Really Scary Horror Movie News: Really Scary: Horror Movie News, Video Games, Comics, Books, Music, Art and TV: May 2004

Really Scary-ite Gavin ran across some early pics from the movie Rip Cage online and was kind enough to kick it over our way:

"i visit deviantart quite often and i came upon something really interesting. if you head on over to rip cage co-writer, vanessa mason's website: http://www.xvx-01.tk you can actually see 8 pics from the opening sequence of the film! follow the 'film' link at the top, then click on the teaser poster. at the very top of the new page it says: click here for rip cage content exclusive to xvx-01.tk! there's also some other rip cage stuff at the site. looks as if there's some awesome gothic artwork in the film! i can't wait!"

Thanks Gavin, very nice!

Skeleton Key Begins Shooting

Universal Pictures announced filming has begun on The Skeleton Key, the studio's new supernatural thriller starring Kate Hudson, Peter Sarsgaard, Gena Rowlands, John Hurt and Joy Bryant. Iain Softley (K-Pax) directs from a script by Ehren Kruger (The Ring).

Hudson plays Caroline, a live-in nurse caring for the elderly husband (Hurt) of a New Orleans couple. Intrigued by the husband and wife's old Gothic mansion in the Lousiana delta, Caroline explores the dark rooms using a skeleton key that can unlock every door in the house. When she discovers a hidden attic room, she accidentally unlocks a deadly secret. [Source: Cinescape]

Dawn of the Dead Actor Prince of Afghan Province

An American horror actor has been told that he is the rightful prince of an Afghan province, thanks to the antics of an illustrious ancestor. Scott Reiniger starred in the original Dawn of the Dead and also cropped up in the 2004 remake. But should the acting work dry up, he could always attempt to reclaim his birthright as the "Prince of Ghor", a remote province in western Afghanistan.

It transpires that Reiniger is the great-great-great grandson of the 19th-century American adventurer Josiah Harlan, who was granted the title as the result of a treaty he signed with the local Hazara population in 1839. The area then known as Ghor is now divided between the modern provinces of Ghowr and surrounding areas.

Reiniger only discovered his royal lineage last month, after reading reviews of Ben MacIntyre's recent biography of Harlan, The Man Who Would be King: The First American in Afghanistan. "My reaction initially was that it seemed incredibly surreal," he told the BBC World Service.

However, Reiniger seems keen to pass his crown down to his younger brother, Harlan Reiniger. "He has the name and he's the historian in the family," he explained. "So I think he really should have the title."

In the meantime, Ben MacIntyre suggests that Harlan's treaty could turn out to be a poisoned chalice, with modern-day Afghanistan hardly the most stable or desirable of kingdoms. "The treaty remains in effect," he says. "Although it would be a brave man who attempted to reassert his claim to be prince of Ghor at this stage." [Source: UK's Guardian]

Shyamalan Filming New Ending for Village?

According to a story appearing in The Philadelphia Daily News (via Coming Soon), M. Night Shyamalan has reassembled the cast and crew of his upcoming thriller The Village in order to film a new ending for the movie. Disney did not confirm reports given by unknown crew members that the material being filmed was a new ending, but given that the ending to Shyamalan's script has been spoiled and is available on the Internet for months, maybe someone wants to try and keep this secret in the box.

The Ring Virus Getting US DVD Release

Asian video company Tai Seng has announced that it will release the DVD of The Ring Virus to the U.S. market Aug. 16.

This 1999 Korean adaptation of the Koji Suzuki novel Ringu and the subsequent Japanese film by Hideo Nakata was written and directed by Kim Dong-Bin and casts Shin Eun-Kyung as Sun-Ju, a journalist investigating the mysterious death of her cousin who comes across the deadly videotape that kills anyone who watches it within seven days. Tai Seng's disc will present the movie letterboxed with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, in both Korean and Mandarin languages with removable English and Chinese subtitles. [Source: Fangoria]

Dark Materials Director Named

Variety reports New Line Cinema has tapped Chris Weitz to direct His Dark Materials, the Tom Stoppard-scripted adaptation of the award-winning fantasy book series by Philip Pullman.

Weitz, the co-director of American Pie and About a Boy will take on the first of a series of books that revolve around two children who live in parallel worlds surrounded by a cast of shape-shifting creatures. Described as darker in tone than the Harry Potter books, the series tackles themes of childhood, innocence and sin, and combines magic, science and theology.

UK's Horror Channel Expands Hours

UK's Digital Spy reports that newly launched niche station The Horror Channel is expanding its broadcasting hours after just a month on air. Beginning May 31, the channel's start time will be brought forward from 6pm to 2pm daily.

The move comes after ratings figures show that 3.45 million viewers tuned in during the first 16 days. Managing director Tony Hazell said: "The Horror Channel's phenomenal 0.06 percent audience share is in addition to nearly one million hits on our website. This clearly shows the horror genre's broad appeal as it makes its bold resurgence into the mainstream."

New Interviews, Bloodshot Eye Review & Scary Voices!

Be sure to check out the handful of new features posted. Ray Garton brings us a brand new Bloodshot Eyeball Movie Review of Van Helsing, TNT sends us some Q&A interviews with the cast of the Salem's Lot remake and Rob Moore takes us back to a movie theater in 1968 for a flick that would change everything.

Calling on Really Scary-ites...Because You Rule

We've gotten an e-mail from Jorge in Mexico City who describes a series he's hoping you might be able to recognize.

"Some years ago, 6 or 7 maybe, a friend told me to watch some new show channel 22 (which is kind of a cultural and very decent channel over here in mexico) had on saturdays at night, it was called "los archivos secretos" or "los archivos prohibidos" or something like that in spanish, wich means "the secret files" or "the secret archives" or maybe "the forbidden files(or archives)"?

I don't know the real name of the show, because it was a french production, with a french narrator in the background, a french name and just some spanish subtitles. I swear it is the most scary thing I've ever seen in my life, they showed a lot of videos suppossed to be true which were kept hidden for years by the government and decided finally to show them, some really shocking supernatural things. I've been looking for years for this show and haven't been able to find it because I don't even know the name."

Jorge's letter brought "In Search Of" to mind but Leonard Nimoy would probably not be confused for a French narrator so we're fairly certain that's not it. Any ideas out here? E-mail us at support@reallyscary.com. Thank you brilliant audience!

Criterion Giving Special Treatment to Videodrome

Fangoria reports the Criterion Collection is planning an August release for a two-disc special edition of David Cronenberg's Videodrome. In addition to a director-approved transfer of the unrated version, the set will include:

Audio commentary by Cronenberg and cinematographer Mark Irwin

Audio commentary by stars James Woods and Deborah Harry

Cronenberg's short film Camera, created for the Toronto Film Festival in 2000 and starring Videodrome's Les Carlson

A new 30-minute documentary by Videodrome video FX artist Michael Lennick about the movie's landmark makeup and special FX

Fear on Film, a half-hour roundtable discussion from 1982 between Cronenberg, John Carpenter and John Landis (all of whom were working on Universal horror films at the time), hosted by director-to-be Mick Garris

Short promotional featurette from 1982, also created by Garris

Trailers

Extensive galleries with makeup test shots, behind-the-scenes photos, publicity stills, marketing materials, etc.

Samurai Dreams - the fake Japanese soft-porn film seen in the movie, presented in its entirety

Seed of Chucky Teaser Trailer

The Apple trailer page has posted a teaser trailer for Seed of Chucky. They also have a small photo of what may be the poster. Click here for a look.

Full Stepford Wives Trailer Live

The full trailer for Stepford Wives is on Apple's trailer site. The remake stars Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Bette Midler (formerly those two roles were John and Joan Cusack who had to unfortunately drop out after a family death) and Christopher Walken.

It looks like they're definitely going for the black comedy angle as opposed to a true horror flick like the first one back in the '70s. Might still be interesting, but we don't see much in the way of scares here - click for the trailer page.

Return of the Living Dead 4 & 5 Begin Shooting

Aurora Entertainment is set to start back-to-back shooting June 7 in Romania on the fourth and fifth sequels to the Return of the Living Dead series of films, with Ellory Elkayem attached to direct and Peter Coyote headlining.

The Hollywood Reporter says both films have been fully financed by a $35 million equity fund that Anatoly Fradis (Eight Legged Freaks) set up last year.

Titled Return of the Living Dead 4: Necropolis and Return of the Living Dead 5: Rave From the Grave the films were written by William Butler and Aaron Strongoni and feature a relatively unknown cast drawn from TV. Special effects will be done by Optic Nerve Studios. [Source: Coming Soon]

Benicio Del Toro & Clive Owen Head for Sin City

Robert Rodriguez has wrapped up his casting on Sin City by adding Benicio Del Toro and Clive Owen to the Dimension Films ensemble project. Rodriguez wrote the script and is co-directing the screen version of the graphic novel series with its creator Frank Miller.

The noir drama is divided into three chapters named for titles in the Miller series: "Sin City," "That Yellow Bastard" and "The Big Fat Kill." Del Toro and Owen will be seen in the last segment, along with Brittany Murphy. The film cast also includes Bruce Willis, Josh Hartnett, Mickey Rourke, Nick Stahl, Jessica Alba, Elijah Wood, Carla Gugino, Jaime King and Marley Shelton.

The trade adds that Rodriguez still hopes to draft Quentin Tarantino to direct at least part of that segment, once the "Kill Bill" helmer returns from presiding over the Cannes Film Festival jury. "City" is shooting in Austin, Texas.

Entertainment Tonight also gave a brief look at the set of the film on Wednesday, a clip which you can download here. It shows Jessica Alba as stripper Nancy with all the right moves, Bruce Willis as Hartigan and more. [Source: Variety & Coming Soon]

Elfman Talks Charlie & the Chocolate Factory

Film composer Danny Elfman told Sci Fi Wire that, while he's finishing the score for Spider-Man 2, he's doing preliminary work on Tim Burton's upcoming fantasy film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

"As soon as I'm done with Spider-Man 2, I jump right into both Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and another animated Tim Burton film called The Corpse Bride," Elfman said.

Elfman, who previously composed the music for such Burton films as Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow and Big Fish, sounded particularly excited about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

"It just looks like it's going to be tons of fun," he said. "The first attempt at writing a first idea for a song [was] so whacked out. I just sat there writing this crazy thing in the middle of the night and put 20 voices on it myself as a demo. I sent it out there, and Tim liked it."

Elfman added, "[The film] is going to be really great. It seems like really fertile ground. The script is good. I like Johnny Depp a lot. So I think doing an adaptation from the book could be great. I know it's always dangerous doing a remake of something that's much loved. I've been down this road before. I just hope it gets a shot at being its own thing."

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, based on the Roald Dahl children's book, is in preproduction now with an eye toward a July 2005 release.

Demi Moore Joins Supernatural Flick

Variety reports Demi Moore will star in Craig Rosenberg's supernatural thriller film Half Light. Based on Rosenberg's original screenplay, the movie centers on Rachel Carlson, a successful mystery novelist whose life falls apart when her 5-year-old son drowns at her country home. A year later, in an effort to heal her wounds and help her to start writing again, her best friend rents her a secluded cottage in a remote fishing village, where events unfold that rock the tranquil village and cause Rachel to fear for her sanity and her life.

Rosenberg will also direct the movie, which will be produced by Joel B. Michaels. [Source: Sci Fi Wire]

Dimension Takes on Brothers Grimm Distribution

Variety reports that Dimension Films has taken over total distribution rights on The Brothers Grimm. Terry Gilliam's supernatural action/fantasy, with Matt Damon and Heath Ledger playing the tale-spinning siblings as fake exorcists who are forced to take on real demons, was originally a co-production between Dimension and MGM, with the latter handling international distribution. The studio's departure is said to have been motivated by the heavy slate it has on tap for the next year.

The trade reports that the shoot was rough, with Gilliam and Harvey and Bob Weinstein locking horns and the latter replacing the first cinematographer. The budget is said to be $75-85 million, and the result will hit U.S. screens November 19. [Source: Fangoria]

Constantine Teaser Trailer Live

The site Straight to Hell got an exclusive preview of the Constantine teaser trailer from Warner Bros. Click here to check it out.

Straight to Hell also has news of a Constantine video game. UK's Bits Corp announced that Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Inc. and Vertigo/DC Comics have granted them the license to develop a video game for the upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures film Constantine and to publish and distribute such game together with a publisher to be approved by Warner Bros.

The game will be based on the film release of the same name featuring John Constantine, the lead character in DC Comics/Vertigo publication, Hellblazer. The game will feature an original storyline based around the film and is being developed for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

Romero's Crazies Getting Remake

Variety reports Paramount Pictures is working on a remake of George Romero's The Crazies, the director's 1972 horror movie. The original was set in a sleepy Pennsylvania small town that was unfortunate enough to be ground zero of a biological disaster: a plane, containing a military nerve agent, crashed just outside the town and the bio-weapon escaped into the town's drinking water.

Screenwriter Dean Georgaris (Paycheck) and Michael Aguilar will produce the remake via their production company, Penn Station. [Source: Cinescape]

Xanth Novels Headed to Big Screen

Hot on the heels of The Lord of the Rings, Warner Brothers has bought the rights to fantasy author Piers Anthony's Xanth books, to start with A Spell For Chameleon. The Xanth series currently numbers a whopping 30 books.

A Spell For Chameleon tells the story of Bink, a boy born into the magical world of Xanth. Every inhabitant of his land is supposed to have a magical power, and unless Bink can discover what his ability is, he will have to leave his land.

Wolfgang Petersen and David Benioff, the writer and director behind Troy, are set to produce, but they will recruit someone else to write and to direct. Petersen has always had a bit of a weakness for fantasy – fans of The Never-Ending Story will remember that he was at the helm. [Source: Empire Magazine]

Black Sabbath Reunites for Ozzfest

British heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath will reunite for the first time since 2001 for Ozzfest, which begins July 10 in Hartford, Conn., a spokeswoman for the annual road show said on Tuesday.

Ozzfest co-founder and headliner Ozzy Osbourne will revisit such classics as "War Pigs" and "Paranoid" along with guitarist Tony Iommi and bass player Geezer Butler. But original drummer Bill Ward will be replaced by Mike Bordin, who backs Osbourne on his solo gigs.

Along with three-quarters of the original Black Sabbath, Ozzfest will also feature four-fifths of the original Judas Priest, and such acts as Slayer, Dimmu Borgir, Superjoint Ritual (featuring former Pantera singer Phil Anselmo) and Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society.

Black Sabbath, with Ward on board, last played live during the 2001 version of Ozzfest, but plans to play its own shows afterwards were canceled because Osbourne had to finish work on his solo album. [Source: Reuters]

Fourth Romero Living Dead Flick Given Green Light?

We got word from Horror-Web.com that George Romero's Living Dead flick has been given the go-ahead. A source for Horror-Web says Fox gave the green light May 10 for the fourth dead installment. Still being called Dead Reckoning, they're now actively looking at locations for shooting. Reckoning is said to take place after the events of Day of the Dead.

Completely unrelated, but very cool all the same, Horror-Web.com has an interview with our favoritest of all time, Adrienne Barbeau. Check it out here.

Night Gallery DVD Release Not Getting Remaster?

We just got word from Scott that Universal Studios is planning to release Rod Serling's Night Gallery on DVD, but there may be some issues for fans of the classic series.

Universal will reportedly be using an old 1991 version as the master and will not remaster this edition to correct some errors and omissions. And if recent reports are correct, there's bupkus for extra features -- no ads, commentaries, outtakes, clips, nothing. This is basically the old VHS version on DVD.

Via a petition, Scott's trying to convince the studio to provide a new remastering and some special features. Check it out here for more info. And more details can be found here: www.nightgallery.net.

HWA Names 2004 Lifetime Award Recipients

Bestselling novelist Anne Rice and award-winning editor Martin H. Greenberg have been named as Lifetime Achievement Award recipients by the Horror Writers Association. Individuals must be at least sixty years of age or have been published for a minimum of thirty-five years to be considered eligible for this honor. Presentations will occur during the HWA's Annual Conference's Bram Stoker Award banquet on June 5. It is not known if either winner will attend. Reservations for the Stoker banquet need to be made by this Sunday, May 16. http://www.horror.org [Source: Hellnotes]

Original Ju-On Getting Limited U.S. Theatrical Run

Vitagraph Films and Lions Gate Entertainment are bringing the original Japanese version of Ju-On: The Grudge to the United States for a limited theatrical run. Beginning July 23, Ju-On: The Grudge will premiere simultaneously in Los Angeles and New York City, expanding nationally to Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle and other markets.

Director/Writer Shimizu Takashi tells the tale of a family who is brutally killed in their own home, leaving behind an evil spirit lurking in the shadows. When an unknowing homecare worker enters, the spirit is awakened and a terrifying chain of events begins, passing through all those who step foot in this dark house.

Ju-On: The Grudge is the third film in the Ju-On series, following Ju-On and Ju-On 2, both underground hits released directly to video. It was also the first of the Ju-On films to be released theatrically, not only shocking Japanese audiences but also its distributor. Unable to find theaters willing to show the film, they watched as word of mouth turned it into a 500 million yen (US$4.7 million) box office sensation.

Columbia TriStar's remake of this entry to the horror genre, entitled The Grudge -- starring Sarah Michelle Geller and Bill Pullman and directed by Takashi -- will be released in theaters October 2004.

Horror Authors Rally to Help Charles L. Grant

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is holding a benefit
auction for legendary author and editor Charles L. Grant, who has been hospitalized indefinitely with severe cardio-pulmonary disease and emphysema. Mr. Grant, whose body of work spans five decades, faces a tremendous burden on his health and substantial health-related expenses.

In response to this dire situation, the HWA called for contributions to a benefit auction for Mr. Grant. Although HWA is not a charitable organization and contributions could not be considered charitable donations, this didn't stop a flood of concerned writers, editors and publishers from contributing to this cause.

Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Neil Gaiman, Peter Straub, Clive Barker and nearly fifty other accomplished authors have confirmed contributions to the event. Publishers such as Leisure Books, Earthling Publications and Night Shade Books have also contributed.

"The response has been amazing," said Joe Nassise, president of the Horror Writers Association. "The absolute generosity of everyone involved has been truly overwhelming."

This two-part fundraiser, being held in conjunction with the HWA's annual Bram Stoker Awards Banquet weekend, is the first of its kind for the organization. One component of the fundraiser is a high-profile auction to be held on eBay beginning May 23 and running until June 5, the evening of
the awards. Bidders can find all auction items by searching the eBay User ID "bookwyrm55."

The second component is a silent auction to be held on June 4-6 at the HWA annual meeting in New York City where the Bram Stoker Awards will be presented.

Ring 2 Extras Needed in Oregon

If you're in the Astoria, Ore. area this weekend, filmmakers for The Ring 2 are looking for extras. An open call will be held at Astoria Middle School Saturday afternoon.

All ages and types are needed for filming, which begins in June. Those chosen will receive $57 for an eight-hour day, plus overtime if necessary.

In the sequel, actress Naomi Watts plays Rachel Keller, the reporter who unraveled the story of a mysterious video that causes the death of anyone who watches it.

Simon Baker, Sissy Spacek, Emily Van Camp and David Dorfman also are in the cast of the DreamWorks production. The film will be directed by Hideo Nakata, who directed the original Japanese film.

In the sequel, Keller and her son, Aidan have relocated to the Oregon town of Asheville, where the discovery of a local teenager's homicide prompts Keller to investigate.

The investigation leads to the mysterious videotape and a return to Seattle, where she investigates the background of the tape. [Source: The Oregonian]

Director Leaves Talisman

After developing the movie version of The Talisman for six months, director Vadim Perelman has departed the fantasy project. Reportedly, Perelman and DreamWorks came to a "mutual" understanding and decided it would be best if he left to pursue other works.

Based on the novel by Peter Straub and Stephen King, The Talisman is an epic story about a 12-year-old boy named Jack Sawyer who discovers he has the ability to flip between this world and a parallel Earth called The Territories, a place where magic, dangerous monstrosities and low technology are everywhere. Jack's mission is to travel across America and find the resting place of a magical item called the Talisman which may save his dying mother. Even with the involvement of Steven Spielberg, the project has been in development hell for over a decade, bounced around between becoming a television mini-series or a theatrical film. Numerous drafts of the project have been written and then discarded. [Source: Cinescape, The Hollywood Reporter]

Movie Ad Awards Given to Identity & Chainsaw Massacre

The Hollywood Reporter's 33rd annual Key Art Awards, which honor excellence in movie advertising, were dominated by Sony Pictures' "Identity," with a poster that played off an ominous handprint and New Line Cinema's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," with its spooky, nerve-rattling trailer.

The best-of-show awards went to "Identity," which scored in the print category for its distinctive poster, and "Massacre," which took the top audiovisual award for a trailer that relied as much on auditory as visual thrills.

Campbell Talks Possible Bubba Ho-tep Sequel

Bruce Campbell said that a sequel to Bubba Ho-tep is a distinct possibility. "At the end of the movie we make a joke that he's coming back as Bubba Nosferatu," Campbell said. "I honestly think that the odds of a Bubba sequel are as good as the DVD release is wide. If we get on the DVD charts and stay there for a few weeks, you might see another one. But Joe Lansdale is not a big fan of sequels. He may or may not go for it, and I respect that."

MGM Home Entertainment will release a collector's edition Bubba Ho-tep DVD on May 25, which will include deleted scenes, a photo gallery, Lansdale reading from his story and commentary from both Campbell and writer-director Don Coscarelli (the Phantasm film series). [Source: Sci Fi Wire]

New Genre Pics from Odyssey

American horror and an Irish zombie comedy contribute to the diverse new slate of movies from Ralph Kamp and Louise Goodsill's sales outfit Odyssey Entertainment.

Deaths of Ian is a $15 million project about an all-American kid who is murdered each day by his supernatural pursuers, only to find himself waking up every time in a different life.

Produced by f/x guru Stan Winston and Brian J. Gilbert, who previously collaborated on Wrong Turn, it will be directed by Italian commercials helmer Dario Piana. Shooting is scheduled for this fall.

Boy Eats Girl will star Irish actress/pop singer Samantha Mumba (The Time Machine). Directed by Stephen Bradley from a screenplay by Derek Landy, it's the tale of a boy who dies on the very night he declares his love to his girlfriend. His mother brings him back to life as a zombie, and soon Dublin is being terrorized by teenage flesh-eaters. The boy himself is torn between saving his girl and trying to eat her. [Source: Variety]

Director Set for Amityville Remake

British commercials veteran Andrew Douglas is making his feature directing debut with the update of the 1979 thriller The Amityville Horror.

The update will be shot in July and released domestically in January by MGM, which partnered on the project with Dimension Films. MGM, which held the rights to the original version, pacted with the Miramax genre arm on the new feature late last year following the latter's acquisition of a rival Amityville project. [Source: The Hollywood Reporter]

Stahl Joining Sin City Cast

Nick Stahl (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines) is in final talks to join the cast of Sin City for Dimension Films and co-directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film, composed of three intertwining vignettes in a corrupt town, is based on Miller's graphic novel series and is shooting in Austin, Texas, the trade paper reported.

Stahl, who will also be seen in the upcoming second season of HBO's Carnivale, would play the dual roles of Junior and Yellow Bastard, sources told the trade paper. Stahl's co-stars include Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Jaime King, Jessica Alba, Elijah Wood and Brittany Murphy. Rodriguez and Miller co-wrote the script and are co-directing and co-producing the film. [Source: Sci Fi Wire]

Hellboy Sequel Already in the Works

Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro confirmed to fans on the Hellboy site's official bulletin board that plans are in the works for a sequel and other projects based on the film. "Yes, we are talking about a second movie," del Toro wrote. "The [box-office] numbers make perfect sense, since we were a relatively 'inexpensive' movie at under $70 million, and we will make enough domestically."

Del Toro added that he and Mike Mignola, creator of the Hellboy graphic novels on which the film is based, "are fleshing out ideas and storylines we've been discussing for some time now. Mike thinks there will be no Lobster (sob), but Roger is in for sure," referring to popular comic characters Lobster Johnson and Roger the Homunculus. Del Toro said that the sequel could contain plot elements from the Hellboy graphic novels Almost Colossus and Conqueror Worm.

Del Toro added that there are plans for a Hellboy anime series, from Gonzo Anime, and that producers are seeking possible video-game publishers. "Mike Mignola and I will be involved in the plotting of [the game] to make sure that it flows with the mythology of the movie, anime, comic, etc.," he said. [Source: Sci Fi Wire]

Bubba Ho-Tep Headed to the UK

Empire magazine reports Bubba Ho-Tep will be getting a theatrical release in the UK later this year and Bruce Campbell might be coming along for the ride.

The ready-made cult flick opened in the States last year, was given a theatrical release and garnered good reviews. Campbell plays a geriatric Elvis Presley who, long after faking his death, has wound up in a nursing home saddled with fear, self-loathing, a cancerous penis, and a best friend, Jack – a black man who thinks he's JFK. When an ancient Egyptian mummy starts bumping off the residents, it's up to Elvis and Jack to team up and put an end to Bubba Ho-Tep's murderous ways.

No date has been confirmed yet but distributors Anchor Bay are looking at September. And Empire says that Campbell is hoping to come over to aid the movie's publicity blitz with some personal appearances.

Another Horror Channel in the Works?

Silver Pictures and Orchid Ventures announce they have teamed up to create Scream, a new television network dedicated to delivering horror, suspense and thriller-oriented entertainment to the genre audience through original content and specialized programming.

Targeted for launch in January 2005, the 24 hour, seven-day-a-week Scream Channel will be distributed through digital cable and satellite providers. Dark Castle Entertainment, the production entity founded by Joel Silver and Robert Zemeckis, will create and develop original content for the network under Silver's direction.

"Horror movies have captivated audiences since the inception of modern filmmaking," said Joel Silver, whose production credits include the Matrix trilogy and the series Tales From the Crypt. "The success of our Dark Castle films and other recent pictures like 'Dawn of the Dead,' 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' and '28 Days Later' are evidence that the demand for genre entertainment continues to grow exponentially. With Scream, we have the opportunity to bring the thrills of truly scary, suspenseful genre programming to fans across all demographics on a 24/7 basis."

Scream will feature a branded "Dark Castle Presents" night, which will highlight Dark Castle films like Gothika, Ghost Ship, Thirteen Ghosts and House on Haunted Hill. Additionally, Scream is in advance negotiations with two studios to license their vast libraries of film titles dedicated to the horror and suspense genres.

They go onto say in their press release that Scream will have a major presence at the upcoming National Cable and Telecommunications Association Show in New Orleans, where network representatives will give cable and satellite carriers a first look at content, programming and branding strategies.

Some Early Pics from Rip Cage