New month, new recommendations from Deep Cuts Rising. This installment features random picks as well as selections reflecting the month of March 2024.
Regardless of how they came to be here, or what they’re about, these past movies can generally be considered overlooked, forgotten or unknown.
This month’s horror offerings include a killer robot, a haunted mini-mart and more.
The Telephone Box (1972)
Pictured: José Luis López Vázquez’s character talks to a boy inside the namesake of The Telephone Box.
Directed by Antonio Mercero.
An obvious rec for International Find a Pay Phone Booth Day (March 10) is La Cabina (a.k.a. The Telephone Box). This Spanish, made-for-tv short-film turns a silly situation into surreal horror. José Luis López Vázquez‘s unfortunate character enters a freshly installed phone booth, only to then learn it neither works nor allows him to leave. As onlookers gather around and fail to help him,...
Regardless of how they came to be here, or what they’re about, these past movies can generally be considered overlooked, forgotten or unknown.
This month’s horror offerings include a killer robot, a haunted mini-mart and more.
The Telephone Box (1972)
Pictured: José Luis López Vázquez’s character talks to a boy inside the namesake of The Telephone Box.
Directed by Antonio Mercero.
An obvious rec for International Find a Pay Phone Booth Day (March 10) is La Cabina (a.k.a. The Telephone Box). This Spanish, made-for-tv short-film turns a silly situation into surreal horror. José Luis López Vázquez‘s unfortunate character enters a freshly installed phone booth, only to then learn it neither works nor allows him to leave. As onlookers gather around and fail to help him,...
- 2/29/2024
- by Paul Lê
- bloody-disgusting.com
Mark Rosman‘s The House on Sorority Row (1982) and Stewart Hendler‘s Sorority Row (2009) feel shoved aside in their respective horror classes. Titles like Pieces, Black Christmas, and The Dorm That Dripped Blood get more frequent mentions when discussing pre-90s sorority or dormitory slashers. Remake debates rarely include Sorority Row in their reassessments of unfairly stigmatized 2000s horror revamps based on nostalgia biases (among other reasons). It’s interesting how both seem equally less popular despite their amassed cult followings after meager box office openings.
It’s almost like Hendler attempted to shake the original’s mojo by deeming Sorority Row an adaptation of Rosman’s screenplay Seven Sisters — the earlier iteration of what would become The House on Sorority Row. Don’t mind the trickiness because Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger write their re-imagining indebted to The House on Sorority Row. Maybe late-2000s remake fatigue led to...
It’s almost like Hendler attempted to shake the original’s mojo by deeming Sorority Row an adaptation of Rosman’s screenplay Seven Sisters — the earlier iteration of what would become The House on Sorority Row. Don’t mind the trickiness because Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger write their re-imagining indebted to The House on Sorority Row. Maybe late-2000s remake fatigue led to...
- 9/5/2022
- by Matt Donato
- bloody-disgusting.com
Wyatt Oleff, Kevin Pollak and Janeane Garofalo will star in Mark Rosman’s “In My Life.”
As the film’s title suggests, the comedy/drama is inspired by the music of the Beatles. It follows Evan, a 16-year-old John Lennon wannabe, who is thrilled when the Beatles move in next door to his Beverly Hills home before playing the Hollywood Bowl in 1965. He is desperate to meet his rock idol, while Lennon wants to meet Elvis before the rest of the Beatles do that night. To make it happen, they spend a day together that will forever change their lives. The movie and the places it remembers have a personal connection for Rosman.
“One day in 1965, I found the Beatles were right next door to my house, and this became the launching point for a movie about my youth, my love of music, the 60’s and a very close call...
As the film’s title suggests, the comedy/drama is inspired by the music of the Beatles. It follows Evan, a 16-year-old John Lennon wannabe, who is thrilled when the Beatles move in next door to his Beverly Hills home before playing the Hollywood Bowl in 1965. He is desperate to meet his rock idol, while Lennon wants to meet Elvis before the rest of the Beatles do that night. To make it happen, they spend a day together that will forever change their lives. The movie and the places it remembers have a personal connection for Rosman.
“One day in 1965, I found the Beatles were right next door to my house, and this became the launching point for a movie about my youth, my love of music, the 60’s and a very close call...
- 12/21/2020
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
It's the most wonderful time of the year! Haunted house attractions, mazes, hayrides, and ghost tours resurrect from their slumber as soon as the Halloween season approaches, including the House of Torment in Austin, Texas, and we have details on that after the first item on today's Highlights, which is a one night only, fully restored screenings of The House on Sorority Row. We also have details on director Vincenzo Natali's Hannibal episodes screening at FannibalFest 2018, and info on Paul Ruditis's Vault of Frankenstein novel.
The House on Sorority Row Theatrical Screenings Details: "What: The House on Sorority Row – in theaters for One Night Only – digitally remastered and featuring an exclusive five-minute rapid-fire remix by Attack Media.
When: Thursday, September 27th (Check local listings for times)
Where: Nationwide, Theater listings and tickets on sale now www.Retronightmares.com.
Special ticket promotion with Atom Tickets -- Get $5 off a purchase...
The House on Sorority Row Theatrical Screenings Details: "What: The House on Sorority Row – in theaters for One Night Only – digitally remastered and featuring an exclusive five-minute rapid-fire remix by Attack Media.
When: Thursday, September 27th (Check local listings for times)
Where: Nationwide, Theater listings and tickets on sale now www.Retronightmares.com.
Special ticket promotion with Atom Tickets -- Get $5 off a purchase...
- 9/19/2018
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Mark Rosman‘s ’80s cult classic The House on Sorority Row kicks off Bloody Disgusting’s Retro Nightmare’s Cinema Series nationwide next Thursday, September 27th for a special one night only event. The film has been digitally remastered and features an exclusive five-minute rapid-fire remix by Attack Media! Full theater listings and tickets are on sale now at www.retronightmares.com. We also have […]...
- 9/18/2018
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
Five cult classics, including The House on Sorority Row, are being revived on the big screen by Bloody Disgusting for their "Retro Nightmares" cinema series kicking off on September 27th. Also in today's Horror Highlights: Travel Channel's "Ghostober" programming details, the latest addition to Mezco's Living Dead Dolls line, and the Indiegogo campaign for Masters of the Grind.
Bloody Disgusting's Retro Nightmares Film Series Details: Press Release: "Just in time to kick off the Halloween season, five HD digitally remastered cult horror classics--as voted online by fans--will be coming to the big screen as part of the “Bloody Disgusting Presents Retro Nightmares” Cinema Series this fall: The House on Sorority Row, Amityville: The Evil Escapes, Amityville: It’s About Time, Sweet Sixteen, and The Convent. Tickets are on sale now at www.Retronightmares.com for theaters nationwide.
Preeminent American horror genre website Bloody Disgusting, independent distribution company Multicom Entertainment Group,...
Bloody Disgusting's Retro Nightmares Film Series Details: Press Release: "Just in time to kick off the Halloween season, five HD digitally remastered cult horror classics--as voted online by fans--will be coming to the big screen as part of the “Bloody Disgusting Presents Retro Nightmares” Cinema Series this fall: The House on Sorority Row, Amityville: The Evil Escapes, Amityville: It’s About Time, Sweet Sixteen, and The Convent. Tickets are on sale now at www.Retronightmares.com for theaters nationwide.
Preeminent American horror genre website Bloody Disgusting, independent distribution company Multicom Entertainment Group,...
- 8/23/2018
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
College graduation should have been the time of their lives, but a group of sorority sisters instead find themselves fighting for their lives in The House on Sorority Row. In March of 2018, Scorpion Releasing will deliver a limited edition Blu-ray of the 1983 slasher film with over 45 hours of color correction, and as a special holiday treat, they've unveiled the new cover art as well as the release details for the anticipated Blu-ray.
From Scorpion Releasing: "Here is the custom cover art from artist The Glitchway for our re-issue of The House On Sorority Row that will be sold exclusively on Ronin. The reverse will feature a unique different art, since the famous art has been done to death as it was used in over five different releases.
This is a brand new 2k scan of the original negative, with over 45 hours of color correction, done Exclusive for this release.
From Scorpion Releasing: "Here is the custom cover art from artist The Glitchway for our re-issue of The House On Sorority Row that will be sold exclusively on Ronin. The reverse will feature a unique different art, since the famous art has been done to death as it was used in over five different releases.
This is a brand new 2k scan of the original negative, with over 45 hours of color correction, done Exclusive for this release.
- 12/15/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Of all the many sub-genres in horror, the slasher is probably my favorite. There aren’t many good ones, but even the bad ones tend to deliver exactly what we want from the formula. They’re horror movie comfort food, and Shudder is offering an entire buffet this October.
Black Christmas (1973, dir. Bob Clark) In many ways the first modern slasher film, Bob Clark’s holiday horror movie is, to this day, a genre masterpiece. From its chilly Canadian atmosphere to the disturbing obscene phone calls being made to a sorority house, Black Christmas is brilliantly constructed and hugely influential. It’s not just one of my favorite slasher movies, but one of my favorite horror movies of any type, full stop.
Blood Rage (1987, dir. Bruce Rubin) There are slasher movies that are tense and scary and stylish. Blood Rage is not one of them. Shot in 1983 but not released...
Black Christmas (1973, dir. Bob Clark) In many ways the first modern slasher film, Bob Clark’s holiday horror movie is, to this day, a genre masterpiece. From its chilly Canadian atmosphere to the disturbing obscene phone calls being made to a sorority house, Black Christmas is brilliantly constructed and hugely influential. It’s not just one of my favorite slasher movies, but one of my favorite horror movies of any type, full stop.
Blood Rage (1987, dir. Bruce Rubin) There are slasher movies that are tense and scary and stylish. Blood Rage is not one of them. Shot in 1983 but not released...
- 10/20/2017
- by Patrick Bromley
- DailyDead
The definition of a slasher film varies depending on who you ask, but in general, it contains several specific traits that feed into the genre’s formula. Author Vera Dika rather strictly defines the sub-genre in her book Games of Terror by only including films made between 1978 and 1984. In other words, she saw it as a movement. When someone describes Brick, they don’t define it as a noir, but instead neo-noir . In other words, it’s a modern motion picture that prominently utilizes elements of film noir, but with updated themes, content, style, visual elements or media that were absent in those from the 1940s and 1950s. So does one consider Scream a slasher film or a neo-slasher, or simply put, a modern slasher?
Some consider Thirteen Women to be the earliest slasher – released all the way back in 1932. Personally I think that is rubbish. Thirteen Women is more like Desperate Housewives on sedatives.
Some consider Thirteen Women to be the earliest slasher – released all the way back in 1932. Personally I think that is rubbish. Thirteen Women is more like Desperate Housewives on sedatives.
- 10/29/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
The House on Sorority Row is once again opening up for business via the wonderful sickos over at Scorpion Releasing, and they're dead set on bringing one hell of a DVD package to fans come the end of this month!
From the Press Release
On January 24th Scorpion Releasing and Katarina's Nightmare Theater present House On Sorority Row in a two-disc remastered edition! Flirtatious young sorority sisters who are days away from graduation set out to throw one last decadent celebration. Unbeknownst to them, the strict matron of their house hides a horrendous secret thought long buried. A gruesome accident is witnessed by a hideous fiend, hidden within the once nurturing dwelling, which triggers a rampage of death and destruction. Before the end the peril faced by this sisterhood will push them to the brink of annihilation. And rivers of blood will drown all who enter...The House on Sorority Row.
From the Press Release
On January 24th Scorpion Releasing and Katarina's Nightmare Theater present House On Sorority Row in a two-disc remastered edition! Flirtatious young sorority sisters who are days away from graduation set out to throw one last decadent celebration. Unbeknownst to them, the strict matron of their house hides a horrendous secret thought long buried. A gruesome accident is witnessed by a hideous fiend, hidden within the once nurturing dwelling, which triggers a rampage of death and destruction. Before the end the peril faced by this sisterhood will push them to the brink of annihilation. And rivers of blood will drown all who enter...The House on Sorority Row.
- 1/5/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
For the horror buff, Fall is the best time of the year. The air is crisp, the leaves are falling and a feeling of death hangs on the air. Here at Sound on Sight we have some of the biggest horror fans you can find. We are continually showcasing the best of genre cinema, so we’ve decided to put our horror knowledge and passion to the test in a horror watching contest. Each week in October, Ricky D, James Merolla and Justine Smith will post a list of the horror films they have watched. By the end of the month, the person who has seen the most films wins. Prize Tbd.
Justine Smith (9 viewings) Total of 40 viewings
Purchase
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Directed by Tobe Hooper
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the best horror films ever made, in competition with Possession, The Exorcist, The Birds and Suspiria.
Justine Smith (9 viewings) Total of 40 viewings
Purchase
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Directed by Tobe Hooper
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the best horror films ever made, in competition with Possession, The Exorcist, The Birds and Suspiria.
- 10/26/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: I celebrate all levels of trailers and hopefully this column will satisfactorily give you a baseline of what beta wave I’m operating on, because what better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? Some of the best authors will tell you that writing a short story is a lot harder than writing a long one, that you have to weigh every sentence. What better medium to see how this theory plays itself out beyond that than with movie trailers? X Trailer Jon Hewitt's last feature Acolytes starred Joel Edgerton, one of the best reasons why a strong ensemble makes a great movie even...
- 4/15/2011
- by Christopher Stipp
- Slash Film
William & Kate: The Movie On DVD – Shameful, Unsubtle Money Grabbing Crack For Royal Wedding Addicts
For those who have a Royal Wedding fetish, this hits DVD on April 25th. When I replied to the press release asking for a review check disc (yes, we really do review everything around here), I was told none were available. So keeping that in mind, this write-up will have to do;
Sub-titled, “The Love Story of the Century“, this cheaply made schlock was shot entirely in L.A. and is ‘inspired’ by true events, and will “re-tell the highs and lows of the couple’s nine-year courtship: as they attempt to maintain a normal relationship despite family pressures and intense media attention. The story concludes with the ultimate ending, a picture-perfect Royal Wedding”.
Lord knows why you would want to watch it… but I’m certain it will appeal to over 30′s women who enjoy nothing more than spending evenings watching Coronation Street and whose week is ruined by...
Sub-titled, “The Love Story of the Century“, this cheaply made schlock was shot entirely in L.A. and is ‘inspired’ by true events, and will “re-tell the highs and lows of the couple’s nine-year courtship: as they attempt to maintain a normal relationship despite family pressures and intense media attention. The story concludes with the ultimate ending, a picture-perfect Royal Wedding”.
Lord knows why you would want to watch it… but I’m certain it will appeal to over 30′s women who enjoy nothing more than spending evenings watching Coronation Street and whose week is ruined by...
- 4/5/2011
- by Matt Holmes
- Obsessed with Film
Lifetime has announced that William & Kate, the inevitable biopic about the English lovers' friendship and current engagement, will air on Monday, April 18, at 9 p.m. Est. The movie stars Nico Evers-Swindell as Prince William, and Camille Luddington as his ladylove Kate Middleton. Mark Rosman (Life-Size and Model Behavior, be still my heart) is directing a script by Nancey Silvers, who wrote Sundays at Tiffany's and Girl, Positive, among other Lifetime flicks.
read more...
read more...
- 2/23/2011
- by Natalie Zutter
- Filmology
Well, that was fast. After announcing their engagement back in November, Lifetime already has an original movie set to premiere about their romance, "William & Kate."
Nico Evers-Swindell will play Prince William while Camilla Luddington will portray Kate Middleton in the new movie, from "Ghost Whisperer" director Mark Rosman and Lifetime screenwriter "Girl, Positive" and "Sundays at Tiffany's."
The movie follows how the pair went from just friends at Scotland's University of St. Andrews to one of the most-talked about couples in the globe that has the world awaiting their royal wedding.
"William & Kate" also stars Ben Cross ("Star Trek") as Prince Charles, Serena Scott-Thomas ("The World Is Not Enough") as Carole Middleton, Richard Reid ("Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)" as Ian and Victoria Tennant ("L.A. Story") as Celia.
Nico Evers-Swindell will play Prince William while Camilla Luddington will portray Kate Middleton in the new movie, from "Ghost Whisperer" director Mark Rosman and Lifetime screenwriter "Girl, Positive" and "Sundays at Tiffany's."
The movie follows how the pair went from just friends at Scotland's University of St. Andrews to one of the most-talked about couples in the globe that has the world awaiting their royal wedding.
"William & Kate" also stars Ben Cross ("Star Trek") as Prince Charles, Serena Scott-Thomas ("The World Is Not Enough") as Carole Middleton, Richard Reid ("Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)" as Ian and Victoria Tennant ("L.A. Story") as Celia.
- 2/23/2011
- icelebz.com
Well, that was fast. After announcing their engagement back in November, Lifetime already has an original movie set to premiere about their romance, "William & Kate."
Nico Evers-Swindell will play Prince William while Camilla Luddington will portray Kate Middleton in the new movie, from "Ghost Whisperer" director Mark Rosman and Lifetime screenwriter "Girl, Positive" and "Sundays at Tiffany's."
The movie follows how the pair went from just friends at Scotland's University of St. Andrews to one of the most-talked about couples in the globe that has the world awaiting their royal wedding.
"William & Kate" also stars Ben Cross ("Star Trek") as Prince Charles, Serena Scott-Thomas ("The World Is Not Enough") as Carole Middleton, Richard Reid ("Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)" as Ian and Victoria Tennant ("L.A. Story") as Celia.
Nico Evers-Swindell will play Prince William while Camilla Luddington will portray Kate Middleton in the new movie, from "Ghost Whisperer" director Mark Rosman and Lifetime screenwriter "Girl, Positive" and "Sundays at Tiffany's."
The movie follows how the pair went from just friends at Scotland's University of St. Andrews to one of the most-talked about couples in the globe that has the world awaiting their royal wedding.
"William & Kate" also stars Ben Cross ("Star Trek") as Prince Charles, Serena Scott-Thomas ("The World Is Not Enough") as Carole Middleton, Richard Reid ("Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)" as Ian and Victoria Tennant ("L.A. Story") as Celia.
- 2/23/2011
- icelebz.com
She's is not a princess, but she'll play one on TV. Not a bad second option.
Lifetime, which announced in January that it was planning a film about Prince William and Kate Middleton's long road to marriage, to be aired around the time of the Royal Wedding on April 29th, have finally found the Kate half of their 'William & Kate': actress Camilla Luddington.
Deadline.com reports that the channel has settled on the English actress who, coincidentally, is from Berkshire County in England, as is the real Middleton. Luddington has experience with cable movies, as she's starring in an upcoming Hallmark Channel film, 'Accidentally In Love.' She's also appeared in 'CSI.'
She'll fake a royal wedding with Nico Evers-Swindell, who was already announced as William. Luddington attended Oxford University.
Here's the original press release announcing the film:
William & Kate tells the story of how the friendship between Prince William,...
Lifetime, which announced in January that it was planning a film about Prince William and Kate Middleton's long road to marriage, to be aired around the time of the Royal Wedding on April 29th, have finally found the Kate half of their 'William & Kate': actress Camilla Luddington.
Deadline.com reports that the channel has settled on the English actress who, coincidentally, is from Berkshire County in England, as is the real Middleton. Luddington has experience with cable movies, as she's starring in an upcoming Hallmark Channel film, 'Accidentally In Love.' She's also appeared in 'CSI.'
She'll fake a royal wedding with Nico Evers-Swindell, who was already announced as William. Luddington attended Oxford University.
Here's the original press release announcing the film:
William & Kate tells the story of how the friendship between Prince William,...
- 2/2/2011
- by Jordan Zakarin
- Huffington Post
Lifetime is rushing the production of an original TV movie about Prince William and Kate Middleton who will get married this April 29 in London. The royal couple would be the subjects portrayed in a modern-day fairytale romance movie which production was initiated after their November engagement and is due to start February 10.
Slipping into the second-in-line-to-the-throne's shoes is little-known actor Nico Evers-Swindell who was last seen in Mel Gibson's "Edge of Darkness" as one of the state troopers. The role of Kate is yet to be cast but they have found Prince Charles in "Star Trek" actor Ben Cross.
The movie, which is yet titled, would chronicle the romance between William and Kate starting from the moment they met at Scotland's University of St. Andrews, "through the ups and downs of their nine-year courtship complicated by social and Royal Family pressures, and the intense global media attention surrounding their upcoming storybook nuptials.
Slipping into the second-in-line-to-the-throne's shoes is little-known actor Nico Evers-Swindell who was last seen in Mel Gibson's "Edge of Darkness" as one of the state troopers. The role of Kate is yet to be cast but they have found Prince Charles in "Star Trek" actor Ben Cross.
The movie, which is yet titled, would chronicle the romance between William and Kate starting from the moment they met at Scotland's University of St. Andrews, "through the ups and downs of their nine-year courtship complicated by social and Royal Family pressures, and the intense global media attention surrounding their upcoming storybook nuptials.
- 1/28/2011
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Move over, 'King's Speech,' there's another royal movie on its way.
Lifetime has announced that it will quickly cast, produce and air a movie based on the long royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, which will air around the time the pair ties the knot on April 29th. The film will follow the pair from the beginnings of their relationship at University of St. Andrews through the nine years that delivered them to this moment.
Nico Evers Swindell will play William, while Ben Cross, best known for his role in 'Star Trek,' will take on Prince Charles. They have yet to cast Middleton.
It's not the only creative decision regarding the wedding -- Rupert Murdoch may broadcast the nuptials in 3D on one of his Sky Broadcasting networks.
The press release follows (via E! Online):
William & Kate tells the story of how the friendship between Prince William,...
Lifetime has announced that it will quickly cast, produce and air a movie based on the long royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, which will air around the time the pair ties the knot on April 29th. The film will follow the pair from the beginnings of their relationship at University of St. Andrews through the nine years that delivered them to this moment.
Nico Evers Swindell will play William, while Ben Cross, best known for his role in 'Star Trek,' will take on Prince Charles. They have yet to cast Middleton.
It's not the only creative decision regarding the wedding -- Rupert Murdoch may broadcast the nuptials in 3D on one of his Sky Broadcasting networks.
The press release follows (via E! Online):
William & Kate tells the story of how the friendship between Prince William,...
- 1/27/2011
- by Jordan Zakarin
- Huffington Post
Prince William and Kate Middleton's November engagement has triggered a slew of magazine stories, biographies and TV specials. Now Lifetime is jumping on the Royal Wedding bandwagon with William & Kate, an original movie about the young couple and their modern-day fairytale romance. Nico Evers-Swindell (Edge of Darkness) has been cast as Prince William and Ben Cross (Star Trek) as his father, Prince Charles, in the movie, which has been fast-tracked to premierearound William and Kate's April 29 wedding. (The role of Kate is yet to be cast.) Production is expected to be begin on Feb. 10. William & Kate chronicles the relationship between Prince William, second in line to the throne of the British monarchy, and Kate Middleton, the stunning daughter of upper middle-class commoners, from the moment the two met at Scotland’s University of St. Andrews, through the ups and downs of their nine-year courtship complicated by social and Royal Family pressures,...
- 1/27/2011
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
The House on Sorority Row (1983) D: Mark Rosman Kate McNeil, Eileen Davidson, Harley Jane Kozak Director Mark Rosman may be a familiar name to the Nickelodeon set, especially to fans of Hilary Duff. His most recent work includes Lizzie McGuire and A Cinderella Story. But long before he worked with cute, little teeny-boppers, he directed this gem of a slasher flick back in the early 1980's. As a protégé of Brian DePalma, it should be no surprise that atmosphere and visualization take center stage for The House on Sorority Row. The cast is stacked with experienced soap stars...
- 10/9/2010
- by Dustin Dunaway, Colorado Springs Classic Movies Examiner
- Examiner Movies Channel
If you’ve been reading my columns with The Retro Machine at all, then you know I’m one of Fused Film’s resident horror nerds. I love the genre and (almost) all it has to offer. From lesbian vampires to pranks gone awry, horror has it all. As such, I have made it my mission to become as well-versed as I can in each little subgenre. But even a girl like me can play favorites. As much as I hate to admit it, my favorite subgenre touts some of the worst horror has to offer. Despite the dreck the subgenre releases onto the masses, I love a good slasher film.
It all started when I was a wee lass. I stayed home from my kindergarten ten miles away because I had the stomach flu. I was throwing up in my footie pajamas, y’all. It was not pretty. My father,...
It all started when I was a wee lass. I stayed home from my kindergarten ten miles away because I had the stomach flu. I was throwing up in my footie pajamas, y’all. It was not pretty. My father,...
- 9/8/2010
- by Melissa Yearian
- FusedFilm
The Informant!: "Many of Steven Soderbergh's films in the past eight or nine years can be understood in light of the director asking himself a different hypothetical question: What if I made a slick caper movie cobbled from the emotional remnants of the 1960s? What if I made a stilted, form-driven science-fiction movie cobbled together from the emotional remnants of the 1970s? What if I made a historical drama using period filming techniques cobbled together from the emotional remnants of the 1940s? Etc., etc. Where Soderbergh's earlier films seemed genuinely interested in examining what it meant to pick a certain storytelling approach while never losing sight of the central narrative, his later work is often willfully unclassifiable, as in the deeply flawed and navel-gazing Ocean's Twelve or the passion project Che. But with The Informant!, Soderbergh's finally made a movie that doesn't know whether it's a limp comedy or a slack thriller.
- 2/23/2010
- by Intern Rusty
If you’ve ever seen a slasher movie, you’ve seen The House on Sorority Row, a movie that stalks its way through the motions with such tenacity that you can gauge its success by keeping a cliché checklist at the ready. And while the slasher boom had arguably crescendoed before its release in early 1983, director Mark Rosman’s tale of seven sorority sisters stalked by a vengeful killer works through the elements with just the right amount of finesse to ensure this Sorority Row is a haunt work stalking.
We’re in familiar waters from the get go: things are set in motion thanks to a tragic prologue set twenty years prior to events in the film. Here, a mother suffers the throes of childbirth while her suspicious doctor looks on with worry. Years later, the woman, Mrs. Slater (Lois Kelso Hunt), is a house mother to a pack...
We’re in familiar waters from the get go: things are set in motion thanks to a tragic prologue set twenty years prior to events in the film. Here, a mother suffers the throes of childbirth while her suspicious doctor looks on with worry. Years later, the woman, Mrs. Slater (Lois Kelso Hunt), is a house mother to a pack...
- 2/20/2010
- by Masked Slasher
- DreadCentral.com
• First Look has set a February 2 street date for Triangle, the latest film from Creep and Severance director Christopher Smith. The movie will be issued on DVD in both a limited edition with lenticular packaging (left image below) and a standard edition (right image below, which will also appear on a Blu-ray release).
Triangle stars 30 Days Of Night’s Melissa George (pictured) as a woman who goes on a yachting trip with a group of friends that is interrupted by a storm in the Bermuda Triangle. They are forced to board a passing ocean liner which appears to be deserted—but of course, it’s actually inhabited by someone who starts bumping the group off. The movie will be presented in widescreen with 5.1 Digital Surround sound, plus cast and crew interviews. Retail price is $28.98 for each DVD and $29.98 for the Blu-ray; see our advance review of Triangle here.
• Mpi Media...
Triangle stars 30 Days Of Night’s Melissa George (pictured) as a woman who goes on a yachting trip with a group of friends that is interrupted by a storm in the Bermuda Triangle. They are forced to board a passing ocean liner which appears to be deserted—but of course, it’s actually inhabited by someone who starts bumping the group off. The movie will be presented in widescreen with 5.1 Digital Surround sound, plus cast and crew interviews. Retail price is $28.98 for each DVD and $29.98 for the Blu-ray; see our advance review of Triangle here.
• Mpi Media...
- 11/10/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (Michael Gingold)
- Fangoria
A couple more cult-fave slasher flicks of the early ’80s receive the special-edition treatment via DVDs that arrive November 24. Fango got the details on a new disc of Mark Rosman’s 1983 The House On Sorority Row (the basis of the current big-screen remake Sorority Row) from Liberation Entertainment, and the DVDebut of 1980’s Silent Scream from the new Scorpion Releasing.
House On Sorority Row, previously issued on a bare-bones disc by Elite, has been given a fresh transfer from a recently discovered print for this 25th Anniversary Edition (even though the film is technically 26 years old). The film is now supplemented with:
Audio commentary by writer/director Rosman Alternate ending Photo gallery Trailer
Retail price is $19.95. Silent Scream, directed by Denny Harris from a script by Jim and Ken Wheat (who also produced) and Wallace C. Bennett, is set at a boarding house where a group of college students take up residence,...
House On Sorority Row, previously issued on a bare-bones disc by Elite, has been given a fresh transfer from a recently discovered print for this 25th Anniversary Edition (even though the film is technically 26 years old). The film is now supplemented with:
Audio commentary by writer/director Rosman Alternate ending Photo gallery Trailer
Retail price is $19.95. Silent Scream, directed by Denny Harris from a script by Jim and Ken Wheat (who also produced) and Wallace C. Bennett, is set at a boarding house where a group of college students take up residence,...
- 9/15/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (Michael Gingold)
- Fangoria
Written by: Josh Stolberg, Pete Goldfinger, and Mark Rosman
Directed by: Stewart Hendler
Featuring: Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, Jamie Chung, Audrina Patridge, Carrie Fisher
Review by: Paula Haifley
The new remake of House on Sorority Row comes out today, and surprisingly, it doesn’t suck. If you’re looking for a fun, airy popcorn slasher film with some good jumps and only a little brain activity, Sorority Row will satisfy you. It’s a hamburger from the cafeteria instead of a steak from a non-chain restaurant.
The standard pitfalls of this type of film are apparent in Sorority Row. The girls are so stereotypical of the high school/college click its like they were taken out of another film but given new names. And the actresses who play them all look too old in that 90210 way. The parties and the sex (and the showers) seem to be the...
Directed by: Stewart Hendler
Featuring: Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, Jamie Chung, Audrina Patridge, Carrie Fisher
Review by: Paula Haifley
The new remake of House on Sorority Row comes out today, and surprisingly, it doesn’t suck. If you’re looking for a fun, airy popcorn slasher film with some good jumps and only a little brain activity, Sorority Row will satisfy you. It’s a hamburger from the cafeteria instead of a steak from a non-chain restaurant.
The standard pitfalls of this type of film are apparent in Sorority Row. The girls are so stereotypical of the high school/college click its like they were taken out of another film but given new names. And the actresses who play them all look too old in that 90210 way. The parties and the sex (and the showers) seem to be the...
- 9/11/2009
- by Tristan Sinns
- Planet Fury
Rating: 6.5/10 Writers: Josh Stolberg, Pete Goldfinger, Mark Rosman (original screenplay) Director: Stewart Hendler Cast: Briana Evigan, Rumer Willis, Leah Pipes, Jamie Chung, Margo Harshman, Audrina Patridge Studio: Summit Entertainment Though a remake of a horror film set in a sorority house might not be a genre gamechanger, Stewart Hendler’s update on 1983’s The House On Sorority Row does offer [...]...
- 9/11/2009
- by Kate Erbland
- GordonandtheWhale
It’s finally happened—after several years of movies attempting to recapture the spirit of ’70s/early-’80s horror cinema, we now have one that harks back to the fright films of the ’90s. Sorority Row, officially a remake of Mark Rosman’s 1983 The House On Sorority Row (though the credits try to fudge the issue by citing its original title, Seven Sisters), feels much more akin to the snarky-mouthed slasher features that, though they only made up a small fraction of the genre output in the decade before this one, came to define it in the eyes of many fans.
Sorority Row would have fit in very comfortably alongside the likes of Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer—particularly the latter, as it too deals with bloody vengeance directed at a bunch of attractive young friends who have covered up an accidental killing. In this case,...
Sorority Row would have fit in very comfortably alongside the likes of Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer—particularly the latter, as it too deals with bloody vengeance directed at a bunch of attractive young friends who have covered up an accidental killing. In this case,...
- 9/11/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (Michael Gingold)
- Fangoria
Read Part 1 of our interview right here.
[Spoiler Warning - This interview does contain discussion of the film's kills and plot. Be warned!]
There's a lot to like about Stewart Hendler's breezy and bloody Sorority Row. Sharp-eared viewers will notice the Sorority is located at Rosman College--named after writer/director Mark Rosman, who made the original House On Sorority Row. "Of course," smiles Hendler. "It's only right that we pay tribute to the guy who started it all!"
While it delivers the scares, Row is frequently laugh out loud funny and surreal. Case in point: The movie also has the jaw-dropping sight of Star Wars' Princess Leia, acclaimed actress/writer Carrie Fisher, chasing the killer with a double-barrelled shotgun!
Fango: Carrie Fisher is great as the alcoholic House Mother...How the hell did you get her to do it?
Stewart Hendler: "I lucked out, that's how I got Carrie Fisher. She was obviously the easy first choice for us...I mean, come on,...
[Spoiler Warning - This interview does contain discussion of the film's kills and plot. Be warned!]
There's a lot to like about Stewart Hendler's breezy and bloody Sorority Row. Sharp-eared viewers will notice the Sorority is located at Rosman College--named after writer/director Mark Rosman, who made the original House On Sorority Row. "Of course," smiles Hendler. "It's only right that we pay tribute to the guy who started it all!"
While it delivers the scares, Row is frequently laugh out loud funny and surreal. Case in point: The movie also has the jaw-dropping sight of Star Wars' Princess Leia, acclaimed actress/writer Carrie Fisher, chasing the killer with a double-barrelled shotgun!
Fango: Carrie Fisher is great as the alcoholic House Mother...How the hell did you get her to do it?
Stewart Hendler: "I lucked out, that's how I got Carrie Fisher. She was obviously the easy first choice for us...I mean, come on,...
- 9/9/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (Pat Jankiewicz)
- Fangoria
Sorority Row, a remake of 1983's low budget slasher film The House on Sorority Row, arrives in theaters on September 11th, 2009.
In 1983, Mark Rosman sat in the director's chair of an extremely low-budget horror film, The House on Sorority Row. Filmed on a shoestring budget of $425,000, the movie flopped when it was originally released on January 21 of that year. However, a month later, the film found a place in the heart of fans of the slasher film genre, and had generated over $4 million in box office revenue. More than 20 years later, the film is being recreated for horror lovers. Paying homage to Rosman by naming the university after him, the movie has a similar premise to…...
In 1983, Mark Rosman sat in the director's chair of an extremely low-budget horror film, The House on Sorority Row. Filmed on a shoestring budget of $425,000, the movie flopped when it was originally released on January 21 of that year. However, a month later, the film found a place in the heart of fans of the slasher film genre, and had generated over $4 million in box office revenue. More than 20 years later, the film is being recreated for horror lovers. Paying homage to Rosman by naming the university after him, the movie has a similar premise to…...
- 9/8/2009
- by By Ashley Cooper
- PopMatters
In a year full of witless remakes and soulless sequels comes Stewart Hendler's surprising Sorority Row.
A gory tribute to '80s slasher movies, Sorority Row has a hooded killer, beautiful, smarter-than-average victims, dozens of red herrings and a scene stealing Carrie Fisher as the toughest den mother in horror movie history! It's also unexpectedly hip and humorous.
While it's ostensibly a remake of House On Sorority Row, Hendler jettisons most of that (no mutant maniac in a clown suit) and focuses on the Sorority Sisters being stalked. The girls have accidentally killed a fellow Theta Pi member, so they can't go to the cops and have to confront the killer themselves.
Hendler has made a fun, fast-moving movie that captures the feel of '80s slasher classics with a post-ironic tone. He playfully defeats expectations(the meanest girl is the one with the best chance to outwitting the killer!
A gory tribute to '80s slasher movies, Sorority Row has a hooded killer, beautiful, smarter-than-average victims, dozens of red herrings and a scene stealing Carrie Fisher as the toughest den mother in horror movie history! It's also unexpectedly hip and humorous.
While it's ostensibly a remake of House On Sorority Row, Hendler jettisons most of that (no mutant maniac in a clown suit) and focuses on the Sorority Sisters being stalked. The girls have accidentally killed a fellow Theta Pi member, so they can't go to the cops and have to confront the killer themselves.
Hendler has made a fun, fast-moving movie that captures the feel of '80s slasher classics with a post-ironic tone. He playfully defeats expectations(the meanest girl is the one with the best chance to outwitting the killer!
- 9/7/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (Pat Jankiewicz)
- Fangoria
A host of new releases contend for their slice of the box office pie. We’ll start from the release debuting in the largest amount of theatres and work our way down. Warner Bros. Pictures sends out their horror “Whiteout” which is helmed by Dominic Sena; a helmer with several strong credits under his belt including “Swordfish,” “Gone in Sixty Seconds” and 1993’s “Kalifornia.” Film opens in over 2,700 venues and is screenwritten by John and Erich Hoeber as well as Chad and Carey W. Hayes based on the graphic novel by Greg Rucka. Summit Entertainment’s horror “Sorority Row” finds over 2,500 theatres and stars Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, Jamie Chung, Audrina Patridge and Carrie Fisher. Stewart Hendler (“Whisper”) directs from the writing by Josh Stolberg, Peter Goldfiner and Mark Rosman...
- 9/7/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Summit Entertainment is criticized for 'watering down horror' with their Twilight franchise. Those critics will eat their words when they see Sorority Row, a full-on '80s slasher throwback with a high body count and black sense of humor.
A loose adaptation of the minor classic House On Sorority Row (no head-in-a-toilet this time), it's the story of a Sorority prank gone wrong. With one of their own dead, the girls of Theta Pi are ready to confess. Lead sister Jessica (Leah Pipes) convinces them to hide the body instead, noting "I would rather not spend my child-bearing years in lock-up!"
Set to marry a Senator's son, Jessica and the rest of the girls have bright futures upon graduation. Unfortunately, a hooded maniac shows up with their murder weapon and begins picking them off one by one.
That's a standard slasher movie plot of guilt and revenge, but Sorority Row...
A loose adaptation of the minor classic House On Sorority Row (no head-in-a-toilet this time), it's the story of a Sorority prank gone wrong. With one of their own dead, the girls of Theta Pi are ready to confess. Lead sister Jessica (Leah Pipes) convinces them to hide the body instead, noting "I would rather not spend my child-bearing years in lock-up!"
Set to marry a Senator's son, Jessica and the rest of the girls have bright futures upon graduation. Unfortunately, a hooded maniac shows up with their murder weapon and begins picking them off one by one.
That's a standard slasher movie plot of guilt and revenge, but Sorority Row...
- 9/4/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (Pat Jankiewicz)
- Fangoria
The last time I was in this cavernous building, it was 2000 and I was a beleaguered employee. Back then, it was the Wrs Film and Video Lab, notorious as the house that processed the original negative of Night Of The Living Dead.
Before it was a film lab, it had been a meat-packing plant—and a slaughterhouse. All of this seems appropriate, if not ironic, because right now, the space that used to house a bank of bulk VHS tape-transferring decks is now a grand dining room, complete with a spiral staircase winding up to a balcony. Overhead hangs a delicate crystal chandelier. In the corner is a Christmas tree. And in just a few moments, a hooded figure is going to hurl a flaming Molotov cocktail at an unfortunate girl’s head.
Wrs, the lab, is no more. Now it’s the home of all the interior sets for Sorority Row.
Before it was a film lab, it had been a meat-packing plant—and a slaughterhouse. All of this seems appropriate, if not ironic, because right now, the space that used to house a bank of bulk VHS tape-transferring decks is now a grand dining room, complete with a spiral staircase winding up to a balcony. Overhead hangs a delicate crystal chandelier. In the corner is a Christmas tree. And in just a few moments, a hooded figure is going to hurl a flaming Molotov cocktail at an unfortunate girl’s head.
Wrs, the lab, is no more. Now it’s the home of all the interior sets for Sorority Row.
- 2/13/2009
- Fangoria
The last time I was in this cavernous building, it was 2000 and I was a beleaguered employee. Back then, it was the Wrs Film and Video Lab, notorious as the house that processed the original negative of Night Of The Living Dead.
Before it was a film lab, it had been a meat-packing plant—and a slaughterhouse. All of this seems appropriate, if not ironic, because right now, the space that used to house a bank of bulk VHS tape-transferring decks is now a grand dining room, complete with a spiral staircase winding up to a balcony. Overhead hangs a delicate crystal chandelier. In the corner is a Christmas tree. And in just a few moments, a hooded figure is going to hurl a flaming Molotov cocktail at actress Caroline D’Amore’s head.
Wrs, the lab, is no more. Now it’s the home of all the interior sets for Sorority Row.
Before it was a film lab, it had been a meat-packing plant—and a slaughterhouse. All of this seems appropriate, if not ironic, because right now, the space that used to house a bank of bulk VHS tape-transferring decks is now a grand dining room, complete with a spiral staircase winding up to a balcony. Overhead hangs a delicate crystal chandelier. In the corner is a Christmas tree. And in just a few moments, a hooded figure is going to hurl a flaming Molotov cocktail at actress Caroline D’Amore’s head.
Wrs, the lab, is no more. Now it’s the home of all the interior sets for Sorority Row.
- 11/20/2008
- Fangoria
Carry Fisher is in negotiations to join Jamie Chung and Audrina Patridge in Summit Entertainment’s “Sorority Row,” a remake of Mark Rosman’s 1983 horror flick “The House on Sorority Row.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Briana Evigan, Rumer Willis, Julian Morris, Leah Pipes and Margo Harshman are also on board.
The story focuses on a bunch of sorority sisters who are hunted by a serial killer after trying to cover up the accidental death of one of their friends. Doesn’t part of this plot sound just like “Black Christmas”?
If Fisher ends up joining the project, she would play the house mother. Stewart Hendler is directing the remake.
Let’s quickly take a look at the cast. Fisher is currently onscreen in “The Women.” Jamie Chung appeared in “Samurai Girl” and will soon be seen in “Dragonball,” while Patridge is best known for “The Hills.”
As for Evigan,...
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Briana Evigan, Rumer Willis, Julian Morris, Leah Pipes and Margo Harshman are also on board.
The story focuses on a bunch of sorority sisters who are hunted by a serial killer after trying to cover up the accidental death of one of their friends. Doesn’t part of this plot sound just like “Black Christmas”?
If Fisher ends up joining the project, she would play the house mother. Stewart Hendler is directing the remake.
Let’s quickly take a look at the cast. Fisher is currently onscreen in “The Women.” Jamie Chung appeared in “Samurai Girl” and will soon be seen in “Dragonball,” while Patridge is best known for “The Hills.”
As for Evigan,...
- 9/18/2008
- by Franck Tabouring
- screeninglog.com
Summit Entertainment's remake of Mark Rosman's 1983 The House On Sorority Row, currently titled Sorority Row, is currently prepping to shoot in Pittsburgh this October. The film is being produced by Summit (Step Up I and II, Never Back Down, Twilight) and directed by Stewart Hendler. Actresses Briana Evigan (Step Up 2: The Streets) and Rumer Willis (The House Bunny) have been cast in principal roles, according to Nancy Mosser Casting. In Mark Rosman's original, after a seemingly innocent prank goes horribly wrong, a group of sorority sisters are stalked and murdered one by one in their sorority house while throwing a party to celebrate their graduation.
- 9/10/2008
- bloody-disgusting.com
By Matt Singer
What happens when you put the classic Cinderella story together with a modern setting or flip the protagonists' sexes? A whole lot more than bippity-boppity-boo. In honor of the new film "Year of the Fish," a self-proclaimed "Cinderella in a Chinatown massage parlour," here are five more unique reinventions of this durable fairy tale popularized by French author Charles Perrault in 1697. Read quickly, though: at the stroke of midnight, this article turns back into zeros and ones.
"Ever After" (1998)
Directed by Andy Tennant
The Brothers Grimm are called before the Grand Dame of France (Jeanne Moreau) to set the record straight on the "real" Cinderella, who had no magical benefactors or means of conveyance, though she did get some wardrobe support from Leonardo da Vinci (Patrick Godfrey). Actually named Danielle De Barbarac (Drew Barrymore), she was living in servitude to her stepmother, Baroness Rodmilla (Angelica Huston) when...
What happens when you put the classic Cinderella story together with a modern setting or flip the protagonists' sexes? A whole lot more than bippity-boppity-boo. In honor of the new film "Year of the Fish," a self-proclaimed "Cinderella in a Chinatown massage parlour," here are five more unique reinventions of this durable fairy tale popularized by French author Charles Perrault in 1697. Read quickly, though: at the stroke of midnight, this article turns back into zeros and ones.
"Ever After" (1998)
Directed by Andy Tennant
The Brothers Grimm are called before the Grand Dame of France (Jeanne Moreau) to set the record straight on the "real" Cinderella, who had no magical benefactors or means of conveyance, though she did get some wardrobe support from Leonardo da Vinci (Patrick Godfrey). Actually named Danielle De Barbarac (Drew Barrymore), she was living in servitude to her stepmother, Baroness Rodmilla (Angelica Huston) when...
- 8/29/2008
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
We caught wind this afternoon that Summit Entertainment (P2, Twilight) has acquired the rights to the remake of The House on Sorority Row, which was scripted by Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger. In Mark Rosman's original, after a seemingly innocent prank goes horribly wrong, a group of sorority sisters are stalked and murdered one by one in their sorority house while throwing a party to celebrate their graduation. I personally don't see this film being released with that cheesy '80s title, but I guess we'll see soon enough.
- 4/30/2008
- bloody-disgusting.com
It was reported via TackingB.com that nm0831457 autoJosh Stolberg[/link] and nm1539257 autoPete Goldfinger[/link] (Piranha remake) have currently scripted a remake to the 1983 slasher pic The House on Sorority Row. No other details were revealed, but another remake is on the way. In nm0743093 autoMark Rosman[/link]'s original, after a seemingly innocent prank goes horribly wrong, a group of sorority sisters are stalked and murdered one by one in their sorority house while throwing a party to celebrate their graduation. I personally don't see this film being released with that cheesy '80s title, but I guess we'll see soon enough.
- 4/14/2008
- bloody-disgusting.com
The magic is gone in this latest screen version of "Cinderella". From its uninspiring title -- and certain turnoff for young males -- to its limp slapstick and uneven acting, "A Cinderella Story" arrives with a dull thud. It doesn't help that this contemporary take on the classic fairy tale re-explores ground already covered this year by such movies as "Mean Girls" and "Ella Enchanted".
Thanks to popular young star Hilary Duff, the film might see a brisk boxoffice opening weekend. But word-of-mouth and more attractive options in the multiplexes should lead to a sharp drop-off by the second week.
Wicked stepmothers and Prince Charmings are awkward concepts in a contemporary setting. There is little evidence that writer Leigh Dunlap or her producers thought through how to re-imagine the fairy tale for modern day. Having Cinderella leave behind a cell phone instead of a glass slipper as the clock strikes midnight is not nearly enough.
First of all, the film never makes the case that our Cinderella, Valley high school senior Sam Montgomery (Duff), is truly abused. When her dear dad dies in the Northridge earthquake -- how exactly? we wonder -- her self-indulgent, plastic surgery-obsessed stepmom, Fiona (Jennifer Coolidge in an amusing but over-the-top performance), banishes Sam to the attic and puts her to work in her dad's '50s diner. The trouble is, designer Charles Breen turns that attic into a very cool-looking loft, Sam's paycheck goes to her college education and must we really feel sorry for a girl who complains that she has to drive a "beat-up old car"? The car runs, doesn't it?
Her high school is similarly disconnected from reality but not in the fairy tale sort of way. Not to put too fine a point on it, but Duff is a beauty, and costume designer Denise Wingate does nothing to make her seem otherwise. So why is Sam so unpopular with the boys? They mock her as "Diner Girl" -- what, no one else at school has a job? -- and her only male friend, geeky Carter (Dan Byrd), seems oblivious to her charms as well. Then she puts on a gown and mask and everyone is knocked out by her presence. Go figure.
Her dreamboat is popular football star Austin Ames Chad Michael Murray). He's a good-looking lad, but the script makes him into a boob. He's afraid of his dad, in a dead-end relationship with a shallow cheerleader (Julie Gonzalo), easily cowed by his buddies and unable or unwilling to pursue his Cinderella. They don't make Prince Charmings the way they used to.
Director Mark Rosman and Dunlap search for laughs in all the wrong places. Fiona's complete body makeover with implants, Botox, plastic surgery and a tanning machine earns a few laughs but gets old fast. The slapstick bumbling of Sam's "out-of-step-sisters," Brianna (Madeline Zima) and Gabriella (Andrea Avery), is thoroughly unfunny.
Duff and Byrd anchor the film in a perky though realistic acting style. But too many other actors resort to overblown shtick in a vain attempt to bring cartoonish characters to life. The diner sequences work the best: Regina King, Paul Rodriguez and others form a neat ensemble of characters who work hard, support one another and share a mutual contempt for the owner. Conversely, the sequences in high school or at home feel tired if not belabored.
Tech credits are pro though unexciting.
A Cinderella Story
Warner Bros. Oictures
A Clifford Werber production
Credits:
Director: Mark Rosman
Screenwriter: Leigh Dunlap
Producers: Clifford Werber, Ilyssa Goodman, Hunt Lowry, Dylan Sellers
Executive producers: Michael Rachmil, Peter Greene, Keith Giglio
Director of photography: Anthony B. Richmond
Production designer: Charles Breen
Music: Christophe Beck
Costume designer: Denise Wingate
Editor: Cara Silverman
Cast:
Sam: Hilary Duff
Fiona: Jennifer Coolidge
Austin: Chad Michael Murray
Carter: Dan Byrd
Rhonda: Regina King, Shelby: Julie Gonzalo
Mrs. Wells: Lin Shaye
Brianna: Madeline Zima
Gabriella: Andrea Avery
MPAA rating PG
Running time -- 95 minutes...
Thanks to popular young star Hilary Duff, the film might see a brisk boxoffice opening weekend. But word-of-mouth and more attractive options in the multiplexes should lead to a sharp drop-off by the second week.
Wicked stepmothers and Prince Charmings are awkward concepts in a contemporary setting. There is little evidence that writer Leigh Dunlap or her producers thought through how to re-imagine the fairy tale for modern day. Having Cinderella leave behind a cell phone instead of a glass slipper as the clock strikes midnight is not nearly enough.
First of all, the film never makes the case that our Cinderella, Valley high school senior Sam Montgomery (Duff), is truly abused. When her dear dad dies in the Northridge earthquake -- how exactly? we wonder -- her self-indulgent, plastic surgery-obsessed stepmom, Fiona (Jennifer Coolidge in an amusing but over-the-top performance), banishes Sam to the attic and puts her to work in her dad's '50s diner. The trouble is, designer Charles Breen turns that attic into a very cool-looking loft, Sam's paycheck goes to her college education and must we really feel sorry for a girl who complains that she has to drive a "beat-up old car"? The car runs, doesn't it?
Her high school is similarly disconnected from reality but not in the fairy tale sort of way. Not to put too fine a point on it, but Duff is a beauty, and costume designer Denise Wingate does nothing to make her seem otherwise. So why is Sam so unpopular with the boys? They mock her as "Diner Girl" -- what, no one else at school has a job? -- and her only male friend, geeky Carter (Dan Byrd), seems oblivious to her charms as well. Then she puts on a gown and mask and everyone is knocked out by her presence. Go figure.
Her dreamboat is popular football star Austin Ames Chad Michael Murray). He's a good-looking lad, but the script makes him into a boob. He's afraid of his dad, in a dead-end relationship with a shallow cheerleader (Julie Gonzalo), easily cowed by his buddies and unable or unwilling to pursue his Cinderella. They don't make Prince Charmings the way they used to.
Director Mark Rosman and Dunlap search for laughs in all the wrong places. Fiona's complete body makeover with implants, Botox, plastic surgery and a tanning machine earns a few laughs but gets old fast. The slapstick bumbling of Sam's "out-of-step-sisters," Brianna (Madeline Zima) and Gabriella (Andrea Avery), is thoroughly unfunny.
Duff and Byrd anchor the film in a perky though realistic acting style. But too many other actors resort to overblown shtick in a vain attempt to bring cartoonish characters to life. The diner sequences work the best: Regina King, Paul Rodriguez and others form a neat ensemble of characters who work hard, support one another and share a mutual contempt for the owner. Conversely, the sequences in high school or at home feel tired if not belabored.
Tech credits are pro though unexciting.
A Cinderella Story
Warner Bros. Oictures
A Clifford Werber production
Credits:
Director: Mark Rosman
Screenwriter: Leigh Dunlap
Producers: Clifford Werber, Ilyssa Goodman, Hunt Lowry, Dylan Sellers
Executive producers: Michael Rachmil, Peter Greene, Keith Giglio
Director of photography: Anthony B. Richmond
Production designer: Charles Breen
Music: Christophe Beck
Costume designer: Denise Wingate
Editor: Cara Silverman
Cast:
Sam: Hilary Duff
Fiona: Jennifer Coolidge
Austin: Chad Michael Murray
Carter: Dan Byrd
Rhonda: Regina King, Shelby: Julie Gonzalo
Mrs. Wells: Lin Shaye
Brianna: Madeline Zima
Gabriella: Andrea Avery
MPAA rating PG
Running time -- 95 minutes...
- 7/23/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Heather Locklear is set to star opposite Hilary Duff in The Perfect Man, which Mark Rosman is directing for Universal Pictures. The story centers on a teenager (Duff) who is trying to find the best mate for her single, romantically challenged mom (Locklear). Chris Noth and Mike O'Malley also have been cast. Marc Platt, Susan Duff and Dawn Wolfrom are producing. Holly Bario and Drew Crevello are overseeing for the studio. Production starts April 29 in Toronto. Locklear starred on the TV series Spin City and Melrose Place as well as T.J. Hooker and Dynasty. Her recent feature film credits include Uptown Girls and Looney Tunes: Back in Action. She is repped by ICM.
- 4/26/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Chris Noth and Mike O'Malley are set to play opposite Hilary Duff in The Perfect Man, which Mark Rosman is directing for Universal Pictures. The story centers on a teenager (Duff) who is trying to find the best mate for her single mom. Noth plays a friend of the family who, unbeknownst to the women, just might have all the qualities they are looking for. O'Malley is one of the potential suitors. The role of the mother has yet to be cast. Marc Platt, Susan Duff and Dawn Wolfrom are producing. Holly Bario and Drew Crevello are overseeing for the studio. Production starts April 29 in Toronto. Noth is best known for playing Mr. Big on HBO's Sex and the City and Detective Mike Logan on Law & Order. The UTA-repped actor recently starred in the TV movie Bad Apple. O'Malley stars on CBS' Yes, Dear and has appeared in such features as Pushing Tin and Deep Impact. He is repped by CAA.
- 4/20/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Variety reports that Hilary Duff will reteam with A Cinderella Story director Mark Rosman for The Perfect Man, a comedy about a daughter trying to set her single mom up with the right guy. However, the daughter runs into so many stumbling blocks that she soon makes up a seemingly perfect candidate. In addition to Cinderella, Rosman worked with Duff on her Disney series Lizzie McGuire. Shooting is set to start for Universal in late April... Remember The Fountain, the Darren Aronofsky flick that was derailed when star Brad Pitt left? Hugh Jackman is now eyeing the film, which has been reduced in budget from the $75 million to the $35 million range. Warner Bros. and New Regency will co-produce -- if it gets off the ground this time... Budding director Bill Paxton will helm his second film for Disney, a golf drama called The Greatest Game Ever Played, based on the true story of 1913 US Open, where 20 year-old Francis Ouimet defeated reigning champion Harry Vardon. Shooting is expected to begin this summer.
- 3/2/2004
- IMDbPro News
Chad Michael Murray, who starred as the Lone Ranger in the recent WB Network telefilm of the same name, will star opposite Hilary Duff in Warner Bros. Pictures/Gaylord Films' Cinderella Story. The project is set to go into production June 30 with Mark Rosman at the helm and studio-based Dylan Sellers producing with Clifford Werber and Gaylord's Hunt Lowry. Duff toplines the Clueless-meets-Cinderella story, a modern-day comedy set in Southern California's San Fernando Valley. The tale revolves around a young and slightly dorky high school student who goes through a transformation, becoming one of the hottest girls in school. Murray would play her love interest. Warners creative executive Alysia Cotter brought the project into the studio and will oversee. Duff's mother, Susan Duff, will receive a co-executive producer credit. Signing Murray to the film shows synergy at work between the Warner TV and film divisions. In addition to his work on the WB's Lone Ranger, Murray was a recurring on the network's Dawson's Creek and The Gilmore Girls. He will next star in the WB midseason replacement series One Tree Hill. Murray is repped by CAA, Bonnie Liedtke and Simmonds Management.
Just a few weeks shy of the rollout of her feature film debut, the Frankie Muniz starrer Agent Cody Banks, teen star Hilary Duff will receive a whopping $2 million to take the lead role in Cinderella Story for Warner Bros. Pictures, sources said. The project, just picked up as a packaged deal by the studio, is set to go into production in the summer with Mark Rosman at the helm and studio-based Dylan Sellers producing. Duff will topline the Clueless-meets-Cinderella story, a modern-day comedy set in Southern California's San Fernando Valley about a young and slightly dorky high school student who goes through a transformation to become one of the hottest girls in school.
- 2/27/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Just a few weeks shy of the rollout of her feature film debut, the Frankie Muniz starrer Agent Cody Banks, teen star Hilary Duff will receive a whopping $2 million to take the lead role in Cinderella Story for Warner Bros. Pictures, sources said. The project, just picked up as a packaged deal by the studio, is set to go into production in the summer with Mark Rosman at the helm and studio-based Dylan Sellers producing. Duff will topline the Clueless-meets-Cinderella story, a modern-day comedy set in Southern California's San Fernando Valley about a young and slightly dorky high school student who goes through a transformation to become one of the hottest girls in school.
- 2/27/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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