1980s Film

Movie musings on films and stars of the 1980s. For the record, we don’t patronise bunny rabbits.

The Empress Speaks: On the Sanitation of Violence in the 12A Movie-Verse

by Helen Cox 25 March 2013

I recently spent a good three hours sobbing my heart out in the darkest corner of New Empress HQ; clutching my John McClane action figure like it was the last thing I had in the world. Why? I’d just received the news that A Good Day to Die Hard had been granted a 12A certificate. You see, I’m an [...]

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Issue 9: Now Available For Order

by Helen Cox 6 March 2013

What would happen if King Kong went on a dating show? Now you know thanks to our talented cover artist Dan Havardi.

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Issue 7: Our Horror Special – order yours today!

by Helen Cox 23 October 2012

What do Linnea Quigley, Bette Davis and killer telephones have in common? All three appear in our spooky horror special which is out at the very end of October. Other treats for readers include an exclusive interview with Richard Bates Jnr on his new psychological horror: Excision, an exposé on the role of distributors in [...]

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Issue 6.1 Is Here!

by Helen Cox 22 October 2012

The second digital edition of the year is here! Our front cover is illustrated by Rory Mitchell and inspired by the unforgettable body horror: Videodrome. New Empress Magazine’s Minema titles are a mini-digi-dose of film commentary, interviews and flashbacks. Inside this issue our writers have examined the way brands, TV, music and other elements of [...]

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Films that time forgot: Angel Heart (1987)

by Matthew Hammond 28 September 2012

Alan Parker’s Angel Heart (1987) is an experience in total atmosphere and mood. There is only one way to adequately describe the sensation and affective power of the film: pressure cooker intense. Tension, intrigue and fear bubble up, all the way to boiling point…

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The New Empress Saturday Matinée Presents: The Secret of My Succe$s

by J P Wooding 15 September 2012

Boardroom battles, slapstick silliness and the eighties era are three of my favourite film trappings. The news that Michael J. Fox is to return to our screens in his own TV show after a long absence reminded me of an old film favourite that incorporates all three: The Secret of My Succe$s.

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The New Empress Saturday Matinée Presents: Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas in Tough Guys (1986)

by Helen Cox 18 August 2012

Ever wonder what Dana Carvey got up to in the 80s before Saturday Night Live made him a household name? No? Well I’ll tell you anyway. Besides appearing in Halloween II, This is Spinal Tap and Racing with the Moon, Carvey starred in a pretty much forgotten comedy flick starring Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster and [...]

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The New Empress Saturday Matinée presents: Joe Dante’s Explorers (1985)

by Helen Cox 4 August 2012

Welcome to the first ever New Empress Magazine Saturday Matinée. Each Saturday afternoon we’ll be introducing a film that you can stream for free online. Our first offering is the somewhat forgotten children’s sci-fi adventure, The Explorers from director Joe Dante.

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Cannibal Holocaust: The Heart of Darkness in Film

by Tom Cottey 24 June 2012

To celebrate the upcoming launch of issue 6 , our B-Movie special, Tom Cottey takes a closer look at Ruggero Deodato’s controversial exploitation flick: Cannibal Holocaust. In the late 1970s and early 80s the cannibal film was a somewhat bizarre phenomenon within the Italian film industry. Part of a wider sub-category of exploitation films, cannibal [...]

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In Review: The Escape Artist on DVD

by Tom Grater 24 April 2012

This distinctly late 70s/early 80s American family-friendly drama tells the tale of a young magic enthusiast who desperately hopes to follow in his late father’s footsteps; apparently the greatest escapist of all time, after Houdini of course.

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In Review: One from The Heart on DVD (1982)

by Maryann O'Connor 16 April 2012

There are two reasons why you might want to watch this film; firstly, it’s famous for being a musical (songs composed by Tom Waits) directed by Francis Ford Coppola and the film which bankrupted Coppola’s Zoetrope Studios. Secondly, it is completely bonkers.

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