Cinema Shock

DAY OF THE DEAD (1985): Zombies Underground and Savini’s Masterwork | Romero & Savini: Splatter Kings

In the latest episode in our Romero/Savini series, we're taking a look at what many — including Mr. Savini himself — consider to be their greatest collaboration, 1985's DAY OF THE DEAD!
As the conclusion to Romero's original Living Dead Trilogy, DAWN was not well embraced by fans upon its original release, but has gone on, over the last three and a half decades, to become a stone cold cult classic, and one that many Romero fans rank as their favorite of his zombie features.
It certainly wasn't the film that Romero had envisioned when he first signed on to do it, but difficulties with securing the proper funds and fights about the film's possible rating forced Romero to change course. 
In this episode, we'll get into all of the behind-the-scenes drama that lead to the film that eventually ended up onscreen as we discuss the creation of DAY OF THE DEAD.
Coming Up:
MONKEY SHINES (1988)
TWO EVIL EYES (1990)
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1990)
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne & Justin Bishop, with special thanks to Todd Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net
Follow us:
twitter.com/cinema_shock
facebook.com/cinemashocknet
instagram.com/cinema_shock

CREEPSHOW: Stephen King, Comic Book Terrors, and Horror Anthology | Romero & Savini: Splatter Kings

After the tepid reception to KNIGHTRIDERS, George Romero needed a hit. Luckily, Hollywood had come calling, offering him the rights to a novel by a young writer named Stephen King.
While that project never came to fruition, King and Romero struck up a friendship and vowed to work with each other in the near future. Within a few years, they'd created one of the most renowned horror anthologies of all time, one that was a love letter to the EC Comics that they'd both grown up reading, 1982's CREEPSHOW.
CREEPSHOW also marked a new milestone in Tom Savini's career, as it gave him the opportunity to make not only gore effects, but full on articulated creature effects, something that would come in handy in his future films.
We've got all of the behind-the-scenes stories in this episode, plus a short dive into the history of EC Comics themselves!
Coming Up:
DAY OF THE DEAD (1985)
MONKEY SHINES (1988)
TWO EVIL EYES (1990)
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1990)
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne & Justin Bishop, with special thanks to Todd Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net
Follow us:
twitter.com/cinema_shock
facebook.com/cinemashocknet
instagram.com/cinema_shock

KNIGHTRIDERS: Bikers, Camelot, and Romero’s Oddest Film | Romero & Savini: Splatter Kings

For his follow up to his biggest success (so far), DAWN OF THE DEAD, Romero decided to veer completely from the horror genre and, in the process, created his most personal film.
KNIGHTRIDERS is a two-and-a-half hour hangout movie. A character drama with few genre elements (outside of a few motorcycle stunts) and features his frequent collaborator Tom Savini is a totally different role than he'd had on previous Romero films. This time, he was a leading man, second on a bill that was topped by an emerging young talent by the name of Ed Harris.
The film was, by financial measures, a total failure, and was a disappointment to fans who wanted more of the same from George. Fortunately, over the decades, it's found its audience and has become one of Romero's most acclaimed films.
In this episode, we recount the story of how this movie got made, and where its legacy falls now.
Coming Up:
CREEPSHOW (1982)
DAY OF THE DEAD (1985)
MONKEY SHINES (1988)
TWO EVIL EYES (1990)
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne & Justin Bishop, with special thanks to Todd Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net
Follow us:
twitter.com/cinema_shock
facebook.com/cinemashocknet
instagram.com/cinema_shock

EFFECTS: Guerrilla Filmmaking and Practical Gore | Romero & Savini: Splatter Kings

We're embarking on a bit of a side quest in this episode, since this is a film that was not directed by George Romero, but was instead created by another group of Pittsburgh-based filmmakers who'd honed their skills on the sets of Romero films.
Many of those involved in the making of EFFECTS would go on to be frequent collaborators with Romero over the years, including editor Pasquale Buba and composter/actor John Harrison.
And, of course, there's the makeup effects wiz and co-star of EFFECTS, the venerable Tom Savini.
EFFECTS has an interesting story behind it, having been essentially lost (and the stuff of legend in horror circles) for nearly half a century. But thanks to the folks at Synapse Films and AGFA, it's now readily available to view for a whole new generation of genre fans, and we were excited to finally see it and to dive into its creation.
 
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne & Justin Bishop, with special thanks to Todd Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net
Follow us:
twitter.com/cinema_shock
facebook.com/cinemashocknet
instagram.com/cinema_shock

DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978): Shopping Mall Carnage | Romero & Savini: Splatter Kings

1978's DAWN OF THE DEAD is one of the most famous collaborations between George Romero and Tom Savini and the film that put Savini on the map, helping him to get a job working on the original FRIDAY THE 13TH.
In this episode, we'll get into all the details on how this movie came to be, and how it changed the landscape of the genre forever. DAWN also fully solidified Romero as a filmmaker known for infusing his films with social commentary, something he'd continue to do for the rest of his career.
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
 
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne & Justin Bishop, with special thanks to Todd Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net
 
Follow us:
twitter.com/cinema_shock
facebook.com/cinemashocknet
instagram.com/cinema_shock
 
 

MARTIN: Vampires, Ambiguity, and 70s Horror | Romero & Savini: Splatter Kings

Last week, we discussed NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, the film that kickstarted George Romero's career. It was during the making of that film that he first crossed paths with an up-and-coming young makeup artist by the name of Tom Savini.
Unfortunately, Savini's deployment to Vietnam prevented the two from working together at the time, but the two would reunite nearly a decade later for their first official collaboration on Romero's modern take on the vampire film, 1977's MARTIN.
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
 
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne & Justin Bishop, with special thanks to Todd Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net
Follow us:
twitter.com/cinema_shock
facebook.com/cinemashocknet
instagram.com/cinema_shock

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968): The Birth of Modern Horror | Romero & Savini: Splatter Kings

For our inaugural series for the Cinema Shock Podcast, we're celebrating the lives and careers of George Romero and his frequent collaborator and makeup effects legend Tom Savini.
While Savini didn't work on NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, the story of their years-long collaboration does start here, however tangentially. Plus, how do you talk about the career of George Romero without starting with the film that started it all?
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD not only kickstarted Romero's career, but it's one of the few modern films that can be credited as starting an entire subgenre of horror.
In this episode, we look at the story behind the making of the film, and how it influenced the genre forever!