At FANTASY ISLAND be careful of what you wish for, you might just get what you deserve

Written by Hayashiforest.

Palm trees, waterfalls, sandy white beaches and white suits. The ultimate place that grants your greatest fantasies, albeit for a price. Remember the wise old saying, “Be careful of what you wish for?” Somehow, there is an eerie ring to it that lends itself well to the element horror making FANTASY ISLAND ripe for a horror movie adaptation.

Fantasy Island Origins 

The origins of Fantasy Island is as uncanny as its plot. The series hails back from the 1970s and was created by Gene Levitt for the ABC television network. It starred the late Ricardo Montalban as the enigmatic and mysterious Mr. Roarke and Herve Villechaize as his assistant Tattoo.

The original Fantasy Island's Mr. Roarke (left) played by Mexican actor Ricardo Montalban with his assistance Tattoo played by Herve Villechaize.

According to the producer Aaron Spelling, the series was unintentionally "pitched" to the executives as a joke. During a pitching session that was not going well, an exasperated Spelling exclaimed, “What would you like me to do? Put some guy on an island and have him grant wishes to people?!”

Aaron Spelling, the producer of the show.

Although it was sarcasm, the network was sold on the idea. Spookily enough, the series became a hit that spanned for 7 seasons from 1978 to 1984.

What made the series so alluring? 

  

As the name implies, Fantasy Island has a mysterious element that borders on the surreal and supernatural. The presence and roles of Mr. Roarke and Tattoo were left open to interpretation. For those of us old enough to remember, the series will open with the ringing of the bell and crying of, “De plane! De plane!” by Tattoo atop the bell tower, announcing the arrival of new guests to the island. What the island truly represents and why do fantasies magically happened are never explained in the series.

Tattoo atop the bell tower yelling, "De plane! De plane!"

Each episode featured two guests with their fantasies that will play out during their time on the island. When a fantasy manifests, the guests must see it through to its conclusion. That is where the fantasy often unexpectedly takes on a dark twist. If the guests survive the fantasy, the episode will conclude with a moral lesson. Fantasy Island is best described as a cautionary tale that leans towards dark undertones similar to The Twilight Zone.

Welcome to the new Fantasy Island (2020) by Blumhouse.

Michael Pena as the new Mr. Roarke.

With Blumhouse at the helm of the new 2020 reboot, it will not stray far from the classics. It is still set on an exotic island and will still feature the host Mr. Roarke (now starring Michael Pena) who warns his guests with the classic line that guests must see their fantasy through to its final conclusion. Fans will be able to recognise the icons that honours the original series including the white plane flying into the island bringing a set of new guests.

See the trailer for the movie below;

  

The cast lineup that will be the island's guests are all established actors including Lucy Hale (Pretty Little Liars, Truth or Dare), Maggie Q (Nikita, Mission Impossible III), Austin Stowell (Dolphin Tale), Portia Doubleday (Carrie 2013) and Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy). Jeff Wadlow the director himself has directed films like Truth or Dare and Cry Wolf.

The new cast of Blumhouse's Fantasy Island (2020).

FANTASY ISLAND (2020) at a Glance

Directed by: Jeff Wadlow
Written by: Jeff Wadlow & Chris Roach & Jillian Jacobs
Based upon the television series created by: Gene Levitt
Produced by: Jason Blum, Marc Toberoff, Jeff Wadlow
Executive Producers: Couper Samuelson, Jeanette Volturno
Cast: Michael Pena, Maggie Q, Lucy Hale, Austin Stowell, Jimmy O. Yang, Portia Doubleday, Ryan Hanswen and Michael Rooker

The film's official synopsis:

In Blumhouse's Fantasy Island, the enigmatic Mr. Roarke makes the secret dreams of his lucky guests comes true at a luxurious but remote tropical resort. But when the fantasies turn into nightmares, the guests have to solve the island's mystery in order to escape with their lives.

Find out more about the movie at its official website here. And read what actress Maggie Q has to say about her role as Gwen on Fantasy Island.

If you are a fan of Blumhouse horror cum slasher films and relish on plot twists, be sure to watch Fantasy Island. The movie was released on Valentines Day in the United States as a horror date movie. However, it is still not too late to do that here in Malaysia. You can still bring your date to watch the movie available in Malaysian cinemas nationwide now from 27 February 2020.

Fantasy Island Promo in Malaysia 

In Malaysia, a promotional stint for Fantasy Island was carried out during Comic Fiesta in December 2019. A "vacation resort' booth was setup welcoming convention attendees to visit Fantasy Island. After viewing the movie trailer, potential guests were invited to join contest to win Movie Premiere invites by sharing their fantasies. It was not all fun games though as a creepy character inspired from Fantasy Island gave Comic Fiesta visitors warnings to the guests to expect the unexpected.

Mr. Roarke's Malaysian representative inviting attendees at Comic Fiesta 2019 to Fantasy Island.

But beware your fantasies may not turn out as expected.

Staff at Fantasy Island booth ready to serve your fantasies.,

Welcome to the Movie Premiere!

This week, Fantasy Island opens in Malaysian cinemas nationwide. And some fans took the opportunity to dress-up at the Movie Premiere in TGV 1 Utama.

The staff of Fantasy Island out for a movie night at the TGV Cinemas.

They wanna watch Fantasy Island... just making over 18 years old to enter R18+ movie.

Movie Premiere guests taking opportunity for photos with the Fantasy Island staff.

"Who's fantasy is this creepy slasher guy?"

Check out movie review by Star2 here then book your tickets to Fantasy Island at a cinema near you. Just "be careful what you wish for..."

Official music video for Fantasy Island "Don't Wish Your Life Away" by Jared Lee.

#FantasyIslandMovie #MYfantasyisland #NeverComingHome

Disclaimer: Fantasy Island and associated trademarks are copyright to Columbia Pictures / Blumhouse Productions, referenced here for fan service announcements without intent to infringe.

Halloween and Michael Myers: A Film Franchise that Won't Stay Dead

This month brings a festive spookiness to many western cultures celebrating Halloween on October 31st. The origins of Halloween derive from the ancient Celtic harvest festival where people would light bonfires and wear costumes to protect themselves from spirits by impersonating them. In the United States, Halloween day is celebrated by children dressing up for trick-or-treat and adults partying in costume.

40 years ago, notable cult classics director John Carpenter co-wrote and directed a movie titled Halloween, which at that time had never been a theme on film. Put simply, the movie is about a serial killer stalking and killing teenagers on Halloween night of 1978. But the killings actually began 15 years earlier when six year-old Michael Myers kills his older sister Judith and is subsequently hospitalised at a sanitarium. Now an adult, Myer escapes on the eve of Halloween and returns to his hometown of Haddonfield to stalk Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her friends. After brutally killing the said friends on Halloween night, Myers attempts to also murder on Laurie but is thwarted when shot by his psychiatrist Dr. Loomis. However despite his wounds and falling from heights, Myers appears to have escaped.

Although “tame” compared to today's film-making standards, Halloween is often regarded as the inspiration of slasher movies as a sub-set of American horror entertainment. The Halloween franchise itself has spawned ten more movies over the next four decades, including this week's release of the eleventh chapter just named Halloween (again!). For record, here is the line-up of franchise movies:

• Halloween (1978)
• Halloween II (1981)
• Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
• Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
• Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
• Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
• Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
• Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
• Halloween (2007)
• Halloween II (2009)
• Halloween (2018)

IGN explains the Halloween franchise recapping the first movie and trying to summarise the rest.

Lengthy recap of the Michael Myers saga (excluding the 3rd movie and Rob Zombie's reboots).

Fortunately this latest Halloween (2018) does not require the audience to know anything of the preceding nine movies as it only plays sequel to the original Halloween (1978)... phew!

Movie Synopsis

Jamie Lee Curtis returns to her iconic role as Laurie Strode, who comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago. 

Master of horror John Carpenter executive produces and serves as creative consultant on this film, joining forces with cinema’s current leading producer of horror, Jason Blum (Get Out, Split, The Purge, Paranormal Activity). Inspired by Carpenter’s classic, filmmakers David Gordon Green and Danny McBride crafted a story that carves a new path from the events in the landmark 1978 film, and Green also directs.

Jamie Lee Curtis then & now as teenage Laurie Strode in 1978 (left) and Grandma Laurie today. 

Nick Castle recreates a set photo today (right) from 1978 when he dons the mask of Michael Myers.

Ignoring events of all other movies in the franchise except the original, this year's Halloween may be a tad confusing for those casual movie viewers may have recalled that Laurie was killed in one of the sequels. Furthermore the franchise was rebooted in the previous decade by musician and filmmaker Rob Zombie. So where does this latest Halloween fit in the franchise? Refer to this info-graphic:

So in this latest alternate Halloween timeline, 40 years have passed since Michael Myer's killing spree in Haddonfield. No secret from the trailer, Myers was captured after being shot and admitted to a mental institution. Laurie has attempted to move on but suffers from serious post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which led to failed marriages and lost custody of her daughter. Today she's a grandmother to Allyson (Andi Matichak) though estranged by the strained relationship with now grown-up daughter Karen (Judy Greer). When Myer's escapes, all three generations of Strode women find themselves in danger and need to re-bond to survive Halloween night.

Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) must band together with estranged daughter Karen (Judy Greer) for a final confrontation with Michael Myers.

Laurie's granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) finds herself ensnared in a trail of murders on Halloween night.

Find out more about rest of the movie cast from this article by Screenrant.

Although it's not yet Halloween, the opening weekend box office of this latest installment of the franchise has been smashing and ranks as the second highest for October in U.S. movie history (after Venom topped the chart earlier this month). Here's how movie-goers are rating Halloween:

This is not your grandfather's Michael Myers... oh, but HE IS actually!

In Malaysia, Halloween opens this week, launched by a Movie Premiere at MBO Cinemas in Starling Mall attended by horror fans and the cult classic slasher himself. Here's what happened:

Halloween's Michael Myers at MBO Cinemas
Michael Myers ?at MBO Cinemas the Starling Damansara Utama #MYHalloweenmovie now showing at MBO Cinemas. Tickets at www.mbocinemas.com and mobile app. #HalloweenMovie2018 #mbocinemas
Posted by MBO Cinemas on Thursday, 25 October 2018

Thanks to United International Pictures Malaysia, Outpost sent a few horror fans to face Michael Myers at the Movie Premiere. Here's what they have to say about Halloween:

A bit distracting to watch horror movie next to this guy, no?

Also read up on this review by Star2 and feature on “Screen Queen”, Jamie Lee Curtis.

Grandma Laurie gets a Sarah Connor tough-as-nails makeover in anticipation of Michael Myers inevitable return.

The Verge also provides a more in-depth look into the franchise, slasher movies and their take on this sequel.

For those who like a close encounter with Michael Myers, visit the following MBO Cinemas this weekend:

Halloween is now showing in cinemas nationwide so you don't need to wait until the actual night of 31 October itself. Hardcore fans may want to sit through the end credits... and if need to make more sense of that ending then search for "Halloween 2018 ending explained" on Google and YouTube.

#MYHalloweenMovie #NowShowing #UIPmalaysia

#MichaelMyers #versus #LaurieStrode

Outpost Productions like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers a

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Disclaimer: Halloween and associated trademarks are copyright to Miramax LCC, referenced here for fan service announcements without intent to infringe.

Halloween antics!

How is everyone doing on Halloween this year? It's a quiet Halloween for Outpost this year. Here's sharing some of our Halloween antics from our previous years...

A Friday 13th Nightmare at Mutiara Damansara: Freddy Kruger vs. Jason Vorhess LIVE!

 

 

Zombie Dance

 

 

 

Ah Beng Vampire interview  

 

Calling forth ancient spirits of evil...

 

Also reminder for our fans to take part in our Happy Halloween Hamper giveaway ending in just a couple of days on 31 October. Just make a few clicks below to be in the run-in for some "horrible" goodies comprising movie merchandise and branded fragrance. Plus become a Follower of this blog to receive our latest posts and other special giveaways.

　

Happy Halloween Giveaway!

This Halloween, Outpost Events would like to reward our fans with a Horror Hamper loaded with assorted seasonal goodies for the young & old as well as undead. Check out the photo below to see what's stuffed in the hamper: iPhone 4 cover, kid's tshirt, monster make-up kit, notepad, branded men's perfume, card sleeves and poster; decapitated hand not included (chop-off your own!).

To stand a chance to win, just LIKE our Facebook Fan Page, become a Follower of our website Blog and share our news with your online friends until 31 October 2012. Once we reach 1000 Facebook Page fans and 20 Blog followers, eligible participants with most eligible entries via Punchtab (below) will win this Halloween Horror Hamper.

 

Need help with costumes for Halloween parties? Outpost Events can assist with your costume make-over to transform you into the highlight of any party. Contact our service consultations at services@outpost.com.my or 019-3859181 between 12pm to 6pm Mondays to Fridays.

Giveaway Terms & Conditions:

1. This online giveaway promo commences 22 October until 31 October 2012.

2. Giveaway becomes valid for award once 1000 Likes are achieve for the OutpostMY Facebook Page and 20 Followers join the Outpost Events Blog.

3. Participation is open to all residents in Malaysia ages 18 years and above. Outpost Events personnel are not eligible to particpate.

4. Winner is selected by highest number of eligible entries via PunchTab.

5. Winner will notified within 7 days of promo closing for prize collection. If the winner does not response within 14 days of notification, the giveaway may be awarded to next qualified participant. Postage charges may be required if giveaway hamper cannot be personally collected.

6. Hamper items may be changed and/or substituted.

7. Outpost Events as the organiser reserves the rights to change these terms and conditions without prior notice.

Thank you for participating.

Spooks Halloween Shopping

Halloween is the season for all manner of spooks to come out for their annual shopping and be treated as norms. Jason Vorhess was spotted shopping at The Curve, perhaps for a new "parang" and chopped body parts...

After a tiring day collecting mauled human ornaments, Jason was later found chilling at Cathay e@Curve... perhaps trying to pick-up some girls!

Need a costume for this Halloween? Outpost Services provides selection of popular pop-culture costumes and ideas to look out-of-this world! Check previous posts for costume ideas.

Outpost Toys also retails selection of role-play toys like Star Wars lightsabers & blasters, Captain America's shield, Starfleet Tricorders, Terminator endoskeleton patches, Transformers masks, and more for kids & adults to cosplay; just ask for assistance.

A Happy Halloween Valentine?

Halloween is coming this 31 October... what better occasion for couples to dress-up and make it a spooky "valentines" night out! Hey, even Freddy gets a date!!!

Looking for a costume? Maybe Outpost Services can help... check our previous post for costuming ideas. Also previewing soon our suggestions to be godlings, cyber warriors and space cops!