Three to the Slaughter

Can you believe both Shawnee Smith (pictured) and Erica Leerhsen are being called scream queens now? I mean, sure, it’s by a trade publication, but it’s still kinda weird to think of Smith on the same level as, say, your everyday Brinke Stevens.

Anyway the pair, along with AnnaLynne McCord (Day of the Dead redux), have signed on to star in the Maverick Films production of Slaughter, based on the script that won the first Slamdance script competition to be made into a movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The script is being brought to life by Return to House on Haunted Hill helmer Victor Garcia and tells of a trio of women (see above) who answer a casting call, unaware that they’re setting themselves up to be in a Japanese snuff film. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and Eugenia Yuan will play the director and producer, respectively, of said film.

You may recall that Dominique Swain was originally on board to star, but scheduling conflicts caused Leerhsen to step in and take her place. Too bad, though I wouldn’t throw either girl out of bed so we can’t complain too much.

The winner of the next Slamdance Horror Screenplay Competition, incidentally, will be announced at the closing events this January in Park City. There's still time to get your script in, so clidk here to learn more about it!

- Johnny Butane