Zombie New Year Party

Zombies party, too
Originally uploaded by Celia Rosetta

Thanks to all who have made Drive-In of the Dead a smashing success in 2010 - we couldn't have done it without you!

We are looking forward to bringing you lots of cool updates, features, reviews, and more in 2011. Stay tuned to Radio Z.O.M.B. for more news on the zombie revolution coming your way!

The Great Drive-In in the Sky...

Drive-in movie sign
Originally uploaded by Ian BC North

Direct from the great drive-in in the sky, we pay tribute to the man who started it all: Richard Hollingshead - the inventor of the drive-in movie! Stop by our Snack Bar and visit our Hall of Fame to view his newly enshrined portrait!

BOND BACK ON

From commanderbond.net:

MGM announced today that its restructuring plan is now in effect and has secured $500 million as part of its bankruptcy exit financing to fund new films and television series. MGM announced on 2 December that it’s pre-packaged plan for bankruptcy had been approved. Spyglass Entertainment executives Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum have also taken over as co-CEOs of the new MGM.

MGM Press Release:

MGM is emerging from one of the most challenging periods of its storied history. We are honored and inspired at the opportunity of leading one of Hollywood’s most iconic studios into its next generation of unforgettable filmmaking, global television production and distribution, and aggressively pursuing, developing and exploiting new digital entertainment platforms,” said Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum, Co-Chairmen and Chief Executive Officers of MGM. “Beginning today, MGM is a stronger, more competitive company, with a solid financial foundation and a bright future. We look forward to working with MGM’s dedicated employees to build upon this company’s legacy.

MGM recently announced that new James Bond films starting with Bond 23 may be released every second year starting in November 2012. They also recently forged ahead on Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit by making payments to fund production of its two films.

Thanks, Santa!

Did I get these two beauties for X-mas? Why yes I did! Hot Damn!

Midnight Syndicate Q&A

Love the gothic Halloween band Midnight Syndicate? So do we! We invite you to stop on by our Snack Bar as we interview director Edward Douglas who dishes some behind-the-scenes dirt on their latest cinematic endeavor: 'The Dead Matter.' Give it a read... you'll be glad you did!

MERRY X-MAS!

'Tis the season of giving - why not give a little to help support the drive-in? We could use any amount to help keep our site ad-free! Donate safely and securely with Paypal! Thank you for your support - we look forward to an exciting year in 2011!

Haunted Holidays!

The Drive-In of the Dead Staff

Zombie Christmas

zombie christmas
Originally uploaded by SHIEN PhotoGraphy

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring...

Wait.

Did you hear that?

Interview Excerpt

Here's a little sneak preview of an upcoming interview we'll be featuring with none other than Edward Douglas, founder of the famous gothic Halloween-music band Midnight Syndicate, and director of their first feature film: 'The Dead Matter.' Many thanks go out to Mr. Douglas for taking the time out of his busy schedule to talk with us - it was truly an honor!

DIOTD: As a director, you have your own unique vision you bring to the production. But with that being said, are there any directors out there that inspired you to become a director? Or contemporary directors that knock you out visually today?


ED: George Romero is probably my single greatest influence. Not only as a director but as an independent filmmaker who proved that you could make a brilliant horror film in the midwest, outside of the Hollywood system, with limited resources. "Night of the Living Dead" and "Creepshow" had a huge influence on me and inspired me to do "The Dead Matter." Sam Raimi is another one from the midwest who started way outside the system and made it happen through perseverence. As an indie filmmaker, you look up to those icons. Growing up it was Stephen Spielberg and Alfred Hitchcock movies that first got me to pick up a camera and shoot. As far as contemporary directors, I really enjoy so many of the horror films coming out today it's hard to single some out without missing a bunch. I appreciate films like "Let the Right One In", "Dead Girl," and "Human Centipede" for pushing the boundaries of horror cinema. I really enjoy a well-shot ghost story like "The Orphanage," "Reincarnation," "Ghost Ship," and "The Abandoned" just to name a very few.

A Very Zombie Holiday

Came across this while wasting time on YouTube yesterday. Never heard of Team Unicorn before, but this is pretty classic. For your viewing pleasure... A VERY ZOMBIE HOLIDAY!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UqEhUm2B_8

Like

Drive-In of the Dead now has a presence on Facebook. Drop on by and give us a 'Like.' Once we get enough friends through the gate we're planning on doing some kind of drawing in conjunction with our friends at Midnight Syndicate in the near future. How cool is that? Who wouldn't like some official swag from that demented dynamic duo? It's quick, easy, and relatively painless...

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Drive-In-of-the-Dead/126320397430086

Do The Dead Matter To You?

Hey gang - by now you must know that I truly dug Midnight Syndicate's first feature film: 'The Dead Matter.' This film was truly a labor of love, and a throwback to the way horror films USED to be. That it is an independent movie made outside of the Hollywood system makes it even better in my eyes.

Help us spread the word about this important movie!

If you've seen the movie and liked it, and are a member of the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) or the movie rating website Rotten Tomatoes, why not give the film a glowing review? If you don't belong to those sites, then simply add 'The Dead Matter' to your Netflix queue and rate it there. Every little bits helps - and doing our part to promote small, indie films like this is a win-win for all!

Midnight Syndicate

We are truly thrilled and honored to be able to feature the first motion picture from Midnight Syndicate: 'The Dead Matter.' As home haunters and lovers of Halloween, we've spent the better part of the last decade listening to their music - and now we can see that music come to life!

I'd like to send out a big thank-you to the director of 'The Dead Matter,' Edward Douglas, for his generosity and support of our site. Look for more features on Mr. Douglas and Midnight Syndicate Films in the upcoming days - and loads of updates on the activities of this legendary musical duo as we enter into 2011. For those looking for a last minute Christmas gift for that ghoul in your life, you can head on over to your nearest Hot Topic and pick up a copy of 'The Dead Matter.' To learn more, please visit:

http://www.midnightsyndicate.com

http://www.thedeadmatter.com

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Just finished reading 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. Obviously I went into it for the 'unmentionables,' but I came out of the novel with a serious appreciation for the original source novel. My younger sister thinks this kind of mash-up with a classic (coincidentally her favorite book of all time) is a travesty - but I disagree. Whatever gets younger people to read Jane Austen - or to read at all - is a good thing in my book (if you'll excuse the pun). Who knows how many people are going to go back and read the original novel because of this book? Give it a read if you haven't already!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_and_Prejudice_and_Zombies

Quote of the Day

"What scares me is what scares you. We're all afraid of the same things. That's why horror is such a powerful genre. All you have to do is ask yourself what frightens you and you'll know what frightens me."

--John Carpenter

I'm on a John Carpenter kick right now - he's perhaps my favorite director of all time, and it's criminal that I haven't reviewed more of his movies yet. Just got done with 'The Fog' and plan on giving either 'Prince of Darkness' or 'Christine' a watch this weekend (maybe both!)

The Green Hornet

Am I psyched for this movie?

OH YEAH!

http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thegreenhornet/

Rusted Dead

Drive-In Theatre
Originally uploaded by OC Always

Man - if I came across this I'd want to put it into the back of a truck and haul it home. Not sure what I'd do with it, but it just seems worth saving for some reason.

Cricket Films

We are so proud to feature the first full-length feature film from renowned independent filmmaker Jon Springer. I've long been a fan of Springer's short films - and it's great to see he has finally made a successful leap into features. Check out the trailer for 'The Hagstone Demon' if you have not done so yet - or better yet, make it a holiday gift for that horror enthusiast in your life. It really is worth the investment - the production values are tremendous, and it's just a terrific, creepy movie that makes you want to watch it over and over, just to catch the little things you missed the first time around.

We hope to bring you news of Jon Springer's next film as we hear about it, but in the meantime, enjoy this new cult classic made right here in Minnesota!

http://www.thehagstonedemon.com

http://www.cricketfilms.com

Quote of the Day

"Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb!"

--Adam West (Batman: The Movie)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoUpF7rvfnk

From The Brink

66 Drive-In Theater, Route 66, Carthage, MO
Originally uploaded by brianbutko

According to the description from the person who took this photo - the 66 was once in ruins but was saved by the residents of Carthage, MO - who rallied around the the old ozoner and restored it to its former glory.

If only there were more happy endings like the one for the old 66...

All right! All right! All right! All right!

Doors' Jim Morrison to get pardoned in Florida

By: Associated Press, Brendan Farrington

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Doors singer Jim Morrison will get a posthumous pardon for an indecent exposure conviction in Florida. Charlie Crist, the state's governor, got a commitment for enough votes from other members of the state's Board of Executive Clemency to approve it. Morrison was appealing the conviction when he was found dead in a Paris bathtub in 1971. Thursday's meeting about the pardon will occur a day after the singer would have turned 67.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101209/ap_en_ot/us_jim_morrison_pardon_22

Quote of the Day

"I believe in everything until it's disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it's in your mind. Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now?"

--John Lennon


Rest easy, John. We miss you.

Quote of the Day

Duke Henry: "You Sir, are not one of my vassals... who are you?"

Ash: "Who wants to know?"

Duke Henry: "I am Henry the Red. Duke of Shale, Lord of the Northlands and leader of its peoples."

Ash: "Well hello Mister Fancypants. Well, I've got news for you pal, you ain't leadin' but two things right now: Jack and sh*t... and Jack left town."

Not For The Squeamish

We are proud to feature our home-town boys this week: Minnesota's own Not For The Squeamish Productions!

Founded by horror film fanatic Jason Stephenson, NFTS joined forces with film-fiend Jon Warner and has quickly become the premiere independent horror film production company in the Northstar State, offering up low-budget, high energy cinema for the past eight years. We are thrilled to be working with this creative group of filmmakers and look forward to promoting their past and future films. 2011 looks to be an exciting year for the gang at NFTS, and we're hoping to spill plenty of dirt on their gruesome goings-on!

To learn more about Not For The Squeamish Productions, visit here:

http://nftsproductions.com/

Or check out 'Terror Overload: Tales From Satan's Truck Stop' at their official website:

http://www.terroroverload.com/Home.html

In Memorium

Today we conclude our tribute to late director Irvin Kershner with a review of his final studio film: 'RoboCop 2.' Not one of the best directing experiences for the old professor, he still managed to deliver an action-packed thriller that has picked up new life on home video, and is now considered a cult hit. I found this little commentary about Kersh and 'RoboCop 2' that I thought was interesting:

"What's so oddly compelling about Robocop 2 is the way Kershner tries to redeem even the film's most indecent baddies," blogs Simon Abrams for the New York Press. "There's a crude humanism to the film that's infinitely more stirring than the hokey community-centric storyline of Robocop 3. Cain [Tom Noonan], who effectively dies twice in the film, goes out (both times) with a look of agonized terror that's anything but cathartic. He's the big baddy, ruthlessly cutting up a guy with a rusty scalpel just for revealing where their old hide-out was. But when he gets smothered in his hospital bed and reduced to a brain, a spinal cord and a pair of googly eyes, you're scared for him. Even Hob [Gabriel Damon], who in Cain's absence turns into a pint-sized zoot suit-wearing entrepreneur, reverts back to being an innocent kid. These miraculous transformations are Kershner's legacy: bad people exist in his films but they are all, basically, human beings that get hideously transformed by their disgusting actions. Too bad that that only really comes across in Robocop 2 once the film's antagonists are at the point of dying."

All Work And No Play

Our first real snowstorm of the season blew through yesterday and buried us in 10 inches of that cursed white stuff. For those who wonder about the likes and dislikes of Hallowzing, here's a little morsel of unusual information that you may not know about me: I HATE SNOW! Yes, I know I live in Minnesota - The Northstar Star - but that doesn't change the depth of my contempt for winter. Hide the axe someplace safe - this season can't end soon enough...

Bring on Spring!

Never Say Never

Continuing our tribute to the late director Irvin Kershner, we next feature Kersh's unofficial 1983 James Bond outing: 'Never Say Never Again.' Bringing the original 007, Sean Connery, back into the role that made him a star after a 12 year hiatus, Kershner went from 'The Empire Strikes Back' to this film - proving he still had what it takes to deliver a solid action film, even when it isn't in a galaxy far, far away...

Stop by and check out the review here: www.driveinofthedead.com

In Memorium

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Episode_V:_The_Empire_Strikes_Back

In Memorium

Kershner's last interview with Vanity Fair.

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2010/10/irvin-kershner.html