Howdy, folks! It’s Sunday, which means it’s time for the horror haul, our regular round-up and one-stop-shop for all things horror. This week in horror news,Bryan Fullersays conversations have finally begun for aHannibalrevival,ITdirectorAndy Muschiettireveals he’d like to double down onStephen Kingwith aPet Semataryremake,Max Landisgives an update on the status of hisAnAmerican Werewolf in Londonscript.
Elsewhere,Stranger ThingsSeason 2 gets an appropriately vintage poster homagingNightmare on Elm Street, Hulu’s Stephen King-verse seriesCastle Rockkicks off filming, and an internal studio memo reveals Ash would have killed off Freddy for good in the ill-fatedFreddy vs. Jason vs. Ash. Plus, new trailers for theTexas Chainsaw MassacreprequelLeatherface, the long-delayed home invasion horrorKeep Watching(including a baby-faced Chandler Riggs), the festival LGBT horror hitRift, and more.
For all the horror news we’ve already covered on the site this week, you can click through the links below. Then, check out other genre highlights from the week and finish it all up with a rundown of the week in horror movie trailers. For more, be sure to hit upCollider Nightmares, our round-up of thebest horror movies on Netflix, thebest horror movies on Amazon Prime, and our regularly updatedHorror Movie Release Dates Calendar. Thanks for tuning in, and sound off in the comments with your thoughts, questions, and other horror musings.
Bryan Fuller Says “Conversations” Have Begun for a ‘Hannibal’ Revival
HannibalSeason 4 will never die. SinceBryan Fuller’s beloved series went off the air two years ago, the Fannibals have never stopped inquiring about the possibility of more from the Hannibal team, all of whom have openly expressed interest to return to the material. As Fuller told us last summer, before they could even put the wheels in motion they had to wait out a two-year time window.
“August 2017 is when we can actually start talking about it,”he explained. “That’s when we would have to see what the rights are for the character and for the story, and see who’s interested and how we get it done.”
Well, wouldn’t you know it’s August 2017 and the diehards weren’t about to let the date pass without getting an update on a possible fourth season and/or film revival of one of the best horror series ever made.
“Conversations couldn’t start until 2 years after the final airing of season 3,” Fullerwrote on Twitter,“@neoprod[producerMartha Di Laurentiis] has started those conversations. This takes time.”
So there you have it, folks. As promised, conversations are underway on a possible Hannibal revival, but considering the rights technicalities, talent schedules, and the like, it’s probably going to be a while before we know the details.
‘IT’ Director Andy Muschietti Wants Double Down on Stephen King with a ‘Pet Sematary’ Remake
The simple fact isITis going to make a lot of money. The buzz is strong, the interest is high, and it’s arriving in theaters just in time to queue people up for the Halloween spirit. Not to mention that, between movies likeGet Out,Splitand most recentlyAnnabelle: Creation, horror has been a driving force at the box office this year. Point being, directorAndy Muschiettiis poised to have one of those moments where he gets his pick of the litter for his next film.
As his producing partner (and sister)Barbara Muschiettiexplained to us when we visited theITset last year, the pair took their time finding the right project afterMama, so it may be a while before we see what the pair settles on, but Andy Muschietti revealed one project they’d consider: a new adaptation of King’sPet Sematary.
Speaking with theToronto Sun, the director explained:
“We’re huge fans of Pet Sematary. If we can get our hands on that and do the Pet Sematary we want to do, that will be something. One day, maybe.”
Muschietti has said he’s set to direct theITsequel, which I imagine New Line and Warner Bros. will want to get in front of audiences in a hurry, but it certainly will be interesting to see where the Muschiettis head next. They launched their career with a box office hit and the support ofGuillermo Del Toroand by all accounts, IT is shaping up to be another win for the duo. Will they want to stay in the horror genre after three films in a row or move on to new fronts? Rumors suggest they may be headed towardsJustice League Dark, and between the studio ties and genre credentials they’re certainly a good fit. What would you like to see them take on next? Sound off in the comments.
Max Landis Is Half Finished with His ‘American Werewolf in London’ Screenplay
So thisAn American Werewolf in Londonremake is apparently still happening. I’m pretty vocal about the fact that I don’t mind remakes, but this particular one seems to be chaffing horror fans (including me) in a special way. Maybe it’s becauseJohn Landis' original films is such an iconic classic or maybe it’s because the remake is set to be written and directed by his sonMax Landis, giving the project a whiff of the Hollywood nepotism audiences prefer to ignore.
There’s also the matter of the younger Landis' track record as a filmmaker, which is a bit mixed. His first produced feature screenplayChroniclewas great and I’ll go to bat forAmerican Ultraand day of the week, but there’s also middling fare likeMr. Right,Victor Frankenstein,andMe Him Her(his feature directorial debut). Landis has been on an upswing with his TV adaptation ofDirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, but I’m still not entirely convinced this remake should be a thing.
But it is happening and during an interview withKevin SmithforIMDBat last month’s San Diego Comic-Con, Landis offered a little update on the progress of the project.
“I’m gonna write it and I think I’m gonna direct it. I like the script I wrote, you know? I’m halfway through it right now, I hope it turns out great. I promise you nothing. My new gimmick as a public figure is, I promise you nothing!”
Halfway done with the script. Expect nothing. Got it. Like I said, we’ll just have to wait and see about this one but my skepticism remain a bit keyed up.
Ash Would Have Killed Freddy in ‘Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash’
BloodyDisgusting got their hands on some pretty fascinating internal memos from New Line Cinema that detail much of what the studio had in mind for the ill-fatedFreddy vs. Jason vs. Ashmovie crossover. And it actually sounds pretty cool – but this is coming from someone who totally digsFreddy vs. Jason.
The main takeaways from the memo, which you may ready in full over at BD, are that the studio saw Ash as a means to give the audience a hero to really care about in the battle against horror super-slayers, and indeed, the plan was for Ash to off Freddy Krueger once and for all. The reason? Aside from being a boss move on Ash’s part, something quite practical:Robert Englundhad about enough of the Freddy makeup. “Egnlund has indicated he’s tiring of of the Freddy makeup,” the report reads,“and per our conversations with him in the past, he agrees that the fans will embrace and accept the idea of Ash killing off our burned villain for good, as opposed to their reaction should a 16-year-old virgin girl do the job (again).”
If you’re wondering why the project never got of the ground,Bruce Campbellhas made it very clear (sometimes a bit bluntly) that he’s not interested. During aReddit AMAtheEvil Deadstar explained,
“I’ll be honest with you. I’m not real interested in crossovers. One of the main reasons why ‘Ash vs. Jason vs. Freddy’ did not come to pass is because we couldn’t control any other character other than Ash. That felt like a creatively bankrupt way to go. Not to mention, you’re splitting the proceeds three ways with partners you might not want.”
And it seems he may have made the right choice. While things haven’t panned out so well for Freddy or Jason (and their respective franchises) in recent years, Ash is living large and about roll into the third season of the Starz seriesAsh vs. Evil Dead.
New ‘Stranger Things’ Season 2 Poster Homages ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’
The wait is almost over. Just in time for Halloween, Netflix is heading back to Hawkins for the second season of their breakout hitStranger Things. We got a fantastic new trailer at Comic-Con for the sequel season, and now the streaming network has revealed a pretty great poster that is clearly taking some cues fromANightmare on Elm Street. Check it out and the iconicElm Streetposter for comparison below.
Here’s the show’s official synopsis and timeline:
It’s 1984 and the citizens of Hawkins, Indiana are still reeling from the horrors of the demagorgon and the secrets of Hawkins Lab. Will Byers has been rescued from the Upside Down but a bigger, sinister entity still threatens those who survived.
1953, date unknown – MKUltra comes to Hawkins and begins experimentation
1979 – Police Chief Jim Hopper returns to Hawkins
1983, November 6 – The vanishing of Will Byers
1983, November 8 – The vanishing of Barbara Holland
2016, July 15 – Part 1
2017, October 27 – Part 2
Filming Is Underway on Hulu’s Stephen King Series ‘Castle Rock’
Per The Greenfield Recorder, filming is underway for Hulu’s upcomingStephen King-verse seriesCastle Rock.Hop over for the full report, which includes a brief description of what they saw filmed and some behind the scenes images (though nothing of the production itself).
Hulu has assembled a cast with some series genre cred, includingBill Skarsgard,Melanie Lynskey,Sissy Spacek,Jane Levy, and one ofMoonlight’s many breakouts,Andre Holland. Produced by King andJ.J. Abramsand developed for TV bySam ShawandDustin Thomason(Manhattan),Mad MenandAmerican Horror StorydirectorMichael Uppendahlhas been tapped to helm the pilot.
Plot details are scarce at the moment, but here’s the official sereis description forCastle Rock:
A psychological-horror series set in the Stephen King multiverse,Castle Rockcombines the mythological scale and intimate character storytelling of King’s best-loved works, weaving an epic saga of darkness and light, played out on a few square miles of Maine woodland. The fictional Maine town of Castle Rock has figured prominently in King’s literary career:Cujo, The Dark Half, ITandNeedful Things, as well as novellaThe Bodyand numerous short stories such asRita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemptionare either set there or contain references to Castle Rock.Castle Rockis an original suspense/thriller — a first-of-its-kind reimagining that explores the themes and worlds uniting the entire King canon, while brushing up against some of his most iconic and beloved stories.
Trailer Trash: ‘Leatherface’ Green Band; Long-Delayed Home Invasion ‘Keep Watching’
Leatherface
In Leatherface, the youngest child of the infamous Sawyer family is sentenced to a mental hospital after an incident that he may or may not have been involved in leaves the sheriff’s daughter dead. A decade later, the young member of the Sawyer family kidnaps a young nurse and escapes the mental hospital with three other, definitively unstable inmates. The sheriff is out to avenge his daughter’s death and rounds up authorities to go on the hunt for the escapees. The leads to a violent road trip that turns this member of the family into the killer we all know from the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Cold Ground
1976: Two young journalists leave for the French-Swiss border to investigate a strange case of cattle mutilations for French TV. Yet, once they get there, the scientific team they were supposed to meet has gone missing.
LASSO is the story of Simon and Kit, two young leaders of an Active Senior Adventure Tour Group that take a day trip out to a small-town Rodeo located deep in the woods. While they are leaving, after a fun filled day, they inadvertently witness something they wish they hadn’t. Suddenly they are targets for a deadly Rodeo Ritual. As they fight to stay alive through the night, they team up with another group of potential victims, Ennis, the one-armed cowboy, Trish the powerhouse female bull rider, and Rosheen the Rodeo Queen. Together the group must fight to survive the night from relentless bloodthirsty cowboys on the hunt for human livestock.
To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story
Meet the man behind the Jason Voorhees and Victor Crowley masks. Kane Hodder is cinema’s most prolific killer and this gut wrenching but inspiring documentary tells you why. It’s the harrowing story of the stuntman overcoming a dehumanizing childhood filled with torment and bullying. After surviving a near-death burn accident he rose up through Hollywood’s horror ranks to become Jason in the FRIDAY THE 13th series making countless movie goers forever terrified of hockey masks and summer camp. After decades of watching Kane Hodder on screen here’s the uniquely human story about one of the genre’s most vicious monsters.
Gunnar receives a strange phone call from his ex-boyfriend, Einar, months after they broke up. Einar sounds distraught, like he’s about to do something terrible to himself, so Gunnar drives up to the secluded cabin where Einar is holed up and soon discovers that there’s more going on than he imagined. As the two men come to terms with their broken relationship, some other person seems to be lurking outside the cabin, wanting to get in.
Keep Watching
A family imprisoned by intruders is forced to play a terrifying game of “Kill, Or Be Killed”. As the night unfolds, the game’s mysterious rules become clear, and the family realizes their nightmare is being streamed live to riveted viewers all over the world, who are compelled to Keep Watching…not knowing if what they’re seeing is real, or staged.
