‘Tis the season to wreck havoc. Joe Dante’s 1984 tale of that loveable and unique Christmas gift which turns out to be more trouble than he’s worth is now a firm festive favourite, and similar to Die Hard, it has earned a loving place on that list whilst using the holidays ostensibly as a hook to tell the story.

Produced by Steven Spielberg under his now legendary Amblin banner, director Joe Dante was apparently brought on board due to the Jaws auteur being a huge fan of his debut feature, The Howling. The director’s playfully sense of dark mischief alongside that more traditional, wholesome Hollywood outlook serves the story perfectly, and the film has a little more bite than some of the other fantasy features it shares a kinship with from that era.

Dante’s own love for Christmas is palpable throughout, and he litters the film with amusing references amongst the creature mischief and carnage. He also has fun subverting the traditions associated with the season, and this is particularly apparent when a main character reveals why she doesn’t join in with celebrations, owing to the death of her father who broke his neck whilst emulating Santa and attempting to climb down the family’s chimney.

The Gremlins themselves are a fantastically evil creation, and the air of menace and danger is much more evident here than in the sequel, which opted for a more comedic, knockabout tone. In the days before CGI, the model work on display is pretty impressive, even with the limitations that process brings. The Mogwai and their green transmutations all possess distinctive personalities and the strong creature design and puppetry really help bring out those characteristics.

In fact, the effects work sometimes threatens to overshadow the sketchily-drawn human characters and the actors who inhibit them. Leads Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates (fresh from being the object of lust for young American males in Fast Time in Ridgemont High) are appealing if a little bland, and the performance of the principal human villain (the spiteful and cantankerous town matriarch Mrs Deagle) is very broad and veers a little too close to out-and-out caricature at times.

It’s definitely the Gremlins show and it’s easy to forget just how vicious and deadly they can be during the scenes which are more slapstick and spoofy in nature. That the cinema turns out to be the only place where they are visibly (and hilariously) enraptured is a wonderful moment and a fun comment on the power of the moving image.

Gremlins was the fourth highest-grossing film of that year (Beverly Hills Cop, Ghostbusters and ‘Temple of Doom’ took the top three slots) and while it certainly hasn’t aged as well as Amblin stablemates, Back to the Future and The Goonies (it’s a very uneven film in terms of pacing and structure), there’s still much fun to had here, and it’s the perfect respite for those who tire of the overabundance of mawkish festive material which bombard our cinema and TV screens each year.

Today’s Video Vault has Hayley Stovold showing off the neighbourhood.

Although it was first released in 1989, The ‘Burbs is still as exciting and watchable as ever. Over two decades later, the film still confronts current issues, albeit slightly dramatised.

A black comedy/thriller, The ‘Burbs is set in a small suburban town, Hinkley Hills, and follows suburbanite Ray Petersen as he and his friends investigate the strange, new next door neighbours. Ray (Tom Hanks) starts to hear weird noises from The Klopeks’ house at night and, seeing as they never appear in the daytime, begins to investigate. Ray and his trusted friends start to believe they might be up to something untoward – cue 102 minutes of adventure that takes place simply in a cul-de-sac.

The cast line-up goes a long way in helping to make this movie so special. Tom Hanks is his usual self, bringing a healthy mix of sarcasm and charisma to the screen. His chemistry with on-screen wife Carrie Fisher is brilliant and they play a realistic, agitated married couple. She is pre-occupied with getting away from the suburbs for a holiday; he is completely enthralled and focused on what’s happening in his own backyard.

Bruce Dern plays the eccentric Lt. Mark Rumsfield, who is constantly dressed in his army gear and spends his days trying to keep his lawn pristine and safe from dog poop. Rick Ducommon is Ray’s slightly chubby best friend Art and Corey Feldman (The Goonies) is ‘rock wannabe’ Ricky Butler. The casting is so good because it is so awkwardly realistic. If I were to open my front door right now and look outside, I would see very similar characters trundling along with their daily lives. Taking out the rubbish, walking the dog or mowing the lawn – mundane daily chores are all covered throughout the movie. The mixture of personalities is just pure entertainment too. Ray is sensible but easily led astray, Art is simple, Mark is slightly mad and Ricky is just, well, Ricky.

There’s a good mix of light and shade during the film, with the Klopeks creating most of the shade. The family is quite spooky and made up of a doctor, a grumpy uncle and a pale, buck-toothed teen.

The movie is not only brilliant because of the cast but also because it manages to be highly entertaining despite its limited setting. The most adventurous shot in the movie involves Ray and Dr Werner Klopek (Henry Gibson) battling it out in a moving ambulance while their helpless neighbours watch on in disbelief. There are also some major action shots, including one of the last scenes where Ray and Art accidentally blow up a house. The majority of the film takes place within the cul-de-sac, on the street and in backyards. The scene inside the Klopek house is a rare insight into the strange neighbours. Despite the repetitive setting, the film has a way of making you want to join in with the conspiracies and uncover the truth.

The reason I love The ‘Burbs is not only because it makes me chuckle, it’s because it tackles so many endless themes. Normality, territorial threats, suspicion, paranoia and friendship are all explored. While there have been other movies based on suburban life (American Beauty, Neighbors, Moving) none of them do it as well. Joe Dante’s The ‘Burbs is laced with intricacy, humour and is slightly spooky – so for me it pushes all the right buttons.

Follo Hayley on Twitter here: @hayleystovold

“Any movie can be great at 2 1/2 minutes!”

For those of you who may be wondering what Trailers From Hell is but have taken the time to read this review, you are about to be introduced to what will probably be one of your new favourite sites. Trailers From Hell is a site for people who love films, made by people who love films (and make films). Conceived and created by the likes of director Joe Dante, Trailers From Hell draws on the knowledge of a variety of gurus (generally notable genre directors) who provide commentaries for film trailers.

The Trailers From Hell website can be found here and I can highly recommend you check it out, if you haven’t already. Make sure you have a few hours to spare before clicking on the link though.

In addition to the site, a DVD was released last year by TFH which collected together a number of these trailer commentaries and although a great release it did not add too much to what was already available on the site. For the the second volume though, TFH have filled the disc with a selection of trailers and commentaries exclusive to the DVD release, thereby making it more of a special one off release.

The selection of film trailers is absolutely fantastic and the gurus brought in to comment on them provide a lot of background information on the films and their trailers. The commentaries are never just dry and factual though and filmmakers such as John Landis, Brian Trenchard-Smith and Joe Dante have great senses of humour and this shines through in their commentaries.

On this new volume Trenchard-Smith’s commentaries on two Hammer oddities, Devil Ship Pirates and Stranglers of Bombay, are almost certainly my personal favourites but listening to Del Toro speak about his love of Argento (delivered in both English and Spanish) is also an absolute treat and Corman’s recollections of the production of Ski Troop Attack and Premature Burial are also both amusing and insightful.

The disc allows the viewer the option of either watching the trailers with the commentaries/talking heads included or on their own and the option to play all or jump to a particular trailer. The play all function with the commentaries switched on is the way to go as they are incredibly moreish and like the famous BBC mission statement they constantly inform, educate and entertain.

Perhaps appropriately the extra feature on this disc of what could be considered a compilation of extra features is an actual feature film. Presented in a new anamorphic widescreen transfer, the original Little Shop of Horrors is included as a bonus on the disc. This early feature from Corman is a lot of fun and features a particularly memorable performance from a young Jack Nicholson. The print is the best I’ve seen the film look and it’s surprising how enduringly entertaining the film is. A great addition to an already hugely entertaining release.

Trailers From Hell Volume Two is available to buy on DVD from Shout! Factory on the 5th of July and will hopefully be followed by a Volume Three very very soon.

Please note that this disc is Region 1.

***** (5/5)

A full list of the guests and the trailers can be found below,

Roger Corman on trailers for Ski Troop Attack and Premature Burial.

Joe Dante on Donovan’s Brain and The Invisible Ghost.

Guillermo Del Toro on Deep Red and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Ernest Dickerson on The Creeping Unknown.

Mick Garris on Fire Maidens from Outer Space and Flesh Gordon.

Jack Hill on Pit Stop.

Larry Karaszewski on Last Summer and The Tenant.

Lloyd Kaufman on Terror Firmer.

Mary Lambert on Godzilla vs. Mothra.

John Landis on Gorgo.

Josh Olson on Jaws and The Lineup.

Michael Peyser on Seven Days in May.

Brian Trenchard-Smith on Devil Ship Pirates and Stranglers of Bombay.

Fans of  Joe Dante may not have to wait for another seven years between cinema releases with news from Shock Till You Drop that the Gremlins director is moving into pre-production on Monster Love.

Written by Greg Pak (behind the script for last year’s animated feature Planet Hulk) it’s the story of a werewolf and a vampire who fall in love, igniting a war between their respective communities. It’s being billed as “Romeo and Juliet” with fangs”!

In all honesty, this doesn’t sound like the most original and exciting of projects (didn’t Underworld have a very similar premise?). Dante was toying with doing a biopic of friend and former mentor, B-Movie godfather Roger Corman, although maybe intended star Colin Firth’s ascension up the Hollywood food chain (particularly as he may be recipient of the Best Actor Oscar next month) has put the brakes on this for now.

If Monster Love proves to be Dante’s follow-up to The Hole, let’s hope it turns into a profitable endeavour, giving him the leverage to do what he wants (and nab now in demand Firth!).

To celebrate the release of Joe Dante’s new movie, The Hole, EOne have given us some merchandise to give away. The movie is released on DVD and Blu ray January 17th and we’ve got the chance for three lucky winners to own a blu-ray goodie bag with the first person picked also winning a poster signed by Joe Dante!

From visionary horror director, Joe Dante (Gremlins, Small Soldiers), comes a family-friendly chiller which explores the fears and secrets buried deep in the human mind. Starring teen heartthrob Chris Massoglia (The Vampire’s Assistant), The Hole is the story of two brothers who discover a bottomless hole in the basement of their new home. As the brothers explore the depths of the mysterious hole, they soon discover that their deepest fears and darkest nightmares are coming to life. Explore new depths of horror!

Boasting stunning special effects and a suspenseful storyline, THE HOLE also stars rising young actors Haley Bennett (The Haunting of Molly Hartley, Marley & Me) and Nathan Gamble (Marley & Me) alongside veteran talent Teri Polo (Meet the Parents, TV’s The West Wing) and Bruce Dern (Coming Home). A fun-filled first frightener for teens and a scary classic for Dante fans which pays homage to a host of other horror films, THE HOLE is thrilling entertainment for all ages.  

To be in with a chance of winning this great prize, all you have to do is answer the following question using the form below:

Which movie did Joe Dante direct which featured a furry character named Gizmo?

The small print:

• Competition open to UK only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close January 17th (release date) at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

I started writing for the site around August time, and it’s been an incredible few months. Amongst the many, many highlights has been interviewing one of my favourite actors of all time (the great Vincent Cassel) during the Black Swan premiere at this year’s London Film Festival. To be stood face-to-face with such a tremendous and commanding talent was a huge thrill.

I’ve also had the opportunity to talk to two directors whose films have really resonated with me during different periods in my life. In September I attended the press junket for 3D kids feature The Hole and interviewed director Joe Dante. It was a surreal and wonderful feeling to be sat talking to the guy whose films (especially the likes of Explorers, Innerspace and The ‘Burbs) were virtually on a continuous loop in the family VHS player, 20 or so years back. Dante’s love of fantasy and trash cinema really shone through in the short period I had with him, and I think he could sense he was in the presence of a like-minded fan of those films he was referencing. When I presented him with an old, dog-eared Gremlins Making-of magazine to autograph, he was more than happy to sign it. Geek nirvana.

Attending the premiere for Jackass 3D at the BFI Imax, I found myself positioned next to the actual camera crew from the film and TV series, who were shooting additional material for the Film’s DVD  release. Executive Producer Spike Jonze was one of the first up the red carpet, and upon finishing the promotional rounds (which was clearly something he was uncomfortable with) in a down-to-earth and very un-Hollywood move, he decided to hang out and chat with the Jackass crew while the rest of the stars appeared. This afforded me to chance to have a little off-camera chat with him myself in the interim – an amazing occasion which caused more than a few high-fives on the way home afterwards with my friend Luke, who was filming the event.

I’m truly grateful for having had the chance to meet and chat to figures from the industry who mean so much to me on a personal level, and I’m really excited as to what next year will hold. If the latter part of 2010 is anything to go by, there will be many more Jim’ll Fix It-type scenarios to come.

Joe Dante (back on the big screen of late thanks to 3D feature, The Hole) is ready to teach those young pretenders to the horror throne a thing or two.

The Hollywood Reporter brings news that the Gremlins director is joining an ensemble of younger genre filmmakers to direct a new horror anthology feature called Paris, I’ll Kill You, a title which looks like a thinly-veiled pun on the 2006 romantic compilation of shorts set in the French capital, Paris, je t’aime (2006)

There’s an impressive line-up of international talent attached here, including the likes of Xavier Gens (Hitman and underrated horror Frontiers), Paco Plaza ([REC]), Vincenzo Natali (Splice), German promo director Joern Heitmann, and the UK’s Christopher Smith (Creep, Black Death).

Joe Dante’s work has always relied on finding a cast with a curiousity and vulnerability to bring the ordinary to the extraordinary, and in his lead actor for The Hole in 3D he has found the right man for the job.

You may recognise Chris Massoglia from his role in Paul Weitz’s Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant and the young actor talks to us about working with Joe Dante and the challenges of shooting in 3D.

We also spoke to director Joe Dante about The Hole in 3D and you can watch that interview here.

The film is out in UK cinemas this Wednesday, you can read our review of The Hole In 3D here, and watch the interview below.

Joe Dante’s latest film is another eerie peek into middle America, with his own particular brand of family centred horror coming to the big screen in three dimensions.

The Hole In 3D sees the director returning to the likes of Gremlins and The Howling and Dante touches on both of these films as he talks about his latest project.

We probed the man on his use of 3D, and why he came to choose the format to bring his story of small town scares to the screen.

The film is out in UK cinemas this Wednesday, you can read our review of The Hole In 3D here, and watch the interview below.

Joe Dante has oozed quality family/horror productions for 30 years with the likes of Gremlins, The Explorers, Inner Space, Piranha, The Burbs, Small soldiers and the excellent TV series Eerie Indiana on his wonderful CV.

After a seven year gap since his last film (The horrible Looney Tunes: Back in Action) has Dante returned to form? Read on to find out.

The story of The Hole is about brothers Dane and Lucas Thompson (Chris Massoglia and Nathan Gamble) who have just moved house again in a long line of moves. Along with next door neighbour Julie (Haley Bennett) they discover a heavily locked hatched in their basement which they open to reveal a seemingly harmless yet strangely bottomless hole. The hole however contains something that haunts each of them and brings their own personal fears to life.

The Hole is a very refreshing film from Dante, using all his experience to create a decent and enjoyable film that delves into the fears and secrets of our heroes using some interesting ideas that provide jumps, scares, young creepy dead kids with tears of blood and evil little clowns.

The concept of fears manifesting themselves from a seemingly endless and unexplained hole in their basement is worked nicely and kept me engaged for most of the film and when it reaches its dark and chilling climax, as Dane enters the Hole to face his greatest fear, the film excels with a very strong ending that has really excellent use of 3D. It left me totally satisfied with Dante’s return to the big screen.

Another positive about The Hole is the cast, they are all entirely likable. Not once did I feel annoyed by the young actors or think they were too childish or overplaying it, which is a real credit to how Dante directs his youthful performers and something that normally lets down these family horror films when kids are too annoying to give a damn about.

Chris Massoglia played the older brother Dane Thompson well and charms the hell out of the film and the young Nathan Gamble is proving to be a fine actor with another really strong performance that follows on from great parts in The Dark Knight and another excellent horror film The Mist.

Haley Bennett added the feminine touch to the group and was the love interest as well as a main focal point for the story line with her own demons being revealed in the films most scary scenes, altogether they had good banter and chemistry which really assists to the film’s enjoyability.

There are a few problems with the film, namely a pacing issue in the middle part and with what felt like rushed plot conclusions with some of the characters story arcs or plot points that could have benefited with more explanation and closure. An example is with the original owner of the house, a slightly neurotic man who the kids hunt down to try get some answers about the hole and he’s used minimally and ineffectively which is a shame as it hinted at an interesting storyline.

Also the film seemed to suffer under a tight budget, made tighter presumably by the use of 3D, and it feels rushed in places and some scenes felt incomplete but all credit must go to Dante and his experience with small funds and delivering results regardless that he has made it work.

It was worrying to have the title called “In 3D” as it lead me too believe it was an after thought post production addition to get a few more bums on seats and not just that there was 2001 film with the same name so they added it in to distinguish the two films. The 3D in fact was excellently used, it’s some of the most well utilised 3D I’ve seen this year.

There are wonderful perspective shots from within the hole looking up as our young stars attempt to see whats in the holes depths by lowing things down and there are many moments of subtle depth which did not seem extraneous, which is just what I want from my 3D films.

Overall The Hole is a fine film but there isn’t much for the horror fan with its lack of gore or big frights but it does offer an original idea and a fun story that entertains. Joe Dante definitely knows how to make a family film that scares and excites and although it maybe a little to scary for really young kids it’s not going to leave you with nightmares unless your freaked out by evil little clowns.

The Hole in 3D is out Wednesday 22nd September.

After first making a name for himself in the 70′s and 80′s with Gremlins, Piranha, The Howling and Innerspace, Joe Dante went a little quiet, popping up occasionally for lesser fare such as Small Soldiers, Looney Tunes: Back in Action and Matinee.

Well, he is back on the scene now with new 3D feature The Hole, which seems to be grabbing very good reviews in advance of its UK release later this month. Added to that is this morning’s exciting exclusive from Digital Spy that Dante will team up with Colin Firth (Bridget Jones, Mamma Mia!, Nanny McPhee, A Single Man) for a biopic all about celebrated B-movie producer Roger Corman.

For those not in the know, Roger Corman has worked for decades as a producer of much-loved, low budget films, often giving now well-established actors and directors their first taste of film-making experience. IMDb lists an astonishing 393 producer credits, with the films listed having given early breaks to actors such as Jack Nicholson, Peter Fonda, Bruce Dern, Dennis Hopper, Talia Shire, and Robert De Niro.

Directors who have worked with Corman include such varied and distinguished names as  Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Peter Bogdanovich, Jonathan Demme, James Cameron, John Sayles, Curtis Hanson, Robert Towne, Timur Bekmambetov and, of course, Dante himself.

The proposed film, which Dante is now touting around studios in search of a production deal, will revolve around the making of Corman’s 1967 film “The Trip”, a film about a TV commercial director who in the midst of a personality crisis, who decides to start experimenting with hallucinogenic drugs. The Trip was written by Jack Nicholson and starred Peter Fonda, Bruce Dern and Dennis Hopper, with Nicholson, Hopper, Fonda and Corman all apparently taking LSD “in preparation” for the film.

Dante is pitching his proposed film, tentatively titled “The Man with the Kaleidoscopic Eyes” as a comedy and he clearly has a lot of affection for Corman, who gave him his own start with Piranha, back in 1978.

I really hope Dante can get this project off the ground. Roger Corman is a legendary figure in Hollywood and Dante’s style of film-making seems like a perfect fit for this type of project. As soon as we hear any more news on this one, we’ll let you know.

80’s Hollywood proved to be an incredibly fertile time for much-loved and long-cherished fantasy films. Thousands of column inches and blogging space has been devoted to the likes of firm favourites such as Ghostbusters, The Thing and the Indiana Jones series, but it’s sometimes the smaller films from that period (which for one reason or another got lost in the crush), that resonate more deeply with an audience.

For me, Joe Dante’s Explorers is one such example – a film which, coincidentally, celebrates its 25 anniversary this year, alongside two of the more obvious box office hits from that era, The Goonies and Back to the Future.

I remember first watching this in primary school as an end-of-term Christmas treat and being instantly smitten. Coming off the hugely successful Gremlins (which was made by Steven Spielberg’s company Amblin) Dante chose to direct this rather low-key and more personal feature. It’s a fun and whimsical little tale of three kids (featuring Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix) who receive coded messages (via Hawke’s character’s dreams!) enabling them to build a spaceship and make contact with extra terrestrials. Talk about the ultimate in childhood wish fulfilment!

You can clearly see why Spielberg was drawn to filmmakers like Dante and I can almost imagine the two of them at school, about the same age as the characters in this film, staring wistfully outside during lessons and sketching flying saucers in their book instead of the maths equations they’re supposed to be working on.

With the exception of Gremlins, Dante’s films from that period didn’t come close to matching Spielberg’s in terms of acclaim and box office revenue, but they do share that same sense of wonder, and it’s particularly evident in one of Explorers beautifully constructed montage sequences, where the boys cobble together their spaceship out of an old waltzer car and various household bits and pieces (helped along by a stirring Jerry Goldsmith score). I think the reason why Dante has remained more of a cult figure, and perhaps why his films haven’t caught on the way they should have, is that they are infused with a more deliberate B-movie sensibility than that of his peers.

In fact, Explorers offers many nods to the directors own childhood sci-fi influences. Hawke’s character Ben is first introduced, asleep in his bedroom, while the 50’s version of War of the Worlds is nosily playing out on the TV in the corner. There’s also a sweet scene where the kid’s spacecraft (christened Thunder Road) flies across a huge drive-in screen, confusing the audience who appear to looking at a real third dimension to the old black and white schlocky sci-fi film playing in the background.

When the kids finally reach the origin of the messages (a huge starship) they’re confronted by a couple of cartoonish-looking, Looney Tunes-esque aliens (another unmistakable Dante touch). The two creatures babble in a weird dialect which the kids soon discover they have learned through beaming in hours of trashy American TV. It’s an interesting premise, with a subtle message (the aliens perceive the earth to be an evil place, due to all the violence they’ve witness via channel-hopping), bit it’s also a little too silly and overindulgent, failing to really offer a satisfying conclusion and sapping the film a little of it’s momentum and excitement. It’s a minor quibble however and something my 10 year-old self certainly didn’t have an issue with!

I can only imagine the film’s weak ending may have contributed to it’s less than stellar performance at the US box office (it made a little under $10m – pretty dismal for back then even). Dante has claimed many times in the past that budget and script issues restricted him from making the film he originally envisioned, and I genuinely believe if everything had gone according to plan, Explorers would have been up there with the aforementioned classics.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Dante’s films, particularly The ‘Burbs and Innerspace, and it’s reassuring to see that this unique filmmaker has a 3D cinema feature film coming soon – his first since 2003 (when he directed the ill-received cartoon/human mash-up, Looney Tunes: Back In Action). If the film does well and I think it has the potential to (3D is a format which is probably closest to his own tastes), I hope a new generation of kids will seek out his earlier work.

After all, there’s more to him than just a mischievous Mogwai.

Frustratingly, Explorers appears to have been deleted on Region 2. However, it does make a regular appearance on Film4 in the UK.

Here’s a (not great, but the best we could find) trailer

E1 Entertainment have just sent us the brand new trailer for The Hole 3d which is directed by Joe Dante (Gremlins & Innerspace) and stars Chris Massoglia, Nathan Gamble, Haley Bennett and Teri Polo.

Synopsis: From director Joe Dante comes a teen horror 3D adventure that explores the fears and secrets buried in the mind of young people. After moving into a new neighbourhood, brothers Dane & Lucas and their neighbor Julie discover a bottomless hole in the basement of their home. They find that once the hole is exposed, evil is unleashed. With strange shadows lurking around every corner and nightmares coming to life, they are forced to come face to face with their darkest fears to put an end to the mystery of THE HOLE.

The Hole 3d is released in UK cinemas 22nd September.

Click the poster above to enlarge or scroll down to view the new trailer below:

The feature length documentary and directorial debut of Elijah Drenner, American Grindhouse, will première at the South by Southwest festival in Austin Texas on March 13^th.

American Grindhouse is a project from Drenner born out of a passion for grindhouse cinema in which he investigates the tradition of grindhouse film in American cinema over the past 100 years.

Although not lucky enough to experience the grindhouse cinema experience first hand (I was born after its heyday in the 70s) I have watched many of the films closely associated with the tradition of the grindhouse and there are many fantastic films with even those that are truly terrible often having a hook that makes them worth a watch.

Following Tarantino and Rodriguez’s 2007 Grindhouse there is a renewed interest in these kind of films and it looks like this documentary will provide a great introduction for the uninitiated and a further insight for existing fans into the people behind the films.

Drenner has assembled a great selection of people to interview, including Jack Hill (the project began as a Jack Hill documentary), Herschell Gordon Lewis, Joe Dante, Larry Cohen, Fred Williamson and John Landis and the film features clips from over 200 films. Here’s hoping the film will be a worthy tribute to grindhouse cinema and help bring many of these often ignored titles to a wider audience.

Check out a preview from the film embedded below.

With James Cameron’s Avatar eating up the box office competition leaving chewed up previous top earners in its wake there should be no surprise that any and every possible film is being given that extra special third dimension.

Many of the sequels, threequels and remakes of the recent decades are getting the 3D treatment and the rumours going around that the third Gremlins film (if it happens at all) will be in 3D are curious, if ineivtable.

There’s something strangely fitting for Gremlins 3 to actually be Gremlins 3D, as it plays to the B-movie aspect so wonderfully aped by Joe Dante’s original.

Now we’re in the wave of another revival for 3D, with skepticism riding alongside it, opinions on the necessity of a third dimension vary, and to convince a waiting world that this isn’t a gimmick may prove difficult. You can already imagine the tagline – ’3 Films, 3 Rules, 3 Dimensions’. Hmmm.

The rumour was found via Empire at Market Saw.

Variety has reported that Joe Dante’s 1981 werewolf classic The Howling is getting a Hollywood makeover.

Producers Joel Kastelberg (Highball) and Etchie Stroh (The Promise) want to reboot the franchise as The Howling: Reborn. Taking on both writing and directing duties will be former studio marketing executive Joe Nimziki, who will be making his feature length film debut with this project.

The original film spawned six terrible sequels released from 1985 to 1995, which were never meant to be anything more than a long, drawn-out attempt to cash in on the original cult classic. Some may argue that this is exactly why the series should be rebooted, but in my opinion remakes hardly ever surpass the original, and in an era of Hollywood where most films seem to be remakes/reboots/re-imaginings or sequels/prequels, I would prefer for Kastelberg, Stroh, and Nimziki to make an original werewolf movie completely independent of Joe Dante’s The Howling or Gary Brandner’s novel from which it’s based upon. Of course, much like the six Howling sequels, they want to market this new film on the reputation of the original, so making a completely new film probably won’t happen.

What are your thoughts on yet another remake being announced?