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For the most part, the days of the classic monster movie are over. Modern moviegoing audiences are simply too sophisticated to quake at the sight of a shambling, dusty old mummy or a be-caped vampire with a distinctive widow's peak and a propensity for pronouncing his w's as v's. The werewolves, vampires, ghosts and zombies ("Frankensteins") of yesteryear still have enormous appeal, but more often as the subjects of parodies or comedies than of horror movies.
The latest movie to use classic monsters for laughs is acclaimed animator and director Genndy Tartakovsky's (Samurai Jack, Star Wars: The Clone Wars) upcoming 3-D family comedy, Hotel Transylvania, which revolves around a secret hotel run by Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler) that caters to monsters who want a little getaway from torch-waving humans. Described by Tartakovsky as a "silly" movie — "Not every movie has to be a Pixar movie. If someone wants to make something like Dumb and Dumber, why can’t we?" — Hotel Transylvania goes straight for laughs, but monster comedies run the entire gamut from child-friendly cheese to really scary-with-a-smidge-of-comic relief. Help us make some sense of these horror-comedy hybrids by rating the Top 10 Monster Movie Comedies.
Rate the Top 10 Monster Movie Comedies >>
Posted 09.29.12 by BrentJS -
The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation (Wacky Wonderland)
ABC Family, 7 AM ET
A French poodle (Paris Hilton) must save the day when inept thieves strike during the holidays.
It Happened on 5th Avenue (Classic Cheer)
TCM, 10 PM ET
A hobo (Victor Moore) shares a New York mansion with a veteran (Don DeFore) and others who need a wintertime place to stay.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (Bah Humbug)
ABC Family, 11 PM ET
The Pumpkin King gives the yuletide season a touch of Halloween in an animated tale from the mind of Tim Burton.
What else is showing this season? See our The 12 Flavors of Christmas - 2010 Holiday TV Movie Guide.
Posted 12.04.10 by reelz -
For most, Christmas is a happy time rife with warm family memories, selfless gift giving, gentle snowfalls, and the sharing of the season's goodwill tidings.
For others, Christmas is a time when you can't step into an elevator without being subject to the Muzak version of "O Holy Night." When going to your local pharmacy means being guilted into giving up your spare change by a guy with a bell who looks like he just got released from prison.
We've got 6 movie recommendations for those with a more cynical perspective of the season. They offer the chance to enjoy some seasonal cinematic joys with more edge and less good cheer. From German terrorists to singing skeletons, little green monsters to an alcoholic St. Nick, we've got all the bases covered.
To find out when these Bah Humbug selections are playing, check out our Holiday TV Movie Guide: The 12 Flavors of Christmas.
Posted 12.11.09 by reelz -
It's the happiest time of the year ... once again. Rather than dole out the standard list of the best holiday classics to warm your heart, we prefer to shake things up a bit with our look at everyone's favorite bearded fat man, Santa Claus.
Now we all know that Edmund Gwenn was a wonderful Santa in Miracle on 34th Street, the only actor to take home an Oscar as St. Nick. And actors such as Ed Asner in Elf and David Huddleston in Santa Claus: The Movie have certainly done the red suit justice on the silver screen.
But what about those other Santas? The ones that took the legend of Santa in a different direction: Boozing, scaring, kicking, and even killing? Those are the ones we take a look at in Ho, Ho, Whoa!: The 5 Worst Movie Santas.
If you want to see these bad Santas in action, check out our Holiday TV Movie Guide: The 12 Flavors of Christmas.And for those interested in Santa's Slay, you can catch it on FEARnet VOD and streamed on FEARnet.com starting December 23.
Posted 12.07.09 by reelz -
Elf (Laughing All the Way)
USA, 7 PM ET
Adopted as a baby by one of Santa's elves (Bob Newhart), a man (Will Ferrell) leaves the workshop to search for his family in New York.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (Mistletoe & Mayhem)
Encore WAM, 7:45 PM ET
Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, accidentally opens the portal Christmas Town and gives the yuletide season his personal touch.
All I Want for Christmas (Family Dramedy)
AMC, 8 PM ET
A boy (Ethan Embry) and his little sister (Thora Birch) cook up a holiday scheme to get their divorced parents back together.
What else is showing this season? See the complete Holiday TV Movie Guide: The 12 Flavors of Christmas.
And if you're wondering what to buy the movie lovers on your shopping list, check out our Holiday Gifts store.
Posted 12.07.09 by reelz -
Already tired of hearing Christmas jingles when you're just trying to get your morning caffeine fix at Starbucks? Not feeling that warm and fuzzy holiday cheer just yet?
Not everyone thinks this is the jolliest season of the year. And while Hollywood has been responsible for more than a few schmaltzy seasonal tales, they've also thrown the occasional curveball for those of us who see Christmas as more hassle than magical.
Today we count down 6 Movies for People Who Hate Christmas. Bah, Humbug!
Posted 12.04.08 by reelz -
In a video interview with Wired, Neil Gaiman lays out the Alice-in-Wonderland-like story of Coraline, showing clips of the film -- due out February 6 -- along the way. Gaiman, who authored the award-winning novella on which the movie is based, also explains how his story was adapted for the first stop-motion animated film shot in 3D. It is, he says, "the biggest, most strange, expressive, peculiar, enormous stop-motion film I think that's ever been made." And that's certainly what audiences are hoping for from director Henry Selick, who worked with producer Tim Burton on The Nightmare Before Christmas.
A collection of five earlier Coraline featurettes can be viewed online at The Animation Blog. And Empire offers a look at the quirky new international poster.
Posted 11.18.08 by reelz