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Articles by Dave Canfield
Home Video Roundup: THE PINK PANTHER MASTERPIECE COLLECTION 4K, DEADLY BLESSING 4K, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR 4K, More from Kino
The Pink Panther Masterpiece Collection 4K One of the fun things about reviewing physical media is that it gives me a good excuse to go down all kinds of rabbit holes looking for trivia. The character of Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther films is a case in point. Most people only associate Peter Sellers with the role of the bumbling French detective. It might surprise you to learn that no fewer than three separate actors have played Inspector Clouseau.
Home Video Roundup: SUZZANNA: EMPRESS OF DARKNESS, SANGSTER DIRECTS HAMMER, More From Severin Films, Titan Books
More about Indonesian horror Suzzanna: Empress of Darkness below. But first ... In preparation for my recent Jimmy Sangster retrospective interview with Severin’s David Gregory and noted Hammer expert Marcus Hearn, Severin was kind enough to pass along links for their new Sangster Directs Hammer 4K box set. I was very impressed, but even then I had no idea how gorgeous this thing would be. The day it arrived was a happy one indeed.
Home Video: THREADS 4K, THE WAR GAME 4K, and More From Severin
The list of films dealing directly with what it might be like to experience a nuclear war at ground zero is shorter than you might think. As powerful as Dr. Strangelove (1964), and Fail Safe (1962) are, they’re also highly stylized, and end before the effects of a nuclear war can begin. Likewise, excellent made for TV efforts like By Dawn’s Early Light (1990) and Special Bulletin, which aired April 29, 1984.
DISCO ITALIANA Interview: Alan Jones Talks Severin's Box Set
Watching movies isn’t always fun if one is a critic but the idea that it should be is a nice one. No matter how seriously we approach the medium of film, no matter how many greatest-films-of-all-time lists are generated, no matter how hard we work at the serious and important business of film criticism, theory and history, we are confronted with a simple truth time and again: The films that survive the longest, often do so because they are so much fun.
Home Video: Kino Classics and Kino Cult Roundup
Kino has been aggressively going through their catalog and upgrading their older releases to 4K for awhile now. For that I am grateful. They’ve also been producing new extras for their discs, which is most welcome indeed for collectors out there being forced to double dip. It got me thinking about double-dipping as a collector strategy.
Home Video: Severin Films Home Entertainment Roundup
I've been overdue for some Severin release coverage. Part of it involves finding all the time I need to sift through their extras-laden releases and the number of first-time watches involved. This batch was all first-time watches and all movies I was excited to see. First up was their fantastic box set, Antonio Margheriti & The Jungles of Doom: His ‘80s Adventure Films. I’m a sucker for a good knockoff and Severin is the king when it comes to making them available.
SANGSTER DIRECTS HAMMER: Watch a Conversation with Severin's David Gregory and Author / Filmmaker Marcus Hearn
My first encounter with Jimmy Sangster came long before I ever heard his name. As my father flipped through channels one lazy Saturday afternoon, I suddenly begged him to stop, as some guy I later found was Van Helsing and another guy who I later found out was Count Dracula fought to the death.
CHILDREN OF THE WICKER MAN Video Interview: Dominic Hardy Sheds Further Light
Some films never die. They just keep demanding sacrifices. In the case of The Wicker Man (1973), those sacrifices have been many and varied: Those made in the service of shooting and releasing the film, and dealing with financial fallout. The effort and energy expended by scholars, historians, and critics attempting to assign meaning to it. The money spent on tickets, physical media, and other memorabilia by a growing group of rabid fans, of which I am one.
THE WORLDS OF LUCILE HADZIHALILOVIC Video Interview: The Director Talks
The news that Severin Films was partnering with Yellow Veil Pictures to release a box set of Belgian director Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s films came as a pleasant surprise. But I quickly recognized that such a partnering made complete sense.
Beyond Fest Chicago Video Interview: Meiko Kaji, The Legendary Lady Snowblood Herself
Beyond Fest’s first year here in Chicago went off without a hitch. Sold out screenings brought huge crowds and created instant community amongst Music Box Theater regulars, industry professionals and excited out-of-towners.
Home Video Roundup: DEATHSTALKER and More New Releases From Kino, The Criterion Collection, Warner and Made By Mutant
Dave Canfield aka The Creature Feature Preacher here to opine on all things physical media. I’ve got titles from The Criterion Collection, Warner Brothers and Kino and a very special vinyl release from Made By Mutant. It’s a rich mix of the new, the retro and the arthouse. I’ve been waiting for Dante’s Peak to hit 4K for awhile.
Spotlight on Severin: EXORCISMO, Christopher Lee Eurocrypt Box Sets
Since the days of VHS, I've been collecting and reviewing physical media. It's an amazing privilege to have the kind of access we do now. I remember searching for three years for a VHS copy of Let's Scare Jessica To Death (1971) in the early 2000s. When I finally found one, it was in a small video store near my in-laws house in Three Rivers, Michigan.
Watch GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON'T DIE Video Interview: Director Gore Verbinski
It was exciting enough to see the new Gore Verbinski film, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, months ahead of time at Fantastic Fest 2025. But I was shocked to hear I’d actually scored a face-to-face interview. It underscored for me just how much I love the man’s work. He’s the kind of director who does big mainstream movies about decidedly odd stuff. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl was based a theme park ride and introduced one of the most eccentric characters ever.
WHISTLE Interview: Director Corin Hardy and Screenwriter Owen Egerton
The crowd at Fantastic Fest last year found Whistle a more than worthy festival closer. True, the film follows the tried-and-true formula of kids in a group fucking around and finding out. But man, does Whistle have fun finding out. Boasting some truly memorable, just godawful kills, this cursed object horror movie puts yet another notch in the belt of both screenwriter Owen Egerton and director Corin Hardy whose previous films The Hallow (2015) and The Nun (2018) made me eager to see this one.
Washer fluid bottle cap
Has anyone else come up with a better solution for a cap? I went to add washer fluid when I was working on the intermittent wiper project. The factory cap disintegrated when I removed it. I suspect the plastic is not uv resistant. Funny you bring this up, I was filling mine up the other day and was thinking it wouldn't be long before the cap just cracks off as it was feeling pretty brittle. I know they make billet aluminum caps for vehicles, not sure of the sizes though.
Screen Anarchy Last Minute Gift Guide 2025 Episode 3: Severin, Criterion Collection, Mutant Records, Collectibles and Collectible Packaging
Welcome to episode three of the Screen Anarchy Last Minute Gift Guide for 2025. This episode highlights homes entertainment releases from Severin and The Criterion Collection. I like to think that the difference between this and other gift guides is I try to keep it affordable and only put things in it that personally interest me. The output of both these labels is rarely less than interesting and often essential. I honestly don’t know how Severin keeps up their release schedule.
Screen Anarchy Last Minute Gift Guide 2025 Episode 2: Shout Factory, Warner, Neon Eagle and Cauldron
Welcome to Episode two of the Screen Anarchy Last Minute Gift Guide for 2025. The first episode highlighted releases from Kino. This episode covers stuff that was sent by Shout Factory, Warner Brothers, Neon Eagle and Cauldron. I like to think that the difference between this and other gift guides is that I try to keep it affordable and only put things in it that personally interest me. I’m recommending what I love from the last year in home entertainment. Old school gun fu anyone? Blaxploitation?
Screen Anarchy Last Minute Gift Guide 2025 Episode 1: Kino
Dave Canfield, your Creature Feature Preacher here with the Screen Anarchy Last Minute Gift Guide for 2025.
Video Interview: FREAKED Special Makeup Effects Wizard Bill Corso
I almost freaked out when I found out I was going to talk to special effects makeup legend Bill Corso. That’s not a pun, although you might think so, given that the interview was in support of Umbrella Entertainment's incredible 4K Box Set of Freaked (1993) which I’ll be reviewing separately. Any self-respecting film fan would freak out a little at the thought. He took home an Academy Award for A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) and he’s worked on almost every Jim Carey movie since.
Creature Feature Preacher Interview: THE CREEP TAPES, Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice Talk Friendship and a Sociopath
The parlaying of Creep (2014) and Creep 2 (2017) into a streaming series is a case study in how friendship can feed into creativity. Producer/writer/actor/everythingelser Mark Duplass met co-creator Patrick Brice when Brice’s wife was nanny for Duplass’ kids. Their friendship and an experience Duplass had on Craig’s made for organic beginnings. The Creep Tapes, Season Two, is debuting on Shudder this week. I got a chance to talk to the pair at Fantastic Fest 2025.
Confessions of a Creature Feature Preacher Interview: TRAUMATIKA Star Rebekah Kennedy
Like most horror fans, I became aware of Rebekah Kennedy after seeing her in Two Witches (2021). She possessed her own unique, almost uncanny ability to project a level of menace normally associated with horror heroine royalty.
Creature Feature Preacher Review Roundup: Kino, Warner Brothers, Mutant Records and Titan Books
Dave aka the Creature Feature Preacher here to recommend some recent books, records and movies. Nobody can keep up with the constant flood of cool stuff out there but as I always say it’s not about having all the cool stuff it’s about sharing it. Hope you find something here to share with others. Titan Books was good enough to send a few books.
LILLY LIVES ALONE Review: Unchecked Grief, and the Way Out
Grief and the trauma surrounding it have long been a staple of the horror genre in all its forms. Perhaps one reason is that grief demands answers which are often never forthcoming. It hangs in the air like a cloud. We lose someone (or even something) and feel that we are alone in the fog, our pain. The irony is that, for many, this seems to trigger a desire to isolate, lest we are hurt again. Needing some space to process our feelings can quickly become a terror of the outside world.
EBONY AND IVORY Review: The Power of the Doobie-Woobie May Compel You
Jim Hosking does not make entry level cinema. In fact, I think it’s fair to say that if the very first movie you ever saw was The Greasy Strangler (2016), you’d likely swear off movies forever. But, for a certain number of people out there, Hosking is a guardian of a certain principal that undergirds their enjoyment of the bizarre, the potentially offensive, and even the boring. It was stated succinctly by The Greasy Strangler producer Elijah Wood.
Creature Feature Preacher Interview: Genre Legend Chuck Russell Talks WITCHBOARD
Chuck Russell is a genre legend. He wrote the screenplay for Dreamscape (1984). He co-wrote and directed A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), which redeemed the Nightmare franchise after the critical drubbing of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985). He directed The Blob (1988), one of the greatest remakes of anything ever, co-writing the screeplay with none other than Frank Darabont (creator of The Walking Dead, The Mist, The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption).
Creature Feature Preacher Collecting Severin Craziness
When Severin offered me a chance to talk about all their summer sale titles I was thrilled. So, check out the video. This really is an amazing group of films, and I was able to dig up some fun trivia on them. I also have some thoughts about what it means to be a physical media collector.
Creature Feature Preacher: The Spirituality of Recent Releases from Kino, Severin, Masters of Cinema
Sometimes the Creature Feature Preacher finds himself in conversation with filmmakers via interview. Sometimes the dialogue is with the films themselves via thought pieces or even simple reviews. Since the heart of this column is teasing out the spiritual threads from filmmakers and their work, it moves boundaries. I'm not just looking at specifically or overtly religious work, i.e. Friedkin’s The Exorcist (1973) or Scorsese’s Little Buddha (1993).
Confessions of a Creature Feature Preacher Interview: MAN FINDS TAPE Writer/Directors Paul Gandersman and Peter S. Hall
The powers that be here at Screen Anarchy, after much arcane ritual, have agreed with me, your lowly unholy servant, that nothing could be more anarchic than a bi-monthly column from yours truly. I have emerged from my Creature Feature Preacher Substack to comb the world for filmmakers and creatives who want to talk about the spirituality of all things spooky, kooky and ooky. To kick things off, I got ahold of Paul Gandersman and Peter S.
THE RITUAL Interview: Director David Midell Leads Me Through the Horror
Hello! It’s Dave Canfield, your Creature Feature Preacher here with another conversation. Director David Midell has made a hell of a debut. His first feature, The Ritual, not only stars Al Pacino but the always ascendant Dan Stevens. The pair play clerics called upon to perform an exorcism but the story goes in a different direction than most such pics. This film dives less into special effects than into the personal psychology surrounding a phenomena steeped in unknowables.
DANGEROUS ANIMALS Interview: Director Sean Byrne Talks Sharks and Spirituality
Director Sean Byrne has been chumming the water for a long time. His new movie, Dangerous Animals, a shark infested survival thriller, is garnering great reviews and deservedly so. It has a villain for the ages in Jai Courtney, who comes across as part man-child, part Buffalo Bill inspired psychopath, and it has Hassie Harrison as a heroine every bit his equal in the scene stealing department. But the truly dangerous thing about Byrne's film is the depths it swims in.
THE SHROUDS Interview: David Cronenberg, Wrapped in What the Light Reveals
When I’m interviewing someone as respected as David Cronenberg, the temptation to revisit as much of his work as I can ahead of time looms large. It’s seldom practical unless one is writing a book. Especially when the work spans such a long period of time. But Cronenberg has also been remarkably consistent in his choice of themes. Equally consistent are the questions asked of him by journalists.
Fantastic Fest 2024 Review: MADS, Wide-Eyed Descent Into Apocalypse
One of my favorite films of Fantastic Fest 2024 was this taut piece of single-take cinema from France. An already high teen visits his dealer hoping to score the latest designer drug. But before he can get to the , he picks up a panicked woman on the side of the road. The cinematic fever dream that follows is like falling into utter chaos. MadS may tell a familiar story but it does so with ferocious energy and style, making everything old horrific again.
Fantastic Fest 2024 Interview: FRANKIE FREAKO Director Steve Kostanski
I should start by saying I’m a Steve Kostanski stan. Does that make me a Kost-FAN-ski? In any event, his name on a project automatically elevates my interest. This is especially true when he’s in the directors chair. Manborg (2011), The Void (2016) and Psycho-Goreman (2020) all showcase an absolutely gonzo approach to film aesthetics and a confidence that the most outlandish premises can result in something hugely entertaining.
Fantastic Fest 2024 Review: DADDY'S HEAD Is a Dangerous Place
Friends who express curiosity about my love for horror films are often surprised to hear that, beyond the thrills and chills they provide, I also find them comforting. There are the obvious childhood associations born of discovering them when I was young. But beyond nostalgia is the way that horror films often delve deep into intimate emotional territory, suggesting to me that someone is aware of my fears, anxieties and sorrows and cares enough to tell a story about them.
Fantastic Fest 2024 Review: WHAT HAPPENED TO DOROTHY BELL? It Will Happen to Everyone
As found footage has firmly established itself as a genre, its foothold on the public imagination (and on that of filmmakers) bears scrutiny. The excellent documentary The Found Footage Phenomena (2021) and books such as Found Footage Horror Films by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and POV Horror by Duncan Hubber have helped contextualize its appeal and power. But efforts like What Happened to Dorothy Bell?
ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE Video Interview: Severin's David Gregory Talks the History of Bruceploitation
I've been blessed to have several conversations with Severin founder David Gregory over the years. He always leaves me feeling that the history of horror and exploitation film is in good hands. It would be enough if he were simply well spoken and knowledgable. But he's also a filmmaker with an acute understanding of what makes genre film so compelling for fans.
A Certified Passive House in Olympia, WA
Olympia, Washington is right on the Puget Sound, serving as a beautiful respite from the Seattle metro area. The owner of this modern Olympia home first purchased it in 2004, citing the central location and easy walkability as its biggest draw. But fast forward several years, and the home needed to adapt along with the owners.
Kino Lorber End of Year: Best of 2022
The Mafu Cage Blu-ray The Mafu Cage (1978) is another film that has only recently received renewed attention. It’s one of those rare gems that sparkles no matter what angle it is examined from. Two sisters live on their late father's crumbling estate. Dad (Will Geer) was a renowned anthropologist who not only left them the house but also his research primates. Older sister Ellen (Lee Grant) is a successful scientist looking to branch out on her own with her new love, David (James Olsen).
Screen Anarchy Holiday Gift Guide: Mondo and Creepy Co.
Berlin / EFM Coverage Weird Reviews International Reviews All Interviews Dramas Need some last minute gift ideas? Normally I do videos for our gift guides but the carousel of images below will work just fine. I've got a little bit of everything here from two great companies, Mondo and Creepy Co. Both come highly recommended if you need something for that special pop culture lovin' geekazoid in your life.
Screen Anarchy Holiday Gift Guide: Apparel from JCRT and Creepy Co.
Sitges Coverage Teaser Trailers Hollywood News Indie Reviews Festival Videos I found some wonderful geeky gear from JCRT and Creepy Co. that make great, last-minute gifts for friends and family. JCRT makes their own clothes to order and first made a splash with horror fans with their bright colored Universal Monster Hoodies. I've worn mine steadily for a couple of years now and have to say it's one of my go-tos whenever I need to stay warm but want to stand out a little.
DASH Exclusive Clip: How Much is Too Much?
Dash isn’t the first movie to take place in a ride share but it is one of the best. Featuring a protagonist ripe to reap the rewards of countless bad decisions the film is more than content to let him make more of them. The result is a jaw dropping character study done in one take that will have you shouting at the humans on screen even as you happen things won’t get any worse.
Review: THE MENU Expertly Balances Humor and Horror
Hungry for social satire? The Menu is pretty palatable. It follows other recent films pitting the rich against the poor: Ready or Not (2019), The Platform (2019), and Triangle of Sadness (2022) are three examples that do it well. If Ready or Not feels like a lightweight dessert, The Menu feels more like the soup course. It doesn't take the meatier risks of Triangle of Sadness or The Platform, but its expertly-balanced mix of humor and horror make it more than worthy of inclusion at the table.
Review: THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN, Of Friendship, Life and Death
I went into The Banshees of Inisherin expecting something special. The last time writer/director Martin McDonagh worked with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson resulted in In Bruges (2008), by far McDonagh's best film. The Banshess of Inisherin proved to be more than special. It's one of the very best films of the year. In fact, I'll say it. It's a stronger film overall than even In Bruges.
Fantastic Fest 2022 Review: SMILE Opens Wide
Writer/director Parker Finn had me asking one question prior to my viewing of Smile: Would the film simply coast on a creepy visual gimmick or, like It Follows (2016), take that idea and do something genuinely unnerving with it? Things revealed in the trailer left me on the fence. It's a good trailer. It builds well and tells you just enough. But some of what it told me was dangerously familiar. A character says that she's seeing something no one else can see. A well used trope. Fair enough.
HOUSE OF DARKNESS Review: A Tempting Place To Hide
The eyes can grow accustomed to the dark. Still, the central theme of House of Darkness will become visible to most viewers too soon. Maybe that’s because while director Neil Labute tries to infuse a sense of mystery into his first horror film since Nicolas Cage’ ill-fated remake of The Wicker Man (2006) he’s hampered by a script that makes it all too obvious what’s going on. He needn’t have bothered.
Blu-ray Review: NIGHT GALLERY (SEASON 2), Pure Horror, Staggering Quality
I won’t quibble. Yes, we live in a golden age of horror television. There are so many horror series available for streaming, you’d drown in special effects blood long before you were able to binge watch them all. So maybe I can forgive you if haven’t heard of Night Gallery. But those of us who were digging up costly bootlegs long before YouTube not only know about Night Gallery, it is an indelible part of our creature-feature consciousness. Notice, I mentioned bootlegs.
Blu-ray Reviews: Kino Unleashes Killer ANTS!, Killer Bees in TERROR OUT OF THE SKY, Killer Spiders in TARANTULAS THE DEADLY CARGO
A trio of new physical releases from Kino have got me thinking about a lot of things. First, what a shame it is that more titles from the golden age of made for TV movies haven’t seen release on Blu-ray or even DVD. To that I say, TGYT (Thank God for YouTube). Of course what YouTube offers in terms of quantity is mitigated by often crappy image quality. Several titles I’d like to get my eyes on just don’t seem to exist in watchable format.
Blu-ray Review: YELLOWBRICKROAD still an unsettling journey in the woods.
Fantasia Coverage Fantasy Movies Thrillers Horror Movies Trailers Celebrating it’s tenth anniversary is YellowBrickRoad (2010), a decidedly surreal horror with an experimental approach to it’s dread soaked aesthetic that in co-director Andy Mitton’s words resulted in “either full on death threats or love letters” from audiences. Looking back on the film Im far closer to the latter than the former.
Review: HE'S WATCHING, Stark Reminder of How Powerful Found Footage Can Be
Economic and production restraints on filmmakers have been hell for a while now. But it has made for some really interesting horror cinema. Hosts (2020) and We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021) are among my favorite recent films. They feature emerging talent getting really creative with what they have on hand.
Review: SHE WILL, More Than a Revenge Horror Fable
She did. That is, Charlotte Colbert did. She’s one of a few first-time directors who turned in great movies at Fantastic Fest in 2021. What seemed like it may be a grim and broody revenge horror fable becomes… something else, something emerging as more a story of empowerment, justice and, new beginnings. She Will wowed audience members I spoke to, and I took time to see it twice. Most importantly, it seemed to linger over the festival, coming up time and again in conversation.
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