Fan Fare
Entertainment behind the scenes
Helena Bonham Carter, queen of Halloween frights
This item is both good, and perhaps not so good, for director Tim Burton
. His long-term companion, Helena Bonham Carter, has had the distinct honor (some might say dubious distinction) of making it on a list — twice — of top movie-themed Halloween costumes. The first time, she is a queen (good) and the second, a witch (not so good, although given Burton’s taste in characters — Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd — he might think it’s cool).
Online movie ticket seller Fandango.com polled some 2,200 people on its website, asking them about the upcoming ghoulish holiday where people dress like goblins or werewolves and play tricks or get treats. Fifty-five percent said they would dress up and of those, 58 percent said they’d pick a movie-themed costume.
Among women, the top costume was Alice from Burton’s version of the classic “Alice in Wonderland” and at No. 2 was the Red Queen, also from that movie and portrayed by Carter. The actress’ role as witch Bellatrix Lestrange in the “Harry Potter” movies was No. 5. (pictured above left). Sandwiched in-between were Barbie from “Toy Story 3″ in the No. 3 position and Hit-Girl from the action adventure “Kick-Ass” at No. 4.
For men, the top costume was “Iron Man” (who is played by Robert Downey, Jr.), followed by the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) in “Alice” and the Kick-Ass character in “Kick-Ass” (Aaron Johnson) rounding out the top 3. Bloodthirsty Jigsaw of the “Saw” movies and the menacing Machete from the film of the same name completed the No. 4 and No. 5 positions.
“Paranormal Activity” scares up most movie frights at Halloween
Vampires may be one of the most popular current themes in entertainment, but movies that feature exorcisms and Satan give audiences the biggest scare.
With Halloween fast approaching, a poll on website Movies.com found that vampires give moviegoers less of a fright than creepy kids or Zombies.
“The Shining” tops list of scariest horror films
Jigsaw, step aside. “The Shining” featuring Jack Nicholson as an axe-wielding psycho has topped a list of the scariest horror movies of all time. With Halloween just days away, the writers at film website Totalscifionline.com compiled a list of the 100 greatest horror movies.
“Nearly 30 years after its initial release, The Shining remains an unparalled study in isolation, madness and paranoia,” said Matt McAllister, editor of Totalscifionline.com. “The expansive sets, surreal visuals, and an intense performance from Jack Nicholson add up to a film guaranteed to give viewers a sleepless night.”
“Final Destination” is the place to be at movie theaters
Horror movies scared up big ticket sales at theaters across the United States with the fourth installment of the “Final Destination” series taking the No. 1 spot ($28.3 million) from director Quentin Tarantino’s violent “Inglourious Basterds.” You can read the box office coverage here.
But the “Basterds” landed in the No. 2 spot (R20 million), and it must’ve been heartening for its distributor, the Weinstein Co., which also claimed the No. 3 film with its latest “Halloween” horror flick. We were in front of a megaplex again on Sunday asking people what they liked — and didn’t. Click below for a look.
