Entries from April 2009 ↓

It's happening, it's finally happening! A captain has finally be found to take the heed of The Last Voyage of Demeter for Phoenix Pictures. Originally set to be helmed by Patrick Tatopoulos, we've been following this project since we saw a bunch of casting shots on the set of Underworld: Evolution back in 2005! As the movie never came into fruition, maybe the director of Friday the 13th will have better luck? Transylvania awaits!

While I'm not a huge fan of the Japanese live-action adaptation, it's a pretty cool premise that, with some work, could become a really intriguing franchise. It was announced back in June of 2008 that Vertigo Films would be producing the American remake of Death Note, just today it was revealed that Warner Bros. Pictures will release. Read on for the skinny.

This afternoon our regular tipster just banged on my door and unloaded a bunch of casting for Dimension Films' Piranha 3D, which begins lensing next month in Arizona under the direction of Alex Aja. Read on to see who will be joining the previously announced Elisabeth Shue, Adam Scott, Ving Rhames and Richard Dreyfuss in the forthcoming reboot that takes place in Lake Havasu, Arizona, where a tremor causes the lake's floor to open, setting free scores of prehistoric piranhas...

Some new A Nightmare on Elm Street casting hit the web today as Katie Cassidy has been cast as "Kris" in the reboot being filmed next month in Chicago, reports Shocktillyoudrop. Cassidy can currently be seen Saturdays in CBS' murder mystery Harper's Island and has appeared in films such as Black Christmas and Taken. She'll join the previous announced Jackie Earle Haley, Kyle Gallner, Thomas Dekker, Rooney Mara and Kellan Lutz in the pic that centers on Freddy Krueger, a serial child molester murdered by angry parents, who returns with a burnt face and a razor glove to terrorize teens in their dreams. New Line Cinema will bring us all new nightmares on April 16, 2010.

It was Bela Lugosi who hooked me on horror. At four years old my father (a horror fan as well, but not quite an addict) and I watched Dracula (1931)

Does anyone know of a movie from the early 80's, possibly late 70's, in which a woman witnesses some sort of hippie cult kill someone? Later in the

This is a movie from the 70's. A little boy drowns in the sea and comes back to stalk his own mother. Apparently the mother never gets over her son's

Dimension Films has finally given John Hillcoat's long-delayed adaptation of The Road a new release date - nearly a year after it was original slated to hit theaters. Starring Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Robert Duvall, Dimension will put the film in theaters on October 16 of this year, assuming the date sticks this time. The story centers on a man who embarks on a nightmarish road trip after a nuclear explosion in an attempt to transport his son to safety while fending off cannibals. Click the title for the first stills.

Production Weekly reports that Wes Craven's long-time assistant turned producer Carly Feingold has teamed with Brooke Fisher to bring you a new film by the name of Miles To Nowhere. While the details are thin, the project revolves around a group hiking The Pacific Crest Trail are threatened by a pair of twisted fugitives. I think it's safe to assume (although not confirmed) that Midnight Pictures will produce as Feingold has worked with Craven on Cursed, Red Eye, The Hills Have Eyes, The Hills Have Eyes II, The Last House on the Left and the forthcoming 25/8. Watch this spot for more details as it comes in.

I became interested in horror films at the age of ten, merging my earlier interests in Tim Burton and Edgar Allan Poe with classic slasher films like

The boys over at IESB have been on scoop fire lately as today they've got a hot little blurb from Spawn creator Todd McFarlane about the potential much needed remake that's been in talks for quite some time now. "Todd McFarlane tells us he has five offers on the table to do a new Spawn film. From big special effects studio budgets to a smaller indie budgets that he hopes to be able to write and direct himself." For those of you who aren't familiar with the franchise, it was one of the first Image comic books released when the company launched in 1992 and at the time was the all-time highest selling comic. It featured an African American CIA agent killed by his own boss for witnessing his corruption, Al Simmons was sent to hell. To see his wife one more time, he made a deal with the devil Malebolgia to become an undead "hellspawn".

I recently made a short horror film called Ludlow, starring Shannon Lark and Elissa Dowling. I thought I'd share all the boring details about how that came to be, because...you know...sharing is caring and if there's one I thing I do, it's care.

Remember that thing I did called Ghostella's Haunted Tomb? The lezzie horror webseries thingy that had some special guest stars and stuff, and some people kind of got the idea behind the whole thing and some people didn't? Huh? Yeah, well…I don't know what's happening with Ghostella. I haven't yet decided if I want to do a second season or not, or what it'll entail, or…but! This is not meant to be about Ghostella's Haunted Tomb.

Remember Fudgalicious gum? Which was gum, but…you know, it was chocolate? That's either the best or worst idea in the history of ever- kind of like the Spice Girls, or those bowls you can buy that come with a built-in straw for drinking whatever milk is leftover after you've eaten your Fruity Pebbles or whatever. Actually, you know what? Those bowls you can buy that come with a built-in straw are the worst, plain-n-simple. I mean, how effing hard is it to tip the bowl into your mouth if you want to drink the leftovers? There needs to be a straw?

Wait! This is not meant to be about Ghostella or Fudgalicious or stupid inventions or stupid, lazy people. This is meant to be about…umm…what was I...oh yeah! This is all concerning a short film I made last week, which I know you're all peeing your pants in anticipation to hear about. Well, pull up those pants and gather 'round, children, and let me tell you a little tale about a little movie called- and set in- Ludlow.

SHANNON LARK: Wud up, Ludlow??

It all started, I suppose, when my short film Taste of Flesh, Taste of Fear was accepted into the 2008 Viscera Film Festival, sponsored by The Chainsaw Mafia. Taste of Flesh, as I'm sure you're well aware, was the short featured in the very first episode of Ghostella's Haunted Tomb. It's the lesbo vampire short featuring 2 Dollar Store Barbie knockoffs and Posh Spice that's so EROTICALLY CHARGED that it's too hot. Too hot, my lady- you've gotta run for shelter…gotta run for shade! Or something like that.

Oh, Kool and the Gang, you provide the soundtrack for my life.

But really, people, feel the heat. That heat is hot!

SHANNON LARK: Taste of Flesh, Taste of Fear is and was simply pure genius. If a filmmaker can make a great film using barbie dolls, then she's gotta blow you away with live action. And she did! I became obsessed with Top Friends. I showed it to my Mom. I showed it to my dog, and he licked himself. That's a good sign!

But I digress! The point is, the merging of Ghostella and Viscera introduced me to actress, director, Chainsaw Mafia CEO, and Fangoria Spooksmodel extraordinaire Shannon Lark because…well, Viscera is her thang. We met face to face in March during the Paranoia Film Festival; the 2007 Viscera selections were screened, including Heidi "Ghostella" Martinuzzi's Wretched, and a grand old time was had by all. Actually, don't hold me to that- I wasn't conducting exit polls or anything.

Trapped aboard the Queen Mary, Shannon and I spent most of the afternoon in the bar, then moved to a restaurant in the evening. During the course of the many hours we spent together, Shannon let fly that she wanted to be in one of my movies. I was dubious, which speaks more to my insecurity than any insincerity on Shannon's part; however, she proceeded to bust out a napkin and write up a contract stating much the same.

You can tell it's official because of all the lawyer-y language, like "This here contract…" and how she ends some words with "-eth".

SHANNON LARK: I told Stacie a story about how a contract written on a napkin can hold up in court. So I whipped it out* over a margarita in a funny looking glass that gave me stomach cramps. I used all the fancy shmancy jargon I could muster, because I wanted to show I was serious. She looked confused. I was ecstatic, because my evil plan of doing a Film Festival so talented female filmmakers would flock around me and put me in their next productions was actually working out. Besides, Stacie Ponder is amazing.

I jumped at the chance to work with her because she kind of fucking ROCKS. She said she'd be back in Los Angeles in April for Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors to fulfill some of her spooksmodel duties…wouldn't that be the perfect time to shoot something?

Why yes…yes, it would. I went home all pumped and proceeded to freak out almost immediately- writing something…on purpose? For someone? I don't tend to work that way. Like with Ghostella, I just write 'em, pretending no one will ever pay attention. Then I fill the roles. Or even writing here at Final Girl…once I start thinking that someone's going to be reading this besides me, I get all nervous. It's like my brain is nude or something, and it's embarrassing to think that people are looking at it…not that my brain has anything to be ashamed of, because it's 100% pure 36-24-36, if you know what I mean...and I think you do…which is good, because I have no idea what the fuck I'm talking about anymore.

SHANNON LARK: Haha! Stacie is totally nude!! Nude for Satan!

Oh, yeah! I was talking about writing a script for someone. Someone who's going to make a special effort to make a film with me. Ugh, nerve-wracking. Step one was to figure out what the eff I was gonna make this movie about. Actually, step one probably involved some Dunkin' Donuts coffee, or maybe some ice cream. Step two was to figure out what the eff I was gonna make this movie about. More on that to come.

Can I just say that my local grocery store AND my local Target have both discontinued carrying mint chocolate chip ice cream? That really does not fucking compute. It's kind of like the Catholic Church discontinuing God.

Anyway.






*Please note, the only thing "whipped out" was a napkin.

OMG, see what I did with that post title? It's thisclose to being clever!

Anywhatevers, Horror-Movies.ca is reporting that Silent Hill 2 has been scrapped. Or not. For now. Maybe. According to their "source":

...plans for Silent Hill 2 have been cancelled...the film is dead in the water...although the film will not be shooting soon it will still very likely happen.

So...err...not sure what that all means. Maybe simply filming has been postponed because they missed their shooting window? It seems like it's all up in the air. Radha Mitchell may or may not return, blah blah blah. I'd welcome another SH flick, if the script was a wee better than the first. By "wee", I mean "a big wee". I dug the movie and all- the visuals were narf (I think I just made that up...I mean it to be similar to "neat" or "rad" or "boss". Use it in a sentence today!)- but the script was weak with a capital Plug Your Ears. There was a great setup for a sequel in the ending , though, so my fingers are crossed.


In related news, man Horror-Movies.ca is a busy-looking website.

In other related news, how come I don't have any sources? I totally want to meet some shadowy figure in a parking lot who'll fill me in with kinda sorta news that's really just page filler. You know: "Platinum Dunes is talking about remaking Rob Zombie's Halloween. There's no writer...or director...or star...or even anything concrete yet, but still." Then I can yell "Whatta scoop!" and high tail it back to my keyboard to bring you all the latest exclusive news. Sigh.

Speaking of Rob Zombie's Halloween, have you seen the trailer for H2? Here it is. Go. Watch.

Back? Alright. Now, I know that despite the childhood romance we shared, my relationship with the original Halloween 2 hasn't exactly been on fire lately. The hospital setting could be mined for gold, though, and for a split second of the H2 trailer it seems as if Zombie might be tapping a vein (which sounds hot). Then...then...a bewigged Sheri Moon-Zombie shows up and...well, my mom taught me that if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all- so I'll let my pal JA at My New Plaid Pants say it for me:

...that is so fucking stupid looking I can barely believe it. I mean, my god. Just. My god.

Wait. My mom never taught me any such thing!

WHAT THE FUCK IS WITH THE WHITE WINGED DOVE WIGGED GHOST MOM? Yes, Rob Zombie, your wife is hot. Yes, it's understandable that you want to put her in your movies. But Michael's mom died in the first film...not to mention that Michael was already a homicidal kookadook in the first film, so having Mrs Myers become some sort of Mrs Voorhees in the sequel is a craptacular idea with a capital FUCKING CRAP. Also not to mention that her violent urgings go against the slim characterization she had in Halloween and in light of the mother-son relationship it makes no sense and arrrrgh white wigggggggghiusafsduva;vKscjd;C.

Umm. Well. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how it all turns out.

Nunzio Fazio is getting behind the camera this June in Los Angeles to direct his low budget indie horror film Rachel's Return. For Rachel Martin, life as a high school senior is no different than other. Day to day pressures of promiscuity and fitting in. One night while making out with Matt, her boyfriend of two years, she is given an unexpected ultimatum. When she refuses to give into his demands, she flees the scene and reaches out to a motorist for refuge. Unbeknownst to her he is a serial rapist. In her final moments of life Rachel makes a promise to return and seek revenge. Her soul is now lost between this world and the next as she seeks justice. Casting is now underway.

Alongside The Horde, one of the other French horror films I'm uber-excited for is Franck Richard's The Pack, which comes from the same production company behind Inside (La Fabrique Films). With Cannes only weeks away, new art and stills from all of these movies are finding their way online. While we brought you the first ever image from Pack, beyond the break you can check out two more. Hopefully we'll see a trailer later this month.