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Greg Nicotero Takes Us Behind the Curtain of ‘Creepshow’ on Shudder

Published

4 years ago

June 1, 2020

Showrunner Greg Nicotero could not be more pleased with the reception of the hit series Creepshow since its debut on Shudder last year. Fans and critics alike loved the show, and in a surprise move, Shudder’s parent company AMC decided to broadcast the series on its regular network, as well.

Now, with the DVD/Blu Ray looming, Nicotero sees an even wider audience ready to watch a show that’s been a real labor of love since its inception.

In anticipation of that release this week, the multi-hyphenate creator sat down with iHorror to discuss how the show came to be, and what he sees as the future of Creepshow.

It all began on a publicity tour for The Walking Dead in Australia, or rather on the flight home. Nicotero had packed plenty of reading material to keep himself occupied white traveling and one of the stories he was reading sparked his imagination.

Upon returning home, Nicotero reached out to the author and was surprised when he got a call back from their agent who explained that they were trying to secure the rights for Creepshow and were looking for a creative partner for the endeavor.

“I was like,’Wait, my Creepshow?'” Nicotero said. “Creepshow, in my head, is always mine. I was very close with George [Romero] and I had visited the set for the film when I was a kid.”

So, instead of finalizing the rights to one short story, Nicotero joined forces on the project. The idea excited the showrunner for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was the chance to finally work with some of the brilliant authors whose work he’d admired for years.

He admits, however, that some stories were more elusive than others when he began looking for them.

“Times is Tough in Musky Holler,” which would appear in episode five for example, was a story he had read years before, but he could not remember the title or author. He ended up finally emailing friends asking if they remembered a story about a zombie pie-eating contest, which led him ultimately to John Skipp and Dori Miller’s rather outrageous tale.

A scene from “Times is Tough in Musky Holler” based on a story by John Skipp and Dori Miller

“I’ve had the chance to meet a lot of great writers over the years,” Nicotero explained. “David J. Schow, Josh Malerman, Joe Hill, John Esposito, and Joe Lansdale. Creepshow gave me the opportunity to call them up and say, ‘Hey guys, you know how we always talked about how we wanted to do something together? Well, I think I found something.’ Then the floodgates opened.”

Nicotero soon had stories from all those authors and more to comb through, including “Gray Matter,” a story by Stephen King, who wrote the screenplay for the original 80s film, which in a way completed the circle for Nicotero.

He managed to create a series that honored the original film in its visuals and themes, but at the same time could appeal to audiences who perhaps had never seen Creepshow before its new incarnation. It also allowed him to pay tribute to Romero’s original vision.

“Creepshow, the movie, was George’s love letter to comics,” he said. “My Creepshow was a love letter to his film and to the horror genre in general.”

Nicotero wanted to pay tribute to George Romero, shown here on set of the original Creepshow Film with Stephen King

Nicotero’s tribute was ultimately successful, but even with the show’s success, he was a bit shocked when AMC decided to bring the show from Shudder to its regular network programming schedule calling it a “huge compliment” to what they had created.

And, with that success, he’s looking forward to working on season two, which he says was one day away from principal photography when everything began to shutdown due to Covid-19.

“We had locations, sets, and literally I was supposed to start shooting on March 16th,” he explained. “Then on March 13th they pushed the big pause button and I flew back to Los Angeles on the 15th. So, we’re ready to go. I think the stories are bigger and more ambitious and more outrageous and fun. I’m taking what I learned from season one and I’m really pushing it. I love the scripts from season two.”

We’re certainly ready to see what Greg Nicotero and the creative team at Creepshow have in store for us.

Season one is streaming on Shudder in its entirety, and for those of us who love physical media, Creepshow will be available on DVD and Blu Ray on June 2, 2020!

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Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

9 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

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News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

10 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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A post shared by Spirit Halloween (@spirithalloween)

Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

12 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.