ICYMI: Here’s Your Golden Horror Recap

In Case You Missed It: Thank the Luck of the Irish, Your March 2018 Horror Update is Here…And There’s Enough Horror Goodness to Rival a Pot of Gold.

I’m a bit Irish! Yeah, it’s true. It may not be a huge amount, but it’s enough to get me in the mood to celebrate my personal “St. Patrick’s Day-Horror” fest — like indulging in all the Leprechaun movies and then catching that Syfy flick Red Clover. And so I begin with March’s Horror recap.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

DID THEY KILL THE BOOGEYMAN…OR DID HE ESCAPE AGAIN? “HALLOWEEN” FILMING WRAPS

Filming on Blumhouse’s Halloween is officially over. Yep. The boogeyman lives on, and now we wait for October for the big reveal. Am I excited? Pardon my French, but f*ck yea! Oh, did I meant I’m part French too? Who knew?!

Jamie Lee Curtis posted this on Instagram announcing the end of filming.

The film is directed and written by David Gordon Green and Danny McBride. The “requel” (Reboot + Sequel) reunites Curtis with John Carpenter, who Executive Produced and scored the film. Nick Castle returned to his role as The Shape (with James Jude Courteney also in the role). Curtis stars opposite Judy Greer and Andi Matichak, as well as Ginny Gardner, Miles Robbins, Dylan Arnold, Drew Scheid and Rhian Rees.

“Laurie Strode comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.”

Halloween will be coming home on October 19th, 2018.

“CULT OF CHUCKY” WAS A SUCCESS; NEXT STEP, THE SMALL SCREEN

I bought my copy of Cult of Chucky the first day it went up for sale. I’ll admit, I was pissed they didn’t have Heather Douriff get the voice over of her dad as Chucky. I just think that would have given the film a lot more of a creepy effect. Was the movie terrible? No, not in any sense of the word. It was a lot of fun, and the success of the film even paved the way for an in-development television series announced last month via Bloody Disgusting .

Don Mancini, the driving force behind the latest Chucky movies, along with David M. Kirschner, want to bring the horror icon to the small screen in a continuation series, seemingly stemming from Cult Of Chucky.

Here’s what Mancini and Kirschner had to say via Bloody Disgusting:

BD: Mancini tells us that the series was “deliberately set up at end of the last movie,” while further adding that the “tone is dark and disturbing.”

“We plan to use Child’s Play in the title,” Mancini explained. “We want to definitely signal that we are going dark, darker than ever before. It’s going to be very creepy.”

“I don’t think there’s a relationship that lasted this long,” Kirschner stated. “I’m incredibly excited about the series and to explore a world in which we’ve never done before.” “Don has taken the franchise in a wonderfully frightening direction,” Kirschner added. “He seems to outdo himself every time.”

There isn’t a network set nor has there been any word on this since February 9th of this year. What we do know is the series has an 8-part hourlong series lined up. Is Child’s Play: The TV Series going to sit in developmental hell, or will Chucky join Ghostface, Freddy Krueger, Norman Bates and Hannibal Lecter in the “from film-to-TV” jump”?

WE GET ‘NUN’ UNTIL LABOR DAY; JAMES WAN’S “THE CONJURING” SPIN OFF “THE NUN” HAS BEEN PUSHED BACK

Set originally for release this July, fans of the Conjuring franchise are going to have to WAIT for the next spin-off. This news comes straight from Deadline, which reported last month the James Wan co-created franchise would have it’s The Conjuring 2 spin-off, The Nun, release September 7th — instead of the previously anticipated July 13th release date.

The Nun is set to follow the story of a priest investigating the death of a nun in Rome. Corin Hardy directs Nun from Gary Dauberman’s (IT) screenplay. Dauberman is also EP; and he co-wrote the story with James Wan. Taissa Farmiga stars as Sister Irene, and Demian Bichir stars as Father Burke. Bonnie Aarons is set to reprise her role as the titular character.

“INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY” HITS HOME VIDEO MARCH 20, AND PRODUCTION IS ALREADY DRUMMING UP A SEQUEL

The anticipated sequel to the Insidious franchise, Insidious: The Last Key, which you may or may not have seen yet, is available on DVD and BLU-RAY later this month. The film managed to reap a hefty box-office, leaving itself an option at an additional installment. Expect the new film to once again star the wonderful Lin Shaye, unless the Insidious crew has lost their minds.

The home video release is said to include never-before-seen footage, an alternate ending, and three new featurettes.

Per the press release:

“Acclaimed horror producers James Wan (The Conjuring, Annabelle) and Oren Peli (Paranormal Activity franchise) return for the fourth installment from Blumhouse of the Insidious-franchise, along with fan-favorites Lin Shaye in her iconic role as Elise Rainier, and Leigh Whannell and Angus Sampson as the ghost-hunting duo Specs and Tucker. In Insidious: The Last Key, Elise must face her past to confront the most personal haunting of her career – in her childhood home. The film also stars Josh Stewart (Interstellar), Kirk Acevedo (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Caitlin Gerard (Magic Mike), Spencer Locke (Resident Evil franchise) and Academy Award® nominee Bruce Davison (Best Supporting Actor, Longtime Companion, 1989).”

“Insidious: The Last Key comes packed with never-before-seen special features, including an alternate ending, more than 20 minutes of chilling additional scenes, a franchise recap and three all-new featurettes. ‘Becoming Elise’ delves into the mythology of Elise’s origin story and how this ‘sequel to the prequel’ fits into the Insidious-franchise. ‘Going into the Further’ examines what the Further represents to the cast and crew and how the production design in the film differs from the previous films. ‘Unlocking Keyface’ introduces fans to the newest iconic demon in the Insidious-franchise and explores the symbolism behind its creation.”

Insidious Chapter 5 was teased by Bloody Disgusting, who claim production is development on the new installment. Their sources say the new film will “unlikely” be a prequel. There’s no word if Leigh Whannel will return for this installment. Stay tuned as we go deeper into The Further.

JESSICA CHASTAIN SEEMS TO HAVE “IT”; CHASTAIN OPTIONED FOR ROLE AS ADULT BEVERLY MARSHE FOR IT CHAPTER 2

It was released last year, starring Stranger Things‘ Finn Wolfhard and Jeremy Ray Taylor, alongside Bill Skarsgard as the iconic PENNYWISE. The chapter proved to be a sure hit with myself, and the actual author of the novel the film was based off of, Stephen King. Talk of a sequel was ignited straight away, and now we have a possible cast member lined up.

Stephen King’s novel, in which the (2017) film was based off of, was set in 1958 and 1985. The novel followed the Loser Club Members facing off against PENNYWISE as children, and then reunited years later as adults to try to finish the job. In 1990, there was a classic film adaption starring John Ritter and Tim Curry.

Gary Dauberman returns as script scribe for the sequel. Andi Muschitti isn’t confirmed to return. Chastain has a history of working with Muschitti and his sibling/IT producer Barbara Muschitti, having worked together in the Muschitti’s (2011) film, Mama.

Chastain expressed her support of the film prior to release in a past tweet claiming, “Saw IT a few months ago, the kids were great.” Chastain, according to Variety, is a first choice for the role. IT: Chapter 2 is expected to land on September 6th, 2019.

HORROR HAPPENINGS

LIONSGATE IS UP FOR SALE…YOU KNOW, THE COMPANY THAT GAVE US “SAW”

So in this day in age, EVERYBODY seems to be desperate for cash — even the high rollers like, for instance, the multimillion dollar production giant Lionsgate and 21 Century Fox. Lionsgate’s “For Sale” sign was announced on Variety. Does the mean horror could suffer? Maybe.

Lionsgate is responsible for distribution of the classic survival horror franchise SAW, which just debuted its latest film, JIGSAW, last month. The corporate giant’s CEO Jon Feltheimer and Vice Chairman Michael Burns reportedly made it clear the studio was/and-is willing to sell in past quotes provided by Variety.

Variety: In earnings calls, investor conferences and television interviews, CEO Jon Feltheimer and Vice Chairman Michael Burns have made it clear that the studio behind “Mad Men” and “The Hunger Games” is willing — even eager — to sell its film and television studio.

Burns told CNBC in January that Lionsgate was a “pint-sized bite for some of these giant market cap companies” and therefore would “talk to anybody at any time” about a merger, while Feltheimer mused to Wall Street analysts in February that the media company could be “prey or predator” when it came to playing Let’s Make a Deal. Those may sound like sedate comments, but in corporate speak, the two executives seem to be chumming the waters.

“Now more than ever, Lionsgate will be willing to entertain any kind of serious bid for the company, as opposed to maybe in the past when it would have dismissed such a scenario,” said Tuna Amobi, director and senior equity analyst at CFRA Research. “To be a more formidable player in this media and entertainment landscape, you need to have the scale to do so.”

Bottom line is Lionsgate is for sale. What does this mean for the SAW franchise? The rights to SAW are owned by Twisted Pictures, so TP could just shop for another distribution company. Thus, it’s unlikely that franchise will suffer. However, there could be further implications for Horror in general. We’ll just have to wait to see who buys Lionsgate.

FOR THE HORROR HALF-PINTS

“GOOSEBUMPS 2” CASTS “IT” STAR AMONG OTHERS; POSSIBLE TITLE REVEAL?

Slappy’s ba-ack! In my last update, I spoke on how Goosebumps 2 was to conjure a hallo-pocolapse. But now I return with another juicy nugget regarding casting! PLUS sneaky, sneaky, R.L Stine possibly dropped the official title. I know, I’m excited too!

Variety reports Wendi McLendon-Covey, whom is know for her role as Beverly Goldberg for the ABC hit, The Goldbergs, alongside Ken Jeong of Dr. Ken fame and Jeremy Ray Taylor known recently for IT are all said to star. The ensemble cast will star opposite Chris Parnell, Madison Iseman, Ben O’Brien and Caleel Harris.

“Ari Sandel is developing the project, which is one of multiple iterations based on the dozens of books in the series that the studio is developing.” the site reported.

Neal H. Moritz of Original Film and Deborah Forte of Silvertongue Films will produce the flick, which is slated for release this Halloween.

Cinema Blend reports Goosebumps 2, will in fact be dubbed Goosebumps: Slappy Halloween, contrary to past reports of Goosebumps: Slappy’s Revenge being the title. The latter reportedly is now to be used as subtitle. The reveal was within a since deleted tweet by R.L. Stine.

The Goosebumps’ franchise is founded by R.L Stine. Stine’s novels for the series are and always will be a household name with over 350 million copies sold.

MUST SEE TV

“THE WALKING DEAD” RETURNS WITH TRAGEDY; IS IT BYE BYE FOR MAGGIE? 

The Walking Dead returned a couple of Sundays ago and sadly bid farewell to fan favorite Rick Grimes offspring, Carl. While tragic, there’s a lot more drama going on offscreen. Lauren Cohan has ACCEPTED a role in another series and may be leaving her place in TWD.

I know.

The death of Carl jilted the hearts of the genre still. Everybody was shocked, and many didn’t expect the character’s death because the AMC hit was supposed to be following its popular comic. Speaking on how the death effected her and how she wanted to deal with it on the show, TWD’s Dana Gurira told Access, “I said to [TWD’ executive producer Scott] Gimple when he told me that Carl was passing, I said, ‘if you don’t let me say goodbye fully, we’re gonna have some problems,'” Gurira said with a laugh.

“I didn’t say it like that, I didn’t say it like that. No, I would never do that to him. But I was like, ‘yo, you gotta let me, you gotta let me have my time with him. You gotta let Michonne have her time.’ And he did, he did.”

The actress and Chandler Riggs’ Carl, have really grown close, as one might expect, since the two have been working together since around 2012-2013, starting their friendship in TWD Season 3.

On a different note, Riggs’ former co-star Lauren Cohan has been reported to have a role lined up already in another series, an ABC drama pilot called Whiskey Cavalier, opposite Scott Foley. That leaves her fate on The Walking Dead up in the air. Cohan, as I reported last update, may not renew her contract over her salary being less than deserved. She is reported to still be in negotiations for a more deserving salary and hasn’t signed on for season 9 as of yet.

If negotiations do go her way, we still might not see her as much while she juggles two shows at the same time. Nonetheless, fellow cast member Khary “King Ezekiel” Payton has been rallying to keep the actress on board.

With or without Cohan, it’s unclear how long the series will remain on the air. The ratings for the last episode plummeted to Season 1 levels.

Here’s what Robert Kirkman, had to say:

“We’re moving into year nine here, where most shows start to wrap up. I think the future is bright, and there’s a lot of really great material coming up from the comic book, and not from the comic book, that will keep this universe viable for many, many years.” But it’s worth noting Kirkman is free of his deal with AMC for greener pastures at Amazon, soooo…… [THR]

“FEAR THE WALKING DEAD: SEASON 4” SNEAK PEEK; MORE SPIN OFFS POSSIBLE

Fear The Walking Dead returns with season 4 next month. Fans and myself are already clamoring in the anticipated cross-over of Lennie James, albeit and now we have something new to curb our hunger. Have a new look season 4 below. Plus, there’s a tidbit dropped on the theme brought to us by the writers — think tumbleweeds, folks.

Where’s this season going?

IGN: We will see the world of Madison Clark (Kim Dickens) and her family through new eyes — the eyes of Morgan Jones (Lennie James), joining the story from the world of The Walking Dead. The characters’ immediate past mixes with an uncertain present of struggle and discovery as they meet new friends, foes and threats.  They fight for each other, against each other and against a legion of the dead to somehow build an existence against the crushing pressure of lives coming apart.  There will be darkness and light; terror and grace; the heroic, mercenary, and craven, all crashing together towards a new reality for Fear the Walking Dead.”

That theme I told you about? Here’s “Fear” showrunner Ian Goldberg on the subject via EW: “There will be a bit of a western feel to it.” Co-showrunner Andrew Chambliss chimed in “[Think] Hues of spaghetti western and John Ford westerns.”

Fear the Walking Dead season 4 premieres following The Walking Dead finale on AMC Sunday, April 15, at 10 p.m. ET. Check out some great teaser pics via Us.

NETFLIX AND KILL

“STRANGER THINGS” HAVE HAPPENED; CASTING NEWS FOR SEASON 3

Last update, I told you what I knew on Stranger Things Season 3; I told you season 3 was supposed to be set a year after the events of season 2. But now I return with something new; Season 3 has a new cast member announced!

Stranger Things is set in the 1980s and stars the likes of horror stars Winona Ryder and Finn Wolfhard. The series currently is set to go in production on season 3 come next month, for a more than likely 2019 season.

According to Deadline, Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke’s offspring, Maya Thurman-Hawke, is set to star in the Netflix hit as Robin, “an alternative girl who is equal parts sharp and playful. Bored with her mundane day job, she just wants a little excitement in her life… and gets more than she bargained for when she uncovers a dark secret in Hawkins.”

As reported last month, Erica Sinclair (Priah Ferguson) is returning for season 3. But this time around, she is being promoted to series regular.

“In Season 3, Lucas’ strong-willed little sister returns, only this time with an army of friends. No longer content with sitting on the sidelines, Erica finds herself on a wild mission to save Hawkins from a dangerous and unexpected new threat.” [Deadline]

Created by the Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things is executive produced by Matt and Ross Duffer, Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen of 21 Laps and Iain Paterson. The popular series is expected to return in 2019, at least 10 months away. Can we make it?!

“THE CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA” CASTING NEWS

Last update, I told you Kerian Shipka was cast as Netflix’s Sabrina Spellman. But now, according to PopSugar, there’s some new heads to add to the cast, including Miranda Otto (Annabelle Creation) and Michelle Gomez (Dr. Who).

Jaz Sinclair as Rosalind Walker
Sinclair will play Sabrina’s best friend, Rosalind Walker, on the series. The actress definitely has experience with supernatural dramas. She had a guest-starring role as Beatrice Bennett, one of Bonnie’s witch ancestors, on the final season of The Vampire Diaries.

Michelle Gomez as Mary Wardell
The Doctor Who actress will play Sabrina’s mentor on the series. By day, she is a teacher at Baxter High, but when she is possessed by “the Devil’s handmaiden,” Madam Satan, she becomes “a sultry, cunning manipulator” who tries to make Sabrina walk down the Path of Night.

Chance Perdomo as Ambrose Spellman
The UK native will play Sabrina’s warlock cousin from England who has been placed under house-arrest by the Witches Council. His character, who is described as “witty, puckish and pan-sexual,” is one of “Sabrina’s partners in crime.” The series mark’s Perdomo first American screen credit.

Lucy Davis as Hilda Spellman
The Wonder Woman actress will be playing one of Sabrina’s witch aunts on the series. The role of Hilda was previously played by Caroline Rhea on Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

Miranda Otto as Zelda Spellman
The former Homeland actress will be portraying Sabrina’s witch aunt, Zelda. The role was previously played by Beth Broderick.

Bronson Pinchot (Risky Business) will play George Hawthorne, Baxter High’s villainous, Puritanical principal. He is a constant thorn in Sabrina’s (Shipka) side, always trying to thwart our heroine and her friends’ escapades. [Deadline].

‪Lets stay tuned for the next update. The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina (not the confirmed name, btw) is expected to start filming next month, with a premiere later this year (probably October).‬

GAME ON

GUN MEDIA’S NEW “FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE GAME” UPDATE MAKES LIFE AS A COUNSELOR SOOOO MUCH EASIER

Last update,  I chatted you up about how Jason was too be less of a wuss and we were to get a trip back to F13 PV’s rehab with copycat Jason, Roy [via a Gun Media game update]. Well, this time around, I return with this nugget of news….the next update is set around the counselors.

Gun Media:

Today is all about Perks, and the first thing we want to talk about is a slight reworking of the UI which is designed to help players who live with certain types of color blindness. Each perk, as well as the Perk Legend, will include a numerical value of 1 through 6 as a visual indicator of Perk rarity. 1 being for Poor Perks, while 6 will denote Legendary Perks (more on that later in this post).

Next up, let’s share some value changes that we are making to Perks.

Easy Listening – Radio proximity recharge rate boost:
* Old Value: 1-10%
* New Value: 10-40%
Motorboating – Boat movement speed increase
* Old Value: 1-15%
* New Value: 5-35%
Man at Arms – Weapon durability increase
* Old Value: 5-25%
* New Value: 5-15%
My Dads a Cop – Cop arrival time reduction
* Old Value: -5 – -30%
* New Value: -5 – -25%
Quiet Swimmer – Sense detection chance reduction
* Old Value: 1-25%
* New Value: 5-20%
Lead Foot – Car speed increase
* Old Value: 1-10%
* New Value: 5-20%
Aquanaut – Swimming speed increase
* Old Value: 1-15%
* New Value: 5-35%

Finally, we would like to introduce Legendary Perks. Legendary Perks have all the benefits of the Perks that you know and love, but they also include a Legendary Stat Bonus. A Legendary Stat Bonus is a small value increase to a predetermined stat.

For example: You could roll a Legendary Lead Foot Perk with +19 Car Driving Speed, -2 Boat Driving Speed, with a bonus of +4 Car Start Speed.

Or:

You could roll a Legendary Medic Perk with 2 Med Spray uses, an +8 Health Increase, +5 incoming attack damage, with a +3 to Repair Speed.

We’ll release a full listing of Legendary Bonus Stats a little closer to when the next update releases.

Now ol’ Jason is getting a bit of competition here. Could he stand up to these revamped counselors?

GUN MEDIA AND BLOOBER JOIN FORCES FOR SOMETHING SPOOKY

So, coincidentally I just talked about F13: The Game (above), with Gun Media is at helm. But I have more Gun Media news. They have teamed up with Bloober (Layers Of Fear, Observer) are teaming up to create a “spooky” new game dubbed “Project Melies”. The game is being kept under wraps, but you can watch the announcement from the two companies in the video above.

[source: comicbook.com] Ismael Vicens, senior producer for Gun Media, expressed excitement in the partnership, working alongside the team at Bloober.

“We’re all huge fans of Bloober Team’s body of work, and we’re a group of horror aficionados. Working with them on their next title is a natural progression for us. Our philosophy has always been about building and publishing works that are full experiences, not just products. Bloober Team shares a similar vision for game development, and we can’t wait to show the world what they’re working on.”

Likewise, Bloober Team was equally excited, with CEO Piotr Babieno noting, “We are thrilled to be working with Gun Media. The Gun team have seen the potential of our game from the very beginning. Based on their level of passion, knowledge and philosophy, we believe that together we can create a game that will be remembered years after its release.”

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Well, bottoms up and enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day. Stay tuned for April’s update, when we’ll be celebrating an Easter Horror Fest. May I suggest Critters 2? 

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