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25 Years Of Devouring Corpses With Cannibal Holocaust
There may be no more notorious genre film than Cannibal Holocaust, a dizzying display of violence beyond reproach, filmed in a faux documentary style that got director Ruggero Deodato – a total madman and genius, according to his stars – dragged into an Italian court.

The real live animal killings depicted on screen probably didn’t help.

Now, thanks to a little exploitation outfit called Grindhouse, this legendary film will be receiving a 25th anniversary release on October 25. Limited to just 11,000 copies, this gruesome cult classic will feature tons of extras – was privy to a private screening of some of those extras, and they are legion– and is likely to make even the most ardent horror fan squeamish.

If you think making such an infamous film had to have been an experience to remember, you’d be correct. The filmmaking experience, according to star Robert Kerman, was unusual from the moment he signed on board. He got the part not because of his great acting chops, but because he had the correct shoe size. The creators, you see, only had money enough for one outfit for their lead, so he had to be the right size. Kerman didn’t even know what he was signing up for. He never even saw a script! Instead, he was thrown on a plane and flown to South America, where he was promptly whisked into the rain forest, and then onto a boat, where he was taken to a remote jungle location.

Did we mention that on his river trip, he spotted a leg – a human leg – floating in the water? Nice way to start a new acting gig.

The leg turned out to be a prop that had floated away, totally fake, but the seeming insanity of Deodato certainly wasn’t fake. The moment Kerman got off the boat, Deodato saw him and cried, “What a face! What a beautiful face! This is my star!” This was, you see, the first time they had met.

What followed was a shooting schedule in a less than friendly habitat, without even scripts enough for the star of the film. He had to learn his lines each morning, borrowing scripts from whoever was nearby. It was, Kerman laughed, a most unusual experience for an actor.

If Kerman’s stories were filled with a twisted sort of whimsy, co-star Gabriel Yorke’s were not. The experience was one he’ll never forget. (When you’re making a film about a group of people devoured by cannibals, how could you forget?) He doesn’t regret being in a film still talked about to this day, a film credited with inspiring The Blair Witch Project. And he recognized a certain genius in Deodato’s manic style. But, he told , he also thought Deodato’s strong desire to have real animals slain on screen was sickening and disturbing. Even 25 years later, when asked about the infamous animal slaughter captured on screen for the film, Yorke shook his head and sighed with disgust. Not something he endorses. Something he scorns.

But animal killings or not, Cannibal Holocaust is a minor legend soon to come to DVD in the best edition ever (look for the review in the coming weeks). Thank Sage Stallone, co-owner of Grindhouse, for that. Grindhouse acquired the rights several years ago, but rather than just churning our a bare bones release, they have a monste of a two-disc edition planned just brimming with features.

And cannibal genre fans may be thanking him for much more than that. Rumors abound. Whispers. A hint that there might be a remake and/or sequel to Cannibal Holocaust. It’s a project Stallone just might tackle, if the fans demand. But not through Hollywood.

“If we redid Cannibal Holocaust, it wouldn’t be through Hollywood. We couldn’t do it through Hollywood. They’d ruin the film,” Stallone said.

”We Saw This Sequel Coming. Get It? Saw It Coming?”
Speaking of re-releases, fans of last year’s surprise hit Saw should keep their eyes open, because later this year that tiny film that done good will receive a special director’s cut DVD release featuring all new footage. The unrated DVD will be even more gruesome than the film that shocked viewers to great success last year.

Wait … more gruesome? Apparently yes. Because sawing off limbs isn’t gruesome enough, it seems.

“It’s me going in and finishing it off,” director James Wan told fans at the Weekend of Horrors. “It kind of shows the film we initially planned it to be.”

As a special treat, Wan and Saw co-writer Leigh Whannell debuted footage from Saw II, set for release on Halloween. Expect the same focus on tension, terror and choices none want to ever make.

Oh. And more stumps, too. Bloody frickin’ stumps.

“This one makes the first one look like a Disney film. I’m serious,” Whannell said. “On the first one we had to go back to the MPAA like twice to get an R rating. This one is so full blown … This one takes the idea of the first one and amplifies it ten times.”

Yeah, as if the poster featuring severed frickin’ fingers wasn’t clue enough, fans found out for sure that Saw II will knock their socks off (with feet still inside, we presume).

That’s not all for Saw fans … but you’ll have to wait to find out the rest. Keep your eyes peeled on , because in two weeks we debut an in-depth look into Saw II, the Saw re-release, and the future plans of co-creators Wan and Whannell.

The fans were pumped for Saw II, but it certainly wasn’t the only teaser to draw attention at the show.

”Satan’s Playground? Do You Think They’ll Have A Slide?”
If one trailer stole the show, for staff it was the trailer for Satan’s Playground, the latest from New Jersey director Dante Tomaselli. Dark, gloomy, full of dread, it offered a glimpse into this tale of two families, one a twisted, evil group, the other a hapless bunch of normal folks fragmenting in the thick of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, where lurks a terror. It had all the hallmarks of classic 70s horror, but with a psychological edge that looks as if it will inspire terror.

With a $500,000 budget and 25 days of shooting, Tomaselli’s brooding horror film certainly wasn’t a budget buster. But then, he’s never been a guy to lean heavily on special effects. Small budgets, small films, big scares. He spoke out strongly against CGI and spoke fondly of small films with something to say.

That something to say is often, he said, about family. With a twist. Satan’s Playground is no different.

“I think all of my films so far have been about family dysfunction, and I really took it to the extreme with Satan’s Playground,” Tomaselli said.

His third film, Satan’s Playground, doesn’t appear to be a mere road to mainstream films, either, a route many horror directors take. Just ask actress Ellen Sandweiss of Evil Dead fame, who has a major role in Satan’s Playground. “Dante is not one of those directors who is making a horror film just to make money to make his other films,” Sandweiss said. “He wants to make horror films.”

By the looks of his trailer, Satan’s Playground fits the bill. It looks simply terrifying. Keep your eyes on this spot, because next week is going to go in-depth with Satan’s Playground, exploring its locations, its themes, its actors, and what drives Tomaselli, one of the East Coast’s rising young stars of horror. You won’t want to miss it.

If you haven’t heard of Tomaselli, maybe you soon will. But this next guy? We’re pretty sure you’ve heard of him.

”It’s Like Destroy All Monsters, But With Pinhead. And More Blood”
If there was a name – you know, A Name – at the Weekend of Horrors, it would hard to find a bigger name than Clive Barker, filmmaker, best-selling author, and all around bizarre, expressive, artistic guy. As Halloween draws near will be offering readers a special in-depth look at all things new in the world of Clive Barker, including a peek into his latest book series, his new production company, and a glimpse at other upcoming Barker film projects, including Midnight Meat Train, based on his stories from his Books of Blood.

If you simply can’t wait for that feature, though, we can tell you a little of what we have in store – because if this doesn’t leave you waiting breathlessly, hell, nothing will.

First, there is his new production company. The focus, Barker said, is on smaller scale films that will push the envelope of horror. No more big budgets and extravagant effects. Just nitty gritty horror flicks that will be as far removed from PG-13 rating as the law will allow. Grue. Some.

Then there is Midnight Meat Train, set to be the first film from that company, based on an old short story from Barker’s Books of Blood. In preparing for the filming of this story from early in his career, Barker went back and reread his old writing. What he saw shocked him.

“(It was) very, very gory. I was surprised when I went back to read it. I said, ‘Fuck me, how did they let me do this?’ ”

This from a guy best known as the creator of one of horror’s most beloved and gory villains, Pinhead.

Did we say Pinhead? Yes we did. Here’s a brief hint at what Barker said about his most famous character: “I think it’s time he dies a dignified death.”

Oh my.

One last Barker tidbit on the guy with the pins: He talked about a Hellraiser boxed set, too. With a catch. The catch? Well, that would be telling. If you want to know if the news is good or bad, you’ll just have to check back here in a few weeks when we dive full-on into Clive Barker’s world.

So, like, prepare your soul and stuff.

Our coverage of all things horror is far from over! Be ready, because next week will not only bring an in-depth look at Satan’s Playground, but the first in a two-part series by contributor Cru Jones as he offers us a personal glimpse into what it means to be a lifelong horror fan. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg, as dedicates the entire month of October to the most gruesome bits of film this side of Showgirls. Stay tuned, because it’s sure to be filled with fun. (Not to mention bloody stumps. Can’t get enough bloody stumps, after all).

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