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Capone has big news for fans of Lovecraft on film: the World Premiere of the long-lost THE EVIL CLERGYMAN is happening in Chicago with Combs, Crampton & more in attendance!!!

Published at: July 30, 2012, 10:29 a.m. CST

Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.

In about two weeks here in the Chicago area, I'll be a part of the 10th annual Flashback Weekend Horror and Science-Fiction Convention, the city's longest-running horror show. And the line-up of guests and film screenings is fantastic, including director John Carpenter (presented a brand-new 30th anniversary digital print of THE THING), Linda Blair (hosting a 2K digital restoration of THE EXORCIST: THE VERSION YOU’VE NEVER SEEN), Tony Todd, Ken Foree, Danielle Harris & Kane Hodder (both of whom just wrapped on HATCHET III), and so many more folks. You can get all the details at Flashback Weekend's website. But that's not actually what I'm here to talk about…

A little bit of horror history will be made at this year's Flashback event. It turns out that in 1988, at the height of Empire Pictures success, Charles Band developed an anthology film called PULSEPOUNDERS, which would be comprised of three short film "sequels" to the studio's biggest hits. The first of the three films was TRANCERS: THE UNSEEN SEQUEL, starring Tim Thomerson and Helen Hunt; the film was a direct sequel to 1985's TRANCERS and was to take place before the events in TRANCERS 2 (1991). The second film was THE DUNGEONAMSTER SEQUEL, with Richard Moll returning to his 1984 role in the sci-fi classic.

Perhaps the most fascinating of the three films was H.P. LOVECRAFT'S THE EVIL CLERGYMAN, which wasn't so much a sequel but a return to the Lovecraft well, featuring performances by Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton (both of RE-ANIMATOR and FROM BEYOND fame), David Warner and David Gale.

(Keep in mind, these images are from the original work print, not the restored veresion.)





The three PULSEPOUNDERS segments were filmed and edited in 1987 before circumstances prevented them from ever being released. Recently, a PULSEPOUNDERS work print was discovered, and Charles Band and a team of digital experts have been working for the last year digitally restoring it. Richard Band, the composer of classic film scores such as RE-ANIMATOR and PUPPER MASTER, has composed an original lavish 1980s-style score for it. And now the first segment will be presented fully restored at Flashback Weekend.





H.P. LOVECRAFT'S THE EVIL CLERGYMAN will have its World Premiere on August 11 as part of Flashback Weekend at the Muvico Theaters Rosemont 18, with Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Charles Band, and Richard Band on hand getting the whole Red Carpet treatment. A DVD release for THE EVIL CLERGYMAN is set for October 9, 2012, with restorations of TRANCERS: THE UNSEEN SEQUEL and the DUNGEONMASTER sequel to follow. If you're a fan of RE-ANIMATOR, FROM BEYOND, CASTLE FREAK, or any Lovecraft on film, I don't see how you can miss this event. Hope to see you there!





-- Steve Prokopy
"Capone"
capone@aintitcool.com
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