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10 Things You Don’t Know About Jamie Lee Curtis

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Jamie Lee Curtis launched her film career with the immortal 1978 horror classic Halloween.  In Halloween, Curtis created a heroine in Laurie Strode who would become the prototype for the ultimate scream queen.  Subsequent roles in horror films like The Fog, Prom Night, Terror Train, Road Games, and Halloween II would cement Curtis’s status as cinema’s undisputed scream queen.  It’s a title Curtis holds to this day.  Here are ten little-known anecdotes from Curtis’s scream queen career, between 1978 and 1981.

1) Like Laurie Strode, Curtis was very socially awkward when she was in high school.  In the fall of 1975, Curtis’s mother, Janet Leigh, enrolled Jamie at Choate-Rosemary Hall, a prestigious boarding school, which is located in Wallingford, Connecticut.  At the Choate school, Curtis felt ostracized because of her famous last name.  “High school was a fucking killer,” said Curtis.  “I only had two friends at Choate.  One was a Jewish girl, one of the few Jews at the school, and the other was an exchange student from Iran named Ali.  I was singled out as much as they were for being Iranian and Jewish.  I was from Hollywood, the daughter of Bernard Schwartz [Tony Curtis’s real name] and Janet Leigh.  I was totally out of place at the school from the first day I arrived.”

2) Even though Halloween was a big hit in 1978, Curtis’s career languished in the period after the film’s release.  “I couldn’t get a job for seven months after I did Halloween,” recalled Curtis.  “Halloween was out, and it was doing such great business, and when Halloween eventually spread across the country, I thought I would get more movie roles.  But nothing happened in terms of my career.  People were congratulating me about the success of Halloween, and I was eating at McDonald’s.”

3) Curtis was asked to audition for Prom Night by director Paul Lynch and producer Peter Simpson.  The audition consisted not of acting but rather disco-dancing.  “I really wanted to see if she was a good dancer, because we were doing a prom-themed movie, and I wanted to do a big dance sequence,” recalls Lynch.  “Peter and I took Jamie to a dance studio down on La Cienega in Los Angeles, and we asked her to do some dancing, and she just danced her head off.  She was a great dancer, unbelievable, and that’s what finally convinced us that she was perfect for the film.”

4) Curtis displayed a phobia of cemeteries during the filming of Prom Night.  “Jamie’s first scene in the film was the scene at the cemetery, where she stares at the grave of her dead sister,” says assistant director Steve Wright.  “I shot most of that scene because Paul Lynch was busy with something else.  I remember that I looked at Jamie and asked her ‘Do you think we got it?’ She said, ‘Yes, we got it.  Let’s move on,’ and I said, ‘Well, I think we should wait for Paul Lynch to decide, because he’s the director of the movie,’ and then she said, ‘Let’s go.  I don’t want to do this anymore.’  Later on, I found out that Jamie was scared of cemeteries, and that’s why she was so uptight, because for the rest of the shoot, she was fine.”

5) Curtis’s co-star in Prom Night, Casey Stevens, struggled with the dancing in the film.  As a result, Curtis had to pull him through the film’s climactic dance sequence.  “Casey and Jamie worked for two weeks on the dancing,” recalls cinematographer Robert New.  “Jamie was really into the dancing and really burned it up on the dance floor, whereas Casey wasn’t that much into it.  Jamie pulled Casey around the dance floor and carried him through the scene.”

6) During the filming of Terror Train, Curtis formed an instant friendship with co-star Sandee Currie, who played Mitchy.  “They were very close during filming,” recalls co-star Derek McKinnon.  “Jamie helped Sandee out a lot with her scenes because Sandee was very nervous and inexperienced.  They had a similar sense of humor.  They were inseparable on the set.”

7) Curtis celebrated her twenty-first birthday in Montreal during the filming of Terror Train.  To mark the occasion, Tony Curtis sent Jamie a very unusual birthday present.  “We had a birthday party for Jamie at the hotel, and it was a lot of fun, and Tony Curtis sent a birthday present for Jamie,” recalls co-star Timothy Webber.  “When Jamie opened up her present, it turned out to be stock from MGM.  We all laughed.  You could tell they weren’t close.”

8) When Curtis arrived in Australia for the filming of Road Games, she received a hostile reception from the local press, who were upset that an American actress had been cast in the female lead role, instead of an Australian actress.  Curtis was given the female lead role in Road Games instead of Australian actress Lisa Peers.  “When I found out I’d lost the part in the film to Jamie Lee Curtis, I complained to the union because I was really devastated and upset about it,” says Peers.  “I feel bad about any controversy that Jamie Lee had to deal with because I wasn’t angry with her.  She’s a great actress.  I thought it was silly to have a film that’s set in Australia and to cast an American actor, Stacy Keach, as a truck driver and then cast an American actress as a hitchhiker in Australia.  It didn’t make sense.”

9) In 1981, Curtis formed a production company, Generation Productions, for the purpose of developing film projects for Curtis to star in.  Curtis wrote a twenty page treatment for a proposed horror film project, entitled The Myth, which Curtis hoped to either produce or star in for the fledgling, short-lived company.  “It’s my idea and my horror film,” said Curtis at the time.  “I wrote a horror film.  In fact, I wrote a wonderful horror film.  It’s absolutely fabulous.”

10) The $100,000 Curtis was paid for Halloween II was more than twice the salary of Donald Pleasence, who was paid $45,000 for the sequel.  “Jamie was in a much better negotiating position than Donald was for the sequel,” recalls Pleasence’s agent, Joy Jameson.  “Jamie was the star of the film.  I think there was a feeling that they could do the sequel without Donald if they had to.  Donald always needed money because he had so many children and ex-wives to support, so he took what they offered.”

For more information about Jamie Lee Curtis and her scream queen career, read the book Jamie Lee Curtis: Scream Queen, which is available in paperback and through kindle.

 

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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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