The Weekly Wrap-Up: October 18-24, 2008

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The Weekly Wrap-Up: October 18-24, 2008

The week of October 18-24, 2008, was all about trailers, trailers, and more trailers — for some highly anticipated and much discussed re-imaginings of classic genre films along with quite a few promising indies. And we got posters. Lots of new posters were revealed over the past seven days as well.

  • But first up is info on a pair of horror/sci-fi hybrids. Bill Malone describes his upcoming Phoenix Dust as a “sweeping sci-fi with kickass babes and gang-banger robots” while the somewhat Cube-sounding Pandorum stars Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster as crew members who awaken on a spaceship with no knowledge of who they are or why they’re there.

  • Two of this Woman’s favorite things are award shows and film festivals, and both are covered in this week’s Wrap-Up.
    • The 2008 Scream Awards went down on October 18th, and the list of winners can be found right here. People have complained about a lot of them, but given that they were voted on by the fans, we collectively have to take responsibility for the results. Obviously not enough genre-savvy people made the effort to cast their ballots. Something to think about come November 4th. I may not have agreed with every choice (The Walking Dead were robbed!), but I absolutely concur with the nods for “Dexter” (double congrats for getting renewed for another two years), Hellboy II: The Golden Army (still sitting pretty in my 2008 Top Five; review here), and of course Heath Ledger and The Dark Knight.
    • LA Screamfest 08 wrapped up on October 19th, and I couldn’t have been happier to see Splinter (review here) receive so much recognition. A couple of other films near and dear to my heart — Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story (review here) and Dance of the Dead (review here) — also performed well. Click here for the full rundown of who won what, and if, like me, you missed the chance to see Trick ‘r Treat‘s West Coast debut at the fest (review here), join me in impatiently waiting for any scrap of intel that comes our way regarding its distribution woes.
  • No pre-Samhain festivities are complete without Adam Green’s annual Halloween short film, and this year’s entry, “The Tivo“, doesn’t disappoint.

  • Nor does FearNet’s seasonal programming that includes broadcast and online content such as the first-ever 66.6 Second Film Festival in which The Howling, Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2, Friday the 13th: Jason Lives, Hostel and six additional classics are spliced and presented in a hilariously haunting 66.6 seconds each. And don’t forget about the exclusive world television premiere of The Midnight Meat Train (review here), one of the most stylistically memorable films of the year. As a side note, be sure to check your On Demand channels if you have ’em; we had FearNet available on Time Warner for weeks before realizing it.

  • Any news about Guillermo del Toro is good news, and a lot of us were pleased to read that his take on the Jekyll & Hyde mythos will both be faithful to the original and have its own spin. He further promises a series of Victorian horror movies, which can’t happen soon enough as far as I’m concerned!

  • Saw V (review here) opened this week, and if the negative early reports turn out to be correct, audiences will be anxious to erase it from their memory with a visit back to the more pleasant days of the early installments via the upcoming Saw video game. It takes place between Saw I and Saw II before the death of Jigsaw, who was the only really interesting person in the whole series anyway. Uncle Creepy had a chance to chat with game producer David S. Cohen about what kind of bloody twists and turns we can expect when the popular horror franchise drops next year. Hit the link to read all about it.

  • All right, enough obligatory “news” coverage — let’s get to the pretty artsy stuff! Here are the posters that were recently unveiled for (as Butane always says) your ocular pleasure:
    • My Bloody Valentine 3D – To me it perfectly exemplifies all that’s right about 3D’s unique ability to turn moviegoing into a real “event” to be shared with like-minded individuals looking for a good time.
    • I Sell the Dead – A period zombie film? With Angus Scrimm, Dominic Monaghan, Larry Fessenden, and Ron Perlman? Works for me!
    • Sweatshop – Rave kids meet a Beast with uncontrollable, unprovoked rage. As long as annoying pretty people die horrible deaths, everyone should be happy.
    • The Burrowers – A Western with monsters and Clancy Brown. I don’t see how it can miss. (Review here)
    • The Unborn – David Goyer’s latest with Gary Oldman and Odette Yustman sounds rather headsy what with its subject matter of unborn twins, souls barred from heaven, and Auschwitz. But since Goyer purposely set out to prove he can make a dark, creepy movie with the best of them, it should also be nice and scary.
    • The Alphabet Killer – I’m not sure I can picture Dushku and Elwes as a couple, but the inclusion of genre vets Michael Ironside and Bill Moseley, along with a supporting role for Timothy Hutton, could elevate it above most of the DTV fare we’re subjected to nowadays.
  • Posters are cool and all, but how about some moving pictures? Without further ado, feast your eyes on these bad boys and girls!
    • Plague Town – Bloodthirsty mutant children! Oh my!
    • The Children – A relaxing Christmas vacation turns into a terrifying fight for survival as children begin to turn on their parents. This is exactly why I have cats instead of kids.
    • Filthy – I think I’ll let this one speak for itself. But if you have children — even of the bloodthirsty mutant variety — you might want to make sure they’re not in the room when you watch.
    • Dying Breed – If Aussie cannibals are your thing, this cringe-inducing clip has your name all over it! (Review here)
    • Splintered – A UK film that may … or may not … involve werewolves.
    • Underworld: Rise of the Lycans – A sequel in the form of a prequel that definitely involves werewolves … and another hot brunette bloodsucking babe who can’t keep her hands off the forbidden, yet intensely sexy lycan boy toy who crosses her path. No doubt about it — I am so there come January 23rd!
    • Friday the 13th (2009) – Considering that Marcus Nispel’s Chainsaw remake is the only Platinum Dunes project I’ve liked, I’ve been on board his F13 reboot from the get-go. And this latest trailer just reinforces that feeling. Judging from most of the comments we’re received on the site, I’m obviously not alone.
    • Midnight Movie – Foy gave this flick a mixed review, but I’ll still check it out when it comes my way in limited release. The concept of a killer coming out of a movie to slaughter everyone in the theatre just sounds too fun to pass up.
  • Which brings us to the Woman’s Story of the Week: My Bloody Valentine Trailer. All sorts of things come flying out of MBV 3D toward the audience. That’s right — I’m back on my 3D soapbox, and no one’s gonna get me to come down. As I said above, there’s nothing better than joining with your fellow horror fans and enjoying the shared experience of 3D goodness. Everything I’ve seen and read up to this point has gotten me excited for MBV 3D, and this trailer only amps up the anticipation. Patrick Lussier wrote on his Facebook profile that the film’s “MPAA rating is R for: graphic, brutal horror violence and grisly images throughout, some strong sexuality, graphic nudity and language,” so I suspect G.D.’s request for lots of blood and boobies will be fulfilled. And if they throw in a little Ackles ass as well, the other 50% of the audience is sure to be just as satisfied!

    Until next time …

    The Woman In Black

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