horror headlines

Horror Headlines: Tuesday March 9th, 2010

Submitted by Casey on Tuesday, Mar 9th 2010

Universal Studios is toying with a new attraction, namely a new 3D King Kong ride named "Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World". Here's hoping for more 3D Naomi Watts and less 3D Jack Black.

Straight from the 'a sequel to what?' news desk; directory Harry Bromly Davenport let slip that he will be releasing a sequel to 1983's "Xtro". On the bright side, it's an actual sequel and not a remake!

Columbia Pictures is starting up the "Men in Black 3" hype machine as they begin to throw around names for the planned sequel. Thrown around so far are Josh Brolin, Sascha Baron Cohen and Jemaine Clement of "Flight of the Conchords" fame. None of these names are a lock however, just a listing of who the studio hopes to snag.

Nerd goddess Felicia Day has signed on to Syfy's "Red", a modern day retelling of "Little Read Riding Hood". Swap out the innocence of a little girl going to see her granny with Day's family who makes their living hunting werewolves and that's your plot.

In Real People News:

Wang Cuyun was a simple grandmother trying to prevent a demolition team from tearing down her house. Her plan worked well until a member of the crew beat her with a stick, dumped her unconscious body into a ditch, then buried her alive with a bulldozer. Sadly, Ms. Cuyun didn't survive the ordeal.

Prince William's comely girlfriend Kate Middleton failed her first test for her future of protecting the crown jewels. After the Prince gave her a pair of antique pearl studs for her birthday, she found herself sifting through dog poop trying to find them when her pet cocker spaniel swallowed them whole.

On this day in history:

1997 - Notorious B.I.G. (Christopher Wallace) killed in a drive-by outside the Soul Train Music Awards in Los Angeles.

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Horror Headlines: Wednesday March 3rd, 2010

Submitted by Casey on Wednesday, Mar 3rd 2010

While there are no details on what the homage will actually be, word is that 82nd Academy Awards will feature a segment dedicated to horror. That's saying a lot for the group that has all but ignored the genre since they awarded "Silence of the Lambs" Best Picture 19 years ago.

Tim Burton is aiming his sights on his next production as he makes plans to team with Russian Timur Bekmambetov for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Based on best selling author Seth Grahame-Smith's novel, in the same vein as his hit "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies". Both film-makers will be taking on producer duties as a director has not yet been listed.

Warner Brothers has announced their plans to bring the classic "Space Invaders" to the big screen. This joins the long list of other classic arcade games that will be mentioned as in the works for big screen treatment and never heard from again!

Stefan Ruzowitzky, Austrian director of the Oscar winning "The Counterfeiters" is in talks to direct the period piece "The Last Voyage of the Demeter" which has been written for nearly five years now. Concentrating on the over seas voyage of Dracula as he fled Transylvania, this could be something fun on the horizon.

In Real People News:

PETA has decided that the Berlin Zoo will be its next target as they urge the facility to have Knut the Polar Bear castrated. Not just an idle request, they are trying to prevent Mr. Knut from having incestual sex with his partner Giovanna who has the same grandpa polar bear as Knut.

O.J. Simpson has donated the suit he wore when acquitted of is wife's murder to the Smithsonian Museum. An official at the Smithsonian told TMZ "It's highly unlikely that we'll accept it".

On this day in history:

1934 - John Dillinger escapes from an escape-proof jail in Crown Point Indiana, using a wooden pistol he carved himself. It's his second escape.

Horror Headlines: Tuesday March 2nd, 2010

Submitted by Casey on Tuesday, Mar 2nd 2010

Bill Murray continues to stir up "Ghostbusters III" talk. During his appearance on last night;s "Late Show With David Letterman", he confirms that he will be killed off early in the script and states that he doubts the film will ever be made.

Everyone's favorite ginger snap Katherine Isabelle is returning in "Hard Ride To Hell", a story about a group of campers who find themselves in danger after witnessing a blood sacrifice. The film will debut on Spike TV before the DVD hits on May 18th.

Area23A, an event based distribution company, has picked up the rights to "Best Worst Movie". If you've been dying to lay eyes on this documentary centered on the 'classic' "Troll 2", your dreams are about to come true as the company plans a theatrical release.

Keep your eyes on your local art house theater; the recent midnight screenings of "Evil Dead" have been doing so well that Grindhouse Releasing has struck a new 35mm print of the film. With showings selling out, the company plans on keeping the film going for quite awhile. Stay tuned to the Grindhouse Releasing website to see if they add a city near you.

In Real People News:

A quadriplegic man is seriously injured at an Australian AC/DC concert when his friend bumps the joystick of his motorized wheelchair and sends him plummeting into the mosh pit.

Roy Messenger was fine after losing control of his car and crashing into a power line pole. It was when he accidentally urinated on the live power line that he knocked loose that killed him.

On this day in history:

1982 - Science fiction author Philip K Dick dies of a stroke in Santa Ana, California. Since 1974 the author had been possessed by a superalien who arrived in his head via a beam of pink light.

Horror Headlines: Monday March 1st, 2010

Submitted by Casey on Monday, Mar 1st 2010

Elizabeth Banks is in talks to star opposite Bradley Cooper in the upcoming sci-fi thriller "Dark Fields".

If you're a big Sookie Stackhouse fan prepare to be excited. Bluewater Productions will be creating a Charlaine Harris comic in their "Female Force" line.

Not content with turning viewers stomachs with his big screen take on "I Am Legend", Will Smith will be re-entering the genre with a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's "Suspicion".

Because showing up on every single '50 Horror Movies for $10' box set isn't enough, George Romero's now public domain "Night of the Living Dead" is now available to you in an iPhone app.

In Real People News:

All of us were mortified at one time or another when our mom's kissed us goodbye in-front of everybody when she dropped us off at school. This pales in comparison when this Memphis mom chugged a 40oz. then ran through the school brandishing a sword to confront the parents of a fellow student.

This Indianapolis woman is a true romantic at heart. She spent Valentines day coaxing her 5 year old daughter to steal another woman's purse while at Chuck E. Cheese. Classy.

On this day in history:

1932 - The infant son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh was kidnapped from the family home near Hopewell, N.J.

Horror Headlines: Monday February 22nd, 2010

Submitted by Casey on Monday, Feb 22nd 2010

According to Darren Lynn Bousman's new production blog, we can expect to wait awhile for his remake of "Mother's Day".

Wes Craven has announced that "Scream IV" will start shooting this coming May. He also let us know that he plans on directing until he drops dead. This is what people in the business call 'foreshadowing'.

Aussie director Mark Hartley, who previously brought you the documentary "Beyond Hollywood: The Wild Untold Story of Ozploitation" is a busy man these days. He's already pitching his next documentary on scream queens entitled "Machete Maidens Unleashed" as well as announced his plans to direct a remake of 1978's "Patrick".

In Real People News:

Swiss prostitutes are now being trained to use on-site defibrillators due to a rash of senior aged customers having heart attacks and dying on site. Which reminds me, I need to see my doctor before heading over there.

An Arcadia couple had a mind for some romantic car action on a secluded boat ramp until their plans were foiled by their car rolling into the water and floating down stream. The 41 year old man manged to swim to safety while his 67 year old girlfriend drowned in the accident.

On this day in history:

1987 - Andy Warhol dies of complications after gallbladder surgery.

Horror Headlines: Thursday February 18th, 2009

Submitted by Todd on Thursday, Feb 18th 2010

Since what the world needs is another vampire movie right now, "Clueless" director Amy Heckerling and Alicia Silverstone are teaming up for the blood-sucking chick flick "Vamps". Vampire finding love in New York? As if!

On the remake front, Anchor Bay has reportedly snapped up distribution rights for Steven R. Monroe's remake of Meir Zarchi's 1978 exploitation epic "I Spit on Your Grave", which stars Sarah Butler, Daniel Franzese, Chad Lindberg, Rodney Eastman and Andrew Howard.

A batch of creepy stills have been released for the Filmax's English-language possession flick "Exorcismus". Considering this is from the studio responsible for "[Rec]" and "[Rec] 2", this should be worth a look.

After years of waiting patiently for its arrival on Region 1, Ji-Woon Kim’s over-the-top South Korean western "The Good, the Bad, and the Weird" is finally coming to North America courtesy of IFC. Better late than never, I suppose.

In Real People News:

Call me crazy if you must, but I don't think applying over 20 nicotine patches to your body is going to help curb your smoking habit. Drinking and locking yourself in a restaurant bathroom isn't a good idea, either.

Get ready to be utterly depressed: According to reports, the last sardine factory in the United States will close down forever this April. I knew something extremely fishy was going on, but I was hesitant to take the bait.

On this day in history:

1967 - J. Robert Oppenheimer, the scientific director of the Manhattan Project, passes into shadow.

Horror Headlines: Wednesday February 17th, 2010

Submitted by Casey on Wednesday, Feb 17th 2010

We spoke earlier this week about the return of Vin Diesel to the "Riddick" franchise; plot details are starting to emerge. Expect back to basics with more monsters, which is always fun.

Roger Corman is heading back to the director's chair, teaming with the Syfy Channel for two epic features; "Dinoshark" and "Sharktopus". Sound horrible? Well of course it does! But that is Corman's bread and butter.

Jefferey Dean Morgan continues to grow his genre-cred as he joins Sam Worthington in "The Fields". This time around Morgan will be portraying a detective investigating Gulf area refineries for a murderer. Let's hope he does so as The Comedian.

Hey "Supernatural" fans, your dreams have come true! The CW has officially picked up the show for a sixth season. Maybe I should actually try watching it sometime!

In Real People News:

Two bungling burglars are caught after misguided attempts at home robbery. Upon entering their victims houses, the two would-be thieves began to chat up their sleeping victims until Eli Powell woke up and realized what was going on. He then proceeded to choke out his assailant.

Two Memphis area residents are arrested for inciting a riot at a local Chuck E. Cheese. Sure, their pizza is terrible and that mouse is really damn creepy, is that really worth starting a fight over?

On this day in history:

1993 - An overcrowded ferry carrying up to 1,500 people sinks off the coast of Haiti. Only 285 people were known to have survived.

Horror Headlines: Thursday February 11th, 2009

Submitted by Todd on Thursday, Feb 11th 2010

Good news for fans of "The Book of Eli" and "From Hell": Sibling directors The Hughes Brothers are slated to lense the live-action adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's graphic novel "Akira". I tap my chin worriedly, though I am intrigued by the idea. I also like Vanilla Coke, so go figure.

Thanks to the fine, opportunistic folks working behind-the-scenes at Sony Pictures, James Cameron's underwater epic "Pirahna II: The Spawning" will arrive on DVD this April. If you ever get the opportunity to procure Cameron's autograph, be sure to bring your copy of the film along for the ride. I'm sure he'll appreciate the joke.

Speaking of DVD release dates, E1 Entertainment has picked up North American distribution rights for director Fruit Chan's ambitious remake of Hideo Nakata's supernatural freakshow "Don't Look Up." The film stars Henry Thomas, and Kevin Corrigan, and Eli Roth. Yes, I said Eli Roth. Got a problem with that?

In Real People News:

Although I'm honestly not that surprised, it turns out that grandmothers enjoy smoking crack before embarking on a high-speed police chases. I've also heard that AARP gives unbelievable discounts on illegal narcotics to all its card-carrying members. I can't wait to get old!

Grandfathers, on the other hand, are a little different. Instead of drugs and violence, they prefer to flush stink bombs down toilets and spray so-called "fart spray" inside Wal-Marts. I suppose its beats the old "pull my finger" routine, though not by much.

On this day in history:

2006 - Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shoots Harry Whittington in the face during a hunting trip gone painfully awry.

Horror Headlines: Wednesday February 10th, 2010

Submitted by Casey on Wednesday, Feb 10th 2010

Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the writing duo responsible for "Zombieland" are hard at work on the upcoming sequel. Want to find out what they have in store for the 3-D shenanigans in "Zombieland 3-D"? The check out this little video interviews where they discuss some of their plans.

Although not official, we may see Wes Craven return to the directors chair for the in-development "Sunflower". Written by Mischa Green, the story pertains to psycho college professors and innocent college girls. Sounds right up Craven's alley.

I know you've all been waiting for the return of Dee Sniders's Captain Howdy; you're going to be so happy! Dee Snider sat down and discussed his plans for "Strangeland 2: The Disciple".

Slasher fans will be happy to hear; splatter classic "The Prowler" is coming back to DVD later this year! Even better, a Blu-ray release is promised shortly after.

In Real People News:

Mr. Chang is accused of killing his mother. The act of murder is bad enough, but when officials found the body she was missing an arm, the back of her skull, skull remnants were found in the refrigerator and her blood had been drained into trash can in the garage.

Scott Gore woke up to a nasty surprise; at 1 a.m. he came too on the local railroad tracks missing one shoe and having one mangled leg.

On this day in history:

1863 - Midgets Tom Thumb and Lavinia Warren married in a ceremony promoted and orchestrated by P.T. Barnum

Horror Headlines: Tuesday February 9th, 2010

Submitted by Casey on Tuesday, Feb 9th 2010

Director Stephen Soderberg has fast tracked his next project, the outbreak action-thriller "Contagion". Joining him will be Matt Damon, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Marion Cotillard. So far, the origin of the outbreak is unknown but investigation shows it is narrowed down to either a viral situation or runaway actor egos.

Normally I don't like to fuel crazy rumors, but this one is too good to pass up. The story that Universal is a planning a possible "Jaws" remake has been around for awhile. Think a reboot is bad enough? How about a reboot starring Tracy Morgan in the place of Matt Hooper?

In other star packed ego news, Rachel Weisz will star along side Daniel Craig and Naomi Watts in the haunted house thriller "Dream House". Reportedly, Weisz will be filling the lead role originally given to Watts.

"Paranormal Activity" continues to make waves as it scares the vino out of Italy. The country's emergency response service has been flooded with calls from teenagers and youth suffering from panic attacks after viewing the commercials. So far, the government has yet to ban the film.

Draco Malfoy has joined the cast of "The Apparition", a story about a couple haunted after a college experiment. So far, it would appear that Tom Feldon is going to be cast as the film's 'star power'.

In Real People News:

A man was found to have attempted a free trip to Tokyo by stowing away in a planes landing gear. Unfortunately for him, he didn't think his plan through. His body was found frozen in the plane's landing gear bay, dressed only in blue jeans and a long sleeve shirt.

After a recent tally, cows now officially outnumber people in New Zealand. We're safe for the moment... at least until they team up with the sheep.

On this day in history:

1989 - Officials for the World Wrestling Federation testify before the New Jersey Senate that their matches are actually rigged.