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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 -
If there's one person who's refused to give up on Ghostbusters III, its Dan Aykroyd. The actor, who co-wrote and co-starred in the 1984 original and the 1989 sequel, has been championing the project for years. Bill Murray, however, has been constantly poking fun at the idea of another sequel, at one point calling it "his nightmare." Last year, Murray even admitted that he hadn't read the script from The Office and Bad Teacher writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky.
Undeterred, Aykroyd has pressed on. Last August he said the latest installment would see the original Ghostbusters give up their photon packs to a new generation, and that Ghostbusters III would get made "and hopefully with Mr. Murray." In a recent interview with The Telegraph, it seems that Aykroyd has finally given in, admitting that Murray won't appear and that the sequel is in "suspended animation."
could the sequel be made without murray? >> Posted 03.01.12 by Ryan -
The script is in for the much-talked-about third chapter in the Ghostbusters franchise and original director Ivan Reitman and principal cast members Dan Aykroyd (Ray Stantz), Harold Ramis (Egon Spengler), and Sigourney Weaver (Dana Barrett) are all on board. So what's the holdup? According to Bill Murray (Peter Venkman), he is the problem.
what did murray say about Ghostbusters 3? >> Posted 02.25.11 by BrentJS -
While a third Ghostbusters movie has been talked about for years, plans for Ghostbusters III started to look realistic when Harold Ramis explained in June of 2009 that he was working on the story for Ghostbusters 3 with his Year One screenwriters Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky. At the time, Ramis said that the entire cast "says they'll do it." Six months later he revealed that the script would "introduce some new young Ghostbusters, and all the old guys will be in it, too." While the cast may have casually agreed to return, Ghostbusters III has a very public critic who has continued to punch holes in the possibility of another Ghostbusters: Bill Murray.
Murray vs. Aykroyd >> Posted 10.09.10 by Ryan -
The movie may be called The Last Exorcism, but it certainly won't be the final chapter in demonic possession on the big screen. In this latest offering, a priest (Patrick Fabian) who's made a lucrative career from sham demon fighting invites a documentary crew to record his final "exorcism." No surprise, things turn diabolical. We look back at the movie The Last Exorcism will inevitably be compared with, along with the other high and low points in the "possession" genre.
view the Possession Timeline >>
Posted 08.27.10 by reelz -
Last year marked the 25th anniversary of the release of Ghostbusters and with a renewed interest in the movie came frequent talk of getting the original cast back together for Ghostbusters III. Back in June 2009, Harold Ramis, who co-wrote the original movie and starred as Dr. Egon Spengler, said that he wrote the story for Ghostbusters III with screenwriters Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky (Year One) and that the original cast had agreed to return as mentors to a new group of young Ghostbusters. However, Bill Murray, who played Dr. Peter Venkman, recently told GQ that the rumors linking him to the movie, whether as a Ghostbuster or as a ghost of a Ghostbuster, are complete nonsense.
Is Ghostbusters 3 caught in a Proton pack energy stream? >> Posted 07.21.10 by BrentJS -
It's a good thing The Losers work for the government. If the movies have taught us anything, it's that federal jobs come with comprehensive training in the proper handling of guns, bombs, and grappling hooks — not to mention tutorials in surviving high-speed car chases and unscheduled plunges from cargo planes (ideally without a parachute).
But let's face it: Not everyone's suited for a CIA black-ops post. Rest assured, we've uncovered options for those with more delicate dispositions.
Top 10 Government Jobs for People Who Bruise Easily >> Posted 04.23.10 by reelz -
It's been 25 years since the original Ghostbusters taught us who to call when "paranormal activity" gets out of control. But after the poorly-received Ghostbusters II in 1989, it seemed that the franchise was officially dead, at least as far as features were concerned. This year, however, nearly every member of the original production has chimed in on the possibility of resurrecting the franchise.
Dan Aykroyd, who starred as Dr. Raymond Stantz and co-wrote both Ghostbusters movies with Harold Ramis, announced in February that production on a third movie could begin as early as "late fall 2009." In June, Ramis, who starred as Dr. Egon Spengler in addition to his writing duties, said that he was working on a story for the sequel but that he didn't think that director Ivan Reitman was interested. That same month, Reitman responded that he had "never ruled out" returning for another Ghostbusters.
Now, Bill Murray has chimed in on the possibility of reprising the role of Dr. Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters III to Absolute Radio (via the Latino Review).
I'll believe it when I see it ... I don't want to do it yet. There's still no script. It's just a bunch of talk. It's just a wish list for someone. Until there's a really good script, I'll stay home and play snooker, or whatever you [British] do. It has to be a serious script before I'll leave the house.
It's gotta be really good, you know? I'm not going to make one just to make another one ... you gotta be really fierce about it.
Posted 10.15.09 by BrentJS -
It's been 25 years since "Who ya gonna call?" became a national catchphrase and 20 years since the bland sequel to Ghostbusters all but ended the franchise. Over the years, there has been sporadic talk about reviving the franchise, but the principals could never agree to terms and the franchise languished. Now, the possibility of a third film about New York City's favorite paranormal investigators seems a possibility, thanks to an unlikely impetus: the Ghostbusters video game.
A couple of weeks ago, Harold Ramis, who co-wrote and starred in the first two Ghostbusters films, said he had written a story for a third film that The Office writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky were adapting into a screenplay. Now, with the Ghostbusters video game becoming the top-selling Xbox 360 game and second best-selling Playstation 3 game on Amazon.com, there is even more talk about the film franchise. As reported in Variety, Mark Caplan, VP of licensing at Sony Pictures said:
For now, we're celebrating the 25th anniversary of the franchise. The game and the Blu-ray (release) will have a big impact on all of us. And we'll decide what to do from there.
The Ghostbusters video game script, co-written by Dan Aykroyd and Ramis, contains more than 10,000 lines of dialgogue and features the voices of principal actors Ramis, Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Ernie Hudson. Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis declined to participate for unspecified reasons.
Posted 06.20.09 by BrentJS -
Harold Ramis needs to pick up the phone. When it comes to Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II director Ivan Reitman's return for Ghostbusters III, Ramis has said "I don't think he wants to," however Reitman has already said he might be interested in returning. Reitman told MTV:
I've never ruled [directing Ghostbusters III] out. Icertainly was responsible in every capacity for the first two movies so I certainly wouldn't wander away from the third one -- especially if it's something we all think is worth doing.
Reitman agreed with Ramis that he thought the third movie would revolve around a younger group of characters, perhaps even a female or two. "That was certainly in the outline they proposed," said Reitman.
Reitman claims the script, written by Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg (The Office), should be delivered "in a month or so." At that time, who will be in and who won't be, will become a lot more clear.
Posted 06.10.09 by Ryan