Film Junk » Horror

The Orphanage Remake Loses Its Director

Sean — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:02:58 +0000

Larry Fessenden exits the redo, possibly due to a casting disagreement.

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William Peter Blatty and William Friedkin to Reteam for The Exorcist Remake?

Sean — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:47:36 +0000

The duo may retell the story as a mini-series with more elements from the novel and a new ending.

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Universal Sued for The Fourth Kind Viral Marketing Misfire

Sean — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:37:37 +0000

With all the clever viral marketing schemes being dreamed up to promote movies as of late, you've gotta expect that at least a few of them won't necessarily go according to plan. Earlier this summer we heard about Fox's weak attempt to promote I Love You, Beth Cooper during a high school valedictorian speech. This month, however, Universal may have surpassed them with an even more bone-headed move that has landed them on the wrong side of a lawsuit. When the first trailer was released for the alien abduction thriller The Fourth Kind, it hinted that the movie was based on a true story, and that the city of Nome, Alaska had a history of UFO sightings and abductions. I remember Googling that immediately afterward and finding no evidence to back it up whatsoever. I guess Universal tried to rectify that by posting up some fake news articles about the abductions to support the movie's back story. This might have been clever except for the fact that they used the names of real news outlets... without their permission. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that Universal has recently come to a settlement, paying $20,000 to the Alaska Press Club as compensation for "eroding confidence in the world of journalism". Surprisingly, they were quick to agree to pay up, admitting that they were in the wrong. What do you think, did they go too far with the viral marketing for The Fourth Kind? Is it worth the effort to try and convince people that a movie really is based on a true story?

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Fright Night Remake Lands Buffy Writer

Sean — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:15:14 +0000

It's been a couple of years since we first heard mention of a Fright Night remake, but with vampires continuing to take over pop culture right now, Dreamworks has finally hired a writer to get the ball rolling. According to The Hollywood Reporter, they've brought former Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel writer Marti Noxon on board to pen the script. Noxon's vamp experience obviously seems like a good fit, but it's interesting to note that she is currently a writer/producer for Mad Men, and has also worked on Prison Break and Grey's Anatomy. Back when rumours of this remake first surfaced, Sony Screen Gems was believed to be the studio and they reportedly wanted it to be nothing like the original. Now that Dreamworks has taken over, it seems that it may be headed for a more straightforward redo. The only clue we have about the direction being taken is that it will "keep the comedy-horror tone while modernizing the effects". Tom Holland's original 1985 film was about a teenager who suspects that his next door neighbour is a vampire. Do you think the concept still holds up today? Is this a movie that deserves to be remade at this point in time?

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Man on Wire Director Hired for Exorcism Thriller The Vatican Tapes

Sean — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:55:42 +0000

You want more "found footage" horror? You got it! Lionsgate and Lakeshore Entertainment are prepping development of a new thriller called The Vatican Tapes, about an exorcism gone awry. The story, which was conceived by Chris Morgan (Wanted, Fast & Furious) and written by Chris Borrelli (The Marine 2), involves a tape that gets leaked from The Vatican with footage of this frightening exorcism. While it's unclear if the entire movie will actually be the footage itself, this week they've announced that they've hired Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker James Marsh to direct it. Marsh is best known for the fantastic 2008 doc Man on Wire, about Philippe Petit's tightrope walk between the World Trade Center towers, but most recently he directed Red Riding: 1980, a fictionalized crime thriller about the Yorkshire Ripper murders in England. I have to admit, I really like the sound of this, but great documentary directors don't always make fantastic horror flicks (see: Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2). It also seems suspiciously similar to Eli Roth's upcoming exorcism flick, Cotton, which is also being directed by someone with a background in documentaries. What do you think, does this sound promising, or at this point will it seem like just another Paranormal Activity knock off?

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David Fincher Reuniting with Writer of Seven for The Reincarnation of Peter Proud Remake

Sean — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:30:13 +0000

I know a lot of people are still unsure about the fact that David Fincher's next project is a movie about Facebook, but if that's not your cup of tea, his follow-up project should put you at ease. For his next movie, it looks like Fincher will be bringing back together the same team that worked on his 1995 thriller Se7en starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, in order to remake the 1975 film The Reincarnation of Peter Proud. According to Heat Vision, screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker will adapt the Max Ehrlich novel on which the movie was based, while Fincher will produce along with former New Line president of production Michael De Luca. The story centers on a college professor who begins to have visions of a previous life, and finds himself drawn to a woman and her daughter who are seemingly connected to his past. The original movie starred Michael Sarrazin and Margot Kidder, but this will not be a straight-up remake as they plan to rely on the novel for source material, moving it to a modern day setting. What do you think, will this be a return to form for Fincher or will he continue to branch out with his career?

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Paramount Picks Up Gremlins Wanna-Be Jitters

Sean — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:33:52 +0000

Although Gremlins 3 rumours are still continuing to circulate, as of right now, we haven't heard anything concrete about a possible third installment in this classic '80s franchise. The closest we've come to another Gremlins flick is the BT Business commercial that brought them out of retirement last year. A sequel could still happen (and probably will), but in the meantime, a writer by the name of Marc Haimes is apparently offering his own spin on the family-friendly horror adventure genre. According to Variety, Paramount has picked up the rights to a spec script written by Haimes called Jitters. The story is described as a "family action pic", and is drawing comparisons to Gremlins. Haimes was a co-producer on The Legend of Zorro, and has a handful of scripts currently in development including a time travel adventure called Family History and a vampire thriller called Elevator Men. Obviously we don't know too much about his work at the moment, but if this ends up being anything like Joe Dante's The Hole, then I'm totally on board. What do you think, would you like to see a third Gremlins flick, or is a Gremlins-inspired original project more appealing?

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Platinum Dunes Ouija Board Movie Possesses a Pair of Lost Writers

Sean — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:28:09 +0000

A Ouija movie is indeed in the works, and this week a pair of writers have been summoned to make it a reality. According to THR's Heat Vision blog, Universal has hired Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz to pen the script. This is the same duo behind Disney's upcoming Tron Legacy, but I'm more interested in looking at some of their work that has actually been released: most notably, 17 episodes of Lost. They sound like a decent match for this project, and who knows, maybe they can actually turn it into something worthwhile? Ouija is among the stable of board game properties that Universal is actively developing into feature films, but out of all of them, I think this one at least holds some potential. No doubt they are hoping to strike while the iron is hot, since a Ouija board figured prominently in one scene in the creepy low budget hit Paranormal Activity. The movie is being produced by Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes studio, and is seen as a "supernatural action-adventure movie". The so-called "rules" of the Ouija board may also be incorporated into the plot (never use it alone, never use it in a graveyard, always say good-bye, etc.). What do you think, could a Ouija board movie actually be any good?

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Open Forum Friday: Is it Better to Watch Horror Movies at Home or in a Theatre?

Sean — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:49:10 +0000

"Don't see it alone." This tagline for Paranormal Activity has been repeated over and over again on posters and commercials, and has apparently been very successful at getting audiences out to see this movie. When you think about it, it's kind of brilliant because it discourages people from downloading a leaked screener and watching it on their own, and it also encourages them to bring plenty of friends with them out to the theatre. But is this movie really more enjoyable to see with a large group of strangers, or would it actually be more effective in the privacy of your own home? My own theatrical experience for Paranormal Activity was ruined by an unruly crowd who refused to allow themselves or anyone around them to be fully immersed in the film. Although this can be a problem with just about any movie, I've noticed it becoming a bigger problem for horror movies in general. I think certain viewers don't want to let their friends see them get scared, so they avoid it by being loud and obnoxious. That's just a theory I have, but it seems to be true. It's a shame because I think that the nervous energy in a theatre can definitely enhance a scary movie, along with screams or gasps (at appropriate times). However, when audience members steadfastly refuse to buy into the movie because they're "too cool" to get scared, it simply brings everyone else down. Have you had any bad experiences with crowds at horror films? What do you think is the best way to see a scary movie? Is it too hard for movies to genuinely frighten people nowadays? Give us your thoughts here on Open Forum Friday.

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The Evil Dead to Get Theatrical Re-Release

Sean — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:11:24 +0000

Wouldn't it be cool if, instead of producing so many remakes, more Hollywood studios would simply consider re-releasing classic films for limited theatrical runs? I suppose they might not stand to make as much money from a re-release of a movie that doesn't have any of today's hot young stars in it, but on the other hand, it wouldn't cost them that much money either. We've seen a few examples of this over the past few years (The Wizard of Oz and A Nightmare on Elm Street, for example), but most of the time it's only for one or two nights. Well, now here's some cool news about a company that's trying to revive the concept of midnight movies with the help of Sam Raimi's very first flick The Evil Dead. According to a press release from Grindhouse Releasing, they will be bringing The Evil Dead back to the big screen with "midnight screenings in select theaters across the U.S. and Canada". No word on how many cities this may involve (I'm guessing just a handful of specialty theatres), but I think there would be some level of interest in it just about everywhere. I wonder if the success of this will have any bearing on the future of the long rumoured Evil Dead remake? Dates and venues will be announced at GrindhouseReleasing.com. Is this something you'd pay to see on the big screen?

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Paranormal Activity Becomes Most Profitable Movie of All Time

Sean — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:20:06 +0000

Well if you needed any further proof that the Paranormal Activity clones are going to start getting greenlit in droves, this week the low budget horror flick apparently surpassed The Blair Witch Project to become the most profitable movie of all time. It's not too surprising, especially considering that the movie supposedly cost way less to make than The Blair Witch Project in the first place (filmmaking tools are just getting more and more inexpensive). Still, it can be hard to fairly judge these things... a movie that cost $15,000 to shoot initially still has to pour tons of money into marketing and distribution before it hits the big screen. According to The Wrap, Paranormal Activity has earned approximately $65 million thus far, which works out to a 433,900% return on investment! And it's only going to make more money since it expands to more theatres again this weekend. That's pretty crazy. Don Harris, executive VP of distribution for Paramount is quoted as saying that, "For Viacom, this movie is probably more important than one that does $300 million or $400 million." So hopefully all the studio execs do take notice and consider giving more smaller productions a shot at getting a wide release. What do you think, is the success of Paranormal Activity a good thing for Hollywood? What other effects do you think it will have?

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Paranormal Activity Review

Sean — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:51:02 +0000

Paranormal Activity Written and Directed by: Oren Peli Starring: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Mark Fredrichs Every couple of years, a big independent film success story comes along to remind people that massive budgets and bankable stars are not required to make a movie that strikes a chord with the general public. Earlier this year we already had Neill Blomkamp's District 9, which was independent and low budget in comparison just about every other summer blockbuster out there. Oren Peli's Paranormal Activity, however, is in another class entirely. Reportedly shot for the ridiculously cheap price tag of just $11,000 (less than The Blair Witch Project) back in 2006, the movie was picked up by Dreamworks in the wake of a new surge in handheld horror movies like REC and Cloverfield. However, after Paramount acquired Dreamworks, it simply sat on a shelf for a couple of years. At one point, it looked like the studio was going to try and set up a remake of the film instead, but then this September they suddenly decided that they had nothing to lose by releasing it a few theatres to see if audiences would respond. And they did. Buoyed by a unique marketing campaign that allowed audiences to cast votes online to bring the movie to their city, Paranormal Activity continued to build positive buzz until it has finally reached a wide release going head to head with Saw VI. So, is it really one of the scariest movies of all time? The concept seems ridiculously simple, and plenty of independent filmmakers out there are probably kicking themselves for not thinking of it first. A young couple move into a house together, and starting hearing strange noises at night while they sleep. Katie believes that she has been haunted since she was a young girl, but her boyfriend Micah doesn't really believe it. In order to get to the bottom of the occurrences, he buys a video camera and sets it up to record at night while they sleep. As the intensity of the so-called "hauntings" escalate, Katie gets more and more terrified, while Micah becomes hostile and stand off-ish. All of the madness is captured on camera for us to see. Comparisons to The Blair Witch Project abound and are completely warranted, but nowadays that may be seen as a bit of a negative thing. People seem to think that The Blair Witch Project was hyped undeservingly, but regardless of how you feel about that movie, Paranormal Activity is the real deal. I think it will have a much easier time connecting with people since the victims are helpless in their own homes. It's a classic haunted house scenario that people can relate to, and it plays out with a great degree of realism. There's also not much "shaky cam" to worry about since most of the scary stuff happens while the camera is firmly resting on a tripod in the corner of their bedroom. If you feel sick to your stomach during Paranormal Activity, it will be because you are genuinely frightened, not because of motion sickness. The pacing is near perfect, as things start off relatively harmless and almost laughably inconsequential, but then build toward something much more dangerous and disturbing. In fact, some people may find the end of the film almost a little too explicit in what it shows, but I think it will satisfy mainstream viewers who felt that The Blair Witch Project didn't actually show anything at all. The movie's few stumbling points are when it tries to show something a little too obvious (the ouija board scene) or when it tries to insert a little bit of a back story (Micah's internet search that turns up a previous victim with similar circumstances). Much like The Blair Witch Project, however, Paranormal Activity is at its most effective when it is merely hinting at possibilities that make your imagination run wild. It truly is all about what isn't shown on screen rather than what is. There's a terrifying sense of dread that sets in every time night rolls around. At the heart of this movie is the relationship between Katie and Micah, which provides two opposing perspectives on the strange phenomenon happening around them. Some people have complained about the believability of Micah's reactions in particular, where he seemingly remains unconvinced after witnessing some pretty crazy stuff. I agree that in places this is a bit of a stretch, but I think his macho attitude is not as uncommon as you think (indeed, the nervous laughter and scoffing of certain "tough guys" in the theatre around me only prove the point). The acting ability of unknown stars Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat does falter slightly here and there, but the conflict within their relationship still felt convincing to me. In the end, I have to say that Paranormal Activity is indeed worthy of most of the hype surrounding it. This is a clever, original and well-executed film that will chill you to the core, assuming you are willing to give it a chance. Although I haven't seen Saw VI (and probably won't), there's no question in my mind that this is the horror flick to see this Halloween. Just be warned -- you may not be able to sleep with the lights off again for quite some time. -- Sean

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