Really Scary Horror Movie News: Really Scary: Horror Movie News, Video Games, Comics, Books, Music, Art and TV: June 2005

Contact Music reports Jennifer Connelly overcame her fear of horror movies by watching back-to-back spooky classics as she prepared for her new thriller Dark Water.

The Oscar winner knew she'd have to face her fears when she signed up to play a young mum fighting an apartment building's spooks in the Walter Salles film. So she turned off all the lights in her New York apartment and sat through one terror ride after another.

She says, "I have always been very affected by horror stories and I am a little afraid of them. I watched the original Japanese film before I signed on for the role and it opened up a whole world for me because I hadn't seen a scary film in ages. I thought of myself as someone who didn't do scary movies and I was really impressed by it and realised that I had been missing out.

"Then I had these scary movie film festivals, which basically meant my husband and I watched like two or three a night. There are fantastic films that have been made over the years like Rosemary's Baby and Don't Look Now, which has become one of my favorites."

Troma Filming Poultrygeist in Buffalo

What better location to film a horror movie spoof featuring chicken zombies than the place that gave us the chicken wing? A Buffalo, NY NBC news affiliate reports Troma Entertainment, the independent film company that produced the 1985 cult hit The Toxic Avenger, plans to film Poultrygeist in Buffalo this summer.

The plot for the horror-musical film involves a fast-food restaurant that opens on an ancient Indian burial ground, unleasing the wrath of chicken zombies. Lloyd Kaufman is the founder of the New York City-based film company. His wife is head of the state commission that promotes New York as a site for movie locations.

Kaufman says he would have ended up as "chicken salad" if his latest movie wasn't filmed in New York.

The producers are looking for local residents to play chicken zombies and other bit roles.

NYC Welcomes Back King Kong

AP reports New York will host the world premiere of Peter Jackson's update of King Kong in early December.

The premiere will be held ahead of the movie's Dec. 14 release, Universal Pictures Vice Chairman Marc Shmuger. The original 1933 movie starring Fay Wray featured New York's Empire State Building, the skyscraper that massive gorilla King Kong scaled while holding tight to Wray.

Shmuger said the premiere was an opportunity for New York "to welcome Kong back."

"New York is very excited about the opportunity and the city is one of our partners on the film," he said. "They are lending extensive resources to really make the return of Kong to New York an official event."

NBC Sci Fi Series Looking for Extras in NC

Sci Fi Wire reports NBC Universal Television Studio's new NBC fall drama series Surface (formerly Fathom) has issued a casting call to North Carolina residents of all ages and ethnicities to be paid background extras in the upcoming SF series. Open casting calls will take place July 2, 9 and 16 in Jacksonville, Wilmington and Myrtle Beach in North Carolina, where the series will shoot. Those interested in becoming extras are invited to show up and meet with an extras casting director, the studio said.

If an aspiring extra is unable to attend a casting event, applicants can e-mail or mail a photo and contact information, including name, age, phone number and e-mail address to the extras casting department.

Casting takes place July 2 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Jacksonville Mall in Jacksonville, July 9 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Westfield Independence Mall in Wilmington and July 16 from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach. For information, write Extras Casting, Surface Productions, 1223 N. 23rd St., Wilmington, N.C. 28405, call (910) 772-5667 or e-mail at wilmcasting@yahoo.com.

Don't Look Now Getting Remake

Don't Look Now, the 1973 thriller starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie (and famous for a their steamy scene), is getting the remake treatment.

Paramount Pictures' update centers on a couple, John and Laura Baxter, who go to Venice, Italy, to recuperate after the sudden death of their daughter only to encounter strange visions that suggest their daughter's presence. Andrea Berloff will write the screenplay for the adaptation.

The original film, directed by Nicolas Roeg and based on a story by Daphne Du Maurier, "was very much of its time with a lot of atmospherics that wouldn't necessarily work today," said the update's producer, Mark Gordon. "But it has a great idea and a wonderful backdrop and setting. We hope to take the feeling of the story, continue to set it in Venice and make it contemporary." [Source: Reuters]

New Genre TV Series for Next Year

Zap2It popped together a quick rundown of genre shows the networks have planned for the next TV year.

ABC has two: Invasion, with executive producer Shaun Cassidy (American Gothic), is a Wednesday companion to Lost that looks at an alien invasion in a hurricane-ravaged Florida town.

The Night Stalker, with executive producer Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files), is a reimagining of the 1970s ABC series about a reporter investigating the paranormal, which will air after Alias on Thursdays.

CBS has two airing back to back on Fridays: Ghost Whisperer, about a newlywed who can commune with the dead, and Threshold, with executive producers Brannon Braga (Star Trek: Enterprise) and David Goyer (Blade), a thriller about a team of experts dealing with an alien threat.

NBC has one: Fathom, created by twins Josh and Jonas Pate (G vs. E) and airing Mondays, about a possibly menacing new life form that suddenly appears in the world's oceans.

And The WB has one: Supernatural, from executive producer McG (Fastlane), about two brothers seeking their missing father while investigating supernatural mysteries on America's back roads.

Goyer Directing The Invisible

David Goyer will start directing the supernatural thriller The Invisible at the end of September in Vancouver.

The story follows a teenager who, after being attacked and left for dead, finds himself in limbo, invisible to the living and racing against time to find his body before he truly perishes. The only living person who might be able to save him is his attacker, a troubled girl who is on the run from the law.

The project is being financed by Spyglass Entertainment, the company behind The Hitchhiker's Guide to thye Galaxy, and will be distributed domestically by Disney, where Spyglass is based. It was originally set up at DreamWorks.

Mick Davis' English-language script was translated into Swedish and made into a film by directors Joel Bergvall and Simon Sandquist. Spyglass bought the remake rights in 2002.

Invisible will be Goyer's third directorial feature and the first one he has not written. [Source: The Hollywood Reporter]

Warren Ellis on the Global Frequency TV Pilot

Warren Ellis recently wrote a bit about the Global Frequency TV pilot, based on his comic book series. The WB reportedly did not pick it up.

"I remain in an awkward position. I still haven't seen the thing, and, at this point, almost kind of don't want to," Ellis wrote. "For one thing, I now know that it was the rough cut that went out to sales. The music wasn't in there, there was a placeholder ringtone (if we'd gotten the go-ahead, we were going to commission a musician to devise the GF ringtone. I was holding out for The Aphex Twin), etc etc. It's not, to me, the real thing.

"As to any putative grassroots movement to get the show on the air somehow: I'm in two minds about that kind of thing, which is why I can't stand behind them. It does
them a disservice to not be fully committed to them, since it's people essentially taking their time to speak on your behalf. That's a nice thing. I've never been totally convinced of their efficacy, but it's a nice thing. It also leads to people thinking that a vocal subsection of nutbags are in fact your voice. For every 99 people who speak with love and passion about your work and make you do the whole heel-scuffing awshucks bit, there's one genetic damage case who uses fictional swearwords and hires a Lithuanian midget child-actor to represent themselves as a tv producer by building a spaceship called THE PAEDOPHILE out of crackers.

"And you can't do a damn thing about that. And associating yourself with it and THEN disassociating yourself from it is even ruder.

"If you like the concept behind the show, then, you know, take part in some kind of political or cultural activism. Because there are more important things for a group of smart, passionate people to worry about than a TV show.

"I love that people love GF enough to talk about these things. But I can't be optimistic about it any more. John Rogers is the optimist...Rogers will keep you updated on developments."

Update on Region 2 Phatasm DVD Boxset

The fine folks over at PhantasmFilms.com wrote us and passed along that Anchor Bay UK & Blue Underground are currently in LA and have been rounding up interviews and extras for the upcoming R2 Phantasm DVD Boxset. Reggie Bannister is hosting a Location Tour featurette and will soon be recording an audio commentary track. They also report that the September release date may be shifted to November to accomodate all the new material they're finding.

King & Mellencamp Theater Project Moving Forward

The Indy Star reports that the long-awaited collaboration between Stephen King and John Mellencamp is moving closer to production. In May, actors participated in an initial read-through of the "dramatic musical" that features a story by King and songs by Mellencamp.

Broadway is the hoped-for destination for The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, but Mellencamp advises patience.

"If we're lucky, a year from now we'll be in Chicago or Miami putting the thing together," he says, referring to a theatrical debut that customarily precedes a move to New York.

The singer clearly liked what he saw and heard during the read-through.

"It was the most exciting thing I've done professionally in probably 25 years," Mellencamp says. "It was so much fun to see those characters come to life and hear those songs being sung."

The story features two quarreling brothers from Mississippi, their father and the ghosts of two uncles who couldn't resolve their differences before meeting a tragic end.

Mellencamp has written 17 songs in the acoustic blues style heard on his 2003 album, Trouble No More. When "Ghost Brothers" makes it to the stage, Mellencamp says, his band will play the music from the orchestra pit.

King and Mellencamp have been working on the project since 2000.

The rock star says he's enjoyed forging a give-and-take relationship with the author of The Stand and The Shawshank Redemption. He also admits to having little success when suggesting rewrites to King.

"He would say, 'I'm the writer, you're the songwriter. Shut up,'" Mellencamp says with a laugh.

Recalling doubts about a specific scene, Mellencamp says the read-through revealed King's accurate instincts. "It was so sweet and so great," the Indiana native says. "Steve was sitting right in front of me, and he turned back to say, 'Not going to work, eh?'"

New Line Picks Up Licensing for Romero's Dawn!

New Line Cinema has added the 1979 apocalyptic horror classic George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead to its groundbreaking House of Horror licensing lineup, it announced today at Licensing Show 2005.

"Since we have the three most popular horror characters - Freddy, Jason and Leatherface - under our tent, we're highly selective about what other horror properties we represent," said David Imhoff, New Line's Senior Executive Vice President, Worldwide Licensing and Merchandising. "George A. Romero's Dawn of The Dead is without a doubt one of the most influential horror movies ever made. You would not have the recent hits including Shaun of The Dead or the ever-popular zombie video games like Resident Evil if not for George A. Romero's Dawn of The Dead. We are excited to bring the iconic heroes and creatures from this groundbreaking film to store shelves across the country."

"I have been approached by many companies and agents over the years who wanted to license specific products based on our George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead," said Richard P. Rubinstein, President and CEO of New Amsterdam Entertainment, Inc. "No one, however, approached us with a comprehensive business plan for doing so until David Imhoff and his New Line team came to see New Amsterdam's Sr. Vice President, Mike Messina and myself. David believes that the extraordinary and continued retail demand for the picture over the past 25 years is a clear sign that the economic potential for licensing is very significant. I was also particularly impressed with New Line's track-record with creating some of the most successful licensing programs over the past decade, most recently, of course, with The Lord of the Rings."

And in other New Line news, they've partnered with Orlando-based International Creative Concepts Designs (ICC Designs) to create a series of haunted house attractions inspired by the company’s legendary horror film franchises including A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th.

The attractions will be based in select amusement parks in the U.S. and around the world beginning Halloween Season 2006. The announcement of the haunted house venture comes on the heels of New Line's recent launch of a new licensing and marketing moniker, New Line Cinema's House of Horror, branding the company's best legendary horror characters under one franchise umbrella. Special emphasis will be placed on the 25th anniversary of Friday the 13th, which will be celebrated throughout 2005.

New Val Lewton Horror Collection DVD Set!

Warner Home Video will release the five-disc Val Lewton Horror Collection Oct. 4. It will include 3 double-feature discs -- Cat People/Curse of the Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie/The Body Snatcher and Isle of the Dead/Bedlam, each of which will also be available separately. Rounding out the collection will be two additional discs exclusive to the gift set collection: The Leopard Man/The Ghost Ship and The Seventh Victim, which is double-billed with a new bonus documentary about the famous RKO producer, Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy. The five-disc gift set will sell for $59.92 SRP. The three double-feature DVDs will be available for $19.97 SRP each.

In 1942, when RKO was suffering financial difficulties, the studio decided to follow Universal and start a unit to make inexpensive horror B-movies, just for profit. The studio put producer Val Lewton in charge and gave him a series of tiny budgets and lurid pre-tested titles. They wanted shorter films (under 75 minutes) so two could be shown together on double-bills. Because RKO was concerned only with the bottom line, they also gave him a relatively free hand creatively.

Lewton created his great legacy by emphasizing the fear of the unseen instead of focusing on special effects. Additionally he hired young filmmakers who had yet to prove their worth, but were amazingly talented -- Jacques Tourneur, Robert Wise and Mark Robson direct all films in this collection.

Stay Alive Wraps Shooting

The Ascension Citizen reports filming for the horror flick Stay Alive wrapped Saturday at Palo Alto Plantation in Louisiana. Starring Samaire Armstrong (The O.C.), Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill) and Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle), much of the film was shot in New Orleans.

Stay Alive producter Erin Stam said the film, written and directed by William Brent Bell, is set to be released at some point next winter. It's about a group of teenagers playing an online horror game. When they're character dies, they mysteriously die in real life as well.

Gellar Joins American McGee's Alice

THR reports Sarah Michelle Gellar is attached to star in a feature version of the Electronic Arts video game American McGee's Alice, which is itself based on Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland novels, albeit a very nifty twisted version.

In the game, Alice has grown up to become a disturbed young woman. After her parents are killed in a fire, Alice returns to Wonderland, a dark and threatening place of looking glasses, mysterious potions, nonsensical tea parties and talking animals, confronting her fears and the wicked Queen of Hearts.

The film, "Alice," is set up at Universal Pictures, where it will be directed by Marcus Nispel, who shot the recent update of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Gellar's recent credits include The Grudge and the Scooby Doo films.

American McGee's Alice became a critically acclaimed hit on the PC when it shipped in December 2000. The game received an 83 percent aggregate review score on Gamerankings.com, which helped Electronic Arts sell more than 488,000 units of the game and generate more than $11.8 million in revenue, consulting firm NPD Group said. The game was created by American McGee, a lead designer of the Quake and Doom series.

That same month, Dimension Films optioned the movie rights to Alice from Electronic Arts; horror veteran Wes Craven was attached to produce and direct.

Rob Zombie's El Superbeasto Filming Gets Going

The always kick-ass Staci Layne Wilson got news from the CineVegas film festival where Rob Zombie premiered The Devil's Rejects last night. During a Q&A, Zombie announced that the long-awaited cinematic version of his El Superbeasto comic is finally filming. He also said that there will be three CDs of music from The Devil's Rejects. Check out Staci's report here.

George Lutz Sues Amityville Remake Primaries

The LA Times reports George Lutz has filed suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claiming he has been libeled by this year's movie remake of The Amityville Horror. Lutz filed the suit June 10 against Dimension Films, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and others, including two screenwriters, for libel and breach of contract, claiming the movie remake makes him look like a "homicidal maniac."

During the course of the movie, Lutz is portrayed: killing his dog with an ax, attacking his son with an ax, building coffins for his wife and three children, trying to drown his wife, chasing his wife and children onto the steeply-pitched roof of the house at night during a rainstorm and also shooting at them with a rifle. Lutz never did any of those things, according to the suit. A spokeswoman for Dimension Films declined comment.

The suit also states that Dimension failed to fulfill their promise to pay Lutz $50,000 once the movie reached $10 million in theatrical box office receipts and also owes him a percentage of both the film's net profit and merchandising profit. The R-rated remake, which starred Ryan Reynolds as Lutz, opened in April and has grossed about $64 million domestically.

Shiny New Scary Stuff Updates

We popped up some news over in the Scary Stuff pages. Check out the latest offering from Full Moon's Charles Band who is bringing back a new Puppetmaster action figure line. We've also got a slew of links and news about the exclusives that'll be offered at July's San Diego Comic Con - teddy bears with hatches, baby hellboys, gigantic hellboys, werewolves and more! Click'm!

Casting for Saw Director's Latest Flick

THR reports Amber Valletta and Ryan Kwanten are set to star in Silence, a horror film being directed by James Wan, one-half of the duo behind last year's movie Saw.

Kwanten will play a man who returns to his hometown in order to unearth clues to his wife's murder. Valletta plays his father's trophy wife, who is more sinister than she appears.

The Universal Pictures movie is scheduled to begin in July. The screenplay is by Wan and Leigh Whannell, the duo behind Saw, which grossed more than $55 million at the domestic box office.

Poster & Site Launch for The Fog Remake

Jo Blo got a hold of the poster for The Fog remake. Check it out here. The official site just launched as well - not a lot there yet but there is a nifty preview of the comic book adaptation set for an October release. Hellboy's Mike Mignola is doing the cover duties for this one.

Casting News for Hills Have Eyes Remake

THR reports Aaron Stanford, Kathleen Quinlan, Ted Levine and Vinessa Shaw are set to star in The Hills Have Eyes, a remake of the 1977 Wes Craven horror.

The Fox Searchlight project is headed for a shoot in Morocco this month. The film will be directed by Frenchman Alexandre Aja, whose thriller High Tension (Haute Tension) just opened in North America; Craven will serve as a producer.

The story follows a vacationing family that makes a wrong turn in the desert and is terrorized by a cannibalistic clan. Levine and Quinlan play the heads of the hapless family, Shaw plays one of their daughters and Stanford her husband.

Fox Searchlight picked up the project after it was shelved by Dimension Films, which already had set it up with Aja directing from a script he co-wrote with Gregory Levasseur.

More Dead Films in Romero's Future?

Sci Fi reports George A. Romero said his latest zombie movie may mark the beginning of a new round of Dead films. "I mean, if this opens strong, I might be in a situation where I have to do another one of these or will be asked to do another one of these right away," writer/director Romero said in a news conference. "In which case I've sort of left the characters, you know, the truck and those characters, [intact]. I'd want to almost make it chapter two of the same movie, if that happens, and just sort of finish the story."

In Land of the Dead, Romero picks up the story of an America overrun with walking dead, which he last visited in 1985's Day of the Dead, the third movie in a trilogy that began with 1968's Night of the Living Dead. In Land of the Dead, Simon Baker plays Riley, the leader of a group of guns-for-hire who help sustain a walled city, one of the last remaining outposts of living humans. Romero says he has ideas for more films using the same characters, which include a feisty female warrior played by Asia Argento.

"I have an idea of ... how to go with it, and I would think of it in my mind as almost one film," Romero said. "If I had to do it like next year. Unless we get nuked or something and there's something else to talk about."

If a Land of the Dead sequel happens, it might affect Romero's ability to contribute a short film to Mick Garris' upcoming Masters of Horror anthology series for Showtime, he added. "If that happens, I may not be able to do the Masters of Horror. And I've been so tied up on this thing that I haven't been able to write a script for it. Mick sent me a couple of scripts. A couple of them are pretty nice. So I'm still hoping that I can get a couple of weeks and be able to do that. But I have a couple of other things that we're working on. Again, everything would get trumped if they want to do a sequel to this."

For his part, Baker confirmed that he's got an option to reprise the role of Riley in a Land of the Dead sequel. Land of the Dead opens June 24.

Casting for Sci Fi's The Triangle

Lou Diamond Phillips has joined the ensemble cast of Sci Fi Channel's miniseries The Triangle. The six-hour mini, which is shooting in Cape Town, South Africa, focuses on a disparate group of professionals who are brought together to investigate the dangerous truths behind the Bermuda Triangle.

Phillips will play Meeno Paloma, who's piloting a Greenpeace expedition when he encounters a deadly force in the Triangle. Triangle, which is set to premiere on the cable network in December, also stars Eric Stoltz, Catherine Bell, Michael Rodgers, Bruce Davison and Sam Neill. [Source: The Hollywood Reporter]

New MirrorMask Trailer Live

Read word over at Neil Gaiman's site that Yahoo has an exclusive trailer up right now for MirrorMask. Directed by Dave McKean, this is based on Gaiman work. He also mentions this may not stay up there long so if you're interested, check it out soon. Click'm.

Trailer Online for Terry Gilliam's Brothers Grimm!

Terry Gilliam's Brothers Grimm has been set for a U.S. Aug. 26 release. We just ran across a new trailer for it. Check it out here.

Sci Fi Channel Rerunning Whedon's Firefly

THR reports Sci Fi Channel has acquired Firefly, the short-lived primetime series from Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon that aired on Fox in 2002, from Twentieth Television. Fourteen episodes, including three that never aired, will begin airing on Sci Fi in July. The acquisition is timed to capitalize on the upcoming Universal Pictures release Serenity.

Vin Diesel Taking Hitman from Game to Screen

Vin Diesel is bringing Agent 47 to life. He has signed on to star in 20th Century Fox's upcoming adaptation of Hitman, the best-selling video game franchise from Eidos and developer IO Interactive. Diesel also will serve as executive producer. [Source: The Hollywood Reporter]

George Romero Tribute Video Clips

We just received a couple of nifty video clips for a George Romero tribute that features the likes of John Landis (An American Werewolf in London), Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy), Eli Roth (Cabin Fever), Clive Barker (Hellraiser) and Dennis Hopper. Check 'em out!

Windows Low
Windows Medium
Windows High

Quicktime Low
Quicktime Medium
Quicktime High

Director Tapped for Vamp Flick Darksiders

Cinescape reports New Line Cinema has signed Jonathan Hensleigh to write and direct the vampire thriller Darksiders. The story centers on a band of vampires that become special operatives for the FBI. The original script was written by Tom Parker and Jim Jennewein.

Hensleigh wrote the scripts for Jumanji, Die Hard 3 and The Punisher.

Director Talks Wicker Man Remake

DH reports Total Film spoke with Director Neil La Bute recently about how his remake of "The Wicker Man" is progressing.

LaBute is set to start rolling in August and the question had to be asked, why remake it? "I always loved the movie and I loved the script in particular, but I never thought that it was completed so well that it couldn't be touched again....We'll probably lose 'The', so it'll actually be Wicker Man. That gives it some distance so Christopher Lee doesn't come over here and kick my ass."

Despite the production crew scouting a variety of possible backdrops for the movie (including the Isle of Man), the location for the picture has been confirmed as Vancouver, Canada, as LaBute's script ships the action to America. "It maintains the same sort of structure. The basic premise will be that of a patriarchal society changed to a matriarchal society and rather than being Christian pagan, or God versus other gods, we're going to have a sort of Dionysian vibe."

20th Century & Universal Team Up for Halo

20th Century Fox and Universal Pictures are teaming up to make a feature film adaptation of the Microsoft video game Halo. Negotiations are under way, but under the deal, Universal will take domestic rights and Fox will handle international on the project. Further components could be included in the agreement. The deal -- based on a script by 28 Days Later scribe Alex Garland -- caused a stir earlier in the week when CAA sent it out via a messenger clad in a "Halo"-esque green costume. The deal came bearing some pretty stiff terms, including a two-hour bidding period and demands for $10 million against 15 percent of the gross. The script was commissioned by Microsoft, which also brought in producer Peter Schlessel to work on the project. [Source: The Hollywood Reporter]

Really Scary Forum: DVD Giveaway

If you haven't checked out the new Really Scary Forum, be sure to stop in and talk to other Really Scary-ites! We've also got a forum exclusive giveaway going on and all you have to do is add your name to the thread and you're entered to pick up a new copy of the Assault on Precinct 13 DVD. Click here to check out the forum!

War of the Worlds Premiering in Japan June 13

Here's the official word Paramount sent along regarding the War of the Worlds premiere in Japan. This follows up on our earlier report that the Japan cancellation rumors were inaccurate.

"Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds starring Tom Cruise will be having its world premiere in Tokyo, Japan on Monday 13 June, Stewart Till, Chairman and CEO of UIP confirmed today in London.

The cancellation mistakenly reported today was simply a change of venue. UIP Japan had originally planned the world premiere at the Budokhan however then decided sometime ago to relocate to the Virgin Roppongi given its more central and convenient location.

Paul Takaki, President of UIP Japan said today that he is extremely proud to be hosting the world premiere and looks forward greatly to welcoming Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning to Japan for this spectacular event on 13 June.

Tom Cruise will continue the promotion of War of the Worlds through Europe with premieres in Berlin, Marseille, London and Madrid. War of the Worlds opens worldwide on June 29."

War of the Worlds Premiere Still On for Japan

There've been reports circulating that the War of the Worlds premiere in Japan was cancelled. We've gotten word that these reports are wrong. Here's what our contact sent:

"Please note that the story regarding the cancellation of the Japan Premiere of War of the Worlds is completely erroneous and the Japan premiere is still planned.

An official announcement will soon be made through our program, clarifying the event details. As always we thank you for your continued support."

Trailers: Skeleton Key, November, Cry Wolf & More

Here's a rundown of a few trailers we've recently watched. First up is November starring Courtney Cox. The trailer shows promise. It's slated for a limited opening July 22.

Here's a long trailer for Kate Hudson's The Skeleton Key. Looks like it's shaping up to be a nice take on the voodoo angle. We could definitely use another good flick in that mold.

Here's Wes Craven's Red Eye, a second Devil's Rejects trailer, Cry Wolf, a second Willie Wonka trailer and a longer trailer for The Island.

New Really Scary Podcast!

Don't miss our latest Really Scary Podcast where we report on a few horror happenings and throw some fiction in the mix for good measure! Author Matthew Warner graciously dropped by and read us one of his nasty little horror stories. Here's the podcast feed or you can click on the mp3 directly.

Set Photos from Ghost Rider & V for Vendetta

SuperHero Hype has gotten their hands a few pics from the set of Ghost Rider, starring Nicolas Cage. Click here to get a look at the carnival set for this flick.

And Ain't It Cool News has shots from V for Vendetta. Click here for those.

Update: Terry Gilliam's Tideland & Brothers Grimm

Terry Gilliam's one of the most original and visionary directors around, and he's got not one, but two films due out in the next few months - The Brothers Grimm, with Matt Damon and Heath Ledger, and Tideland, which has been described at The Wizard of Oz meets Psycho. After a gap of seven years since Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, it's quite a bonanza for Gilliam fans. At last night's UK League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse premiere, Empire Magazine asked Gilliam what stage both of the projects have reached.

"Tideland is done," Gilliam said. "We finally finished that one, and we're actually finishing Grimm right now - we're in the dubbing theatres. So by the end of another two weeks, I'm a free man! And then we have to start selling the things. But I haven't had a film out since 1998, so it was about time I did something!"

Korean Horror Flick Picked Up for Remake

Dark Horizons reports producer Samuel Hadida announced that he has acquired the remake rights to the South Korean film Bunshinsaba, directed by Byeong-ki Ahn (original English title Ouija Board). The new English-language remake of the film will be titled The Spell.

The story follows a teenage girl who moves with her family to a small village from a big city. She soon finds small town life is not so easy when she is bullied by her classmates. As the bullies become more brutal she decides to put a curse on the girls tormenting her, but she is shocked to discover her curse actually works, bringing about horrors far beyond her imagination.

Known as South Korea's king of horror, director Byeong-ki Ahn laid the foundation for the genre with his hit debut film Nightmare (2000), about a fraternity serial killer. His second project Phone (2002), centers on a reporter who changes her cell phone number only to find the new number connects her to the dead. Phone set a record as the first horror film to generate over US$15,000,000 at the South Korean box office. Bunshinsaba is his third horror picture. The film was released in South Korea in 2004 by Buena Vista International.

Hadida is currently in production on the video game adaptation of Silent Hill for his Davis Films, now shooting in Toronto under director Christophe Gans.

Satan's Playground World Premiere This Weekend

Dante Tomaselli's Satan's Playground gets it's world premiere tomorrow at SF Indie's Yet Another Hole in the Head film festival. Starring Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Ellen Sandweis (Evil Dead) and Edwin Neal (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), this is Tomaselli's third feature film following on the heels of Desecration and Horror.

The film fest will show the flick twice - June 5 at 4:45 p.m. and June 8 at 9:30 p.m. The showings will take place at San Fran's Roxie. Click here for more information about the festival, which is also showing more than 20 horror films.

Anonymous Source Provides High Tension Sneak Peek

We thought we'd collect up all the clips from High Tension so far and pop 'em up in one place. These babies are intense, violent and just plain disgusting...we knew you'd want to see them immediately. Please keep in mind these are for the more mature amongst you...heh, who are we kidding. We aren't even mature enough for these clips. Nothing but 'R' rated stuff here.

This first one was delivered by an anonymous source.

High Tension: Secret High Tension clip
PSA: Low - Medium - High
Hands: Low - Medium - High
Woods: Low - Medium - High
Gas Station: Low - Medium - High
Head: Low - Medium - High

Devil's Rejects Final Poster Art & New Clip!

Here's the final poster art for Rob Zombie's The Devil's Rejects. Subtle, elegant, gruesome...we like it! Also check out this latest clip from the flick as well. Oh, and not as if this needs mentioning since this is from the man who brought us House of 1000 Corpses but this clip is rated 'R':
Low Bandwidth - Medium Bandwidth - High Bandwidth

Director Quits X-Men 3

Variety reports (via Sci Fi) that shortly before location scouting was to have begun on the third X-Men movie, director Matthew Vaughn has quit abruptly, citing family reasons, 20th Century Fox told Variety. In a statement, the studio said the London-based Vaughn had planned to travel between his home and the film's Vancouver, B.C., locations, but "as the shooting schedule evolved, he realized he would have to move to Los Angeles and Vancouver for at least a year. Not wishing to uproot his family for an extended period, Vaughn opted to depart the production."

The studio remains committed to remaining on schedule for a release on May 26, 2006, the trade paper reported.

Connelly Preps for Dark Water with Horror Marathon