Film Junk » Horror http://www.filmjunk.com Blog and Podcast Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:09:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en The Woman in Black Review http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/02/03/the-woman-in-black-review/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/02/03/the-woman-in-black-review/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:15:28 +0000 Colin http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=70701 Recipe for a Hollywood horror flick: pick a screenplay with a vaguely creepy-sounding title like The Woman in Black. Be sure the writer included one or all of the following: portraits with the eyes scratched out, little kids' drawings, antique toys, etc. Next, shoot everything at half exposure. Then pick a quiet weekend to release and collect your fifty million dollars. Repeat. It's a racket that works like a charm, and isn't going away until the audience does. The Woman in Black stars 'Arry Potter 'imself — Daniel Radcliffe — as Arthur Kipps, an adolescent English estate lawyer bound unluckily for a haunted house in the boondocks. Kipps' job is on the line, which accounts for his eager beaver attitude upon arrival, and dogged insistence on seeing the property, even against the behest of, oh, everyone in town. You know where this is going. Once inside the isolated island manor, Kipps can’t seem to get any work done. A typical sequence of scenes plays out with the protagonist sitting down to study a stack of documents and being immediately distracted by some foreign sound or supernatural happening. And then the investigation's afoot; jump scares abound, though they fall too formulaically to conjure much anxiety or subsequent shock. After all, scares by appointment aren't very scary. The screenplay is particularly disappointing given its author, Jane Goldman, who spun genre into gold with Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class. Too dour to pass as a throwback haunted house flick, and too clichéd to surprise anyone, The Woman in Black is caught in the nebulous nowhere between fun and frightening. Even if her writing were stronger, however, there's no guarantee it would be spared the blunt hand of James Watkins, a director with the finesse of a steamroller. He brings not an ounce of aesthetic originality to the table, imbuing the movie with the same ugly, washed-out palette of six dozen other studio horror failures. The technique is intended to foster a mood, but it's a cheap substitute for good old-fashioned filmmaking. Mood isn't achieved in camera — it's an aggregate of art direction, camera placement, performance, music, etc. The obvious digital look of the film also hampers the believability of its period setting — the turn of the century never looked so bland. Performances add little life to the landscape. Daniel Radcliffe manages not to embarrass himself, and that's being generous. Frankly, it's tough to buy the Hogwarts alum as a dad when he's been playing a teenager for ten years. It's equally tough to imagine him a widower, as he broods with all the emotional turmoil of an Olsen twin. Ciarán Hinds plays Kipps' sole confidant in the haunted hamlet, and fittingly enough, delivers the film's sole compelling performance. Still, his character never goes anywhere, a waste of Hinds' talent. Effective horror is contingent upon a willingness to take the audience outside its comfort zone, and The Woman in Black is too creakily formulaic to creep us out. Because Hollywood is a business, it's more desirable to greenlight a derivative script and hire a yes-man director than to risk something edgier that might not pay off. The cycle continues. The Woman in Black follows that recipe to a T, but there's something lost in translation. Maybe the recipe wasn't all that good to begin with. Maybe the whole cookbook needs to go. — Colin

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]]> Recipe for a Hollywood horror flick: pick a screenplay with a vaguely creepy-sounding title like The Woman in Black. Be sure the writer included one or all of the following: portraits with the eyes scratched out, little kids' drawings, antique toys, etc. Next, shoot everything at half exposure. Then pick a quiet weekend to release and collect your fifty million dollars. Repeat. It's a racket that works like a charm, and isn't going away until the audience does. The Woman in Black stars 'Arry Potter 'imself — Daniel Radcliffe — as Arthur Kipps, an adolescent English estate lawyer bound unluckily for a haunted house in the boondocks. Kipps' job is on the line, which accounts for his eager beaver attitude upon arrival, and dogged insistence on seeing the property, even against the behest of, oh, everyone in town. You know where this is going. Once inside the isolated island manor, Kipps can’t seem to get any work done. A typical sequence of scenes plays out with the protagonist sitting down to study a stack of documents and being immediately distracted by some foreign sound or supernatural happening. And then the investigation's afoot; jump scares abound, though they fall too formulaically to conjure much anxiety or subsequent shock. After all, scares by appointment aren't very scary. The screenplay is particularly disappointing given its author, Jane Goldman, who spun genre into gold with Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class. Too dour to pass as a throwback haunted house flick, and too clichéd to surprise anyone, The Woman in Black is caught in the nebulous nowhere between fun and frightening. Even if her writing were stronger, however, there's no guarantee it would be spared the blunt hand of James Watkins, a director with the finesse of a steamroller. He brings not an ounce of aesthetic originality to the table, imbuing the movie with the same ugly, washed-out palette of six dozen other studio horror failures. The technique is intended to foster a mood, but it's a cheap substitute for good old-fashioned filmmaking. Mood isn't achieved in camera — it's an aggregate of art direction, camera placement, performance, music, etc. The obvious digital look of the film also hampers the believability of its period setting — the turn of the century never looked so bland. Performances add little life to the landscape. Daniel Radcliffe manages not to embarrass himself, and that's being generous. Frankly, it's tough to buy the Hogwarts alum as a dad when he's been playing a teenager for ten years. It's equally tough to imagine him a widower, as he broods with all the emotional turmoil of an Olsen twin. Ciarán Hinds plays Kipps' sole confidant in the haunted hamlet, and fittingly enough, delivers the film's sole compelling performance. Still, his character never goes anywhere, a waste of Hinds' talent. Effective horror is contingent upon a willingness to take the audience outside its comfort zone, and The Woman in Black is too creakily formulaic to creep us out. Because Hollywood is a business, it's more desirable to greenlight a derivative script and hire a yes-man director than to risk something edgier that might not pay off. The cycle continues. The Woman in Black follows that recipe to a T, but there's something lost in translation. Maybe the recipe wasn't all that good to begin with. Maybe the whole cookbook needs to go. — Colin

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]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/02/03/the-woman-in-black-review/feed/ Insidious Sequel in the Works http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/02/03/insidious-sequel-in-the-works/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/02/03/insidious-sequel-in-the-works/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:39:30 +0000 Sean http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=70602 It doesn't seem like Hollywood's fascination with micro-budget horror films will be fading anytime soon. After the success of The Devil Inside last month, and the recently announced sequels to Paranormal Activity 3 and The Last Exorcism, we now have yet another horror sequel on the way. According to Heat Vision, James Wan's Insidious will also be getting a follow-up of its own. The news should come as no surprise since Insidious was easily one of the most profitable films of 2011. It made $97 million on a $1.5 million budget. Director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell (who also did Saw and Dead Silence together) are both currently in talks to return for Insidious 2. Producer Jason Blum is also on board, while Paranormal Activity director Oren Peli will take an executive producer role this time around along with Steven Schneider and Brian Kavanaugh Jones. There's been no word on whether or not stars Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne will be involved. In the first movie, Wilson and Byrne played a young couple whose son falls into a coma. After calling in a paranormal investigator, they learn that he has the ability to astral project and has become lost in a dark realm known as The Further. It's unclear where they might take the story for a sequel, but hey, as long as Ray Park reprises his role as Darth Maul, I'll be happy. What do you think? Were you a fan of Insidious and are you interested in a sequel?

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]]> It doesn't seem like Hollywood's fascination with micro-budget horror films will be fading anytime soon. After the success of The Devil Inside last month, and the recently announced sequels to Paranormal Activity 3 and The Last Exorcism, we now have yet another horror sequel on the way. According to Heat Vision, James Wan's Insidious will also be getting a follow-up of its own. The news should come as no surprise since Insidious was easily one of the most profitable films of 2011. It made $97 million on a $1.5 million budget. Director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell (who also did Saw and Dead Silence together) are both currently in talks to return for Insidious 2. Producer Jason Blum is also on board, while Paranormal Activity director Oren Peli will take an executive producer role this time around along with Steven Schneider and Brian Kavanaugh Jones. There's been no word on whether or not stars Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne will be involved. In the first movie, Wilson and Byrne played a young couple whose son falls into a coma. After calling in a paranormal investigator, they learn that he has the ability to astral project and has become lost in a dark realm known as The Further. It's unclear where they might take the story for a sequel, but hey, as long as Ray Park reprises his role as Darth Maul, I'll be happy. What do you think? Were you a fan of Insidious and are you interested in a sequel?

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]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/02/03/insidious-sequel-in-the-works/feed/ The Crow Reboot Lands Yet Another New Writer / Director Team http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/25/the-crow-reboot-lands-yet-another-new-writer-director-team/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/25/the-crow-reboot-lands-yet-another-new-writer-director-team/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:35:47 +0000 Sean http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=69992 Much like its undead protagonist, The Crow reboot refuses to die. After going through a number of directors and potential stars including Stephen Norrington, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and Bradley Cooper, Relativity Media's remake was slapped with a lawsuit from The Weinstein Company, who claimed that they owned the screen rights to James O'Barr's cult comic book. It was starting to look like a new Crow movie just wasn't meant to be, and I think a lot of people were okay with that. Well, this week that lawsuit has finally been settled, and although the terms were not made public, The Weinsteins and Relativity have confirmed that they will partner up for the film. More importantly, they've announced that they already have a new creative team in place with F. Javier Gutiérrez (Before The Fall) lined up to direct the film from a script by Jesse Wigutow. Before the Fall (Tres Dias) is a Spanish-language film that got a lot of attention on the festival circuit in 2008. It is a post-apocalyptic thriller about the end of the world, but instead of focusing on action and mayhem it is about what people choose to do in the three days before a meteorite hits the planet. It was produced by Antonio Banderas but as far as I know it never received a theatrical release in North America, although it is now available on DVD through MPI Home Video. As for screenwriter Jesse Wigutow, he wrote the 2003 film It Runs in the Family starring Michael Douglas but doesn't have many other recognizable films to his name. Supposedly he was involved in the writing of Tron: Legacy, 8 Mile and The Ruins, even though he didn't ultimately end up getting credit for them. He also recently did a rewrite on an upcoming remake of Robert Ludlum's The Osterman Weekend. In the end, I'm not sure that we can deduce much from this information. Both are essentially unknowns, and the real question is who will play Eric Draven? The press release claims that this will be a "gritty reboot" of the iconic character, but based on some of the leaked concept artwork, I don't see how it could be any less ridiculous than the original. Are you still interested in seeing a remake of The Crow?

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]]> Much like its undead protagonist, The Crow reboot refuses to die. After going through a number of directors and potential stars including Stephen Norrington, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and Bradley Cooper, Relativity Media's remake was slapped with a lawsuit from The Weinstein Company, who claimed that they owned the screen rights to James O'Barr's cult comic book. It was starting to look like a new Crow movie just wasn't meant to be, and I think a lot of people were okay with that. Well, this week that lawsuit has finally been settled, and although the terms were not made public, The Weinsteins and Relativity have confirmed that they will partner up for the film. More importantly, they've announced that they already have a new creative team in place with F. Javier Gutiérrez (Before The Fall) lined up to direct the film from a script by Jesse Wigutow. Before the Fall (Tres Dias) is a Spanish-language film that got a lot of attention on the festival circuit in 2008. It is a post-apocalyptic thriller about the end of the world, but instead of focusing on action and mayhem it is about what people choose to do in the three days before a meteorite hits the planet. It was produced by Antonio Banderas but as far as I know it never received a theatrical release in North America, although it is now available on DVD through MPI Home Video. As for screenwriter Jesse Wigutow, he wrote the 2003 film It Runs in the Family starring Michael Douglas but doesn't have many other recognizable films to his name. Supposedly he was involved in the writing of Tron: Legacy, 8 Mile and The Ruins, even though he didn't ultimately end up getting credit for them. He also recently did a rewrite on an upcoming remake of Robert Ludlum's The Osterman Weekend. In the end, I'm not sure that we can deduce much from this information. Both are essentially unknowns, and the real question is who will play Eric Draven? The press release claims that this will be a "gritty reboot" of the iconic character, but based on some of the leaked concept artwork, I don't see how it could be any less ridiculous than the original. Are you still interested in seeing a remake of The Crow?

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]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/25/the-crow-reboot-lands-yet-another-new-writer-director-team/feed/ The Last Exorcism 2 Will Have a New Director http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/24/the-last-exorcism-2-will-have-a-new-director/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/24/the-last-exorcism-2-will-have-a-new-director/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:21:52 +0000 Sean http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=69935 The surprise success of The Devil Inside earlier this month has made studios eager to rush even more low budget horror films out the door, and in addition to Paranormal Activity 4, another sequel that will be hoping to capitalize on this continuing trend is The Last Exorcism 2. That probably won't end up being the film's final title, of course; producer Eli Roth has joked that coming up with a new title will be perhaps their biggest creative challenge. He also acknowledged that the original movie's title clearly indicates that they never intended to make a sequel in the first place, but they just "love the story and subject matter" and they believe they have "an inspired idea to continue it." One of the original film's stars, Ashley Bell, will reprise her role as the possessed girl Nell, but director Daniel Stamm will not be returning. Instead he will be replaced by Canadian filmmaker Ed Gass-Donnelly (Small Town Murder Songs). According to Deadline, the sequel will pick up three months after the first film, although the story itself is still being kept under wraps. What's interesting, however, is that they've decided to up the rating from a PG-13 to a hard R for the follow-up, promising that it will be "profoundly scarier." Eli Roth had this to say:
"As you can see from other recent films, fans around the world are fascinated by this subject matter, and we want to go deeper and darker this time. The first film worked great as a PG-13 psychological film, but now we want to go R-rated and show the true horror of what this subject matter offers."
I worry that the lack of Reverend Cotton Marcus this time around will make it just another generic exorcism movie, but I suppose the twist ending of the first film leaves it open to just about anything. The movie is aiming for a late 2012 release. Are you looking forward to The Last Exorcism 2 and is the potential R rating a good thing?

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]]> The surprise success of The Devil Inside earlier this month has made studios eager to rush even more low budget horror films out the door, and in addition to Paranormal Activity 4, another sequel that will be hoping to capitalize on this continuing trend is The Last Exorcism 2. That probably won't end up being the film's final title, of course; producer Eli Roth has joked that coming up with a new title will be perhaps their biggest creative challenge. He also acknowledged that the original movie's title clearly indicates that they never intended to make a sequel in the first place, but they just "love the story and subject matter" and they believe they have "an inspired idea to continue it." One of the original film's stars, Ashley Bell, will reprise her role as the possessed girl Nell, but director Daniel Stamm will not be returning. Instead he will be replaced by Canadian filmmaker Ed Gass-Donnelly (Small Town Murder Songs). According to Deadline, the sequel will pick up three months after the first film, although the story itself is still being kept under wraps. What's interesting, however, is that they've decided to up the rating from a PG-13 to a hard R for the follow-up, promising that it will be "profoundly scarier." Eli Roth had this to say:
"As you can see from other recent films, fans around the world are fascinated by this subject matter, and we want to go deeper and darker this time. The first film worked great as a PG-13 psychological film, but now we want to go R-rated and show the true horror of what this subject matter offers."
I worry that the lack of Reverend Cotton Marcus this time around will make it just another generic exorcism movie, but I suppose the twist ending of the first film leaves it open to just about anything. The movie is aiming for a late 2012 release. Are you looking forward to The Last Exorcism 2 and is the potential R rating a good thing?

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]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/24/the-last-exorcism-2-will-have-a-new-director/feed/ Resident Evil: Retribution Teaser Trailer http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/19/resident-evil-retribution-teaser-trailer/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/19/resident-evil-retribution-teaser-trailer/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:34:05 +0000 Sean http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=69775 Well I think we all know that movie trailers are nothing more than giant commercials, but has there ever been a movie trailer as utterly shameless and morally bankrupt as this one? The new teaser trailer for Resident Evil: Retribution (distributed by Sony Screen Gems) presents itself as a full-blown ad for Sony products for the first 30 seconds, before morphing into a look at the post-apocalyptic future. On the one hand, it's kind of a clever twist that could catch you by surprise, but on the other hand, its audaciousness feels downright offensive. Resident Evil: Retribution is the fifth installment and at this point I have no idea what Paul W.S. Anderson could possibly add to the series. According to the official plot synopsis, "Alice continues to hunt those responsible for the outbreak; a chase that takes her from Tokyo to New York, Washington, D.C. and Moscow, culminating in a mind-blowing revelation that will force her to rethink everything that she once thought to be true." Isn't that every Resident Evil movie? Milla Jovovich stars along with Sienna Guillory, Michelle Rodriguez, Shawn Roberts and Johann Urb. Resident Evil: Retribution hits theatres on September 14th; check out the trailer after the jump and see what you think.

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]]> Well I think we all know that movie trailers are nothing more than giant commercials, but has there ever been a movie trailer as utterly shameless and morally bankrupt as this one? The new teaser trailer for Resident Evil: Retribution (distributed by Sony Screen Gems) presents itself as a full-blown ad for Sony products for the first 30 seconds, before morphing into a look at the post-apocalyptic future. On the one hand, it's kind of a clever twist that could catch you by surprise, but on the other hand, its audaciousness feels downright offensive. Resident Evil: Retribution is the fifth installment and at this point I have no idea what Paul W.S. Anderson could possibly add to the series. According to the official plot synopsis, "Alice continues to hunt those responsible for the outbreak; a chase that takes her from Tokyo to New York, Washington, D.C. and Moscow, culminating in a mind-blowing revelation that will force her to rethink everything that she once thought to be true." Isn't that every Resident Evil movie? Milla Jovovich stars along with Sienna Guillory, Michelle Rodriguez, Shawn Roberts and Johann Urb. Resident Evil: Retribution hits theatres on September 14th; check out the trailer after the jump and see what you think.

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]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/19/resident-evil-retribution-teaser-trailer/feed/ Dexter Movie is a Distinct Possibility http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/19/dexter-movie-is-a-distinct-possibility/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/19/dexter-movie-is-a-distinct-possibility/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:36:08 +0000 Sean http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=69725 I was originally expecting (and kind of hoping) that this season of Dexter would be the last one, but alas the show has since been renewed for (at least) two more seasons. I guess that's to be expected when the show is still setting new records for number of viewers (this season averaged 5.12 million per week), it's just too bad that they are running out of ideas. I watched a couple of episodes from season 6 and couldn't really get into the storyline, although I've heard a lot of people raving about this season's crazy twist ending. Either way, if the show's popularity continues to climb, it seems that Showtime might even take things to the next level, setting up an open-ended series finale that indulges the possibility of a feature film continuation. In a recent interview with TV Guide (warning: contains spoilers), Dexter executive producer Manny Coto (aka Greg's favourite director of all time) said that they still don't have an end game in sight and that they are kind of taking each season as it comes. However, he does mention the movie scenario, and it's clear that it has at least been discussed behind closed doors:
"We're not really looking at an end game right now. In a way, it's almost like every season is a form of an end game. This season could've been an end to Dexter, setting it up for the movies, for example. So every season kind of comes to it's own conclusion and can be a sort of end game... I'm actually just projecting from my own experience on 24, where at the end we weren't going to kill Jack Bauer. We were going to leave him open because down the road there might be a movie. And sure enough, there's a movie coming."
Obviously it's still just speculation at this point, but it seems to be something that every popular TV series eventually must consider nowadays. Personally I'm not convinced that it is always a good idea, but as more and more TV properties make the jump to the big screen we'll get a better idea of how people can make it work. Are you a fan of Dexter? Would you like to see it become a movie franchise or would you prefer to have a definitive series end in the near future?

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]]> I was originally expecting (and kind of hoping) that this season of Dexter would be the last one, but alas the show has since been renewed for (at least) two more seasons. I guess that's to be expected when the show is still setting new records for number of viewers (this season averaged 5.12 million per week), it's just too bad that they are running out of ideas. I watched a couple of episodes from season 6 and couldn't really get into the storyline, although I've heard a lot of people raving about this season's crazy twist ending. Either way, if the show's popularity continues to climb, it seems that Showtime might even take things to the next level, setting up an open-ended series finale that indulges the possibility of a feature film continuation. In a recent interview with TV Guide (warning: contains spoilers), Dexter executive producer Manny Coto (aka Greg's favourite director of all time) said that they still don't have an end game in sight and that they are kind of taking each season as it comes. However, he does mention the movie scenario, and it's clear that it has at least been discussed behind closed doors:
"We're not really looking at an end game right now. In a way, it's almost like every season is a form of an end game. This season could've been an end to Dexter, setting it up for the movies, for example. So every season kind of comes to it's own conclusion and can be a sort of end game... I'm actually just projecting from my own experience on 24, where at the end we weren't going to kill Jack Bauer. We were going to leave him open because down the road there might be a movie. And sure enough, there's a movie coming."
Obviously it's still just speculation at this point, but it seems to be something that every popular TV series eventually must consider nowadays. Personally I'm not convinced that it is always a good idea, but as more and more TV properties make the jump to the big screen we'll get a better idea of how people can make it work. Are you a fan of Dexter? Would you like to see it become a movie franchise or would you prefer to have a definitive series end in the near future?

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]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/19/dexter-movie-is-a-distinct-possibility/feed/ Liv Tyler to Star in Ti West’s New Sci-Fi/Thriller The Side Effect http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/18/liv-tyler-to-star-in-ti-wests-new-sci-fithriller-the-side-effect/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/18/liv-tyler-to-star-in-ti-wests-new-sci-fithriller-the-side-effect/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:59:17 +0000 Aaron http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=69745 While currently earning some praise for his most recent film The Innkeepers, director Ti West has already begun work on his next effort, a sci-fi thriller called The Side Effect. Liv Tyler has just been announced as the lead, playing a woman who "spends several months alone in space as an experimental subject for a global pharmaceutical company, and finds herself inexplicably pregnant." Her paranoia grows as the cause of conception becomes more elusive. Described as more psychological than his previous efforts, West maintained that the film doesn't abandon his genre roots, commenting that "it is still somewhat of a horror film." Sounds like a cross between Moon and Rosemary's Baby. The Side Effect marks a return to thriller territory for Tyler who starred in 2008's The Strangers. While some may voice concern over Tyler's ability to carry a film, I think West's ability to create and manipulate tone will stand as a better marker for the movie's effectiveness. He's certainly shown his skills in that department thus far and watching him tackle material that aims to be more psychological in nature should make for an interesting film. Both Tyler and West will be attending Sundance later this month to promote separate films (she has Robot And Frank, he has V/H/S), so perhaps we will hear more details on The Side Effect then. Are you excited that Ti West's latest falls into the sci-fi genre? What do you think of Liv Tyler as the lead?

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]]> While currently earning some praise for his most recent film The Innkeepers, director Ti West has already begun work on his next effort, a sci-fi thriller called The Side Effect. Liv Tyler has just been announced as the lead, playing a woman who "spends several months alone in space as an experimental subject for a global pharmaceutical company, and finds herself inexplicably pregnant." Her paranoia grows as the cause of conception becomes more elusive. Described as more psychological than his previous efforts, West maintained that the film doesn't abandon his genre roots, commenting that "it is still somewhat of a horror film." Sounds like a cross between Moon and Rosemary's Baby. The Side Effect marks a return to thriller territory for Tyler who starred in 2008's The Strangers. While some may voice concern over Tyler's ability to carry a film, I think West's ability to create and manipulate tone will stand as a better marker for the movie's effectiveness. He's certainly shown his skills in that department thus far and watching him tackle material that aims to be more psychological in nature should make for an interesting film. Both Tyler and West will be attending Sundance later this month to promote separate films (she has Robot And Frank, he has V/H/S), so perhaps we will hear more details on The Side Effect then. Are you excited that Ti West's latest falls into the sci-fi genre? What do you think of Liv Tyler as the lead?

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]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/18/liv-tyler-to-star-in-ti-wests-new-sci-fithriller-the-side-effect/feed/ Marcus Nispel to Direct Hack/Slash Movie http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/17/marcus-nispel-to-direct-hackslash-movie/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/17/marcus-nispel-to-direct-hackslash-movie/#comments Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:46:30 +0000 Sean http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=69570 Marcus Nispel is a director who has built a career on lazy reboots of classic genre franchises. I don't think many people would call his remakes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th or Conan the Barbarian particularly good (in fact, some would call them downright dreadful), but they still made enough money based on the franchise names alone that he somehow continues to find work. Fortunately, for his next project, it looks like he will take a break from the remakes in order to put together an adaptation of a popular comic book series instead. Unfortunately, that comic book is Tim Seeley and Stefano Caselli's Hack/Slash, and if you are a horror fan familiar with this series, I imagine you've got reason to be worried all over again. According to Heat Vision, Relativity has hired Marcus Nispel to direct Hack/Slash after having the project in development for over five years now. Previously both Todd Lincoln (The Apparition) and Fredrik Bond (The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman) were attached to direct, but Nispel seems to be getting good at taking over doomed projects that no one else will touch. The latest version of the script was supposedly written by Stephen Susco (The Grudge), but it is unclear if it will get a fresh rewrite. To be fair, the material does seem to fall within Nispel's wheelhouse. The comic book revolves around a former slasher victim named Cassie who now spends her days tracking down and killing horror movie villains with the help of Vlad, a large, disfigured man who wears a gas mask. The comic has had crossovers with many popular horror franchises including Chucky, Re-Animator and Victor Crowley from Hatchet. It seems unlikely that any of these characters would be licensed for the Hack/Slash movie, however. Are you a fan of Hack/Slash? Do you think Marcus Nispel is a good choice to direct?

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]]> Marcus Nispel is a director who has built a career on lazy reboots of classic genre franchises. I don't think many people would call his remakes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th or Conan the Barbarian particularly good (in fact, some would call them downright dreadful), but they still made enough money based on the franchise names alone that he somehow continues to find work. Fortunately, for his next project, it looks like he will take a break from the remakes in order to put together an adaptation of a popular comic book series instead. Unfortunately, that comic book is Tim Seeley and Stefano Caselli's Hack/Slash, and if you are a horror fan familiar with this series, I imagine you've got reason to be worried all over again. According to Heat Vision, Relativity has hired Marcus Nispel to direct Hack/Slash after having the project in development for over five years now. Previously both Todd Lincoln (The Apparition) and Fredrik Bond (The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman) were attached to direct, but Nispel seems to be getting good at taking over doomed projects that no one else will touch. The latest version of the script was supposedly written by Stephen Susco (The Grudge), but it is unclear if it will get a fresh rewrite. To be fair, the material does seem to fall within Nispel's wheelhouse. The comic book revolves around a former slasher victim named Cassie who now spends her days tracking down and killing horror movie villains with the help of Vlad, a large, disfigured man who wears a gas mask. The comic has had crossovers with many popular horror franchises including Chucky, Re-Animator and Victor Crowley from Hatchet. It seems unlikely that any of these characters would be licensed for the Hack/Slash movie, however. Are you a fan of Hack/Slash? Do you think Marcus Nispel is a good choice to direct?

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]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/17/marcus-nispel-to-direct-hackslash-movie/feed/ A&E Developing a Psycho TV Series Called Bates Motel http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/13/ae-developing-a-psycho-tv-series-called-bates-motel/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/13/ae-developing-a-psycho-tv-series-called-bates-motel/#comments Sat, 14 Jan 2012 03:52:35 +0000 Aaron http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=69575 After hearing about AMC's Goodfellas TV series earlier this week, we can now report that another classic film will soon be receiving the television treatment: none other than Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. This time around it's A&E that will develop the new show, titled Bates Motel, which will act as a prequel to the Hitchcock film. It will chronicle the development of Norman Bates' psyche and how the treatment he received from his mother and her lover warped him into a killer. Anthony Cipriano (12 and Holding) penned the script, but, as of yet, no director or actors have been signed. While A&E is known mainly for unscripted material like Intervention and Hoarders, Bates Motel would represent the network's growing attempts at scripted shows like The Glades and Breakout Kings. While the idea of exploring Norman Bates' past may sound like an interesting idea on paper, I've found that it's usually better to leave some level of mystery to a character that famous. As an obvious example, just think of the Star Wars prequels and their telling of Darth Vader's past. Putting that idea aside, a Norman Bates-centered show could still have some potential, perhaps in the same vein as Dexter. We all know that messing with an iconic horror property like this can make fans pretty touchy (just ask Gus Van Sant after his remake), so the material will need to be handled just right for any type of success. Are you looking forward to a trip to Bates Motel? Who would you like to see play a young Norman Bates?

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]]> After hearing about AMC's Goodfellas TV series earlier this week, we can now report that another classic film will soon be receiving the television treatment: none other than Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. This time around it's A&E that will develop the new show, titled Bates Motel, which will act as a prequel to the Hitchcock film. It will chronicle the development of Norman Bates' psyche and how the treatment he received from his mother and her lover warped him into a killer. Anthony Cipriano (12 and Holding) penned the script, but, as of yet, no director or actors have been signed. While A&E is known mainly for unscripted material like Intervention and Hoarders, Bates Motel would represent the network's growing attempts at scripted shows like The Glades and Breakout Kings. While the idea of exploring Norman Bates' past may sound like an interesting idea on paper, I've found that it's usually better to leave some level of mystery to a character that famous. As an obvious example, just think of the Star Wars prequels and their telling of Darth Vader's past. Putting that idea aside, a Norman Bates-centered show could still have some potential, perhaps in the same vein as Dexter. We all know that messing with an iconic horror property like this can make fans pretty touchy (just ask Gus Van Sant after his remake), so the material will need to be handled just right for any type of success. Are you looking forward to a trip to Bates Motel? Who would you like to see play a young Norman Bates?

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]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/13/ae-developing-a-psycho-tv-series-called-bates-motel/feed/ Catfish Directors Will Return for Paranormal Activity 4 http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/09/catfish-directors-will-return-for-paranormal-activity-4/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/09/catfish-directors-will-return-for-paranormal-activity-4/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:03:19 +0000 Sean http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=69288 Last week we brought you the not-so-shocking news that Paramount was prepping a fourth installment in the Paranormal Activity series for release sometime in 2012. Now that The Devil Inside has done so well, I'd say they're probably going to have even higher expectations for it as there is clearly a huge appetite out there for low budget horror flicks right now. There were a number of questions still yet to be answered regarding Paranormal Activity 4, including the director(s) and release date, however, both of those have since been cleared up in a matter of days. Catfish directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman will indeed be returning for another round with the found footage franchise, and the movie will be released in October as expected, although not directly before Halloween. According to Bloody Disgusting, Joost and Schulman are now confirmed for the film and have either officially signed on or are currently in final negotiations now. It's an interesting turn that their careers have taken, not only in moving from documentary to horror, but also in managing to have one of the highest grossing horror movies of all-time under their belts. It's obviously going to open a lot of doors for them, but for the time being they aren't giving up on this cash cow. As for the release date, Paranormal Activity 4 will be releasing on Oct. 19th, where it will go up against Ruben Fleischer's Gangster Squad and rom-com The Big Wedding. Halloween 3D will hit theatres the weekend after. I'm curious to see how long the Paranormal Activity franchise can sustain itself before people get sick of it. Will it outlast Saw? Does it make you more or less interested to know that Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman are returning for part 4?

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]]> Last week we brought you the not-so-shocking news that Paramount was prepping a fourth installment in the Paranormal Activity series for release sometime in 2012. Now that The Devil Inside has done so well, I'd say they're probably going to have even higher expectations for it as there is clearly a huge appetite out there for low budget horror flicks right now. There were a number of questions still yet to be answered regarding Paranormal Activity 4, including the director(s) and release date, however, both of those have since been cleared up in a matter of days. Catfish directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman will indeed be returning for another round with the found footage franchise, and the movie will be released in October as expected, although not directly before Halloween. According to Bloody Disgusting, Joost and Schulman are now confirmed for the film and have either officially signed on or are currently in final negotiations now. It's an interesting turn that their careers have taken, not only in moving from documentary to horror, but also in managing to have one of the highest grossing horror movies of all-time under their belts. It's obviously going to open a lot of doors for them, but for the time being they aren't giving up on this cash cow. As for the release date, Paranormal Activity 4 will be releasing on Oct. 19th, where it will go up against Ruben Fleischer's Gangster Squad and rom-com The Big Wedding. Halloween 3D will hit theatres the weekend after. I'm curious to see how long the Paranormal Activity franchise can sustain itself before people get sick of it. Will it outlast Saw? Does it make you more or less interested to know that Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman are returning for part 4?

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/09/catfish-directors-will-return-for-paranormal-activity-4/feed/ Silent House Trailer Starring Elizabeth Olsen http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/06/silent-house-trailer-starring-elizabeth-olsen/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/06/silent-house-trailer-starring-elizabeth-olsen/#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:57:56 +0000 Sean http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=69178 The Olsen Twins' younger sister Elizabeth announced her arrival as an actress this year with a breakout performance in the indie cult drama Martha Marcy May Marlene. Wondering what she might do for an encore? Her next film is a more straightforward horror flick with an interesting gimmick: it's all presented in real-time as a single continuous take. The movie is called Silent House, and it seems to revolve around a home invasion of some sort, although it's unclear if anything supernatural is at work here. This isn't the first movie to claim to be in real-time (Nick of Time starring Johnny Depp, anyone?), but if you think you've seen this before, it's probably because you have; Silent House is a remake of the Uruguayan horror film La Casa Muda, directed by Gustavo Hernandez. The U.S. remake is co-directed by Chris Kentis, who also did the indie shark thriller Open Water. I'm intrigued enough by the concept that I'll probably check this out, but man, the voiceover narration at the beginning of the trailer is pretty awful. Silent House hits theatres on March 9th; check out the trailer after the jump and see what you think.

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]]> The Olsen Twins' younger sister Elizabeth announced her arrival as an actress this year with a breakout performance in the indie cult drama Martha Marcy May Marlene. Wondering what she might do for an encore? Her next film is a more straightforward horror flick with an interesting gimmick: it's all presented in real-time as a single continuous take. The movie is called Silent House, and it seems to revolve around a home invasion of some sort, although it's unclear if anything supernatural is at work here. This isn't the first movie to claim to be in real-time (Nick of Time starring Johnny Depp, anyone?), but if you think you've seen this before, it's probably because you have; Silent House is a remake of the Uruguayan horror film La Casa Muda, directed by Gustavo Hernandez. The U.S. remake is co-directed by Chris Kentis, who also did the indie shark thriller Open Water. I'm intrigued enough by the concept that I'll probably check this out, but man, the voiceover narration at the beginning of the trailer is pretty awful. Silent House hits theatres on March 9th; check out the trailer after the jump and see what you think.

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]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/06/silent-house-trailer-starring-elizabeth-olsen/feed/ Carrie Remake Gets a Director http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/05/carrie-remake-gets-a-director/ http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/05/carrie-remake-gets-a-director/#comments Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:55:09 +0000 Sean http://www.filmjunk.com/?p=69129 Over the last few years, we've seen so many classic horror movies getting remade that it's actually become a bit of a challenge to find one that hasn't been remade. Brian de Palma's 1976 adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie is one of the few that has managed to escape the redo bug thus far, but that's expected to change soon with MGM and Screen Gems currently pursuing a new version of the story. Last summer we reported that playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark) would be writing the script, and now a director has been named for the project as well: Kimberly Peirce, best known for the Oscar-nominated film Boys Don't Cry. Well, I guess if someone's gotta direct it, that's not a bad choice. Peirce most recently directed the MTV Films drama Stop-Loss about veterans returning from the Iraq war, but she hasn't done much else over the past decade. Still, she clearly knows how to tell a tragic story about an ostracized and abused young woman. The next big step will be finding someone who can fill Sissy Spacek's shoes (please, anyone but Megan Fox). According to Deadline, the new version of Carrie is supposed to be a new retelling of the book rather than a remake of De Palma's film... sure, sure, that's what they all say. If you're worried about Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's previous credits, however, it's worth noting that he also wrote the Marvel Comics adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand. What do you think, can they actually pull off a remake of Carrie that isn't a total embarrassment?

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]]> Over the last few years, we've seen so many classic horror movies getting remade that it's actually become a bit of a challenge to find one that hasn't been remade. Brian de Palma's 1976 adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie is one of the few that has managed to escape the redo bug thus far, but that's expected to change soon with MGM and Screen Gems currently pursuing a new version of the story. Last summer we reported that playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark) would be writing the script, and now a director has been named for the project as well: Kimberly Peirce, best known for the Oscar-nominated film Boys Don't Cry. Well, I guess if someone's gotta direct it, that's not a bad choice. Peirce most recently directed the MTV Films drama Stop-Loss about veterans returning from the Iraq war, but she hasn't done much else over the past decade. Still, she clearly knows how to tell a tragic story about an ostracized and abused young woman. The next big step will be finding someone who can fill Sissy Spacek's shoes (please, anyone but Megan Fox). According to Deadline, the new version of Carrie is supposed to be a new retelling of the book rather than a remake of De Palma's film... sure, sure, that's what they all say. If you're worried about Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's previous credits, however, it's worth noting that he also wrote the Marvel Comics adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand. What do you think, can they actually pull off a remake of Carrie that isn't a total embarrassment?

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

]]> http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/01/05/carrie-remake-gets-a-director/feed/