Tower of Evil, also known by the title Beyond the Fog in the United States and Horror of Snape Island and Horror on Snape Island in Canada, is a 1972 British horror film. It is also known by the title of . The film is regarded by horror fans as being ahead of its time, as it crosses old world Gothic themes (dark setting, mythical superstitions, gloomy atmosphere) with many elements of the modern slasher film (elusive killer, bloody murders, sexually active characters as victims). The film was shot at Shepperton Studios in Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK in 1971.

Trivia:

Robin Askwith is dubbed.

John Hamill is dubbed.

Dennis Price was only required for one day.

The film was re-released in the US under the title “Beyond the Fog”. The reason for the new title was an attempt to capitalize on the success of John Carpenter’s horror film The Fog (1980).

Originally released in Britain on double bill with Hammer’s Demons of the Mind (1972).

For the films fiery finale stuntman Mark McBride had to be set ablaze while wearing a fire-retardant suit. While the suit protected McBride from the flames he suddenly passed out on the burning set, because the heat nearly suffocated him inside the suit. The shocked crew members rushed in and saved him.

Originally the character of Brent wasn’t included in the script. He was wrote in just before shooting when the studio brought in Bryant Haliday to star.

Star Jill Haworth was reluctant to appear in the film. In an interview with the actress she stated, “I remember in Horror of Snape Island (Tower of Evil) my character stumbles upon five dead bodies and I had to say with a straight face, ‘Oh the police aren’t going to like this’ and the crew just kept laughing every time I said it.”

The film was titled “Der Turm der lebenden Leichen” for its German release. Translated into English the title is “Tower of the Living Corpses”, although the film features no zombies at all. However, when the film was re-released to German theaters at the high point of the zombie craze in Germany during the early 1980s, it was re-titled “Devil’s Tower – Der Schreckensturm der Zombies” (“Terror-tower of the zombies”) and two scenes were re-dubbed, so that the actually catatonic girl from the beginning of the film speaks of zombies whenever the camera does not show her lips.

First released in the US on double bill with Tales of the Bizarre (1970).

The films Italian title “Perché il dio fenicio continua ad uccidere?” translates to “Why Does the Phoenician God Continue to Kill?”

by Lee Hardcastle

Evil Dead done in 60 seconds with CLAY – 2010 from Lee Hardcastle on Vimeo.

FROM BloodyDisgusting.com

Get ready for The Evil Dead done in 60 seconds with clay! Made for the Empire Jameson competition 2010, UK director Lee Hardcastle has asked you horror fans to vote here if you enjoy his claymation remake featured below. No sign up, spam, nothing – just click, click, done!

“Five friends go up to a cabin in the woods where they find unspeakable evil lurking in the forest. They find the Necronomicon and the taped translation of the text. Once the tape is played, the evil is released. One by one, the teens become deadly zombies. With only one remaining, it is up to him to survive the night and battle the evil dead.”

Evil Dead Claymation 2010

We’ve gathered a list of the top five uses of pumpkin/jack-o-lantern in a movie or title.  Here are GoreMaster’s favorites for your Halloween season viewing and enjoyment! 

5.  It’s the Great Pumpkin,  Charlie Brown (1966)

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is an animated television special, based on the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.

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It was the third Peanuts special (and first Halloween special) to be produced and animated by Bill Meléndez. Its initial broadcast took place on October 27, 1966, on the CBS network, preempting My Three Sons; CBS re-aired the special annually through 2000, with ABC picking up the rights beginning in 2001. The program was nominated for an Emmy award. It has been issued on home video several times, including a Remastered Deluxe Edition of the special released by Warner Home Video on September 2, 2008, with the bonus feature It’s Magic, Charlie Brown which was released in 1981.

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, a retrospective book was published in 2006 entitled, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: The Making of a Television Classic with the entire script, never-before-seen photographs, storyboard excerpts, and interviews with the original child actors who provided the voices of the Peanuts gang.

4.  Pumpkinhead (1988)

Pumpkinhead is a 1988 supernatural horror film, combining elements of

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fable, fairy tale, and morality. It was the directorial debut of noted special-effects artist Stan Winston. The film has become quite popular with horror fans for Winston’s atmospheric direction and memorable monster, and has built up a cult following in the years since its release, and is thought to be a classic of the genre.

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3. The Legend of Sleepy Hallow (1958)

The story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman, based on Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (narrated by Bing Crosby). The gangly and lanky Ichabod Crane is the new schoolmaster in Sleepy Hollow. His somewhat odd behavior makes him the ridicule of the rambunctious and robust town bully Brom Bones. Despite his odd appearance, Ichabod quickly proves to be a ladies’ man charming all the eligible local ladies. Finally, however, Ichabod discovers the local town beauty, Katrina Van Tassel.  Brom decides to take advantage of Ichabod’s strong belief in superstitions. 

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Brom musically tells the tale of the Headless Horseman to frighten the teacher. That Halloween night, Crane’s lonely ride home becomes exceedingly frightening because of his exposure to the possibility of encountering the ghost.

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2. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is a 1993 stop motion

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 fantasy film directed by Henry Selick and produced/co-written by Tim Burton. It tells the story of Jack Skellington, a being from “Halloween Town” who opens a portal to “Christmas Town”. Danny Elfman wrote the film score and provided the singing voice of Jack, as well as other minor characters. The remaining principal voice cast includes Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, William Hickey, Ken Page and Glen Shadix.

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The genesis of The Nightmare Before Christmas started with a poem by Tim Burton as a Disney animator in the early-1980s. With the success of Vincent in 1982, Disney started to consider The Nightmare Before Christmas as either a short subject or 30-minute television special. Over the years, Burton’s thoughts regularly returned to the project, and in 1990, Burton and Disney made a development deal. Production started in July 1991 in San Francisco. Walt Disney Pictures decided to release the film under their Touchstone Pictures banner because they thought Nightmare would be “too dark and scary for kids”. The Nightmare Before Christmas has been viewed with critical and financial success. Disney has reissued the film annually under their Disney Digital 3-D format since 2006.

1. John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978)

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Halloween

is a 1978 American independent horror film set in the fictional suburban midwestern town of Haddonfield, Illinois, USA on Halloween. The original draft of the screenplay was titled The Babysitter Murders. John Carpenter directed the film, which stars Donald Pleasence as Dr. Sam Loomis, Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, and Nick Castle, Tony Moran and Tommy Lee Wallace sharing the role of Michael Myers (listed in the credits as “The Shape”). The film centers on Myers’ escape from a psychiatric hospital, his murdering of teenagers, and Dr. Loomis’ attempts to track and stop him. Halloween is widely regarded as a classic among horror films, and as one of the most influential horror films of its era. In 2006 it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

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