· More Slither pictures!
Check out more coverage from the horror comedy coming out March 31st, 2006 and starring Firefly's Nathan Fillion. See them at the Slither promo page.

· Season 3 of Charmed on DVD!
Check pictures from the third season set of Charmed, coming to DVD on November 15th.

· George A. Romero's Land of the Dead is now on video and DVD!
Check out the promo page for video, pictures, and a chance to win a copy of the unrated DVD.

· Alone in the Dark and Unsolved Mysteries contests
Check out the Cold Spot pages for the just-released movie Alone in the Dark and the new Unsolved Mysteries DVD box sets for a contests, pictures, and more! CONTEST NOW CLOSED.

· 100 Scariest Movie Moments
From Tuesday Oct 26 to Saturday Oct 30th, cable channel Bravo is airing The 100 Scariest Movie Moments of all time, twenty a night. Unlike Entertainment Weekly's recent top twenty horror movies, Bravo's list of scary moments has so far included lesser-known films like Blood and Black Lace and Black Christmas, with clips from the films and comments from the moviemakers, critics, and others.

· Dawn of the Dead clips
Check out a clip from the 2004 Dawn of the Dead at iFilm.

· "And call off Halloween."
According to UPI, the school district of Puyallup, Washington, has cancelled the elementary school costume parades and parties. The reasoning was that such Halloween celebrations were "a waste of classroom time," might embarrass children who could not afford costumes, and were insensitive to the Wiccan religion.

· Van Helsing coming to DVD & video
Enter your name and e-mail below for a chance to win a DVD of Van Helsing! And check out pictures and a trailer at the Van Helsing page.

CONTEST NOW CLOSED.

· Unsolved Mysteries coming to DVD
The long-running hit television show Unsolved Mysteries will be coming to DVD soon in four-disc box sets featuring the best of the series. Already out is UFOs, and coming just in time for the Halloween season? Ghosts. Check out the Unsolved Mysteries page for pictures and details.

· Shaun of the Dead advance screenings Friday
On Friday, September 17, 2004, theaters around the US will be showing advance screenings of UK horror comedy hit Shaun of the Dead. Check out the screening schedule to see if one of them is near you. Contact the theater for showtimes. And some of the theaters are running a giveaway!

· Ghosts of Edendale video release coming soon
The great indie ghost movie The Ghosts of Edendale, from the director of The Last Broadcast, is coming to Warner Home Video on October 19th. Look for more soon, including details about a contest and an exclusive interview with director Stefan Avalos. For now, check out my review of the film.

· Win a Ghost in the Shell DVD
The Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence contest is now over, but thank you for your interest.

· Monster-Mania Con 2 this weekend!
From August 27-29, 2004, the Hilton on Route 70 in Cherry Hill, NJ will host "3 Days of Sheer Terror": The Monster-Mania Con 2.

· Saw release pushed back
The release date of the James Wan thriller Saw, starring Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell, has been moved to October 8th.

· Duel coming to DVD
Steven Spielberg's suspense classic Duel is coming to DVD on August 1, 2004. For media and more information, check out The Cold Spot's Duel page.

· Shaun of the Dead links
"Shaun of the Dead is coming to theaters in the US on September 24th! In support of its release Rogue Pictures has created the Shaun Squad, an online community where members can hang out, hear news about the movie, and even get cool Shaun of the Dead prizes. Check it all out at http://www.shaunsquad.com! In addition, check out the trailer at Ain't It Cool News."

· Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence preview
DreamWorks and Production I.G. will treat attendees of Baltimore's Otakon 2004 to never-before-seen clips of the upcoming Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. The clips will be shown Friday, July 30th, between 11:30am and 12:30pm, and footage from the film will be shown throughout the convention at the DreamWorks booth (#1223), which will also have free postcards and posters available. The convention lasts from July 30 to August 1, 2004 in Baltimore, Maryland. Click here to learn more and to see pictures from the movie.

· Apparently, hell's still booked up
According to an interview with George Romero on Ain't It Cool News, Romero will be directing the fourth film in the Dead sequence, Land of the Dead. The film, about a protected city in which a group of survivors must fight for their lives and sanity against an ever-encroaching zombie horde, should go into production in early October. Related reviews: Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead (1978), Day of the Dead.

· Van Helsing: The London Assignment on DVD now!
Click here to learn more and to see pictures from the movie.

· The Monster Legacy on DVD
For the first time ever, the original Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Wolf Man films come to DVD in the extraordinary Monster Legacy Collection. These are the landmark films that inspired an entire genre of movies and continue to be major influences on motion pictures to this day. Click here to learn more about this great collector's set.

· Revenge of the Mummy - The Ride opening soon!
Not just a roller coaster, Revenge of the Mummy The Ride will tap into rider's primal fears through immersion in a total multi-sensory environment. Utilizing animatronics, sophisticated motion picture technology, state-of-the-art ride, audio and robotics engineering, the ride will play upon common human phobias: lysgophobia (fear of the dark), entomophobia (fear of insects), tachophobia (fear of speed), acrophobia (fear of heights), demonophobia (fear of evil spirits), and necrophobia (fear of death). Click here to learn more and to see pictures from the ride

· Exclusive Secret Window video clip
iFilm is hosting an exclusive clip from Secret Window, a movie about a writer menaced by a man who claims the writer stole his story. It's based on a story by Stephen King and stars Johnny Depp and John Turturro.

· Scooby-Doo 2 world premiere on March 20th
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed will see its world premiere on Saturday, March 20, 2004 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Attending the event will be director Raja Gosnell, stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini, Alicia Silverstone, and Seth Green, as well as celebrity guests.

· Dawn of the Dead world premiere on March 10th
The world premiere of Dawn of the Dead, the remake of George Romero's zombie classic, will be at the Cineplex Beverly Center Theaters in Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 10, 2004. Celebrities will begin to arrive at 7:00, and the screening begins at 8:00. Scheduled to be in attendence are cast members Sarah Polley, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer, Ty Burrell, Michael Kelly, Kevin Zegers, Inna Korobkina and Ken Foree, as well as director Zack Snyder, screenwriter James Gunn, and producers Marc Abraham and Eric Newman. Guests include Shawn Ashmore, Seann William Scott, Rob Zombie, and others. Dawn opens in US theaters on March 19th.

· Tomaselli's new film lensing
Independent horror director Dante Tomaselli (Desecration) is shooting Satan's Playground, a new film that revolves around the Jersey Devil, the centuries-old New Jersey legend also tackled in The Last Broadcast and 13th Child. The film stars two people with whom horror buffs are familiar: Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp's Angela) and Ellen Sandweiss (The Evil Dead's Cheryl).

· Fango convention to feature Dawn of the Dead remake
Talent from the upcoming Dawn of the Dead remake will sit on a panel at this weekend's Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors in East Rutherford, NJ. There will be opportunities to receive autographs and Dawn merchandise, and potentially view some content from the film. You can also learn more about becoming part of the Zombie Army, which will give you opportunities to win exclusive zombie prizes, tickets to the premiere, and more! For more information on the conference (dates, times, locations, etc), check out Chiller Theatre, and to take a look at the movie, go to the Dawn of the Dead official site.
      Trailer (Quicktime): Small | Medium | Large
      Trailer (Windows Media): Small | Medium | Large

· Changeling remake moving again?
Baseline yesterday reported that a remake of The Changeling is in development. It wasn't specified if this is the remake written by Paul Haggis. Amanda Klein, Margo Klewans, and Glenn Williamson are attached as producers.

· 'Cause you can never have too many worms
Check out pictures and links from the prequel movie Tremors 4: The Legend Begins.

· Jackson still interested in Poe?
Rumor has it Michael Jackson is still working on The Nightmare of Edgar Allan Poe, a project for which he would play the 19th century writer in his final days--and that he's trying to get friends Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor involved in some fashion.

· Jeepers Creepers II video contest
Jeepers Creepers II will hit US video shelves on December 23, 2003. Check out pictures from the film (and maybe win a JC2 DVD, soudntrack, or signed poster).

· Projects in development
Two horror sequels are currently in the development stages: Urban Legend 3 (Jamie Blanks, director of the first Urban Legend and Valentine, may helm) and Hollow Man II. Also in the pipe is Season of the Witch, from a Bragi F. Schut Jr script about a group of fourteenth century French monks who confront a woman accused of witchcraft and thought to be the source fo the Black Plague. Lastly, we have Day of the Dead, a film which is apparently not a remake of the George Romero movie but instead refers to the Mexican celebration. Related reviews: Hollow Man, Urban Legends: Final Cut.

· Adaptation of King's "1408"
"1408," Stephen King's exquisitely and elegantly frightening story about a writer of true ghost stories who meets his match in the form of a cursed hotel room in New York City, is currently in development as a film. Matthew Greenberg is writing the screenplay, to be produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura. "1408" can be found in King's Everything's Eventual and on audio in his Blood and Smoke, read by the author.

· He must have crossed the wrong person('s path)
According to the BBC, Kooshi, a seven-year-old cat in the Israeli town of Rishon Letzion, has had his freedom severely limited--his family is now not allowed to let him roam free in the unlit stairwells near their home. Why? Because he's a black cat, and his neighbors fear him on purely supersititious grounds. His family, the Morgensterns, have hired an attorney.

· Weekend box office
Despite generally negative reviews, Disney's The Haunted Mansion was the US box office champ for the long Thanksgiving weekend but lost the spot to The Cat in the Hat in the Friday to Sunday span. Mansion's five-day gross was $35 million (Cat had $34.1 million) and its weekend gross was $25.3 million, versus Cat's $25.6 million. A related review: the CD for the Haunted Mansion attraction.

· Michael Caine goes to Gotham
Deutche Presse-Agentur and Baseline both report that Oscar winner Michael Caine has agreed to play the role of Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's butler, in the next Batman movie. Christian Bale will play Batman/Bruce Wayne in the film to be directed by Christopher Nolan (Memento) and written by David Goyer (Dark City, the Blade movies).

· Weekend box office
Disney's The Haunted Mansion will open on 3,122 screens today, and insiders believe it may be number one this weekend with a take of at least $40 million. Also opening is Ron Howard's The Missing, which may perform better in the long-term than in its first weekend, and Timeline, based on the Michael Crichton book.

· More from Amityville
From Baseline: Dimension Films has acquired the rights to the life story of George Lutz, the father portrayed in The Amityville Horror. They've set August 20, 2004 as a potential release date for the as-yet-untitled film. It is unclear what, if any, effect this will have on the Amityville Horror remake reported on November 14th. That film, also in development, is being produced by MGM.

· Projects in the works
Also from Baseline: Dog Soldiers: Fresh Meat, a sequel to the werewolf movie Dog Soldiers, is in development. Also in the works is Cemetary Gates, a flick about an escaped mutated animal, and Boo!, which involves a bunch of college kids in a haunted hospital on Halloween night.

· Jonathan Brandis dead at 27
UPI reported today that former teen heartthrob Jonathan Brandis, best known to genre fans as young Bill Denbrough in Stephen King's It and Lucas Wolenczak on seaQuest DSV, was found unconscious November 12th in his apartment. He later died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Suicide is suspected, but official determination of the cause of death is pending the results of tests.

· Dracula theme park plans resurrected
The Romanian government has revived plans to build a theme park based on the story of Dracula, written by Bram Stoker, and its inspiration, Vlad Tepes, known as "Vlad the Impaler." Protesters stopped the original plans, which would have put the park in the historic town of Sighisoara, Tepes's birthplace. It will now be constructed in Snagov, a town twenty-five miles north of Bucharest and the reputed burial site of Tepes. Officials say construction on the $85 million project will begin in March 2004 and will be complete before the end of that year. From UPI.

· Horror cable deals
From Baseline: Scary Movie 3 will begin showing on US cable station TBS for a one-year window beginning in March 2006. For six years after that, TBS and Comedy Central will alternate the rights to air the film, which made itself more attractive to basic cable networks courtesy of its PG-13 rating. TBS and sister station TNT have also arranged to be able to air Underworld for a year beginning in the summer of 2006.

· Tour the Haunted Mansion sets in LA
El Capital Theatre in Los Angeles will host a "once-in-a-lifetime" behind-the-scenes tour of the real movie sets seen in Disney's The Haunted Mansion, coming out November 26, 2003. Included in the tour will be demonstrations by Oscar-winning makeup designer Rick Baker, costumer Mona May, director of photography Remi Adefarasin, and more, including a visual effects show. For tickets and information, call 1-800-Disney 6 (1-800-347-6396), stop by the El Capitan box office, or visit the El Capitan website.

· Fifth Child's Play movie lined up
Child's Play creator Don Macini is hoping to get Brad Dourif and Jennifer Tilly to return to their roles in the planned fourth sequel in the series, Seed of Chucky.

· Amityville remake continues development
The latest update on the Amityville Horror remake isn't much of an update: following the success of their remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, producers Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form are still developing their Amityville Horror redux. No word on the current involvement of writer/director Daniel Farrands (Amityville: The Haunting, Amityville: Horror or Hoax?), who was involved in scripting this project. Also in the works: Evil Words, an English language remake of the Canadian film Sur le seuil, about a novelist who has the ability to predict horrifying events, and The 9th Passenger, a UK film about eight students stranded on a yacht with a mysterious ninth person.

· The Tigerless Lady
According to Bloomberg News, New Jersey officials "yesterday took control of a 13-acre compound where 24 tigers have been kept" by Joan Byron-Marasek, also known as the Tiger Lady. Byron-Marasek has been running the Tigers Only Preservation Society in Jackson, NJ since 1976, but she's been involved in legal difficulties since 1999, when police killed an escaped tiger that was rumored to have come from her preserve. Claiming the care Byron-Marasek gave the tigers was "inadequate," the state plans to move the animals to the Wild Animal Orphanage outside of San Antonio, Texas.

· Projects in the works
A sequel to the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre is currently "on hold." Michael Fleiss and Michael Bay are attached as producers. Fleiss also has a new version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in development. Glenn Gordon Caron, Kelsey Grammer, and Steve Stark are developing a drama for NBC based on the life of a ciminal profiler who uses her psychic abilities to assist her. It's scheduled to shoot in Spring 2004. From Baseline Inc.

· New deal for Scary writer
Scary Movie 3 co-writer Craig Mazin has signed an extension of his contract with Dimension Films under which he'll write Scary Movie 4 and Opus, an adaptation of the comic strip Bloom County. From Baseline Inc.

· King's Dark Tower books finished
A totally nerdy yet pretty cool Virtual Host version of Stephen King announced on the author's official website that he has finished writing the Dark Tower series. The sixth and seventh books, Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower, will be available in summer and November, 2004, respectively. Check out stephenking.com for details.

· Chainsaw director Needs Diane Lane
Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake director Marcus Nispel has agreed to direct Need, a psychological thriller based on the book by Lawrence David about a therapist who discovers her husband has been having an affair with one of her patients.

· Scary grosses
The latest entry in the Scary Movie series of spoofs stayed atop the American box office for the second week in a row with a weekend take of $21.1 million. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake landed in third in its third week with $10.9 million. Disney's family movie Brother Bear came in second with $18.5 million.

· Lions Gate opens horror site
Lions Gate Studios has opened a new website, Lions Gate Horror, and is running a special DVD promotion for Halloween.

· Your last chance to get scared this autumn
Check out the hundreds of haunted attractions listed at The Cold Spot's sister site, Autumn Chill. This weekend is the last time most of these attractions will be open this year, so it's your last chance to get scared silly!

· iFilm Halloween showcase
A regular (and appreciated) contributor to the site just told me about a special section of iFilm showcasing horror films, shorts, and trailers.

· I guess she's the crying on the inside kind . . .
In a possible nod to the underrated Bill Murray comedy Quick Change, a woman dressed as a clown--red, yellow and purple wig, multicolored clothes, and white gloves--robbed a bank in Virginia Beach, Virginia, just a day short of Halloween. United Press International reports that she is still at large, though witnesses report that her the size of her feet will not be a giveaway, as she was wearing "normal-size" shoes.

· A friend in Baghdad
Agence France Presse today had a piece about two Iraqi women who had married American GIs, though all could suffer censure--or worse--as a result. A neighbor of one of the newlyweds had this to say: "It is just bad timing. It's not because they are Americans. Nobody gets married to a soldier from an occupying army." He concluded with, "I love America because they make great horror movies."

· Halloween is bad, Russian Orthodox Church says
According to Interfax (via Bloomberg News), Vsevolod Chaplin, deputy head of the Moscow Patriarachate's external relations department, claims that "When you make a joke out of turning to this evil force, glorifying it and playing with it, this has an effect on the fate of man," and that it "induces thoughts of the accessibility of evil, of the normality of sin, and that an impure force is something pleasant and amusing, or at the very least presents no danger."

· Government money going to good use
United Press International reported last week that the government of Norway awarded Lena Skarning, a thirty-three year-old businesswoman, a $7,500 grant. Her profession? She's a witch. The government says that her business plan was "pretty reasonable and well thought out." The money is contigent on her not using her powers to hurt anyone.

· Treehouse of Horror MCMLXXVI
In its usual fashionably late manner, The Simpsons will cap off what turned out to be a rather uninspiring week of Halloween programming with their annual mockery of horror films.

· New reviews on the site
Jack, the editor of the site, weighs in on a The Ghosts of Edendale, a ghostly indie flick from one of the directors of The Last Broadcast, as well as mainstream quasi-cult movies 28 Days Later and Wrong Turn. Also, two reviewers give their opinions of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake.