Entries from February 2010 ↓

Beyond the break you'll find the first 3 TV Spots for Samuel Bayer's A Nightmare on Elm Street, which stars Jackie Earle Haley, Kyle Gallner, Thomas Dekker, Rooney Mara, Kellan Lutz, Katie Cassidy, Clancy Brown and Connie Britton. In theaters April 30 from Warner Bros. Pictures, a group of suburban teenagers share one common bond: they are all being stalked by Freddy Krueger, a horribly disfigured killer who hunts them in their dreams. As long as they stay awake, they can protect one anotherÂ…but when they sleep, there is no escape.

Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr from ADI (Amalgamated Dynamics) are doing the FX for Universal Pictures' The Thing prequel, reported Variety last week. They've worked on such films as Alien 3, Wolf, Aliens vs. Predator, The X-Files, Temors, Starship Troopers and even Death Becomes Her. Check out their official website. Being helmed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., in a remote Antarctica outpost, an alien spaceship is discovered far beneath the ice. When a group of ambitious scientists decide to thaw out one of the creatures inside, they're in for the terrifying fight of their lives. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Joel Edgerton star.

There was a 90's horror film about a killer running from the police with a young kid in a ghost (Casper?) mask. I want to say the killer may have been

There's a film I can't remember the name of about a white-masked monster that only comes out at night and eats people alive. The creature is afraid of

Beyond the break you'll find the first images from I Saw The Devil (I Saw a Devil), the upcoming film from Kim Jee-woon, hit director of the incredible The Good, The Bad, The Weird. Hopefully we'll hear of a US acquisition soon (IFC anyone?). A hard-boiled thriller, I Saw The Devil stars Choi Min-sik (Oldboy) as a psychopathic serial killer up against Lee Byung-hun (G.I. Joe: The Resurrection Of The Cobra) as a special agent whose fiancée becomes one of his victims. Lees cool-headed and intelligent character in turn becomes a monster in order to avenge the killing. I Saw The Devil started shooting last month and is scheduled for Korean release late this summer.

While I could simply launch into my review of The Crazies (2010), I feel the need to clue you all in on the circus that was last night's screening. Apparently it was an event staged for horror press; non-genre journalists attended a regular ol' red carpet screening the night before. Folks like myself (and those from all the major horror outlets) endured an "immersive" affair that began a week or so ago, when we had to call to RSVP for the...quarantine.

Last night our car was stopped at the studio gate by "Army guys" (some in gas masks, all brandishing rifles) who checked our IDs and wanted to know if we'd imbibed any tap water that day. I lied and said no- I'm clearly not to be trusted at the End of Days. We drove deep into the "quarantine zone" past more shouting, flashlight-waving army guys and sheriff's department officers, past humvees and warning signs and flashing lights. After we finally parked, we were herded into a line where it would be determined whether or not we were "infected". Army guys checked my credentials while "doctors" took my temperature (in my ear, thank jebus)...as we were apparently "clean", we were given green wristbands and yelled at some more. Guns were pointed at us as "MOVE MOVE MOVE!" was barked, Crazies on gurneys pleaded for help, other crazies were restrained at gunpoint...it was all very loud and bewildering. Finally we got on a school bus and were driven...not the half-block to the movie theater, but to another location. We were forced off the bus and told to walk single-file...of course, we were heading to the theater, but now we had to walk a greater distance than it was from the parking garage where we started. And it was raining. And there was so much yelling! Despite all the threats, none of the journalists seemed to "hustle".

Finally we got to the fucking theater. Before the movie began there was a "security breach" and Army guys hauled off a Crazy. I wondered why we were sitting in a movie theater when clearly the world was ending and there were people dying right outside. Then the movie began.

Was all of that fun? Sure it was. I probably would have rather just, you know, gone to a screening, but I do enjoy those haunted houses that pop up during October, you know? While the extravaganza didn't influence my opinion of the film, I suppose that's a possibility with some critics so bear that in mind when you read reviews. Shit like this goes on and perks are given to journalists...and while I certainly don't want to accuse anyone or any websites of giving out good reviews solely due to said perks (or the opportunity to be quoted on a poster or ad), I think you should know about the wooing. I mean, I haven't even gotten to the after-party yet.

The small town of Ogden Marsh, IA falls apart quickly after residents suddenly become...homicidally weird. A man locks his family in the house and sets the house on fire. The town drunk brings a shotgun to a high school baseball game. People are just plain jerks.

Some hunters find a dead body out in a marsh; his tangled parachute indicates that he was a pilot, so Sheriff David Dutton (Timothy Olyphant) goes in search of the downed plane. It's found a short time later and Dutton quickly deduces that this water feeds into Ogden Marsh's drinking supply- something from the wreckage could be causing the widespread wackadoo-ness.

Before Dutton or his wife Judy (Radha Mitchell), the town's doctor, can figure out a way to help people or stop the spread, the Army sweeps in. They quickly round up the denizens of Ogden Marsh, executing the infected and quarantining the town. The Duttons, along with a couple of their colleagues, need to get the fuck out of Dodge.

If you're familiar at all with the 1973 film upon which The Crazies is based, you'll see that the plot hasn't much changed. Trixie, a biological weapon developed by the military, is still to blame for the onset of violence. The Army still takes drastic measures to contain the outbreak. What's changed in the 35 years since George Romero's effort is style and approach. While the original film was subtle by no means (so much yelling), the "Crazies" themselves were a bit more insidious than they are in their modern incarnation. The developing illness was a gradual thing, and it was almost impossible to tell who had murderous intent until it was too late. Here, the incubation period is fairly short and there's a physical change to the infected...they get grody. They're also extremely violent, but it's of the 'kill kill' variety; again, if you've seen Romero's film you'll realize that there's a lot of abhorrent violence one can inflict that doesn't simply mean "murder". The Crazies '10 never pushes that boundary, despite plenty of opportunities to do so.

Director Breck Eisner's effort is very solid. It's well-made, it looks terrific, and it's a hell of a lotta fun. There are some very welcome touches of humor, there's plenty of gore and action, the cast makes us care a bit about characters that aren't all that interesting. It's possible that The Crazies would be best seen with a group, so everyone can scream and yell and have those sorts of communal horror experiences. It's that kind of movie. It's also worth noting that the editing, thank Christ, is not of the frenetic variety. Even when the action is at its height, you can see everything and tell what's going on. I wish that approach to horror filmmaking wasn't noteworthy, but these days it is.

The Crazies is also the kind of movie that relies heavily (I can't stress that word enough) on jump scares- enough that it gets a little grating after a while. Music stings and loud noises, one can only take so much, you know? Eisner also goes to the well a few too many times in certain instances, employing the same trick over and over: you know, one of those JUMP SCARE - "It's just me!" moments repeated several times, or "Oh no, the Crazy is gonna kill me oh no oh no oh no PHEW my friend saved me!" executed so often that you quickly realize the protagonists are never going to die.

Overall, would I recommend The Crazies? Yeah. It's a good time. It's not necessarily a thoughtful time- whether that matters to you or not may determine if you drop your 15 bucks on it. If you're looking for a film that's going to provoke discourse (beyond the requisite logic issues that spring up) or tap into, you know, grand themes or give insights into human nature, well, you'd best keep looking. Still, you could do a a lot worse- The Crazies is better than any number of recent theatrical horror releases.

Oh, and Lynn Lowry gets a cameo so it's alright in my book.

So, that after-party...it was a fucking circus. Music, free drinks, free food; various photo opportunities, the option to get your face done up all Crazy-like; a stuntman set himself on fire for our entertainment. Radha Mitchell and Timothy Olyphant were there to work the crowd. Heidi and I spent some time telling them how we would have liked the film to end, and they laughed at our jokes so that's fine. Ms. Mitchell asked if I enjoyed the movie overall, and I told her basically what I told you above. I mentioned the original film, and we had this exchange:

Her: You what scene I missed from the original?
Me: The rape scene?
Her: Exactly!
Me: Right, you don't know your dad's a Crazy until he's, you know, raping you.
Her: They really should have kept that. It was remarkable.

Then I had a cookie, watched the stuntman burn, and left.

EDITED TO ADD: Shock Till You Drop has a photo gallery of the screening madness.

Last night Overture Films held a top secret screening of The Crazies here in Los Angeles. But it wasn't any ordinary screening as they transformed Silver Lake in Ogden Marsh making theatergoers pass through security gates, take buses to different camps and more. It was straight up insanity. 10 Bloody Disgusting readers and myself partook in the event, which ended with the cast and crew hanging out with the "infected". You can check out some images from the event below with video footage forthcoming (we'll update this piece when it arrives). The Breck Eisner directed remake arrives in theaters tomorrow.

Who cares if you f*ck up your organs? Eat a cheeseburger with triple cheese and extra bacon, smoke 3 packs of cigs a day, drink until you turn blue -- as long as you have the money, there's an artificial organ waiting for you! Today Universal Pictures supplied us with 4 brand new one sheets from Miguel Sapochnik's Repo Men that stars Jude Law, Forest Whitaker and Liev Schreiber. Arriving in theaters March 19, the morality tale is set in the near future, when artificial organs can be bought on credit, with the understanding that defaulting on payment will result in a fatal repossession. Get it?

Late last night I was browsing the choices to stream o'er Netflix and I came across Scourge. I would haved immediately filed it under "Nahhhh" or "Maybe when I've watched everything else on Earth except for all the Troma movies", but then I read the description:

When a local church burns down, an ancient evil creature is awakened and soon wreaks havoc on the small town of Harborford, WA. The population slowly shrinks as the so-called "scourge" travels from body to body.

...and I got SO EXCITED. Before I could click "play now", however, I realized that "The population slowly shrinks..." didn't mean that the townsfolk of Harborford were going to actually get smaller, it meant their numbers were going to decrease. Totally different than what I wanted from the movie. Oh well.

Now, someone needs to make a film wherein a virus actually causes people to shrink, if only to please me. Thank you for your time.

The floodgates are officially open as Warner Bros. Pictures has unloaded the second full trailer for A Nightmare on Elm Street, their remake of Wes Craven's slasher from 1984 that become the franchise that "built" New Line Cinema. The trailer features a look at the new opening sequence, along with a flash of imagery that give us a way better look at Freddy. Arriving in theaters April 30, a group of suburban teenagers share one common bond: they are all being stalked by Freddy Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley), a horribly disfigured killer who hunts them in their dreams. As long as they stay awake, they can protect one anotherÂ…but when they sleep, there is no escape. What do YOU guys think of the footage?

I've been staring at a blinking cursor for about 5 minutes now. I don't know what to say, I really don't. While I trust the producers behind Paranormal Activity 2 explicitly, I have zero faith in the suits at the studio -- you know, the old dudes who "think" they get it. If anything, history should provide a lesson, yet nobody wants to learn. Blair Witch 2 certainly panned out for Artisan, didn't it? No, it was a failure. The transition from a low budget indie to a big budget polished studio fare in not just nauseating, but also completely idiotic. Maybe it'll work? I'd bet against it. So, I'm staring at a blinking cursor because the LA Times just posted the names in the running to direct the sequel to Oren Peli's box office smash hit from this past September, and while a few are exciting, I can't help but feel like I'm about to be raped.

It's quickly becoming a full house for Universal Pictures' thriller Dream House as Rachel Fox ("Desperate Housewives") is set co-star in Jim Sheridan's flick that follows a writer and his family who have recently moved into a house and soon find out it was the site of a recent murder and that the killer may still be at large. She stars alongside Daniel Craig, Naomi Watts and Rachel Weisz. Personally, I hope this film heads in a supernatural direction as the idea of another home invasion plot has my stomach churning (why not make it an exorcism movie? Joking...). I guess Universal was happy with the return on The Last House on the Left.

Exorcism is HOT, which means only one thing - we're going to be constantly disappointed. Nothing will ever be as good as The Exorcist. With that said, now you can keep those expectations low and maybe we'll get something at least "fun". With Lionsgate's The Last Exorcism on the horizon, along with Filmax's Rec 2 and Exorcisumus, New Line has finally started casting up The Rite (previously The Rite: The Making of a Modern Day Exorcist) after sitting on the shelf for a year and a half. Who will star? Find out below.

I've just been "thrilled" as Dread Central is reporting that the great Tom Atkins will once again reteam with director Patrick Lussier and writer Todd Farmer on Drive Angry, their 3-D revenge thriller also starring Nicolas Cage, William Fichtner, Amber Heard, Billy Burke, David Morse and Charlotte Ross. The trio worked together on Lionsgate's My Bloody Valentine 3D. Atkins, who will now have been in theaters twice in 3-D, starred in 80's classics such as The Fog, Halloween III, Creepshow and Night of the Creeps. Arriving in theaters February 11, 2011, Summit's flick centers on a man (Cage) driven by rage who is chasing the people who killed his daughter and kidnapped her baby. The vendetta/rescue spins out of control as the chase gets bloodier by the mile, leaving bodies strewn along the highway.