eerieindiana | Entries tagged with non-canon: gremlins

Cinematographer John Hora, who collaborated with director Joe Dante on films including The Howling, Gremlins, Explorers and Matinee, has died. He was 80.

Hora died unexpectedly Feb. 9 of heart failure, the American Society of Cinematographers reported.

A fan of the large-format films of the 1950s, Hora also served as DP on the Imax films The Journey Inside (1994) and Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man (2000), and for 2012 releases, he photographed the documentary The Last Days of Cinerama and the short In the Picture, the first project created with the ultra-wide 35mm Cinerama format since 1962.

Hora and Dante teamed up for the first time on The Howling (1981), with the cinematographer "relying on a dramatic lighting approach featuring rich hues, deep shadows and dutched angles to help sell both the suspense and horrific effects courtesy of artist Rob Bottin," as writer David E. Williams describes it.

Hora then shot for Dante the "It's a Good Life" segment of the anthology feature Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), followed by Gremlins (1984), Explorers (1985), The 'Burbs (1989), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) and Matinee (1993) and the pilot episode for the 1991-92 NBC series Eerie, Indiana.

"[We] have an interesting, comfortable relationship," he told American Cinematographer magazine. "Perhaps it's because Joe has a sardonic sense of humor and I have what has been described as an over-developed sense of irony."

Hora also appeared in front of the camera for Dante in Innerspace (1987) — as the scientist Ozzie Wexler — and Burying the Ex (2014).

"RIP John Hora," Dante wrote on Twitter. "Not only one of the most talented and amusing Directors of Photography I ever worked with, but a truly unique and eccentric character who knew more about lenses than I know about my own life. A real loss in a world of losses."

John Charles Hora was born in Pasadena on Feb. 16, 1940. His father was an amateur still photographer who attended the Art Center School of Design, and Hora "grew up in a house of cameras, film, darkrooms, tintypes, old glass plates, photography books and magazines, and lots of music, too," he said in 2007.

After graduating from film school at USC, where he roomed with future Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz, Hora worked for the commercial-production company John Urie and Associates on such projects as the martial arts documentary New Gladiators (1973), financed by Elvis Presley.

Hora then made his feature debut on Maurie (1973), the basketball drama that starred Bernie Casey as Maurice Stokes and Bo Svenson as Jack Twyman.

A story in the November 1984 edition of AC magazine described the look of Gremlins as ranging "from the realism of the daylit snow-strewn Kingston Falls town square to the comic-book splash-panel type lighting of a boiling YMCA pool at midnight."

"There is a danger when you use bizarre angles and strong colors in a film," Hora said, "and that is you might come out looking too much like the old Batman television show. Still, my basic nature is to have fun with this sort of approach, and the nature of this story was such that it did not demand a serious approach. Fundamentally, on this film, Joe and I just enjoyed ourselves."

Hora's résumé also included Liar's Moon (1981), The Jogger (1988), a segment in Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (1988), Loverboy (1989), Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992) and God Said, 'Ha!' (1998). He once noted he turned down an offer to shoot the original Terminator.

Hora taught at the Los Angeles Film School, served for many years on the ASC board of governors and collected rare classical records and cars (he owned a 1963 Studebaker Avanti).

Survivors include his brother, Steve, niece Erika, nephew Greg and former wife Mary.

froodle

When the director of GREMLINS met a TWIN PEAKS-esque mystery TV show for kids in the early 90s, the results proved to be absolutely spooky, and Gone But Not Forgotten is here to help you relive the child-friendly horrors of the cult favorite EERIE, INDIANA on our first ever Halloween special extravaganzo!

froodle

If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. This is the basic premise of Needful Things, one of the strangest Stephen King books I've ever read starring a really well-developed antagonist and a great balance of horror and fantasy. The story seems simple enough, a typical town sheriff pitted against Leland Gaunt, the mysterious and creepy owner of a shop that gives the citizens of Castle Rock anything they want for no price at all - but of course, everything has a price, and the people who don't ask why are left to regret it later. As a strange bout of madness grips the town and things start to get dangerous, the book takes a very sinister turn.

If you've ever watched the 1990's show Eerie Indiana's episode featuring a sinister investor who turns a small town shop into a hub of madness for desperate shoppers, or if you've ever watched Gremlins, you'll definitely like the kind of spooky store atmosphere Needful Things casts out. Stephen King crafts brilliant characters as usual, and though the Maine setting is a bit old considering it's chosen for almost all his books, the plot itself and the surprising events which unfold are definitely worth it.

froodle

You should a check out Eerie Indiana if you haven’t seen it !! It was made by the director of The Gremlins!
— Logan Arnold (@LEBRONKD33) October 12, 2020

I have seen it! That one’s fun, too. Never watched it as a kid but I checked it out a few years ago. Didn’t know it was by the Gremlins team
— Emily (@ASassyDetective) October 12, 2020

froodle

Having directed horror classics like The Howling and Gremlins, Joe Dante took that love of genre and helped usher in a supernatural kids show in Eerie, Indiana.

Watching TV, kids could only wish that their lives were exciting and interesting as that of Marshall Teller's. The show’s young protagonist moved from New Jersey to Eerie, Indiana, a strange small town where the weird is commonplace. Kids were immediately drawn into this strange version of suburbia as Elvis and Bigfoot lurked around in the opening credits. When the series premiered on NBC in 1991, there was nothing else like it on TV. This cleverly written show, made just for kids, didn’t dumb down the horror or science fiction storylines.

Before we had Agents Mulder and Scully, Marshall Teller and his buddy, Simon Holmes, were the best investigators of the strange and unexplained. The series developed a cult following with fun and creepy episodes like “Foreverware”, “The Retainer”, and “The Hole in the Head Gang.” The series only lasted one season but in 1998 Fox Kids reimagined it into Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension, though this new version never reached the popularity of the original.

froodle

What are your fav films by @joe_dante?
— Salem Horror Fest (@salemhorrorfest) September 18, 2020

The Burbs
Gremlins 1 & 2
The Howling

“Homecoming”, one of my favorite stories from Masters or Horror that I wish came true, written by @SamuelHamm

And his stint on Eerie, Indiana, great show for weird kids when Disney was absolutely nauseating https://t.co/4aKlj5KoV7
— Killing Josh (@forevrclown) September 18, 2020

froodle

Joe Dante m'a parlé de Donald Trump et son épouse m'a qualifié de "smart girl". C'était deux mois après mon expérience horrible dans un lag de geek que je ne citerai pas parce que les gérants débiles vont encore me tomber dessus. pic.twitter.com/Jb8fejD19b
— La Femme de Karadoc (@BaronChap) August 21, 2020

Faut dire que je lui avait dit que jlavais adoré the Looney Toons back in action... Et oa série Eerie Indiana parce que je trouvais Omri Katz super mignon quand j'etais jeune.
— La Femme de Karadoc (@BaronChap) August 21, 2020

Et il m'a éclairé sur une blague à propos de Gremlins 2. Enfin en tout cas il est super sympa.
— La Femme de Karadoc (@BaronChap) August 21, 2020

froodle

pic.twitter.com/c1Pr1XzlQi
— Turbo Vice (@TurboVice) August 18, 2020

I love that Joe Dante used those same twin actors in the pilot of Eerie Indiana.
— The Less Dead (@thelessdead80) August 18, 2020

Also played the security guard (and T1000 clone) in T2 which I love. In a movie full of CGI, that's some real practical effect thinking right there!
— Alpha Chrome Yayo (@alphachromeyayo) August 18, 2020

froodle

Innerspace is pretty dumb but it holds up today. I feel truly blessed to have been a boy growing up at the same time that Joe Dante was in the middle of his classic run from Gremlins through Eerie, Indiana. pic.twitter.com/tGkSahhTrT
— Abortifacient Enthusiast (@AgentDBSweeney) August 8, 2020

froodle

Nobody believes me, but this is the center of weirdness for the entire planet: Eerie, Indiana. My home, sweet home. Still don't believe me?😱😜 pic.twitter.com/oITEfcMl34
— The Retro Room 🎮🕹🎬🎥 (@TheRetroRoomRoo) June 16, 2020

It's the episode with the twins kept in the Tupperware hahahahaha
— Total Games and Films (@TGFStream) June 16, 2020

Episode has become iconic 😂
— The Retro Room 🎮🕹🎬🎥 (@TheRetroRoomRoo) June 16, 2020

Totally, the dudes from gremlins 2 I think played them
— Total Games and Films (@TGFStream) June 16, 2020

froodle

C'est quoi votre série d'enfance que personne ne connaît ou que tout le monde a oubliée ?

Allez je commence : Les Maîtres des Sortilèges. pic.twitter.com/L0Ps2XOlZB
— Sullivan Le Corvic (@tlsnhe) June 4, 2020

oh mais ouiii!!! les twist, alana et le futur imparfait ,
marshalle et simon , mission top secret pic.twitter.com/sx7QyrRDUj
— 🦇Audrey 'BAT' Molinatti 🦇 (@audrey_moli) June 5, 2020

regardez le tweet de base, les années 80/90 les series jeunesse/ado ,y avait du post apo, de la sf, de l horreur , etc c etait variée de ouf et aussi l'odyssée fantastique.
ma préférer et qui a pas vieillit c'est eerie indiana, ( marshall et simon ) l ecriture etait top https://t.co/ZYjWAfTqBK
— 🦇Audrey 'BAT' Molinatti 🦇 (@audrey_moli) June 5, 2020

eerie indiana , c etait un peu le x files pour gamin, mais pas gnian gnian , avec des episodes assez grave parfois( maltraitance parentale ) , a l époque j adorais deja les vampires /monstres etc et cette serie etait pour moi .https://t.co/dwc6U6sDpN
— 🦇Audrey 'BAT' Molinatti 🦇 (@audrey_moli) June 5, 2020

Eerie indiana etait produite par joe dante, ( papa de gremlins ) 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱
— 🦇Audrey 'BAT' Molinatti 🦇 (@audrey_moli) June 5, 2020

froodle

Joe Dante is the man behind a pretty sizeable chunk of my favourite things as a kid. Shows like Eerie, Indiana, and movies like Gremlins, The Burbs, Small Soldiers, an incredible portfolio of work. https://t.co/tQu1lazdPY
— ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕪 ℂ𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕜𝕪 👴🏼 (@CraigWCostelloe) June 4, 2020

froodle

New take away service!

Futterman's new menu, now available at Maitland, New Hampshire.
Grab the new "Mogwai Burger" (Not to be eaten after midnight) with our signature green bun and a side of "Marty McFries" with a flavour right out of the history books. Then wash it all down with a cool, refreshing bottle of Futterman's home-brewed "Beer-ie Indiana". The only beer with ingredients spookier than the name! I bet even @justinshenkarow would love a bottle of this in isolation!

Check out our popular "steak and cinema night", book now for a booth and bring the family for good ol' time here at Futterman's. ***purely for fictional purposes however you can locate Futterman's right at home in the books "Maitland '95" and "Maitland Tales: Book 1, Out of The Wilds". Both available on amazon and kindle now, also taking bookings for drop offs of the books with limited stock avaible to deliver by me, to your door!*** Great for adults and kids alike, nostalgic horror for those who grew up in the 90s and new original adventures for the younger audience.
Message me for your copy today or click the links on the page to grab yours on amazon!

froodle

when I say Dante you probably think Gremlins (or Gremlins 2) or The Burbs (or Piranha). But this one is also great. (Or The Howling.) pic.twitter.com/wbUS5tHoHD
— Scott Weinberg (@scottEweinberg) May 31, 2020

I also think Explorers, Eerie Indiana (A short lived show he produced for NBC) and, oddly, Small Soldiers
— Ian Salter (@Nextwave_Gaming) May 31, 2020

froodle

The fantastic Dick Miller makes an appearance as Al in THE LOSERS. A regular in @joe_dante movies like The ‘Burbs and Gremlins... which role is your favourite? #eerieindiana #dickmiller pic.twitter.com/rVtEqV9jAM
— Return to Eerie, Indiana (@eerieindianapod) April 7, 2020

froodle

Que beleza ste. Não tinha lembrado de beetlejuice, nem Gremlins, nem múmia. Eerie indiana não conheço. Vou procurar todos. Obrigada ❤️
— eu amei te ver.... (@_cecilialara) March 31, 2020

froodle

Joe Dante sobre Kingston Falls, el pueblo de 'Gremlins': «todo aquello viene de Spielberg: él es el nuevo Capra, o lo era [...] Toda la parte a lo Americana, Norman Rockwell, ese es Steven idealizando su punto de origen. Supone la infancia que él habría querido tener». Así... pic.twitter.com/kEWjDlHpqg
— Álvaro Pita (@Alvaro_Pita) March 24, 2018

froodle

Not as scary or intense as The X-files?
I must have been watching a different, brilliant program!
Much like seeing Gremlins too young made me immune to horror films for many years, being freaked out by Eerie, Indiana made The X-files a breeze to watch!
— James Keenan (@JamesAKeenan) March 21, 2020

froodle

There’s a bit of conventional wisdom that film editors automatically make great movie directors, and that certainly may be true in terms of pure craft. The reality is that great filmmakers can come from any discipline or walk of life, but one advantage that director-editor’s have is the ability to hold two (or more) thoughts in their head at one time, a quality that typically is exhibited in their productions. One director who demonstrates this ability throughout his career is Joe Dante, whose films are so multi-layered that they’re oftentimes difficult to classify. A large portion of Dante’s filmography is celebrated by genre fans and cinephiles while simultaneously being relatively unknown to the public at large. Even movies that are more well known alternately delight and baffle each new audience that discovers them over the years. Not quite comedies, not entirely horror movies and not normal family films, Dante’s work continues to impress with the layers each work reveals over time, a key factor in their lasting power.

( Read more... )

froodle

Eerie, Indiana debuted on NBC on September 15, 1991, two weeks before my 11th birthday. Seven months and 19 episodes later (18 really. The 19th episode didn’t air until two years later on a different network) the show was gone. I remember watching the pilot episode when it aired, and the show has stuck with me since. I managed to love Eerie, Indiana even though I had no idea that its star Omri Katz was a sex symbol for legions of 12 year old girls in the 1990s thanks to Hocus Pocus. In fact, I didn’t even see Hocus Pocus until last Halloween, and this is when I found out about the Omri lust through a lot of thirsty Hocus Pocus tweets by women in their early 30s. Despite my Omri blind-spot I was a huge fan of the show. It was a show about myth and urban legend existing in our world. This subject matter became commonplace with a flood of teen supernatural shows (including Supernatural!) in the last 20 years and also went mainstream just a couple of years after Eerie’s cancellation with the debut of The X-Files. Myth and legend was one of my favorite things to learn about when I was a child, so this was right up my alley. It also has a bit of an Adventures of Pete and Pete feel to it, another show with two boys at the center of the weirdness.

Eerie, Indiana begins with “Foreverware,” one of the series’ most memorable episodes. This is a very tightly plotted pilot. The intro, which I quoted above, gives the viewer the premise of the show, and in the first scene Marshall introduces his family. Within the first two minutes of the show the viewer already knows what it’s about and has met all of the main characters except for one. Most pilots spend nearly all of the allotted episode time establishing this. Since this show used its time so economically it has the rest of the time to tell a story. The plot of “Foreverware” is simple: Marshall’s mom is pitched on a Tupperware like product by a woman dressed like Jackie Onassis, who has twin sons who are also dressed as if they stepped out of the past. When Mrs. Wilson and her sons leave the Foreverware party one of the twins slips Marshall a piece of paper upon which is written “Yearbook 1964.” Marshall and his sidekick Simon, the last primary character to be introduced, decide to check out the 1964 school yearbook, and in it they find a picture of the twins looking exactly as they do now, in 1991. They exclaim that this would mean that the twins are in their 30s, and this is the point where I mention that 1991 was 27 years from 1964 but it’s 29 years from current day, and I’m going to climb into my grave right now.

Marshall and Simon discover that the reason the twins still look like children and their mom looks like Jackie O is that after Mrs. Wilson’s husband, the creator of Foreverware, died in 1964 she started sealing them and her up in giant sized Tupperware containers at night, preserving them in that state. The issue of how they breathe in airtight containers isn’t covered, nor is the rest of the science behind this and honestly it’s better just to move on. Marshall sneaks in one night and breaks open the seal for the twins, who then do the same to their mother’s container. The next morning Marshall sees two adult men who look very much like the twins putting up a for sale sign outside the house, and their now elderly mother leans out the window and calls to them.

While re-watching “Foreverware” for the article I noticed that the episode has no B or C plot. This isn’t something that would have occurred to me as a child but it really stood out here. Marshall and Simon learning the secret of the Wilson twins and helping them is the entire plot, and any ancillary characters exist to push that plot forward. It works well given that this is a show for children, since it only requires them to focus on one story. When I mentioned this to my wife she responded that most children’s shows only have an A plot, and if this is the case I’m amazed that I never noticed before. The tight plotting no doubt benefits from Joe Dante directing this and four other episodes. Dante, who Greg Orme covered when he reviewed Gremlins, was a creative consultant on the show. Dante’s involvement most likely helped make Eerie, Indiana more than just a children’s show and contributes to the well crafted weirdness of the show.

If you like Foreverware stick with the series for Elvis later on.

Even though Eerie, Indiana came and went the show did develop a bit of a legacy later in the 1990s, when airings on Fox Kids drew enough interest to warrant a spinoff, Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension. At this time a book series was also launched and 17 titles were released. I have We Wish You An Eerie Christmas at home. I bought it on a whim last year and I’m pretty sure I haven’t actually read it.

Given that a spinoff series and book series exists some readers may not see Eerie, Indiana as a forgotten show, but I think it qualifies because it isn’t discussed unless somebody mentions it. “Oh yeah, I remember _____” is the very definition of forgotten. Whether you’re just remembering it now, have never heard of it, or still carry a torch for Omri Katz I recommend checking out the series, all of which is available on Amazon Prime. The spinoff is also on there but I haven’t seen it.

froodle

Despite being too old to have familiarity with the “Goosebumps” books, I will say that there is a lot here that could still appeal to me. The movie looks like something made by Joe Dante (I see elements of Gremlins/Small Soldiers, The ‘Burbs and Matinee, plus the TV series Eerie, Indiana) – or at least like something that looks like something made by Dante, a la Eight-Legged Freaks. It also evokes a number of other movies, for better or worse, most notably Jumanji. It also makes me think this is sort of a Cabin in the Woods for younger viewers.

froodle

Some news for you Gizmo-heads out there... I am consulting on the upcoming animated "Gremlins" HBO Max series “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai!”https://t.co/urUoaVlsQi
— Joe Dante (@joe_dante) February 18, 2020

I’ll take what I can get and judge it when I watch it. The last tv show I saw that Joe consulted on was Eerie Indiana and that was pretty special.
— Joe List (@joelist) February 18, 2020

froodle

WarnerMedia is currently developing the animated prequel series “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai” for a likely premiere on HBO Max sometime in 2021, and it will mark the official return of the franchise for the first time since 1990’s Gremlins 2: The New Batch. Both original films were directed by Joe Dante, who reveals that he is involved with the HBO Max series!

Speaking with Daily Dead, Dante noted that he’s “consulting” on the project.

“It’s going to be good. I’m very pleased with the way it’s going,” Dante told the site. “It’s a prequel. It goes back to the character Mr. Wing when he was a boy, and when he first discovered the Mogwai. It’s set in China in the ’20s, and it’s animated and it’s very big in the sense that if you tried to shoot it as a theatrical film, it would be outrageously expensive. But in animation, you kind of get away with almost anything you can think of. And it’s probably not going to be done until 2021 or maybe the end of 2020. It’s for HBO Max, a new streaming variant of HBO.”

Dante continued, “I think this is a really clever way to get back into [the franchise]. I think that they found it pretty difficult to make a sequel to Gremlins 2, because of just the way I made it. And they just could never really quite figure out how to do it. So I think this is a great way to sort of get the franchise back on people’s minds.”

froodle

Interview: Joe Dante Discusses CAMP COLD BROOK, THE ’BURBS, SMALL SOLDIERS, GREMLINS: SECRETS OF THE MOGWAI, and EERIE, INDIANA https://t.co/wcu9ygCYHH @joe_dante @ShoutFactory @Scream_Factory pic.twitter.com/YYh2c5yMh4
— Daily Dead (@DailyDeadNews) February 15, 2020

froodle

Something of a tonal precursor to Stranger Things, this early '90s series starred Hocus Pocus actor Omri Katz as Marshall Teller, a teenager whose family moves to desolate Eerie, Indiana (population: 16,661).

Tongue-in-cheek but still terrifying, the show saw Marshall and best pal Simon Holmes (Justin Shenkarow) embark on unnerving adventures involving werewolves, hauntings and a classmate who dies in a gruesome accident, with his spirit being transferred to a classmate via a heart transplant.

Chock full of references to scary movies from The Fly to The Wolf Man, Eerie, Indiana had a strong horror pedigree of its own, with Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Howling) serving as a creative consultant and also directing several episodes.

froodle

What I’m about to say may shock you, and it certainly wont apply to all of you reading this, but as a child born in the 1980’s, who was approaching my teens in the early 1990’s, I never understood my parents fascination with Twin Peaks. Sure, I get it now – but back in late 1992, as the show drew to its weird conclusion, it just seemed like bizarre drivel that was the television equivalent of playing a record in reverse. It might have summoned the Devil, but it was still complete nonsense to me.

But as one strange American town bowed out of the TV schedule, another took it’s place – Eerie, Indiana. Eerie was everything to me that Twin Peaks had been to my parents, except it was aimed at my generation – the MTV generation – it had a hip teen lead, and it appealed to my inner conspiracy theorist – the one that had for years tried to convince me my neighbors were aliens. Turns out, they were.

So what was Eerie, Indiana all about? Well, the premise was simple. Marshall Teller is your average American teenager growing up in New Jersey. Life is pretty good until one day, while out playing basketball with his homies, Marshall gets into a fight and is sent to live in Bel Air with his rich Uncle. OK, so I may have got that confused with another show of the same era, but Marshall and his family do end up moving to the suburbs of small town America for a quieter life. But what the Teller family didn’t anticipate was that the sleepy little suburb they’ve moved to just so happens to be a gateway to the bizarre.

At first, Marshall – played by the always awesome Omri Katz (Max from Hocus Pocus) – just sees the mundane in his new neighborhood, but slowly it becomes apparent that things aren’t quite as boring as they seem. When he befriends local loser Simon Holmes (Justin Shenkarow), Marshall’s eyes are opened wide to everything going on around him – it’s just a shame none of the adults believe him. Or is it just that they’re in on it?

Over the course of 19 episodes, Marshall and Simon set about trying to solve the mysteries of Eerie, including Tupperware that preserves human life, an ATM with a conscience, and a way ahead of its time parody on the current President of the United States. But Eerie, Indiana wasn’t just 19 standalone episodes. Unlike most kids TV of the time, Eerie, Indiana was actually a series of interlinked stories that actually went somewhere.

As a kid you may not have seen all the Easter eggs spread throughout the show, but they were there, and if you rewatch the show now you’ll realise just how sophisticated the writing style actually was. Much more sophisticated than a lot of the typical ‘family’ content airing at the same time. This had a lot to do with the first class writing team the show had, which featured talents that would work on hit series like The Outer Limits and M*A*S*H. The talent behind the camera was a veritable who’s who of Hollywood as well. Joe Dante (Gremlins) and Bob Balaban (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) all had a hand in bringing the show to the small screen at one time or another, which is a hell of a pedigree no matter which way you slice it.

Like the mythical Icarus though, Eerie, Indiana would eventually fly too close to the sun only to have its wings burned, nosediving into eventual cancellation a little over a year after it emerged. It would be brought back – in a fashion – as a hip new spin-off called Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension, but by that time – 1997 – the magic was lost. The show was a success because of the lightening in a bottle mixture of behind the scenes genius and on-screen magic. For a generation of kids in the early 1990’s, Omri Katz was a God, and without him Eerie, Indiana might as well have been Nowhere, Oklahoma (it’s a real place, Google it).

And so this brings us right back to 2017, 25 years after the show first aired, and Twin Peaks is back and as bizarre as ever. Like I said at the start of this article, I get the appeal of Twin Peaks now that I’m as old as my parents were when it was last on TV (God, I’m getting so old), but even now I’d still rather take a trip to Eerie, Indiana than Twin Peaks, Washington. Who knows, maybe we’ll get a revival of this show too, because let’s face it, the world as we know it today is suitably strange enough source material for a comeback.

I wonder what Omri Katz is up to these days?

froodle

Biff Tannen was modeled after Trump.

'Eerie Indiana' featured a swindler villain known as 'The Donald.'

As was Daniel Clamp (Gremlins 2), Donald Grump (Sesame Street), Ronaldo Rump (Biker Mice From Mars), etc.

Being depicted as the epitome of greed is far from a compliment. https://t.co/t1oXBl5gXu
— Nomad 🏳️‍🌈👽🇺🇸🇨🇴✝️🌹 (@Kal_El_Lives) January 1, 2020

froodle

Happy 73rd birthday to @joe_dante. What's your fave movie from this much loved director. pic.twitter.com/bPFnJ1cylD
— Horror Channel (@horror_channel) November 28, 2019

Has to Gremlins, but a close (joint) second is Small Soldiers and The Burbs.

Honourable mention goes to Eerie Indiana as well, because that show never gets mentioned enough! pic.twitter.com/f5TP8V4ZKy
— Jack Morris (@beardybobbyjay) November 28, 2019

froodle

Today in Horror History: It's the birthday of film director Joe Dante, whose excellent contributions to the genre include one of the best werewolf movies, The Howling, the 'It's A Good Life' segment of Twilight Zone The Movie, and the comically grim Gremlins. pic.twitter.com/gjzZU3KIwS
— Michael W. Freeman (@Freelineorlando) November 28, 2019

I loved Eerie, Indiana.
— Jane Nightshade, Writer (@JaneNightshade) November 28, 2019

froodle

Happy 73rd Birthday to one of the great nerds of our time, Joe Dante, a man who loves movies and makes movies we love. Today let’s give thanks for the likes of Piranha, The Howling, Gremlins, Innerspace, The ‘Burbs, Gremlins II: The New Batch and Matinee. 🎥 #Thanksgiving pic.twitter.com/WwkwGksMaW
— Marshall Julius (@MarshallJulius) November 28, 2019

froodle

Today in Horror History: It's the birthday of film director Joe Dante, whose excellent contributions to the genre include one of the best werewolf movies, The Howling, the 'It's A Good Life' segment of Twilight Zone The Movie, and the comically grim Gremlins. pic.twitter.com/gjzZU3KIwS
— Michael W. Freeman (@Freelineorlando) November 28, 2019

froodle

Just saw Gremlins for the first time in years. Noticed this Time Machine easter egg.

Bonsaipanda: Dante is a big fan of those movies, 'Matinee' is the love child of that.

DerBoopMeister: Dante is known for puting ton of easter eggs in his movies.

Cataleast: Gremlins 2 is chock-full of little easter eggs and nods to other media - some very obscure too - so I reckon this is completely planned.

unospazmatic: The henchmen from Mom and Dad save the world

BlueRonfar: They were also on the very first episode of Eerie Indiana!

Pikka: Yeah, T2 used twins for the T1000 trickery in several scenes (including the sadly cut processor reconfiguration).

froodle

Joe Dante’s 1994 classic Gremlins has always been one of the my favorite Christmas movies. The film is energetic, weird and has a jet black sense of humor, best displayed in Phoebe Cates’ hilarious monologue about why Santa didn’t deliver any presents one Christmas. And now, audiences are going to get to enjoy Gremlins once again on the big screen, and it’ll look better than it ever has before.

Regal has just announced that the movie will be screened from December 5th – December 11th in 4DX. That’s their ‘ultimate experience’ that involves hydraulic chairs and you getting fans, water and haze sprayed on while you watch the movie. It’s kinda silly, but fits a goofy pic like Gremlins perfectly. The film itself has just been remastered for 4K Ultra HD for a home release, too, so I’m presuming that this pristine new copy will look fantastic on the big screen.

But this re-release is probably just to re-familiarize audiences with the franchise, as 2020 will see the premiere of WarnerMedia’s Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai. The ten-episode animated series will fill in the blanks of Gizmo’s story and be set in 1920s Shanghai, showing us how the loveable yet potentially dangerous fluffball wound up being taken care of by a young Sam Wing.

The official show description reads as so:

“Along with a teenage street thief named Elle, Sam and Gizmo take a perilous journey through the Chinese countryside, encountering, and sometimes battling, colorful monsters and spirits from Chinese folklore. On their quest to return Gizmo to his family and uncover a legendary treasure, they are pursued by a power-hungry industrialist and his growing army of evil Gremlins.”

I’m glad that Gremlins is emerging from franchise stasis after so long, but I can’t help but feel that WarnerMedia are even happier they’re going to have something they can sell to the increasingly lucrative Chinese market. The show will premiere on HBO Max, probably during summer 2019. Let’s just hope it does well and ignites interest in a potential Gremlins 3.

froodle

Some of my first horror movies and TV included Gremlins 2, Little Shop of Horrors, Eerie Indiana and AYAOTD, so don’t tell me horror can’t be PG-13. Horror is for everyone.
— Dr Sabina Stent (@SabinaStent) November 13, 2019

froodle

Long overdue rewatch of The Burbs is taking place, and while this has probably been pointed out a million times before now, Tom Hanks is only watching Mr. Rogers on the television!!!! How brilliant is that? https://t.co/qRBKuDu9VA
— Matt Rodgers (@MainstreamMatt) November 13, 2019

Joe Dante never made a bad movie. Fact.
— Hindu Monkey (@HinduMonkey) November 13, 2019

Have you seen The Hole?? That's such a great creepy kids film. Oh, and I'd maybe say Small Soldiers or Gremlins II are a bit wooden.
— Matt Rodgers (@MainstreamMatt) November 13, 2019

The Hole is creepy as fuck (that doll!?) - I like Gremlins 2. Explorers ... what a film. Watched that with Jess last year and she loved it. Sheer wonder.

And Matinee... up there with Peter Pan as one of the great underappreciated kids films of our time.
— Hindu Monkey (@HinduMonkey) November 13, 2019

Oh wow. The Explorers! I haven't watched that since a VHS rental kids party back in the day. I'll have to try and track it down this weekend. 🤞

I think I preferred the horror elements of Gremlins. Wasn't quite prepared for the Looney Toons shift in tone of II. It's bonkers.
— Matt Rodgers (@MainstreamMatt) November 13, 2019

Explorers is brilliant. Pure 80s nostalgia and young River Phoenix to boot.

Gremlins 2 is mental. But I liked the shift. It was much closer to his original Eerie Indiana vibe than a lot of his movies.
— Hindu Monkey (@HinduMonkey) November 13, 2019

froodle

pic.twitter.com/8Tm1gi4CKt
— 🎃No Context Creature Features🎃 (@OOCCreature) September 30, 2019

Ah, the twins out of Eerie, Indiana.

And Terminator 2
— Kost (@kostmayer) September 30, 2019

froodle

So, our kids, boy 6 and girl 8, are BEGGING literally daily for a scary movie. They swear they are ready for it. We've shown them poltergeist and sleepy hollow and they did fine. They keep requesting to watch the remake of IT, but I'm not sure about that one.

When I think about it, it was watching horror movies as a kid when I developed my love of the genre. Movies as a kid scared me in a way that I still chase to this day. The Shining at age 10 did me, and is still one of my all time favorite films and books. So, I want them to get to enjoy the feeling of being truly scared by a movie, but I don't want to traumatize them (at least not permanently).

I want to avoid anything extreme, and any film with too much intense gore (blood is fine, just nothing crazy) or sexual violence is out, of course.

Examples of movies I think are too much: Sinister, IT, Hereditary, Evil Dead remake, etc

What would you recommend? Help me scare these kiddos good for their first time.

LakmeBun: Maybe the ones with critters in them, like not too realistic ones eg. Gremlins. There's also more kid friendly tv shows (and books!) Goosebumps, Are you afraid of the dark, Eerie Indiana... I think those might be better suited for them than straight up horror at that age.

froodle

If you’ve ever ask someone what scared or freaked them out as a child, most responses will revolve around a horror film or terrifying personal experience - like seeing a clown. But if you really think back, many of the times we were disturbed as youngsters happened when we were sitting in front of the TV. Watching some of our favorite kids' shows after school or on weekends, we’d come across imagery or moments that would scar us for life. Those shows that were intended to be silly fun often had the opposite effect, making for a sleepless night.

Children’s television has always been a labyrinth of the strange and twisted, with the 1980s and 1990s in particular having a plethora of programming that entertained and traumatized in turn. Most of these shows we end up loving as adults because of that same dark tone.

In creating this list, we looked at animated and live-action shows specifically made for kids that incorporated supernatural, other-worldly, and bizarre fantasy elements in its plots or characters. No TV specials or movies-of-the-week found here. So without further ado, here’s the 15 Creepiest Kids Shows of All Time.

6: Eerie Indiana

Having directed horror classics like The Howling and Gremlins, Joe Dante took that love of genre and helped usher in a supernatural kids show in Eerie, Indiana.

Watching TV, kids could only wish that their lives were exciting and interesting as that of Marshall Teller's. The show’s young protagonist moved from New Jersey to Eerie, Indiana, a strange small town where the weird is commonplace. Kids were immediately drawn into this strange version of suburbia as Elvis and Bigfoot lurked around in the opening credits. When the series premiered on NBC in 1991, there was nothing else like it on TV. This cleverly written show, made just for kids, didn’t dumb down the horror or science fiction storylines.

Before we had Agents Mulder and Scully, Marshall Teller and his buddy, Simon Holmes, were the best investigators of the strange and unexplained. The series developed a cult following with fun and creepy episodes like “Foreverware”, “The Retainer”, and “The Hole in the Head Gang.” The series only lasted one season but in 1998 Fox Kids reimagined it into Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension, though this new version never reached the popularity of the original.

froodle

The one festival I attend every year is pulling out the stops this year with a pair of incredible guests.

Saskatoon – September 15, 2019 – Saskatoon Fantastic Film Festival, Saskatchewan’s largest feature film festival returns for its 10th edition at the Broadway Theatre this November 19th through 24th with Special Guests Joe Dante and Belinda Balaski.

As part of the 10th annual festival please join us on Saturday, November 23th at the Broadway Theatre for a celebration of the careers of Joe Dante and Belinda Balaski. Dante and Balaski will be introducing and then answering questions for screenings of Gremlins, The ‘Burbs, and The Howling. As a special bonus the Dante directed pieces of Amazon Women on the Moon will be screened in front of The Howling.

“I really wanted us to do something special for year 10 and I can’t think of anything better. Joe Dante is a true master of his craft and had an immense impact of genre film making and being able to hear stories from him and Belinda Balaski who has starred in a dozen of his movies is a true treat to hear. ” said festival founder and Director John Allison.

The announcement of the full festival line-up will take place in Mid-October. More information is available concerning the Saskatoon Fantastic Film Festival at www.skfilmfest.com and on the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/skfilmfest/.

( Read more... )

froodle

Few TV shows that have been so shortlived have had the impact of Eerie, Indiana. Despite only 19 episodes, its gone on to become a cult phenomenon, winning over adults and children alike. And its not hard to understand why. Its such a groundbreaking show. With a dizzying intelligence. Truly unique plot lines. And its fun too! I've never met a single person who didn't find something to enjoy from Eerie, Indiana.

The whole concept of smalltown weirdness is not a new one. In fact Eerie was beaten to the punch a year earlier by Twin Peaks. But its what it does with the idea that makes it stand out so vividly. The Creative Consultant for the show is the greatly underrated Joe Dante, the man behind similar classics like Gremlins and The Burbs. I think the idea of a not so nice interior lurking beneath the shiny exterior is something that appeals a great deal to Dante, and Eerie, Indiana may be the peak of Dante's conceits.

If all television was as good as this we'd be living in much happier times. And Dante put some of his best work into the show. In the films I mentioned, Joe Dante seems to enjoy watching small havens of utter normalcy being overturned by sinister forces. Whether it be vicious monsters or nutty neighbours, the mayhem he unleashes is always entertaining. And Eerie, Indiana is no exception.

One of the series' striking elements is the way it takes these bizarre plot lines and makes them oddly plausible. And that is no truer than in the first episode, Foreverware, a story that does a superb job of introducing us to the world of Eerie, Indiana. Try to get your heads around this! The women of Eerie seal themselves into giant tubs of Tupperware so they can stay young (and fresh!) forever. In any other TV series, watching such a plot line unfold would be monumentally stupid. In Eerie, it works!

And that's just for starters. You're constantly being knocked out by the way it courts unbelievable lunacy and turns it into great viewing. Eerie seems to be the focal point for just about every unusual happenstance in the entire world. The Losers is a particularly interesting episode where we discover a vast storage depot for lost items hidden beneath the streets of Eerie.

Eerie, Indiana was a TV series that was far, far ahead of its time. Some of the issues it chose to address were eerily(!) prescient. In particular the last episode, Reality Takes a Holiday. An episode that predates reality television (before anyone even coined the term) and The Truman Show by staging it in the real world. The town is nothing more than a set on a studio lot. And the actors play themselves. Keep an eye out for Joe Dante! The series was unexpectedly cut short after that but it was a good episode to go out on. A staggering episode that actually forces you to question your own beliefs in what you've been watching all this time.

The production staff selected a really fine cast to help the show along. Omri Katz is perfect as Marshall Teller, the new kid from New Jersey, who firmly believes Eerie is the 'centre of weirdness for the entire planet.' A quite wonderful young actor, his self-reliance never lapsed into smugness, and he was always a hero you rooted for. Justin Shenkarow is equally engaging as Simon, Marshall's sidekick. The two of them are a regular Mulder and Scully as they catalogue the oddities that come into their lives.

The rest of Marshall's family is great too. Francis Guinan is amusingly nerdy as Edgar Teller, a scientist into product testing. Mary-Margaret Humes is an appealingly sexy Mum, Marilyn Teller, a disorganised party organiser. And Julie Condra is annoying big sis Syndi Teller, a girl with the scariest eyebrows I've ever seen!

Along the way, the show picked up some additional characters. John Astin is aptly cast as Mr Radford, the owner of "World O'Stuff", the local youth hangout. Gregory Itzin is suitably slimy as Eerie's double-dealing money grubbing Mayor. And best of all is Jason Marsden as Dash X. Dash X comes into it halfway through. A boy of mystery with a head full of grey hair, he becomes an unwilling ally to Marshall and Simon during their adventures. Years ago, I found Dash X an irritation. I preferred it when it was just S & M. But in recent years, his character has grown on me. He's quite a good actor, and whether it requires him to be sharp, cynical or occasionally sympathetic, he's never less than impressive.

One of the things that's made Eerie, Indiana endure for so long is its shrewd intelligence. It never feels patronising. In fact, its a quite sharply cynical show when you stop to think about it. The Mayor even delivers a scathing speech regarding the people's ignorance of what really goes on in Eerie. They prefer not to know so they don't have to deal with it. They're happier that way!

Every Eerie fan has they're own favourite episode. Usually they vote for Reality Takes a Holiday, or the deeply creepy episode The Lost Hour, when Marsall ends up in a parallel Eerie just by setting his watch back. Mine is Just Say No Fun, an equally creepy story about a school optician who brainwashes the students into becoming model pupils when they're given an eye-test. It has quite an anarchic message the way it champions slacking and underachievement over good behaviour and schoolwork.

Eerie, Indiana has withstood the test of time. Its highly impressive the way the writers pull off feats of greatness, one after another. It never feels too juvenile. Its observations are often astute and witty. And there are plenty of joyous in-jokes and cameos for die-hard horror fans.

A superb show that ended long before its time.

froodle

OK, so you probably know of Joe Dante because he directed Gremlins. But he also directed Small Soldiers (which everyone else seems to hate but I love), he was also creative consultant and director on Eerie Indiana, and most recently he directed the flop that was Looney Tunes: Back in Action. I just love his work. I like his fantasy elements, the odd humour, and the fact he almost always casts Dick Miller, Archie Hahn and Don and Dan Stanton (basically his auteur quirkyness). But I feel I am alone, as his films continue to fail.

froodle

#JoeDante at the 35th #AnniversaryClassics of #Gremlins talking about the fact that #Amblin and #StevenSpielberg hated the #PhoebeCates monologue about her father. Even went as far to shoot alternatives. Apparently the script was a writing sample, and never meant to be a studio film. Everyone on set was fed up with the Gizmo #animatronic puppet because it kept breaking down. #InnerSpace #Gremlins #TheBurbs #TheHowling #Piranha #EerieIndiana #ChrisWalas

froodle

5. Marshall et Simon (1991-1992). On change de chaîne et on se retrouve sur France 3 en 1993. Avec 2 apprentis #Goonies en qualité d’hôtes, Marshall et Simon n’est pas anthologique au sens propre, plutôt une succession de «loners», des histoires isolées avec un fil mythologique… pic.twitter.com/dTfHqRQuGZ
— Topic Avenger (@Daveinthehay) May 11, 2019

…commun (ici la vie surnaturelle de la petite bourgade commune d’Eerie, Indiana). Une sorte de X-Files pour (pré)ados piloté par la personne la plus citée dans ce thread: Joe Dante. On y retrouve d’ailleurs toutes les obsessions du papa des #Gremlins: l’anti-capitalisme féroce… pic.twitter.com/VZAhXBKPRO
— Topic Avenger (@Daveinthehay) May 11, 2019

…la défense du divertissement (particulièrement du cinéma bis) comme outil de réflexion, la transposition d’une violence sans filtre, même auprès d’un jeune public. Loin de Fais-moi peur et de Chair de poule, diffusées au cours de la même décennie. Ou encore de Tonton Spielberg. pic.twitter.com/3OSPtRDXPg
— Topic Avenger (@Daveinthehay) May 11, 2019

Dans l’ép. Le Grand Amour, un gamin se fait heurter par le livreur de lait (l’accident est filmé frontalement) et décède. Son cœur est transplanté, s’ensuit un récit horrifique de possession assez classique. Mais avec une charge émotionnelle qu’a du jalouser #MyGirl. Cu(l)te. pic.twitter.com/rDfljSZTcK
— Topic Avenger (@Daveinthehay) May 11, 2019

froodle

This lot is one of the last links to the heyday of Columbia serials. I used it in "Gremlins," "Small Soldiers" and "Eerie, Indiana." Everyone from John Ford to Orson Welles shot here. It will be a shame to replace it with more soulless steel and glass.https://t.co/Rfzwtz7QAr
— Joe Dante (@joe_dante) April 15, 2019

As someone who grew up with Gremlins, Small Soldiers and Eerie Indiana in the 90s this breaks my heart. Is nothing sacred anymore. :(:(:(
— Wayward Roller🔥♿️xUmbrella Academy☂︎ (@wwefnfurlife) April 15, 2019

froodle

This lot is one of the last links to the heyday of Columbia serials. I used it in "Gremlins," "Small Soldiers" and "Eerie, Indiana." Everyone from John Ford to Orson Welles shot here. It will be a shame to replace it with more soulless steel and glass.https://t.co/Rfzwtz7QAr
— Joe Dante (@joe_dante) April 15, 2019

That’s a bummer. Eerie, Indiana did wonderful things to our brains growing up.
— The Brothers Riedell (@brothersriedell) April 15, 2019

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froodle - JamesAKeenan on the ComicWatch review of Eerie Indiana
froodle - Tone in the Films of Joe Dante: Attack of the Multi-Layers!
froodle - 7/3/2019: Krebstar Cinema airs Eerie Indiana Episode 4: the Losers as part of Dick Miller Week
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froodle - FilmSchoolRejects on the Goosebumps movie
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froodle - Joe Dante Consulting on “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai”; “I’m Very Pleased With the Way It’s Going
froodle - DailyDead interviews Joe Dante
froodle - DigitalSpy on Eerie Indiana
froodle - REVISITING ‘EERIE, INDIANA’ – THE ‘TWIN PEAKS’ OF OUR CHILDHOOD
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froodle - Gremlins Returning To Theaters In 4DX This Holiday Season
froodle - SabinaStent on PG13 horror
froodle - HinduMonkey and MainstreamMatt on Joe Dante
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froodle - Redditors on kid-friendly horror
froodle - ScreenRant: 15 Creepiest Kids' Shows Of All Time
froodle - 10th Annual Saskatoon Fantastic Film Festival Announces Guests
froodle - DavidSim on Eerie Indiana
froodle - Rebecca McNutt's Review of Needful Things
froodle - Loz on Joe Dante
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Better weird than dead.

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