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Michael Gross on the Journey of Burt Gummer & ‘Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell’

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If you ask Michael Gross, he’ll tell you he’s the luckiest man alive. Not only did he get to play one of the last great TV dads on the hit sitcom “Family Ties”, but when the show ended, he landed the role of a lifetime as Burt Gummer, the gun-toting survivalist in the wildly popular horror-comedy franchise Tremors.

Gross, who is currently starring in the franchise’s sixth entry Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell, recently sat down with iHorror to talk about his incredible journey and how it all started by making television history.

“You kind of take these things for granted when you do them, and you don’t realize what they mean to people while you’re doing them,” the actor said. “But when we began doing Family Ties on the Paramount lot in 1982, a soundstage near us had ‘Taxi’ filming there. ‘Laverne & Shirley’ and ‘Happy Days’ were still playing, ‘Joanie Loves Chachi’ was in an adjoining studio.”

The show averaged 28 million viewers per week, and as it came to an end in 1989, Gross was somewhat surprised when an unexpected door of opportunity opened.

“The first Tremors was a real treat for me because it happened right out of the gate after ‘Family Ties’ and it answered two questions,” he said. “Would there be life after ‘Family Ties’? Would people accept me as a very different sort of character?”

Still, after an impressive career in live theater playing multiple roles per year, Gross had no real trouble making the transition. In fact, he was more than eager to do it, and he was happy to prove the critics wrong.

“To be honest with you that transition was not difficult. It was so well written and I felt I knew this man from the beginning,” Gross explained. “I probably felt more uncomfortable playing Steven Keaton who was so normal. I like playing the crazy people, the more offbeat people.”

Michael Gross and Reba McEntire in the first Tremors

For Gross, however, playing Burt came down to walking a very thin line, and he spent a lot of time thinking about when or how “crazy guy with a lot of guns” is funny, and when does he become something dangerous? This especially became a pointed question in the light of a growing number of mass shootings.

“It was why we ultimately insisted on the cardinal rule of Tremors,” the actor said. “Nobody turns their gun on another human being in our movies. The humans are the good guys and the monsters are the bad guys. We’re all a human family fighting against the real enemy.”

It was just one of the elements that came together that make the franchise a success, and yet, after the first film, it seemed as though it had died before it started.

Producers didn’t quite know how to market the first Tremors when it was released in theaters. They promised audiences a hardcore horror movie and failed to deliver. After only two weeks in theaters, the film was pulled and sent to video.

And then something magical happened.

The early 90s were the glory days of video rental stores, and Tremors rental numbers began to grow exponentially. It was the sort of cult following that no one ever expects and no one was more surprised than Gross when he got a call to see if he’d be interested in making a sequel.

“People called me all those years later and said, ‘Do you believe we’re going to make another one?’ and I said told them absolutely not,” Gross laughed. “But apparently, it had been passed around like someone’s dirty little secret. It had caught on, and people wanted more.”

“More” translated into Gross’ role taking more a central spot in the overall arc of the franchise. It offered Gross a chance to really dig into who Burt Gummer was and what drove him to make the choices he made.

“When we came into Tremors 5, I told them we needed more challenges for Burt. We know he can hunt monsters. But how could we challenge him?” Gross said. “So we brought in his son and asked, ‘How does a loner face that fact that there’s another person who wants to be a part of his life?'”

It was, as it turned out, an interesting and hilarious challenge that Burt was more than up for and ultimately he and his son came to…well, let’s call it a truce.

Jamie Kennedy and Michael Gross in Tremors

By the latest film, Burt and his son, Travis (played by Jamie Kennedy), are hunting Graboids together, this time in the northernmost parts of Canada where Burt ends up facing his biggest challenge, yet: his own mortality.

“How does a man to whom control is the most important thing in his life cede that control?” the actor asked. “It’s the hardest thing in his life to not be able to lead the fight.”

Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell, which will hit DVD and Blu Ray on May 1st, proves that this franchise has not lost any of its bite. In fact, Tremors may be the most consistent franchise of its kind. They have yet to let their fans down, and as Gross pointed out at the end of our interview, those fans will ultimately decide the fate of this tried and true series of creature features.

“You never can tell what will happen,” he explained. “I always bet against Hollywood. Show business is 5% show and 95% business but if six does well, I think we have a chance for coming back.”

Check out the trailer for Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell below and look for it on DVD, Blu Ray and VOD on May 1, 2018!

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New Poster Reveal For Nicolas Cage’s Survival Creature Feature ‘Arcadian’ [Trailer]

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Nicolas Cage Arcadian

In the latest cinematic venture featuring Nicolas Cage, Arcadian emerges as a compelling creature feature, teeming with suspense, horror, and emotional depth. RLJE Films has recently released a series of new images and a captivating poster, offering audiences a glimpse into the eerie and thrilling world of “Arcadian”. Scheduled to hit theaters on April 12, 2024, the film will later be available on Shudder and AMC+, ensuring a wide audience can experience its gripping narrative.

Arcadian Movie Trailer

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has given this film an “R” rating for its “bloody images,” hinting at the visceral and intense experience awaiting viewers. The film draws inspiration from acclaimed horror benchmarks like “A Quiet Place,” weaving a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his two sons navigating a desolate world. Following a catastrophic event that depopulates the planet, the family faces the dual challenge of surviving their dystopian environment and eluding mysterious nocturnal creatures.

Joining Nicolas Cage in this harrowing journey are Jaeden Martell, known for his role in “IT” (2017), Maxwell Jenkins from “Lost in Space,” and Sadie Soverall, featured in “Fate: The Winx Saga.” Directed by Ben Brewer (“The Trust”) and penned by Mike Nilon (“Braven”), “Arcadian” promises a unique blend of poignant storytelling and electrifying survival horror.

Maxwell Jenkins, Nicolas Cage, and Jaeden Martell 

Critics have already begun to praise “Arcadian” for its imaginative monster designs and exhilarating action sequences, with one review from Bloody Disgusting highlighting the film’s balance between emotional coming-of-age elements and heart-pounding horror. Despite sharing thematic elements with similar genre films, “Arcadian” sets itself apart through its creative approach and action-driven plot, promising a cinematic experience filled with mystery, suspense, and relentless thrills.

Arcadian Official Movie Poster

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‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

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Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

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How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

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Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

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