OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS
Debuting in blood-chilling 4K! Scream 4 amps up the carnage in horror master Wes Craven’s hall-of-mirrors fourth Scream installment. It’s the anniversary of the original Ghostface murders, and Sidney (Neve Campbell) has returned to Woodsboro to promote her new book about surviving the masked killer. But Ghostface still haunts Woodsboro – slashing through Jill’s (Emma Roberts) circle of friends, outwitting Sheriff Dewey (David Arquette), taunting tough-skinned reporter Gale (Courteney Cox)…and relentlessly stalking Sidney, Ghostface’s ultimate prize.

Special Features on the 4K+ BD + Digital
Lionsgate Limited Extras:
·     The Meta of Scream 
·     Rebooting the Franchise: Scream 4 Revisited 
·     Ghostface Revealed!
·     Wes Craven: The Maestro of Scream

Legacy Special Features:
·      Feature Commentary with Director Wes Craven and Cast Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, and Neve Campbell
·      Deleted and Extended Scenes
·      Alternate Opening
·      Extended Ending
·      Gag Reel
·      EPKs:
B-Roll 
Soundbites
·      Junket Interviews
·      Trailers
·      TV Spot

Directed by: Wes Craven 
Written by: Kevin Williamson
Produced by: Wes Craven, Iya Labunka, Kevin Williamson 
Cast: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere; Anthony Anderson; Alison Brie; Adam Brody; Rory Culkin; Marielle Jaffe; Erik Knudsen; Mary McDonnell; Marley Shelton; Nico Tortorella; Roger L. Jackson

SteelBook Artist: Gnah Studios
 
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Year of Production: 2011
Title Copyright: Scream 4 © 2011 LE Film Distribution LLC. All Rights Reserved. Artwork & Supplementary Materials ®, ™ & © 2026 Lions Gate Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. Ghost Face® mask used by permission under copyright license from Easter Unlimited, Inc./Fun World Div. Ghost Face® is a registered trademark of Easter Unlimited, Inc./Fun World Div. All Rights Reserved.
Closed-Captioned: No
Feature Run Time: 101 mins. 
Subtitles: English SDH – English and Spanish Subtitles 
Format: 16x9 (2.39:1) Dolby Vision Presentation 
Audio: English Dolby Atmos – Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
Rating: Rated R
Genre: Horror

So many movies ... so little time ...

On this day in 2002 (in the U.S.), Lord Of The Vampires tried to sink its teeth into our collective consciousness.  Written and directed by Brad Sykes, the film starred Liana Loggins, Vanessa Sweatte, Joe Myles, and others. 

According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"For decades, Viktor and his vampire brides, Mercy and Ravenna, have lived off the blood of unsuspecting victims. Tonight, all that could change...A dark and disturbingly erotic tale of the supernatural."

-- EZ
​

From Google.com:

Lord of the Vampires (2002) is a low-budget horror film directed by Brad Sykes that follows Viktor and his vampire brides, Mercy and Ravenna, as they feed on victims, resulting in a dark, erotic, and often criticized supernatural story. Often described as having a "so-bad-it's-entertaining" quality, the film is known for its poor acting, dramatic make-up, and slow pacing.

Key details about the 2002 film:
​

• Plot: The story focuses on vampire patriarch Viktor and his two brides, Ravenna and Mercy, whose centuries-long reign of feeding on unsuspecting victims is threatened.
• Style: It is categorized as a dark, sensual supernatural film, featuring significant erotic content.
• Production: The movie has a reported 1-hour and 26-minute runtime, directed and written by Brad Sykes, featuring Liana Loggins and Vanessa Sweatte as the brides.
• Reception: Reviews often highlight the film's low budget, mentioning "clown-like" makeup and "ridiculous" acting, though some viewers find it unintentionally amusing.
• Other Notes: It features music by Abney Park. It should not be confused with other similarly named 2002 vampire films like Vampires: Los Muertos. 

The film is often found on streaming platforms and is criticized for inconsistent lore, such as using candles which would pose a risk to the vampires.

For those of you who weren't there, the 1980's movie scene had a great number of 'sexy moms' finally getting a bit of screen time at the cineplexes.  Mind you: they didn't have to parade about in sexy bikini's like Stacy's mom (of the famous tune) because these ladies just exuded a kind of loveliness that goes hand-in-hand with being a confident woman and trying to do their part in bringing the young'uns up with proper manners.  Genre queen Dee Wallace properly 'ruled the roost' as the divorced mother who couldn't help but sometimes laugh at the things her kids said in Steven Spielberg's E.T. - The Extraterrestrial; and Lea Thompson brought an unexpected degree of the Oedipal Complexity to silver screens with both her young and old work in Robert Zemeckis' Back To The Future.  I could go on, but methinks you get the point.

Somewhere kinda/sorta forgotten in the shuffle -- to a degree -- was Mary Beth Hurt's work in 1985's D.A.R.Y.L.  As foster mom 'Joyce Richardson,' she found herself steward to a growing young man whose origins were the stuff of mystery.  In spite of the challenges, Joyce blocked out all of the noise and embraced the kid for who he was, never letting a bit of a government conspiracy get in the way of dishing out nothing but love when young D.A.R.Y.L. needed it most.

The actress had some other respectable appearances in the worlds of Science Fiction and Fantasy.  A quick glance at her resume shows contributions to such other projects as My Boyfriend's Back (1993), The Family Man (2000), Red Dragon (2002), The Exorcism Of Emily Rose (2005), and Lady In The Water (2006).  While that may not seem like a lot to some, those of us who appreciate talent who are willing to do what they do in the realms of the Fantastic always -- always -- love the contributions.

Alas, none of us lasts forever, and I saw yesterday a news post regarding the woman's passing.  There are indications that she endured a decade's long struggle with Alzheimers, a heartbreaking development for her and family.  If nothing else, I hope those who knew her best kind find some solace in knowing that she's finally at rest.

Our warmest prayers and extended to the family, friends, and fans of Mary Beth Hurt.

May she rest in peace ...

​-- EZ

Over the weekend, word reached the World Wide Web regarding the passing of actor James Tolkan.

A quick glance at the talent's IMDB.com shows that the man enjoyed just over eighty different screen roles, and a good deal of them were the kind of things that genre fans gravitate toward.  Granted, there are some conventional titles in there, as well; while those things are all well and good, I don't much cover them as part and parcel of the SciFiHistory.Net tradition.  But -- wow -- this guy knew a thing or two about chewing scenery, didn't he?  Such an incredible presence when called upon to serve in such a role ...

A brief rundown of his dalliances inside the realms of the Fantastic:

​In 1973, Tolkan enjoyed a role aboard the somewhat subversive political satire The Werewolf Of Washington for Diplomat Pictures.  I've seen this one, and -- yes -- it is a bit 'out there,' indeed.  It's much more of a Horror/Comedy hybrid than it is satirical, but to each his own.

​In 1979, Horror came a'knocking, and Tolkan enjoyed another small role, this time in the guise of a coroner for The Amityville Horror for American International Pictures, a popular but flawed adaptation of the best-selling book regarding one of the nation's most haunted houses (alleged).

​In 1981, Horror showed that it wasn't yet finished with the man; and he signed up for a role in the award-winning but often overlooked werewolf film Wolfen for Orion Pictures.

1983 saw the actor making not one but two great genre entries: John Badham's WarGames remains one of the great SciFi/Thrillers of the decade while Nightmares is a somewhat forgettable anthology-style chiller that did well on home video but not much else.

In 1984, Tolkan joined the cast of Iceman for Universal Pictures.  It's another one of those great 1980's flicks that hasn't quick been yet rediscovered, exploring the dangers of bringing a man from the distant past back to life in the modern era.  It's touching and bittersweet.  Hopefully it'll get a second look from audiences still willing to explore some of what's come before.

​For my money, it was Tolkan's great little role as 'Principal Strickland' in 1985's groundbreaking Back To The Future that truly set the actor's career on fire.  Again, I realize he didn't exactly get a vast amount of screen time in the flick, but I'd argue that Hollywood saw what he could do with smartly-written dialogue and a massive screen presence; and the guy never quite looked back.

​Indeed, his career continued; and the actor continued to do what only he could do in such projects as Top Gun (1986), Masters Of The Universe (1987), Made In Heaven (1987), Second Sight (1989), Back To The Future Part 2 (1989), Back To The Future Part III (1990), Dick Tracy (1990), Tales From The Crypt, Nowhere Man, Early Edition, Robo Warriors (1996), and The Pretender.

Our warmest prayers are extended to the family, friends, and fans of James Tolkan.

May he rest in peace ...

​-- EZ

So many movies ... so little time ...

On this day in 1969 (in Italy), Top Sensation created a sensation all of its own with the film's box office release.  Written (in part) and directed by Ottavio Alessi, the film starred Maud Belleroche, Maurizio Bonuglia, Edwige Fenech, and others. 

According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"Hoping to sway her unbalanced son into losing his virginity, an oil baroness takes him and several of her decadent friends on a cruise, culminating in an orgy of lust and murder."

-- EZ

From Google.com:

​Top Sensation (1969), also known as The Seducers, is an Italian exploitation film (Eurotrash) directed by Ottavio Alessi, starring cult icons Edwige Fenech and Rosalba Neri. The plot follows a wealthy, decadent woman who brings a prostitute (Fenech) on a yacht cruise to "cure" her mentally disturbed, virginal son, leading to a mix of murder and sexual exploitation. 

Key details about the film include:
​

• Plot: The cruise turns chaotic as the party stops at an island, leading to sexual games, psychological abuse, and tragedy, according to IMDb and Wikipedia.
• Cast: The film features prominent Euro-exploitation actresses Edwige Fenech, Rosalba Neri, and Eva Thulin.
• Reception: It was considered scandalous upon release, with a 1970s review calling it "garbage" and a "poor man's version of La Dolce Vita," notes B&S About Movies.
• Style: It features a score by Sante Maria Romitelli, described as both kitschy and groovy.
• Censorship: The film was refused a UK certificate in 1970, though later released uncut in 2016, according to IMDb trivia. 
  

The movie is often cited as a prime example of late 1960s Italian exploitation cinema that focuses on decadent, wealthy characters, notes The Spinning Image.

So many movies ... so little time ...
​​
On this day in 2013 (in the U.S.), Detour enjoyed a limited theatrical release.  Written (in part) and directed by William Dickerson, the film starred Neil Hopkins, Brea Grant, John Forest, and others. 

​According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"Trapped inside his car by a mudslide, smooth talking Jackson Alder suddenly finds himself in a situation he can't talk his way out of. With no hope of rescue, he must defy the odds; battling Mother Nature for his survival."

-- EZ

So many movies ... so much to celebrate!!!

On this day in 1961 (in West Germany), Dead Eyes Of London finally shone on interested audiences.  Directed by Alfred Vohner from a story by Edgar Wallace, Egon Eis, and Wolfgang Lukschy, the film starred Joachim Fuchsberger, Karin Baal, Dieter Borsche, and others. 

According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"Wealthy, heavily-insured men are being murdered at an alarming rate. Scotland Yard investigates and finds clues that lead to a ring of blind men, led by a mysterious "reverend.""

-- EZ