Earlier this month, I attended the Up All Night: Pay to Get Out Horror Movie Marathon at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, Long Island, New York. This is the second year I’ve done this, so it’s now an annual tradition for me. The theater hosts many special events throughout the year, but for horror fans their movie marathons are something special. This year, 7 films were advertised with a mystery 8th film to cap off the marathon before a special bagel breakfast for those who survived the evening, along with the guaranteed $10 refund. Here’s a rundown of my experience at this year’s event, which took place on Saturday, August 3, 2019.
Who will survive and what will be left of them? That is iconic line that graces the movie poster of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, one of the most visceral films ever created; a film that lives on in both infamy and reverence to this day. Its director, horror legend Tobe Hooper, died yesterday in Sherman Oaks, CA, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner who confirmed the news to Variety. No cause of death has been determined yet. He was 74.
Born in Austin, Texas, Hooper made his seminal masterpiece in 1974 for less than $300,000. The film, based on the serial-killing cannibal Ed Gein, tells the story of five friends on a drive through rural Texas to explore the home of the grandfather of Sally (Marilyn Burns) and wheelchair-bound Franklin (Paul A. Partain). They end up encountering a family of cannibals, including the human skin-masked, chain saw-wielding Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen).
Here’s a compendium of new movie releases to DVD and Blu-ray for fans of action, horror, comedy, fantasy, and sci-fi, as well as a selection of new and vintage TV shows in box sets for your purchasing, gift gifting, and eventually viewing pleasure. Ranging from contemporary shows to some of the most classic, these selections will help ignite the small screen and showcase just why television is still at such a high arc in the medium and why it looks to remain that way for quite some time.
Check out this year’s Holiday Geek Gift Guide: Blu-ray & DVD Edition…
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press