To classic horror fans, the word “hammer” does not simply denote a tool or a now defunct 80s rapper, it is a six-letter seal of excellence. For years, Hammer Studios reached into the cache of our collective nightmares; resurrecting boogeymen theretofore romanticized in black and white and splashing them onto our eyes in savage, gorgeous technicolor. Their treatment of the likes Dracula, the Mummy, and Frankenstein’s monster not only reacquainted us with monsters, but introduced us to silver screen legends such as Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. After experiencing a popularity that made them a powerhouse, the studio seemed to have whispered meekly out of existence after a short-lived television swan song in the 1980s. But now Hammer Studios is poised, like so many of its signature villains, to rise from the dead with several new films released in the last few years and others currently in production; the newest being the upcoming The Woman in Black starring Daniel Radcliffe. In apparent celebration of this resurgence, the official Hammer historian Marcus Hearn has plundered the hallowed Hammer archives and come out with “The Hammer Vault.” This book is an epic, glorious catalog of some of the studio’s greatest marketing materials, behind-the-scenes photos, film props, and other artifacts of enormous cinematic significance. It turns out the only thing that ever managed to rival the dark beauty and grandiose gothic tone of Hammer’s films was its marketing for those films. The book is an absolute triumph not only for fans of the [Due to Content Scraping and Theft, we have been forced to try abbreviated feeds. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and woud very much appreciate you clicking through to view the full article on FilmSchoolRejects.com]

I realize that I am one out of millions when I say how much influence the original Star Trek series had on my life when it premiered in 1966. I was four years old then, had an older brother of seven and we were hopelessly addicted to the adventures of the USS Enterprise and her crew. When Star Trek conventions started popping up in New Orleans in the very early 1970s, I even put together a “Gorn” costume (the lizard creature from the episode “Arena”) and won an honorable mention. When Star Trek disappeared from television, it was a bit shocking for us young fans, and it would be a few years before it reappeared in syndication, at least in New Orleans. When Star Trek: The Motion Picture opened, I was in High School. Already tainted by the adventures of Luke Skywalker and pals in Star Wars, I was a bit less enthusiastic by this big screen effort. However, when I saw Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in college a few years later, I knew that Star Trek was back on track! I was a fan again. Getting the call from make-up effects artist Richard Snell was one of the early highlights of my career. I had worked with the bay-area artist on House but our paths had diverged since. I knew that the Star Trek IV job was “floating” around Hollywood because I had done some bid sketches for James Cummins who was also pursuing the project. [Due to Content Scraping and Theft, we have been forced to try abbreviated feeds. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and woud very much appreciate you clicking through to view the full article on FilmSchoolRejects.com]

For those of you new to the column, I am recalling pivotal events in my life that contributed to what I am today: A Special Make Up Effects Artist searching for relevance in the 21st Century. I had learned about liquid latex; I had my Super 8mm camera. Now, all I needed was the spark, the inspiration to push me. I am 15 years old… High School is a major adjustment for everyone, and I was no different. Archbishop Shaw High School in Marrero, Louisiana was not known for its liberal arts education. It didn’t have the reputation for being an Ivy League prep school. It was known for its football team. Consisting of an all-male student body you can imagine what life for a pudgy, sci-fi/horror loving, non-athlete was like. I was lucky, however, that when I entered the school as a freshman, my brother was already a senior. I had fallen in with a group of friends that carried over from grammar school that had similar interests, but for the most part, we knew we would have to keep a low profile in order to survive. That was Fall of 1976. America had enjoyed its big 200th birthday party that July and we movie lovers had a pretty good summer between King Kong, Logan’s Run, and The Omen. Hidden in my books were copies of “Starlog” and “Cinefantastique” magazines, and the margins of my notebooks were illuminated with sketches of creatures and space ships. We still had a [Due to Content Scraping and Theft, we have been forced to try abbreviated feeds. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and woud very much appreciate you clicking through to view the full article on FilmSchoolRejects.com]

It doesn’t matter if you’re this close to graduating, and you’ve finally “found yourself.” Unless you’re going to the University of Baltimore, you have to admit that your school doesn’t have the stones to create a class called “Zombie 101″ where you learn to survive a Zombie Apocalypse. If your brain gets eaten soon, it’ll be their fault. Because, yes, the University of Baltimore has created just such a class.

This is the kind of modern art the people can get behind. No squiggly lines over a solid yellow triangle. No toilets on walls. No six-year-old children pushing their political agendas. Artist François Vautier has taken every single frame from Blade Runner, turned a virtual camera on the images, and created something dream-like and haunting. In that sense, it’s a great companion for the film. Check it out after the jump.

Joe Dante was recently at Comic-Con and as for what he was promoting, I have no idea. As far as I know, he wasn’t there to sell or pitch me anything. Both him and Roger Corman were in attendance this year, and amongst the hardcore geek community, it was a big deal. Dante is someone that’s had a hand in nearly every movie nerd’s life. I think we all remember watching Gremlins as a kid (or Innerspace, The ‘burbs, The Howling, etc.) So, when I sat down with Joe Dante, I wanted to talk about his life, the films that influenced him, and the joy of horror.

That is, if you can take your eyes off the giant, Cthulu, lightning-based robot cyclops from the future. He’s staring back at you, too. And he’s urging you to go to Fantastic Fest this year because zombie Edgar Allen Poe will be there to fight the entire team from Red vs Blue.

According to Harry Knowles over at Aint It Cool News, a book written by Fanboys screenwriter Ernest Cline that was just bought by Random House for six figures has now been optioned by Warners. I haven’t read the book because it’s not on shelves yet, but Harry has and he’s claiming the adaptation will be “the geekiest film ever made.”

Right now in home across the world, people are sitting around daydreaming about being Jedi warriors. Most of them are swinging toy versions of light sabers around the room and are only mildly saddened when the plastic doesn’t cut through their desk. Now they may not have to because there’s a real lightsaber on the market. Will you pick one up?

We have been talking about posters from MondoTees for a while now, and for good reason. Their posters exist in two places – on my walls, and in the dreams of movie gods.

Did you know Eclipse was already in post-production? Well, apparently I didn’t, and the interview still went really well.

All three actors are signed up to reprise their original trilogy roles for the upcoming The Hobbit, so feel free to wet your geek pants. After all, you can’t get any uncooler.

Does that mean that Rourke has turned down a $250,000 check from Marvel? Find out inside.

You can now wear a piece of The Joker’s lunacy right across your chest for just $22.94. I’m sold.

You wake up and begin your morning ritual of going to the bathroom, brushing your teeth, pouring some coffee and then checking your email. Before you can check your email though, you must approach the six foot ten Optimus Prime in your living room and transform him into your computer. I will give you a second to think about that.

Its odd to think while some kids couldn’t wait to take their brand new Star Wars lunchbox to show off at school, others were packing it away for future safekeeping. I guess it is a good thing that I kept all of my Pogs in special round plastic cases. Just kidding!

Words really can’t describe how cool these are, but hey…that’s why I have included a ton of pictures.

Movie Gods Steven Spielberg and George Lucas sat down with Entertainment Weekly and gave one hell of an interview. They laugh together, act like an old married couple and get their hands dirty about making Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

So cool, they almost caused an accident on I-35N in central Texas. Oops.

Everyone needs a calendar to keep track of important dates. Why not get one that combines the two best things in the world: nudity and comic book heroes?