The episode of The Test of Time covering Silent Night, Deadly Night was Written by Andrew Hatfield, Narrated by Niki Minter, Edited by Mike Conway, Produced by John Fallon and Tyler Nichols, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
Wading through the many aspects of a movie to decide if it stands the Test of Time is one of the fun parts of this journey. Often times, we’ve looked at classics that are genuinely seen as good in most aspects and decide if it was good just for its era or if it was able to transcend its place in time and still be a good time today. Last year we looked at Christmas Evil, a movie that still is underseen, but is a true holiday classic. While Black Christmas is probably on the Mount Rushmore of both Slashers And Christmas Horror and doesn’t require a re-evaluation, what about Silent Night,...
Wading through the many aspects of a movie to decide if it stands the Test of Time is one of the fun parts of this journey. Often times, we’ve looked at classics that are genuinely seen as good in most aspects and decide if it was good just for its era or if it was able to transcend its place in time and still be a good time today. Last year we looked at Christmas Evil, a movie that still is underseen, but is a true holiday classic. While Black Christmas is probably on the Mount Rushmore of both Slashers And Christmas Horror and doesn’t require a re-evaluation, what about Silent Night,...
- 12/13/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
1984 was a good year for slashers. Not only did Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) claw his way onto the big screen for the first time, Jason Voorhees (Ted White) also burst through windows and slashed through teens in the franchise high Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. While Wes Craven was releasing his genre-defining classic A Nightmare on Elm Street, another iconic killer was crawling out of a snow-lined chimney. Charles E. Sellier Jr.’s Silent Night, Deadly Night treated audiences to Billy Chapman (Robert Brian Wilson), an ax-wielding mad-man dressed as a sinister Santa Claus. This exploitative film quickly sparked controversy from horrified parents worried that their children might glimpse the jolly gift-giver dishing out bloody punishment instead of holiday cheer. An avalanche of pearl-clutching soon followed, including angry letters and protests eventually resulting in Tri-star pulling the film after only a few weeks. Despite this chilly reaction, the film...
- 11/27/2023
- by Jenn Adams
- bloody-disgusting.com
Coleen Gray in 'The Sleeping City' with Richard Conte. Coleen Gray after Fox: B Westerns and films noirs (See previous post: “Coleen Gray Actress: From Red River to Film Noir 'Good Girls'.”) Regarding the demise of her Fox career (the year after her divorce from Rod Amateau), Coleen Gray would recall for Confessions of a Scream Queen author Matt Beckoff: I thought that was the end of the world and that I was a total failure. I was a mass of insecurity and depended on agents. … Whether it was an 'A' picture or a 'B' picture didn't bother me. It could be a Western movie, a sci-fi film. A job was a job. You did the best with the script that you had. Fox had dropped Gray at a time of dramatic upheavals in the American film industry: fast-dwindling box office receipts as a result of competition from television,...
- 10/15/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
A confession: I’m not wild about Christmas. As somebody who gets unnecessarily neurotic about whether or not everybody else is having a good time, the onset of shopping crowds, traveling woes, gift-buying difficulties, and food-related malaise often overwhelms my delicate constitution. (Also, the constant claptrap about the War on Christmas doesn’t make the season any more fun.)
But there are a handful of Christmas traditions I have adopted over the years that have made the last six weeks of the year something close to bearable. The cornerstone of those rituals is the annual viewing of Silent Night, Deadly Night,...
But there are a handful of Christmas traditions I have adopted over the years that have made the last six weeks of the year something close to bearable. The cornerstone of those rituals is the annual viewing of Silent Night, Deadly Night,...
- 12/21/2013
- by Kyle Anderson
- EW.com - PopWatch
Tis the season to survive Christmas. That pretty much means in any and all ways possible. This is the season that makes your wallet scream, your kids paranoid and forces you into crowded situations with groups of angry parents. Good thing that Anchor Bay gave us the Christmas Survival Double Feature including the first two installments in the Silent Night, Deadly Night series. The same day that A.B. puts out the remake of the 1984 classic Santa Claus kill kill picture, they’ve decided to make available the out of print double feature DVD (not Blu-ray) of one of the most controversial flicks in American horror history (Decemeber 4th… order now for Christmas delivery). Billy Chapman and his brother want to share the true meaning of Christmas and teach you how to embody the holiday spirit. Let 1980x tell you just how they plan to do that. We’ll run...
- 12/3/2012
- by Jimmy Terror
- The Liberal Dead
William Burke and William Hare are notorious for a series of murders in 1828 in which they suffocated (later to become known as “burking” in their honor) seventeen victims and sold the bodies to Dr. John Knox, a medical professor at the renowned University of Edinburgh, for use in dissection and other scientific pursuits. They were later convicted and hung for their crimes, though their legacy lives on for aficionados of both medical science and murder history.
Read more...
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- 12/30/2011
- by Lee Jutton
- JustPressPlay.net
Chicago – There are few sights more depressing than a game cast all dressed up with nowhere to go and no good jokes to share. “Burke and Hare” is the sort of comedy Mel Brooks was making in the ’90s. All the ingredients are on hand for a promising comedy, and yet something’s missing—namely, laughter. The timing is off, the punch-lines are obvious and the actors are bored beyond belief.
Rating: 2.0/5.0
What makes “Burke and Hare” doubly unfortunate is the fact that it was directed by John Landis, the same man responsible for a true American classic (“Animal House”) and one of the all-time great escapist entertainments (“The Blues Brothers”). This picture marks his first feature directorial effort since 1998’s soulless “Blues Brothers 2000” and the largely unseen “Susan’s Plan.” It’s interesting to note that Landis has shot his recent work (including the upcoming farce “The Rivals”) in Britain,...
Rating: 2.0/5.0
What makes “Burke and Hare” doubly unfortunate is the fact that it was directed by John Landis, the same man responsible for a true American classic (“Animal House”) and one of the all-time great escapist entertainments (“The Blues Brothers”). This picture marks his first feature directorial effort since 1998’s soulless “Blues Brothers 2000” and the largely unseen “Susan’s Plan.” It’s interesting to note that Landis has shot his recent work (including the upcoming farce “The Rivals”) in Britain,...
- 9/9/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Edinburgh’s most notorious serial killers, William Burke and William Hare were a pair of Irish immigrants who terrorized the Scottish capitol in the 1820’s. Together they murdered 17 and sold the corpses to medical lecturer Dr. Robert Knox for his research. And if you think this duo is a lousy basis for a good comedy, the laugh-free “Burke and Hare” from director John Landis will prove you right. The two Williams, Burke (Simon Pegg) and Hare (Andy Serkis), stumble upon a way to make a fast buck during hard times: When a...
- 9/8/2011
- by Jordan Riefe
- The Wrap
Thirty years after his horror comedy An American Werewolf in London put him on the genre map, director John Landis is back with his latest project, Burke & Hare, an incredibly dark comedy surrounding two down-on-their-luck 19th century graverobbers (played by Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis) who realize that a local medical school will pay handsomely for fresh cadavers. Being resourceful entrepreneurs, Burke and Hare start causing 'accidents' around Edinburgh in order to fulfill the need for bodies, which eventually spirals out of control in both hilarious and dramatic fashions.
Recently Dread Central had the opportunity to get on the phone with Master of Horror Landis about his return to the world of horror comedy, how closely the movie Burke & Hare mirrors the real-life events of the actual serial killers of the same name and what's on the director's plate next.
It was during a recent trip to the UK when...
Recently Dread Central had the opportunity to get on the phone with Master of Horror Landis about his return to the world of horror comedy, how closely the movie Burke & Hare mirrors the real-life events of the actual serial killers of the same name and what's on the director's plate next.
It was during a recent trip to the UK when...
- 8/22/2011
- by thehorrorchick
- DreadCentral.com
Filed under: Trailers and Clips, Movie News, Horror
Gene Wilder and Marty Feldman made grave robbing hilarious in 'Young Frankenstein,' now Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis give it their best shot in 'Burke and Hare,' the new horror comedy from 'An American Werewolf in London' director John Landis.
Landis's first movie in 13 years tells the story of real-life 19th century criminals William Burke and William Hare, who graduated from grave robbing to murder in supplying bodies for doctors to autopsy.
The ghoulish subject's been treated as straight horror with Boris Karloff in 'The Body Snatcher' and the lesser-known 'The Doctor and the Devils.' For his humorous take on the same tale, Landis assembled a comedic cast that includes Isla Fisher, Tom Wilkinson and Tim Curry and horror legend Christopher Lee to boot.
See the clips after the jump.
Continue Reading...
Gene Wilder and Marty Feldman made grave robbing hilarious in 'Young Frankenstein,' now Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis give it their best shot in 'Burke and Hare,' the new horror comedy from 'An American Werewolf in London' director John Landis.
Landis's first movie in 13 years tells the story of real-life 19th century criminals William Burke and William Hare, who graduated from grave robbing to murder in supplying bodies for doctors to autopsy.
The ghoulish subject's been treated as straight horror with Boris Karloff in 'The Body Snatcher' and the lesser-known 'The Doctor and the Devils.' For his humorous take on the same tale, Landis assembled a comedic cast that includes Isla Fisher, Tom Wilkinson and Tim Curry and horror legend Christopher Lee to boot.
See the clips after the jump.
Continue Reading...
- 8/9/2011
- by Sharon Knolle
- Moviefone
After taking a 13-year sabbatical from feature directing, comedy legend John Landis is back with the black comedy Burke and Hare, which stars Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis (sans CG, looking like himself!) as notorious 19th century criminals William Burke (Pegg) and William Hare (Serkis), who committed a series of murders in order to sell their victims' bodies to science. Watch three new clips from the September release and decide: Is Landis back in fine comic form?...
- 8/8/2011
- Movieline
John Landis' horror comedy Burke & Hare is playing Right Now on VOD, and to give you a bit more incentive as to why you should be spending less time reading this and more time viewing that, we've lined up four clips for you!
Look for Burke & Hare to score a limited theatrical release on September 9th!
Along with Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis as the title characters, Burke and Hare stars Isla Fisher, Jessica Hynes, Tom Wilkinson, Tim Curry, Ronnie Corbett, Reece Shearsmith, David Schofield, Allan Corduner, Bill Bailey, Hugh Bonneville, and Michael Smiley.
For those unfamiliar with the misdeeds of Burke and Hare, which were known as the West Port Murders -- These crimes were perpetrated in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1827 and 1828. The killings were attributed to Irish immigrants William Burke and William Hare, who sold the corpses of their seventeen victims to the Edinburgh Medical College for dissection.
Look for Burke & Hare to score a limited theatrical release on September 9th!
Along with Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis as the title characters, Burke and Hare stars Isla Fisher, Jessica Hynes, Tom Wilkinson, Tim Curry, Ronnie Corbett, Reece Shearsmith, David Schofield, Allan Corduner, Bill Bailey, Hugh Bonneville, and Michael Smiley.
For those unfamiliar with the misdeeds of Burke and Hare, which were known as the West Port Murders -- These crimes were perpetrated in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1827 and 1828. The killings were attributed to Irish immigrants William Burke and William Hare, who sold the corpses of their seventeen victims to the Edinburgh Medical College for dissection.
- 8/8/2011
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Burke & Hare is a comedic take on the true story of the 1828 Edinburgh body-snatchers William Burke and William Hare. These two Irish entrepreneurs discover that a dead body can fetch a hefty price when the demands of the leading medical professors Dr. Knox (Tom Wilkinson) and Dr. Monroe (Tim Curry) reach beyond that of the local supply. The Film The first feature length film in over 10 years from director John Landis (The Blues Brothers), and featuring an all star cast led by Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) and Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings), Burke and Hare is a comedic take on the true story of the 1828 Edinburgh body-snatchers William Burke (Simon Pegg) and William Hare (Andy Serkis). These two Irish entrepreneurs discover that a dead body can fetch a hefty price when the...
- 8/8/2011
- by Pietro Filipponi
- The Daily BLAM!
ComingSoon.net's ShockTillYouDrop.com has posted an exclusive clip from Burke & Hare , the John Landis horror comedy starring Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis, Isla Fisher and Tom Wilkinson. The film will be available on SundanceNOW.com starting tomorrow, August 5th, ahead of its theatrical debut on September 9th. The movie will also be available on VOD via Comcast, Cox, Cablevision, Time Warner, and Bright House starting Friday. Burke & Hare is a comedic take on the true story of the 1828 Edinburgh body-snatchers William Burke (Pegg) and William Hare (Serkis). These two Irish entrepreneurs discover that a dead body can fetch a hefty price when the demands of the leading medical professors Dr. Knox (Wilkinson) and Dr. Monroe (Tim Curry) reach beyond that of the local supply....
- 8/4/2011
- Comingsoon.net
A new clip from the John Landis horror comedy Burke & Hare has hit the interwebs filled with laughs and one hell of a jump scare! Dig on the goods while we all wait patiently for IFC to unleash the flick!
Look for Burke & Hare to score a limited theatrical release on September 9th along with a VOD release on August 5th!
Along with Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis as the title characters, Burke and Hare stars Isla Fisher, Jessica Hynes, Tom Wilkinson, Tim Curry, Ronnie Corbett, Reece Shearsmith, David Schofield, Allan Corduner, Bill Bailey, Hugh Bonneville, and Michael Smiley.
For those unfamiliar with the misdeeds of Burke and Hare, which were known as the West Port Murders -- These crimes were perpetrated in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1827 and 1828. The killings were attributed to Irish immigrants William Burke and William Hare, who sold the corpses of their seventeen victims to the Edinburgh Medical College for dissection.
Look for Burke & Hare to score a limited theatrical release on September 9th along with a VOD release on August 5th!
Along with Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis as the title characters, Burke and Hare stars Isla Fisher, Jessica Hynes, Tom Wilkinson, Tim Curry, Ronnie Corbett, Reece Shearsmith, David Schofield, Allan Corduner, Bill Bailey, Hugh Bonneville, and Michael Smiley.
For those unfamiliar with the misdeeds of Burke and Hare, which were known as the West Port Murders -- These crimes were perpetrated in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1827 and 1828. The killings were attributed to Irish immigrants William Burke and William Hare, who sold the corpses of their seventeen victims to the Edinburgh Medical College for dissection.
- 8/3/2011
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
John Landis' UK horror comedy Burke & Hare will be available on SundanceNOW.com starting August 5th ahead of its theatrical debut on September 9th. The film will also be available on VOD via Comcast, Cox, Cablevision, Time Warner, and Bright House starting Friday. Bloody was provided with an exclusive clip from the film that will scare you to death. It features Andy Serkis and Simon Pegg as the title characters. "'Burke & Hare' is a comedic take on the true story of the 1828 Edinburgh body-snatchers William Burke (Pegg) and William Hare (Serkis). These two Irish entrepreneurs discover that a dead body can fetch a hefty price when the demands of the leading medical professors Dr. Knox (Tom Wilkinson) and Dr. Monroe (Tim Curry) reach beyond that of the local supply."...
- 8/3/2011
- bloody-disgusting.com
John Landis’ grave robbing black comedy “Burke and Hare” finally gets its Stateside theatrical release next month in September, but SundanceNOW will have the film first for VOD this August 5th. The film has received mostly mixed reviews, but if you’re a fan of Simon Pegg of “Shaun of the Dead” fame and Andy Serkis sans motion-capture devices hooked up all over his body, “Burke and Hare” should be up your alley. You can read our two reviews for the film (yes, two) — Brent’s review and Gazz’s review. It’s 1828 and Edinburgh is the capital of scientific discovery. With the best and brightest minds racing to unlock the secrets of human anatomy, autopsies are all the rage and the freshly deceased are in high demand. So when William Hare and William Burke find themselves in a bit of a fiscal crisis, they decide to take good ol...
- 8/1/2011
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
John Lesher and Rob Moore have been given new titles and duties at Paramount as part of an executive makeover, announced Friday, that has been in the works for several weeks.
Lesher, who re-energized the studio's specialty film division Paramount Vantage, will take over creative control of all the studio's film labels, while Moore, who oversaw the launch of Paramount Pictures International and rebuilt Paramount Home Entertainment over the past year, consolidates his standing.
The overhaul also introduces new roles for Brad Weston, the studio's president of production, and Nick Meyer, who now will serve as sole head of Vantage.
Under the new structure devised by Paramount chairman and CEO Brad Grey, Lesher has been promoted to president of the Paramount Film Group, and will oversee creative affairs at the studio's labels -- Paramount Films, MTV Films, Nickelodeon Movies and Vantage.
Moore, who had been serving as president of worldwide marketing, distribution and home entertainment, has been named vice chairman of Paramount Pictures.
Both Lesher and Moore will report to Grey, and they both Will Hare responsibility for theatrical business affairs at the four labels. Grey retains greenlight authority over the films from all the lables.
"Just in terms of constancy, in terms of running the studio, this is solidifying what has become a strong, senior executive team."...
Lesher, who re-energized the studio's specialty film division Paramount Vantage, will take over creative control of all the studio's film labels, while Moore, who oversaw the launch of Paramount Pictures International and rebuilt Paramount Home Entertainment over the past year, consolidates his standing.
The overhaul also introduces new roles for Brad Weston, the studio's president of production, and Nick Meyer, who now will serve as sole head of Vantage.
Under the new structure devised by Paramount chairman and CEO Brad Grey, Lesher has been promoted to president of the Paramount Film Group, and will oversee creative affairs at the studio's labels -- Paramount Films, MTV Films, Nickelodeon Movies and Vantage.
Moore, who had been serving as president of worldwide marketing, distribution and home entertainment, has been named vice chairman of Paramount Pictures.
Both Lesher and Moore will report to Grey, and they both Will Hare responsibility for theatrical business affairs at the four labels. Grey retains greenlight authority over the films from all the lables.
"Just in terms of constancy, in terms of running the studio, this is solidifying what has become a strong, senior executive team."...
- 1/12/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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