It's here in the Archives section that you will find the news of the last three months.
----- February 28, 2019 -----
** CANDYMAN reboot: Variety is reporting that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will star in Jordan Peele's upcoming sequel as the new Candyman. Abdul-Mateen recently starred in AQUAMAN as Manta and will next be seen on the big screen in Peele's US. Production is expected to begin this spring. Universal Pictures will release CANDYMAN theatrically in the U.S. on June 12, 2020. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** US: Here's the international trailer for the upcoming film.
** Arrow Video US - March 2019 Release Schedule: Here's two highly anticipated releases from Arrow Video.
STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER
A spate of highly sexualized murders is rocking a prestigious Milanese fashion house. Ambitious photographer Magda and her on-off boyfriend, love rat Carlo, team up to crack the case. But, with the motorcycle helmet-wearing killer clearing bearing a grudge against the agency's employees, it's surely only a matter of time before they too end up feeling the force of his wrath...
- Brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative
- High definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks
- English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
- New audio commentary by HORRORPEDIA.com's Adrian J. Smith and David Flint
- Sex and Death with a Smile, a new video essay by author and critic Kat Ellinger on giallo and sex comedy icon Edwige Fenech
- A Good Man for the Murders, a newly edited video interview with actor Nino Castelnuovo
- The Blonde Salamander, a new video interview with actress Erna Schurer
- The Art of Helping, a new video interview with assistant director Daniele Sangiorgi
- Jack of All Trades, a new video interview with actor and production manager Tino Polenghi
- Two versions of the opening scene: tinted and untinted viewing options
- Original Italian and English theatrical trailers
- Image gallery
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
- FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Rachael Nisbet
KOLOBOS
A super-smart, super-gory - and, sadly, super-overlooked - late '90s slasher effort from filmmakers Daniel Liatowitsch and David Todd Ocvirk, released in the midst of the post-SCREAM slice-and-dice revival.
- Brand new 2K restoration from the original negative
- Original Stereo and 5.1 audio options
- Audio commentary with co-writers and co-directors Daniel Liatowitsch and David Todd Ocvirk
- Real World Massacre: The Making of Kolobos - brand new featurette on the making-of Kolobos including interviews with Daniel Liatowitsch, David Todd Ocvirk and co-writer/producer Nne Ebong
- Face to Faceless - a brand new Interview with "Faceless" actor Ilia Volok
- Slice & Dice: The Music of Kolobos - a brand new interview with composer William Kidd
- Behind-the-Scenes Image Gallery
- Super 8 short film by Daniel Liatowitsch with commentary
- Original Trailer
----- February 26, 2019 -----
** Netflix's THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE: The series has been renewed at Netflix, but the follow-up season will take place in a new location with a new haunting when the anthology series returns. TVLine has confirmed that Season 2 will feature a new story with all new characters. The renewal is part of Netflix's multi-year overall television deal with creator Mike Flanagan and executive producer Trevor Macy.
"Mike and Trevor are masterful at creating authentically frightening stories that leave audiences on the edge of their seats but unable to look away. We're excited to continue our partnership with them on The Haunting series and future projects to come," said Cindy Holland, VP of Original Content at Netflix. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** ESCAPE ROOM 2: In the wake of Columbia Pictures amassing close to $119 million at the worldwide box office off the $9M horror feature ESCAPE ROOM, the studio is moving forward on the development of a sequel.
The studio has set an April 17, 2020 release date for the sequel, which Adam Robitel will return to direct along with returning writer Bragi F. Schut and producer Neal H. Moritz. (thanks to Deadline.com)
** A QUIET PLACE sequel: Following yesterday's news that the film would arrive in 2020 and John Krasinski will return to direct, The Hollywood Reporter has brought word that A QUIET PLACE stars Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe will reprise their roles in the upcoming sequel. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** PENNYWISE THE STORY OF IT: An extended six-minute trailer has been released for the feature-length documentary featuring over 40 interviews with the cast and crew (including Tim Curry) of the 1990 mini-series adaptation of Stephen King's iconic novel IT.
The documentary will explore the legacy of the show as well as the cultural impact that Pennywise, and Curry's performance in the role, has had on a generation of fans. It also offers hours of never-before-seen behind the scenes footage and exclusive photos.
Curry has mostly remained out of the public eye after suffering a stroke in 2012 and will appear here alongside Seth Green, Richard Thomas, Emily Perkins, Bart Mixon, director Tommy Lee Wallace, and more. The clip also confirms one thing – everyone hates the giant spider. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
----- February 25, 2019 -----
** A QUIET PLACE sequel: Writer/director/star John Krasinski took to Twitter to announce the release date for the highly-anticipated follow up to his acclaimed 2018 horror hit, A QUIET PLACE, which is slated for a May 15, 2020 release.
** ZOMBIELAND DOUBLE TAP: Variety reports that Luke Wilson has joined the Zombieland sequel. There are no details about his role as of yet, but he'll be joining the previously announced Thomas Middleditch, Zoey Deutch and Rosario Dawson. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** THE BONE COLLECTOR: NBC has tapped Seth Gordon to helm Lincoln, a TV pilot based on the best-selling book series THE BONE COLLECTOR by author Jeffery Deaver, according to the Deadline web site. THE BONE COLLECTOR was previously adapted into the Angelina Jolie, Denzel Washington thriller of the same name.
The story revolves around Lincoln Rhyme, an incredible forensic criminologist who suffers a horrible accident while hunting for the titular Bone Collector. Due to his bed-ridden condition, Lincoln teams up with a young beat cop in order to track down the serial killer, along with a slew of other high-profile cases. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** CORPORATE ANIMALS: Screen Media has acquired North American rights to CORPORATE ANIMALS, the horror comedy from Patrick Brice that bowed in January in the Midnight section of the Sundance Film Festival. Demi Moore, Jessica Williams, Karan Soni, Isiah Whitlock Jr, Dan Bakkedahl, Calum Worthy, Nasim Pedrad, Martha Kelly, Jennifer Kim and Ed Helms (and the voice of Britney Spears) topline the film, which is now getting a summer day-and-date theatrical release.
Moore plays Lucy, the egotistical, megalomaniac CEO of Incredible Edible Cutlery, America's premier provider of edible cutlery. In her infinite wisdom, she leads her staff, including her long-suffering assistants Freddie (Soni) and Jess (Williams), on a corporate team-building spelunking weekend in New Mexico. When disaster strikes, not even their useless guide Brandon (Helms) can save them. Trapped underground by a cave-in, this mismatched and disgruntled group must pull together in order to survive. Sam Bain wrote the script. (thanks to Deadline.com)
----- February 20, 2019 -----
** SCREAM and HELLRAISER reboots: Having happily revived the HALLOWEEN franchise and planning for more sequels, horror film mega producer Jason Blum previously hinted last year in several interviews that he had a strong personal desire to also revive the FRIDAY THE 13TH film series.
Now, speaking with Cinema Blend, he has indicated that Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees aren't the only classic horror icon he could resurrect as the success of HALLOWEEN and his collaboration with Miramax CEO and producer Bill Block means other properties could also find new life at Blumhouse Productions.
Asked specifically if there's interest in new chapters for both the SCREAM and HELLRAISER franchises, Blum confirmed there have been talks but nothing is currently in active development: "Yes, we definitely have [discussed it]. We're looking – there's nothing happening with either one of those things – but we're definitely looking at it, and it's definitely something I'd be open to." (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA: Here's the poster for the upcoming film.
----- February 18, 2019 -----
** HAPPY DEATH DAY 2 U: The sequel came in fifth at the box office with $9.8 million over the three day – around half of what tracking services estimated heading into the weekend and a steep drop from the $26 million opening of its predecessor.
** US: A family's serenity turns to chaos when a group of doppelgängers begin to terrorize them.
** THE UNSEEN: A man, who years earlier mysteriously abandoned his family and isolated himself in a small northern town, returns for one last chance to reconnect with his troubled daughter. When she goes missing, he risks everything to find her, including exposing the fact that he is becoming invisible.
** STARFISH: With reality rapidly fraying at the edges, Aubrey (Virginia Gardner) finds herself following a string of clues left by her friend. Clues that will unlock the secrets of The Signal and could end up either saving the world… or condemning it.
** Stephen King's CUJO: Eureka Entertainment to release CUJO, the terrifyingly effective 80s cult horror based on the best-selling novel from Stephen King, on Blu-ray for the first time ever in the UK in a Special Limited Two-Disc Edition as part of the Eureka Classics range from 29 April 2019. Featuring a Limited Edition Hardbound Slipcase, with artwork designed by Graham Humphreys, a Limited Edition Collector's Booklet and Bonus Blu-ray disc [4000 units ONLY].
Special Limited Edition:
- Hardbound Slipcase, featuring newly commissioned artwork by iconic British illustrator Graham Humphreys
- Reversible sleeve featuring artwork by Justin Osbourn and original poster artwork
- Plus: A Limited Edition 60-page Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Lee Gambin, author Scott Harrison, and Craig Ian Mann; illustrated with archival imagery from the film's production.
Disc One
- 1080p presentation of the film, on Blu-ray for the first time ever in the UK
- Uncompressed LPCM mono soundtrack
- Optional English SDH subtitles
- New feature length audio commentary by Lee Gambin, author of Nope, Nothing Wrong Here: The Making of CUJO
- New interview with Dee Wallace [40 mins]
- New interview with composer Charles Bernstein [35 mins]
- New interview with stuntman Gary Morgan [25 mins]
- New interview with stuntwoman Jean Coulter [21 mins]
- New interview with casting director Marcia Ross. [20 mins]
- New interview with visual effects artist Kathie Lawrence [13 mins]
- New interview with special effects designer Robert Clark [12 mins]
- New interview with dog trainer Teresa Miller [28 mins]
- Dog Days: The Making of Cujo – archival documentary on the film's production [42 mins]
Disc Two [Limited Edition Only]
- Q&A with Dee Wallace from "Cinemaniacs & Monster Fest 2015", moderated by Lee Gambin [96 mins]
- New interview with critic and author Kim Newman [25 mins]
----- February 14, 2019 -----
** NOS4A2: Based on Joe Hill's bestselling novel of the same name, it tells the story of Charlie Manx, a seductive immortal who feeds off the souls of children, then deposits what remains of them into Christmasland – an icy, twisted Christmas village of Manx's imagination where every day is Christmas Day and unhappiness is against the law. Manx finds his whole world threatened when a young woman in New England discovers she has a dangerous gift.
** MA: One day, she is asked by Maggie, a new teenager in town, to buy some booze for her and her friends, and Sue Ann sees the chance to make some unsuspecting, if younger, friends of her own. She offers the kids the chance to avoid drinking and driving by hanging out in the basement of her home. But there are some house rules: One of the kids has to stay sober. Don't curse. Never go upstairs. And call her "Ma." But as Ma's hospitality starts to curdle into obsession, what began as a teenage dream turns into a terrorizing nightmare, and Ma's place goes from the best place in town to the worst place on earth.
** THE INVISIBLE MAN remake: With Univeral Pictures' failed Dark Universe experiment behind them, the studio is moving in a new direction when it comes to breathing new cinematic life into its classic roster of monsters. Enter Jason Blum, who spoke with the Collider web site about his take on THE INVISIBLE MAN, and how writer/director Leigh Whannell (INSIDIOUS) helped push it forward.
"I don't believe in saying 'We're going to do movies about this' and then trying to find a movie about it," Blum explained. "So, I didn't believe in going and saying 'I want to do all these movies'' and then try to find directors to do them. We have a director we've also done six or seven movies with, pitched us this spectacular idea about Invisible Man. We told him to write it, he wrote it, then we took it to the studio and said 'We'd love to do this and this is what we would do with it,' and they said yes.
"It was like the Blumhouse version of THE INVISIBLE MAN, it's a lower-budget movie. It's not dependent on special effects, CGI, stunts. It's super character-driven, it's really compelling, it's thrilling, it's edgy, it feels new. Those were all things that felt like they fit with what our company does. And it happened to be an Invisible Man story, so it checked both boxes. And we responded to it because I think Leigh is just an A+ director." (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
----- February 13, 2019 -----
** THE MAN WHO KILLED HITLER AND THEN THE BIG FOOT: Since WWII, Calvin Barr has lived with the secret that he was responsible for the assassination of Adolf Hitler. Now, decades later, the US government has called on him again for a new top-secret mission. Bigfoot has been living deep in the Canadian wilderness and carrying a deadly plague that is now threatening to spread to the general population. Relying on the same skills that he honed during the war, Calvin must set out to save the free world yet again. Starring Sam Elliott, Aidan Turner, Caitlin FitzGerald and Ron Livingston, THE MAN WHO KILLED HITLER AND THEN THE BIGFOOT follows the epic adventures of an American legend that no one has ever heard of.
** GRUDGE reboot: Originally slated for this year and pushed to January next year, the film's main selling point is the return of the franchise and its "reimagining" by impressive rising filmmaker Nicolas Pesce (PIERCING). Pesce recently spoke with EW about the project, offering some new details and saying this one is less spook story and more gritty police thriller with a real SE7EN style vibe:
"It's a very different take on THE GRUDGE than you know it from the past. We see what's doing well now and it is these kind of smarter, more nuanced horror stories, and that's what this is going to be. We're trying to update it for contemporary sensibilities, and we have an unbelievable cast, and I think it's going to be something very different.
There's a thousand GRUDGE movies out there, and we wanted to figure out a way to kind of put a new, fresh spin on it, and it's going to be exciting. The movie is set up a lot more like SE7EN, that sort of movie. There's a cop drama that drives the whole thing, and Andrea [Riseborough] is the lead detective on this new case that they've come upon and is the driving force through the movie. She's incredible. She's in absolutely everything and, when you see her act, you know why."
Betty Gilpin, Lin Shaye, Jackie Weaver, John Cho, William Sadler, Demian Bichir and Frankie Faison co-star in the new GRUDGE which opens January 3rd 2020. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** SLAUGHTERHOUSE RULEZ: The British horror comedy, starring SHAUN OF THE DEAD's Simon Pegg and Nick Frost is getting a UK Blu-ray release on March 11, 2019. Welcome to Slaughterhouse, an elite boarding school where boys and girls are groomed for power and greatness…and they're about to meet their match.
This ancient and ordered world is about to be shaken to its foundations – literally – when a controversial frack site on prized school woodland causes seismic tremors, a mysterious sinkhole, and an unspeakable horror to be unleashed. Soon a new pecking order will be established as the pupils and teachers alike become locked in a bloody battle for survival.
** THE HOUSE: Artsploitation Films will release Norwegian director Reinert Kiil's horror film THE HOUSE (original language title, HUSET) March 5th. Artsploitaiton Films' president Raymond Murray said, "It may have taken a few years for the film to get to American audiences but I am sure horror fans as well as arthouse film-lovers will enjoy this creepy, thought-provoking ghost story."
Set in the frozen wilderness of Norway during WWII, 2 German soldiers escort a Norwegian soldier and prisoner of war but the weather is taking a toll on them. They find an empty house near the forest where they finally can get some rest. However, what seems to be a warm and welcoming shelter turns much more sinister and deadly. They begin to wonder if they have somehow have stepped into a sort of psychological hell from which there may be no escape.
----- February 12, 2019 -----
** Stephen King's CREEPSHOW TV series: Greg Nicotero, whose work has most famously appeared on AMC's THE WALKING DEAD, is finally getting his CREEPSHOW series off the ground. The six-episode season, which will eventually air on Shudder, has kicked off production in Atlanta, Georgia. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** THE GOLDEN GLOVE: Here's the trailer for the upcoming serial killer flick.
** THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA: La Llorona. The Weeping Woman. A horrifying apparition, caught between Heaven and Hell, trapped in a terrible fate sealed by her own hand. The mere mention of her name has struck terror around the world for generations. In life, she drowned her children in a jealous rage, throwing herself in the churning river after them as she wept in pain.
Now her tears are eternal. They are lethal, and those who hear her death call in the night are doomed. La Llorona creeps in the shadows and preys on the children, desperate to replace her own. As the centuries have passed, her desire has grown more voracious ... and her methods more terrifying.
** Jordan Peel's US: In an interview with Rolling Stone, Academy Award winner Jordan Peele revealed that his forthcoming social thriller film US is actually inspired by one of his favorite THE TWILIGHT ZONE episodes titled MIRROR IMAGE. Starring veteran actress Vera Miles, MIRROR IMAGE tells the story of a young career woman named Miss Barnes, who suddenly encounters her doppelganger while waiting for the bus. She later becomes convinced that the her look-alike is an evil entity from a parallel universe who's out to eliminate and replace her.
"It's terrifying, beautiful, really elegant storytelling, and it opens up a world. It opens up your imagination," Peele said about the episode. Peele is set to executive produce and host CBS All Access' upcoming reboot of THE TWILIGHT ZONE which is currently on production.
Set in present day along the iconic Northern California coastline, US stars Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o as Adelaide Wilson, a woman returning to her beachside childhood home with her husband Gabe, and their two children for an idyllic summer getaway. Haunted by an unexplainable and unresolved trauma from her past and compounded by a string of eerie coincidences, Adelaide feels her paranoia elevate to high-alert as she grows increasingly certain that something bad is about to befall her family.
After spending a tense beach day with their friends, the Tylers, Adelaide and her family return to their vacation home to discover the silhouettes of four figures standing in their driveway. US pits an ordinary American family against a terrifying and uncanny opponent: doppelgängers of themselves. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
----- February 11, 2019 -----
** CHILD'S PLAY remake: The wait is over, your best friend has arrived. From the producers of IT comes CHILD'S PLAY, in theaters June 21.
** RABID remake: Film Mode Entertainment racked up sales at the European Film Market in Berlin for RABID, the Soska Sisters' reimagining of David Cronenberg's 1977 namesake cult classic. RABID stars Laura Vandervoort and Ben Hollingsworth and is the latest feature directed by the "Twisted Twins" — aka the Soska Sisters.
The cast includes former pro wrestler CM Punk, the sixth longest reigning WWE champion of all time, as well as a cameo by his wife AJ Lee, a WWE superstar in her own right as well as a New York Times bestselling author. The remake was written by Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska and John Serge, and led by the sibling horror directors who established a following with their 2012 slasher AMERICAN MARY. (thanks to Deadline.com)
** THE WALKING DEAD: The Hollywood Reporter has brought word that Danai Gurira (BLACK PANTHER), the acclaimed star who has portrayed Michonne on the AMC apocalypse series THE WALKING DEAD since the second season, will be exiting the series after seven seasons.
The actress has signed a new deal to appear in a more limited capacity for the recently ordered tenth season, reportedly set only to appear in a handful of episodes before exiting one of the network's flagship franchises and transitioning to the upcoming trilogy movie spin-offs featuring Andrew Lincoln in the lead role as Rick Grimes. The 40-year-old actress' character has been romantically linked with Grimes since season six. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** THE BOY 2: STXfilms has released a first look teaser photo of the horror sequel THE BOY 2, starring Katie Holmes. Unaware of the terrifying history of Heelshire Mansion, a young family moves into the estate, where their young son soon makes an unsettling new friend, an eerily life-like doll he calls Brahms. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK: It's l968 in America. Change is blowing in the wind...but seemingly far removed from the unrest in the cities is the small town of Mill Valley where for generations, the shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large. It is in their mansion on the edge of town that Sarah, a young girl with horrible secrets, turned her tortured life into a series of scary stories, written in a book that has transcended time—stories that have a way of becoming all too real for a group of teenagers who discover Sarah's terrifying tome.
----- February 9, 2019 -----
** OVERLORD
A small group of American soldiers drop into Nazi-occupied France to carry out a mission that's crucial to the invasion's success. But what they find is unlike anything the world has ever seen.
A surprisingly fun and effective World War II zombie flick. Lots of action and some gore. Featuring the beautiful Mathilde Ollivier. This was originally rumoured to be part of the CLOVERFIELD universe.
The Blu-ray edition comes with a digital code (available in the US only). It feature a 2.40:1 (16x9) 1080p high definition transfer using a MPEG-4 AVC codec. The film was shot digitally and looks stunning. It has deep rich black and perfect color saturation. We get a thunderous, loud, crisp and clear English Dolby Atmos audio track along with a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit). The audio separation is amazing and delivers the perfect sonic mayhem for such film. There are also German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese and Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1. audio tracks along with multiples subtitles such as English, English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish. This is the total package!
This edition has two discs. As for the extras, they are featured on the second disc. The Horrors of War has many subjects such as; Creation, Death Above, Death on the Ground, Death Below, Death No More, Brothers in Arms. It comes with a slipcover case.
Our copy was provided by Paramount Pictures.
----- February 8, 2019 -----
** HALLOWEEN reboot sequel: The Collider web site reports that screenwriter Scott Teems is in talks to pen the script for a sequel to 2018's HALLOWEEN movie for Blumhouse. Teems previous credits include the TV shows RECTIFY and NARCOS MEXICO, on the feature side he's penned the FIRESTARTER reboot for Blumhouse as well.
Released last October to critical acclaim and huge box office success, 2018's HALLOWEEN brought in over $250 million at the worldwide box office, making it the highest grossing slasher film of all time. It was voted Best Horror Film of 2018 by the readers of GOREZONE.
** PET SEMATARY remake: They don't come back the same. Based on Stephen King's terrifying novel. In theatres April 5, 2019.
** HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U: Here's a clip from the upcoming sequel.
** THE WALKING DEAD: Showrunner Angela Kang posted a video on her Instagram announcing that THE WALKING DEAD has been renewed for Season 10.
----- February 7, 2019 -----
** WORLD WAR Z sequel no more: David Fincher's upcoming sequel has reportedly been scrapped by Paramount Pictures, the studio reportedly pulling the plug on the project last night says The Playlist web site.
The Brad Pitt-led project has been in development for some time with Fincher promising he and his team would make the film for less than the $190 million budget of the original 2013 film (and that was before its costly reshoots).
However the studio dragged its heels on the project, reluctant to commit fully even as the project began staffing up for the project to be shot in five different countries along with a six-month shoot in Atlanta. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** EXTREMELY WICKED: Netflix has reportedly paid $9 million to score the rights to the biopic of serial killer Ted Bundy starring Zac Efron in the role. The film, which premiered last week at Sundance, was the subject of a bidding war that involved other studios including STX and Lionsgate. Lily Collins, Kaya Scodelario, Jim Parsons, John Malkovich and Haley Joel Osment co-star.
The streamer is expected to release the film in the Fall to compete in the awards race. The film's director Joe Berlinger also helmed the Bundy documentary CONVERSATIONS WITH A KILLER which recently began streaming on Netflix and has reportedly been a hit. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** CHILD'S PLAY remake: Ahead of the trailer premiere later this week, MGM and Orion have released a new teaser image for the CHILD'S PLAY remake. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** THE NIGHT HOUSE: Rebecca Hall is set to star in THE NIGHT HOUSE, an independent horror thriller from producer David S. Goyer, Variety has confirmed. The film follows a widow who begins to uncover her recently deceased husband's disturbing secrets. David Bruckner (THE RITUAL) will direct from a script penned by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** US: Here's the new poster. In the film, a mother (Lupita Nyong'o) and a father (Winston Duke) take their kids to their beach house expecting to unplug and unwind with friends (including Elizabeth Moss). But as night descends, their serenity turns to tension and chaos when some shocking visitors arrive uninvited." The film is scheduled to hit theaters on March 22.
----- February 6, 2019 -----
** CHILD'S PLAY remake: Here's a cool viral video for the upcoming film.
** ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK remake: UPGRADE writer/director Leigh Whannell has set to pen the upcoming remake. The original was set in a future where the U.S. had become a totalitarian theocratic police state and the island of Manhattan is now a walled-off maximum security prison. Imprisoned former Special Forces officer Robert 'Snake' Plissken (Kurt Russell) has twenty-four hours to go in, rescue the U.S. President who is being held by the city prison's most dangerous crook, and get out again. There's no plan in place for Whannell to direct at this point. Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman will produce. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK: Here's the trailer for the Guillermo del Toro-produced horror film helmed by Andre Ovredal and based on the children's book series of same name by Alvin Schwartz. Dan and Kevin Hageman penned the script and the film is on track for an August 9th release.
Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Austin Abrams and Gabriel Rush star in the film about a group of young people attempt to solve a mystery that involves a series of spectacularly horrific deaths in their small hometown.
** ANGEL OF DUST: The Wu-Tang Clan's RZA and Ghostface Killah are teaming up to produce the suspense/horror film ANGEL OF DUST, per a report from the Deadline web site. RZA, the ringleader of the global hip-hop group, will also direct the picture.
"The creative collaboration of RZA and Ghostface has stood the test of time through our music. Now the opportunity to put our creative energies together onto the silver screen has arisen and I'm turbo charged," said RZA, before adding "Bong Bong!"
"It's a blessing to partner with Oscar-nominated producer Shaun Redick and Impossible Dream Entertainment, and to be doing business with my brother, RZA directing is a dream come true. Putting all these great minds to work together will be legendary," Ghostface Killah said. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
----- February 5, 2019 -----
** Stephen King's THE STAND TV series: Long in-development as a feature film, the Deadline web site reports that CBS All Access has given a 10 episode order to THE STAND, based on Stephen King's novel. Josh Boone, who has been developing the project for years, will team up with SEAL Team EP Ben Cavell for the adaptation, which he will also direct.
"I'm excited and so very pleased that THE STAND is going to have a new life on this exciting new platform," said King. "The people involved are men and women who know exactly what they're doing; the scripts are dynamite. The result bids to be something memorable and thrilling. I believe it will take viewers away to a world they hope will never happen."
"I read THE STAND under my bed when I was 12, and my Baptist parents burned it in our fireplace upon discovery," added Boone. "Incensed, I stole my Dad's FedEx account number and mailed King a letter professing my love for his work. Several weeks later, I came home to find a box had arrived from Maine, and inside were several books, each inscribed with a beautiful note from god himself, who encouraged me in my writing and thanked me for being a fan. My parents, genuinely moved by King's kindness and generosity, lifted the ban on his books that very day. I wrote King a cameo as himself in my first film and have been working to bring THE STAND to the screen for five years. I've found incredible partners in CBS All Access and Ben Cavell. Together with Stephen King, Owen King, my longtime producing partners Knate Lee and Jill Killington, we plan to bring you the ultimate version of King's masterwork." (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** SHADOW IN THE CLOUD: The beautiful Chloe Grace Moretz (LET ME IN) has joined the WW2-set action horror film SHADOW IN THE CLOUD from Chinese-New Zealand director Roseanne Liang. Moretz will play Captain Maude Gardner, who boards a B-17 Flying Fortress clutching a black radio bag with top-secret contents and orders authorizing her transport.
As she puts up with jeers from the leery, all-male crew, strange happenings begin to occur and they realize that something is lurking within the shadows. Crushed between an oncoming Japanese ambush and an evil prowling within, Maude must push her limits to save the hapless crew and to protect her mysterious cargo.
Max Landis (BRIGHT) penned the script and the project is being introduced to buyers at the European Film Market by Endeavor Content. Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Fred Berger, Kelly McCormick and Tom Hern will produce. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** THE TURNING: Universal Pictures has announced that THE TURNING, the upcoming adaptation of the horror novella of a similar name by Henry James, will be hitting the big screen on January 24, 2020 after it was removed from its original February 22 release date.
Based on Henry James's famous novella The Turn of the Screw (a source of several movie adaptations, including THE INNOCENTS), the story revolves around a young woman who becomes the nanny of two orphans who live in a haunted country mansion. Wolfhard will play one of the orphans. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** PIERCING: From the director of THE EYES OF MY MOTHER, PIERCING marks another visceral chapter in Nicolas Pesce's filmmaking career. A man kisses his wife and baby goodbye and seemingly heads away on business, with a plan to check into a hotel, call an escort service, and kill an unsuspecting prostitute.
----- February 4, 2019 -----
** THE BABADOOK's director next horror film: Following her break out with THE BABADOOK, filmmaker Jennifer Kent returns this year with the colonial Tasmania-set revenge thriller THE NIGHTINGALE which has just screened at Sundance and has caused quite a stir with its shocking violence.
Kent is already looking towards the future though and, speaking with the Bloody Disgusting web site, she confirmed that she is working on something with Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro:
"Look, we've got something on the boil. I'm not being secretive but I'm not sure I can talk about it. It's something scary and I really admire him and his work. I think he's a true artist so I'm excited to know more. We're in [the] early stages of that."
What form that project will take, be it for film or television, isn't clear. Del Toro is currently working on his stop-motion PINOCCHIO film for Netflix. Kent's THE NIGHTINGALE will be released by IFC Films in cinemas and on VOD this year. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** Jordan Peele's US: Coming to cinemas on March 15th. A mother and father take their kids to their beach house, expecting to enjoy time with friends, but their serenity turns to tension and chaos when some visitors arrive uninvited.
** THE BOY 2: Following the box office success of its predecessor, STX Films and Lakeshore Entertainment have announced that the sequel to the 2016 horror film THE BOY officially began production in Vancouver, British Columbia on Monday, January 28, with William Brent Bell returning to helm and Stacey Menear returning to pen the script.
Unaware of the terrifying history of Heelshire Mansion, a young family moves into the estate, where their young son soon makes an unsettling new friend, an eerily life-like doll he calls Brahms. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** DEEPER: The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Golden Globe winner Idris Elba is in talks to star in DEEPER, a supernatural sci-thriller from MGM written by Max Landis (BRIGHT) and directed by Baltasar Kormakur (ADRIFT). The story centers on a disgraced astronaut, to be played by Elba, who is on a deep-sea dive exploring a newly discovered trench but soon finds himself confronted by a sinister and dangerous force. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK: CBS Films and Lionsgate will release SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK in theaters AUGUST 9, 2019. Directed by André Øvredal. Inspired by one of the most terrifying children's book series of all time, SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK follows a group of young teens who must solve the mystery surrounding sudden and macabre deaths in their small town.
----- February 1st, 2019 -----
** Warner Bros. upcoming horror films: Warner Bros. announced a whole batch of release dates, including two high profile films; Robert Zemeckis' THE WITCHES remake, which will open October 16, 2020, and THE SHINNING sequel DOCTOR SLEEP, which has jumped from its original January 24, 2020 release to the more promising slot of November 8 of this year. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** CANDYMAN remake: Tony Todd, the original 1992 Candyman, hasn't been approached by Jordan Peele to appear in his new re-imagining of the franchise. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Todd said that "I know he's a fan. We're waiting just like the rest of the world. I'm hoping I will appear in the film in some form of fashion. Wouldn't that make sense? But it's Hollywood, so I won't take it personally if for some reason it doesn't work out."
Todd seems like he's keeping a positive attitude towards his potential cameo, adding "If this new one is successful, it will shed light back on the original. I think the subject matter is more important than any individuals. And I mean that."
The actor reprised the role in the original film's two sequels as well: 1995's CANDYMAN FAREWELL TO THE FLESH (directed by future Oscar-winner Bill Condon) and 1999's direct-to-DVD CANDYMAN DAY OF THE DEAD. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** AMONG THE SHADOWS: Kristy Wolfe (Charlotte Beckett) is a Brussels private eye descended from werewolves who must go to work when her uncle Harry Goldtsone is murdered in a politically-motivated attack. Patricia Sherman (Lindsay Lohan), the wife of European Federation President Richard Sherman, hires Wolfe to investigate Goldstone's killing, as he was her husband's campaign manager. Wolfe finds bodies falling all over city and must use her innate instincts to unravel the case and stay alive long enough unmask the conspiracy." The film is directed by Tiago Mesquita, and co-stars Gianni Capaldi and Dominik Madani. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** LIFECHANGER: A murderous shapeshifter sets out on a blood-soaked mission to make things right with the woman he loves. Directed by Justin McConnell. Premiering July 20th, Fantasia Film Festival, International Premiere Frightfest London in August.
** CANNIBAL CLUB: Otavio and Gilda are a very wealthy couple of the Brazilian elite who have the habit of eating their employees. Otavio owns a private security company and is a notable member of The Cannibal Club. When Gilda accidentally discovers a secret from Borges, a powerful congressman and the Club's leader, her and her husband's lives are in grave danger. The film hits theaters March 1st and will be available On Demand March 5th.
----- January 31, 2019 -----
** Zack Snyder's ARMY OF THE DEAD: The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Zack Snyder is set to return to the director's chair for the zombie flick ARMY OF THE DEAD! Snyder will produce the project with his partner and wife, Deborah Snyder, via their new company Stone Quarry, with plans to release on Netflix.
The plot, which was conceived by Snyder and written by Joby Harold, follows a man who recruits a group of mercenaries to pull off the ultimate heist amidst a zombie apocalypse. Apparently, Netflix took over the project from Warner Bros. where it had been in development since 2007. Word is the streaming service is sparing no expense with a budget reportedly as high as $90 million, according to the trade.
"There are no handcuffs on me at all with this one," Snyder told THR. "I thought this was a good palate cleanser to really dig in with both hands and make something fun and epic and crazy and bonkers in the best possible way."
"I love to honor canon and the works of art," Snyder said of his adaptations. "But this is the opportunity to find a purely joyful way to express myself though a genre. It will be the most kick-ass, self-aware — but not in a wink-to-the-camera way — balls-to-the-wall zombie freakshow that anyone has ever seen. No one's ever let me completely loose [like this]." (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** ZOMBIELAND sequel: The Deadline web site has brought word that actress Rosario Dawson is heading to the blood-filled world of ZOMBIELAND for the long-awaited and highy-anticipated sequel.
The original followed four strangers who meet on the road in the middle of the zombie apocalypse and, while initially at each other's throats, they soon come to bond with each other and form a close-bonded group. Harrelson played the violent cowboy Tallahassee, Eisenberg played geeky Columbus, with Stone and Breslin playing crafty sisters Wichita and Little Rock, all characters named after the locations they are heading to. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** NBA player Kyrie Irving's horror film: NBA player Kyrie Irving will both star in and executive produce an untitled horror movie currently set up at Imagine Entertainment.
The story deals with Oklahoma's Skirvin Hotel, opened in 1911, that has a reputation of being haunted. The hotel is frequented by travelling NBA teams, but some players refuse to stay there because of its reputation. The hauntings are said to have started in the 1930s after the hotel's owner had an affair with a chambermaid which led to the latter's death. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** THE HOLE IN THE GROUND: From A24. This horror-thriller isn't expected to be as high profile as A24's previous horror films release, with a DirecTV premiere in the next week or so, followed by a small theatrical run on March 1st.
The story follows a young mother and her son who move to a new town in the Irish countryside. After the son runs off and is found near a large and unexplained hole in the ground, the mother suspects something just isn't right with him – perhaps her little son has been replaced by some sort of imposter. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
----- January 30, 2019 -----
** CANDYMAN remake: Jordan Peele has reached out to GET OUT actor Lakeith Stanfield to star in the upcoming CANDYMAN reboot. First reported by the SuperBrosMovies web site, and later corroborated by Collider, the actor will not play the murderous hook-handed baddie, but is instead in talks to play a character named Anthony, "a young man in Chicago who is researching the urban legend known simply as Candyman." Production is expected to begin Spring 2019. Universal Pictures will release CANDYMAN theatrically in the U.S. on June 12, 2020. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** CHILD'S PLAY TV series: The Deadline web site brings word that Syfy has landed the rights to franchise creator/writer Don Mancini's Chucky TV series. The CHILD'S PLAY series will focus on the doll possessed by serial killer Charles Lee Ray from the movies. Mancini recently revealed that the series will be set right after the events of the 2017 film CULT OF CHUCKY. The show will also go back to the roots of the series by involving children.
"I've long wanted to bring Chucky to television and Syfy is the perfect network for us. The show will be a fresh take on the franchise, allowing us to explore Chucky's character with a depth that is uniquely afforded by the television series format while staying true to the original vision that has terrorized audiences for over three decades now," Mancini said.
Chucky added: "In these troubled times, I believe it's my obligation as a horror icon to reach the widest possible audience, on TV. For over thirty years, I've been scaring the sh*t out of you. But now at Syfy, I look forward to really making a difference." (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** THE PRODIGY: What's wrong with Miles? Watch this sneak peek to find out, and don't miss THE PRODIGY in theaters February 8.
** GOLEM: During an outbreak of a deadly plague, a young woman, Hanna, must save her tight-knit Jewish community from invaders. Turning to Jewish mysticism, she conjures a dangerous entity to protect her and her people. However, the powerful creature she summons may be far more evil than anything she could have ever imagined.
** ZOMBIELAND sequel: Here's the first official image released by Sony Pictures.
----- January 29, 2019 -----
** EXTREMELY WICKED: 1969. Ted (Zac Efron) is crazy-handsome, smart, charismatic, affectionate. And cautious single mother Liz Kloepfer (Lily Collins) ultimately cannot resist his charms. For her, Ted is a match made in heaven, and she soon falls head over heels in love with the dashing young man. A picture of domestic bliss, the happy couple seems to have it all figured out … until, out of nowhere, their perfect life is shattered. Ted is arrested and charged with a series of increasingly grisly murders. Concern soon turns to paranoia—and, as evidence piles up, Liz is forced to consider that the man with whom she shares her life could actually be a psychopath.
** THE DEVIL OUTSIDE: Robert is an innocent teenager, living a sheltered life in a Born Again Christian family with an insular world view dictated by his evangelising Mother. He lives in a fantasy world that soon changes when he starts school. Exposed to science and secularism he starts to realise the world is not what he'd previously thought. When Marcus, a devilish newcomer at his church, then befriends him Robert finds himself being led down a much darker path. Struggling with the fundamentals of his faith Robert discovers a dead body in the woods and believes he's had a sign from God.
** GRUDGE: Screen Gems' remake of the cult supernatural GRUDGE franchise has been delayed by over six months. Originally set for a June 21st release, it will now hit January 3rd next year. Nicholas Pesce helms the new GRUDGE which is being produced by Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures and is described as a new take on the 2004 American remake of the 2002 Japanese original JU-ON. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** THE INVISIBLE MAN: Filmmaker Leigh Whannell has now signed on to direct a reboot of THE INVISIBLE MAN at Blumhouse and Universal Pictures. The project was originally slated to star Johnny Depp and was set to be a part of an interconnected series of films that began with the recent THE MUMMY remake. Not unlike Warners with its DC films, the studio has now ditched that 'Dark Universe' initiative in favor of standalone films.
That approach allows for filmmaker-driven projects based on their classic monsters legacy with no restrictions on budget, tone, or rating and with reigned in expectations. Depp will not appear in the new THE INVISIBLE MAN which Whannell is co-producing. The classic H.G. Wells story has been adapted for the screen several times, most notably James Whale's 1933 film and the quite book accurate 1980s British TV mini-series adaptation. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
----- January 28, 2019 -----
** Netflix's RESIDENT EVIL TV series: Netflix is developing a scripted series based on the hit action horror franchise. The series will be a Netflix global original. German production and distribution company Constantin Film, which is behind the RESIDENT EVIL movies loosely based on the Capcom video game series, is the studio. Search is underway for a showrunner to shepherd the adaptation. (thanks to Deadline.com)
** STAN AGAINST EVIL: The series creator and co-star Dana Gould has revealed on his podcast The Dana Gould Hour that the show has been cancelled at IFC.
"STAN AGAINST EVIL, I am sad to report, will not be returning for a fourth season," said Dana Gould. "It had a great run of three seasons. It's not coming back. Will it show up in some other form on some other network someday? Maybe. But right now, as we like to say, it's dead as Kelsey's nuts. I'm very proud of the show and its fantastic cast: John McGinley, Janet Varney, Nate Mooney, Deborah Baker Jr., our great directors, Eban Schletter our great music person, Autonomous F/X, all the people that worked on the show. I'm leaving a lot of people out. This isn't the official format for my thank you, but I thought everybody did a great job. The show's on Hulu, you can enjoy it. It ain't comin' back anytime soon, but that is -as they say- showbiz, and I'm already working on some other cool crap that will hopefully come your way." (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** THE WALKING DEAD: Our survivors come face-to-face with a terrifying new threat when THE WALKING DEAD returns Sunday, February 10.
** HARPOON: Here's the poster and teaser trailer for Rob Grant's new horror comedy. With his perfect family and perfect upbringing, Richard (Christopher Gray) appears to have it all. So when he thinks that his long-term girlfriend, Sasha (Emily Tyra), and best-friend, Jonah (Munro Chambers), are having an affair, it sends him into a fit of rage that leaves Jonah a bloody mess. Once Jonah and Sasha convince Richard the allegations are false, Richard tries to buy back their trust by taking them out for a day-trip on his family's yacht.
Tension boils-over once out to sea, and, to make matters worse, the yacht's engine fails. Stranded without food and supplies, the trio must set aside their differences in order to survive. One part post-modern Edgar Allan Poe adaptation, one part Knife in the Water with the cast of Seinfeld, Harpoon is a wickedly humorous and bloody deconstruction of friendship and love.
----- January 24, 2019 -----
** Nicolas Cage in THE COLOR OUT OF SPACE: Academy Award winning actor Nicolas Cage (MANDY) has been tapped to star in SpectreVision's upcoming film adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's THE COLOR OUT OF SPACE, which will be directed and written by Richard Stanley.
"Lovecraft is the dark father of modern horror, and we have been searching for an adaptation that captures the true scope of his cosmic dread for years," SpectreVision's Daniel Noah said in a statement. "Richard Stanley – a wizard in his own right – will at long last bring Lovecraft's humbling power to the screen unfiltered." (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** Alexandre Aja's CRAWL: Paramount Pictures has set an August 23rd theatrical release date for the Kaya Scodelario-led horror film. Shawn Rasmussen and Michael Rasmussen penned the script which Alexandre Aja (HIGH TENSION) re-wrote. Craig Flores is also producing.
Alexandre Aja helms and Sam Raimi produces the project in which a young woman who, while struggling to save her father during a Category 5 hurricane, finds herself trapped inside a flooding house and fighting for her life against Florida's most savage and feared predators – alligators. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
----- January 23, 2019 -----
** LORDS OF CHAOS: A teenager's quest to launch Norwegian Black Metal in Oslo in the early 1990s results in a very violent outcome.
** MASTER OF DARK SHADOWS: MPI Media Group has reportedly completed production on the feature documentary celebrating the legendary Gothic daytime soap series and its visionary creator Dan Curtis. In 1966, the series attracted a massive youth audience as it shifted to the supernatural with the introduction of vulnerable vampire Barnabas Collins.
Shot in New York, LA and London, it includes interviews with key actors and filmmakers involved in the story of vampire Barnabas Collins and all the eerie goings-on at the gloomy Maine mansion Collinwood. Ian McShane narrates the work with talent like Alan Ball, Whoopi Goldberg, William F. Nolan, Herman Wouk, Ben Cross, Barbara Steele and various surviving members of the cast all appearing. David Gregory helms the project which is aiming for a Spring release. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** WILLARD: Coming on Blu-ray from Scream Factory on 2/26/19. Here's the final list of extras for our Blu-ray release of the 2003 rodent-filled remake starring Crispin Glover are as follows:
- NEW 2K Scan of the original film elements.
- NEW Audio Commentary with writer/director Glen Morgan and director of photography Robert McLachlan
- NEW Audio Commentary with animal trainers Mark Harden and David Allsberry of Animals for Hollywood
- NEW The Road to Willard – an interview with writer/director Glen Morgan
- NEW Destination Willard – an interview with director of photography Robert McLachlan
- NEW The Rat Trainer's Notebook – behind-the-scenes footage from Animals for Hollywood
- Audio Commentary with writer/director Glen Morgan, producer James Wong, actors Crispin Glover and R. Lee Ermey
- The Year of the Rat – a documentary on the making of WILLARD
- Rat People: Friends or Foes? – A Real Rat Documentary
- Deleted/Alternate Scenes with optional commentary
- Music Video BEN by Crispin Hellion Glover with optional commentary
- Behind-the-Scenes Footage and interviews from the electronic press kit
- Theatrical Trailer
- TV Spots
** THE GREEN INFERNO: Eli Roth's cannibalistic flick is coming to Scream Factory in an all-new Blu-ray Collector's Edition! Here are the early details we have at present time:
- National street date for U.S. only (Region A) is April 23rd
- Release will come with a slipcover (guaranteed for three months after its original release date).
- The newly-commissioned artwork pictured (and Director-approved) comes to us from Devon Whitehead (Valentine, Trick r Treat). This art will be front-facing and the reverse side of the wrap will the original theatrical poster design.
- Extras are still in progress and will be announced later in March. What we can confirm today is that will have an all-new in-depth lengthy interview with Roth and cast members. Additionally, any extras that were on the prior release of the film will be ported over.
- A unique surprise from us: Each release will come with a never-before-released CD soundtrack of the score by composer Manuel Riveiro and includes bonus tracks, which will make this a 2-disc set.
----- January 22, 2019 -----
** Dario Argento on SUSPIRIA remake: Several months after Luca Guadagnino's SUSPIRIA remake hit cinemas to divisive reviews, filmmaker and 1977 original helmer Dario Argento has finally offered an opinion on said remake after abstaining from weighing in.
Guadagnino took a very different approach to the material, making some bold choices that distinctly separated it from the original, and as a result Argento confirms to Radio Rai 1's Un Giorno da Pecora (via Indie for Bunnies) he wasn't a fan despite calling it more 'refined':
"It did not excite me, it betrayed the spirit of the original film: there is no fear, there is no music. The film has not satisfied me so much…. [Guadagnino] is a fine person…[He] makes beautiful tables, beautiful curtains, beautiful dishes, all beautiful" (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** Edgar Wright's upcoming horror film: Filmmaker Edgar Wright looks to have finally decided upon his first post BABY DRIVER feature, telling Empire today that his next film is a psychological horror-thriller. The untitled film will shoot this summer from a screenplay co-written with Krysty Wilson-Cairns.
Wright says classics like REPULSION and DON'T LOOK NOW are the templates for this London-set film which boasts a female lead and will play things quite straight: "I realised I had never made a film about central London – specifically Soho, somewhere I've spent a huge amount of time in the last 25 years. With HOT FUZZ and SHAUN OF THE DEAD you make movies about places you've lived in. This movie is about the London I've existed in." (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** THE BRAIN: The 80s VHS staple sci-fi/horror film arrives on Blu-ray for the first time with a planned date of April 30th!
Imagine a pulsating mass of gray matter, expanding in size and strength as it takes control of human minds and devours human bodies. It could never happen, right? Just watch Independent Thinking, starring Dr. Anthony Blakely (David Gale), a hot new TV program. But as the show's ratings continue to soar, so does the suicide and murder rate among its viewers. What they don't know is that Dr. Blake has teamed with an alien brain and plans to gain control of all humanity. From the Director of BLOODY BIRTHDAY. Extras are in progress and will be announced on a later date.
** THE MANITOU: Scream Factory will the 1978 infamous shocker on Blu-ray for the first time with a planned date of April 16th! Producer and directed by William Girdler (DAY OF THE ANIMALS) from the best-selling novel by Graham Masterton. Extras are in progress and will be announced on a later date. Reverse cover sleeve will feature alternative art.
What surgeons thought to be a tumor growing on the neck of patient Karen Tandy (Susan Strasberg) is actually a fetus growing at an abnormally accelerated rate. But when Karen reaches out to former lover and phony psychic Harry Erskine (Tony Curtis), she discovers that she is possessed by the reincarnation of a 400-year-old Native American demon. Now with the help of a modern-day medicine man (Michael Ansara), Erskine must survive this ancient evil's rampage of shocking violence and forever destroy the enraged beast known as THE MANITOU. Stella Stevens, Ann Sothern and Burgess Meredith co-star.
----- January 21, 2019 -----
** FINAL DESTINATION reboot: SAW sequel duo Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan will pen the script for a reboot of the FINAL DESTINATION franchise at New Line. The first movie in 2000 set up the premise – a character has a premonition of a deadly event, cheats his or her own death and saves several other lives in the process. Death, an invisible unstoppable force, then targeted the survivors one by one and took them out in increasingly elaborate kills.
Switching between more humorous and darker tones, the five films in the series grossed almost $700 million from relatively tight budgets. This is dubbed a 're-imagining' but plot specifics are under wraps. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** BEHIND: Sam Raimi is returning to his roots. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the director of such famed horror classics as THE EVIL DEAD will produce a feature length adaptation of the short film BEHIND for Lionsgate.
The film will be based on Angel Gomez's short about a recently divorced woman who suddenly begins to fear for her baby daughter's life, a fear that is exasperated after a creepy woman at a party proclaims she is being followed. Fearing her premonitions are turning to reality, the woman does everything she can to save the child from the oncoming evil. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** PET SEMATARY remake: Based on the seminal horror novel by Stephen King, PET SEMATARY follows Dr. Louis Creed (Jason Clarke), who, after relocating with his wife Rachel (Amy Seimetz) and their two young children from Boston to rural Maine, discovers a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near the family's new home. When tragedy strikes, Louis turns to his unusual neighbor, Jud Crandall (John Lithgow), setting off a perilous chain reaction that unleashes an unfathomable evil with horrific consequences.
** SUPERSTITION: From Scream Factory, the 80s supernatural gory horror film SUPERSTITION (also known as THE WITCH in some circles) on Blu-ray for the first time! Street date is planned for April 16th. Extras are in progress and will be announced on a later date. Reverse cover sleeve will feature alternative art.
Something horrible is happening at the old house on Mill Road. A series of ghastly accidents has occurred near the site where a witch drowned centuries earlier. But when an alcoholic minister and his family move into the cursed residence, an idealistic young priest (James Houghton) and a cynical police detective (Albert Salmi) start their own investigation into the unexplained violence. Has the daughter of Satan returned for a rampage of vengeance? Will the laws of the Church be strong enough to cast out this demon? And if evil has truly found a new home, is the entire neighborhood headed straight to hell?
** THE GRAVE OF THE VAMPIRE: The obscure 70s cult film (starring B-movie icon William Smith) arrives on Blu-ray for the first time with a planned date of April 16th! Extras and specs are in progress and will be announced on a later date.
The vampire Caleb Croft has awakened from his unholy slumber — with an insatiable lust for blood and the pleasures of the flesh. A brutal attack on a pair of lovers allows for his desire to be temporarily fulfilled ... but his unspeakable acts leave the woman pregnant with his child. Ignoring all advice, she gives birth to the progeny of their unwanted union: James — who will only drink blood from his mother's breast. As James matures, he learns of his father's true nature, and sets out to destroy him.
----- January 19, 2019 -----
** SUSPIRIA
A darkness swirls at the center of a world-renowned dance company, one that will engulf the artistic director, an ambitious young dancer, and a grieving psychotherapist. Some will succumb to the nightmare. Others will finally wake up.
An interesting film but a rather useless remake of Dario Argento's masterpiece. Gone are the lush visuals of the original. Gone is the thunderous musical score by Goblin. This new version drags on forever, feeling the need to over explain everything. And the less said about the cgi gore, the better. Still when everything was over, I wasn't sure if I enjoyed it or not.
The Blu-ray edition comes with a digital code (available in the US only.) It feature a 1.85:1 (16x9) 1080p high definition transfer using a MPEG-4 AVC codec. The image looks great, with deep blacks and good color saturation. We get a loud, crisp and clear English Dolby Atmos audio track. English and Spanish subtitles are available. There are three featurettes on the disc; "The Making of Suspiria", "The Secret Language of Dance" and "The Transformations of Suspiria".
Our copy was provided by Lionsgate Home Entertainment.
----- January 11, 2019 -----
** THE HOLE IN THE GROUND: Sarah (Seána Kerslake) moves her precocious son, Chris (James Quinn Markey), to a secluded new home in a rural town, trying to ease his apprehensions as they hope for a fresh start after a difficult past. But after a startling encounter with a mysterious new neighbour, Sarah's nerves are set on edge. Chris disappears in the night into the forest behind their house, and Sarah discovers an ominous, gaping sinkhole while searching for him. Though he returns, some disturbing behavioural changes emerge, and Sarah begins to worry that the boy who came back is not her son.
** Z-GOAT: The upcoming film is set to be an unabashed love-letter to old school genre efforts with practical effects and a killer monster costume.
** US: Universal Pictures will now open Jordan Peele's horror film a week later, March 22nd. The announcement comes in the wake of the film scoring its world Premiere at SXSW in the opening night slot of March 8th. Set in present day along the iconic Northern California coastline, Lupita Nyong'o plays a woman returning to her beachside childhood home with her family for an idyllic summer getaway. Haunted by an unexplainable and unresolved trauma from her past and compounded by a string of eerie coincidences, her paranoia elevates to high-alert as she grows increasingly certain that something bad is going to befall her family. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
----- January 7, 2019 -----
** OVERLORD: The film lands on Digital February 5, 2019 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD February 19, 2019 from Paramount Home Media Distribution. Bonus features on 4K Ultra HD combo, Blu-ray combo & Digital:
The Horrors of War
- Creation
- Death Above
- Death Below
- Death No More
- Brothers in Arms
The OVERLORD DVD includes the feature film in standard definition
** LORDS OF CHAOS: Here's a second tesser trailer. The film tells the true story about a group of young men from the band Mayhem who forged the rise of this upcoming musical genre that embraced violence, Satanism, and more – but things don't go as planned and soon tragic events take place.
----- January 4, 2019 -----
** JACOB'S LADDER remake: LD Entertainment has reportedly pulled the remake from their schedule. Originally slated for a February 1st release, no publicity material from the project, including stills or trailers, have been released which makes the delay not unexpected.
David M. Rosenthal directs the film which was shot back in 2016 and stars Michael Ealy, Guy Burnet, Karla Souza and Nicole Beharie in what's dubbed a "modern-day paranoid action thriller about two brothers". That's a very different description to Adrian Lyne's original 1990 film about a haunted Vietnam War veteran who attempts to discover his past while suffering from a severe case of dissociation and hallucinations. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** THE PRODIGY: What's wrong with Miles? From the producer of EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE comes a new vision of unimaginable horror. Watch the full trailer for THE PRODIGY, starring Taylor Schilling and Jackson Robert Scott, in theaters February 8.
** LORDS OF CHAOS: A teenager's quest to launch Norwegian Black Metal in Oslo in the 1980s results in a very violent outcome. LORDS OF CHAOS tells the true story of True Norwegian Black Metal and its most notorious practitioners -- a group of young men with a flair for publicity, church-burning, and murder: MAYHEM. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
----- January 3rd, 2019 -----
** A QUIET PLACE sequel: Co-writer, director, and star John Krasinski talked about the upcoming sequel in an interview with The Playlist web site. Surprisingly it won't be dealing with anyone from the Abbot family this time around, and instead look at how the larger world has been impacted by these creatures that hunt using sound.
"The beauty of it is that it's the expansion of a world," said Krasinksi. "Most sequels are about the return of a villain or a hero, and you have to build a totally new story around your favorite hero or favorite villain. [With this sequel], we actually have the world to deal with. The world is actually the star of the movie. So, this set of circumstances – how the rest of the world is dealing with this apocalyptic tragedy – is the fun of it then. That's what drew me back."
"So here I am now writing it and we'll see if I end up directing it," Krasinski teased. "But it's an entertaining idea because I think for me, the cool part about this is, that it doesn't feel like a sequel." (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** THE DRONE: A serial killer transfers his consciousness into a consumer drone right before he is killed, then flies off to terrorize newlyweds Rachel and Chris. The couple must fight to stop the insidious device before it destroys them both.
** KINGDOM: Directed by Kim Seung-Hun from a screenplay written by Kim Eun-Hee which was based on her webcomic series Land of the Gods. All episodes of season one will be available for streaming on January 25 on Netflix. The second season of the series is scheduled to begin its production in February 2019. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** THE PRODIGY: Orion Pictures has released a new poster for their upcoming supernatural horror movie. The film follows Sarah, a mother whose young son Miles' disturbing behavior signals that an evil, possibly supernatural force has overtaken him. Fearing for her family's safety, Sarah must grapple with her maternal instinct to love and protect Miles in favor of investigating what – or who – is causing his dark turn. She is forced to look for answers in the past, taking the audience on a wild ride; one where the line between perception and reality remains blurry. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
----- January 2nd, 2019 -----
** STRANGER THINGS Season 3: Here's a poster and new teaser for the upcoming season. Titles for the new episodes include: "Suzie, Do You Copy?, "The Mall Rats," "The Case of the Missing Lifeguard," "The Sauna Test," "The Source," "The Birthday," "The Bite" and "The Battle of Starcourt."
** HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U: Here's the second trailer for the upcoming sequel.
** ZOMBIELAND sequel: Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd have joined the cast of the sequel as fictional versions of themselves. Murray appeared in the first film as himself, the actor convincingly dresses as a zombie so he can blend in and still go out and do what he wants without being bothered. Ultimately he gets shot and so now may be returning as an actual zombie this time out.
** PET SEMETARY remake: Here's a new photo for the upcoming remake.
** Jordan Peel's US: Here's another new photo from the upcoming film.
----- December 27, 2018 -----
** MANDY's Panos Cosmatos and Nicolas Cage to team again: In an interview with the Heat Vision web site, the director explained why that is and hints they may re-team in the near future: "Yeah. We've talked. I know we would like to work with each other again… I just have a huge amount of admiration for him as a performer and his range of ability, and having this chance to work with him, I really wanted to tap into almost every aspect of his ability. And hopefully in a way that feels organic and integral to the movie. But I really didn't want to miss this opportunity to play with Nicolas Cage. I mean, how often do you get a Nicolas Cage action figure to play with?"
Cosmatos goes on to say he hasn't yet figured out what his next film is, but says he feels happy working in the low-budget realm as it allows him to: "do stuff that is a little bit more esoteric, and personal." (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET reboot: The reboot of the A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET was a dud both critically and commercially, nevertheless talk of another reboot at New Line has persisted for years and picked up steam in 2015 when THE CONJURING 2 writer David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick was hired to pen the screenplay. Three years on there's been zero update on the film's progress until this week when Johnson-McGoldrick spoke with GameSpot and has weighed in on the reboot's status. It seems he's still attached to it, but there's little actual movement on it:
"It's still happening. Nothing is percolating just yet. THE CONJURING universe is sort of first and foremost on [New Line Cinema's] horror burner. Everybody wants to see Freddy again I think, so I think it's inevitable at some point." Johnson-McGoldrick, who co-wrote AQUAMAN, is currently working on THE CONJURING 3 which has been set for a 2020 release date. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** Jordan Peele's US: Here the trailer for the film, opens March 15th 2019. The writer director had this to say; "It has been a labor of love," Peele stated in his intro to the trailer. "It is a horror film. I dedicated a lot of myself to create a new horror mythology and a new monster. I think that stories about monsters are one of our best ways at getting at deeper truths and facing our fears as a society."
"Very important for me was to have a black family at the center of a horror film," Peele added. "It's also important to note this movie, unlike GET OUT, is not about race. It is instead about something I feel has become an undeniable truth: That we are our own worst enemies."
----- December 26, 2018 -----
** CHILD'S PLAY remake: MGM and Orion have partnered with the effects company MastersFX to reimagine what the homicidal Chucky will look like. Now rebranded as the BUDDI doll, a contemporary version of the iconic Good Guys doll, will help redefine Chucky for a new age.
Though we don't get a clear look at the new Chucky just yet, MastersFX is using a mixture of practical on-set puppet work and digital FX enhancements to bring Chucky to life like never before. Todd Masters, founder of MastersFX, and his team took six weeks to prepare and assemble seven practical animatronic puppets, each with interchangeable arms and heads that perform a variety of required actions on set. The FX team, led by ace puppeteer Keith Arbuthnot, along with Mike Fields, Jason Ward and Josh Raymond each controlled a different part of the doll.
"Reconceiving a well-loved classic always feels like wading into tricky waters, however, Lars' fresh vision for this film turned what could have been a challenging process into a seamless and beautiful collaboration," said Masters. "MGM and Orion's CHILD'S PLAY is not a remake or retelling but a completely new style and concept and we believe that BUDDI fits with this vision perfectly." (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** THE CONJURING 3: This is the first film of the main series that James Wan isn't directing, Wan is still heavily involved and producing that feature and recently told the Bloody Disgusting web site that the aim is to keep it as grounded as possible:
"It's not necessarily based on an artifact but it's based on one of the Warrens' case files… It's this guy who was on trial for committing a murder. I think it's the first time in America's history where the defendant used possessions as a reason, as an excuse.
All THE CONJURING films are based on the case files, so they're more based on the true story aspect of the real life Warrens. I think that's important. It's important that the mothership stays true to the inspiration of the real people. The spinoffs are where we get to have more fun and do weird and wonderful crazy things. The mothership of it being THE CONJURING films, we want it to come back to the real stuff." (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** THE ISLE: A supernatural horror directed by Matthew Butler Hart. Synopsis: The Isle. Set in 1846, three sailors are shipwrecked on an uncharted island off the west coast of Scotland to find four lone inhabitants living in what was once a thriving community. As days pass for the promised supply ship to take them home, the sailors discover that not all is well on the seemingly friendly isle.
** THE RANGER: Black Fawn Distribution has acquired the Canadian home video rights to Jenn Wexler's festival favourite, the punk rock slasher flick THE RANGER. The deal was brokered by 79th & Broadway Entertainment's Andrew van den Houten, on behalf of the production companies Hood River Entertainment and Glass Eye Pix. Black Fawn Distribution's Blu-ray/DVD release of THE RANGER is set for January 22, 2019 and is packed with special features including audio commentary with members of the cast and crew, 5 making of documentaries, and more.
Directed by Jenn Wexler and penned by Wexler and Giaco Furino, THE RANGER follows a group of teen punks, who while on the run from the cops and hiding out in the woods, come up against the local authority - an unhinged park ranger with an axe to grind.
----- December 20, 2018 -----
** Jordan Peel's US: In an interview with EW, the director writer said that the aim of the new film was: "[something] more firmly in the horror genre but still held on to my love of movies that are twisted but fun." Today the first photos from the film are out and come ahead of a new trailer which should launch soon after having been spotted in cinemas recently. The story is set in the present day and follows Adelaide and Gabe Wilson (Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke) as they take their kids to Adelaide's old childhood beachside home in Northern California for the summer.
After a day at the beach with the Tyler family (led by Elisabeth Moss and Tim Heidecker), Adelaide – who's haunted by a lingering trauma from her past – becomes increasingly more paranoid that something bad will happen to her family. As night falls, the Wilsons see four figures holding hands and standing silently at the bottom of their driveway. While further specifics are under wraps, Peele did let slip the film's 'monsters' will be called 'The Tethered'. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** NOS4A2: Four decades ago, horror director Tobe Hooper terrified TV viewers with his 1979 adaptation of Stephen King's vampire novel SALEM'S LOT. Now AMC is hoping to chill spines in a similar fashion with this small-screen version of NOS4A2, the 2013 book from King's son Joe Hill, which reworked the traditional myth of the undead bloodsuckers.
The show stars Zachary Quinto as the ancient, supernaturally powered Charlie Manx, who periodically rejuvenates by feeding on the life forces of children as he transports them to a fantasy world he has created called Christmasland. "In the journey they become these ghoulish creatures, and Charlie Manx is fed with vitality and youth," says the actor. (thanks to EW.com)
** TERRIFIED: Oscar and Golden Globe winner Guillermo del Toro will be producing Fox Searchlight's horror movie TERRIFIED, the Deadline web site has confirmed. The movie is a remake of the 2017 Argentinian film ATERRADOS. Demián Rugna wrote and directed the original movie, and will also serve as director on the English-language version. Emmy and Independent Spirit Award winner Sacha Gervasi will pen the script. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** THE WALKING DEAD: AMC's Season 9B key art has been released, featuring a first look at Alpha (Samantha Morton), the leader of the Whisperers, a.k.a., the terrifying new villains introduced at the end of the first half of the season. The official synopsis for THE WALKING DEAD Season 9B reads: "The second half of THE WALKING DEAD Season 9 finds our groups of survivors, both old and new, continuing to deal with the impact of events that took place during the six years that have passed. Since the disappearance of Rick, many of these characters have become strangers to each other, and in some ways, strangers to themselves. What they do know is that they are in undeniable danger. They will soon realize the world just beyond does not operate as they thought.
The group's rules and ways of survival no longer guarantee their safety. A whole new threat has crossed their paths, and they soon discover it's unlike any threat they have encountered or endured before. The group will start to question what they think they see. What may appear to be normal in this post-apocalyptic world could actually be more disturbing and terrifying than when the apocalypse first broke out. All that is certain is the stakes are high and numerous." (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
----- December 19, 2018 -----
** KINGDOM: In a kingdom defeated by corruption and famine, a mysterious plague spreads to turn the infected into monsters. The crown prince, framed for treason and desperate to save his people, sets out on a journey to unveil what evil lurks in the dark. KINGDOM coming to Netflix worldwide January 25.
** BRUTAL: A savage murderer is on the prowl in Japan. One by one, his victims fall but what is he searching for? The same thing a murderess is looking for. We are all looking for that special love of our lives and sometimes, we're willing to kill everyone to find that special someone. This is the tale of two people finding each other in the most vicious way possible.
** RESIDENT EVIL reboot: James Wan's (SAW) Atomic Monster is no longer producing the RESIDENT EVIL reboot. Wan had this to say: "They announce that I'm attached to a lot of stuff and a lot of them are not necessarily real. It's kind of annoying when things come and go, or things never came in the first place. I hate it when my projects get announced. It makes it seem like I'm attached to a lot of things when in fact I'm not necessarily doing so many things. A lot of my stuff just get announced and I don't want them to be announced but people love to announce them." (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** DIAL CODE SANTA CLAUS: The French Christmas/action/horror film, is getting its first-ever U.S. theatrical run thanks to the American Film Genre Archive and the Alamo Drafthouse. The 1989 cult classic pre-dates Home Alone, and features two kids who are forced to defend their home from a deranged killer in a Santa costume.
The film disturbed both critics and the moviegoing public with its disturbing portrayal of the Christmas season. After becoming something of a sensation in France, the film went on to worldwide distribution. Except in America, where DIAL CODE SANTA CLAUS was only available as a VHS bootleg. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
----- December 18, 2018 -----
** ANNABELLE 3: Still Photographer Justin Lubin took to Instagram to reveal that production has officially wrapped on ANNABELLE 3 the sixth film in THE CONJURING Universe. Directed by Gary Dauberman, the film is set to debut July 3, 2019.
The untitled ANNABELLE 3 will once again center around the titular demon doll but this time she is already under the possession of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. Mckenna Grace will play the role of Judy Warren, daughter of the paranormal investigating couple who is targeted alongside her two teen babysitters by the demonic doll after they bring it home into their artifact room. Madison Iseman and Katie Sarife are set to play Judy Warren's babysitters. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** Nicolas Cage in Sion Sono's PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND: Doing a masterclass at Macao's 3rd International Film Festival and Awards, Nicolas Cage told Screen Anarchy that the film is so unique:
"I'm thrilled about it! It's unlike anything I've ever read before. It might be the wildest movie I've ever made, and that's saying something. It's out there. I wear a skintight black leather jumpsuit with grenades attached to different body parts, and if I don't rescue the governor's daughter from this state line where they're all ghosts and bring her back they're gonna blow me up. It's just crazy. It's way out there." (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** HIDE AND SEEK: Child actress Quinn McColgan has been cast as the daughter of Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Jacinda Barrett's characters in CJ Entertainment's horror remake HIDE AND SEEK, which is currently filming in New York. Actor-director Joel David Moore is directing the redo of Next Entertainment World's 2013 hit which took more than $35M at the Korean box office. Moore adapted the screenplay from writer-director Huh Jung's original. Korean powerhouse CJ Entertainment, which is growing its U.S. footprint, developed the remake and is financing and producing the film. (thanks to Deadline.com)
** Jordan Peel's US: Here's the poster for the upcoming film, which is scheduled to be released on March 15th.
----- December 17, 2018 -----
** 2018 Horror Box Office: Among the this year's biggest success stories are three horror films. THE NUN (Cost: $22 million, Gross: $365 million), A QUIET PLACE (Cost: $17 million, Gross: $340 million) and HALLOWEEN (Cost: $10 million, Gross: $252 million).
** THE HOLE IN THE GROUND: The horror film has been picked up by indie studio A24, and now it's getting a limited theatrical release on March 1, 2019. The synopsis reads as follows: "Sarah and her young son Chris move to a new home in the Irish countryside, next to a forest that hides an enormous sinkhole. One night, Chris vanishes, and when he reappears he seems unharmed and unchanged. But, as his behavior grows increasingly disturbing, Sarah begins to fear that the boy who has returned may not be her son at all. THE HOLE IN THE GROUND weaves suspense, terror, and supernatural folklore into a richly evocative story about the primal fears of motherhood." (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK: Inspired by one of the most terrifying children's book series of all time, SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK follows a group of young teens who must solve the mystery surrounding sudden and macabre deaths in their small town. Directed by André Øvredal. Written by Daniel Hageman & Kevin Hageman, Guillermo del Toro.
----- December 14, 2018 -----
** Sion Sono's PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND: Nicolas Cage has been set to star in PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND, a film that will mark the English-language debut of Japanese filmmaker Sion Sono (SUICIDE CLUB). Untitled Entertainment's Laura Rister, Eleven Arts' Ko Mori, Reza Sixo Safai of Black Light District Entertainment and XYZ Films' Nate Bolotin are producing. That pic is getting a summer theatrical release via RLJE Films.
Penned by Aaron Hendry and Safai, centers on notorious criminal Hero (Cage) who is sent to rescue an abducted girl who has disappeared into a dark supernatural universe. They must break the evil curse that binds them and escape the mysterious revenants that rule the Ghostland, an East-meets-West vortex of beauty and violence. (thanks to Deadline.com)
** Netflix buys ELI from Paramount: Ciaran Foy (SINISTER 2) directed the movie which centers around a boy receiving treatment for his auto-immune disorder who discovers that the house he's living isn't as safe as he thought.
David Chirchirillo, Ian Goldberg and Richard Naing wrote the script. Intrepid Pictures' Trevor Macy produced Eli with John Zaozirny with Melinda Nishioka as EP. Charlie Shotwell, Lili Taylor, Max Martini and Sadie Sink star. ELI was a 2015 Black List horror script and Paramount was originally planning to release the film on Jan. 4 before undating it a few weeks ago. (thanks to Deadline.com)
** ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?: DISTURBIA director D.J. Caruso is in talks to helm Paramount's feature adaptation of ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?. IT co-writer Gary Dauberman will produce alongside Matt Kaplan. The horror film is slated to be release on October 11, 2019. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
----- December 13, 2018 -----
** Peter Jackson horror films restored: Following the masterful restoration work done on the WW1 footage for his feature documentary "THEY WILL NOT GROW OLD, filmmaker Peter Jackson will be using some of that tech to help in a 4K restoration of his first four feature films. Jackson's work from 1996's THE FRIGHTENERS onwards is all readily available in HD and on Blu-ray, but the four films he did before that – alien invasion horror-comedy BAD TASTE, the raunchy puppet film MEET THE FEEBLES, the super gory BRAINDEAD and the Oscar-nominated psychological thriller HEAVENLY CREATURES – are not.
In fact, it's hard to find these titles in decent quality. Jackson opted to try out the 'Grow Old' tech on the old films to see how it would go in terms of restoring them. He tells Heat Vision: "I've decided to go back and do this to my old films – the first four I made, which I own but never re-released. I've done some tests on BRAINDEAD, where we took the 16mm negative and put it through our World War I restoration pipeline – and s–t, it looks fantastic!… I'm pretty keen to actually just get them back out there again. That's sort of my plan for now: to do a nice little box set – the early years! The naughty years!."
Jackson says BAD TASTE was in the most need of restoration, and not only will the picture quality be improved but the audio will be retooled into high definition sound. In addition, plenty of behind-the-scenes footage collected during the making of there early movies will be restored to assemble a documentary:
"I've always had video diaries being shot. So I've got about an hour or two of us shooting BAD TASTE, seven or eight hours of us shooting THE FEEBLES, 50 to 60 hours of us filming BRAINDEAD, and at least 70 hours of us doing HEAVENLY CREATURES. And it's not just people talking to the camera. It's actually a guy on the set filming us making the film. So there's some pretty interesting stuff there and none of it has ever been out."
Jackson also says he'd be open to doing splatter films again, adding that "it would be interesting to see how disgusting Fran [Walsh] and I could be in our older age… We know a little bit more about the world than we did then, so maybe our levels of disgusting could go into whole new places." (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** ESCAPE ROOM: The upcoming film is about six strangers who find themselves in circumstances beyond their control and must use their wits to find the clues or die. ESCAPE ROOM hits theaters on January 4th.
----- December 12, 2018 -----
** THE TOXIC AVENGER remake: Legendary has acquired the film rights to THE TOXIC AVENGER franchise from Troma Entertainment. Launched as a low-budget B-movie in 1984, the film series told the story of a boy who becomes a disfigured radioactive hulking mess after falling into a vat of toxic waste. He then uses his newfound form to fight villains. The original film generated three film sequels, a stage musical production, a video game and a children's TV cartoon. Troma's Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz will serve as producers on the new take. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** SUSPIRIA remake: The reimagining of the horror cult-classic arrives on Digital January 15 and on Blu-ray (plus Digital) January 29 from Lionsgate. Young American dancer Susie Bannion arrives in 1970s Berlin to audition for the world-renowned Helena Markos Dance Company, stunning the troupe's famed choreographer, Madame Blanc, with her raw talent. When she vaults to the role of lead dancer, Olga, the previous lead, breaks down and accuses the company's female directors of being witches. As rehearsals intensify for the final performance of the company's signature piece, Susie and Madame Blanc grow strangely close, suggesting that Susie's purpose in the company goes beyond merely dancing. Meanwhile, an inquisitive psychotherapist trying to uncover the company's dark secrets enlists the help of another dancer, who probes the depths of the studio's hidden underground chambers, where horrific discoveries await.
Special features:
- "The Making of Suspiria" Featurette
- "The Secret Language of Dance" Featurette
- "The Transformations of Suspiria" Featurette
** Jordan Peel's US: Following his massive success with GET OUT, comedian turned filmmaker Jordan Peele soon returns with his second directorial effort US about which little is known. Now, thanks to recent test screening invitations, a first plot synopsis for the film has gone online and goes for a very generic sounding home invasion film – but seems to be doing so deliberately. It reads as follows:
"A mother (Lupita Nyong'o) and a father (Winston Duke) take their kids to their beach house expecting to unplug and unwind with friends (one of which is Elizabeth Moss). But as night descends, their serenity turns to tension and chaos when some shocking visitors arrive uninvited."
The film is expected to incorporate social commentary in the way GET US did, but it's not clear what said commentary will be about as such. US is scheduled to arrive in theaters on March 15th 2019. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
----- December 11, 2018 -----
** RESIDENT EVIL reboot: The James Wan-produced reboot of the hit video game film franchise, RESIDENT EVIL, has just found its writer and director in the form of Johannes Roberts, the man behind the 2017 survival horror hit 47 METERS DOWN, according to Variety. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** PERFUME: Patrick Süskind's best-selling novel about smell, passion and serial killing gets a shocking contemporary spin. While in boarding school, a group of six become friends through their intense passion for scent. When one is brutally murdered years later, disturbing secrets about the group are revealed when the police investigates each as a suspect. PERFUME arrives on Netflix on December 21st.
** THE PATIENT WHO NEARLY DROVE ME OUT OF MEDECINE: According to Variety, Twentieth Century Fox and New Regency have purchased the horror project THE PATIENT WHO NEARLY DROVE ME OUT OF MEDECINE, with Ryan Reynolds set to produce through his Maximum Effort production company alongside Vertigo Entertainment.
The novella, written by Jasper DeWitt, was originally published on Reddit's No Sleep subreddit, a community for original horror stories. According to the report, tells the story of "an idealistic young doctor who tries to solve a mystery and heal its most difficult patient. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** THE WATCHER: The Deadline web site reports that streaming service Netflix has won an intense bidding war amongst six studios for the rights to THE WATCHER, an adaptation of an article published in The Cut section of New York magazine by Reeves Wiedeman. THE WATCHER told the story of a stalker terrorizing a family who move into their dream home.
The film, which is set to be directed by Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman will tell the true story of the Broaddus family as they purchase a house in New Jersey for $1.3 million and the series of letters from an anonymous writer they receive, beginning with a welcome letter detailing the writer's history with the house that divulged some disturbing details regarding both and revealed he was watching the family, followed by several more intense letters reportedly written in blood. Despite going to the police for help, the writer's identity is still currently unknown and four years after having bought the house, the parents never moved their three children in and have only rented the property out after two failed attempts to raze the structure. (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
----- December 10, 2018 -----
** BRIGHTBURN: What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister? With BRIGHTBURN, the visionary filmmaker of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and SLITHER presents a startling, subversive take on a radical new genre: superhero horror.
** Nacho Vigalondo's POOKA!: This year's hottest Christmas gift is naughty, nice and will haunt your nightmares.
** 10 TO MIDNIGHT: Coming soon from Scream Factory. The sleazy 1983 slasher/action film starring Charles Bronson and a naked serial killer arrives next month in a packed Blu-ray upgrade. Details are as follows:
- NEW 4K Scan of The Original Camera Negative
- NEW Charlie's Partner – Interview with Actor Andrew Stevens
- NEW Producing Bronson – Interview with Producer Lance Hool
- NEW Remembering Bronson – Interview with Actor Robert F. Lyons
- NEW Undressed to Kill – Interview with Actress Jeana Tomasina Keough
- NEW Audio Commentary with Writer/Historian Paul Talbot (Author of Bronson's Loose! And Bronson's Loose Again!)
- Audio Commentary with Producer Pancho Kohner, Casting Director John Crowther, an Film Historian David Del Valle
- Theatrical Trailer
- Radio Spots
- Still Gallery
** BLOOD LAKE: Coming to Special Edition DVD on April 9 2019 from AGFA and Bleeding Skull Featuring a Brand new restoration! Tim Boggs 1987 lakeside Slasher BLOOD LAKE! BLOOD LAKE is the most fascinating -- and stupefying -- shot-on-video slasher that ever escaped from 1987. A group of unhinged party animals, including adolescent horn-dog Lil' Tony, embark on a weekend trip filled with Jet Skis, a keg of Busch, and an extended game of quarters. But look out! There's a supernatural killer on the loose who wears cowboy boots and a silk shirt with a rose stitched on it! Made by real-life friends from Oklahoma on a real-life vacation, BLOOD LAKE is a rewardingly lethal collision of '80s slasher video-vomit and twisted cinéma vérité madness. From false metal soundtrack hits to gratuitous scenes of people sleeping, this might be the only movie in history capable of receiving a stamp of approval from both David Lee Roth and Andy Warhol.
----- December 5, 2018 -----
** M. Night Shymalan's TALES FROM THE CRYPT: In an interview with Digital Spy director M. Night Shyamalan revealed that his reboot is no longer happening; "I think it's dead," he told the site. "We tried everything that we could. That was so mired in people that had rights to it… constantly mired from the original comic books to the people that did the original show and that was a very contentious era for that show and who was involved and all the stuff that had nothing to do with me, a generation before me." (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** SHRINE: Sam Raimi has signed on to produce a film adaptation of UK horror novelist James Herbert's novel SHRINE for Screen Gems. Veteran screenwriter Evan Spiliotopoulos is set to write and direct the film as well as produce with Raimi and Rob Tapert.
The story follows a disgraced journalist who tries to resurrect his career upon discovering a series of seemingly divine miracles in a small New England town. He soon learns that the so-called miracles may have a much darker source. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** HIDE AND SEEK: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jacinda Barrett, Joe Pantoliano and Mustafa Shakir will lead the cast of Joel David Moore's horror-thriller remake of the Korean hit HIDE AND SEEK for CJ Entertainment. Filming begins this week in New York City.
Moore adapted the screenplay for the socially-minded horror which nods to the crisis in affordable housing and the growing chasm between rich and poor and follows a man searching for his long-lost brother who stumbles upon a secret world of squatters terrorizing the homes of unsuspecting tenants. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
----- December 4, 2018 -----
** HALLOWEEN reboot sequel: Though not officially announced yet, a sequel to this year's HALLOWEEN is all but assured. The film brought in $252 million worldwide and became the highest grossing slasher film of all time. Now John Carpenter is ready to write the music for the sure-to-be-announced sequel. In an interview with Consequence of Sound, the filmmaker and musician said he couldn't wait to compose a score for the inevitable sequel.
"We'll be ready. We've all talked about it. We'll be ready," Carpenter revealed. He's also working on another compilation, Lost Themes III, but says his band needs a bit of a break. "The group is not intensely working on anything, but we'll get back together and do some more stuff. We need to rest now after HALLOWEEN and keep out of sight. We don't need to bug anybody now." (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** THE SHINING sequel: Director Mike Flanagan (THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE) took to Facebook to announce that production has officially wrapped on Warner Bros. Pictures' DOCTOR SLEEP, an adaptation of Stephen King's literary sequel to THE SHINING.
"So that's a wrap on DOCTOR SLEEP! It's been a long, crazy, truly unique experience. I read the novel as soon as it came out back in 2013, fascinated and moved by the epic story of Dan Torrance and Abra Stone, but I never imagined for a moment that I'd be the person to bring it to the big screen. It's been an honor to spend the last five months with this fantastic cast and crew, and to be trusted with Stephen King's extraordinary story. One of the highlights of my career, without a doubt." (thanks to ComingSoon.net)
** NECROLOGIES: One night, a horror-movie fan (Alexis Wawerka) sneaks into a graveyard. He is caught by a strange grave keeper (Jean-Claude Dreyfus). The young man tries to talk with him to gain some time before he calls the police. The keepershows him his "book of tombs" and tells him the most bizarre and frightening stories linked to these tombs. Six macabre stories, filled with rvil creatures and unearthly events, will lead them to the end of this dreadful night.
----- December 3rd, 2018 -----
** HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U: This Valentine's Day, death makes a killer comeback.
** A QUIET PLACE sequel: Actor and filmmaker John Krasinski is now just over six months into the writing process on the sequel to his acclaimed horror hit A QUIET PLACE. The first film follows a family of four must navigate their lives in silence after mysterious creatures that hunt by sound threatens their survival. It opened in April and grossed over $334 million worldwide on a $17 million dollar budget, along with nabbing some of the best reviews of the year and the title is likely to feature on many 'Best of Year' lists. Speaking with Business Insider this week, Krasinski says the new film doesn't feel like a sequel:
"I don't even see it as a sequel. Emily [Blunt] actually blew my mind by categorizing it the correct way after I pitched it to her. She said, 'This isn't a sequel at all – this is the second book in a series of books. It's a widening of a world.' And I thought that's the best way to look at it. It doesn't feel like a sequel – it's a continuation of living in that world."
A few weeks ago in a separate interview, Krasinski saying he originally had no interest in working on the sequel until he had an idea followed it down a rabbit hole. Now he's changed his tune and is legitimately excited about where it's all going:
"I can't wait to get in there and keep writing and see what this movie wants to allow itself to be. And that will happen in the script process and the shooting and the editing. But I think what's cool about the second part of this movie is the same set of rules have to apply. I can't just introduce a world where you can make a ton of sound, and if I did, there would have to be a reason for it. So it's figuring out if there are smart and clever ways to do it."
Krasinski directed the first film and co-starred with his real-life wife Emily Blunt. Krasinski hasn't been confirmed to return as director as yet and no official production or release date for a sequel has been announced. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
** HELL FEST: The film now arrives to digital on December 21st on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray and Digital), Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital), DVD, and On Demand January 8 from Lionsgate.
** THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT: Lars von Trier's film debuted at Cannes this year to mixed reviews and a bunch of criticism about its brutality and violence. That was followed by an interesting marketing campaign that led to the announcement a few weeks ago about a unique release strategy.
IFC Films has the movie in North America and recently held a one-night-only screening of the full, uncensored director's cut of the film (the one from Cannes). That comes ahead of a trimmed by 80 seconds R-rated theatrical release along with two different versions on VOD (the director's cut if you purchase, the theatrical cut if you rent).
Now, in having done its one night only screening where it made a solid $200,000 in one night on 140 Screens, IFC has found itself in hot water for having violated some of the rules of the U.S. censors – the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).
The MPAA has released a statement saying the release of an unrated director's cut so close to the film's 'official' release, and without a waiver from the group, is confusing for moviegoers and could lead to patrons mistakenly attending an unedited version thinking it's the R-rated cut.
As a result of the violation, IFC Films could find itself on the end of some fairly serious sanctions. IFC is now awaiting the decision of a hearing of the Classifications and Ratings Administration and could see the film's theatrical cut's R-rating revoked along with a several month suspension of the ratings process for other films from the distributor. (thanks to DarkHorizons.com)
