Cannibal Hollywood

Review: A Reckoning (AD Barker, 2009)

2011-03-06T18:46:00.001Z

This review can also be found on Brutal as Hell.

A Reckoning is a small film, but thoroughly grand. It’s horror and melodrama and poetry for the same reason: it’s a meditation on the human condition. Despite its desolate, gorgeous landscapes and lonely protagonist, this is no simple last man on Earth tale. It’s difficult to synopsise A Reckoning. It tells the tale of a Man who appears to be utterly alone in the world, and as a result has created people made from straw with whom to interact – be they the children he teaches in a dilapidated school, or the revellers and barmen in a run-down club. For me, the film is far more about one man's isolation than it is any apocalyptic future, and as such the film is an effective metaphor of a struggle for mental health as much as it is a thrilling, but ambiguous, drama.

Naturally, the film relies heavily on the central performance of the Man, and it’s safe to say that Leslie Simpson fully embodies the role. As a disturbed, lonely creature, the Man’s desperate interactions with the straw people who co-inhabit his desolate world are as touching as they are tragic; his attempts to leave his confines more so. Simpson’s performance never falters from being utterly compelling, carrying the hefty weight of the film with ease.

The desolate landscape of the film is stunningly brought to life. DoP Adam Krajczynski brings out the beautful and the beastly from the various natural landscapes on offer, from snow to seaside, while endowing the cracked man-made structures with a crumbling beauty all of their own. Director Barker must be commended for his truly affective direction, some of the Man's most frightening and touching moments framed in a such a way as to maximise emotional impact through something of an intimate distance. We feel for the Man throughout, but even in absolute close-up, we're never particularly close to him.

A Reckoning is, perhaps, not for everyone. The pace is slow, precise; and it certainly doesn't offer any easy narrative answers. For a film made independently and on a low budget, it successfully avoids that trap that many fall into: it never once looks cheap. Make-up effects are sparse but effective, and most importantly of all, character is at the film's core.

For me, A Reckoning is a unique film that should be seen by many, and I sincerely hope that others will soon have the chance to do so.

For more information on the film, see http://areckoningfilm.com or follow @areckoningfilm on Twitter.

Pethau arswydus bychain.

2010-09-03T19:26:00.000+01:00

Heddiw yw diwrnod pethau bychain, sy'n annog i bobl gwneud rhywbeth arlein yn y Gymraeg - felly be gwell na chofnod blog am ffilmiau arswyd?!

Yn bennaf, bydd well i mi son am wyl Abertoir, yr unig wyl arswyd yng Nghymru. Pob blwyddyn ym mis Tachwedd yn Aberystwyth bydd pum diwrnod o ffilmiau, cerddoriaeth, theatr a gwesteion arbennig. Blwyddyn yma bydd yr wyl yn digwydd o'r 10fed i'r 14eg o Dachwedd, a, er bod y rhaglen llawn ddim ar gael eto, mae'n edrych fel bydd yr wyl yn un o'r gorau hyd yn hyn, gyda'r gwesteion yn cynnwys Ingrid Pitt a Robin Hardy, a cerddoriaeth gan gwrp pync The Damned (gyda chefnogaeth gan fferfynnau Zombina and the Skeletones).

Gobeithio bydd un neu ddau o ffilmiau Cymraeg yn cael eu cynnwys yn yr wyl. Mae'r wyl yn wastad yn chwilio am ffilmiau arswyd Cymraeg i'w cefnogi, felly os oes ffilm arswyd gennych chi - unai ffilm hir neu un fer - cofiwch bod Abertoir yn wyl flynyddol a fedrwch ymgeisio'ch ffilm ar gyfer gwyl 2011!

Am fwy o wybodaeth am Abertoir, ewch i www.abertoir.co.uk, ac am fwy o wybodaeth am Pethau Bychain, chwilich blogiau a Twitter am y tag #pethaubychain - a chyfranwch rhywbeth bach eich hunain!

BIFFF 2010

2010-04-21T12:29:00.002+01:00

I was lucky enough to attend this year's Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, and I thought I'd post a bunch of one-line reviews for all the films I saw. Some of these will be getting the full review treatment soon too!

A Serbian Film (Serbia, 2009, dir. Srdjan Spasojevic): FANTASTIC! Music, direction, acting, structure, metaphor, extremity – superb. Won’t ever see the light of day in the UK in its current form!

The Human Centipede: First Sequence (USA, 2009 dir. Tom Six): great fun, something a little bit different, not that sick!

The Killer Inside Me (USA, 2010, dir. Michael Winterbottom): great! Twisted, enjoyable, brutal, wonderful central performance

Valhalla Rising (Denmark/UK, 2009, dir. Nicolas Winding Refn): awesome, but needs a second viewing; very metaphorical and arty

Heartless (UK, 2009, dir. Phillip Ridley): really enjoyable and well-made, although again incoherent in parts

Ondine (Ireland/USA, 2010, dir. Neil Jordan): lovely fairytale, cheesy, yes, but very pretty and sweet

Vampires (Belgium, 2009, dir. Vincent Lannoo): Hysterically funny and witty, a very likeable film

Detour (Norway, 2009, dir. Severin Eskeland): utterly clichéd but massively entertaining slasher throwback

Zombies of Mass Destruction (USA, 2009, dir. Kevin Hamedani): surprisingly good fun, despite crap acting and hit-and-miss jokes, great make up effects

Slice (Thailand, 2010, dir. Kongkiat Khomsiri): an interesting, twisty thriller, but the humour/drama does not meld as well as it could

Possessed (South Korea, 2009, dir. Lee Yong Joo-I): decent creeper, but too long and too similar to Dark Water

5150 Rue des Ormes (Canada, 2009, dir. Eric Tessier): solid thriller/horror, a little incoherent but enjoyable and a bit different

The Life and Death of a Porno Gang (Serbia, 2009, dir. Mladen Djordjevic): explicit comedy/drama, which completely loses its way after the first 40 minutes or so, with the political rhetoric being less effective when all the humour is lost

Glenn 3948 (Belgium, 2010, dir. Marc Goldstein): cute but bizarre concept terribly executed; awful music, direction, acting, script

Duress (USA, 2009, dir. Jordan Barker): a solid thriller let down by an uncharismatic lead and a twist that’s too twisty

Evil in the Time of Heroes (Greece, 2009, dir. Yorgos Noussias): utter shit!

Hidden (Norway, 2009, dir. Pal Oie): boring, looked nice though

Ingrid (Spain, 2009, dir. Eduard Cortes): enjoyable, if pretentious, film about arty young people

Reykjavik Whale-Watching Massacre (Iceland, 2009, dir. Julius Kemp): boring, nothing special

Giallo (Italy, 2009, dir. Dario Argento): a cheap Argento knock off…directed by Argento himself...no sign of a career resurgance here!

Survival of the Dead (USA, 2009, dir. George A. Romero): just…what?!

The Repossession of Repo! The Genetic Opera

2010-02-26T17:44:00.004Z

Repo Men, directed by Miguel Sapochnik and starring Jude Law, Liev Schreiber and Forest Whitaker, is soon to be released in the States. As with most high-budget films, it’s getting plenty of attention in the press, and some of that attention is wondering if the book on which it’s based – Repossession Mambo – was also the inspirations for the Darren Lynn Bousman-helmed Repo! The Genetic Opera.

Well, no. No, it wasn’t. Because Repo!’s been around since 1999, when Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich created the stage show. Repossession Mambo was written in 2009…while the film was shooting 2007-2008, roughly the same time that Repo! was shooting.

The myriad similarities between both texts have been better outlined elsewhere, by Spooky Dan, and this goes far beyond the set-up of ‘futuristic organs can be repossessed’. Director Darren Lynn Bousman has also exhaustively demonstrated the history of Repo!, lest any more ill-informed journalists fail to do even the most basic research into a film’s production history. Terrance Zdunich has also artfully explained why there’s nothing at all he, or anyone else involved with Repo! can do about the blatant plagiarism of their film. He also graciously describes what it’s like to have his creative baby attributed to someone else – pretty shitty, as one would imagine.

Everyone involved with Repo! has encouraged its understandably pissed-off fans to counter Repo Men by simply telling people about their fabulous little film. So, let me tell you something about Repo! The Genetic Opera – it’s a brilliant little film. It might not be wholly original itself – what the hell ever is, anymore? – but it sure is singular. It’s a gory, emotional, melodramatic, funny, futuristic rock opera. It stars actors, socialites and musicians. Fans of the film perform Shadowcasts, which involves putting on a stage version of the film, as it plays. Repo! has its cult status on its side, but that doesn’t excuse any claims that Repo! has anything at all to do with Repo Men.

In honour of Terrance Zdunich, Darren Smith, Darren Lynn Bousman and everyone else who worked on Repo!, I sure as hell won’t be going to see Repo Men*. I encourage anyone who does go see it, to check out Repo! The Genetic Opera, too. You might remember that film a lot longer than you will Repo Men.

*I should add, this is really quite annoying, as I would quite happily watch Jude Law in an action movie in any other circumstance!

Women in Horror Recognition Month, day one

2010-02-01T19:50:00.003Z

SlashFilm today asked, following on from The Guardian, ‘Why are there so few female filmmakers?’

There’s a clue in your article, SlashFilm. You write that Sofia Coppola was the first woman to be nominated for the Best Director Oscar, even though the article from The Guardian that you’re discussing clearly states that three women have been nominated for Best Director, the last of which was Coppola (the others being Lina Wertmüller in 1976 and Jane Campion in 1993; Coppola was nominated in 2003). Small fact to get wrong, isn’t it?

The far more insightful article in The Guardian describes at great length the sorts of chauvinism faced by women who enter the film industry – particularly the Hollywood film industry. I can’t say my knowledge is vast here, and I’m not going to try to answer the question of why there are so few female filmmakers, either. In thinking about the question, though, I realised something: I can name more continental European female directors than I can American or British ones – off the top of my head, that is. Maya Deren, Agnes Varda, Liliana Cavani, Catherine Breillat, Claire Denis. Having just looked up an arbitrary list of ‘female directors’, I then realised that, of the names on that list, I recognised far more American and British ones, yet I wasn’t able to recall the names myself. Why?

So I wonder: is it because I’ve never seen the European directors listed above treated as oddities (not in the case of the more modern Breillat and Denis, anyway)? Perhaps I’m just not looking closely enough, granted, and please do point me in the direction of any articles to that effect. Regardless, you’re probably wondering why I’m nattering on about this on a horror blog, and in relation to Women in Horror Recognition Month.

Breillat and Denis have both made horrific films. Denis made the languid Trouble Every Day, about a compulsive, sexual, cannibalism. Breillat made the brutal examination of teenage sexuality, À Ma Soeur!, as well as the graphic Romance. While Denis’ film is more strictly a horror film, Breillat’s films inject the horrific into the mundane, with a refreshing frankness. Her films deal with femininity, with no holds barred. Nancy Meyers, she ain’t.

Anyway – this got me thinking about European horror films, which, in my opinion, are the best modern horror films. They are, I believe, exclusively (so far) directed by men. These films, however, feature incredibly strong or interesting female characters, in my opinion, far more interesting than those seen the majority of recent American horror. Think of The Orphanage’s Laura, Martyrs’ Anna and Lucie, or Let the Right One In’s Eli. Perhaps in the same way that Kathryn Bigelow successfully directs male-orientated action movies, so these male directors have, somehow, managed to portray women in horror successfully.

I’m not really concluding anything here, nor arguing a particular case: this is me, thinking out loud. Is there really that much of a difference in attitudes toward gender in the Hollywood and European film industries? To what degree might the attitudes toward gender in Hollywood and the independent American film industry differ? I can’t help but think that attitude – of men and women – does play a large role in there being so few female filmmakers, but you know, I think the question needs rewording. Why are there so few prominent female filmmakers might be a more relevant question to ask.

For more information on Women in Horror Recognition Month, visit the website here: www.womeninhorrormonth.com, or the Facebook fanpage HERE.

Bleed for Women in Horror!

2010-01-15T00:10:00.004Z

The wonderful Soska Sisters, the ladies behind tWIStED tWINS PRODUCtiONS, are doing something very special for Women in Horror Recognition Month. They're encouraging us all to bleed. In the same way that every month should be used to recognise women in horror, something that needs to be done more often is blood donation. Pints and pints of blood are needed every day, and only the slightest percentage of the population donates.

Now, I'm not getting on my high horse here. I've never donated blood in my life. I've barely even considered it, because I'm utterly terrified of needles. I love horror films, and can watch all sorts of sickness on screen, but I have to look away whenever someone is given an injection. Think how bad I felt during the needle-pit scene in Saw II...and I still can't bring myself to even try to watch Audition.

My point (haha!) is: I'm considering it! I'm the girl who almost had a panic attack watching the virtual tour of giving blood, so this is no mean feat, I promise. I know there are a ton of people out there though who don't give blood and don't have the (feeble, granted) excuse of having a phobia of needles.

There are, of course, a ton of restrictions, too, on who can or can't give blood, and those restrictions are something that you need to check before donating. But if you're able to, then please, this February - whether it's your first time or you're a regular donator - bleed for women in horror!

Check out this fantastic PSA by the Soska Sisters.

Blood Drive PSA - Women In Horror Month from Twisted Twins Productions on Vimeo.

For more information on how to give blood in the UK, visit www.blood.co.uk.

Gosh! blush

2010-01-11T23:21:00.003Z

The rather fabulous B-Sol has bestowed a great honour upon this humble blog, by declaring it 'Fantastically Frightening'! For those of you unaware, B-Sol is the brain behind the fantastic Vault of Horror, one of the best horror blogs around. I'm truly touched, and maybe I should use this as impetus to be a bit more active in keeping this little blog active! What would you, dear reader, like to see here? More lists? Reviews? Vlogs?! Let me know!

Thank you, B-Sol!

End of Year/Decade Lists!

2010-01-03T15:18:00.004Z

Everyone's doing it, so I thought I'd join the bandwagon. Here are my top ten horror films of 2009, and my top twenty horror films of the decade!

2009

1. Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)
2. La Horde (Yannick Dahan, 2009)
3. Inside (Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury, 2007)
4. Thirst (Park Chan-wook, 2009)
5. Antichrist (Lars Von Trier, 2009)
6. Vinyan (Fabrice Du Welz, 2008)
7. Orphan (Jaume Collet-Serra, 2009)
8. Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl (Yoshihiro Mishimura & Naoyuki Tomomatsu, 2009)
9. Drag Me To Hell (Sam Raimi, 2009)
10. Trick 'r Treat (Michael Dougherty, 2007)
Special mention: Martyrs (Pascal Laugier, 2008). I saw the film in 2008, but seeing as it only got its DVD release this year, I thought I'd include it, because it's damn well worth mentioning twice...see my decade list below!

2000-2009

In no particularly order, aside from that little film at #1...

1. Martyrs (Pascal Laugier, 2008)
2. Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)
3. Inside (Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury, 2007)
4. La Horde (Yannick Dahan, 2009)
5. Frontiere(s) (Xavier Gens, 2007)
6. REC (Jaume Balaguero & Paco Plaza, 2007)
7. The Orphanage (Juan Antonio Bayona, 2007)
8. Saw (James Wan, 2004)
9. Switchblade Romance (Alexandre Aja, 2003)
10. Trouble Every Day (Claire Denis, 2001)
11. The Machine Girl (Noburu Iguchi, 2008)
12. Shutter (Banjong Pisanthanakun & Parkpoom Wongpoom, 2004)
13. Calvaire (Fabrice du Welz, 2004)
14. Vinyan (Fabrice du Welz, 2008)
15. Repo! The Genetic Opera (Darren Bousman, 2008)
16. The Host (Joon-ho Bong, 2006)
17. Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (Lloyd Kaufman, 2008)
18. Them (David Moreau & Xavier Palud, 2006)
19. Colin (Marc Price, 2009)
20. The Descent (Neil Marshall, 2005)

I've got to give a very honourable mention to 2001's Hannibal (Ridley Scott), because I love that film to pieces, no matter how much hate it gets! Other special mentions go to this year's Thirst (Park Chan-wook) and Orphan (Jaume Collet-Serra), as well as 2007's Teeth (Mitchell Lichtenstein). There are, of course, plenty of films I've missed over the past ten years that, once I've seen them, may well have made the list! I realise there are a lot of European films on this list, but I can hand-on-heart say that the horror coming out of Europe this past decade has been some of the most impressive, to me, for a very long time.

So, there are my lists. Agree, disagree? Do let me know. Here's to a 2010 full of more wonderful horrific offerings!

Not a Remake: In Defense of the Twilight Saga

2009-11-28T03:14:00.005Z

Disclaimer: This is a pretty long post. I needed somewhere to air these views. I would love it if people read this, and massively appreciate anyone who does. Please do leave me your thoughts and comments.

I would like to state something very clear from the outset – I’m a fan of Twilight. I don’t think the books are well-written (far from it), nor do I think the films are good, never mind brilliant. But it’s a franchise I enjoy. I have no problem at all with anyone who thinks that The Twilight Saga is the worst thing to happen to recent pop culture. I do, however, have a problem with the utter vitriol with which some reviewers, critics, commentators and bloggers treat the franchise, and, in turn, more specifically, its fans.

I come at this topic specifically as someone in the horror community. Naturally, the horror community pretty much hates Twilight and all it stands for. What seems to be consistently ignored – even though debates about it always seem around – is that Twilight isn’t a horror movie. Yes, it features really lame excuses for ‘vampires’, cute looking werewolves and the most pathetic heroine ever committed to page or celluloid, but the inclusion of ‘vampires’ and ‘werewolves’ does not a horror movie make. This saga has never been marketed as a horror franchise. I do not mean to say that I don’t think horror sites should provide coverage of the films, but it seems useless to me to bitch and whine about these films because they’re horror-lite, when they’re not trying to or supposed to be anything more than that. The Twilight Saga is an epic romance (whether or not you buy into that romance is another matter). It’s a flight of fancy. It’s not horror.

What I find really odious about some of the coverage of this saga – and not just from the horror community – is some of the nastiness that creeps into it. I would be tempted to assume that an age- and gender-gap figures largely in this, but I don’t think that’s the case. Men, women, girls and boys across the board hate the saga. While I dare risk to say that some of the nastier comments come from men, I guess it’s to be expected – these are films aimed firmly at teenage girls. Men - young, middle-aged or old - aren’t really going to get Twilight, are they? Why would they? But men, whatever age, are awesome enough to remind themselves that hey! maybe a certain kind of teenage girl likes this sort of thing? If only.

I know, I know, I’m generalising. For the sake of my current argument, let me continue generalising for a moment. One of the most common complaints I’ve read in regard to the latest instalment, New Moon, concerns the amount of time the two male leads spend shirtless. Aw, poor you. You had to sit through one film which decided to linger over the male chest for once? You don’t mind so much when it’s chicks running around in tiny skirts or tank tops, right? I don’t mind the shirtlessness being criticized because a commentator thinks Robert Pattinson/Taylor Lautner/Second Werewolf to the Left isn’t attractive enough. That’s fine. What gets my goat is the utter hypocrisy of some reviewers who feel the need to bemoan the camera’s lingering shots of Taylor Lautner’s chest simply because they’re there because teenage girls will enjoy it. God forbid a teenage girl should be allowed a little decent eye candy, instead of the parade of T&A normally found in any Hollywood film.

Like, I say, this assumes that the reviewer/commentator is male, and I don’t want for a second to say that this sort of hypocrisy is present in all coverage of Twilight, be it by male or female writers. There are plenty of other minutiae that I could whinge about that are prevalent in the coverage of Twilight, but to be perfectly honest, it seems too petty to counter-argue them. My main point of irritation concerns the way in which fans of Twilight are treated in said coverage, particularly the teenage girls who so predominantly make its audience. A reviewer recently decided to review New Moon in a comedic fashion. Now, while I think some of his snark was spot-on, but tone was not. Firstly, he did something a great deal of reviewers and commentators seem to do – they assume that all Twilight fans take it absolutely seriously and are fully invested in the story and the characters. Well, sorry to break it to you, but we’re not. None of the Twilight fans I know – both online and offline – are fans who take it seriously. We each have certain characters we love, or aspects of the story we enjoy, but we sure as hell don’t believe that this is the love story to end all love stories. Yes, there are those crazy fans who believe Stephanie Meyer can write a better story than Stephen King, or who think that buying Edward Cullen underwear is cool, but every object of fan attention has its crazies. They might not get the same level of attention, but they’re there.

The second thing this reviewer did, and this is where my main concern lies, is, completely insult the girls who love this saga. Let me quote something for you which, although written jokingly, is quite indicative of a broader treatment of Twilight fans. Of Robert Pattinson: “the stuff fat 14 year old girls dream of” (Latino Review). Another review, more serious, says of a copy of the book: “noting in my own head that within the hour it would likely be scooped up by some pimply, braces-wearing seventh grade girl” (BloodyDisgusting). Now then. Let’s just take a look at this, shall we? What remote relevance does that fact that any of these girls who like Twilight being fat, pimply, or braces-wearing really have to do with the film? That's right, none. Words cannot begin to express how pissed off it makes me feel to read comments like this. As though teenage girls don’t have enough problems with the images of women they see on the cinema screen, they have to see them enforced in commentary of the things they love? If there’s one way in which I will defend Bella Swan – and trust me, I cannot stand Bella Swan – it’s that she’s not perfect-looking in the slightest. She looks great, yes, but she dresses kinda boringly and doesn’t wear much make up, she drives a pickup truck and trips over stuff. I’m far from being a fan of Kristen Stewart – lord knows I think she does a terrible job with terrible material in these films – but I would choose her as Bella a thousand times over, rather than a bland, flawless model-turned-actress picked up by a middle-aged, cynical movie producer from a construction line of countless equally as bland, flawless actresses.

But again, this, major though it is, is even beside the point. It’s the hypocrisy once more. “Let’s make fun of these girls because they’re probably not great looking and they’re daring to take a flight of fancy into a melodramatic romance with some pretty leads! But I’ll tell you what we definitely won’t do – let’s not make fun of ourselves because we’re probably not that great looking and we’re always taking flights of fancy into action movies with pretty leads!” To hell with that! If guys – again, I’m generalising, but this is honestly the impression I get – can imagine themselves action heroes who get the hot girl (who’s probably lost half her clothes during the course of the film), then why the hell can’t teenage girls imagine themselves as the object of desire for mysterious hot guys? The debate as to whether or not they are hot is, in this respect, irrelevant in my opinion.

The way this becomes relevant relates to the primary criticism of the saga itself, which would be a far, far more useful way to review the films. We’ve established almost everything about the films suck, yes? Well, what sucks more, is the completely unhealthy relationships between Bella, Edward and Jacob. More so in the books than in the films (so far), Edward and Jacob behave as unreasonable and dangerously possessive partners to Bella. As much as the feminist in me wishes the problem were due to the crappiness of the male leads, it really isn’t – the problem is Bella herself, and the way in which she responds to both of them, as well as other characters in the film. She’s simultaneously selfish and submissive; while she ignores and mistreats the people who clearly care for her, she hates herself for not being good enough or deserving enough of either Edward or Jacob. That Bella was written by a woman is an absolute embarrassment, in my opinion, and that is something that should be discussed and criticised – and in some places it is – not the fans who enjoy Twilight as the fantasy it is.

There’s a hypocrisy in coverage of the Twilight Saga that’s especially pertinent to horror fans, in my view. So, Twilight and New Moon are crappy films – the acting’s awful, the effects aren’t great, it’s kinda cheap looking and the dialogue is laughable. Yeah, well, guess what? We’re horror fans, for cryin’ out loud. Have you seen Friday the 13th?! That’s as badly acted and written as Twilight, and it certainly looks cheaper – never mind the countless trashy, awful films we all know and love: and rightly so. I do not understand how a horror fan can criticise a Twilight fan based on any of its physically crappy aspects – I don’t mean the story, here. Surely as horror fans, we can appreciate the love for something a little under-par? Having a passion for – uh-oh! – something generally disliked and mistrusted by the majority? Twilight might be insanely popular, but this is primarily amongst teenage girls or ‘Twimoms’. Otherwise, I think it’s become the popular thing to just hate on Twilight for the sake of it, but regardless, an opinion is an opinion and Twilight is an easy target that deserves its beatings. I think it’s fashionable to dislike Twilight. When it comes to judgements of taste and value, however, if you ask me, Twilight fans are in the same boat as horror fans – maybe not the best of shipmates, but I would’ve thought some tiny sense of understanding would be afforded them.

Writers are absolutely right to dislike, hate or criticise the Twilight Saga. There’s a lot to dislike and a lot to criticise. However, as a horror fan and a Twilight fan, as a rationalist and a dreamer, I would say one thing – leave those girls alone, huh?

Not a Remake: Short Film Review: The Return, Elli Raynai

2009-11-27T14:30:00.002Z

The Return is a short film with a lot of ambition. It tells the tale of a teenager who runs away from home only to return – transformed. As a meditation on revenge and guilt, the film makes a lovely twist on the zombie genre. Personally, however, the one thing it truly strives for – exciting VFX – is the one thing that lets it down most.

This short has a great concept and a strong script to go with it and Raynai directs the action wonderfully. These strengths are only somewhat undermined by the shaky acting, but in a film of this budget such a weakness is only to be expected and does not distract too much from the concept.

So, the visual effects. I should qualify my thoughts on this aspect of the film by pointing out that I have issues with the over use of digital effects in horror (or any genre). The visual effects used in The Return are far from terrible, however, I dislike the extent to which they’re used. The practical make-up effects used in The Return are wonderful, and it seems a shame that more make-up effects weren’t used in place of the digital effects. Personally, I’d rather see slightly cheap-looking make-up effects on a zombie, than nice-looking digital ones. Instead of thinking ‘oh my god, he’s a zombie!’ in this film, I found myself thinking ‘huh, check out those digital effects’. This may be due to my own aversion to the pervasive use of computer-generated effects, but my point is thus: make up is actually there, a digital effect isn’t. I’m far more likely to believe in a less-than-perfect make-up effect than a less-than-perfect digital effect.

The Return shows a lot of potential, but a reliance on digital effects won’t, in my opinion, allow that potential to shine.

For more information on the film, check out the website: http://www.willhereturn.com/

News: Remaking Remakes

2009-11-26T10:25:00.003Z

Long time no-bloggy, I know, and this won't be an especially long post, but this piece of news is just too ridiculous not to post.

Bloody-Disgusting reports today that Dimension Films is planning on remaking The Amityville Horror. Getting a sense of deja-vu? Yeah, The Amityville Horror, that was remade in 2005 by Platinum Dunes. I honestly cannot fathom what could have changed so much in five years to merit re-doing the story. Along with the recent news that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre will be remade (again) - this time in 3D! - I'm starting to wonder if Hollywood horror has really, really lost its mind now.

The news about Chainsaw annoys me more than anything, because I do love that film (I would say franchise, but let's be honest - it's only #2 I love as much), primarily due to the suggestion of 3D being used. Now, I'm a big fan of 3D. I think it worked brilliantly in The Final Destination - because that's a silly gimmicky film making good use of a silly, gimmicky technology. I think it's used brilliantly in a film like Pixar's Up, because its judicious use makes for a wonderful enhancement of their already beautiful images. In the same way that the suggestion of the Hellraiser remake being in 3D annoys the hell out of me, Chainsaw just does not need it. Just because a film has a guy wielding a chainsaw in it, does not mean it's necessary to make that chainsaw fly out of the screen at your audience. What the first remake* completely failed to recreate was the sense of violent dread of the original film - Chainsaw is extremely violent, and extremely disturbing, but extremely gory, it sure as hell ain't. Another remake using 3D - surely the ultimate in visual artifice - is only moving further and further away from what made the original so, so successful.

As much as I'd love to think that re-remaking Chainsaw and Amityville is due to a dislike for the Platnium Dunes versions, I don't believe for a second there's any sort of dedication to the original films nor integrity of artistry involved here. Stories will just get watered down until there's nothing left, and what will they remake then? Maybe Hollywood will get back to searching out original ideas and not a quick buck.

*I almost used the phrase 'original remake' here. Original remake? Why did I even write that? These days, that's the most oxymoronic phrase I can imagine!

News: Night of the Living Dead finds its Barbara

2009-09-25T20:59:00.004+01:00

It's been widely reported this week that Night of the Living Dead is being remade (again), but this time in CGI and 3D. Um, okay. Anyway, hot off the Twitter presses, that film has found its Barbara, in the form of the rather fabulous Danielle Harris. There's a plus point at least!

News: Let The Right One In casting; title change.

2009-09-24T11:34:00.004+01:00

Rumours surfaced yesterday that Philip Seymour Hoffman had been cast in the new adaptation of Let The Right One In, but today that rumour has been debunked. This is almost a shame, as Hoffman would have been ideal, albeit obvious, casting for the role previously known as Hakan.

The kids, however, have been cast, it seems, with Kodi Smit McPhee cast as Oskar (now Owen) and Chloe Moretz as Eli (now Abby). I'm sure both are fine young actors, however, I have a bit of a problem with Moretz's casting. To be perfectly fair to her, I am judging this from images of her only, but she looks too young. I know that Eli/Abby is only 12...ish, but it's that '...ish' that matters. Lina Leandersson, although pretty much the same age when she filmed as Eli, had a mature look about her, which worked perfectly. They could certainly cast much worse, I'm sure, but I think this, for me, is already a case of the Swedish film looming over this new version, going 'I'm better than you!'

Regardless, that's just my personal niggle for now. Here's a biggie. Supposedly the film has been retitled (it was already said that it might be titled 'Let Me In'). The new title? Fish Head. I can't figure it out. I've read the book and I certainly do not recall fish heads playing any, never mind a significant, role. Is there some symbolism at play here that I'm missing? According to BloodyDisgusting, Production Weekly has reported that filming will begin early November, in New Mexico (more confusion: is it desert-bound now? Or does New Mexico get snowy/have lots of sound stages? Please enlighten me, someone!). My only guess regarding Fish Head is that it might be the new nickname for Owen, by his bullies (as opposed to 'piggy'), perhaps in some way to tie in with the film's somewhat watery climax. Although I very much doubt that's the case, right now, that's as good a guess that I can come up with.

This new producion very much seems to be angling for the 'we're adapting the book, not remaking the film!' line of defense, but if you ask me, the Swedish film was very faithful. It left things out, that's for sure, but those are things I don't think an American production would dare put into a film. There are things in the Swedish film I don't think an American production would dare put into a film. Of course, I'll wait and see if they nicely surprise me, but I have such low hopes for this film.

And you know what, thinking about it? I think the saddest thing about this production is that Hammer are involved. It means a part of me hopes this film makes a lot of money for them, whether it sucks or not, so that they can get back to making original films. Not that Hammer was ever especially original in its sources, mind, but Let The Right One In is not Dracula or Frankenstein, mmmkay, there's a difference. Hmmph.

Why I'm Excited About 'Mother's Day'

2009-09-17T23:06:00.004+01:00

It's a rare occurance that I look forward to a horror remake. I looked forward to My Bloody Valentine 3D, mainly for the 3D. I'm definitely looking forward to The Wolfman, because at least it's remaking something that wasn't made in the last 30 years. So, the latest remake I'm looking forward to is Mother's Day, the Troma classic being remade by Darren Lynn Bousman. Yet again, I must confess to having never seen the original Mother's Day (something I hope to rectify before the remake's release, but in my defense it's not available on DVD in the UK), so I cannot claim some sort of affinity to the original. Regardless, I would normally treat the remake with some cynicism. So what's different about Mother's Day?

The Director

I like Darren Bousman. This is primarily due to my newly discovered undying love for Repo! The Genetic Opera, but I'm also a follower of the Saw franchise and while installments 2 and 3 are far from my favourites, number 4 is second only to the original, in my opinion. I think Bousman's a big talent, who's cut his teeth with the most successful horror franchise of recent years, and proven himself immensley creative with his work on Repo! (for which he was not solely responsible, natch, but the fact remains that he was at the helm). I believe Bousman has a good attitude toward his craft, his genre and its fans, and I have high hopes that this will be evident with Mother's Day.

The Cast

It's nice to see a talented cast for a horror remake, rather than one full of models (I'm still looking at you, Platinum Dunes). On board are Rebecca de Mornay, Jaime King, Alexa Vega, Briana Evigan and Shawn Ashmore, amongst others...now, while it's true none of these actors are (as yet) especially prestigious or Oscar-worthy, but they're no wannabes, and they've all shown their chops in the genre before.

The Independence

Mother's Day is not a studio film with a big name producer behind it (well, aside from Brett Ratner...). This gives me hope that the creativity of Bousman will be allowed through, and we'll be treated to a proper horror movie rather than a cynical money-maker.

The Endorsement

Charles and Lloyd Kaufman, director and producer of the original, have a cameo in this film. In Lloyd's own words on Twitter, "Charles now is starting to get it that his film is loved!" and he thanks Bousman for being "so respectful to the original". As a continuation from the above point, I can't think of a greater endorsement than from the king of the indepents himself.

A recent article in the LA Times uninformedly bemoaned Mother's Day as just another remake, looking to exploit violence, against women especially, to make a quick buck. Now, feminism in film is something I feel strongly about, so it's a pleasure to see a response posted by the LA Times by Mother's Day producer Shara Kay, defending the film. Although she rightly doesn't reveal any plot details, she describes the film as revolving "around strong female characters and the lengths to which they will go to protect what is dearest to them." If that's pulled off, then I'll be a happy horror fan.

Review: Sorority Row (Hendler, 2009)

2009-09-17T22:34:00.003+01:00

It truly pains me to report that this film did not utterly suck. Everything is a stereotype, and there's nothing especially scary going on, but the girls are fun, the boys dumb, and the kills highly entertaining.

I've not seen the original, so I cannot comment on how it compares. I don't think it's too unreasonable for me to guess, however, that this new version is a significantly glossier affair, which I suspect will render it a little less charming than its predecessor for some. Luckily, though, the girls of Sorority Row, although very attractive stereotypes, have buckets of charm. This is particularly true of Leah Pipes, who as head bitch Jessica (AKA the girl we're not meant to like), is especially charismatic, entertaining and hell, likeable. Rumer Willis is also a nice surprise as the nerdy Ellie (makes you wonder how she got into Theta Pi in the first place). Some of the best moments come from Carrie Fisher as the badass house mother, Mrs. Crenshaw, especially when she decides to take matters into her own, capable, hands.

Aside from the fun girls, the kills in Sorority Row are just about imaginative enough so that interest doesn't wane for gorehounds. Refreshingly, I was surprised by how little nudity there is in the film. Although the camera lingers plenty on the girls, it somehow didn't seem overly gratuitous. The music and direction of the film is predictible, but I was expecting little else.

Sorority Row is utter tosh, but fun enough.

News: Suspiria to Shoot in 2010

2009-09-08T11:12:00.004+01:00

It's being reported today that the long-rumoured remake of Dario Argento's frankly untouchable Suspiria will begin shooting next year, produced by Luca Guadagnino and directed by David Gordon Green.

Are you asking who?!?! like I did? Green is the guy who directed Pineapple Express...and some other stuff. Although Empire claims that he makes "visually beautiful dramas". I can just hear the trailer voice over now..."Do the teachers hide a terrible secret? Or are the students just a bunch of stoners? From the director of Pineapple Express, comes the year's most disturbing horror-comedy!"

There's been a persistent rumour that Natalie Portman will take the role of Suzy Bannion. Now, I love Natalie Portman. I think she's talented, and intelligent, and funny, and gorgeous. I'd certainly rather her in the lead role than, I dunno, Julianna Guill. However, I don't think an actress of Portman's calibre will make any difference to the possibility of this remake being any good.

Dear Blog, I'm sorry for neglecting you.

2009-08-28T09:55:00.003+01:00

I'm sure you've all missed me. Achingly, longingly missed me. I am sorry. I just get bouts of laziness, you know?

So, things I've missed include our first glimpse at the new Freddy, who seems to just...look like Freddy. I've also missed the 23567 posts on the 'net about Halloween 2, which is released in the States today. Anyone planning on seeing it? It's up against The Final Destination, which I'll be watching tonight (3D! I can't resist 3D!). There are also lots of clips and images online now for Sorority Row, which, ashamedly, I kinda like the look of. Please don't hurt me, I'll realise the error of my ways about 3 minutes into the film, no doubt. A remake I am definitely loooking forward to is The Wolfman, which has sadly been pushed back to 2010, however, the first trailer looks pretty fun, so fingers crossed it won't get pushed any further. Finally, some pretty funky people have been cast in Darren Bousman's remake of Mother's Day, including Jamie King, Shawn Ashmore, Briana Evigan and, big surprise, the lovely Alexa Vega.

In big breaking news for today, however, it seems that Rob Zombie is not content with ruining one great horror film, as rumour now has it that he'll be remaking The Blob. His vision for the remake? Get rid of the blob. "My intention is not to have a big red blobby thing -- that's the first thing I want to change," Variety quotes him as saying. So, take the blobby thing about of The Blob. He goes on to say "That gigantic Jello-looking thing might have been scary to audiences in the 1950s, but people would laugh now." Alright, Rob, I'll hand it to you, that's a fair point. But what're you going to call it instead? Gelatinous Rednecks from Outer Space?

News: An American Werewolf in London...again

2009-06-28T21:37:00.003+01:00

Big news from BloodyDisgusting: Dimension is remaking An American Werewolf in London. I suppose it was inevitable, but...come on!

Apologies for the lack of news lately - I've been away and not had any time at all for posting and so probably missed a load of news...anything to report?

Comment: Hellraiser losing directors

2009-06-12T23:25:00.002+01:00

It's been widely reported recently that Pascal Laugier is no longer involved with the remaking of Hellraiser, as writer or director. This information comes from Clive Barker, via Twitter (although some are still questioning whether it really is Barker's account).

If this is true, then Laugier has followed in the footsteps of fellow French horror hounds Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury. Laugier, and Bustillo and Maury, have received great acclaim for their recent offerings - Martyrs and Inside, respectively - and, in some ways, have brough a modicum of excitement to the Hellraiser project.

Hellraiser isn't a film I want to see remade (although granted, there are very few I do want to see remade), but with someone like Laugier at the helm, there was a chance that maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't suck. With Martyrs, Laugier proved he could effectively portray the darker side of the human psyche as well as make brilliant use of make-up to show realistic bodily mutilation - surely great traits for anyone taking the reins of Hellraiser.

Of course, if this story is true, there is not indication of why Laugier has left the project. Pushed or jumped? Either way, I'd say that indicates that the vision being put forward for the Hellraiser remake is not one that is going to please fans, or do anything new or exciting with the material.

News: Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires

2009-06-09T10:39:00.005+01:00

Of all the films I'd expect to see being remade, this really isn't one of them. The Hammer classic The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires is being remade. It's a film about Dracula and Van Helsing...and kung fu. My guess is that the remake will remove all the campiness and make it into some sort of ass-kicking action film but...really? They couldn't come up with an original outline to fit that into?

News: Happy Birthday in 3D

2009-06-01T20:23:00.003+01:00

Hot on the heels of the success of My Bloody Valentine 3D (I liked it, anyway!), Lionsgate are remaking Happy Birthday to Me in 3D, another tacky 80s slasher I wish I'd seen. Anyone think this is a good choice to remake - and in 3D?

News: Quarantine 2 in the works

2009-05-30T21:02:00.001+01:00

BloodyDisgusting reports that Sony Screen Gems is working on a sequel to Quarantine, their remake of the brilliant Spanish film [REC]. I've not seen Quarantine, but I've read that it's a shot-by-shot remake - only not quite as good as the original. This sequel will be a completely original film - no surprises, considering the Flimax sequel to [REC] is still in production!

Update: Alien

2009-05-30T21:00:00.002+01:00

The Alien 'remake' has been confirmed by Tony Scott as being a 'reboot' in the form of a 'prequel'. That's only a tiny bit more comforting than the news that there may have been a straight-remake!

News: Nightmare on Elm Street Pics

2009-05-28T15:21:00.002+01:00

JoBlo has scored some photos from the set of Nightmare on Elm Street, including a shot of Jackie Haley as Kruger - pre-scarring. Click here for a look.

Rumour: ...Alien Remake?

2009-05-28T09:39:00.003+01:00

To be taken with a giant pinch of salt at the moment, but it's being reported all over the place this morning (thanks, BD) that Fox may be working on a remake of Alien. Let's take a moment to read that again, shall we? Remaking Alien.

Luckily, it might not be straight remake, but an origins story (which could potentially be kind of interesting). The mere fact that they're suggesting that a remake of one of the greatest horror/sci-fi movies is in the works is frightening.

News: Eisner off 'Creature'

2009-05-28T01:55:00.001+01:00

Big news from BloodyDisgusting who report that Brett Eisner is no longer attached to direct The Creature from the Black Lagoon and Universal are actively searching for a new director. Any takers?

News: Halloween 2 clip

2009-05-25T18:34:00.003+01:00

If you head on over HERE MTV has an exclusive clip from the upcoming Halloween 2, which features Laurie Strode under attack from Michael Myers. Is Rob Zombie going to kill her off? This clip suggests he might, but I guess we won't know until August. Considering how infinitely annoying Scout Taylor-Compton is, I don't think I'd be able to begrudge Zombie if he did.

News: Chan-Wook Remade

2009-05-20T17:21:00.001+01:00

Two tidbits from BloodyDisgusting about the films of Park Chan-wook. Apparently, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is being remade by the producer of Transformers (groan)...and there is potential talk of a remake of Thirst, a film that's only just been screened at Cannes. A new low? Remaking a film before it's even released? I think so.

Not a Remake: Colin

2009-05-16T13:41:00.002+01:00

At Abertoir 2008 I caught a screening of independent, no-budget zombie movie Colin, by Welsh director Marc Price. The film is about a regular guy who gets bitten and is entirely about his transformation and the slow loss of humanity...and what humanity remains. I was lucky enough to see a new cut of the film, which is being screened at Cannes right now, with coverage in The Hollywood Reporter and tomorrow's Sunday Express.

More info on the film, including the trailer and a clip can be found here at Nowhere Fast Productions' official website. I highly recommend checking out the film if you get the chance - it's a moving, original piece of filmmaking by a great up-and-coming filmmaker!

News: Sorority Row Poster

2009-05-15T11:03:00.002+01:00

It must be 'let the kids make the posters' week in remake land, because here, courtesy of BloodyDisgusting, is the ridiculous poster for Sorority Row. I mean, really, what is it? Click to see it bigger, if you really want to bother.

News: Two-week Round Up!

2009-05-13T12:43:00.003+01:00

Apologies for going AWOL - pesky dissertation writing gets in the way of blogging, but if it's of any consolation, I was writing about horror remakes the whole time! So, what have I missed?

Halloween 2 - The utterly terrible new poster for the film was unveiled...what do you think? It really is really real, and not fanmade, which surprised me, seeing as it looks like it was put together by a partially-sighted, computer-illiterate four year old.

Piranha 3D - Lots of new casting, including Paul Scheer and Christopher Lloyd, and some behind-the-scenes photos.

The Crazies - Here's a little bit of behind-the-scenes footage from the shoot. Of course, I can't view it, thank you very much MTV international viewing restrictions, so do let me know if it's any good!

The Echo - arriving quite late in the 'let's remake every Asian horror ever' game, the trailer for this film does not sell it at all well, despite picking up quite nicely in the last 30 seconds of what seems like a 3-hour trailer.

And, three new horror remakes on the slate: William Castle's I Saw What You Did is being remade by the guys behind My Bloody Valentine 3D; Korean film 301/302 is being remade as 10A/10B, and will star Marisa Tomei and Liv Tyler; and finally Darren Bousman, of Saw and Repo! fame is remaking the Troma film Mother's Day. Phew!

News: Another Elm Street Teen

2009-05-01T11:36:00.002+01:00

Katie Cassidy has been cast as 'Kris' in Platinum Dunes' remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street, ShockTillYouDrop reports. You may recognise her from such remakes as When a Stranger Calls or Black Christmas, or, more recently, TV's Supernatural.

News: More Piranha Casting

2009-05-01T11:30:00.002+01:00

BloodyDisgusting reports a whole load of Piranha 3D casting today, including Dina Meyer (Saw II-IV). They all join the already confirmed Elizabeth Shue, Ving Rhames, and Richard Dreyfuss, who appears in cameo.

Now, I haven't seen Piranha. Is it the kind of film that could maybe do with a remake, or is it fine as it is already? Or do you think the 3D effect will do it good - like My Bloody Valentine 3D?

Remake Alert: Videodrome

2009-04-27T08:07:00.003+01:00

Variety reports that Universal are set to remake David Cronenberg's Videodrome. The script is being written by Ehren Kruger, who wrote the screenplay to Scream 3, The Ring and um, Blood and Chocolate. Most interesting, perhaps, is this quote from Variety:

"The new picture will modernize the concept, infuse it with the possibilities of nano-technology and blow it up into a large-scale sci-fi action thriller."

Wait...what?! Colour me ignorant, but what does nano-technology have to do with television? Answers on a postcard, please, or in a comment below.

Trailer: H2 in HD!

2009-04-24T20:30:00.004+01:00

The trailer for Rob Zombie's Halloween 2/H2/The Devil Walks Among Us is finally online and can be found here:

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810061258/trailer

Beware that it is punctuated by VERY. LOUD. NOISES. I actually quite like that there's an emphasis on Laurie's condition post-attack, but I have no idea what to make of the bizarre Debroah Myers ghost/angel thing. Brief glimpses of Danielle Harris and Brea Grant, as well as bigger appearances from Brad Dourif and Malcolm McDowell. It looks like Zombie's not going to stop with his referencing of other films - there's a brief shot of a TV with a black and white move on it round about the 01:12 mark - anyone know what that is?

Would love to hear your thoughts!

News: Final Nightmare Casting

2009-04-24T10:43:00.004+01:00

Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Thomas Dekker and Rooney Mara are on board for the Nightmare on Elm Street remake, and adds a third and final teen, still in negotiations: Twilight's Kellan Lutz!

I must admit, I like a lot of this cast for this film. I still don't see them successfully 'updating' the movie though (if I recall correctly, the film opens on a party where the teen are all playing Guitar Hero? Puh-lease!).

News: The Crazies pushed back

2009-04-23T23:50:00.003+01:00

Overture Films let BloodyDisgusting know today that we won't be seeing The Crazies until February 2010, rather than later next year. Alas.

Trailer: Halloween 2

2009-04-23T22:24:00.004+01:00

A pirated copy has hit YouTube early (thanks to BloodyDisgusting for the heads' up), ahead of tomorrow's release on Yahoo! Here it is, in all its dark, grainy glory:

Full reaction when we see the high-quality version tomorrow, but so far? It seems very LOUD and NOISY.

News: Rodriguez to reboot Predator

2009-04-23T21:56:00.003+01:00

IESB.net reports that Robert Rodriguez is 'rebooting' the Predator franchise as Predators. Along with working on Machete, a sci-fi action film called Nervewrackers, Sin City 2 and The Jetsons. As far as I know, he's also still producing Red Sonja.

Looking at Rodriguez's IMDb page rather hilariously lists Sin City 2 as 'pre-production' and Sin City 3 as 'in production', so as far as that franchise is concerned, I suspect we'll be waiting a very long time to see any more.

Anyone remember when Rodriguez used to make original films? Or, y'know, actually make them and not just talk about them? No, me neither. Come back, Robert!

News: Straw Dogs Casting

2009-04-23T11:06:00.003+01:00

So, this was apparently first announced way back in 2007, but Sony Screen Gems *spit* is remaking Straw Dogs. I did not know this. The Hollywood Reporter, um, reports that James Marsden of X-Men and Superman Returns fame has been cast in the lead role, played by Dustin Hoffman in the original film.

He seems too much of a pretty-boy to play the part, but who knows, they might rough him up a bit. The director, Rod Lurie, is, according to IMDb, a 'critic-turned-director'. He's not French, so I'm not getting my hopes up that he'll be any good.

News: Nightmare's Nancy?

2009-04-23T10:59:00.002+01:00

BloodyDisgusting, your source for all things Platinum Dunes, is today telling us that the role of Nancy is in final negotiations for Nightmare on Elm Street. Negotiations with whom? With Rooney Mara, sister of some other teen-looking actress. She looks home-towny enough, but does she have the acting chops to go up against Haley as Kruger?

Incidentally, I watched The Haunting in Connecticut the other day, and am pleased (ish) to report that Kyle Gallner, who's also been cast as one of the teens, is a really good actor. Between him, Thomas Dekker and Haley, at least, the acting in this film should be decent!

Trailer Alert: H2 on Friday!

2009-04-21T22:12:00.002+01:00

Dimension Films has told BloodyDisgusting today that the trailer for Rob Zombie's Halloween 2 will be hitting YouTube this Friday, for one week only! I'll be sure to post the link/video here on Friday as soon as I catch wind of it, so keep your eyes peeled!

News: More Piranha Casting

2009-04-21T22:07:00.003+01:00

BloodyDisgusting reports today that Adam Scott (seen in Step Brother and Knocked Up) will be playing the character of 'Novak' in Alexandre Aja's Piranha 3D. I don't have a sense of humour, so have seen neither of the above films - anyone know if he's a decent actor? BD describe him as a 'male lead', but then his description of the plot and his character make me wonder if that's quite the case.

News: Dourif for Child's Play

2009-04-20T01:32:00.002+01:00

I use the term 'news' very loosely here. Still no word on when production will/if production will start on the remake of Child's Play, but Brad Dourif has recently said that he WILL provide the voice for Chucky. That's reassuring, if nothing else!

News: First H2 Footage

2009-04-20T01:29:00.002+01:00

A very sneaky-peek at footage from Halloween 2 can be found over here at BloodyDisgusting, who link to a high-quality video on YouTube which has even slo-o-o-wed down the footage so you can nitpick away.

News: Halloween 2

2009-04-17T10:40:00.002+01:00

A few Halloween 2 tidbits from BloodyDisgusting, because they're apparently Rob Zombie's own private marketing team over there.

Firstly, a fun new images of Michael probably about to stab someone has emerged (see left). In the same blog post by Rob Zombie, he answers an important question: this Halloween 2 is not a remake of that Halloween 2, but instead is just a continuation from his own version of Halloween. So, dear reader: shall I keep reporting on this film, or only post the biggies? Including...

...a trailer. It may or may not hit the internet soon (in pirated form), because rumour has it, it'll be screening in New York and LA only (before Crank 2). If it appears I'll be sure to post a link to it - meanwhile, check out at the same link an image of ~~Michael Myers~~ ~~Tyler Mane~~ a hobo.

News: More Nightmare Casting

2009-04-17T10:37:00.002+01:00

Another of the Nightmare on Elm Street kids has more than probably been cast - and this time it's Thomas Dekker, he of Sarah Connor Chronicles and Heroes fame. He's a good actor, so it's nice to see they're picking up some proper talent for this film. Let's hope it doesn't go to waste!

Photo: Olyphant in The Crazies

2009-04-15T10:13:00.002+01:00

BloodyDisgusting has the first image from The Crazies, starring Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell. It's due to hit cinemas September 25th. Also over at BloodyDisgusting is their report from their set visit earlier this month.

Photo: Michael Myers in H2

2009-04-11T19:06:00.002+01:00

Courtesy of Rob Zombie via BloodyDisgusting, here's the first proper look at Michael Myers in the upcoming Halloween 2. Shooting for the film is complete, and it will hit cinemas in August. That's 5 months away. A little bit rushed, as far as I'm concerned, but we'll see. It can surely only be an improvement on his first attempt?!

Rumour: Night of the Demon and Branagh?!

2009-04-08T14:55:00.005+01:00

So, file this under 'nothing at all confirmed' - Kenneth Branagh would like to remake Night of the Demon. He does apparently want to adapt the original source story, but apparently undermines himself by getting the number of pages it is wrong (really, though, reporter, maybe he was being a bit facetious?).

Not to be confused with the upcoming remake of Night of the Demons (like I just did), which is likely to be released around October-time.

Rumour: Elisabeth Shue for Piranha?

2009-04-07T22:04:00.002+01:00

Another tidbit from BloodyDisgusting, courtesty FearNet - rumour has it that Elisabeth Shue may be starring in Alexandre Aja's Piranha 3D for Dimension Films. That's all the information they have right now, and this is very, very much a rumour only.

News: Is Terror Train Being Remade?

2009-04-07T21:33:00.003+01:00

BloodyDisgusting has uncovered what looks to be information on a remake of Terror Train. According to the production company's official site, shooting is set to begin in May with Alex Wright directing - he seems to have directed a couple of features in the 90s but has stuck with television since. The website provides the following synopsis:

'Amy and her friend Stephanie are set for the ultimate party weekend: a Halloween fraternity bash aboard a moving train. But when a costumed psychopath starts killing the passengers one by one, it's up to Amy to stop the murderer.'

I've not seen the original - how does this match up?

News: Creature from the Black Lagoon

2009-04-07T10:09:00.002+01:00

BloodyDisgusting caught up with director Breck Eisner on the set of The Crazies, to ask him about his next project, which he hopes will be The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Although not officially green lit by Universal, a script is in place as well as his vision for the creature itself (Eisner's hoping for a combination of CGI and a man in a suit). Chances are if The Wolf Man is a success, this film will be greenlit.

News: Confirmed Nightmare Casting

2009-04-04T10:28:00.003+01:00

Following on from last night's post, where reports emerged that Jackie Earle Haley was in final talks to play the role of Freddy Kruger in A Nightmare on Elm Street...Variety is now reporting the casting as 100% confirmed: Haley is Kruger.

Something interesting to pick out of the Variety article. They're calling the project a 'relaunch'. To me, that implies a continuation of the old franchise (which this film isn't). I wonder if there's a reason they've not used 'remake'? Is the industry starting to realise the connotations that come with that word are generally negative?

Also, an additional tidbit from BloodyDisgusting is that Kyle Gallner, seen in The Haunting in Connecticut, is in final talks to play the role of Quentin, the Johnny Depp character of this film.

News: Freddy Almost Ready

2009-04-03T21:02:00.002+01:00

BloodyDisgusting is reporting today that the casting of Freddy Kruger in the Platnium Dunes remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street is in final talks and the man more or less definitely taking on the role is Jackie Earle Haley, seen most recently in Zack Snyder's Watchmen as the gravelly-voiced Rorschach.

Haley's a fine actor, so an interesting choice for a horror remake. It's pretty cool on his part if he is taking the role, and I think he'll do a good job as Freddy...but will the film provide material worthy of such a good actor? We'll have to wait and see, but I'm certainly not holding my breath yet.

Poster: The Stepfather

2009-04-02T00:27:00.002+01:00

JoBlo's given us that actually-quite-cool teaser poster for Sony Screen Gems' upcoming The Stepfather remake. It feels quite retro, I think because it looks as though it's been drawn, rather than just a photo. However, not even a cool teaser poster can make me feel better about another Cordone/McCormick Screen Gems pic...not after Prom Night!

Link: The Crazies on Twitter!

2009-04-01T01:38:00.002+01:00

If you've not already been sucked into the joys of Twitter, maybe this will tempt you: the people on the set of The Crazies are using Twitter to microblog about anything and everything about the film! You can find them as @thecraziesfilm over there.

And, while we're on the topic of Twitter, I suppose I should mention @wescraven, too! As far as I can tell, he's the real deal.

News: The Crazies

2009-03-30T23:44:00.003+01:00

ShockTillYouDrop reports that the official synopsis for Breck Eisner's The Crazies remake made an appearance in the ShoWest brochure:

"In a terrifying tale of the "American Dream" gone wrong, four friends find themselves trapped in their hometown in The Crazies a reinvention of the George Romero classic directed by Breck Eisner from a screenplay by Ray Wright (Pulse, Case 39) and Scott Kosar (The Amityville Horror, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre). David Dutton (Timothy Olyphant) is sheriff of Ogden Marsh, a picture-perfect American town with happy, law-abiding citizens. But one night, one of them comes to a school baseball game with a loaded shotgun, ready to kill. Another man burns down his house after locking his wife and young son in a closet inside. Something is infecting the citizens of Ogden Marsh...with insanity. The few still sane find themselves trapped: Sheriff Dutton; his pregnant wife, Judy (Radha Mitchell); Becca, an assistant at the medical center; and Russell, Dutton's deputy and right-hand man. Forced to band together, an ordinary night becomes a struggle for survival as they try to get out of town alive."

ShockTillYouDrop also reports that Danielle Panabaker, seen in the recent Friday the 13th, will be playing the role of Becca.

Commentary: Martyrs in the UK

2009-03-30T22:19:00.002+01:00

This post has nothing to do with remakes, but it does have everything to do with a highly original, fantastic horror film, Pascal Laugier's Martyrs.

Martyrs is a film that has received massive praise from the horror community for being original and challenging. Apparently, the British Press have watched a different film...I woke up this morning and discovered a slew of bad reviews for the film.

The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/mar/26/martyrs-horror-film-review

Seems to have missed the point of the film, along with forgetting to put any sort of effort into what he has to say about it...

The Times & The Sunday Times:
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/film_reviews/article5975859.ece?Submitted=true

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/film_reviews/article5975629.ece?Submitted=true

One of these buggers didn't even stay until the end of the film, yet feels it's okay to slap a star-rating onto their review.

The Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturecritics/timrobey/5055544/Also-Showing-Traitor-Two-Lovers-Afghan-Star-and-more.html

Relegated to the bottom of the page, with a two-sentence 'review'.

Time Out:
http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/86906/martyrs.html

Okay, fine. At least they treat the film with a tad more respect than the other reviewers seem to have done.

The Guardian, again, saving the worst until last:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/mar/29/martyrs-film-review

The most ridiculous of all these reviews. Seeing has Mr. French put no effort into reviewing the film, I'm going to put no effort into calling him an idiot.

More shocking than the sodding film. But wait! It seems not all British reviewers are idiots, afterall...

Total Film:
http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/cinema/martyrs (There's something hilarious about their saying "A torture-porn movie for Guardian readers"...have they read The Guardian review by now?!)

Channel Four:
http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=172408&section=review&page=all#reviewnav

Sky Movies:
http://movies.sky.com/review/martyrs

I like these guys. They have the nuts to call it out as a massively difficult and polarizing film AND say that they enjoyed it.

The film is currently being screened at the ICA in London: http://www.ica.org.uk/Martyrs+19120.twl If you're in London or nearby and fancy challenging yourself to a great film, I highly, highly recommend Martyrs. Its UK DVD release is May 25th (including a Blu Ray edition).

Photo: Halloween 2

2009-03-30T12:45:00.002+01:00

A few images from Halloween 2 have been released by Rob Zombie.

The first is a very exciting photo...of Michael walking. Only, it could quite easily just be some random tramp, I don't know.

The second images are a little more interesting, although verging on the self-indulgent on Zombie's part. They're a couple of ads for Uncle Coffins' TV show on Haddonfield Channel 18. Including one of House of 1000 Corpses. No doubt these won't be prominent features of the film, but still.

In the same post, BloodyDisgusting confirms that Bill Moseley is NO LONGER playing Uncle Coffins, due to scheduling conflicts. The name of the new actor has yet to be released.

News Round Up

2009-03-27T22:59:00.003Z

What's that I said about keeping up to date? Majorly sorry, guys. Here's a news round up!

Halloween 2 apparently has a new title...The Devil Walks Among Us. Hmm, quite. Michael has a new mask (aside from the blood I can't tell the difference?), Daeg Faerch may or may not still be playing Young Michael, and Weird Al Yankovich is the latest addition to the cast, which now includes Heroes' Brea Grant*, Bill Moseley, Caroline Williams, possibly Margot Kidder and the returning Malcolm McDowell.

The official website for Sorority Row, the remake of The House on Sorority Row has gone live, which includes the trailer; there's also some 'early art' that has emerged. I've not seen the original - how does this look? Looks pretty awful to me, but I rather like the creepy Theta-Pi chant.

There's script news for The Thing and Nightmare on Elm Street: the guy who's tweaking the NoES script is doing the rework of Ronald D. Moore's original The Thing script (and yet they're still calling it a prequel?). The information on the draft NoeS script is partly very interesting, and partly baffling, in my opinion. In other script news, the writers of the forthcoming The Birds and Poltergeist remakes discuss their intentions with the films.

Lastly, there are some images from the Night of the Demons remake around, as well as lots of The Crazies casting news.

Has anyone seen The Last House on the Left? The remake opened third in the US box office on its release, and although it's had a fairly poor-to-average critical response (42% on Rotten Tomatoes), some of the fan reaction has been positive (6.8/10 on Horror-Movies.ca and 4/5 on BloodyDisgusting). I found out recently it's not released in the UK until...September! Tell me - is it worth the wait?

*Check out Brea's blog, she's really cool!

News Digest

2009-02-23T21:27:00.004Z

Friday the 13th is now on general release - and breaking records amongst mostly rubbish reviews. Have you seen it? What did you think? My nearest cinemas aren't screening it (yet?), so I've unfortunately not been able to check it out.

Plenty of Halloween 2 tidbits floating around, such as confirmation of Malcolm McDowell's return to Haddonfield and Heroes' Brea Grant joining the cast, as do several others. Filming on 'H2' has begun, and Zombie will be posting some photos from the set very soon, as per his blog on MySpace.

As its release draws nearer, more and more chatter is appearing about The Last House on the Left. Some new images, TV Spots, and brief mention of a possible sequel?! I'm still unconvinced that this remake will work; it looks far too glossy. I'm holding out though - I suppose if it's done right, then that glossiness could make its disturbing content more powerful. In other 'Wes Craven has lost it' news, he has ideas for another The Hills Have Eyes sequel.

Quite a bit of news surfacing on Brett Eisner's remake of The Crazies, including the one sheet poster and some more casting news.

Finally, in wholly unsurprising news, Sony Screen Gems' The Stepfather is rated PG-13.

News, semi-Reviews and Promises

2009-02-05T22:54:00.005Z

Many apologies for my -good gracious! - almost month-long disappearance. Apparently I'm not good at juggling many activities at once! So, here is a whole bunch o' stuff for you to take a gander at.

Lots and lots of Friday the 13th buzz (released...that's right, Friday, Feb. 13th) around at the moment, mainly from Bloody 'Platinum Dunes' Disgusting: the first three clips from the film are online, as well as talk about the deleted scenes which will appear on the DVD release, with some small tidbits about The Birds and Nightmare on Elm Street at the same link.

There's already talk of a Friday 2, with some more information on The Nightmare on Elm Street both here and here.

Some conceptual art appeared online of Hellraiser's Pinhead, which everyone seems to think was the design for Laugier's remake - as he writes over at Bloody Disgusting, this is not the case at all (the photos are there too). Good thing, really, because they look a tad rubbish.

Do shout at me if I've left out any big news - I've lost track a bit!

On my part, I've watched a couple of remakes recently and here's a brief verdict of them.

The Hills Have Eyes (Aja) is not all that bad, but not great either. There's a boring start before getting to a good half-hour or so that's pretty exciting, but aside from that all that seems different is more gore and more blatant politics.

Prom Night (McCormick) is a film I watched for academic purposes only, and even then it failed to meet my incredibly low expectations. There's just...nothing in this film. Nothing. It's so devoid of any talent it's hard to believe it got a cinematic release.

Now, My Bloody Valentine 3D (Lussier). I travelled two hours by train to see this film in 3D, and wow, was it worth it! Not perfect by a long shot, but the 3D effect is utterly fantastic and put to great use in what's a fun, highly entertaining film. Well worth checking out!

Phew, mammoth post over. I'll stay more on the ball now, I promise!

News: Last House on the Left TRAILER

2009-01-08T23:40:00.004Z

Just added to Apple.com is the trailer for Last House on the Left, which will also hit cinemas in the USA tomorrow with The Unborn.

Um. Beg my pardon, but the vibe I get from that trailer is 'THIS FILM WILL SUCK'. There's too much gloss, even the criminals don't look grimy - not even the pretty Hollywood grimy. My main issue is that Mari survives. There had been rumour that would be the case, but to have it really, really confirmed here just makes me think that the parents' revenge will seem a little less justified? I realise we can't rely on the trailer to get minor plot details across, but I'm not a fan of the set up (girls go into town and hang out with random boy) that's a bit changed from the original.

Also, the artwork currently being used (see apple.com or above) better be some sort of place holder art and not an indication of the marketing material. It looks like a LiveJournal layout.

I think it'll take a few more viewings to really pinpoint what bugs me about this trailer, but I don't like it at all. The trailer might just be horribly misrepresenting the film, I know, but I am not holding my breath that this will be a good film.

Any thoughts?

Opinion: My Bloody Valentine 3D

2009-01-07T19:27:00.002Z

January 16th sees the release of My Bloody Valentine 3D in the UK and the US. I've not seen the original film, but I must admit, I'm actually looking forward to this remake.

No, seriously. And I think I know why. It's the whole 3D thing. They're actually doing something a little bit different with the film. Hopefully, that something different will be pulled off well. The trailers make the film seems fun, if not scary, and the 3D factor gives it an interesting twist. If it weren't for the 3D effect, I'm not sure I'd be all that interested in seeing it. As it is, I'm intruiged. I want to know if they can pull off a pick-axe flying into the audience without it looking like crap.

Luckily there's a 3D cinema not too far from where I am, and if it's being shown there (I hope it is) then I'll likely take a day trip to check it out. If the 3D effect is successful, it'll be a shame that more cinemas can't show it the way its meant to be watched.

Of course, it could just be crap. Oh, well. At least we can rely on Jensen Ackles to provide eye-candy.

News: First Images from Sorority Row

2009-01-05T23:20:00.002Z

Horror-Movies has exclusive images from Summit Entertainment's upcoming Sorority Row. Looks...boring. There's some thigh. Bit of cleavage. Bit of girl-in-peril. Even fire! Guess it'll break even on its opening weekend then.

News: H2...again.

2009-01-05T19:44:00.003Z

BloodyDisgusting seem to be reporting some sort of H2 'news' every day, but this is an interesting one in the form of a casting breaking down which is full of spoilers (well, I say spoilers. It gives away a few kills). None of the characters in the casting breakdown are returning characters from Halloween, but BD also reported that Danielle Harris (Annie Brackett) is rumoured to be returning for H2.

So much information is surfacing about H2 - is it being speedily put out there to quickly build up hype for a film that seems to be thoroughly rushed? I think so.

News: H2 and My Bloody Valentine

2009-01-03T11:34:00.003Z

BloodyDisgusting.com reports today that Dimension Films will be releaseing Rob Zombie's H2 (I still hate that title) on August 28, 2009. This seems incredibly rushed to me, as they've only just started filming - I have a feeling they've announced this date but will push it back to an October/Halloween release anyway. Even an October release would seem a bit speedy.

In other news, My Bloody Valentine 3D is hitting cinemas soon (January 16th UK & US), the official website is fully launched and has some pretty fun features like a personalised Valentine videocard you can send your beloved.

The first clip from the film has also hit the net, and can be found HERE on YouTube. I suspect the film might be pretty lame when not in 3D, so it's a shame that so comparitively few cinemas have the full 3D capability!

News: Dimension planning Martyrs remake

2008-12-29T10:11:00.002Z

AICN have a cool interview with Pascal Laugier in which he tells us the following:

"Yeah, it's a scoop. You're the first one I [tell]. Yeah, right now we are negotiating the rights to eventually remake MARTYRS in America."

Surprise, surprise. Martyrs, for me, is a film that most definitely has a great big DO NOT REMAKE stamp all over it. Bah, humbug!

News: Dunes off Rosemary's Baby remake

2008-12-23T12:23:00.004Z

BloodyDisgusting reports today that Platinum Dunes is officially OUT of Paramount Pictures' proposed remake of Rosemary's Baby (Brad Fuller's a very chatty guy lately, no?).

First Near Dark, now Rosemary's Baby - are Platinum Dunes actually developing a sense of 'artistic' integrity, or have they realised that the big bucks lie with their franchises?

It'll be interesting to see if Paramount continue with the project, and if so, how they go about it. Platinum Dunes are clearly a big name when it comes to big horror remakes, so will Paramount be less inclined to move forward without them? Time will tell.

Another thing I'm pondering - does this backing out of projects by Dunes mean they're becoming more inclined to working on original projects? Because that would be a welcome change.

News: Zombie to direct H2

2008-12-19T23:09:00.003Z

A bit late on the uptake with this one (damn you, flu!), but this week it was announced, and very quickly followed by a 'poster', that Rob Zombie will be directing a sequel to his Halloween. According to Variety, production's due to start in March. I wonder if they're after a Halloween '09 release?

If this is a success, I wonder if Dimension and Zombie will go for a full-blown new franchise? It's unclear right now if 'H2' (what a horrible title) will directly remake Halloween 2, but it will pick up from the end of Halloween, just like the original.

No cast is confirmed as returning, even though BloodyDisgusting seems to be speculating that most of the main cast will be returning (are they just making up extra news?), which seems to imply we'll have more flashbacks into Michael's past if the likes of Sheri Moon are returning.

I didn't really enjoy the Halloween remake. At all. I'll be intruiged if the sequel will build upon the bits I didn't like in the 'original' (namely the backstory, to be honest), or if it'll surprise and be an improvement.

What did you think of the Halloween remake? Or is it a reimagining?

Horror Remakes, 1998-present

2008-12-14T22:53:00.004Z

Films listed in square brackets are sequels to remakes.

1998

Psycho (Gus van Sant)

1999

The Haunting (Jan de Bont)
House on Haunted Hill (William Malone)

2000

2001

Thir13een Ghosts (Steve Beck)

2002

The Ring (Gore Verbinski)

2003

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Marcus Nispel)
Willard (Glen Morgan)

2004

Dawn of the Dead (Zack Snyder)
The Grudge (Takashi Shimizu)
Toolbox Murders (Tobe Hooper)

2005

2001 Maniacs (Tim Sullivan)
The Amityville Horror (Andrew Douglas)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (David Lee Fisher)
Dark Water (Walter Salles)
The Fog (Rupert Wainwright)
House of Wax (Jaume Collet-Serra)
[The Ring 2 (Hideo Nakata)]

2006

Black Christmas (Glen Morgan)
[The Grudge 2 (Takashi Shimizu)]
The Hills Have Eyes (Alexandre Aja)
The Omen (John Moore)
Pulse (Jim Sonzero)
[The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (Jonathan Liebesman)]
The Wicker Man (Neil LaBute)
When a Stranger Calls (Simon West)

2007

Halloween (Rob Zombie)
[The Hills Have Eyes 2 (Martin Weisz)]
The Hitcher (Dave Meyers)
[Return to House on Haunted Hill (Victor Garcia)]

2008

April Fools’ Day (Mitchell Altieri, Phil Flores)
[Day of the Dead (Steve Miner)]
The Eye (David Moreau, Xavier Palud)
One Missed Call (Eric Valette)
Prom Night (Nelson McCormick)
[Pulse 2: Afterlife (Joel Soisson)]
Quarantine (John E. Dowdle, Drew Dowdle)
Shutter (Masayuki Ochiai)

2009

Friday the 13^th (Marcus Nispel)
[The Grudge 3 (Toby Wilkins)]
My Bloody Valentine (Patrick Lussier)
Sorority Row (Stewart Hendler)
The Uninvited (Charles Guard)
The Wolfman (Joe Johnston)

Forthcoming:

The Birds (Martin Campbell)
The Crazies (Breck Eisner)
The Last House on the Left (Dennis Iliadis)
Piranha (Marcus Nispel)
The Stepfather (Nelson McCormick)

Forthcoming (rumored):

Creature from the Black Lagoon (Breck Eisner)
The Fly (Todd Lincoln)
Poltergeist (Vadim Perelman)
Hellraiser (Pascal Laugier)
Child’s Play
The Evil Dead
Nightmare on Elm’s Street
Suspiria

If I've left any off this list or if you don't agree with any I've listed, drop me a comment and I'll amend or argue accordingly!

News: Elm Street on, Near Dark off.

2008-12-12T12:01:00.003Z

No big surprise but it's not official that Platinum Dunes' next project will be the remake of Nightmare on Elm Street. Producer Brad Fuller has confirmed that they'll be looking for someone new to play Freddy, but hope that Robert Englund will make an appearance somewhere.

On the flip side to this, Platinum Dunes have also announced that their remake of Near Dark is no longer going to happen (at least not any time soon). According to Fuller this is because of the phenomenal success of Twilight, which features a similar, albeit much lighter and tween-friendly, plot.

This reasoning seems a little bizarre to me. Surely if the remake was touted as the 'adults only Twilight', it could draw in a teen crowd sneaking in off the back of Twilight's success? I suppose they can't rely on Near Dark to have the same name appeal as Leatherface, Jason or Freddy, and aren't willing to risk it just yet.

Not that I'm complaining, mind!

Trailer: Friday the 13th

2008-12-05T09:36:00.003Z

The full trailer for Platinum Dunes' Friday the 13th remake has premiered, and can be seen HERE, over at BloodyDisgusting.com.

Now, I've not seen Friday the 13th. The big slasher franchises are something I need to get into still...Halloween is pretty much the only one I've seen. BD kindly posted the trailer to the original Friday the 13th, and from that I'd say the new trailer goes for the same feel only bigger and better, so to speak.

I think the trailer looks pretty good, aside from the title informing us that the film is 'Produced by Michael Bay'. How does that name sell a movie to people? Baffling. It does seem that Marcus Nispel is doing to this what he did to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - making it glossier and gorier.

So, if you know and/or love the original, what do you think of the trailer for the remake? And tell me - should I rush out and watch the original?

In other remake news: Universal might be remaking Creature from the Black Lagoon...I suppose it'll depend on how popular The Wolfman turns out!

News: The Stepfather

2008-11-27T23:11:00.004Z

BloodyDisgusting.com has the offical synopsis for Sony Screen Gems remake of The Stepfather, which will be directed by Nelson McCormick, the guy who directed the Prom Night remake. I've not seen any of the above films (but desperately want to see The Stepfather, thanks to the appeal of the fantastic Terry O'Quinn), but I do know that Screen Gems tends to water things down to PG-13 to make a quick teenaged buck. The trailer for Prom Night was awful enough (did they really have to use the same scream sound effect 27650 times?); I would not be at all surprised to see The Stepfather go down the same road.

As a side note, The Stepfather sees a return to horror for Amber Heard (after All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, which I missed at Abertoir '07!), who seems to be very much an up-and-coming star in the making. Is she any good?

Remake or Readaptation?

2008-11-22T21:23:00.007Z

A matter of contention when it comes to the topic of remakes is that of re-adaptations. What's a remake, and what isn't? I think the answer to that question is different depending on who's being asked, but here are my thoughts.

I don't think that a re-adaptation is a remake. I don't think that Terence Fisher's Dracula is a remake of Tod Browning's film about the count. Similarly so, I don't think Kenneth Branagh's Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (phew) is a remake of James Whale's classic film. I do, however, think that previous film incarnations can massively impact upon future adaptations of a source material. Perhaps most obvious is Jack Pierce's make up work on Frankenstein, having more influence over most designs of the monster since 1931 than Shelley's original words do.

The differences between Universal and Hammer adaptations aside, the line between remake and readaptation can be very thin indeed. Take Ringu/The Ring, for example. Both films credit the original source novel by Kôji Suzuki, however, The Ring also credits the screenplay for Ringu. I've not read the novel, so can't comment on which it draws from most, but the use of the original film as a starting point is quite apparent. Gus Van Sant's Psycho credits Robert Bloch's original novel, but that film is quite clearly a shot-by-shot remake of Hitchcock's adaptation.

A recently announced film project is Steven Spielberg and Will Smith's Oldboy (not strictly horror, but often lumped in nonetheless). Fans were outraged at the thought of Park Chan-wook's 2003 film being watered down to a PG-13 star-vehicle by one of the most Hollywood of Hollywood's filmmakers. Either by pure coincidence or by clever PR, Will Smith has since pointed out that they're not remaking the film at all, but that they're adapting the original manga series. Time will tell quite how much truth there is to this statement, and I'm sure many will retain their cynicism in the meantime, but Spielberg's Oldboy will surely cement the greyness of this area - Park Chan-wook's film being very faithful to the manga.

Personally, instances like Dracula or Frankenstein are not remakes. There are, in the case of a film like The Ring, instances when the distinction between remake and readaptation becomes muddied. This is only part of what makes 'remake' so difficult to define in the first place.

Your thoughts?

Let me introduce myself.

2008-11-20T15:01:00.001Z

My name's Nia and I'm a horror fan.

There. Easy bit out of the way.

I'm no horror expert. I'm fairly new to my love for the genre. There are a hell of a lot of essential horror films that I've still not seen. I can talk like I know exactly what I'm on about, when really, I'm not always so sure.

One thing I do know I'm certain of. Horror remakes really, really, really, really piss me off. Let me be clear: John Carpenter's The Thing is a great film. Hell, I'd even dare say I'm looking forward to Joe Johnston's The Wolf Man (so shoot me). Not all horror remakes are terrible.

Since 1998, when Gus Van Sant remade Psycho, the floodgates have opened. Along came The Haunting (Jan de Bont) and House on Haunted Hill (William Malone) in 1999, and then two biggies: The Ring (Gore Verbinski) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Marcus Nispel) in 2002 and 2003, respectively. Neither's an awful film, by any stretch of the imagination, but there's something terribly unnecessary about both. Their worst crime is opening the floodgates for the remake upon remake upon remake that followed. Poor, brilliant Asian cinema watered down into The Ring Two, The Grudge, The Grudge 2, Dark Water, The Eye, One Missed Call, Shutter...and American classics losing their point entirely: The Hills Have Eyes, The Amityville Horror, The Stepford Wives, Dawn of the Dead (okay fine, there was an exception), Halloween, The Omen, The Hitcher, Prom Night, Black Christmas...*breathe* And the less said about The Wicker Man, the better.

Like I say, these films aren't always necessarily bad, in their own right. Some are pretty good, or at least, entertaining pap. But in some cases, even the good ones are just all a bit pointless. And, as we all know, evil never dies. Rumoured, in production or soon to be released remakes include Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser, Child's Play, Suspiria, The Birds, The Last House on the Left, Poltergeist...! We might as well be saying that Casablanca, Gone With the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia and Ben-Hur are being remade.

Will it ever stop? Will Hollywood not only run out of original ideas and rip-offs, but of material to remake too? Will original horror writers and filmmakers ever get a foot in the door again? Only time will tell the answer to that, but meanwhile, I'm going to be sitting here getting more and more pissed off by every new remake that's announced, and I hope you'll join me too.

Cannibal Hollywood

Review: A Reckoning (AD Barker, 2009)

Pethau arswydus bychain.

BIFFF 2010

The Repossession of Repo! The Genetic Opera

Women in Horror Recognition Month, day one

Bleed for Women in Horror!

Gosh! *blush*

End of Year/Decade Lists!

Not a Remake: In Defense of the Twilight Saga

Not a Remake: Short Film Review: The Return, Elli Raynai

News: Remaking Remakes

News: Night of the Living Dead finds its Barbara

News: Let The Right One In casting; title change.

Why I'm Excited About 'Mother's Day'

Review: Sorority Row (Hendler, 2009)

News: Suspiria to Shoot in 2010

Dear Blog, I'm sorry for neglecting you.

News: An American Werewolf in London...again

Comment: Hellraiser losing directors

News: Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires

News: Happy Birthday in 3D

News: Quarantine 2 in the works

Update: Alien

News: Nightmare on Elm Street Pics

Rumour: ...Alien Remake?

News: Eisner off 'Creature'

News: Halloween 2 clip

News: Chan-Wook Remade

Not a Remake: Colin

News: Sorority Row Poster

News: Two-week Round Up!

News: Another Elm Street Teen

News: More Piranha Casting

Remake Alert: Videodrome

Trailer: H2 in HD!

News: Final Nightmare Casting

News: The Crazies pushed back

Trailer: Halloween 2

News: Rodriguez to reboot Predator

News: Straw Dogs Casting

News: Nightmare's Nancy?

Trailer Alert: H2 on Friday!

News: More Piranha Casting

News: Dourif for Child's Play

News: First H2 Footage

News: Halloween 2

News: More Nightmare Casting

Photo: Olyphant in The Crazies

Photo: Michael Myers in H2

Rumour: Night of the Demon and Branagh?!

Rumour: Elisabeth Shue for Piranha?

News: Is Terror Train Being Remade?

News: Creature from the Black Lagoon

News: Confirmed Nightmare Casting

News: Freddy Almost Ready

Poster: The Stepfather

Link: The Crazies on Twitter!

News: The Crazies

Commentary: Martyrs in the UK

Photo: Halloween 2

News Round Up

News Digest

News, semi-Reviews and Promises

News: Last House on the Left TRAILER

Opinion: My Bloody Valentine 3D

News: First Images from Sorority Row

News: H2...again.

News: H2 and My Bloody Valentine

News: Dimension planning Martyrs remake

News: Dunes off Rosemary's Baby remake

News: Zombie to direct H2

Horror Remakes, 1998-present

News: Elm Street on, Near Dark off.

Trailer: Friday the 13th

News: The Stepfather

Remake or Readaptation?

Let me introduce myself.

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