SCREAM OF THE DAY: RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD III

Curt and Julie sneak onto a military base, where they discover a top secret project involving a gas that turns corpses into zombies. Later, a motorcycle accident leaves Julie dead. Curt returns her body back to the base for what can only become a nightmare in Return of the Living Dead III.

Trivia:

*Getting bit by Trioxin zombie in the previous two Return of the Living Dead films did not turn the individual bit into a zombie. However in Return of the Living Dead III it does.

*Director Brian Yuzna on the DVD commentary regrets not coming up with a more proper name for the film as "Return of the Living Dead III" is too long. He suggests the title "Kurt and Julie" and admits that the title "Mortal Zombie" (which it was called in some places in Europe) is a nice name.

source

NERD NEWS ROUND-UP: SPECIAL HALLOWEEN EDITION

Download and print these cool Star Wars masks.

See porn star Sasha Grey as Wonder Woman.

Watch Fright Night on Hulu. "You're so cool, Brewster!"

The Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World features tombstones inscribed with the names of real people. 13 Tombtones tracks down who those people are and are now a permanent part of the park.

Not all disturbing scenes are in horror movies. IFC has The 25 Scariest Moments in Non-Horror Movies.

Prepare to say "awww..." as you see these 15 Cutest Baby Costumes for Halloween.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

DSTG! wishes a happy Halloween to all our readers.

DRUNK EWOKS

Remember how disappointed you were when the Ewoks showed up and saved the day in Return of the Jedi? Apparently the Ewoks know everyone hates them and started drinking. Heavily. This morning they invaded the set of The Today Show and defeated the dark side again. This time they fought off a dull segment by throwing food at the guest, fighting each other, doing the moonwalk, dancing and humping Al Roker's leg, who was dressed as Han Solo. It doesn't get any better than this and proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that all television would be better with drunk midgets.

May the vodka be with you.

SCREAM OF THE DAY: A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET

A Nightmare on Elm Street is the story of Freddy Krueger, a child murderer. Killed by a lynch mob, he now stalks the dreams of their children, killing them in their sleep.

Trivia:

*This was Johnny Depp's first film.

*Wes Craven's original concept for Freddy Krueger was considerably more gruesome, with teeth showing through the flesh over the jaw, pus running from the sores, and a part of the skull showing through the head. Make-up artist David B. Miller argued that an actor couldn't be convincingly made up that way and a puppet would be hard to film and wouldn't blend well with live actors, so these ideas were eventually abandoned.

*Wes Craven wrote the script and presented it in 1981, but no one wanted it. He said that "It just flew around" until New Line Cinema picked it up.

*This was the first real movie by New Line Cinema. Before that, they were just a distribution company for college campuses.

*This movie was almost never made. About halfway through filming, New Line lost its deal with the distribution company. As a direct result, they couldn't pay the cast or crew for two whole weeks until they found another distribution company. They didn't lose one crew member.

*New Line Cinema was saved from bankruptcy by the success of the film, and was jokingly nicknamed "the house that Freddy built".

*Over 500 gallons of fake blood were used during the making of the film.

*Wes Craven claimed to have drawn inspiration for this movie from 3 separate incidents involving young Cambodians, survivors of Pol Pot's genocidal "purges," all of whom died while apparently in the throes of a horrific nightmare. The story goes that first these young, otherwise healthy people would have a horrible nightmare, then refuse to sleep for as long as possible; when they finally fell asleep from sheer exhaustion they awoke with screaming and writhing, then died from a heart attack. In the last incident, the young man used a variety methods to try and stay awake that were incorporated into the film, including a hidden coffee pot. Some of the dialog between Nancy and her parents is based on this young man's attempts to convince his unbelieving parents that going to sleep would kill him.

*Freddie Kruger was named after a bully who beat up Wes Craven as a child.

source

CREEPY AND KOOKY AND BROADWAY BOUND

With the death last week of Vic Mizzy at 93, the composer of “The Addams Family” TV music, we begin another generation of dramatic interpretations of the famous macabre clan with the incarnation of “Addams Family – The Musical”.

The jury is not even in session yet on this one until after its’ premiere in Chicago on November 13, to be followed early next year by a Broadway run. There is something promising, although a little predictable about the casting of Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia, but the signing of Nathan Lane as Gomez makes one want to wait until at least a few of the votes are in.

The story will be told from the point of view of Uncle Fester and the character of Wednesday will be a budding 18 year old, fulfilling at least one adolescent Halloween fantasy.

The brightly colored and surrealistic preliminary sketches of the stage design suggests a radical departure from the black and white atmosphere established by the original single panel cartoons, which could be either a much needed departure or just the thing to send you running back to John Astin and Carolyn Jones.

Former Woody Allen writer Marshall Brickman, cowriter of the book, along with his creative partner from “The Jersey Boys” is not an entirely comfortable fit and the credits of composer Andrew Lippa are just varied and scant enough to keep you awake at night.

But time will tell. The Addams Family has survived its’ New Yorker magazine origin, a TV series, an animated cartoon series and of course, the recent movies.

In the meantime, you can’t go wrong reading the well written biography of the original creator, “Charles Addams : A Cartoonist’s Life” from 2006.

NERD NEWS ROUND-UP

By Odin's beard! Anthony Hopkins may be in Thor.

Ridley Scott talks about his Alien prequel.

The original lost cut of Fritz Lang's Metropolis will premiere in February after its restoration.

i09 has The Scary/Fun History of Horror Comedy.

Read the 1966 LIFE magazine featuring Adam West as Batman.

Still haven't decorated for Halloween? Learn how to make prop concrete tombstones that will be ready to scare in 24 hours!

SCREAM OF THE DAY: TEETH

Teeth needs to be seen to be believed. Teeth is a movie about "vagina dentata," a toothed vagina that castrates men during sex. Jess Weixler is Dawn, a ring-bearing member of her high school's Promise Club and preaches abstinence to her classmates. With a permanent smile on her face, Dawn lives with a sick mother and a twisted step brother. Everything is fine until she goes swimming with a fellow chastity pledge (Hale Appleman), who loses his resolve and penis after he's overcome by hormones and attempts to rape Dawn.

Terrified, Dawn flees and is horrified to discover her vagina is equipped with sharklike teeth. Her gynecologist loses several fingers in the process of confirming this discovery. To divulge much more about the plot would spoil the twists and jolts that Teeth offers.

Trivia:

*Filmmaker Mitchell Lichtenstein is the son of artist, Roy Lichtenstein.

NERD NEWS ROUND-UP

The Evil Dead is set to return to theaters. Read the press release that includes a quote from Bruce Campbell.

Read Brian Wood's Top Five Favorite Viking Battles.

"Our Sith, who art in space, hallowed be thy name." A Star Wars church is on the way.

Not all ghosts are scary. Holy Taco has a list of 25 Famous Unscary Ghosts.

Watch Carnival of Souls absolutely free on Crackle.

A Doc Savage movie will be coming soon to a theater near you.

COVER OF THE WEEK

Secret Warriors, #9, Variant Cover, Marvel Comics

SCREAM OF THE DAY: HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is based on the life of Henry Lee Lucas.



Trivia:

*The character of Henry is loosely based upon the real life serial killer Henry Lee Lucas. As in the film, Lucas was acquainted with a fellow convict named Ottis Toole (although in the film, the character's name is only given as Otis). Additionally, Lucas became the lover of Toole's 11 year old niece, Frieda Powell, who lived with Lucas and Toole for a time and often went under the pseudonym of "Becky" (although in the film, Becky is Otis' sister, rather than his niece, and is considerably older than Powell was). Also as in the film, Lucas ultimately killed Becky. Furthermore, like the fictional Henry, the real Henry's mother worked as a prostitute from her house, often forcing him to watch her whilst she had sex, and occasionally making him wear a dress. The real Henry's father had also lost both his legs in an accident, prior to which he had been a truck driver, just like the fictional character. However, the actions of the fictional Henry are inspired not by Lucas' real crimes, but by his fabricated ones. In prison, Lucas confessed to over 600 murders, claiming he committed roughly one murder a week from 1975 to 1983. Ultimately however, the vast majority of these claims turned out to be false, whilst many of the rest could not be substantiated one way or the other. Lucas was simply confessing to every unsolved murder brought before him because doing so ensured better conditions for him, as law enforcement officers would offer him incentives to 'confess'. Such confessions also increased his fame with the public. In the end, Lucas was convicted of eleven murders, and sentenced to death for the murder of Frieda Powell, although his death sentence was later commuted to life in prison by the then governor of Texas George W. Bush.

*Although completed in 1986, the film didn't get a theatrical release until 1989. It is often mistakenly claimed that this was due to it's being tied up in censorship issues with the MPAA, and although this is true to a degree, the majority of the delay occurred because the executive producers, Malik B. Ali and Waleed B. Ali were somewhat underwhelmed by the film turned in by director John McNaughton, and weren't sure it was even worth their time releasing it on VHS, let alone releasing theatrically. As McNaughton himself says, "they just put it on the self". Several years later, Chuck Parello (who would go on to direct Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Part 2 (1996)) saw the film and was deeply impressed. Parello was working for the Ali brothers at the time, and he began to lobby them to do something with it. He convinced them to let it be screened at the Chicago Film Festival in 1989, where, after getting a glowing review from the Chicago Tribune's Rick Kogan, the film was accepted into the 1989 Telluride Festival and subsequently the 1990 Splatterfest Festival, becoming the sensation of both festivals. At this point, the Ali brothers realized they had something unique on their hands and set about promoting the film for theatrical release.

*The film was shot on 16mm in 28 days with a budget of $110,000. It initially earned $600,000 on its (extremely limited) theatrical run, but has since gone on to earn millions on VHS and DVD, as well as theatrical re-releases.

*Michael Rooker said he was working as a janitor when he auditioned for the part of Henry and went to the audition in his janitor uniform. He got the part, and continued to wear his uniform throughout the film shoot. He only had one jacket, though, so he took it off before he "killed" anyone so he wouldn't get blood on it.

*Director John McNaughton originally intended to shoot the entire film with a hand-held camera, so as to give it the look and feel of a fly-on-the-wall documentary. He had hired Jean de Segonzac to work as the director of photography as de Segonzac was regarded as one of the world's foremost hand-held cameramen. However, a week before filming began, de Segonzac had to drop out of the project, and McNaughton was left without a director of photography. He subsequently hired Charlie Lieberman, who had shot a number of half hour substance abuse programs, and together, McNaughton and Lieberman decided to abandon the hand-held idea and go in the opposite direction; never using a hand-held camera at all, and ensuring very exact, very rigid framing throughout the film.

*Throughout filming, the filmmakers cut costs by utilizing family and friends, as well as their own possessions, and even the crew itself, wherever they could. For example, the dead couple in the bar near the start of the film are the parents of director's best friend, whilst the bar itself is where McNaughton used to work.. Actress Mary Demas (a close friend of McNaughton's prior to the film) plays three different murder victims; the woman in the ditch in the opening shot; the woman with the bottle in her mouth in the toilet; and the first of the two murdered prostitutes. The four women Henry encounters outside the shopping mall were all played by close friends of McNaughton. The woman hitch hiking was a woman with whom McNaughton used to work. The clothes Michael Rooker wears throughout the film were his own clothes (apart from the shoes and socks). The car driven by Henry belonged to one of the electricians on the film. Art director Rick Paul plays the man shot in the lay-by; storyboard artist Frank Coronado plays the smaller of the attacking bums; grip Brian Graham plays the husband in the family-massacre scene; executive producer Waleed B. Ali plays the clerk serving Henry towards the end of the film.

*In the original script, the family massacre scene is longer. After the three family members have been murdered, Otis (Tom Towles) molests the body of the mother (Lisa Temple) and performs full necrophilia with it. Prior to shooting however, director John McNaughton made the decision to abandon this part of the scene.

*During the screening of the film at the 1989 Telluride Festival, nearly half the audience walked out during the family massacre scene. When the film finished, it was met with complete silence, as the audience were so stunned by what they had just seen and didn't know how to react. As director John McNaughton was leaving the theatre, he was approached by a distressed man who informed him "You can't do that." McNaughton asked him what he meant, and the man explained that you couldn't make a film about a murderer who gets away in the end, without punishment or without any kind of moral resolution, reiterating "You can't do that." McNaughton thought about this for a moment, and then said to the man, "We just did."

source

HALLOWEEN IN THE FUNNY BOOKS

I love Halloween and so do comic book companies. io9 has some of the Weirdest and Most Wonderful Halloween Covers. Above are a few of my favorites.

NERD NEWS ROUND-UP

Legendary comic book artist Gene Colan receives an award.

Marvel has Halloween costumes with $5.00 overnight shipping.

The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic was released this week. This 2-disc collection features 38 remastered songs and a 24 page booklet.

Microsoft proves once again fails at marketing by pulling out of the Family Guy Special. Microsoft decided jokes about deaf people, the Holocaust, feminine hygiene and incest "was not a fit with the Windows brand." Did they ever watch an episode of Family Guy before making the agreement?

Read about a little boy with antlers who heads out into what’s left of the world in this sneak peek of Sweet Tooth #3.

SCREAM OF THE DAY: GRACE

Madeline loses her unborn baby in a devastating accident but insists on carrying the baby to term. After the delivery, Madeline wills the child back to life but soon realizes something is terribly wrong with Grace.

Trivia:

*Grace was turned into a feature after Paul Solet's 2006 short film of the same name (starring Brian Austin Green and Liza Weil) generated positive buzz and awards.

*Horror director Adam Green (Hatchet (2006)) is in the supermarket scene as the employee selling meat. He's the producer of the film.

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NERD NEWS ROUND-UP

"That's they way they became the Deadpool Bunch." I have to admit, the name "Dogpool" is kinda' funny.

Uma Thurman looks forward to starring in Kill Bill 3.

What's up, Doc? Download some 1970's Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny Gold Key comic books.

J.J. Abrams told MTV he would like his chance to direct a Superman movie.

It's Halloween on Saturday. What will you be watching? Amazon has slashed prices on lots of horror movies.

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

Have we learned nothing from sci-fi movies? Don't these robot creators watch Battlestar Galactica or Terminator or Blade Runner or any of the other countless movies about robots taking over the earth? Scientists and engineers are nerds so I know they watch these movies and yet they tempt fate. I bet they all work for Skynet.

DEATH BY SPOON

Slasher flicks make their kills fast and nasty while torture porn movies slowly kills their victims. Now you'll witness the slowest murder ever on screen. Lock your door. Hide your utensils and watch if you dare The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon.

SCREAM OF THE DAY: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD

Night of the Living Dead is the story of a group of people trying to survive a zombie attack in a farmhouse.

Trivia:

*The zombie hand that Tom (Keith Wayne) hacks up with a kitchen knife was made of clay and filled with chocolate syrup.

*When the zombies are eating the bodies in the burnt-out truck they were actually eating roast ham covered in chocolate sauce. The filmmakers joked that it was so nausea inducing that it was almost a waste of time putting the makeup on the zombies, as they ended up looking pale and sick anyway.

*The gas pump was not bolted to the ground when the actress who played Barbra, Judith O'Dea, runs into it at the start of the film. She did it with so much force she almost tipped it over on the cameraman.

*One of the working titles for this film was "Night of the Flesh Eaters". Originally, the beings attacking the characters were extraterrestrial in origin, either aliens or humans possessed by an alien pathogen, presumably covering a NASA satellite returning from Venus. Eventually, it was decided that the dead would rise and devour the living, presumably due to radiation that was carried by a NASA satellite returning from Venus.

*Though the radiation of a detonated satellite returning from Venus is theorized to be the cause of the dead rising and attacking the living, according to the filmmakers, the actual cause is never determined.

*During the filming of the cemetery sequence, shot on two separate days, an unexpected accident caused a fast change of script. The car driven by Barbara and Johnny into the cemetery was actually owned by the mother of Russell Streiner. Unfortunately, sometime between the two filming sequences, someone ran into the car and put a dent in it that would easily be visible on camera. George Romero rewrote the scene so the car would come to a stop by crashing into a tree.

*In the scene where Ben is nailing wooden boards to the door, small numbers can be seen on them. These were written on the backs of the boards so they could be removed and replaced in between shots, preserving continuity. Some numbers are visible because some of the boards were nailed on backwards.

*Tom Savini was originally hired by Romero to do the makeup effects for this film. The two were first introduced to each other when Savini auditioned for an acting role in an earlier film that never got off the ground. Romero, remembering that Savini was also a makeup artist (he had brought his makeup portfolio to show to Romero at the audition), called Savini to the set of his horror movie. However, Savini was unable to do the effects because he was called to duty by the US Army to serve as a combat photographer in Vietnam.

*The word "zombie" is never used. The most common euphemism used to describe the living dead is "those things," mostly by Cooper.

*When the writers decided to base the film on zombies, they brainstormed about what would be the most shocking thing for the zombies to do to people and decided on cannibalism.

source

DARTH VADER IS A #1 BAD ASS

Found here.

NERD NEWS ROUND-UP

Sylvester Stallone wants to make another film. You guessed it. Rocky 7. *groan*

Own a piece of Disneyland with this ticket booth straight from the park.

Northlanders #21 hits shelves this Wednesday, beginning an eight issue arc called The Plague Widow featuring the debut of artist Leandro Fernandez. Check out his art from the first 3 pages.

To add insult to injury, Sideshow Collectibles created an Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skulls action figure for $174.99 that includes a refrigerator. I'm asking Lucas Films for the same amount to compensate my pain and suffering from watching the film.

Bill Murray talks Ghostbusters 3 and I love what he says. However, Ghostbuster fans may be disappointed.

PIN-UP OF THE WEEK

Beach Girl

OUR SECOND AWARD

You may have noticed DSTG! has a new award on the right side of your screen. We received the Superior Scribbler Award from our fellow blogger and friend, Keith, over at Sugar & Spice. Thank you very much, Keith. We'll keep posting circus freaks, pin-ups and comic book news to make our readers happy.

SCREAM OF THE DAY: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

A lonely florist finds his chance for love, fame and fortune with the help of a giant blood thirsty plant in Little Shop of Horrors.

Trivia:

*The bizarre equipment used by sadistic dentist Orin Scrivello has made numerous appearances in other Warner Bros. productions, notably as Jeremy Irons' gynecology tools in Dead Ringers (1988) and as the Joker's plastic surgeon's tools in Batman (1989).

*It supposedly took Steve Martin six weeks to film all his scenes.

*Bill Murray ad-libbed his lines.

*The song "Some Fun Now" was adapted from the song from the Off-Broadway show "Ya Never Know." Four other songs were cut from the score and one, "Mean Green Mother From Outer Space" was written for the film.

*The scenes in which the two largest Audrey II puppets are performing with the actors are filmed at a lower speed. First at 16 frames per second, then at 12 frames per second for the final number. This means that the actors had to move and lip sync in slow motion.

*For the scene during "Suppertime" when Mushnik is offering Seymour a way out, director Frank Oz originally wanted to use over-the-shoulder shots. But Rick Moranis and Vincent Gardenia kept cracking each other up so he had to use close-ups.

*The shot pulling away from Audrey after the song "Somewhere That's Green" was so long that it required two cranes, one placed on top of the other, to pull it off. The camera actually shifts a little when the one crane stops and the other takes over.

*Steve Martin cut his hands while filming the scene in which his character pushes open the double swinging doors to Audrey's apartment complex. As a result, in the final cut he is kicking the door open.

*As part of the film's promotion, the "Audrey II" plant was occasionally interviewed, in character, by the press. On at least one occasion, the interview concluded with Audrey II "eating" the interviewer.

*The filmmakers originally offered the role of Audrey to Cyndi Lauper, before casting original stage star Ellen Greene. Madonna was also reportedly considered for the role.

*The tie-in trading card set released by Topps contains many shots of scenes now deleted from the movie. These includes images of the plants taking over New York; of Audrey (1) being eaten; and pieces of the deleted extended song sequence - all presented in full colour. The back of some of the trading cards could be put together to form a larger picture of the plants attacking the Brooklyn Bridge.

source

NERD NEWS ROUND-UP

Brainz has a list Beyond Monopoly: The 15 Greatest Board Games of All Time.

Love Halloween and candy? Order a tasty chocolate skull.

Meet the real Harry Potter. Born in 1989, he lived a dull life until JK Rowling released her book. He even shares a scar on his forehead just like the fictional character.

Gene Roddenberry once said, "Religions vary in their degree of idiocy, but I reject them all. For most people, religion is nothing more than a substitute for a malfunctioning brain." And yet Star Trek seemed to follow The 10 Commandments.

Check out some concept art for District 9.

Moon Knight was supposed to be a TV series?

JUST LISTEN: IMELDA MAY

Imelda May (born Imelda Mary Higham), aka Imelda Clabby, fell in love with rockabilly and blues at 9 years-old in her hometown of Dublin. She released Love Tattoo in August of this year and took the number one spot on the charts in Ireland.

You can learn more about Imelda May on her official website and purchase her music here.

NATHIAN FILLION IS BACK AS CAPTAIN MALCOM REYNOLDS

Well, sort of. Nathan Fillion stars on the ABC television series, Castle. In this episode, he dresses as Captain Malcom Reynolds from Firefly for Halloween. Not only that, but he also references Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Underworld in this clip.

My man-crush on Nathan Fillion continues.

GOOD GRIEF, BUB

Dark Phoenix is really evil.

Found here.

SCREAM OF THE DAY: P2

P2 tells the story of Angela, a workaholic who becomes the victim of her stalker, a psychotic security guard, on Christmas Eve.

Trivia:

*The film was shot in two months, exclusive at night, at a real working Toronto parking garage.

*There were 14 white dresses. Each one was in various stages of dirtiness and decay.

*Three different dogs were used to portray the Rottweiler.

source

SCOPITONES SATURDAY: "BECAUSE YOU'RE MINE"

James Darren is a singer, actor and television director. He appeared on TJ Hooker, The A-Team and lots more. He was a friend of Frank Sinatra and obviously has a way with the ladies.

NERD NEWS ROUND-UP

Jeff Smith's comic book series Bone could be a three picture deal at Warner Bros.

Get a sneak peek at Queen Sonja #1 due in stores Wednesday October 28th, 2009.

Hannibal, Faceman, Howling Mad Murdock and B.A Baracus are back in the film adaptation of The A-Team. Check out the first official photo.

Dynamo 5 is an overlooked comic book gem. Don't believe me? See for yourself with this exclusive preview of issue #25.

Do the robot on the dance floor wearing this Star Wars R2-D2 hoodie. Or show your love for Batman with this Robin hoodie from frosti.

SCREAM OF THE DAY: LET THE RIGHT ONE IN

Oscar is bullied at school and ignored by his mother. A young girl who turns out to be a vampire moves in next door and helps him find love and revenge in Let the Right One In.

Trivia:

*The title of the film (as well as the novel upon which it was based) refers to the Morrissey song "Let the Right One Slip In". In addition, it also refers to the fact that, according to vampire myths, vampires must be invited in before they can enter someone's home (this is shown in the film when Eli asks Oskar to invite her into his apartment).

*Though the film takes place in Blackeberg, a suburb of Stockholm, the film principal photography was shot in Luleå in the north of Sweden, to ensure enough snow and cold weather.

*Several tricks were used to create the right sound effects for some of the gorier scenes. Biting into sausages was used to replicate biting into skin and flesh, and drinking yogurt was used to sound like drinking blood. The sound of the children blinking was made by the skin of a grape rubbing against each other in an almost 'blinking' motion.

source

NERD NEWS ROUND-UP

Lance Henriksen wants to do feature film of Chris Carter's Millennium.

It just won't die. The multimillion-dollar Broadway musical Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark is apparently still a go despite all common sense with the opening pushed back to February 2010.

Winter is coming. Why not wear this Iron Man ski mask when you're going down the slopes?

You can impress everyone at your next presentation with this Star Wars light saber laser pointer.

Daniel Craig confirms a new Jame Bond movie will begin filming "at the end of next year."

Topless Robot has The 10 Least Essential Bruce Campbell Movies. Somehow the Spider-Man movies didn't make the list.

CREATE YOUR OWN SILK SPECTRE COSTUME

Love the Watchmen? Giannyl shows you how to create your very own Silk Spectre II costume. This one looks a little more advanced than her previous videos but if you follow her instructions carefully, you too could have a great costume this Halloween.

IRON MAN VS BRUCE LEE

It's Martial Arts Master vs Shell Head in this stop motion animation. Iron Man's secret identity is revealed and he's a long way from the shire.

Thanks, Stan!

SCREAM OF THE DAY: JEEPERS CREEPERS

Jeepers Creepers is the story of a brother and sister on a road trip where they encounter a flesh-eating monster on the last day of its eating spree.

Trivia:

*Victor Salva originally wrote the role of the Creeper for Lance Henriksen.

*Gina Philips (Trish) and Justin Long (Darry) were not allowed to meet Jonathan Breck before filming (in order to get a true reaction from them when they actually did see him with his full costume and makeup), nor did they see the BEATNGU truck before the opening scene was shot. When Philips first saw the truck, she said something to the effect of: "Is that the truck? Jeepers, that's creepy."

*The original title was "Here comes the Boogeyman".

*The original truck from the film is owned by a private collector in Maryland, who keeps it in storage awaiting the filming of Jeepers Creepers 3.

*At the time of its release Jeepers Creepers was the highest grossing film to ever be released during Labor Day weekend. The record would subsequently be broken by its own sequel, Jeepers Creepers II in 2003.

*Director Victor Salva wanted the countryside settings for the film to have an eerie quality about them. However Salva said that the Florida filming locations were so beautiful that often times the footage for the film would have to be darkened down to give the locations a more menacing appearance.

source

VINTAGE SLEAZE

I think she needs a Manwich.

Found here.

NERD NEWS ROUND-UP

Dylan Baker is back as Dr. Curt Connors in Spider-Man 4. Will he become The Lizard this time around?

Disney wants you to ditch your DVD collection and use Keychest. What is Keychest? It's new technology that allows users to access to watch a movie or TV show but not own the physical product. No thank you.

Here's a list of DC Comics titles that are scheduled to ship January 2010.

Still don't have a Halloween costume? Download a funny werewolf, mummy or vampire mask.

Read an interview with Jeff Lemire where he discusses his new (and my new favorite) series, Sweet Tooth.

SCREAM OF THE DAY: SLITHER

Slither is the story of a small town invaded by an alien species, turning the residents into monsters.

Trivia:

*Director James Gunn cameos as another teacher at Starla's school.

*People, places and buildings, throughout the film, allude to various late-20th-century monster movies.

*In the script, Jack tells Bill that Brenda is the niece of Randy Flagg. Randall Flagg is the bad guy in several Stephen King novels including "The Stand" (1994).

source

COVER OF THE WEEK

Amazing Spider-Man, #609, Marvel Comics

NERD NEWS ROUND-UP

The reboot for The Crow has a script. They're calling it a revamp, not a remake and will feature a new character, not Eric Draven.

Marvel's solicitations for January 2010 are online.

Image Comics follows suit with their upcoming January 2010 releases.

Get a sneak peek at Black Widow: Deadly Origin #1.

Some Phil Noto's art for the Batman/Doc Savage Special #1 is online.

HOMICIDAL PIXAR LAMP

Cover your i's. The Pixar Lamp is on the loose!

MAYBE IT'S ANOTHER DRILL

It's a good thing Han Solo has his looks because he's not very smart.

SCREAM OF THE DAY: CUBE

Cube is the story of seven strangers who are trapped in a deadly maze.

Trivia:

*All of the characters are named after prisons: Quentin (San Quentin, California), Holloway (England), Kazan (Russia), Rennes (France), Alderson (Alderson, West Virginia), Leaven and Worth (Leavenworth, Kansas).

*Not only are the characters named after prisons but they reflect the prisons themselves. Example: Kazan (the mentally challenged character), in Russia is a disorganized prison. Rennes (the "mentor") was a jail that pioneered many of today's prison policies. Quentin (the detective) is known for its brutality. Holloway is a women's prison, and Alderson is a prison where isolation is a common punishment. Leavenworth runs to a rigid set of rules (Leaven's mathematics), and the new prison is corporately owned and built (Worth, hired as an architect).

*Director Vencenzo Natali directed a follow-up short film in which we see what is outside the cube. Natali has made a solemn vow never to reveal what was outside the cube, and destroyed the video years ago.

*One of the earlier drafts of the script had the characters finding bizarre alien food. The idea was subsequently lost after it gave too clear a definition as to who was responsible for the cube.

source

NERD NEWS ROUND-UP

The Superman/Batman: Public Enemies DVD was so successful, a sequel is in the works.

Fantagraphics has restarted Hal Foster's Prince Valiant series with higher quality collections in hardcovers.

Download the 1940's Slam Bang comic book issues 1 through 7.

Love Aquaman? Who doesn't. Check out The Aquaman Shrine, now going on it's third year!

Or if you're in the mood for a She-Devil with a Sword, click on over to the Red Sonja site.

I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU MARIO AND WIFE

Ain't love grand? Or at least creative. Check out this marriage proposal using the video game, Super Mario World, where Brad spelled out "Lisa... will you marry me?" in coins.

"My nerdy way to propose. On October 15th 2009, it was out 5 year anniversary so i decided to propose. Using a program called lunar magic I was able to spell "lisa... Will you marry me?" she may not look too surprised in the video but you should of seen her afterwords, she couldn't sit still!!! And no it wasn't staged, but I did sit her down told her to play some Super Mario World, but she totally didn't know she was being recorded!!"

I hope Wario doesn't crash the wedding.

FROM GOD'S HAND TO YOUR CHEST

Behold the power of cleavage.

SCREAM OF THE DAY: PET SEMATARY

The Creeds have just moved to a new house in the countryside. Their house is perfect, except for two things: the semi-trucks that roar past the house and the mysterious Pet Semetary in the woods behind their home.

Trivia:

*When Rachel gets off the semi, the numbers "666" are on it.

*Stephen King has a cameo as a minister at the funeral.

*The role of Zelda, Rachael's dying sister, was played by a man. The role called for her to look emaciated, and apparently there were no women skinny enough.

*7 cats were used to play the part of "Church."

*Stephen King required the movie to be filmed in Maine and his screenplay to be followed rigorously.

*Bruce Campbell was the first choice for the role of Louis Creed.

*Tom Savini turned down the chance to direct the film.

*Mary Lambert said Fred Gwynne was her first and only choice for the role of Judd Crandall.

*The story was inspired to Stephen King by actual events that occurred while he was living in Orington, Maine with his family. King recalled that while living there his daughter's cat was killed in the highway. Much of Ellie Creed's emotional outburst was taken directly from King's own grief-stricken daughter. King also remembered that once his youngest son had nearly ran into the road while a truck was speeding down it, much like Gage does in film. The character of Judd Crandall was based on the elderly neighbor that lived across the road from King. Also there was an actual pet cemetery in the woods behind the King house, which became the basis for the one in the novel.

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NERD NEWS ROUND-UP

Welcome to a new feature here on DSTG! where we provide links to some of the latest stories circulating the web.

Bruce Campbell promises MTV he'll have a bigger part in Spider-Man 4 thereby ensuring the franchise will continue to be horrible. I like Bruce Campbell, but he's part of the reason the movies are so campy and bad.

A list of DC Comics due in stores this Wednesday. Do yourself a favor and pick up the Jonah Hex: Lead Poisoning trade.

Make mine Marvel with this list of comic books hitting shelves on Wednesday. If you're not reading Invincible Iron Man, you're missing out.

Robert De Niro in Thor?

The rumor mill continues on Ain't It Cool with Jackie Earle Haley as Sinestro in the upcoming Green Lantern film with Superman making a cameo.

I WANT TO BELIEVE

"Here's a thank you to all our fans!"

I want to believe another X-Files film wouldn't suck as much as the last movie. David Duchovny wants to give it another try (guess he needs another yacht). The Daily Beast caught up with Duchovny where he mentions a third film in the franchise:

One of those downers was getting typecast as Fox Mulder for many years, essentially parodying and regurgitating the character in Evolution, Zoolander, and various sci-fi videogames.

“A show or movie with the staying power of The X-Files happens so rarely, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event for an actor, and a certain residue accrues to a person when they are involved in something like that,” Duchovny says pensively. “There was a prejudice within the Hollywood community where they didn’t know I could do anything else. I understand the residue and I don’t resent it, but certainly I am happy to have created another character that’s so different, in a different genre, and I would love to keep doing that.”

However, Duchovny looks forward to filming a third X-Files film in the near future. “As far as the X-Files movie I’d like to do next, if we get a chance to do it, would be a return to the heart and soul of the mythology, which is the alien-oriented conspiracy. I think it’s natural for The X-Files to have another movie in 2012, so we’ll see if we get to do it.” He defends last year’s widely panned I Want to Believe, as well as the polarizing last few seasons of the television run: “I was happy with it… I have nothing but respect for [X-Files creator] Chris Carter and the writing staff.”

Whatever. On behalf of all X-files fans, let me thank you David for ruining The X-Files by leaving the most successful project you've ever had in your career. How did that work out for you? Evolution 2 on the way any time soon? Of course, David Duchovny isn't the only culprit for the show tanking. Let's not forget how Chris Carter abandoned the series to write short-lived shows like Millennium, Harsh Realm and The Lone Gunmen. The X-Files should have went out with a bang, instead of a whimper.

PIN-UP OF THE WEEK

RESERVOIR BUNNIES

Seven stranger bunnies team up for the perfect crime. They don't know each other's names but they've got each other's color.

SCREAM OF THE DAY: NEEDFUL THINGS

Satan sets up an antique shop in a sleepy town in the film, Needful Things. He has exactly what your heart desires but it comes with a heavy price.

Trivia:

*This was the feature film debut for director Fraser Clarke Heston, who had played the infant Moses in The Ten Commandments (1956). During the filming, he took Max von Sydow (who played Jesus in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)) aside to discuss how he would play the upcoming scene. One observer noted, "That's something you don't see every day - Moses telling Jesus how to play the devil."

*The setting of Needful Things is a fictional town called Castle Rock, Maine - as in Stephen King's novel. The distribution company Castle Rock was named after it when it released Stand by Me (1986). Castle Rock was also the setting for The Dead Zone (1983), Cujo (1983), and The Dark Half (1993).

*Stephen King's original novel also featured a return appearance by Ace Merrill, the bully played by Kiefer Sutherland in Stand by Me (1986).

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