"Predator" Reboot - The Hunt for a Director Is Over

Predator
Submitted by Simon Powell on Fri, 2009-07-03 13:12

Ain't it Cool News are reporting that Vacancy director Nimrod Antal has been hired to helm Robert Rodriguez's Predator reboot. Predators will see a group of humans trying to make it back home after getting trapped on the creatures' home planet.

Rodriguez, who is producing, wrote the original script back in 1994 when he was hired to put together a second sequel. This time he's using his Troublemaker Studios in Texas, in order to take advantage of the state's tax breaks.

Predators is due to be released in July next year.

"American Werewolf" to Howl Again?

American Werewolf in London still
Submitted by Simon Powell on Tue, 2009-06-30 14:43

Reuters are reporting that remake kings Dimension Films have picked up the rights for a new version of An American Werewolf in London.

The original, written and directed by John Landis, starred David Naughton and Griffin Dunne as two American backpackers hiking in the Yorkshire moors. After the pair are attacked by a werewolf, Naughton ends up terrorizing London while Dunne becomes a reanimated corpse, looking for ways for Naughton to kill himself and stop the curse.

The producers are reportedly trying to keep the comedy elements of the original, while making the story relevant to contemporary audiences. No writer or director has yet been hired for the new version, although Landis will apparently serve as executive producer.(read more...)

Review: Friday the 13th (2009)

Friday the 13th 2009 DVD
Submitted by Nate Yapp on Mon, 2009-06-29 23:54

Marcus Nispel's Friday the 13th (2009), a "reboot" of the popular slasher franchise of the same name, is a frustrating cypher of a film. A critical nonentity, it is neither especially commendable nor particularly condemnable. Few elements stand out as objects of worthy discussion and even those that do provide extremely meager returns. The filmmaking is professional but uninspired, resulting in a vaguely familiar smorgasbord of pastiches and rehashes, reconfigured just enough as to not raise any ire from those keen-eyed enough to recognize the inspirations. In short, it's a truly terrible movie, for it takes no risks and asks for no involvement from its audience. (read more...)

Argento Cuts Ties with New Thriller "Giallo"?

giallo-poster.jpg
Submitted by Simon Powell on Mon, 2009-06-29 11:06

Horror legend Dario Argento is reportedly distancing himself from his new thriller Giallo, with trade paper The Hollywood Reporter saying that he kept away from the recent premiere of his latest project at the Edinburgh Film Festival.

For the first time in his career, Argento is working as a hired director on a screenplay devised by others. American writers Jim Agnew and Sean Keller concocted Giallo as a tribute to the Italian director. In the film, which is set in Italy, Linda (Emmanuelle Seigner) fears her sister Celine (Elsa Pataky) may have been kidnapped. Inspector Enzo Avolfi (Adrien Brody) fears it's worse. The two team up to rescue Celine from a sadistic killer known only as Yellow.

Giallo, like Argento's previous film Mother of Tears, will be distributed in North America by the Weinstein Company, although no news yet on a release date.

Spielberg's "Oldboy" Remake Still on Course Despite Legal Wrangles

Oldboy
Submitted by Simon Powell on Sun, 2009-06-28 01:58

Another week, another remake story...

This time, Reuters are reporting that Steven Spielberg's plans to redo ultra-violent Korean revenge flick Oldboy with Will Smith in the lead role are still moving forward, despite a complex behind-the-scenes legal row between the publishers of the original manga and the producers of the original film.

Futabasha has filed a case against Show East in Seoul, alleging the Korean company never had the right to negotiate a remake. To futher complicate the story, Show East has shut down, its CEO, Kim Dong-Ju, has disappeared, and another firm involved in the production of the original, Big Egg, has also closed up shop.

DreamWorks, which snapped up the rights in November in the wake of its separation from Paramount, has so far not commented on the dispute.

Review: Dog Soldiers (2002)

Dog Soldiers poster
Submitted by John Dubrawa on Sun, 2009-06-21 12:08

You get the sense from watching Dog Soldiers that first time writer-director Neil Marshall had this great idea for a survival horror movie about werewolves, but also in the back of his mind had created a colorful cast of action-cliché characters and ultimately decided it would be fun just to pit the two against one another in an action-horror mash-up with a little British humor thrown in for good measure. There's no doubt that the mix of thrilling chase sequences and wince-inducing gore is fun to watch, especially when the word "bollocks" gets tossed around a lot during these scenes. But the fun in Dog Soldiers lasts for merely the first act of the film. After that, the film slows down considerably and the remaining two acts are comprised of predictable action and boring characters. It's a shame to see a promising director run through his reserves so quickly. (read more...)

Cover Art and Details on Warner's "Karloff and Lugosi Horror Classics" DVD Set

Karloff & Lugosi Horror Classics
Submitted by Nate Yapp on Fri, 2009-06-19 15:45

It appears that the Karloff/Lugosi box set that Warner Home Video promised back in March is a sure thing, as they have officially announced the release of Karloff & Lugosi Horror Classics on October 3rd, 2009. The set will contain four films -- The Walking Dead (Michael Curtiz, 1936), Frankenstein 1970 (Howard W. Koch, 1958 - presented in anamorphic widescreen),You'll Find Out (David Butler, 1940), and Zombies on Broadway (Gordon Douglas, 1945). Special features will include two commentary tracks: one on The Walking Dead with Gregory Mank (author of Hollywood Cauldron, an excellent book which devotes a full chapter to the film) and another featuring Tom Weaver and actress Charlotte Austin discussing Frankenstein 1970. Suggested retail price for Karloff & Lugosi Horror Classics is $26.98.

"The Birds" and "Rosemary's Baby" in NOT Being Remade Shocker!

Birds poster
Submitted by Simon Powell on Thu, 2009-06-18 00:52

There is some good news of sorts if you were despairing of ever again seeing anything original at the cinema. The HorrorSquad website is reporting that Michael Bay's production company Platinum Dunes has apparently dropped plans to remake Hitchcock's The Birds and Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby.

In an interview with Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, the duo behind the recent Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw remakes, as well as the upcoming new version of Nightmare on Elm Street, both appeared to suggest that the overwhelmingly negative response on the Internet was a factor

On The Birds remake, which had been slated for a 2011 release with Naomi Watts in the Tippi Hedren role, Fuller is quoted as saying "As you guys know, we lay ourselves out there and get annihilated out there online all day long, and that movie just opens us up to a whole different level of annihilation."(read more...)

Universal is Remake-Happy: "Bride of Frankenstein" Up Next

Elsa Lanchester as The Bride
Submitted by Nate Yapp on Wed, 2009-06-17 16:59

The Hollywood Reporter's Risky Business blog broke the inevitable news that Universal is developing a remake of James Whales's Bride of Frankenstein. In fact, it turns out that Universal's been kicking around the idea for at least five years, although never with any success. The new Bride would be co-produced with Imagine Entertainment. Neil Burger (The Illusionist, The Lucky Ones) is in talks to write and direct; he would likely partner with Dirk Wittenborn on the screenplay. (read more...)

Ten Years of Classic-Horror.com

Curse of Classic-Horror faux poster
Submitted by Nate Yapp on Sun, 2009-06-14 21:17

Here we are, ten crazy years after a naïve sixteen-year-old started the website that would eventually become Classic-Horror.com. Back then, I just wanted a corner of the Internet to express my half-formed opinions on the genre that I loved. I had no idea that it would still be here ten years later or that it would take me all the places it has taken me. I have no interest in rehashing the past decade, though. I would like to say that I am deeply grateful to the friends, family, writers, and readers who have helped make Classic-Horror what it is today. (read more...)

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