From Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes studios (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Amityville Horror) comes the next horror genre remake in The Hitcher. Based on the 1986 movie of the same name from a script by Eric Red the Hitcher hits on all cylinders for action suspense and downright creepiness factor.
Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings, National Treasure) is the mysterious hitcher John Ryder in a role previously played by Rutger Hauer. On a dark rainy night a young couple almost runs over a hitchhiker and then leaves him at the side of the road. As the camera closes in on the face of the hitcher it is at that point that you can tell their fate is sealed.
The first rule they tech you in film school about directing a horror film is ‘never show the monster on screen, it’s more scary that way’. Well here’s a sneak preview image from the upcoming ‘Alien vs. Predator 2’ flick, and yes it looks like the director skipped class:
Well ok ‘suggests’ is a bit strong. Primeval is not a masterpiece by any stretch but it had it’s own appeal as well. Based ‘loosely’ on real events and betrayed totally wrong on TV spots and theatrical Trailers Primeval isn’t the story of a serial killer in the most honest sense. It’s actually a film about a man eating crocodile who has killed over 300 people in the swamplands of Africa.
The story is set to the backdrop of civil war torn Burundi where a killer crocodile is devouring people on a regular basis. A news director at a fictitious television studio decides to send in a team to film and capture the crocodile in time for sweeps.
“At a time when it’s near-impossible to launch a new linear cable network, NBC Universal thinks it has a plan: repurposing old content and programming it across digital platforms. The company is planning Chiller, a horror-themed network that will exist as a standard and HD cable channel, a VOD package and a broadband Website.
Chiller, which is slated to launch March 1 and already has carriage on DirecTV, will use for its programming old horror TV shows and movies from the Universal library and others. Titles include the TV shows Twin
Peaks and Tales From the Crypt and movies The Shining, Psycho and The Birds.”
Of course everything old is new again, here are the opening titles from “Chiller Theater” which use to run in NYC during the 60s:
…of course the title designs I remember for the show which were done using claymation animation in the 70s can be found it at the bottom of this webpage:
Last fall Rob Zombie (House of 1,000 Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects) was given the green light to write and direct the next installment of the horror franchise Halloween. Rob wasn’t intrested in doing a sequel to what has become a dead horse. Instead he is going back and retelling how Michael Meyers came to be. Over on the ‘offical Halloween movie blog’ on Myspace Rob has been slowly releasing the cast list for the new movie this is what he has so far.
Dr. Loomis – Malcolm McDowell-This suprised the hell out of me but I think it will end up being a good choice.
Young Michael Myers – Daeg Faerch
Adult Michael Myers – Tyler Mane-Best known as Sabretooth in X-Men he’s a large presence and should fit the role well
Deborah Myers – Sheri Moon Zombie-Well yeah, Sheri is in everything Rob does.
Mason Strode – Pat Skipper
Cynthia Strode – Dee Wallace Stone
Ronnie White – William Forsythe-Another Devil’s Reject he’s going to play the abusive boyfriend to Sheri Moon Zombie’s Mama Myers.
Big Joe – Ken Foree-Yet another Devil’s Reject Cast member a veteran actor who will allways be linked to the original Dawn of the Dead in my mind.
Nole Kluggs – Lew Temple
Ismael Cruz – Danny Trejo
Many of the main characters have yet to be announced including: Laurie, Annie, Lynda, Judith, Sheriff Brackett, Kendall Jacks, Grant Clark, Principle Erics, Councilman Edwards, Lindsey Wallace, Tommy Doyle, Deputy Charles, Dr. Koplenson, Barbara Florentine and Morgan Walker
As a fanboy of the horror genre and a huge Rob Zombie mark I can not wait for this movie.
Richard Carroll is an avid movie viewer and all around fanboy. You can probably find him at his computer playing Guild Wars when not watching,writing, reading or roleplaying something (Oh and then there’s the real world and work). Check out some of his written works at www.ficofthedead.com. A website in need of a webmaster to ensure it gets updated. (Any takers? Anyone? *grins*)
“Monster A Go-Go has an unusual, perhaps even unique, production history. Director Bill Rebane ran out of money while making the film. Lewis, who needed a second film to show with his own feature, Moonshine Mountain, bought the film, added a few extra scenes and some dialogue, and then released it, creating an odd, disjointed film with little continuity. The film is infamous among those who have seen it for its incomprehensible “non-ending”.”
“The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies (sometimes “!!?” is appended to the title) is a 1964 monster film written and directed by Ray Dennis Steckler. Steckler also starred in the film, billed under the pseudonym “Cash Flagg”. In this film, three friends visit a carnival and stumble into a cult of occultists and disfigured monsters. Produced on a $38,000 budget, much of it takes place at The Pike amusement park in Long Beach, California, which resembles Brooklyn’s Coney Island. The film was billed as the first “monster musical” (beating The Horror of Party Beach by a mere month in release date).”
