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Retro Rewind: Behind the Scenes Video of George Romero’s Day of the Dead

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Written by Patti Pauley

Readers, I have to confess I stared at my screen for a long time before typing anything out. What could I possibly say about someone as iconic to the genre as George Romero that would do the man justice? After I thought long and hard about it, the answer is simply nothing. To call the man a legend in the genre is almost an understatement in its entirety given all that he has given us fans over his fifty years in the business. I’m just a tiny speck in this ever growing community, and to try and put in perspective Romero’s legacy and importance that will forever continue with us in the world of horror could take up to a 2000 page novel in the hopes to give him proper justice.

Image result for george romero gif Image credit: AMC

RIP George A. Romero

Born: February 4, 1940, The Bronx, New York City, NY
Died: July 16, 2017, Toronto, Canada

Image result for george romero gif

So to pay the wholehearted respect I have for the father of the Zombie Genre, I’m releasing this Retro Rewind a day early for the anniversary of Day of the Dead and in the wake of the heartbreaking passing of a true pioneer in the world of horror.  Romero’s Day of the Dead is personally and most likely an unpopular opinion, my favorite of his zombie movies and just like 1968’s Night of the Living Dead and ’78’s Dawn, was far ahead of its time. Although Day is considered the least successful out of the three mentioned, it doesn’t make it any less beloved and a staple that should be had in every horror fan’s collection. It also has been reported that Day is Romero’s favorite of the original trilogy, regardless of studios cockblocking him into making Day into something much larger as was intended.

Word has it that Romero’s Day of the Dead original script was to be an apocalyptic spectacle of glory on an H.G. Wells level complete with a multitude of zombie battles resulting from the training from a group of scientists looking to manipulate an undead army of their own. Romero had described it as the “Gone With the Wind of zombie movies”, but studios denied him of his budget when Romero insisted on filming the type of gore film that would present an unrated release and threatened to slash the funds in half. So, Mr. Romero was given the option of filming his vision with a very small budget and little to no gore or opt for a rewrite with the amount of violence he envisioned in Day of the Dead. As history goes, he chose the latter.

 

Anywho, regardless of scratched scripts and again, the least popular of the original Dead trilogy according to fan polls, Day of the Dead seems to be the one that bears the most political subtext with Romero screaming a big fat “FUCK YOU” to the government. The powers of the military undermine both science and decent morality in an effort to sustain command over what’s left of society.  Day of the Dead not only focuses on the aftermath of a true zombie apocalypse but the clash of ideologies between, well, let’s use the terms progressives and conservatives in a world gone to hell. And frankly, nothing is more terrifying than a small world of humans divided. Add in some zombies and you have a complete shit show ladies and gents.

In celebration of the life of Romero and the 32nd anniversary of Day of the Dead, I’ve dug up some really cool retro videos provided to the internets and uploaded by YouTuber Goremeister100. The YouTuber’s channel includes 20 super rad videos of Romero, Savani, Nicotero, and company behind the scenes making the magic happen and it surely is blissful to watch, so kudos to this righteous dude for providing the public with this fantastic treat for Dead fans. I’ve included a few of the videos here, however to get the full experience, head on over to Goremeister100’s channel in the link above.

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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

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Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

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Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

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The Blair Witch Project Cast

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

Blair witch
The Blair Witch Project Cast

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

The blair witch project

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello

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