The Horror Geek – News, Rants and Reviews From The Horror Geek!

Variety brings us news today about that mini-series adaptation of Stephen King’s newest novel, Under the Dome, that I mentioned last week. Steven Spielberg’s Dreamworks TV has optioned the novel and hopes to release it on cable.

Spielberg won’t be directing, but he will be Executive Producing alongside King and Stacey Snider. The company has started to meet with potential writers for the project.

I’ll bring you more on this one as details slowly come into focus. In the meantime, if you’re like me you haven’t even cracked open this novel yet. Here’s what it’s about.

Under the Dome revolves around the drama that unfolds after an invisible force field suddenly descends on a small vacation town in Maine. As the locals fight for their survival, the town descends into warring factions led by enigmatic characters.

This isn’t the first time Spielberg and King have attempted to collaborate on a project. Spielberg has had an option on King’s The Talisman for over twenty years, but has never managed to bring the book to the silver or small screen. Let’s hope things go more smoothly with this adaptation.

It’s been a busy week for Stephen King news. His latest tome, Under the Dome, is now out (it’s massive–I probably won’t get around to reading it until next month), but there’s more good news for fans of horror’s most recognizable name. Read on for the details.

First up, King has revealed that Under the Dome is getting adapted for television. The book will be turned into a miniseries for HBO (which is a great choice, because it means nothing will have to be cut to appease the FCC). No word on when this will go into production or who’s involved, but I’ll keep you posted.

King also says that he’s finished the screenplay for the big-screen adaptation of his novel Cell. This was the project Eli Roth was attached to write and direct at one point, but then left.

And finally, perhaps the biggest news of all was this tidbit posted on King Super-Site Lilja’s Library:

“Stephen has given me permission to pass along that he has an idea for a new Dark Tower book, the working title of which will be THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE. He has not yet started this book and anticipates that it will be a minimum of eight months before he is able to begin writing it.”

“It will center around supporting characters and revolve around some important events between Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla.”

Check out the clip below to hear more from the man himself.

Yesterday I posted a story about Mick Garris’ upcoming horror talk show, Mick Garris’ Post Mortem. Variety was reporting that the show was going to be a webseries wherein Garris would spend roughly five minutes with a guest from the genre. Turns out, that’s not exactly the case.

The report now is that the episodes will actually be 30 minutes long–with five minute webisodes serving as a complement to the main show. Thanks to Dread Central for clarifying. I’m now way more excited about the prospects of this series. It could be like Life After Film School–only with filmmakers and actors we actually care about. FEARnet will beginning airing the show this December.

Interesting FEARnet news courtesy of Variety this morning. It appears as though the horror-centric channel/website is about to launch a new series, Post Mortem With Mick Garris, wherein the director and Masters of Horror creator will interview various genre figures such as Tobe Hooper, Wes Craven, and more.

The web series is set to launch in December and will be available online, through the FEARnet on demand service, and through mobile platforms. Each episode of Post Mortem will run roughly five minutes.

This is interesting news–Garris certainly knows his way around the horror world and has the connections to get the biggest names in the genre to talk. On the other hand, I worry that these will be five-minute fluff pieces designed to do little more than promote whatever the guest has coming out. I’m not expecting Mick to turn into Mike Wallace, but I am hoping that the series avoids becoming something like what you’d see on an Entertainment Tonight segment.

If I’m posting a trailer to a slasher movie made for television, based around MTV’s absolutely awful My Super Sweet 16 show, then you know it’s a slow news day. The good news is that it’s not slow enough that I’d post something from Twilight…

Basically, MTV’s taken the core idea of the show (spoiled chicks get wildly extravagant 16th birthday parties) and merged it with a slasher film. Surprisingly enough, the trailer is less terrible than I imagined. That’s what having lowered expectations will do for you.

Anyway, the film airs at 10 PM on the 23rd on MTV. The question now is this: since I run a horror blog, am I like legally obligated to watch this?

Spike TV’s Scream Awards presentation isn’t airing until the 27th of October, but the ceremony/recording was held last night. Here’s the list of winners, just in case you want to convince your friends that you have precognitive abilities while watching the show.

Honestly, after seeing this list of “winners”, I’ll not bother watching at all. I didn’t expect much given the list of nominees that fans could vote on in each category, but it’s still a pretty lame list. The only real highlights are Romero’s Lifetime Achievement Award and Drag Me to Hell winning in the best horror film category. Biggest head-scratcher of the night? The Rock Immortal Award (which went to Keith Richards). Sure, Richards looks like a mummy and has lived so long that he may in fact be a vampire (or a Highlander-esque immortal), but why is that worthy of  a trophy on a Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror film and television awards show?

Jump past the break for the full list of winners.

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I love Showtime’s Dexter. It’s one of the three best shows on television as far as I’m concerned, and if you haven’t seen it (and you like horror enough to read this site) then you’re missing out. That being said, the idea of an animated Dexter web series doesn’t exactly inspire confidence when you first hear it. This could be because the mere mention of animation makes me think of anime, which then makes me want to shoot myself in the face–repeatedly. Or it could just be that I think Dexter would likely lose some impact by becoming a cartoon.

Those were just my feelings prior to checking out this new trailer the web series (entitled Dexter: Early Cuts). After sitting down and watching the clip, I’m pretty much sold on the project. There’s a lesson here, kids–don’t let your preconceived notions keep you from checking things out even if you’re sure you’ll hate it.

Anyway, the clip highlights what we can expect when the series premieres online this October 25th. Dexter: Early Cuts will be comprised of 12 one to two minute animated webisodes (Christ, “webisode” is a retarded word…) and will appear on the Showtime website. Have a look at the clip, then jump past the break for the full (and I do mean “full”) press release (it features some stuff I didn’t mention here–so make with the clicking).

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This is, hands down, my absolute favorite time of the year. I love autumn (even though I’m stuck in Florida where there is no autumn, technically speaking) in general, but October is even better. Football is in full swing, hockey season starts in a few days, I’ve got a birthday (although I seem to like those less and less with each passing year) and the best holiday of the year is at the end of the month: Halloween. This is the one time of the year where almost everyone becomes a horror fan–and I love that.

FEARnet is pulling out all the stops to make this the biggest and best October yet–in fact, it’s so big they’re not even calling it October. The month has been re-christened FEARtober instead.  They’ve got a veritable gore-nucopia of killer movies, shows, and features lined up for you. Don’t believe me? Here are just some of the highlights:

ROUTE 666: AMERICA’S SCARIEST HOME HAUNTS – “Scream Queen” Danielle Harris (of “Halloween” fame and this month’s original series FEAR CLINIC) is your host for this guided tour of the country’s “scare the crap out of you” most frightening and innovative haunted houses.  From severed limbs to disemboweled victims, we’ll take viewers behind the chainsaw to meet the mad creators of these hell holes, who share their inspiration, methodology and tricks of the trade.

How-To Tips:  TRICKS OF THE TRADE – Want to know how to make fake blood, the proper way to gouge out the eyes of a pumpkin, or how to fashion a gory, oozing wound in order to make your Halloween a real treat?  Each day throughout FEARtober, we’ll feature a different 1-2 minute “how-to” trick guaranteed to help make you the life – or death – of the party.  Where else can you learn how to create that “just electrocuted” look we all crave?

But there’s even more–the festivities reach a crescendo with the world premiere of director Robert Hall’s highly-anticipated new web series FEAR CLINIC, starring a triumvirate of the Silver Screen’s horror elite, never-before-seen together on film.  Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street franchise), Danielle Harris (Halloween franchise) and Kane Hodder (Friday The 13^th franchise) star as the inhabitants of FEAR CLINIC, where patients go to be cured of their most dreaded phobias by undergoing a revolutionary treatment no insurance policy would ever cover.  FEAR CLINIC will premiere Monday, October 26^th, with new episodes premiering for five consecutive nights.

Trust me, that’s not even half of it–this isn’t counting the movie line-up for the month (which includes the unrated director’s cut of Midnight Meat Train and the slasher classic The Burning) or all the other special features they’ve got queued up for the discerning horror fan.

How can you see all this scary goodness? Through the usual FEARnet channels: Fearnet.com, FEARNET On Demand and FEARNET Mobile.

Jump past the break for the full press release.

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Dexter is hands down one of the best shows on television and it seems to get more popular with each passing season, which makes it seem odd that it’s taken this long for someone to finally get around to making action figures based on the show’s characters. That being said, if these new prototypes from Bif Bang Pow! are half as cool as the pictures make them look, then the wait has been worth it.

The figures, pictured above, feature everyone’s favorite blood-spatter expert/serial killer of serial killers, Dexter Morgan, and his nemesis on the force, Sgt. Doakes. This is clearly a Season Two set (I don’t want to spoil anything…) that comes complete with a diorama that should be very familiar to fans of the show.

This is an early prototype of the set (which is due out in March of next year), but it’s already shaping up nicely. Here’s what Bif Bang Pow! has to say about the set:

Dexter won’t let anything or anyone stop his vengeance on serial killers. Not even Doakes. Straight from the mind-blowing Season 2 finale of Dexter, this remarkable action figure 2-pack has Dexter facing off against his antagonistic co-worker, Sgt. James Doakes. With a themed diorama base and background, you can reenact that gripping scene in the cabin with Dexter’s makeshift cage for the sergeant! In order to stay neat and tidy during killings, Dexter is dressed in cloth scrubs and cloth apron, and comes with a handsaw and welder’s mask. But Doakes is ready for action, too, with his holster and gun in tow. Each incredibly lifelike figure stands 7-inches in scale and features multiple points of articulation. The base measures 7-inches x 5-inches x 1-inch. Get this exciting 2-pack for yourself and let them settle the score at your place! This Dexter sculpt is personally approved by actor Michael C. Hall and Showtime.

You can pre-order figures here. Thanks to Uncle Creepy over at Dread Central for spotting these.

The fourth season of Showtime’s Dexter starts next week. I still haven’t seen an episode of Season 3, but I’m hoping to remedy that soon. For those of you who are current, these should help get you in the mood for next Sunday night.

I’m not sure where these clips originated, but I snagged them from Bloody-Disgusting.