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July 30, 2004
More Horror Movie Release Pushbacks Fango reports Dimension has shifted Wes Craven's Cursed out of its Oct. 1 slot, and now intends to release it sometime during first quarter 2005. The Kevin Williamson-scripted werewolf film has had a famously troubled production, but no official reason for the date switch has been announced at this time. In the last month or so, Warner Bros.' House of Wax, Disney's Dark Water and DreamWorks' The Ring 2 have also dropped out of their October/November slots; so far only Water has settled on a specific new date, Jan. 7, 2005.
July 26, 2004
IDW Discuss Upcoming Horror Comics at Con Newsarama reported from the San Diego Comic-Con's Saturday's IDW panel (30 Days of Nights), where the publisher outlined its upcoming slate of projects, as well as made room for a few celebrities.
Steve Niles and Thomas Jane (The Punisher) will team for a science fiction project entitled Bad Planet. The two met at the Long Beach Wizard World show, after Jane sought Niles out to pitch the idea to him. "People were telling me at the show that the Punisher was looking for me," Niles said.
Steve Niles explained a little more of the premise of the pulp-influenced Scecret Skull, saying that the lead character was bitten by a ghoul, which gives him dreams of murders that are going to happen.
Matt Fraction talked about his contribution to 30 Days of Night: Bloodsucker Tales, the upcoming series which will explore aspects of the universe established in Niles' 30 Days of Night story. Discussing his story, Fraction said that he was hooked by the mysteries surrounding the disappearances and deaths of somewhere between 200-400 women near Juarez, Mexico. The women are often found in shallow graves with evidence of rape and torture. "There's already a high body count, so I though, why not set a horror story there?" Fraction said.
Niles and Ashley Wood are looking at doing some crossovers with the Cal McDonald character, and Niles announced that he will be moving the character to IDW, "just to get everything under one roof." McDonald had previously been published by Dark Horse. He and Kelley Jones are currently developing Cal McDonald: Supernatural Freak Machine as a six issue miniseries which will reintroduce some of the characters from the Cal novels into the comics.
Fielding questions, oncoming Editor in Chief Chris Ryall said that IDW will be producing comics based on movies coming out next year, but he couldn't say which properties just yet.
When asked about the 30 Days of Night movie, Niles said that director Sam Raimi is starting to talk about it, now that Spider-Man 2 is out. "It sounds like things are starting to roll," Niles said, adding that the script he's seen has characters and elements from 30 Days, Return to Barrow and Dark Days in it, though none of the sequel stories are spoiled by it, as Raimi has the rights to make movies of those as well.
Revenge of the Sith Next Star Wars Title THR reports next year's third and final installment of the Star Wars prequels will be called Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith, the film's producers said Saturday at the 35th annual Comic-Con International in San Diego.
For the uninitiated, the evil Sith are sworn enemies of the Jedi, the saber-wielding knights whose numbers include Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker.
The new film, set for release May 19, marks the return of Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker, a.k.a Darth Vader, and Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi.
DC Comics Adapting Neverwhere Newsarama reports DC Comics Vertigo line will publish a nine-issue adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel Neverwhere. It will be scripted by Mike Carey, with art by Glenn Fabry (fans of comics know we generally just get Fabry's glorious covers but reportedly he'll be the artist for the entire mini this go round). The miniseries is slated to begin in November.
New Line Picks Up Neil Gaiman's Death Movie Variety reports (via Superhero Hype) New Line Cinema has picked up feature rights to Neil Gaiman's graphic novel Death: The High Cost of Living. Gaiman is in talks to make his directorial debut on the film.
Originally with Warner Bros., Gaiman said in his online journal that they were "have been very gracious, and have let it go to another branch of the Time Warner tree."
Gaiman wrote the script based on his own work. The project is currently titled Death's Day but Gaiman also said "no, the announced title won't be the actual title: it was placeholder title someone put on the script, which stuck."
The story involves a teenager named Sexton who's been contemplating suicide. He is rescued by a mysterious teenager who claims she is Death herself, spending one day every 100 years on earth to learn the value of the lives she takes. The film takes place over 24 hours as Sexton learns to love life by spending a day with Death.
Latest Really Scary Updates Be sure to check out Hertzan Chimera's reviews of the newly translated editions of Hideshi Hino's graphic novels The Red Snake and The Bug Boy.
And another fantastic addition to the Scary Voices feature comes via Stoker Award Winning author Michael Arnzen. Want to know what corrupted him? Just ask him.
July 23, 2004
Sharks, Ocean & Real Danger Populate Open Water Based on true events, Open Water follows a young couple, Daniel and Susan, (Daniel Travis and Blanchard Ryan) on an island holiday. Even before they leave for the airport, we learn that Daniel and Susan's relationship is under strain from their workaholic lifestyles, and they need a vacation even more than they realized.
 The next morning the couple, certified scuba divers, board a local dive boat for an underwater tour of the reef. The boat is crowded with other vacationers, and due to a series of innocent miscommunications, the couple is, after only 40 minutes or so underwater, accidentally left behind. What follows is the story of their ordeal: cold, alone and miles from land, the couple is adrift in shark-infested waters.
Lions Gate passed along some great production notes for this flick. Click the ## link below for the Lion's Gate full release.
About The Film
Writer-director Chris Kentis and producer Laura Lau took a killer "based on true events" premise -- a couple scuba diving in tropical waters is mistakenly abandoned in the middle of the ocean -- and went on to create an ingeniously harrowing, knees-to-your-chest thriller. Shot on weekends and holidays, Open Water employs not a single cheesy special effect or computer generated image. Instead, actors Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis spent over 120 hours in the water twenty miles off shore amidst all kinds of sea life, including the real-life, honest-to-God sharks that give the film its chilling authenticity.
Like Susan and Daniel, the people who made Open Water are certified open water scuba divers, and they are a couple. Unlike Susan and Daniel, Laura Lau and Chris Kentis are married and have a daughter. "The tension between the couple in the film," Lau told Salon during the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, "has nothing to do with our marriage!"
Lau produced Open Water and photographed the film with Kentis, who wrote, directed and edited the film, and was responsible for all in-the-water and underwater photography. According to actress Blanchard Ryan, the team dynamic Lau and Kentis brought to Open Water was an important part of making the film. "Working with a couple, it made us feel better, because it was a risky film on many levels: the nudity, the sharks, being in the ocean, having to carry a film when you're two actors no one knows. We trusted them and knew they weren't going to clash like other teams, and that was a comfortable feeling for us."
 The water in Open Water is every bit as much a title character as, say, a little boy's psychic abilities in "The Shining." Ubiquitous, beautiful, terrifying and ever changing, the ocean's water and the light it caught became the filmmakers' medium and inspiration. It also became a third member of the tiny crew, (the crew being Kentis, Lau, Lau's sister, and the boat captain), filling at times the role of gaffer, its shimmering, glassy or choppy surface hanging the different lights of the sun and the sky, the moon and even some ominous flashes of lightning. The ocean became a source of transportation as its winds and currents moved cast and crew from place to place. And it worked as a property master, bringing a tuft of kelp for this shot, a fleet of jellyfish and a razor-toothed barracuda for that.
But on some days, if the ocean had indeed been a crewmember, Lau and Kentis would have fired it.
"Everything was very tightly scripted," says Lau. "The sky would change and we'd have to jump to another scene." By the end of the shoot we actually lost a few days to fantastic weather, clear blue skies, bright sunshine, as the conditions were just too pristine for the scenes that remained."
"But most of the time, Mother Nature was totally on our side," said Kentis. "For instance the day we had scheduled to shoot the jellyfish scene..." "The jellyfish just showed up," recalls actor Daniel Travis. "And that's the only time during our whole shoot that we saw jellyfish," said Kentis. "I had originally planned to go to a special location to find them for the underwater portion of the scene, but out of nowhere they came to us."
The idea for Open Water came from a particular news event that circulated in dive magazines and newsletters a few years ago. The event centered around divers who had been stranded in the open ocean. Kentis, a scuba diver, began to research whether this was an isolated incident or a common occurrence. Through his research he learned that though it is very rare, other similar incidents had in fact occurred. He also did research on men left adrift at sea during wartime, through these accounts he learned more about the psychological and physiological changes the human mind and body undergoes under the stress of abandonment and exposure to the open sky and ocean.
"When I sat down to write the film, I wasn't interested in portraying the real people involved," Kentis explains. "I did no research on them. I didn't want to represent their relationship or their lives, out of respect for their privacy and because it was not pertinent to the story. We also wanted to leave the exact setting of our movie ambiguous, because we didn't want to lay that trip on anybody's tourist trade. What I was really interested in is the fact that this could and did happen, the terror of being alone at sea, what that was like -- and I thought it was a great cautionary tale."
Says Chris Kentis, "We blunder off into an exotic locale, cement over the place and serve each other drinks. We go with arrogance into these places, forgetting we're also animals in the food chain."
The food chain - and our place in it - is a recurring theme in Open Water, and the manipulation of the food chain played an important part in its production. To create the drama inherent in the dilemma of a stranded couple slowly becoming food, Kentis and Lau shot most of the film in the open ocean off of the Bahamas. They worked with a local shark expert, who introduced them to a population of sharks that's had lots of exposure to people.
The shark experts and the filmmakers would manipulate the sharks' movements by throwing chunks of bloody tuna into the water, often near the actors. Says Kentis, "We would throw bait in the water to get the sharks to move. But once too many pieces were in the water, the sharks would get really worked up, and then the actors would have to get out of the water. But Laura would still be shooting on her platform, which dipped in and out of the water as the sharks frenzied below. Sometimes she would shoot with her legs dangling in the water."
"That made Blanchard very nervous for me," adds Lau. "She would call out, 'Laura watch out, Laura be careful,' especially as we were throwing the bait in the water from that platform and it was covered with fish blood. But I knew the sharks weren't interested in me, and I trusted the wranglers we were working with." "We were working with top experts," echoes Kentis. Even though the director was often swarmed with sharks, he felt completely safe. "In the water, with the camera, I'd be getting bumped constantly," says Kentis. "There were times I'd look down, there would just be gray, no blue."
The sharks, mostly gray reef sharks with a few bull sharks averaging seven to eleven feet in length, numbered between 45 and 50.
The film's production schedule was also fitted around the work with the sharks. "All of the emotional stuff, the screaming and splashing around, was done weeks later after we'd finished working with the sharks, as a safety precaution," Kentis explains. But there were still plenty of close encounters.
Safety was the primary concern while working with the sharks.
"Even though our budget was low, safety was paramount," Lau explains. "Not only did we get our actors 'open water' certified, but we bore the expense of shooting on location in the Bahamas, where the world's foremost experts on film production with sharks are located."
Actors Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis wore protective chain mail under their wetsuits, which would have prevented dismemberment but not bruising. Luckily, neither actor was bitten by a shark, though on the first day of shooting a barracuda bit Ryan.
"It was bleeding a lot," says Ryan. "I was like, 'did you get it?' Because if I'm gonna get bit, at least let it be usable footage."
Kentis did not capture the bite, though it happened on the day of the shoot when Ryan and Travis' characters cavort among the coral with angelfish and eels.
"Daniel was much less afraid of the sharks, but I was terrified," says actress Blanchard Ryan. "The first day we shot, Chris jumps in the water, Daniel jumps in the water, they're swimming around, the sharks are eating the tuna, and they're not bothering them. I was thinking, 'I'm being a Nancy. I need to get in the water!’ But it was just terrifying."
Adds Daniel Travis, "When they wanted the sharks to swim really close they would throw the chunks of tuna right next to us. I'd shout, 'A little close on that one! That's a little close!'"
Producer Laura Lau insists that even though the actors had a harrowing experience, they were safe as they bobbed among the sharks. "This is a known shark population, and the people we worked with dive with those sharks every day. The sharks know, almost like pigeons, that they're going to get fed, and they're accustomed to ignoring divers in the water. It's true that Daniel and Blanchard couldn't splash around too much because they could have been bitten by accident. Any time you're near animals with large, sharp teeth, you have to be very cautious. But I never felt for a moment that anyone was in danger."
"Working in the water with real sharks was the key to the movie for me," Kentis adds. "It seems like in most movies today, everything is done with CGI [computer generated imaging], and personally I don't get the same sense of danger that I did with movies from the 70s and 80s, when you saw stunt men doing these amazing things. You'd say, 'Oh my god, someone was in that car! when it wrecked.
"It was important to work with real sharks, to get the way their tails flap around like big rats in the water as opposed to the usual Hollywood fin gliding smoothly on the surface."
New Label Bloodworks Teams with HG Lewis Christopher Tuffin and former NFL linebacker Glenn Cadrez have formed horror entertainment shingle BloodWorks and partnered with international consultancy the Steel Co. to produce, finance and distribute horror genre pics for the low-budget and studio arenas.
BloodWorks is also teaming with Ventura Distribution to co-finance and distribute a specialty DVD horror label and with Zomba's Jive Records to develop soundtrack opportunities as well as feature vehicles for the label's artists.
BloodWorks' slate includes "Herschell Gordon Lewis' Grim Fairy Tales: Win, Lose or Die," to be written and directed by Lewis. It is also developing "Across the Border," based on Gary Provost's true crime account of the Matamoros cult killings of the early '90s.
Tuffin produced "2001 Maniacs," starring Robert Englund (news), a remake of Lewis' cult classic "Two Thousand Maniacs!" Tuffin produced the pic in association with "Cabin Fever" director Eli Roth's Raw Nerve Films.
"We would like to do for horror what record companies like Death Row, Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella have done for hip-hop," said Cadrez, who retired from the NFL in 2002 after 11 seasons. He earned two Super Bowl rings as a member of the Denver Broncos. [Source: Variety]
July 22, 2004
American Cinematheque Festival of Horror The American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre presents its 5th Annual Festival of Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction, Aug. 5 - 29, 2004. Fifty films will screen over 16 days in their annual festival including the Korean sci-fi animated Sky Blue, Tobe Hooper's new film The Toolbox Murders; revival screenings of older treasures like Night of the Living Dead and Peter Jackson's Meet the Feebles.
This program also features new shorts and anniversary screenings of Repo Man and the giant ants studded THEM! This 5th festival also pays tribute to three seminal figures of sci-fi, fantasy and horror genres - in person actress Caroline Munro, director Pavel Juracek (1935-1989) pioneer of the Czech New Wave and in person master Belgian filmmaker Harry Kumel. Other guests are scheduled to appear including actors Olivia Barash, Sy Richardson, Del Zamora, Biff Yeager and Dick Rude (Repo Man), Angela Bettis (The Toolbox Murders), Andrew Miller (Nothing); directors Tobe Hooper (The Toolbox Murders), Eric Valette (Malefique), Vincenzo Natali (Nothing), and Roger Corman (House of Usher/Tomb of Ligeia); screenwriter Adam Gierasch and co-writer Jace Anderson (The Toolbox Murders); and producer Sunmin Park (Sky Blue).
All screenings are at the newly renovated Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the historic 1922 Grauman's Hollywood Egyptian (6712 Hollywood Boulevard between Highland and Las Palmas). Click here for their web site.
Deadline Looming for Ray Garton's Review Book The pre-order deadline for the "Ray Garton's Bloodshot Eyeball Movie Reviews" book is coming up on Aug. 1. Remember, Shocklines is only doing enough copies to cover preorders on this, and that's IT. And as always, Shocklines doesn't charge your credit card until the book is in-stock and ready to ship. Click here to see info on this book by going here.
Composer Jerry Goldsmith Dies Academy Award-winning composer Jerry Goldsmith has died at age 75, according to the Associated Press.
The prolific composer, whose career spanned nearly 50 years, died in his
sleep July 21 following a long battle with cancer.
Goldsmith won his sole Oscar for The Omen, but his many other film credits include the original Planet of the Apes, Alien, several Star Trek features, including The Motion Picture, First Contact and Nemesis. Additionally, he provided the themes for such television series as Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager, winning an Emmy for Voyager. He also scored individual episodes of The Twilight Zone. [Source: Sci Fi Wire]
Stars Hit San Diego Comic-Con This Week The annual Comic-Con International has gotten underway in San Diego. If'n you're headed in that direction, here's a list of some of the celebs hitting this year's shindig: Sarah Michelle Gellar (The Grudge), Keanu Reeves and Djimon Hounsou (Constantine), Jude Law (Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow), Jessica Alba, Jaime King, Rosario Dawson (Sin City), Jessica Biel and Ryan Reynolds (Blade Trinity), Eliza Dushku (Tru Calling) plus a slew of producers, directors and writers.
30 Days of Nights Comics Heading to Prose Comicon's Beat reports IDW Publishing has announced a deal with Pocket Books to publish prose works based on Steve Niles' 30 Days of Nights.
The first book, Rumors of the Undead, will be published in August 2005, with the second and third novels publishing in the first half of 2006.
"Steve and I were talking about doing original prose novels based in the world of 30 Days of Night even before we published the first issue of the comic. I'm thrilled that Pocket Books will be publishing the books. They are an absolute powerhouse in the bookstore market and I know they're going to do a terrific job with these books. I can't wait to read them," said Ted Adams, Publisher at IDW Publishing.
July 21, 2004
Texas Chainsaw Massacre Prequel in the Works Variety reports (via Fango) New Line and Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes company are going ahead with their prequel to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake. Sheldon Turner, who wrote Tapestry Films' in-development supernatural film The Ritual and did a polish on Chainsaw scribe Scott Kosar's script for the new Amityville Horror do-over, is scripting.
They say a director will be hired shortly. The trade reports that Dimension, which has a first-look deal with Platinum Dunes, tried to wrest the rights to do a Chainsaw follow-up from New Line, even making a costly deal with original director Tobe Hooper and writer Kim Henkel and Robert Kuhn (who produced the Henkel-directed TCM: The Next Generation). It cost New Line $3 million to retain the rights.
Bryan Singer Directing Superman THR reports X-Men director Bryan Singer has signed on to shoot the next Superman movie, replacing Charlie's Angels veteran McG, who dropped out a week ago over such issues as budget and location.
By signing on, Singer puts his next two high-profile projects in a gray zone. He was scheduled to direct Logan's Run, and then return for a third shot at the comic-book franchise that propelled his career into the realm of big-budget tentpoles: Fox has already scheduled X-Men 3 for a May 5, 2006, release.
There is no scheduled start date for Superman which, like Logan's Run, is in development at Warner Bros. The Superman movie's script is probably the most time-consuming element that will determine any production start. The previous script was written by Alias creator J.J. Abrams. Singer has a reputation for being very involved in the writing of his movies, as well as working with his own stable of writers.
Singer has long nursed a dream to direct a Superman movie.
"My interest in Superman dates back many, many years," he said. "In fact, it was the Richard Donner classic film that was my day-to-day inspiration in shaping the 'X-Men' universe for the screen. I feel that Superman has been late in his return and it is time for him to fly again."
Singer's other credits include Apt Pupil and The Usual Suspects.
July 20, 2004
Kane Hodder Cameos in 2001 Maniacs Raw Nerve producer Eli Roth told Fangoria that Kane Hodder will cameo in 2001 Maniacs. "We had Kane Hodder do a cameo as a maniac," Roth said, "so we actually have Freddy and Jason - the real Jason - in a scene together. The fans are gonna love it!"
2001 Maniacs should be ready soon. "We're looking at a November delivery date for the movie, so I'm not sure if it'll premiere at the American Film Market, or maybe even at Sundance or one of those winter festivals," Roth says. "We'll see how they respond to it, but man, I can't wait for everyone to see Englund in it!"
Shyamalan Documentary Was a Hoax This will come as no surprise to you guys who read our June 18 report regarding this possible BS, and now the Sci Fi cable network and parent company NBC Universal acknowledged on Monday that a special purported to be an unauthorized documentary on director M. Night Shyamalan was really part of a "guerrilla marketing" hoax that went too far.
The three-hour program, which aired on Sunday, was falsely promoted as a "disturbing expose" of the filmmaker that Shyamalan first cooperated with, then tried to have shut down when producers delved too deeply into his personal life.
Reuters reports Shyamalan was in on the entire production, cooked up to generate publicity for his upcoming film, The Village, a supernatural thriller set for release July 30 by Walt Disney Co.-owned Touchstone Pictures, according to Sci Fi Channel and NBC Universal.
The faux documentary, titled "The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan," was concocted as part of a "guerrilla marketing" campaign emulating a promotional strategy that helped turn the low-budget 1999 thriller "The Blair Witch Project" into a box office hit, Sci Fi spokeswoman Jean Guerin told Reuters.
"The intention is never to hurt the press, to have them go along with you, so I think that's where it sort of took a wrong turn," she said.
By aiming to deceive journalists, "this particular campaign went one step too far," NBC Universal spokeswoman Rebecca Marks said. "It's not consistent with our publicity and marketing policy. It's misleading."
Shyamalan, whose previous films include "The Sixth Sense" and "Signs," issued a statement suggesting the cable channel merely got carried away "by thinking out of the box."
"I was, of course, involved in the production of the special but had nothing to do with the marketing of it," he said. "If the Sci Fi Channel erred in their marketing strategy, it was totally out of enthusiasm."
Uh huh.
July 18, 2004
Dee Snider's Curse Heading to the Stage Twisted Sister's Dee Snider is bringing his classical/rock music amalgam known as Van Helsing's Curse to the stage throughout the month of October.
The troupe's debut album, Oculus Infernum, released last Halloween through KOCH Records, stitches together passages by way of an 18-piece orchestra, a prophetic choir, and menacing rock music.
Van Helsing's Curse will embark on a theater tour in October. Snider will host each date of the tour, providing narration and setting the tone for the performances. He offers insight to what music fans can expect this fall, "Our staging is very old world versus new world with regards to the music. The new world rips out a guitar break, the old world counters with a searing violin solo. We worked throughout the record with that kind of tension, where both schools of music are working together but competing at the same time. And visually, on stage, we want to present that as well.
"This is a very visual entity. The string section is going to be old school Goths, made-up and dressed accordingly, with flowing dresses, velvet jackets and ruffled shirts -- a very Anne Rice look. The electric section is very new-school, Hellraiser meets Marilyn Manson, from the hair to the makeup and attire. Our choir will be a group of druids with hooded robes and skewed faces."
They're also working on a DVD production of the show. "We are working with two very great directors, John Buechler [known for his directorial and special effects work on Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood, From Beyond, Re-Animator, A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers] who will be developing the storyline for the DVD and film in dramatic fashion and Mark Aldo Miceli [Grammy-award winning director of Madonna's Blond Ambition home video and The Girlie Show televised event], who will direct the concert footage. We are planning to feature the dramatic footage simultaneously on-screen during the concert, for a visceral multimedia presentation."
In addition to the live show, Snider will be coordinating a number of in-store appearances (music and Halloween) and haunts around the country. A Pay Per View event is also in discussion for October, and Snider is in negotiations to become the primary voice and host for forthcoming Scream Network (a horror-based television channel).
A lifelong fan of horror, Snider first made a foray into the genre writing, producing and starring in the successful cult film StrangeLand and its accompanying soundtrack. A sequel to the film is currently in production. His next foray onto the silver screen will be an appearance in the forthcoming thriller Deepwater.
Dreamworks Reviewing Portfolios at Comic-Con DreamWorks will be hanging out at the upcoming Comic-Con International July 22-25 in San Diego, CA. They'll be previewing Shark Tale, Madagascar and The Wallace & Gromit Movie. And anime fans will get a sneak peek at Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, as well as last year's Millennium Actress.
Representatives from DreamWorks will also be doing mini portfolio reviews and taking reels from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on both Friday, July 23 and Saturday, July 24 in Comic-Con's Portfolio Review Area.
Dine with George Romero Movies Online dropped us a line to pass along a very cool contest they've got going with Rue Morge...a meal with George Romero, presumably not human but hell, who knows! Check out the details about this great chance to sup with the Godfather of Zombie Lore.
July 16, 2004
WB Chairman Talks Angel Movie Sci Fi Wire reports Garth Ancier, chairman of The WB network, confirmed that the network has approached Angel creator Joss Whedon about doing a telefilm version of the canceled television series, about a vampire with a soul.
"[We] have an offer on the table to Joss to do movies," Ancier said during the network's fall press preview in Los Angeles. "When Joss and David Boreanaz are both interested in doing it at the same time, I'm sure we will be doing Angel movies. Certainly Joss would like to. David will take a bit more coaxing, but I think he will do it."
Ancier later attributed the cancellation of the series, which ended a five-year run on The WB last May, to pressure from producer 20th Century Fox Television for a quick answer as to the show's renewal. "They had pushed for an early decision on whether the show should come back or not," Ancier said. "Had they not pushed for the early renewal, or, conversely, if we had said, 'You know what? Let's wait till we get to the scheduling room in May and decide then,' ... the show may or may not have been back. But I think we would have had that opportunity to discuss it. I think the mistake that was made is that between us and 20th, we didn't wait until May. We just made the decision early based upon their request."
Penn. Politics May Help Romero Flick Location The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, now that George Romero has landed a deal to make Land of the Dead, he would like to film it in Pittsburgh. And a recent political move by the state's legislature may help that along as they passed a bill authorizing tax credits for filmmakers working in Pennsylvania.
If Gov. Ed Rendell signs the bill, which was sent to him Wednesday, it could help offset the financial advantages that caused Romero to make his most recent film, Bruiser, in Canada, which offers large tax breaks and a favorable currency exchange rate.
If the new film is not made here, the other likely location is Winnipeg. Production could begin as soon as October. No casting decisions have been made.
"Obviously, I would love to do it here. It's written for here," Romero said.
"We'll make the decision in the next couple of days," said Bernie Goldmann, a former Pittsburgher and president of Atmosphere Entertainment, which will produce the movie. "It would be great for George, for me and for the city.
"The legislation is not perfect, but it will be helpful. It will be a big deal. It would make a huge difference toward us making the movie in Pittsburgh," he said.
"I think George has written a great script. He's updated the whole 'Living Dead' series. He's a great guy, a great director. He created the genre, and it's great to work with the master."
Romero, who lives in Shadyside, PA, has shot most of his movies in Pittsburgh, beginning with his landmark 1968 horror film Night of the Living Dead and including its two sequels, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead.
The new project is tentatively budgeted at between $15 million and $20 million.
Casting Begins on Global Frequency Warren Ellis says Michelle Forbes has been cast as Miranda
Zero in the WB series Global Frequency, based on Ellis' comic book series of the same name.
July 15, 2004
New WB Movie Features Mutating Animals Run Amok Every day there seem to be more newspaper stories telling us that GM food is bad for us. Thankfully, with GM-free products flooding our supermarkets, mankind can look forward to a future free from mutant wildlife. Unless, that is, big scary corporations try to play God by creating hordes of genetically engineered super-animals that run amok in an orgy of rapidly mutating horror!
That is the premise for The Wild, the latest future-shock, "but what if science is really bad for us?" sci-fi flick in the Warner Brothers canon. The movie will be produced by Road to Perdition screenwriter David Self and Pitch Black producer Tom Engleman.
"The idea is that humankind, or what is left of it, has been evacuated off the planet after a corporation introduced a genetically engineered food crop that caused animals to mutate into these cool but scary creatures," Self said. The film will feature an Earth left swarming with dangerous, rapidly evolving organisms. [Source: Empire Online]
Horror Movie Script Wins Project Greenlight Project Greenlight has picked it's latest winner, and as PG co-creators Ben Affleck and Matt Damon said it might be earlier in the process, it did turn out to be a horror flick.
Affleck and Damon announced plans Tuesday to produce this first horror film with Dimension and Scream director Wes Craven. During the press gathering, they chatted a bit about their favorite horror films.
"I can remember Nightmare on Elm Street scaring the daylights out of me," Affleck said. "Friday the 13th and The Shining were also really scary. Remember how terrifying it was when they cut to those two little girls in the hallway?"
Agreed Damon, standing alongside Affleck: "That was an image that was tough to forget." Damon also singled out The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby as his favorite scares.
The project winner, Feast, was written by first-timers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, takes place in a remote bar ravaged by cannibalistic creatures. Newcomer John Gulager will direct.
Feast, as was the previous two Project Greenlight movies, will be filmed during production as a making-of, behind-the-scenes reality series that will air on Bravo, which picked up the series after it was dropped by HBO. [Source: USA Today]
Romero's Fourth Zombie Flick: Land of the Dead Horror great George A Romero's follow-up to his legendary zombie trilogy will be titled Land of the Dead.
Having made Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead in 1968, 1978 and 1985 respectively, Romero will now continue the story of the battle between the living and the undead.
The movie will take place long after the original trilogy, with the zombies' threat to society significantly reduced. Now they are treated with all the compassion afforded to homeless people, and drag themselves around the streets of a walled city where anarchy reigns on the streets and skyscrapers have been specially fortified to protect the wealthy.
However, a group of scavengers must thwart a plot to overthrow the city's hierarchy while facing another problem: the zombies are mutating into more advanced, more deadly creatures.
Romero will direct from his own script, with shooting on the film, to begin in either Winnipeg or Pittsburgh in October. Romero has secured a financing and distribution deal for the film. No word yet on budget, or whether effects maestro Tom Savini will return. [Source: RTE Guide & Empire Online]
Doom 3 Release Date Set! Video game publisher Activision Inc., ending weeks of speculation, on Wednesday said Doom 3 would ship in the first week of August.
Doom 3, which puts players in a research facility on Mars where experiments have opened the gates to the underworld, has been in development for years.
Online retailers are already offering the game for pre-order at $54.99 with an Aug. 3 ship date. Some are also offering discounts on other games when purchased alongside the new "Doom."
The original "Doom," released in 1993, revolutionized PC gaming and made a cult idol of id co-founder John Carmack.
July 13, 2004
Alien in 30 Seconds with Bunnies Angry Alien, the fine folks who brought you the Exorcist in 30 seconds re-enacted by bunnies, now hits the web with their reinterpretation of Alien...of course in 30 seconds with bunnies. Click'm.
Neil Gaiman Talks Novel & Marvel On his blog, Neil Gaiman recently talked about the status of his latest novel, Anansi Boys and whether his next project for Marvel has been settled on.
About the novel, Gaiman says "I've got somewhere between 20,000 words and 50,000 words more novel to write before I reach that point where everything's done and said...Today I sat and listed all the characters in the book, and what each character needs by the end of the book. (Some need lots of things. Some don't.) I think it helped."
And about the next Marvel project?
"Marvel (normally manifesting itself in the person of Joe Quesada) and I have had several discussions. Nothing's been decided yet -- we like a number of possibilities, but in the end it seemed much fairer to everyone for me just to postpone the whole thing until I'm done with ANANSI BOYS, and could give it my full attention, and then start writing it.
(Everything that's been announced as the next Marvel Project on the various comics gossip sites so far hasn't been true.)"
Sharon Stone Says Basic Instinct 2 Moving Forward After a protracted legal dispute that was eventually dropped, a sequel to the classic erotic thriller Basic Instinct is now on track, actress Sharon Stone said on Access Hollywood on Monday.
Stone, 46, told the syndicated entertainment show that development on Basic Instinct 2 was in the early stages. "We are putting it together now," she said. "We don't have a production schedule yet."
July 12, 2004
Hellraiser DVD Lamentation Box Set  Creature Corner reports Anchor Bay UK has updated their page for the Hellrasier box set. The photo here of the Lamentation Box is the sweet, sweet packaging. The top comes off, revealing a disc on each of the four sides of the box. Below are the details. The release date on AB UK's site is listed as Sept. 13.
Hellraiser:- Uncut Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) Enhanced for Widescreen TVs
- Stereo 2.0
- Optional 5.1
- DTS
- Audio Commentary 1: Writer/Director Clive Barker
- Audio Commentary 2: Writer/Director Clive Barker and Star Ashley Laurence
- Featurette 1: Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser
- Featurette 2: Resurrection
- Featurette 3: On-Set Interview with Clive Barker
- Hellraiser Merchandising Promo (Watch and Wear)
- Theatrical Trailers x 4
- TV Spots x 5
- Storyboards
- Scripts x 2 (as .pdf Files)
- Poster and Stills Gallery
- Optional English Subtitles for the Hard of Hearing
Hellbound: Hellraiser II:- Uncut Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) Enhanced for Widescreen TVs
- Stereo 2.0
- Optional 5.1
- DTS
- Audio Commentary 1: Writer Pete Atkins and Tony Randel
- Audio Commentary 2: Director Tony Randel, star Ashley Laurence and witer Peter Atkins
- Featurette 1: Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellbound: Hellraiser II
- Featurette 2: Lost In The Labyrinth produced by Clive Barker
- Featurette 3: On-Set Interview with Clive Barker
- Featurette 4: On-Set Interview with Clive Barker, Tony Randel, Claire Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Imogen Boorman and Kenneth Crantham
- Featurette 5: Behind the Scenes Montage
- Theatrical Trailers x 4
- TV Spots x 2
- Script x 1 (as .pdf File)
- Poster and Stills Gallery
- Optional English Subtitles for the Hard of Hearing
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth:- Uncut Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) Enhanced for Widescreen TVs
- Stereo 2.0
- Optional 5.1
- DTS
- Audio Commentary: Director Anthony Hickox and Star Doug Bradly
- Featurette 1: Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth
- Featurette 2: Raising Hell On Earth: Interview with Director Anthony Hickox
- Featurette 3: On Set interviews with Clive Barker & Doug Bradley
- Theatrical Trailer
- Poster and Stills Gallery
- Optional English Subtitles for the Hard of Hearing
Bonus Disc (with Box Set Only)- Full Screen Presentation
- Early Short 1: Clive Barker's Salome (18 mins, 1973)
- Early Short 2: Clive Barker's The Forbidden (36 mins, 1978)
- Featurette: Interviews with Clive Barker, Pete Atkins and Doug Bradley, discussing the early short films.
DVDs for The Progeny, Terror Train, Chopping Mall & More Here's a handful of DVD release dates. Lions Gate brings out Dead Above Ground Aug. 10, and Chopping Mall and Stir of Echoes Aug. 17. Fox will release The Alligator People, Basket Case 3: The Progeny, Blood Moon, The Boston Strangler, Hear No Evil, Terror Train, and the 1993 remake of The Vanishing (all on Sept. 7). [Source: DVD Journal]
Polanski's Fearless Vampire Killers Gets DVD Release On October 5, Warner Home Video will release Roman Polanski’s horror spoof The Fearless Vampire Killers. Warner Home Video will release the film in its original 107 minute uncut version, restored from the original British prints of the film, and present it into original 2.40:1 widescreen aspect ratio in a transfer that is enhanced for 16x9 TV sets. It will contain the original mono audio track of the film in English, as well as the French dub in mono. [Source: DVD Review]
Rocky Horror Celebration for 30th Anniversary To celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a fan run convention has been scheduled for July 23 - 25, 2004 in the city that never sleeps. Titled The Transylvanians Take Manhattan, the convention will take place at The Park Central Hotel (870 Seventh Avenue at 56th Street) and will feature a variety of events for Rocky Horror fans both moderate and fanatical.
"This is a weekend that Rocky Horror fans will definitely not want to miss," explained Larry Viezel, event promoter. "What's more, attendees will be directly helping kids with cancer since proceeds from the convention will be going to Have a Heart Children's Cancer Society of Levittown, NY."
Major Attractions will include guest appearances from stars of the film and the play, a viewing of behind the scenes footage from the movie, as well as auctions and raffles for memorabilia.
There will also be performances by troupes from around the country, the premiere of a new documentary titled Madness Takes Its Toll, a screening of the rarely seen sequel Shock Treatment and of course, a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Chelsea West Theatre.
For ticket information visit www.nyrockycon.com or call 973-715-3261. So grab your rice, toast, and fishnets because Rocky Horror fanatics will soon be invading Manhattan.
Director Leaves Superman Director McG is no longer attached to the next installment of Warner Bros. Pictures' Superman. A Warners spokesperson confirmed that the studio and the director have amicably parted ways. The primary reason given was the inability of the two parties to agree over a budget. Casting also was an issue. Part of the conflict between the director and the studio was the shooting location. McG favored a New York shoot, while the studio favored Australia. [Source: The Hollywood Reporter]
July 11, 2004
Comic Antho to Feature Halloween Man, Necro City & More Across the Pond Studios is scheduled to release ATP Presents this fall, featuring Metal Locus, Halloweenman and more. Here's some of the descriptions.
Stephan Nilson's Metal Locus, written by Keith Champagne (JSA, Legion) and illustrated by Sergio Cariello (Batman, Sojourn). Metal Locus explores a world where it's quicker and cheaper to replace broken limbs with mechanical ones rather than mend them. How long will it take before mankind loses all of its humanity for extended life?
Halloween Man, written by Drew Edwards with Nicola Scott (Proximity Effect, Knights of the Dinner Table) illustrating, follows the adventures of Solomon, an un-dead hero, and his team of misfit globetrotters as they battle ancient evils in a futuristic city.
Richie Blackmon's Necro-City Chronicles written by Scott Parker and illustrated by Mitch Byrd (Guy Gardner, Dinosaur Theories) takes the reader to a dark place where crime is fought with intuition, guns and magic. Step into a world where unregistered magic is a crime against the church and the Goblin King is the patriarch of the fashion world.
The first issue will have an alternate cover, featuring a fully painted Necro-City by Dan Brereton (Nocturnals, Thrillkillers). Each issue is 32 pages in full color.
July 09, 2004
Trailer for The Forgotten Movie List has got a trailer for the Julianne Moore flick The Forgotten. This one looks like it might have some supernatural stuff going on, can't tell for sure in the trailer but shows promise. Also starring Dominic West, Gary Sinise and Alfre Woodard, it's set for release Sept. 24. Click here to see the trailer.
Phantom of the Opera Trailer Online Empire Magazine has linked to the Phantom of the Opera preview, saying this of the trailer, "Glimpses of scenes flash past at breakneck speed, which makes it hard to say whether the film has got the drama right, but they've certainly gone all out on the look of the piece. Costumes and settings look sumptuous in the extreme, but right in the middle it is possible to just make out a guy in a mask leching over a girl who looks remarkably like Emmy Rossum." Click here to view the trailer.
Silent Hill 4: The Room Screenshots & News New screenshots are online for Playstation 2's Silent Hill 4: The Room. Reportedly taking the series in a new direction, the new main character, Henry Townshend, finds himself trapped in his own, cursed apartment. Here's more of the description:
Only by exploring mysterious portals leading into disturbing alternate worlds will Henry begin to uncover clues as to why he is trapped. However, in true Silent Hill fashion, mysterious new characters, horrendous creatures and the undead will use any means necessary to impede his progress.
Using all-new technology, the Tokyo-based development team has created a host of unique effects designed to add to the game's oppressive atmosphere. Players will notice changes in the environments as the alternate world begins to taint reality, while - in a massive first for the series - the action switches between the traditional third-person view and a new first-person perspective.
Silent Hill 4: The Room is scheduled for release on PlayStation 2 and Xbox in the next fiscal year, 2004/2005. Click here for the screenshots. [Source: Game Info Wire]
Travis Tritt in 2001 Maniacs Remake CMT reports Travis Tritt filmed a role in 2001 Maniacs, a remake of the 1964 B-movie Two Thousand Maniacs! and was shot on location in southern Georgia. Tritt says, "I play a pretty evil gas station attendant that goes around warning all these teenagers about the impending doom they're about to get into."
McKean Provides Cover Art for Doctorow Latest Dave McKean (brilliant artist) has created the cover for the new Cory Doctorow book, Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town, from Tor Books. Cory says about the book, "It's a bit of a departure for me: it's a fantasy novel -- well, more of a magic realist thing, actually -- about community wireless networking. I'm really happy with how it's come out. Really, really happy.
"Happy as I am with it, I'm unbelievably ecstatic over the cover-art. Tor Books commissioned superstar Dave McKean (whom you may know from the covers of Neil Gaiman's Sandman books), and then the genius art-director Irene Gallo applied her skill and turned it into this wonderful work of art (my editor's strapline, "A miraculous novel of secrets, lies, magic -- and Internet connectivity" doesn't hurt either!)."
Click here for the cover art.
July 08, 2004
Darkness Falls Director Tapped for Mile Zero According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jonathan Liebesman, who made his feature debut with Darkness Falls, has been signed by Phoenix Pictures to direct Mile Zero. The film is set at an Alaskan oil rig where a young woman tries to clear her father of murders that are in fact supernatural in nature, and is being compared to The Thing. [Source: Fangoria]
Spidey 2 Swinging to IMAX After setting a slew of box office records, Sony Pictures' Spider-Man 2 has turned its attention to the Imax screens. As expected, Imax and Sony said Wednesday that the comic book adaptation will bow on Imax screens worldwide July 23, three weeks after the film was released to a $180 million six-day opening gross.
"When you have a movie like 'Spider-Man 2,' it makes sense to offer audiences an opportunity to experience the film in this incredible format," said Jeff Blake, vice chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment and president of worldwide marketing and distribution. [Source: THR]
More Casting for Fantastic Four Chris Evans and Ioan Gruffudd are joining 20th Century Fox's Fantastic Four cast. Evans and Gruffudd are the latest additions confirmed to be suiting up for the potential franchise following the first announced cast member, Michael Chiklis. [Source: Hollywood Reporter]
July 07, 2004
The Rock in Doom? Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock talked with Empire magazine about a possible video game to film project he may be taking on...Doom. If the current flick he's scheduled for (Spy-Hunter, another vid game adaptation - going to be directed by John Woo) gets pushed back, then he may move forward with Universal's Doom. The film, from early reports, will be a lot more complex than the game, with interesting innovations like, you know, a plot. And characters.
Latest on Hellboy & Devil's Backbone Releases The Digital Bits has the latest on Columbia TriStar's forthcoming Hellboy: Director's Cut. This comes from his latest post (dated 7/5) on the studio's official Hellboy message board:
"DVD (Director's cut): Comes out in November (3 discs) all the same extras (minus commentary track original) but with an extra disc full of features. The special box edition will have a Sideshow Hellboy mini-bust. This disc has my preferred cut (15 extra minutes but they go a long way in terms of story and character) and a new commentary track that I feel very happy with.
Devil's Backbone DVD: for those of you that love this movie as much as I do, this one will have a better transfer, more extras than any international edition, including a unique and really useful doodle-storyboard-final shot comparison of several key sequences. The commentary track in this disc is new and it is my favorite of any disc I've done."
July 04, 2004
Blair Witch Meets Jaws Set for U.S. Bow It has been hailed as the new Blair Witch Project, a low-budget horror film that delivers some of what are reportedly the most terrifying scenes ever put on film. Open Water, an independent movie using little-known actors, has earned rave reviews from the likes of Variety, Wall Street Journal and Rolling Stone. It's scheduled to open in the United States next month.
The film is about two scuba divers, a husband and wife called Daniel and Susan, who are accidentally abandoned in the middle of the ocean when their tourist dive boat leaves without them. Needless to say, the sea is also full of hungry sharks. The movie is shot on grainy film to give it the 'realistic' semi-documentary look that worked so well for Blair Witch .
Variety called the film 'harrowing' and a 'tour-de-force'. The movie was also a hit at the prestigious Sundance film festival earlier this year.
Although Open Water does use Susan and Daniel's struggle with the sharks to dramatic effect, the film's real primal horror comes from the idea of two people abandoned at sea, miles from help and desperately alone. Long, painful sequences feature the couple contemplating their terrible fate as hunger, cold and fear begin to consume them. They start to blame each other for their horrific predicament. The film's promotional posters don't feature the sharks. Instead they show the tiny figures of two divers floating on an endless black ocean, beneath huge cloud-filled skies.
The film is devoid of special effects. Even the sharks are real. Writer/director Chris Kentis put his two stars, relative newcomers Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis, right in the sea with the wild animals. The sharks were manipulated by a local shark expert using chunks of bloody fish to get them to move in the right direction. 'Once too many pieces [of bait] are in the water, the sharks get worked up, and then the actors would have to get out of the water,' Kentis said.
The most horrifying aspect of Open Water is perhaps that it is based on real events. In 1998 American divers Tom and Eileen Lonergan disappeared off the Great Barrier Reef. Tom, 34, and his wife Eileen, 28, had moved away from the rest of their group. But they were left behind by their boat after its crew failed to take a proper headcount and headed back to port.
It was not until two days later, with the discovery of their belongings on the boat, that it was realised what had happened. Despite a massive sea and air search their bodies were never found. In the coming months, however, several pieces of equipment belonging to the Lonergans were discovered. They included Eileen's wetsuit, which had bite marks in it. [Source: Guardian]
Tarantino Directing Scene in Sin City Quentin Tarantino will be directing a scene of Sin City with Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, receiving what we guess is a bit below his normal fee, in way of a $1 salary. Reportedly Tarantino was eager to try out the digital filming that Rodriguez is using. Maybe this is something of a trade since in Kill Bill, Rodriguez' services as a composer went for the same amount. [Source: Empire Online]
'Former Alias Cast Added to Amityville Remake Australian actress Melissa George, who played the duplicitous wife of Michael Vartan on TV's Alias, has stepped into the role of the young mother in MGM's new Amityville Horror, starring opposite previously cast Ryan Reynolds as the father. [Source: Fangoria]
"Do you know what's Really Scary? You want to forget something. Totally wipe it off your mind. But you never can. It can't go away, you see. And... and it follows you around like a ghost."
--Eun-ju, A Tale of Two Sisters
'Well, we need to nip this thing in the
bud. I mean, otherwise, things are going to get Really Scary.'
--Cordelia Chase, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
'From here on, it gets Really Scary.'
--Geoffrey Rush, House on Haunted Hill
'Wanna see something Really Scary?'
--Dan Aykroyd, Twilight Zone The Movie
Thanks for visiting Really Scary. If you have any news or scoops, e-mail us at support@reallyscary.com. To submit items for review, please e-mail us and we'll pass along the editorial address...we really like movies, toys, music, um comics, and books, did we mention video games...actually, we really like everything.
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