Posts

Showing posts from May, 2020
💀💀The Age Of Gods And Monsters lives on in the hearts and imaginations of those that wish to keep it alive. Ghoulish Grin Films is a small entity but its heart is on fire with the ghosts of old. It is an entity that cherishes the classics and gives it a modern platform. Long Live Indie Horror! 💀💀 Welcome to the site...and thank you for your support! Enjoy!

The Gentleman Of Horror (Happy Birthday Peter Cushing!)

Image
As a lifelong Star Wars fan, I knew the great Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin. His icy cool demeanor was noticeable as a kid, though every youngster tends to gravitate towards the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader. It wasn't until my teen years that I realized the true greatness of Mr. Cushing. Boris Karloff's legendary turn as "Frankenstein" was immortal, and even at a very young age I understood the greatness of that film. So seeing a remake of it was something I was interested in but thought it would never achieve the classic heights of that Universal Studios masterpiece. I was wrong. To this day, I don't shun remakes simply on the strength of "The Curse Of Frankenstein." It didn't copy that original film. In fact, it's a whole new thing. A true horror classic in its own right. And the strength of that film fell on the performance of Victor Frankenstein. Mr. Cushing was truly brilliant in the film. So it was on to "Horror Of Dracula...

The Beginning And End Of The Prequels (Star Wars Anniversary)

Image
On May 19th 1999, I was besides myself as I entered the movie theater. I was about to see the first Star Wars movie in 16 years! After 1983's "Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi" had closed the pages of the Original Trilogy, I had a few things. A couple of Ewok movies. An Ewok cartoon show, along with a Droids cartoon show (with toys to accompany them). Some great Extended Universe comics and books ("Shadows Of The Empire" being my all time favorite). But not a new film. I had said before that I literally dreamed of new Star Wars toys during this dry spell. So seeing brand new Star Wars toys in Toys R Us hyped me up to dizzying levels. I can look back at it all now and really understand how this film could never live up to the hype. The film still isn't as perfect as those original films, but I always felt that "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" aged well and thanks to analysis from Star Wars sages like Dave Filoni, the layers ar...

Will THE DARK UNIVERSE Ever Take Shape?

Image
In 2014, Universal Studios attempted to resurrect it's legendary Universal Monsters and create their own cinematic universe, seeing the success of Marvel and the attempts of other studios, with "Dracula Untold." This origin story of the iconic vampire starred Luke Evans as Dracula. Though it did make money, it wasn't the result that Universal Studios wanted and it was received with mixed criticism. The connection of "Dracula Untold" to the 2017 reboot of "The Mummy" starring Tom Cruise was ultimately scrapped and "The Mummy" was supposed to usher in The Dark Universe, the new dubbing of it's cinematic universe. The film made more than "Dracula Untold," but unfortunately it cost much more to make, thanks to the star power of Cruise. It lost the studio money and with that...The Dark Universe was dead. Because of this failure, Universal returned to stand-alone Universal Monsters films. In 2020, the remake of "The Invi...

Boba Fett Returns! ("The Mandalorian" Season 2 Casting)

Image
I was aware of the extended universe stories (now referred to as Legends) of Boba Fett and how they brought him back from the Sarlacc Pit. "Return Of The Jedi" is my favorite film in the Skywalker Saga and seeing it as a kid back in 1983 I never really wanted (or cared) if Boba Fett lived or died. I thought he was a cool character but I wasn't as obsessed with him as certain other fanboys were. The same thing ended up happening to Darth Maul. I originally thought that bringing him back from the dead was absolutely ridiculous, but now having seen his character give purpose to the overall story arc of The Clone Wars I have come to respect the decision and I now think it was a great call. So thanks to The Hollywood Reporter who broke the news the characters demise from the original trilogy now has brought Boba Fett back to the Star Wars Universe...and is now officially canon. He did survive and will now serve his purpose in the upcoming season of "The Mandalorian,...

Revenge Of The Fifth! (Happy Cinco De Mayo!)

Image
Attention Rebel Scum! You had your fun with your silly Star Wars Day! May The 4th Be With You? I think NOT! Declare your allegiance to The First Order or prepare to be terminated! By order of our Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, you are ORDERED to dismiss with all Rebel alliances and hokey Jedi religions and bow to us! Order must be preserved! Join our Stormtrooper legion or DIE!

May The 4th Be With You! (Happy Star Wars Day!)

Image
Back in 1977, the first film in what would be a nine episode saga would be released. "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" would change the cinematic landscape forever and create a fandom that would have its ups and downs but ultimately would come to love the core of the story. The Force. The Dark Side. Space scoundrels and galactic princesses. A fantasy for the ages. As we enter another year of Star Wars, lets celebrate it as family. For whatever we love or hate about the franchise, we can all agree that...we love and hate things about the franchise. A fan is a fan for accepting their love for what it is. Warts and all. You can like one episode and hate another. Love the movies and not get into the animated series. Love the animated series but not the extended universe. And so on and so forth. But if you like a small corner of that galaxy, you're a fan. For whatever you think of the past, you can always root for it's future. My love for this universe, this saga, ...

Hail The Scorpion King! (Happy Birthday To The ROCK!)

Image
In The '90's, the WWE was moving away from the squeaky clean image of Hulk Hogan and the 'say your prayers and eat your vitamins' era of wrestling and moved to the 'Attitude Era' of the entertainment sport. This was in response to the rivalry of the WCW and created a new era of sports entertainment. It would become an era of 'antiheroes...' wrestlers that the fans loved because of their bad attitudes. And among the very best of that era was Dwayne Johnson...A.K.A. The Rock. He was physically as imposing as any WWE star but what made him special was his insane charisma and mic skills. Truly one of the all time best trash talkers in wrestling. Soon, Hollywood would want to capitalize on that charisma and he would make his film debut in the rekindled Universal Monsters franchise The Mummy. 2001's "The Mummy Returns" was a spectacular blockbuster hit and would catapult him to stardom...as he would be given his own film based on the charac...

"End Of An Era: Mad" Now Streaming At Amazon!

Image
Now streaming at Amazon is the newest installment of the "End Of An Era" series, MAD! A fun and loving tribute to the wacky magazine and all media surrounding it, it will give you the nostalgic feels you need in these uncertain times. Enjoy this episode and other "End Of An Era" episodes for FREE with an Amazon Prime membership! "End Of An Era: Mad" can also be purchased for rental for only 99 Cents! Thank you as always for your support and stay safe everyone! The Ghoulish Grin Films Amazon Page:  http://amazon.com/v/ghoulishgrinfilms