In the early days of the War on Terrorism, US government officials toured the big end of Hollywood 'advising' on how to make films more patriotic and how they could help combat America's favourite new evil.

'Be afraid, be very afraid.' That's the advice from Paul Katte, cofounder of Sydney's Makeup Effects Group, when asked what he says to aspiring makeup effects practitioners in Australia.

1990 was the rebirth of Hollywood as a different kind of grindhouse, one that ground up art forms of every kind and splattered them across movie screens in the hope of brand recognition. And for the first time, studios are remaking the first films from that period.