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A new episode of the Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie? video series has been released this morning, and in this episode we’re looking back at one of the least popular films to be directed by the legendary John Carpenter: the 2001 release Ghosts of Mars (watch it Here). Why didn’t Ghosts of Mars turn out to be another Carpenter classic? We try to figure that out in the video embedded above.

Directed by Carpenter from a script he wrote with Larry Sulkis, Ghosts of Mars has the following synopsis: Long inhabited by human settlers, the Red Planet has become the manifest destiny of an over-populated Earth. Nearly 640,000 people now live and work all over Mars, mining the planet for its abundant natural resources. But one of those mining operations has uncovered a deadly mother lode: a long-dormant Martian civilization whose warriors are systematically taking over the bodies of human intruders.

Military ensemble pictures work well when the excitement is all about the job and working under pressure: Charlton Heston, Stacy Keach, Ned Beatty and even David Carradine are excellent in this credible story about a near-impossible rescue of submariners trapped 1400 feet below. It’s a solid Navy disaster scenario, unusually authentic and realistic — until the dramatists require actor Ronny Cox to act like an emotional idiot. Those U.K. disc producers do it justice with some excellent extras, including a piece with a Navy specialist who worked with the rescue craft seen in the movie… and who later became a well-known film historian, author and film series organizer.

Gray Lady Down

Region B Blu-ray

Powerhouse Indicator

1978 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 111 min. / / Street Date October 25, 2021 / available from Powerhouse Films UK /

Starring: Charlton Heston, David Carradine, Stacy Keach, Ned Beatty, Stephen McHattie, Ronny Cox, Dorian Harewood, Rosemary Forsyth, Hilly Hicks, Charles Cioffi, William Jordan,...

One of the more satisfying costume adventures of the ‘sixties is also one of its star’s best vehicles. Charlton Heston was born to play bigger-than-life historical types, and his Norman knight in this film has the benefit of an intelligent screenplay and a terrific supporting ensemble. This hero’s armor doesn’t shine — he’s more than willing to risk everything to possess a pagan woman with whom he’s become infatuated. Many would-be epics want us to think that the charms of unlikely damsels like Virginia Mayo and Claudette Colbert changed the course of history, but this show makes it seem more than possible. Plus, it features great action scenes and a terrific music score by Jerome Moross.

The War Lord

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 123 min. / Special Edition / Street Date January 21, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Charlton Heston, Richard Boone, Rosemary Forsyth, Maurice Evans, Guy Stockwell,...

1979: General Hospital's Laura wanted a job at the disco.

1987: Lizzie demanded answers on Ryan's Hope.

1989: As the World Turns' Shannon lost her baby.

2007: One Life to Live's John arrive to arrest Lindsay."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1970: Murial Williams returned to Another World as Lenore's (Judith Barcroft) mother, Helen Moore. Williams remained with the show until April 8, 1976.

1976: Rosemary Forsyth debuted as Laura Horton on Days of our Lives.

1977: On Another World, Mac (Douglass Watson) listened in through the intercom as...

It’s cold-blooded murder, I tell ya! Feisty Ruth Gordon goes undercover to find the evidence of homicide at Geraldine Page’s desert home, where companion-housekeepers keep disappearing. Robert Aldrich produced this marvelous, E-Ticket battle between celebrated actresses, and the result is a creative new solution for retirement finance problems!

What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1969 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 101 min. / Street Date January 8, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Geraldine Page, Ruth Gordon, Rosemary Forsyth, Robert Fuller, Mildred Dunnock, Joan Huntington, Peter Brandon, Michael Barbera, Peter Bonerz, Richard Angarola, Claire Kelly, Valerie Allen, Martin Garralaga.

Cinematography: Joseph Biroc

Film Editors: Frank J. Urioste, Michael Luciano

Original Music: Gerald Fried

Written by Theodore Apstein from a novel by Ursula Curtiss

Produced by Robert Aldrich

Directed by Lee H. Katzin (and Bernard Girard)

Few fans of Robert Aldrich’s The Dirty Dozen realize that he used the windfall profits...

1966: Dark Shadows' Barnabas was aged into an old man.

1982: Gh's Blackie jammed with Eddie (Sammy Davis Jr.).

1990: Another World's Vicky covered for Marley.

1992: As the World Turns' Holden didn't recognize Lily."The best prophet of the future is the past."

― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1965: On Peyton Place, Leslie Harrington (Paul Langton) traveled to Boston to ask Martin Peyton (George Macready) for help in getting Rodney out of jail.

1967: On Dark Shadows, Dr. Julia Hoffman's (Grayson Hall) experiments with Barnabas Collins' (Jonathan Frid) blood went terribly awry and his youthful appearance reverted to that of a 175-year-old vampire.

Irony of ironies, Franklin Schaffner’s 1965 epic, The War Lord, was based on a play called The Lovers. Stalwart Charlton Heston plays a medieval knight tasked with defending a Druid village where he promptly falls in love with local lass Rosemary Forsyth. Richard Boone co-stars along with Maurice Evans who would reunite with Schaffner and Heston under far different circumstances in 1968’s Planet of the Apes.

The post The War Lord appeared first on Trailers From Hell.

1979: General Hospital's Laura wanted a job at the disco.

1987: Lizzie demanded answers on Ryan's Hope.

1989: As the World Turns' Shannon lost her baby.

2007: One Life to Live's John arrive to arrest Lindsay."The best prophet of the future is the past."

― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1970: Murial Williams returned to Another World as Lenore's (Judith Barcroft) mother, Helen Moore. Williams remained with the show until April 8, 1976.

1976: Rosemary Forsyth debuted as Laura Horton on Days of our Lives.

1977: On Another World, Mac (Douglass Watson) listened in through the intercom as Dave (David Ackroyd) told Pat (Beverly Penberthy) he had always been in love with Rachel.

The battle may have been won, but the war will wage on. Just hours after defeating SAG treasurer Kent McCord for the SAG presidency, Melissa Gilbert's Restore Respect slate of board candidates was handed a clear defeat when candidates from McCord's Membership First slate nearly swept the Hollywood board election. The election split could foretell continued divisiveness within SAG's boardroom. Of the 12 members elected to the national board, 10 were from McCord's slate. Elected were former recording-secretary Elliott Gould, Diane Ladd, Joanna Cassidy, Anne-Marie Johnson, Robert Hays, George Coe, Renee Taylor, Sumi Haru, Angeltompkins and Rosemary Forsyth. Eriq LaSalle and John Saxon -- both from Gilbert's slate -- rounded out the list.