huge step down.
Read Variety's article here.
--Phil Fasso »
First Run Grabs Docu Filled with Nightmares: Tales From the Script
14 December 2009 7:03 PM, PST | ioncinema | See recent ioncinema news »
If you ever wanted to find an irritable bunch of people working in Hollywood, you wouldn't have to go much further than the names in the screenwriter's directory. First Run Features have picked up the rights to Peter Hanson’s talking heads docu about the horror stories of those of who lived to tell the tale: contemporary screenwriters who got stung in their careers as scribes and consider themselves lucky, managed to see one of their works turn into a final product and retain some shards of its former self. - If you ever wanted to find an irritable bunch of people working in Hollywood, you wouldn't have to go much further than the names in the screenwriter's directory. First Run Features have picked up the rights to Peter Hanson’s talking heads docu about the horror stories of those of who lived to tell the tale: contemporary screenwriters »
Halloween II Alternate Ending
14 December 2009 9:41 AM, PST | ScreenRant.com | See recent Screen Rant news »
[Warning: This Article Contains Halloween II Spoilers]
Fans of the Halloween franchise have been decisively split over Rob Zombie’s reboot of John Carpenter’s classic slasher flick – especially in regards to this summer’s sequel, Halloween II. If you didn’t see the uproar in opinion, check our our review of the film Here.
Since Halloween II was in theaters, we’ve learned that Zombie’s early promise of an exclusive director’s cut on DVD/Blu-ray was going to be made good. As promised, the director’s cut will be Very different from the theatrical version of the film – specifically in terms of how “dark” the tone is (it gets darker than the theatrical version???).
As a preview of the forthcoming Halloween II DVD/Blu-ray, today we have at clip from the “dark version,” courtesy of Shock Til Ya Drop; in this case, a (slightly) alternate ending to the film.
The ending to the theatrical »
- Kofi Outlaw
New ‘Crazies’ Trailer Ups The Creepy Factor
11 December 2009 6:48 PM, PST | ScreenRant.com | See recent Screen Rant news »
A couple of months ago, we brought you the first trailer for Breck Eisner directed remake of George Romero’s horror movie The Crazies. It was long on style and short on substance and the use of Gary Jules’ great song Mad World as a musical backdrop just didn’t really work. My guess is they choose it just based on the title and I seriously doubt the song will be on the soundtrack.
Now Eisner has released another trailer exclusively with Yahoo! Movies (you can head over there if you want to see the HD version).
The Crazies takes place in Ogden Marsh, Iowa. The type of small town where everyone knows their neighbors and they all show up to watch the high school baseball game. Everything is built off Main Street where (I’ll just bet you) there is only one stop light and it’s blinking yellow and red after midnight. »
- Paul Young
2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2001 | 1999 | 1998
1-20 of 540 articles from 2009 « Prev | Next »
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