We Love Horror

Friday, February 1, 2019

Child's Play Remake Trailer Is Coming Next Week

Heads up, horror fans. We've got our first look at the upcoming Child's Play Remake coming down the pipeline within the next week. MGM decided that it would be a good idea to give the iconic murdering doll a makeover for modern audiences and their new take on the long-running franchise is set to arrive in theaters later this year. While there are mixed feeling about the movie overall, seeing the first trailer will be our first real indication as to whether or not this will be a worthwhile endeavor.

According to a new report, MGM is set to release the first trailer for Child's Play in the coming days, as it's been rated and is set to be attached to The Prodigy, which hits theaters next weekend. It makes a lot of sense to attach the trailer to a wide-release horror movie and the timing seems just about right. More often than not, the trailer winds up online a day or two ahead of whatever movie it's attached to in theaters. So we should expect to see it online by Thursday at the latest.

The cast for the remake is headlined by Aubrey Plaza, who plays the mother of the young boy, played by Gabriel Bateman, who winds up in possession of the killer doll. Brian Tyree Henry is also on board to play a police officer who gets tangled up in the drama. This time around, Chucky won't be possessed by the spirit of a serial killer. Instead, it's going to be a technologically advanced toy that has been given a new design. Brad Dourif, who has voiced Chucky in all seven of the previous movies, will not be voicing the doll in this movie.

MGM found themselves in an interesting position with this project. The rights for the franchise are split up, with Universal retaining the home video and TV rights. Meanwhile, MGM has the theatrical rights. So, they've decided to reboot the enduring horror series, which has been going strong since 1988 with the continuity still intact. In fact, creator Don Mancini is still keeping that version of the franchise going, with a Child's Play TV series in the works for SyFy and other planned movie sequels that won't be released theatrically. Ultimately, this means we'll have two versions of the same franchise going at the same time.

Things could wind up getting a little contentious and confusing as a result, but there is no changing it now. The remake is being helmed by Lars Klevberg, who previously directed the unreleased Polaroid, which has been plagued with release issues ever since it was completed. We'll be sure to keep you posted as any further details, including the actual release of the trailer, are made available. Trailer Track.

https://movieweb.com/childs-play-2019-trailer-release-date/

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Rob Zombie Doesn't Care What You Think About His Halloween Remake

After shattering multiple box office records this past weekend, David Gordon Green's Halloween is by far the highest-grossing film in the series already. Before this juggernaut entered theaters, however, the prior record-holder for the highest-performing Halloween movie at the box office belonged to Rob Zombie's 2007 reboot. While its 2009 sequel made considerably less money, Rob Zombie has clearly carved a spot for himself in the Halloween universe and is proud of his installments in the long-running series, even preferring the controversial sequel more than the first.

"I am still proud of both Halloween movies. I prefer the second one, which might surprise people, but the problem is that when you do a remake you can never get a true judgement on what it is you have done. I think it's the same deal when someone remakes A Nightmare on Elm Street or anything else - it's just too hard to completely break the formula. Everyone knows Michael Myers and a lot of the fans want the same thing again, but maybe with a small twist - like when they did the eighth one and he's part of a virtual television programme or something [laughs]. One thing that I got a lot of was, 'This is what it should have been,' or, 'He should have done it like this,' but if that is the barrier we set then you cannot ever do anything. I really wanted to rework what Halloween was."

One of the biggest differences from the remake and the original is how Zombie's version dives deeper into the background of Michael Myers. A bulk of the film focuses on his childhood, revealing a traumatic upbringing which shapes Michael into the cold-blooded murderer he becomes. The sequel spends more time on the development of Scout Taylor-Compton's Laurie Strode, and how the events of the first movie have left her a mess. Additionally, Malcolm McDowell's Dr. Loomis is responding to what happened in a totally different way, capitalizing on the murders by writing a new book about them.

Zombie also revealed how he's completely content walking away from the series with the two films he's done. As a filmmaker, Zombie prefers to focus on his own stories, which gives him the complete freedom to do whatever he pleases with the characters he creates. Currently, his next film Three from Hell is in the works, which will be a sequel to House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects. As these movies earned the director more praise than his efforts in the Halloween franchise, focusing on his own creations seems to be the right choice for Zombie.

Worldwide, the new Halloween film has drawn over $90 million in just one weekend at theaters. This is far beyond what the early estimates for the film were surmising, placing the gross around $40 to $50 million. In any case, it's clear the franchise is now hotter than it's ever been, and chances are high Blumhouse is going to follow the new film up with another sequel. As long as the boogeyman draws this kind of money at the box office, Michael Myers will never truly die.

Now playing in theaters everywhere, Green's Halloween stars Jamie Lee Curtis as a returning Laurie Strode, with James Jude Courtney and Nick Castle both playing the role of Michael Myers. Andi Matichak, Judy Greer, Will Patton, and Virginia Gardner also star. This information was originally printed in SFX Magazine, and comes to us courtesy of Games Radar.

https://movieweb.com/halloween-remake-2007-rob-zombie-retrospective/

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

3 New Halloween Clips Have Laurie Confronting Her Greatest Fears

Perhaps the most exciting aspect about the new Halloween film hitting theaters this month is the return of Jamie Lee Curtis to the franchise. This is something nobody was ever expecting to see again, and it's needless to say fans are stoked to see Curtis face off with Michael Myers once again. Previously, her character Laurie Strode had been killed off in the maligned sequel Halloween: Resurrection. By tossing out every sequel in the series past the original film, however, Jamie Lee Curtis now has the chance to give the character a proper send-off, as we can see in three newly-released clips from the film.

In the first clip, Laurie Strode is seen near a school speaking with her granddaughter Allyson, played by Andi Matichak. It's clear that what happened on Halloween night forty years ago has resulted in a lifelong obsession with Michael Myers, which has strained Laurie's relationship with her family. Allyson wants her grandmother to let it go and finally move on, while Laurie maintains that she raised her daughter the way she did to keep her prepared. The two obviously care about each other, but this decades-old trauma continues to cause a serious rift in the Strode family. As we know, Laurie's worst fears will come to be soon enough.

Another clip features a documentary film crew having a meeting with Laurie Strode. It's explained to Laurie how their goal is to find out why Michael Myers chose Laurie to target that night. They mention meeting with Michael earlier and showing him the mask, which apparently elicited no reaction. Laurie show no empathy for Michael, caring only about the people he murdered in cold blood. Still, the filmmakers try to convince Laurie to actually meet with Michael herself. The clip cuts out before we can see Strode's response, but the look on her face suggests she seriously can't believe they just asked her that question.

Finally, a third clip takes place after Michael inevitably escapes from captivity, returning to the streets of Haddonfield. Along with her daughter Karen (Judy Greer), the Shape closes in on Laurie in a house. Laurie sends Karen to hide in the basement, while she leans against the door awaiting Michael's next move. That happens moments later, when the boogeyman punches through the windows of the door, grabbing Laurie by the hair. For the past forty years, Laurie Strode has been preparing for this encounter, but will she survive?

David Gordon Green's Halloween will premiere in theaters on Oct. 19, 2018. In addition to Curtis, Matichak, and Greer, the cast of Halloween will include Will Patton, Virginia Gardner, Rhian Rees, Jefferson Hall, and James Jude Courtney as the Shape/Michael Myers. John Carpenter, who directed the original 1978 film, has also returned to work on the score. You can watch all three clips below from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ab79Szo_9Y|Universal Pictures.

https://movieweb.com/halloween-movie-2018-clips-laurie-strode/

Saturday, September 29, 2018

Halloween Co-Writer Danny McBride Was Too Scared to Meet Michael Myers

Michael Myers will be coming back home to theaters soon enough, and this time, he might be scarier than ever before. Just in time for the fall season, the all new Halloween movie from director David Gordon Green will be premiering on the big screen. Along with Jeff Fradley, Green co-wrote the screenplay with frequent collaborator Danny McBride. Pursuing Halloween was an interesting route for the duo to take, as their prior projects had all been with comedy films.

However, Danny McBride recently made it clear he's always been a big fan of horror movies. The Halloween writer has fond memories of walking through the aisles of the video store in the '80s, feeling that the horror section was always the best section. McBride has also ventured further into the horror genre by appearing as a main character in last year's Alien: Covenant. If the early reviews of Halloween are any indication, tapping McBride to help write the film was a good call on the part of Green.

Still, despite being a lifelong fan of horror movies and writing for the character, McBride was rather freaked out the first time he saw the new Michael Myers. Stuntman James Jude Courtney is taking on the role of the Shape in the film, and his presence in the mask was so frightening on the set that McBride wouldn't even go near him. Presumably, McBride met Courtney sans mask soon after, but clearly the Halloween co-writer wanted nothing to do with Myers.

"That day, they were testing the mask [with] James for the very first time," says McBride. "They weren't even shooting with him. They had brought the mask onto set and were doing lighting tests inside the house. We creeped in early to see that... and there he was at the end of the hallway, just sort of lit from a little bit of light coming in from a bedroom shining on the Shape standing at the end of this hallway, just looking at us. We were all like, 'That's incredible! I don't want to go back there. I know what happens when you go back there!'"

Jamie Lee Curtis will be starring opposite Courtney in the film, reprising her series role as Laurie Strode. The cast will also include Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, and Virginia Gardner, with original Michael Myers actor Nick Castle appearing in a cameo. The film will ignore every sequel in the series past the original 1978 film from John Carpenter, giving Laurie the chance to battle her nemesis one last time.

David Gordon Green's Halloween opens in theaters everywhere on Oct. 19, 2018. The film is on track to make up to $50 million (or more) at the box office during its opening weekend, which would be the highest in the film series. Chances are, this will be the start of a new series of Halloween films. McBride's words were originally printed at Entertainment Weekly.

https://movieweb.com/halloween-movie-2018-danny-mcbride-meeting-michael-myers/

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Listen to John Carpenter's New Halloween Theme the Shape Returns

Sacred Bones Records has released the first full taste of John Carpenter's reworking of his iconic Halloween theme. The track, which is perfectly called "The Shape Returns," isn't much different from the original theme, but there are some added synthesizers for dramatic effect along with an updated sound, thanks to the modern technology that Carpenter has access to these days. Carpenter enlisted the help of his son Cody and musician Daniel Davies, who the composer has been making records and touring with for the past handful of years.

The addition of John Carpenter to David Gordon Green's Halloween was huge news for horror fans. The horror legend was more than happy to offer up his insight during the making of the film, but was a lot more excited to work on the score and devote time to it while Green did all of the heavy lifting on the set. The original Halloween score was thrown together in a few days on a shoestring budget by Carpenter, who ended up changing the musical landscape for horror movies in the process.

John Carpenter was a classically trained musician before rebelling and getting into rock and roll music. Though he downplays his chops, Carpenter's unique use of the 5/4 time signature and multi-tracked synthesizers are works of art that have inspired films and music ever since the release of Halloween in 1978. According to Carpenter, the synthesizers were around, and he loved the sound that they made, but they were also easy for him to get symphonic sounds out of due to the fact that he never had the budget to bring in real string ensembles.

While composing the score of the original Halloween soundtrack, John Carpenter took influence from German electronic prog rock band Tangerine Dream, who were known for creating long pieces of music that relied on repetition like fellow German pioneers Can. In addition to Tangerine Dream, Carpenter was also heavily influenced by Italian prog rock band Goblin, who composed the score to Dario Argento's 1977 horror classic Suspiria, which is also getting a score reboot by Radiohead front man Thom Yorke this year.

John Carpenter's new Halloween score will be released on Sacred Bones Records on October 19th, the same day that the film arrives in theaters. The score pays homage to the original while blazing new trails with more pieces of music, utilizing the latest technology. The latest score is said to have "everything from atmospheric synth whooshes to eerie piano-driven pieces to skittering electronic percussion," which sounds exactly like what John Carpenter fans have been listening to for the last 40 years. Sacred Bones had two colored limited vinyl editions up for sale, which sold out immediately, but black copies are still available, along with a CD version and the digital files. You can listen to the first full track from Carpenter's upcoming Halloweenscore below, thanks to the Sacred Bones Records YouTube channel.

https://movieweb.com/halloween-movie-2018-new-theme-music-john-carpenter-shape-returns/

Latest IT 2 Set Photos Have Pennywise Creeping Through a Swamp

Pennywise is hanging out in a muddy swamp in the latest photos from the set of Andres Muschietti's IT: Chapter 2. Production on the sequel is currently underway in Port Hope, Canada. This is the second look that we've gotten at Bill Skarsgard's Pennywise the Dancing Clown from the set, with the first being of him sitting on the shoulder of a giant Paul Bunyan statue. Fans of Stephen King's novel are hoping that the Bunyan statue will come to life and torment the young version of Richie Tozier just like it does in the book.

IT 2 brings Pennywise back to Derry, 27 years after the last film. While the last photos of the iconic clown tease a famous scene from Stephen King's book, the new swampy pictures don't offer much context, except for the fact that he's more than likely up to something terrible. Though the pictures don't offer up anything in terms of the story, they do provide our best look yet at Bill Skarsgard in full costume and makeup, looking just as terrifying as we remember.

Bill Skarsgard recently talked about getting into character for IT 2, noting that he was surprised how fast everything came back to him. To be fair, the first installment came out a year ago, so it hasn't really been too long since he was last in the makeup chair. The actor was famously kept away from the children on the set of the first film to maximize his scaring ability, so hanging out with the adults on the set of IT 2 has been a pretty big change and brought up a whole new challenge of trying to scare the crap out of the adult Losers' Club.

The cast and crew of IT 2 are going out of their way to prevent spoilers from leaking out, but writer Gary Dauberman did promise that the conclusion will "satisfy the audience and maybe break their hearts a little bit." There's also the promise that the sequel will feature The Ritual of Chud, which is another pretty popular, and weird part from the source material that hardcore Stephen King fans are very excited about. Other than that, Andres Muschietti isn't revealing anything else that will be included from one of King's most famous pieces of work.

IT 2 should be getting close to wrapping principal photography, since Jessica Chastain has already finished her scenes for the time being. The actress and the rest of the cast will more than likely have to come back for reshoots, but that probably won't be until the spring or summer, if they're needed at all. For now, it looks like Pennywise the Dancing Clown is the focal point of the shooting now. It's time to figure out just exactly what he's doing in that muddy swamp area. You can check out the photos of Pennywise from the set of IT 2 below, thanks to Just Jared.

https://movieweb.com/it-chapter-2-set-photos-pennywise-swamp/

Thursday, September 6, 2018

John Krasinski Begins Early Work on A Quiet Place 2

A Quiet Place 2 is officially happening and John Krasinski reveals that he's already working on the follow-up. Though, he's clearly in the pretty early stages of the process. Krasinski made a name for himself as a director with A Quiet Place this year, which turned into one of the surprise success stories of 2018 so far. The studio was quick to move forward with a sequel and the former star of The Office is cooking up some ideas on where to take the story.

John Krasinski hasn't quit working in front of the camera now that he's got more directing gigs. He's front-and-center in Amazon's new Jack Ryan series. While promoting the show, he was asked about the status of A Quiet Place 2 and he offered an update as to where the process is currently. Here's what he had to say about it.

"I've been tinkering with an idea for a few months and it just started to percolate and we're all really happy about it."

Clearly in the very early stages here, but it's nice to know what the story is already being considered. On the one hand, A Quiet Place wrapped up quite nicely. Though, the world that was built within the movie offers a whole lot to possibly be explored, be it with the same family or with a whole new cast of characters. Whatever idea John Krasinski has cooked up, it would seem that everyone, which probably includes screenwriters Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, are pretty happy with what they've got to work with.

It will be interesting to see how this all develops. The plan is to have John Krasinski return to direct, which makes a great deal of sense considering the phenomenal job he did on his first at bat. A Quiet Place was met with a great deal of praise from critics and grossed $332 million worldwide, working from a budget of just $17 million. It's early, but there is also talk that the movie could get some love during awards season. Krasinski is also attached to direct Life on Mars, he's got Jack Ryan season 2 to worry about and he's also working on the biopic King of Oil. Krasinski is going to have a very full plate for the next couple of years, that's for sure.

Paramount recently announced a May 15, 2020, release date for A Quiet Place 2. That gives them plenty of time to develop the sequel and won't force the creative team into a box. It won't be a rush job. The May release also implies the studio sees this as a possible summer blockbuster. And it's easy to understand that line of thinking. If John Krasinski cooks up a good idea, the sequel will surely be one of the most highly-anticipated movies of 2020. This news was first reported by Entertainment Tonight.

https://movieweb.com/a-quiet-place-2-john-krasinski-starts-pre-production/