donald pleasence

Behind The Scenes: James Garner, Steve McQueen & James Coburn On The Set Of THE GREAT ESCAPE

Director John Sturges‘ 1963 film, The Great Escape is now regarded as a classic. The adventure film was a huge release at the time and it featured an epic array of stars including –Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, [...]

November 4, 2021

Behind The Scenes: Sidney Poitier & John Wayne On The Set Of THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD

There are epics and then there is George Stevens‘ 1965 film, The Greatest Story Ever Told. Based on an internationally bestselling book (The Bible), The Greatest Story Ever Told is a glorious telling of life of Jesus Christ from the [...]

October 30, 2021

Uncovering Curiosities: John Carpenter’s ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK

When you look at how action cinema evolved in the 1980s, it’s very now clear that Escape From New York is one of the films which helped to establish the template for the muscular action hero. John Carpenter’s 1981 film (his second of many [...]

October 16, 2021

Uncovering Curiosities: John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN

From the panaglide-shot opening, John Carpenter‘s 1978 horror film, Halloween is all about atmosphere. Carpenter creates tension as we creep through a family home, seeing through the eyes of a young Michal Myers. It’s an iconic moment and [...]

October 14, 2021

Behind The Scenes: John Carpenter, Victor Wong & Donald Pleasence On The Set Of PRINCE OF DARKNESS

Following the critical and commercial failure of 1986’s Big Trouble in Little China, John Carpenter returned to low budget filmmaking with Prince of Darkness. Carpenter made a deal with Alive Pictures, where he was given a budget of $3 [...]

September 12, 2021

Uncovering Curiosities: Roy Ward Baker’s THE MONSTER CLUB

The Monster Club is a totally bizarre, but ultimately very enjoyable horror-comedy-musical starring Vincent Price, Donald Pleasence and John Carradine. This 1981 low budget shlocker, directed by Roy Ward Baker may not be the most cohesive of [...]

March 3, 2021

Notebook Reviews: THX 1138

George Lucas – 1971 THX 1138 is a powerful feature debut from George Lucas. Lucas’ stark direction is first rate and the film’s visuals are stunning. The lead performance from Robert Duvall is low-key but strong and Donald [...]

February 4, 2021

Behind The Scenes Kurt Russell & Isaac Hayes On The Set Of John Carpenter’s ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK

Anti-hero Snake Plissken has become Kurt Russell’s trademark role and he embraces all the character’s quirks and traits. When he shot the film, Russell was still attempting to break-out from being a Disney child star and he puts his [...]

October 29, 2020

Blu-ray Review: CIRCUS OF HORRORS Has Big Top Thrills & Horror Chills

Circus of Horrors is a gloriously grotesque British horror film from 1960. The Sidney Hayers directed film is part of what film critic David Pirie called Anglo-Amalgamated’s “Sadian trilogy” (the other two films were Horrors of the [...]

September 26, 2020

Review: Kurt Russell Is Snake Plissken In John Carpenter’s ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK

When you look at how action cinema developed over the 1980s, it’s now clear to see that Escape From New York is one of the films which established the template for the muscular action hero. John Carpenter’s 1981 film (his second of many with [...]

November 3, 2018

Review: John Carpenter’s Horror Classic HALLOWEEN Is Still Great 40 Years Later

The horror genre can often (rightfully) be maligned. Many of the films within the genre are cheap exploitation films, whose filmmakers care more about monetary return than crafting a great movie. However, John Carpenter constructed an instant [...]

October 3, 2018

John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN Comes Back To The Big Screen For One Night Only

A restored and remastered digital print of John Carpenter‘s Halloween will play on big screens across the globe on Halloween night. SpectiCast (an event cinema marketing and distribution company) has joined forces with Compass International [...]

September 16, 2014

Blu-ray Review: Join Vincent Price And Donald Pleasence In THE MONSTER CLUB

The Monster Club is a totally bizarre, but ultimately very enjoyable horror-comedy-musical starring Vincent Price, Donald Pleasence and John Carradine. This low budget shlocker, directed by Roy Ward Baker may not be the most cohesive of [...]

August 20, 2014

Blu-ray Review: Lewis Collins In The SAS Actioner WHO DARES WINS

Who Dares Wins is a 1982 British action film, from director Ian Sharp and producer Euan Lloyd. The film was inspired by the real-life events which saw the SAS storm the Iranian Embassy in London following a siege in 1980. Lewis Collins, the star of [...]

October 8, 2012

Review: Joan Collins & Donald Pleasance In THE MONSTER (I DON’T WANT TO BE BORN)

This bizarre 1975 British B-movie horror film stars Joan Collins and Donald Pleasance. Obviously made to cash in on the success of The Omen, The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby, the film tells the tale of a retired stripper who after marrying a rich [...]

April 4, 2012