Tag Archives: Nightmare Nostalgia

Creature Features

Creature Features: A Closer Look At The Movie Magic Of “Independence Day”

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CREATURE FEATURES: A CLOSER LOOK AT THE MOVIE MAGIC OF "INDEPENENCE DAY

Creature Features is back and we’re forgoing the BBQ to celebrate the 90s’ classic that would not go quietly into the night- Today we celebrate INDEPENDENCE DAY.

Man, I’ll never forget the hype for this movie. I was fourteen years old and was basically the talk of the Summer. The “Fresh Prince” himself Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum and aliens? WE’RE ALL IN ALREADY.

The film originally titled Doomsday, but was sealed with a chef’s kiss to what we now know as Independence Day thanks to Bill Pullman’s pumped up ‘MURICA speech in the film, was indeed a visual spectacular for audiences in 1996. And of course, a big round of applause for practical effects as it wins again- this time even an Oscar!

As we all understand, something like this takes a massive team to pull off. However, Volker Engel, Patrick Tatopoulos, Douglas Smith, Clay Pinney, Mike Joyce, and Joe Viskocil were some of the most notable faces of the special effects mastery. Unlike the films’ latter sequel, the movie relied heavily on old school tricks like miniature models for some of the more complicated scenes; like you know blowing up the White House which was actually measured at 15-feet wide and 5-feet high. In fact, 95 percent of the film was shot using miniatures with motion-control cameras.

As cool as that is, what really tickles my nostalgic tits is the movie magic aliens. Grant it this was supposed to be a family affair with it being a holiday Summer Blockbuster and all. But we all damn well know when President Whitmore went face to glass with one of these suckers’ at Area 51, you got the goddamn chills in that scene. Don’t you deny it.

Engal (seen below in the video) states he wanted to do something familiar yet new when it came to designing the creatures. The shots for the creatures were mostly dudes in fantastic costumes with effects coordinators controlling the limbs mechanically. So once again, puppeteering wins this round for monster magic.

Home Video Releases

Watch Robert Patrick Pimp Himself Out For “Terminator 2” In This Rare VHS Retailers’ Promo

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What better way to celebrate Terminator 2: Judgement Day than with an old-fashioned VHS retailers’ promo and the T-1000 hawking his liquid metal soul to chain stores to sell a few copies for consumption?

Oh and we’re throwing a couple of free copies of Drop Dead Fred too and a cheesy sitcom style family to boot. Because that’s how we roll in 1991.

In case you’re new here, VHS retailer promos are my Achilles Heel. It throws back to an era where video stores were the go-to spot for a night in and also gives some insight on the films themselves. Albeit this information was solely usually seen by video chain owners and Mom/Pop shops, thanks to the world-wide web we can now taste what prompted these rental stores to buy movies in copious amounts. Remember walking into Blockbuster and seeing three shelves worth of the same damn new release? These VHS retailer promos may or may not have had something to do with it. I mean, as stated above with free video tapes of Drop Dead Fred how could anyone say no?!

I gotta say, the not so subtle way studios would pimp out their talent to star in these retailer video ads, is goddamn legendary. Horror icons like Chucky and Freddy Krueger saw no shame in this, so why not the T-1000 get on the promo train as well?! The movie being hawked, is of course the 1991 smash Blockbuster, TERMINATOR 2. If you know your VHS retailer history, you’re well aware one video cassette alone could rape your wallet for up to a hundred bucks. Rent out that video at least fifty times and then you get your money back, and then enter your own profits. Now, in an effort to get you to buy as much as you could, perks and bundles were thrown in to convince retailers to buy a bunch of copies for their store. And these types of deals, with their promo swag (I’d literally sell my left arm for those glasses now), was just how it all worked back then. So those bad-ass movie standees’ you’d see at your go-to video store growing up; were very likely a part of a bundle deal such as this.

Now sit back and marvel at what the movie- pimpin’ business used to look like back in the early 90s’.

Home Video Releases, News

[Trailer] A Wickedly Profound Transformation Awaits In Lovecraft Inspired Series “Black Goat”

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[TRAILER] A WICKEDLY TRANSFORMATION AWAITS IN LOVECRAFT INSPIRED SERIES "BLACK GOAT"

Move on over Black Phillip. The wickedly intriguing series, BLACK GOAT is coming so we may all live deliciously in a series brought on by the filmmakers and writers of The Call of Cthulhu and The Purge: Anarchy. And it looks ABSOLUTLY TERRIFYING.

The H.P Lovecraft inspired eight-episode gothic horror series stars Jeff Berg, Eva Hamilton, and Josie DiVincenzo with a story that spans more than 400 years of an ancient alien power that possesses and corrupts the souls of men. Each episode is a different chapter in time, each it’s own whole and complete story, and yet still just a mysterious piece of a much larger puzzle. Only when all fit together do we see the true shape, the true size of the horror.

Synopsis Excerpt:

The story begins in 1607, in the small coastal English settlement of Fort George, Maine. A humble settler, Ephraim Waite, and his devoutly religious followers break from the colony to pursue a more pious life deep in the untamed woods of Maine. Once settled, Ephraim’s wife finds a large, seemingly bottomless tunnel in the ground. It is surrounded and overgrown with strange alien vegetation. She is drawn to it’s powerful presence, seduced by it. Ephraim learns that the natives in the woods believe it to be a passage to an evil underworld, a supernatural power they refer to as Kamog. The power begins to slowly corrupt the village, both his wife and child die, and soon Ephraim finds himself faced with the ultimate choice, to turn from the darkness and perish or sacrifice his mortal soul for a promise of god like power and immortality. To become Kamog.

With the power to possess minds, and leap from one body to another, Ephraim (Kamog) moves through time, decade after decade, body after body, in pursuit of bringing a powerful ancient God to an earthbound form. The power comes at a price however, only minds that are weakened, vulnerable either by health or emotion, can be taken over. Possession is not always successful, and often Ephraim finds himself trapped for years, forced off his path, and fighting to return with deceit, manipulation and murder his only options.

I don’t want to give much more away, but if you’re interested in learning further, check out the FULL SEASON ONE SYNOPSIS over at DestroyAllMedia.com.

Streaming locations and dates TBA.