Rankin/Bass Productions, the company responsible for the indelible Christmas classic special RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER, also created the stop motion animated trip MAD MONSTER PARTY? in 1967. More than 45 years later, Diamond Select Toys are teaming with them to release action figures of the classic monsters from the film. The first three will be the Baron, Dracula and Fang, all 7″ tall and sculpted by Tony Cipriano. For a look at full size images of the monsters, check out the gallery below.

The full set are available to pre-order through your local comic shop or online retailer today.

Carla Laemmle has had a busy few weeks! She introduced the movie DRACULA for the TCM Film Festival and was interviewed by Leonard Maltin. Additionally, she appeared at The Hollywood Show where she signed almost 500 autographs for fans. In honor of Universal Studio’s 100th birthday, Carla has been interviewed by numerous publications around the world! You can learn more about Carla, her family, and upcoming events at the Official Laemmle site, www.Laemmle.us.

Slashfilm has discovered another teaser for the upcoming animated family comedy HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA. It’s Genndy Tartakovsky (CLONE WARS, SAMURAI JACK, DEXTER’S LABORATORY, THE POWERPUFF GIRLS) long awaited debut in feature films, as he handles the animation and directorial duties. Starring Adam Sandler as Dracula and Maitre D of a resort for monsters and supernatural beings (no humans allowed), it features a bushel of Sandler-ites lending their voices to the mayhem. There’s Kevin James as Frankenstein, David Spade as the Invisible Man and Andy Samburg plays Jonathan, a human who stumbles upon the hotel and chaos, inevitably, ensues. We also get to endure Fran Drescher’s voice, and can have fun listening for Molly Shannon, Steve Buscemi and I guess, Selena Gomez. Not to be out done, Cee-Lo Green is the Mummy, and whatever your opinions on the talents of these people, the teaser promises fun, the premise is perfect for a family friendly summer cartoon, and I’ll probably end up checking this out upon its release on September 21st.

Also starring Simon Ward, Nigel Davenport, Pamela Brown, Penelope Horner, Murray Brown, and the stunning Fiona Lewis, DRACULA was shot at famed Pinewood Studios in England, and could easily pass as a Hammer production. Curtis handles the tale like a bigger budget episode of DARK SHADOWS, minus the flimsy walls and wobbly floors. You can almost imagine him considering a darker, more visceral, Barnabas Collins as he leads Palance and his costars through the dark corridors and claustrophobic, ornate rooms in Dracula’s castle.

Palance elevates the proceedings, delivering one of the most memorable, and most frightening, Draculas ever committed to celluloid. To this day, there has hardly been a more beastly take on the character, here a primal, hungry animal. Palance was an imposing man anyway, standing at 6’4″, and when he broke his expression down into a grimace and brought that naturally raspy underscore in his voice to a roar, audiences knew he meant business. So did his victims.

So let us celebrate one of Dan Curtis’ finest cinematic hours with the trailer from 1973′s DRACULA. Follow it up with a viewing of the whole film, because in an age of sparkling vampires and screens awash in CGI animated blood suckers, this is a palate cleansing treat sure to remind you of just how damned good vampire cinema can be.

While many, including some we will discuss, have no problem talking about their past, not everybody is so quick to embrace their boody roots. So, for those folks who shudder when a skeleton is pulled out of their closet, allow us to throw the doors wide open and celebrate the path you’ve traveled.

Today’s entry: OSCAR EDITION – BEST ACTOR CATEGORY

DEMIAN BICHIR
Nominated for: A BETTER LIFE
Roots: HIPNOS (2004)
Synopsis: (unavailable)
Trailer:

GEORGE CLOONEY
Nominated for: THE DECENDANTS
Roots: GRIZZLY II: THE CONCERT (1987)
Synopsis: “All hell breaks loose when a giant Grizzly, reacting to the slaughter of Grizzlies by poachers, attacks at a massive big-band rock concert in the National Park.”
Trailer (trailer is long lost, so enjoy Clooney’s death scene from a tenth gen VHS transfer!):

GARY OLDMAN
Nominated for: TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
Roots: BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA (1992)
Synopsis: “This version of Dracula is closely based on Bram Stoker’s classic novel of the same name. A young lawyer (Jonathan Harker) is assigned to a gloomy village in the mists of eastern Europe. He is captured and imprisoned by the undead vampire Dracula, who travels to London, inspired by a photograph of Harker’s betrothed, Mina Murray. In Britain, Dracula begins a reign of seduction and terror, draining the life from Mina’s closest friend, Lucy Westenra. Lucy’s friends gather together to try to drive Dracula away.”
Trailer:

BRAD PITT
Nominated for: MONEYBALL
Roots: CUTTING CLASS (1989)
Synopsis: “High school student Paula Carson’s affections are being sought after by two of her classmates: Dwight, the “bad boy”, and Brian, a disturbed young man who has just been released from a mental hospital where he was committed following the suspicious death of his father. Soon after being released, more murders start happening. Is Brian back to his old tricks, or is Dwight just trying to eliminate the competition?”
Trailer:

* JEAN DUJARDIN has no genre efforts in his catalog

THE HAMMER VAULT

by Marcus Hearn
Titan Books

Review by Elvis Kunesh 

If you’re looking for a great book to go with your blood-stained coffee table, have we got the recommendation for you. From publisher Titan Books we bring you THE HAMMER VAULT – an immense tome bursting with illustrious artifacts and elaborate stories behind the creation of every single entry in the HAMMER film library.

Each enormous two-page spread spotlights a single film. Author Marcus Hearn says something unique about the background of each film, and what it meant for the over-all big picture, charting Hammer’s roller coaster history all the way up to present day. Every movie is featured with an alluring array of concept art, poster work, annotated script pages, props, promotional material, exclusive set photos and private messages written between production heads; each accompanied with a detailed caption provided further insight to the film. The imagery is as diverse as the Hammer film library, showcasing the horrific and lecherous charm the company is known for.

My personal favorite section was the five pages devoted to a number of unmade Hammer films which included concepts for VAMPIRELLA, a comic-style adventure focused on the titular and titillating heroine; NESSIE, a Loch Ness Monster rampage film with special effects handled by Kaiju-wrangler studio Toho; and a high-flying stop-motion monster epic that might qualify for the greatest movie title ever… ZEPPELIN VS. PTERODACTYLS.

Starring Samuel L. Jackson

THE HAMMER VAULT is as captivating as it is visually striking. I couldn’t help but pour over every line, finding myself fascinated to know the specifics of each HAMMER production and its place in cinematic history– and this is coming from someone who has seen a stark few Hammer films. This book goes beyond being a collectible for fans and manages to be a solid, devilishly good read for any horror buff or cinephile. Go and get yourself a copy right away!

For now, here is the latest on the restoration, courtesy Hammer:

“This post will deal with UK vs. US main/end titles, update you all on the “lost” DRACULA footage restoration and talk about the seemingly contentious topic of Digital Vision Noise Reducer (DVNR) aka Digital Noise Reduction (DNR).

First, the subject of main and end titles. Both our restoration partners and ourselves are doing everything we can to ensure that Hammer films are restored from the very best available materials. Often these materials are of the US rather than the UK version, which leads to a search for viable first and last reels so that the UK titles can be restored. DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS (released March 5th by StudioCanal) was restored from an OCN featuring US main titles but UK end titles. Using the first reel of a badly-damaged print as a source, Pinewood Studios have done a fantastic job restoring the original UK main titles, meaning that the final restored film has UK titles at the beginning (Associated British Productions Limited Presents // A Hammer Film Production) and the end (A Hammer Film Production produced at Bray Studios, England // Released through Warner-Pathe Distributors Limited). Watch Marcus Hearn’s all-new documentary on Blu-ray for more on this.

Again using the first reel from a UK print in each case, Pinewood Studios have also restored the original UK main titles to both THE REPTILE and THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES, meaning that TPOTZ’s opening title sequence (featuring the voodoo ritual) will play in the correct order (sadly not the case on recent DVD releases of the film which play the title cards out of sequence). The end titles of both films are from a US-cut OCN, as no viable materials were available featuring the UK end titles.

On Monday we reviewed the restoration of the Japanese footage to DRACULA (warmest thanks to Simon & Michiko Rowson and The National Film Center at The Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo). It was incredibly exciting to see the two long-lost moments in the context of the BFI’s restoration. Molinare have done a superb job restoring this footage, considering the state of the reels (you’ll be able to compare and contrast on the eventual Blu-ray; we’re going to release all four surviving Japanese reels unrestored as a single extra). The moment where the Count leans-in over Mina is full of transgressive threat and erotic charge (one can easily see how this moment had to be cut in 1958) though the footage does not actually include a bite (contrary to wishful thinking in some quarters). The “face-clawing” scene is truly magnificent and sits perfectly within the last few seconds of the film. There are still tickets available for the world premiere screening of the “definitive” restored DRACULA on 18th February.

Finally, there have been several posts here and elsewhere regarding screen grabs from DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS suggesting over-use of DNR and lack of grain. We can assure you all that when you see the film in motion you will definitely see plenty of grain! It isn’t really possible to draw conclusions from low-res JPEG screen grabs, however we can state that the DNR used on the restoration was very light indeed, only on a handful of scenes, and only when absolutely necessary. We can also state that there were no blanket noise-reduction filters used at any point during restoration. Any loss of focus and fading on the picture as presented on the Blu-ray is due to the age of the scanned materials rather than DVNR or the use of filters.

As a postscript, you’ll all be pleased to hear that scanning has now commenced on THE DEVIL RIDES OUT, RASPUTIN THE MAD MONK and THE MUMMY’S SHROUD at illuminate in Hollywood; film material courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox.”

A few months back we shared the first footage of the picture, and today a new teaser trailer was released, giving a little further insight into Argento’s vision. In addition, 40 (!) images have been released, a nice mix of stills and production shots, that tell the real story of just what is in store with this controversial outing from “Italy’s Hitchcock.” The film is set for release later this year.

StudioCanal has already been hard at work on bringing a few Hammer classics up to spec, starting with 1958′s QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (currently available). StudioCanal has their second effort, DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS (’66) set to hit the home market on March 5. Regarding this release, Hammer comments, “DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS, restored at Pinewood from a two-perf original cut negative, scanned at 4k and restored in 2k. DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS will be presented in all its Techniscope glory, in the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1.” The disc will include a new documentary featuring interviews with Barbara Shelley, Francis Matthews, Mark Gatiss, Jonathan Rigby and others.

Also on StudioCanal’s plate is the dastardly duo of two more from 1966 in THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES and THE REPILE. In addition to all of that, keep your eyes peeled for the definitive version of Terence Fisher’s 1958 masterstroke DRACULA, which will include newly discovered footage originally cut from the British version, restored courtesy of The National Film Center at The Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. The Japanese footage reportedly features an extended and gruesome death scene for Drac, as well as an extra erotic moment that shocked censors upon initial release.

More as these releases continue rolling out!

Last year, Universal Studios announced they are scrapping their long-running JAWS theme park ride in favor of a newer flavor, which saddened fans, so some good JAWS news is welcome. Quite honestly, with Warner Bros. digging into their catalog for the superb Warner Archives DVD series, and MGM following suite, it is about time Universal stepped up to give some TLC to their marquee titles. Bring on the Blus!

Also on the list are ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, SCHINDLER’S LIST, BUCK PRIVATES, THE STING, PILLOW TALK, OUR OF AFRICA, and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.

"Bruce" almighty! (image courtesy Universal)