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Loving the Vampire
I watched Jess Franco's FEMALE VAMPIRE (1973) tonight via Netflix on my Kindle Fire HD. It turned out to be an unexpectedly wonderful way of watching it, making it a more intimate and book-like...
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Get The Picture?
Seeing this simple but well-composed image from Hammer's LUST FOR A VAMPIRE (1971, which also appeared on the cover of its novelization) earlier today reminded me of a time when every new still to...
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Add One More To The Franco Roster
Tonight, to my wonderment, I stumbled across what seems to be an otherwise forgotten Jess Franco screen credit. After watching an old VHS tape tonight, I discovered that the remainder of the tape...
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First Franco
Fun stuff from J.L. Romero Marchent's pioneering paella western EL COYOTE (1954): Jesús Franco's very first screen credits as screenwriter and assistant director, followed by his second screen credit...
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It's That Time Again!
Time to vote for the 11th Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Film Awards!I'm proud to say that VIDEO WATCHDOG has received 10 nominations in all:Best Magazine;Best Cover (Charlie Largent's MURDERS IN...
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RIP Armando Trovajoli (1917-2013)
Armando Trovajoli, whose long career as a film composer encompassed more than 200 titles, has passed away at the age of 95. His death was announced only today though he died in late February.He started...
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Wishes Still Coming True
I've had this lifelong memory of a time when I was about six years old and already consecrated to the goal of seeing every horror movie ever made. I got permission to stay up all night (it was a...
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The Power of THE FURY
Gosh almighty but Twilight Time's THE FURY Blu-ray ($29.95, available here) is one delicious disc. The only other time I've seen this movie, I didn't care for it, but this time it had me absolutely in...
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First Look: VIDEO WATCHDOG 173
Click here for the full contents of this exciting new issue, which is shipping soon to our subscribers and retailers, and for the customary four-page free sample!
View ArticleFree Look: VIDEO WATCHDOG 173
Boring Saturday? Do you know you COULD be kicking back with an advance read of VIDEO WATCHDOG 173, which isn't even in the hands of our subscribers yet?It's only available for a limited time (a few...
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APRIL FOOL!
On this April Fool's Day, instead of pulling cheap jokes to fool our friends, why not remember the role played by the Fool in the Tarot deck? There -- as in this example from the famous Rider-Waite...
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Jesús "Jess" Franco (May 12, 1930 - April 2, 2013)
Jesús Franco Manera passed away sometime after 11:00am this morning, from complications of a stroke, at a clinic in Malaga, Spain. He was 82 years old. Word came at roughly 5:30am (US Eastern time)...
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Thoughts About Jess
I want to express my thanks to everyone who has called or written me personally to express their shared sorrow. Naturally I share your regret that Jess is no longer among us, making new movies, but...
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Aloha, Annette (1942-2013)
Today we've lost Annette Funicello at age 70, after a long and largely private struggle with multiple sclerosis. Wikipedia reports she was unable to walk since 2004 and unable to speak since 2009,...
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Recipients of the 2012 Rondo Awards
-- BEST MOVIE: CABIN IN THE WOODS-- BEST TV: WALKING DEAD-- CLASSIC DVD: A&C MEET FRANKENSTEIN-- CLASSIC COLLECTION: UNIVERSAL MONSTERS ON BLU RAY-- RESTORATION: DRACULA (1931)-- COMMENTARY: David...
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Hammer DRACULA Restoration... Incomplete!
Hammer fans have been torn on their response to Lionsgate/Icon's new Region 2 Blu-ray/DVD set of Terence Fisher's DRACULA (1958). Everyone is overjoyed to finally see the long-censored decomposition...
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LISA AND THE UNNATURALS: A Buzzati Connection?
In my review of SCHREIE IN DER NACHT -- the German DVD release of Antonio Margheriti's CONTRONATURA/THE UNNATURALS, 1969) -- in the current VIDEO WATCHDOG, I mention that it bears a surprising...
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andrew j. offutt (1934-2013)
Today's news of the death of fantasy author andrew j. offutt comes to me as half of a very strange coincidence.Last week on eBay, I scored a small stack of Tom Reamy's deluxe 1960s-'70s fanzine...
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He Moved Us: Ray Harryhausen (1920-2013)
There could be no "right" time to awaken to the news of Ray Harryhausen's death at the age of 92. His was a life well-lived, a career well-played, and a legacy well-acknowledged; even so, such news...
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