Anthony Arrigo Journalist Profile

Articles

A Waking Nightmare of War

Jul 11, 2024 | dreadcentral.com | Anthony Arrigo

Director Bob Clark had a banner year in 1974, releasing not only the seminal seasonal slasher Black Christmas but also one of the first features to tackle the effects the Vietnam War had on men returning home, Deathdream (aka Dead of Night). Shot in 1972 in the small town of Brooksville, Florida Clark again brought together two important cohorts from his last feature, Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things (1972): writer Alan Ormsby and composer Carl Zittrer.
'Ghoulies II' Polishes the Porcelain Altar in Ultra HD [4K Review]

Jul 9, 2024 | dreadcentral.com | Anthony Arrigo

After Ghoulies (1985) proved to be a modest hit for Charles Band’s Empire Pictures it was inevitable a sequel would follow. Ghoulies II (1987) drops all of the characters and setting from the first film, retaining only those diminutive demons that sold the picture. Ghoulies struggled to find a balance between stark satanic horror and gallows humor, but Ghoulies II knows what kind of film it wants to be, and the experience is much more fun.
Old Doll Learns New Tricks

Jun 18, 2024 | dreadcentral.com | Anthony Arrigo

Since his inception, Chucky has survived being burned, shot, stabbed, shredded, melted, and decapitated. But his most impressive feat of resilience has been overcoming a major studio reboot. As of this writing Don Mancini’s original storyline, which began back in 1988, is still ongoing thanks to the Chucky (2021-) television series.
'Rolling Thunder' Sinks a New Hook into Home Video [4K Review]

Apr 29, 2024 | dreadcentral.com | Anthony Arrigo

The early scripts of Paul Schrader are notable for their focus on rugged loners and violence, often finding a flawed protagonist seeking some form of retribution. The psychology of these characters is deeply explored, revealing troubled histories that have molded the men into what they resemble in the present day. In Rolling Thunder (1977) Schrader wrote one of the first features examining men coming home from the Vietnam War, attempting to resume a life no longer familiar.
'Jennifer 8' Builds A Big Mystery [Blu-ray Review]

Apr 26, 2024 | dreadcentral.com | Anthony Arrigo

Bruce Robinson, an English writer-director-actor, was known primarily for his two satirical comedies Withnail and I (1987) and How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989) before making a stateside debut with Jennifer 8 (1992). His original script, also going by the title A Policeman’s Story, was a dramatic, measured neo-noir detective yarn about a serial killer who preys on blind women.
'Night of the Blood Monster' 4K Review

Apr 25, 2024 | dreadcentral.com | Anthony Arrigo

Filmmaker Jess Franco is a name commonly associated with Euro-sleaze and low-budget lascivious affairs, but after seeing a handful of Franco titles that connection kinda belies his directorial abilities. For example, this film, Night of the Blood Monster (1970), also known as The Bloody Judge (a superior and more apt title), finds Franco purveying his trademark prurient interests while also staging big battle sequences and shooting in lush locations.
Scream Factory Brings 'The Ring Collection' Home [4K Review]

Apr 15, 2024 | dreadcentral.com | Gore Verbinski |Anthony Arrigo

Remakes are always a gamble but remaking a foreign film has a slightly easier barrier toward success because most Americans don’t want to read their movies. Reinterpreting director Hideo Nakata’s Ring (1998) would be no easy feat, however, as that film was not only highly acclaimed but immensely creepy and full of dread; a Big Studio jump-scare-a-minute re-do wasn’t going to cut it.
'Tenebrae' Looks Sharp As a Straight Razor [4K Review]

Apr 4, 2024 | dreadcentral.com | Anthony Arrigo

Back in October of 2013, I was lucky enough to attend the first-ever concert in the United States by the Italian prog-rock band Goblin. The group performed a full set of soundtrack and album classics (this was also when Claudio Simonetti was still with them) at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, with film clips playing on the screen. My favorite track of the evening, bar none, was hearing the main title of Tenebrae (1982).
'Basket Case' 4K Exclusive Clip: Gross-Out Grindhouse Classic Coming from Arrow Video

Mar 22, 2024 | dreadcentral.com | Anthony Arrigo

The name Frank Henenlotter should be familiar to fans of splatter horror. Though he has directed only a handful of features, nearly all of them are notable cult hits: Brain Damage (1988), Frankenhooker (1990), and the Basket Case trilogy (1982-1991). This year, Arrow Video brings to 4K for the first time Henenlotter’s debut feature, the notoriously nasty Basket Case (1982). Fans of Frank’s work are going to want this release for their physical media collection.
Cauldron Films Invites Viewers to 'The City of the Living Dead'

Mar 21, 2024 | dreadcentral.com | Anthony Arrigo

Aficionados of Italian horror can wax poetically about various directors, acclaimed or otherwise, and rattle off a number of tongue-twisting titles to gialli and zombie films even the average hardcore horror fan hasn’t seen. But by and large, to the masses, two names sit above all the rest: Argento and Fulci. There’s no real need to choose between them since each director offers something the other doesn’t.