Holy Christ has it been forever since I posted here. I’ve got no good excuse, except that Horror Squad keeps me busy.
If you’ve been eagerly awaiting the day when Jigsaw’s series of Saw films would finally draw to a close, this could be your lucky day. The new trailer for Saw 3D is now online (thanks IGN!) and it’s promising to be the end of the line. I’m happy about this because I’m pretty fucking sick of covering these movies every year. Contrary to popular opinion, they’re not the worst thing out there — but clearly, this is an idea that’s been run into the ground. It’s time to move on.
Of course, like any old school horror fan, I’m wary of this. Once upon a time Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter was supposed to be the end of Jason and we all see how that worked out…
I could see Saw 3D making a truckload of money and Lionsgate demanding another film — so hold off on those “Jigsaw is dead!” parties for now.
In other news, the film has shifted from its October 22nd release date to the 29th instead — clearly to avoid opening against Paranormal Activity 2, a film that kicked Jigsaw’s ass all over the box office last year.
Scroll down a bit further and check out the new trailer for yourself. Remember — the Traps Are Alive!!!
Fangoria, the long running horror magazine that many of us grew up on, is looking to broaden their horizons yet again. They’ve teamed up with Lightning Media to create the brand new Fangoria Frightfest. Think After Dark Horrorfest or the Ghosthouse Underground releases and you’ll know exactly what’s in store.
Fango and Lightning have combined forces to bring you eight new horror flicks on DVD, VOD, and Digital Download. One of the films, chosen by viewers, will get a big screen theatrical release next month. So, after you’ve viewed the flicks, be sure to head over to the official site and make your voice is heard. To help set the tone, I’ve got a look at the cover art for each of the new DVD releases — and I must say, the majority of them are really pretty cool looking.
Check out the gallery for a better look at the artwork after the break as well as the plot synopsis for each title.
While perusing the ol’ Interweb for stories this morning, I stumbled across this cool trailer for director Bradley Scott Sullivan’s I Didn’t Come Here to Die (thanks Twitch!). This is the first I’d heard of the film, which was shot entirely on a Panasonic Lumix GH1 DSLR camera. Filmed in an around the movie hotbed of Austin, Texas, this one looks pretty cool. It’s got a slasher vibe as a group of kids head out to do some volunteer work, only to learn that no good deed goes unpunished. Looks like it has some good gore, and as Twitch points out there’s one dude in the cast who looks a lot like a young Christian Bale.
There’s no official release date for I Didn’t Come Here to Die yet (the trailer just says “2010″), but you can keep up to date by checking out the film’s website.
Peep the trailer below and let me know what you think in the comment section.
George Romero’s latest zombie opus, Survival of the Dead is currently available on VOD and at select theaters. However, if you’re holding out for a DVD release, news broke last week that August 24th was the date you were waiting for. On that day, retailers will start selling copies of the Ultimate Undead Edition of the film, a two-disc collector’s set sure to be filled with all sorts of goodies.
Wal-Mart’s website has the DVD up for pre-order, including a single disc edition for those who don’t want to pay for a bunch of supplements they’ll never watch. Even better, they’ve got our first look at the cover art for the film. That’s it at the top of the post.
Here’s the film’s plot synopsis:
When the idyllic retreat of Plum Island falls victim to the zombie plague, a new breed of clan war breaks out. On one side is the camp who want to exterminate all undead with a wickedly diverse array of brain-splattering headshots. On the other, devoted family members take the stance that “zombie-ism” is a disease, the undead have rights and they must be kept alive until a cure is found. Unable to simply “agree to disagree,” the two clans go to war and make their island microcosm a whole hell of a lot bloodier. An undead parallel to the tribal wars that are plaguing our own society today, SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD exposes the futility of such conflict and the need for tolerance of the beliefs of others. Plus it’s got zombie horses in it!
I posted a trailer for Jorge Michael Grau’s cannibal flick We Are What We Are a week or so ago (scroll down about four posts if you missed it). I think the drama about a group of people who eat human flesh looks interesting, primarily because it doesn’t do the things we’re used to seeing in cannibal films.
News from Cannes earlier today indicates that US audiences will have an opportunity to check out the film sooner rather than later. Twitch says that IFC has acquired the rights for domestic distribution of Grau’s film and that means we’ll most likely see it debut at some upcoming festivals, followed by a limited theatrical release and VOD appearance on IFC’s video on demand channel.
No words on when this might happen yet, but I’ll bring you more details as they become available. Kudos to IFC for landing another title that horror fans were desperate to check out.
One thing I absolutely love are military horror films. Outpost, R-Point, and Dog Soldiers are just a few examples of great movies that take a group of soldiers and face them to confront supernatural enemies they were never trained to encounter. If this new trailer for El Paramo is any indication, we could be adding a new title to the must see list in this subgenre.
Twitch shared the official trailer (complete with English subs) for the Colombian film and you can check it out below the plot breakdown. I think it looks great — so definitely have a gander at it.
A special high mountain command composed of nine experienced soldiers is sent to a military base in a desolate high-plains moor of Colombia with wich contact was lost several days ago and was believed to be the target of a guerrilla attack.
Upon arrival, the only person found inside the base is a peasant woman who is heavily chained. Gradually, the isolation, the inability to communicate with the outside world and the impossibility to escape, undermine the integrity and sanity of the soldiers, causing them to lose the certainties about the identity of the enemy and creating them doubts about the true nature of that strange andsilent woman.
Prisoners of fear, paranoia and a dark secret that they carry, they will challenge each other becoming animals willing to kill one another in order to survive.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few days, you’ve undoubtedly heard about JJ Abrams’ new project, Super 8. The film was at first rumored to be a Cloverfield prequel, but that was quickly dispelled. Instead, the film is a brand new tale, is reportedly about a group of kids shooting a movie in the ’70s or ’80s. When they take a look at their footage, they discover an alien creature in the background of a shot.
Like all of Abrams’ work, Super 8 is shrouded in mystery. All we know at this point is that he’s writing and directing and Spielberg will produce. That’s enough for me at this point, but if you need more convincing, check out the teaser trailer below. I suspect this is the first of many viral videos and teaser clips we’ll be seeing, but that’s half the fun with Abrams’ movies.
I try not to get swept up in movie hype–it’s one of those things all good film critics do, because that way we can view the film objectively when the full version hits theaters. However, part of becoming a movie reviewer involves being a fan of movies in the first place–and not just a casual fan, but a hardcore lover of films. I mean, imagine doing this gig if you didn’t really give a shit about films…
Predator is one of those franchises that I tend to nerd out over. I have fond memories of seeing the first film in the theater when I was like 14 (yes, I’m that old…) and I’ve been a fan ever since. I wasn’t particularly interested in Robert Rodriguez and Nimrod Antal’s attempt to reboot the franchise, Predators, until I started seeing some of the finished footage. I read an early version of the Predators script over the summer and I wasn’t really impressed–however, the clips and trailers we’ve seen in the past month or so have completely changed my tune.
Here’s the latest, an interview with Rodriguez and Antal that comes courtesy of Fox Germany. In it, the duo discusses the decision to cast Adrien Brody, why Antal got the gig, and some other goodies. If that’s not enticing enough, there’s also some new footage from the film that should give you extra incentive to make with the clicking.
Few people are more excited than I about the return of venerable British film studio Hammer. The iconic company has been gone far too long, but that’s about to change with their new plans to release several films in the months ahead.
The first project, a thriller starring Hilary Swank, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Christopher Lee, is entitled The Resident. Swank plays a woman who moves into a new apartment and becomes convinced that her landlord (Lee) is spying on her. A leaked copy of the official trailer has turned up online (it came as a preview on the UK DVD release of Paranormal Activity). All in all, it looks pretty good–although I’ll say it needs more of Christopher Lee and less of the dowdy Hilary Swank.
The Resident is still in search of a US distributor, but I’m guessing one will turn up sooner or later. There has to be someone (like Magnet Releasing or IFC maybe) who’d want to be involved with helping resurrect one of the greatest film studios in horror history. I’ll bring you more details as they become available, but until then, enjoy the low quality trailer.
I’m not the biggest fan of the Resident Evil films–I liked the first two well enough, but I’d never put them on a list of my favorite films (regardless of genre distinctions). That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate them as campy and braindead fun, though. I hate when people say “turn off your brain”, but that’s kinda the best ways to watch the RE films.
The trailer for the latest is now online. Resident Evil: Afterlife looks like your typical entry in the series–stylish and filled with elaborate action set-pieces–but this time it comes with an added bonus: 3D. Milla Jovovich is once again back to take on the nefarious Umbrella Corporation, presumably in the equally retardedly named Raccoon City. Check out the new clip and see what you think
Resident Evil: Afterlife is due out later this year.
