The BAFTA awards (the British equivalent of the Oscars) have nominated the romantic zomedy Shaun of the Dead for two of its top awards. Producer Nira Park is up for the The Carl Foreman Award For Special Achievement By a British Director/Producer OR Writer In Their First Feature Film, and the film itself has been nominated for Best British Film.(read more...)
-- The Devil's Rejects, Rob Zombie's follow-up to House of 1000 Corpses, has secured an R rating. (bloody-disgusting.com)
-- Wes Craven has signed on as executive producer of The Breed, the directorial debut of his longtime DP (and assistant director on Cursed) Nick Mastandrea. The film involves two estranged brothers under siege by wild dogs. (moviehole.net)
-- A new trailer for Spielberg's War of the Worlds (the horror status of which is still up in the air) will debut during the Super Bowl (waroftheworldsfilm.com) (read more...)
Blessed be the insane minds of Best Brains, Inc., the creators of "Mystery Science Theater 3000." Taking a relatively simple concept - making fun of bad movies - and turning it into a mass distributed (well, cable-televised) artform, these Midwestern madpeople have raised a rallying cry against ridiculous editing, cardboard monsters, and the forces of 1950s Roger Corman cinema.(read more...)
Some films develop cults around them and some films wash away in the tide of film history so quickly that they never have time to develop a proper following. Directed by Gary Sherman (Death Line) and written by Dan O'Bannon & Ronald Shusett (the duo who penned Alien), the low-budget chiller Dead & Buried probably should have been more popular than it was. However, now is as good a time as any to get acquainted with this minor masterpiece. (read more...)
There are occasions when separating oneself from a film review is nigh-on impossible. This is one of those times. After The Wolf Man, Roger Corman's Pit and the Pendulum was the second horror film I ever saw in its entirety - an experience that solidified not only my adoration for the genre, but also my lifelong love for all things Vincent Price. Watching it again caused a wave of nostalgia that overcame the movie's occasionally creaky dialogue and dusty first half. There are simply films that are so much better than their flaws -- indeed, better because of their flaws. This is one of them.(read more...)
When one lists off the major horror directors (Whale, Romero, Craven, Cronenberg, etc.), it's easy to overlook Terence Fisher. After all, the man wasn't very outspoken and his contributions to the genre are often more recognized for the producing studio and the stars, rather than the force behind the camera. Nevertheless, Terence Fisher almost single-handedly reformed the British horror picture into a new entity of terror.
Sam Raimi's production outfit Ghost House Pictures (whatever happened to Renaissance, anyway?) is looking to fund a sequel to their recent horror remake hit The Grudge. Stephen Susco, the writer of the previous entry, has been contracted to pen the second film in what may become a franchise. The Grudge is a remake of the 2003 Japanese horror flick Ju-On, and the two films shared the same director, Takashi Shimizu.(read more...)
Yet another classic horror film that is entirely unique and probably doesn't need any sort of remake is getting remade... and this time, at the behest of its original director. Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures is gearing up to remake The Evil Dead. Raimi will not direct the film himself, but is actively looking for a new person to take the helm. Although there's been no official casting, word has come down the pike that both Seann William Scott (American Pie) and Justin Theroux (Mulholland Drive) are strong contenders to replace Bruce Campbell as Ash.
David Cronenberg's getting the remake treatment lately. Lions Gate is working on a new version of Scanners, inheriting the project from its days at the recently bought-out Artisan. Pierre David, René Malo and Clark Peterson will serve as producers. James Wan (Saw) has already passed on directing (he also passed on Fox's in-the-works remake of The Fly).
Navi Rawat (who "Angel" fans will recall as the psychotic slayer from the deeply disturbing Season 5 ep "Damage") has signed on to the next Project Greenlight movie Feast. She joins Balthazar Getty, Henry Rollins and Jason Mewes on the project. The film is being executive produced by Wes Craven.
