Tony Todd, best known for starring in the Candyman horror films, has died aged 69.
The American actor died at his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, according to reports.
He starred as the title character in the horror series, depicting the ghostly Candyman character with a hook for a hand, summoned by saying his name five times in front of a mirror.
Todd continued as Candyman from the first film in 1992 through follow-ups in 1995 and 1999, and reprised the role in 2021 for a fourth film serving as a direct sequel to the original.
Throughout his 40-year career, Todd also featured in hundreds of films, stage productions and television dramas, including roles in the Transformers and Final Destination films.
In Candyman, Todd's titular character is the ghost of artist Daniel Robitaille, a black man who was lynched in the 19th Century.
The 1992 film sees Todd's character accidentally summoned to the real world by a graduate student in Chicago intrigued by the urban legend of the Candyman, setting off a chain of murderous events.
Speaking to the Guardian in 2019, external, Todd recalled the film's famous scene that sees Candyman swarmed with bees, during which he was stung 23 times and apparently paid a $1,000 bonus each time.
"Everything that’s worth making has to involve some sort of pain," he remarked.
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN series: Mark and his daughter Eleanor's lives changed 10 years ago when she was turned into a vampire. Eleanor leads a secluded life, able to go out only at night, while her father does his best to feed her the human blood she needs to survive. Starring Demián Bichir, Madison Taylor Baez and Anika Noni Rose. Streaming October 7th.
After troubles with the publisher, Fangoria went into a limited digital copy run, before finally stopping all production and keeping tight lipped about the future.
Good news comes this month, with an announcement that Fangoria will be returning as a quarterly magazine. Long term fans rejoice!
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The magazine was the premier stop for articles and scoops from the horror movie scene in the '80s and '90s.
Fangoria is rising from the dead.
The horror magazine, which in the 1980s and 1990s was the premier stop for articles and scoops from the horror movie scene, is being resurrected by Cinestate, the multimedia company behind Bone Tomahawk and Brawl in Cell Block 99. Sister publications, the sci-fi mag Starlog and another horror title Gorezone, are also part of the deal.
Cinestate, the Texas-based entertainment company run by CEO Dallas Sonnier, has acquired all the assets and trademarks of the Fangoria brand, including the magazine, from The Brooklyn Co.
Phil Nobile Jr., previously the editor-at-large at movie website Birth.Movies.Death.com, has been hired as editor-in-chief for the new Fangoria, which will be a collectible quarterly. The first issue will drop this fall in time for Halloween.
Fangoria was launched in 1979 and became the go-to publication for horror fans. At the height of its popularity, it had its own awards show, expanded into horror conventions, and was involved in producing movies and comics. As with other print publications, Fangoria suffered in the digital age as ad support dwindled.
“Fangoria is not something that competes with online blogs. Fangoria is not an algorithm,” said Nobile in a statement. “Fangoria is something you hold in your hands, something you spend a bit of time with in the real world. That’s what it was for decades, and that’s what we’re going to make it again.”
Popular Fangoria writers Tony Timpone and Michael Gingold will return to the magazine with their own columns, and to consult for the company.
Additionally, the publication already has scored contributor commitments from, among others,Cell Block 99 filmmaker S. Craig Zahler, Ashlee Blackwell (Graveyard Shift Sisters), Samuel Zimmerman (Shudder), Grady Hendrix (Paperbacks From Hell), Meredith Borders (former editorial director of Birth.Movies.Death), horror historian Rebekah McKendry and Preston Fassel (whose project Our Lady of the Inferno is in development at Cinestate).
Nobile will act as the creator-director of the Fangoria brand and lead the charge of bringing in voices for the new iteration.
Cinestate is not just keeping Fangoria print-focused. The plan calls for producing movies and podcasts, as well as publishing horror novels. Cinestate vp Amanda Presmyk will head up production on a slate of Fangoria-presented movies that Sonnier will bring to the table for Cinestate’s new label.
Cinestate is in post on a re-imagining of the Puppet Master franchise, as well as Zahler’s next movie, Dragged Across Concrete, for Lionsgate starring Mel Gibson and Vince Vaughn.
Cinestate published its first novel in January – Zahler’s Hug Chickenpenny: The Panegyric of an Anomalous Child. The book is being being developed into a feature by Zahler, Cinestate and The Jim Henson Co.
Scream Factory had an exciting announcement for Clive Barker fans during their Comic-Con panel tonight. We previously told you that there has been a push to get Clive Barker’s extended cut of Nightbreed on Blu-ray and it’s now official.
While this was just an early announcement, we expect The Cabal Cut blu-ray to receive the Scream Factory collector’s edition treatment, which would include a new HD transfer and an extensive set of bonus features. Here are details on the work that went into originally putting The Cabal Cut together:
“Ever since it was first released, Clive Barker’s Nightbreed has been the subject of much debate. For nearly twenty years now, there have been stories of more Nightbreed, missing scenes, and special edition releases. These stories have always been conjecture and hearsay. Until now…
In 2009 Seraphim’s Mark Miller contacted Morgan Creek and found out that there may well be more to the Myth than anyone had thought. Two European encoded VHS tapes were discovered and sent to Phil and Sarah Stokes, who run Clive Barker’s website, Revelations. They viewed the tapes and saw what nobody had seen in almost 2 decades; additional Nightbreed footage. Phil and Sarah transferred the footage to DVD and, with Clive’s approval, announced to the world that missing footage for Clive’s film had been found. Thanks to their hard work and far reaching publicity, the original workprint was screened at Horror Hound convention in March 2010.
Inspired to see Clive’s original vision come to light, filmmaker Russell Cherrington, longtime friend of Clive Barker and Seraphim, took the DVD back to England and, working with editor Jimmi Johnson and Clive Barker’s original Script, created the new cut of Nightbreed composited from two the VHS sources and the original Warner Brothers DVD. The original cinema release of Nightbreed was fused with the workprint to create The Cabal Cut.
The Cabal Cut was screened at The Mad Monster Party in Charlotte NC where a Q&A with took place that featured Anne Bobby (Lori), Craig Sheffer (Boone), Mark Miller (Producer for Seraphim), and Russell Cherrington (Restoration Director). During this panel discussion, Anne called out for the fans to make their voices heard. She told them to Occupy Midian and the fans of Nightbreed have done exactly that.
And now, due to popular demand, Clive Barker and Seraphim are proud to announce the launch of www.occupymidian.com. This is the definitive site for people to visit pertaining to all things Nightbreed. The official Teaser Trailer for this epic Cut of Nightbreed is available for viewing exclusively on the site.
Come to www.occupymidian.com. Show your support, receive updates on the status of the project, and find out when The Cabal Cut will be screening next.”
** THE EVIL DEAD remake: A Variety scribe is reporting actress Lily Collins has bowed out of the forthcoming remake. She was supposed to play a character tantamount to Ash (Bruce Campbell's role in the original trilogy). In the film, five twenty-something friends who become holed up in a remote cabin where they discover a Book Of The Dead. An archaeologist's tape recording reveals that the ancient text was discovered among the Khandarian ruins of a Sumerian civilization. Playing the taped incantations, the youths unwittingly summon up dormant demons living in the nearby woods, which possess the youngsters in succession until only one is left intact to fight for survival. (thanks to ShockTillYouDrop.com)
“Michele has told me that he has started to write the script for a special horror project he plans to shoot between the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012: a sequel to his Gothic masterpiece DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE, a.k.a. CEMETERY MAN,” Cozzi tells us. “He’s going to produce it himself and wants it to really be a great, strong, shocking Italian horror movie.”
Absent from the director’s chair for several years after 1994’s DELLAMORTE, Soavi did several TV movies between 1999 and 2007, and returned to the big-screen scene with the 2006 crime thriller ARRIVEDERCI AMORE, CIAO (a.k.a. THE GOODBYE KISS). His last feature was 2008’s historical drama IL SANGUE DEI VINTI (BLOOD OF THE LOSERS). There’s no word yet on whether Rupert Everett will return as zombie-killing graveyard keeper Francesco Dellamorte [pictured above] in the follow-up film, but we will of course keep you posted on further developments.
And there’s more on Soavi’s slate: “Michele also told me,” Cozzi reports, “that he’s probably gonna shoot, in 2011, a movie in the style of THE GOONIES, starring Nicolas Cage, about some boys’ adventures in Pompeii, the dead Roman city near the Vesuvius volcano, while searching for a hidden treasure.” We’re looking forward to finding out more about this one too! See Cozzi’s Argento article in our 302nd edition, on sale in March.
** THE EVIL DEAD remake: A fourth film has been gearing up for production in Detroit with Sam Raimi’s regular collaborator, editor Bob Murawski heading there soon to work on the project. At the same time actor Bruce Campbell said on Twitter “Believe in the remake, dawg! The project is real. In the works. Cool as hell. Scary as hell.”
Fede Alvarez, the filmmaker behind the hyped robot invasion short PANIC ATTACK!, is set to direct the film. Alvarez scored a deal with Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures back in 2009, so this would keep it in-house. (thansk to DarkHorizons.com)
** THE TROLL HUNTER: There are still plans for a U.S. remake of the Norwegian vérité style cult creature feature in the making, by director André Øvredal. And he could not be happier according to the fellas over at JoBlo.com. "There is a contract negotiation going on," the director said enthusiastically. "But it's taking months, just because of details in the contract. There should be an announcement within several weeks." Based on his tone, it surprised me a little that Øvredal sounded all for this remake. As we know, some directors immediately scoff at the idea of their work being remade, especially when it's a film that is just being released and hasn't had a chance to connect with the audience on its own. "They have to make the announcement, but I am very proud that these people want to do the remake," Øvredal said, referencing mysterious participants whose identities he wouldn't divulge. "I'm very happy about it." (thanks to TwitchFilm.net)
I don't know if its the poster or the right up but the movie sounds pretty good... check out the synopsis below...
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** DEAD SHADOWS: DC Medias is currently producing a French horror movie produced and directed by David Cholewa. The film stars Fabian Wolfrom, Gwendolyn Gourvenec, Arrow in the Head's own John Fallon and a special appearance by Laurie Cholewa. Principal photography began in April and the filmmakers are aiming for a 2012 release. Check out the killer poster below.
DEAD SHADOWS tells the terrifying story about a young man, Chris, whose parents were brutally killed 11 years ago, on the same day Halley's Comet could be seen from earth. Tonight, a new comet is going to appear and everyone in his building are getting ready for a party to celebrate the event. There's even an apocalypse theory going around. As the night falls, Chris starts to discover that people are acting strange - and it seems to somehow be connected to the comet. People are becoming disoriented and violent and it doesn't take long before they start mutating into something from beyond this world. In a fight for survival, Chris has to try to escape from his building with the help from some other tenants - but will they make it out alive? Shooting is expected to wrap in July. (thanks to ShockTillYouDrop.com)
** Stephen King's THE DARK TOWER: Ron Howard's planned film trilogy and interlocking TV series adaptation of Stephen King' saga has always been seen as extraordinarily ambitious. Now however, that ambition might be too big for the company behind it - Universal Pictures. Variety reports that the project has run into budgetary complications which have caused studio execs to rethink original plans.
Meetings are reportedly expected in coming days to determine whether to put the project into turnaround which would allow producer Imagine Entertainment to shop it around and either bring another studio onboard as a partner, or let another take it over completely. Universal has put pre-production staff on hiatus as they discuss ways to bring down the budget. One thing's for certain, the September start date has now been scratched.
The move isn't unprecedented. Universal pulled out of Guillermo del Toro's AT THE MOUNTAIN OF MADNESS amid concern that the $150 million budget R-rated project would struggle to be profitable. A project of this scale will cost considerably more so it's not unreasonable for the studio to want to share the risk if possible. With Javier Bardem's deal to play the lead role of Roland Deschain nearly closed, Imagine certainly has a viable property here. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
Seems that the bureaucrats and 80s lady-boys that now run the studios want a PG-13 and have cocked it up for us horror fans. Crying shame
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** Legendary Pictures officially announced that Guillermo del Toro is directing the company's upcoming feature PACIFIC RIM as his next project. They've confirmed that shooting will kick off in September for a Summer 2013 release. del Toro, Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni will produce. The news comes after the sad story earlier this week that Universal wasn't going to green light del Toro's dream project, his $150 million R-rated film adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft horror novella AT THE MOUNTAIN OF MADNESS that was targeting a June start.
Talking with the Deadline web site, del Toro was forthcoming about the situation and cleared up some of the talk that surrounded the collapse of 'Mountains'.
Tom Cruise's deal to play the lead wasn't closed but Cruise "was without a doubt, absolutely in favor of being in the movie". The studio was said to love the screenplay, were "blown away by the visual presentation", and del Toro and co. hit the budget estimates that Universal had set out for them in the first place. In fact it got so far along that location scouting was underway and production offices were to be opened in Toronto next week.
The biggest contention is the R-rating which del Toro says "should be worn like a badge of merit in promoting the movie. To say, this is not a gory movie, not a movie full of profanity or violence, but it’s a really intense movie". del Toro cites his experience with the DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK remake he just produced which scored an R rating despite having no profanity, no sex and no gore - just for the intensity alone. "The only thing I know about Mountains is, I do not want it to be bloody, I do not want it to be crass, but I want it to be as intense as possible" he adds.
Despite the setback he's not giving up on the film just yet, rather he's hoping the studio will "allow us to seek a home for this. It will remain a timely premise for years to come, so I don’t have to do it next month... I have great partners in Jim Cameron and Lightstorm, and Don Murphy and Susan Montford, great partners in this adventure who are not giving up and not letting me give up." (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** Ridley Scott's PROMETHEUS: THR reported Pinewood Toronto Studios in Canada is housing Scott's production for three weeks. What they are shooting, to what extent they are shooting and which cast members are involved is unknown, but it looks like principal photography has begun.
Scott will likely be bouncing around the globe for this production (London should be next). Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron star in the film which is due June 8, 2012. (thanks to ShockTillYouDrop.com)
** Ridley Scott's PROMETHEUS: Charlize Theron is in final talks to co-star in Ridley Scott's upcoming sci-fi epic for 20th Century Fox reports Variety. Theron and Noomi Rapace will be the leading protagonists with equal screen time in the roles of Elizabeth Shaw and Vickers, though who will play which isn't certain.
How much this film connects with Scott's original 1979 ALIEN film remains a big question. Actor Michael Fassbender, who plays an android in the film, recently spoke about the film with MTV and explained a little more about its connection with ALIEN. "There's a definite connecting vein. You realize you're part of something else, but it's definitely in keeping with the old ones. When I read it, I was like, 'Well, okay, another Alien. Where do you go with this idea?' And then I sort of read the script, and it's new, yet it's in keeping with the old traditions as well. But there's a whole new revelation within this film. The first 'Alien' [movies], they were thrillers. Something's going on. It's creeping, it's sinister. Things are happening, it's building, [and there are] different sorts of intrigues and politics going on between the different relationships on board. There's action in (this new film), but the intelligence is what struck me when I read it. It's more sort of like the original ones. There are things happening and building, and the intelligence of the first two-thirds of the film gets you ready for the action." (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
Alien and Return of the Living Dead scribe Dan O'Bannon, and Re-Animator/From Beyond team Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna? Whilst the story sounds very B-Movie, the creative talent on display here is something... well, the planets may have very well alligned!
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** THE MEN: RE-ANIMATOR directing and producing teams Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna are together again. The Little Film Company has taken the project to the European Film Market to drum up interest. Written by Dan O'Bannon, THE MEN is the story "of a woman who discovers that earth is captive to an alien race that took control of the planet half a million years ago." (thanks to ShockTillYouDrop.com)
** THE CROW remake: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 WEEKS LATER) is the latest name linked as a potential director to the long-struggling remake at Relativity Media reports Fangoria. Fresnadillo has already taken meetings with Relativity over the project, though the company has also been talking to Javier Guiterrez as well. This latest attempt at bringing the resurrected gothic vengeful hero back to the big screen follows on from its seeming demise last year when Mark Wahlberg passed on the role while Stephen Norrington walked away as director over "creative differences". Nick Cave also did some work on the script. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
Hmmm, i'll do it if everyone else does it? Very hollywood!
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** ZOMBIELAND 2: Woody Harrelson spoke to Total Film about a sequel to ZOMBIELAND. The script is once again written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Ruben Fleischer may return to direct, but he's busy with other projects at the moment. So, what did the actor have to say about ZOMBIELAND 2? "I'm sure it will happen if everyone does it, but I'm not sure it's the right thing to do," he said, going on to add: "It's one thing to do it when it came out real good and it made a lot of people laugh, but then to do a sequel... 99 out of 100 are worse by a lot. So I don't know." Oh, and one more thing, "I don't feel like a sequels guy." (thanks to ShockTillYouDrop.com)
** The Coen brothers say they're "working on a couple of scripts now, one of which it would be fair to call a full-on horror movie". (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
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