FEARnet Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I'll keep this short: There's a horror flick coming out later this year called Grace. Lots of people (including me and Eric Snider) like it a lot, such as former Cinematical scribe (and mother of five) Kim Voynar, who went to the Sundance screening after I basically commanded her to. When I saw her later she was both grateful (for recommending it) and angry (for not seeing it with her). Then it hit Austin and earned even more fans -- and not just horror geeks, mind you, although they're the ones who seemed to dig it the most.

The flick is still shuffling through the festival circuit, but Anchor Bay will deliver the DVD before year's end, and it looks like my pals over at FEARnet have scored the first look at the "red-band" (R rated) trailer for Grace. Click right here to take a look at the rather impressive new promo clip, and then come back for some friendly advice. (Pause.) OK, back? Good: This movie is not suitable for pregnant women. Frankly you should spend three years in jail if you show Grace to a pregnant woman. Ten years if you make it a double feature with Inside.

It's no secret that I do film reviews, some silly "Splat Chat" interviews, and a few random set reports for the FEARnet website, but I figure those facts are worth repeating before I go on. So there. Duly repeated. Ahem.

Dear Time-Warner Cable / Brighthouse,

You've greatly disappointed a whole lot of horror fans by unceremoniously dropping FEARnet On Demand from your line-up. We humbly request that you reconsider this decision at your earliest convenience.

For the detailed story on what's happening between FEARnet and Time-Warner, I refer you to this earnest plea at the FEARnet website. And then I'll refer you to websites like AICN, CHUD, Slashfilm, Bloody-Disgusting, Cnefantastique, Dread Central, ShockTillYouDrop, Rotten Tomatoes, Spill, HitFix, The Geek Couch, Screen Junkies, and passionate bloggers like Final Girl, The Horror Club, Eternal Vigilance, Horror Fatale, The Horror Geek, Horrors Not Dead, and The Vault of Horror.

Time for a new horror series on FEARnet.com! This one's called The Dark Path Chronicles, and it comes from director Mary Lambert. And if I have to remind you that she directed the first Pet Sematary, then I question your legitimacy as a horror geek. So far they've posted two episodes and a pair of behind-the-scenes clips. All I know is that it's got vampires in it!

...and the journey of Mandy Lane continues. Screen Daily reports that Sony has acquired the video rights to all of Senator's upcoming releases, and that also includes Clock Tower, Splice, and the Bret Easton Ellis adaptation The Informers. Also from Screen Daily: News on the excellent Paranormal Activity, which is getting sold all over the planet and (yes) being remade.

Curious about that Jason Voorhees documentary you've been hearing about? Get the scoop here. Also, Twitch indicates that the sequel to the fantastic [REC] begins shooting next week. Did you miss the trailer for the next Clive Barker adaptation. Jessica covered it yesterday: Book of Blood.

And frankly there are so many random little tidbits floating around thanks to all the horror geeks' coverage of the American Film Market ... I don't even know where to begin. Instead of linking to each news niblet individually, I'll link you to the AFM ONLY pages at Dread Central, Bloody-Disgusting, and Shock. Lots of random goodness to click through there, horror nerds.

Random question for the experts: Which is the scariest video game?

Just about a year ago, Comcast's FEARnet video-on-demand service dug into the Lionsgate vault and pulled out Catacombs, which they offered at no charge on their VOD network. Turns out the flick wasn't all that hot, but hey, horror fans love to see stuff for free ... especially if it hasn't been released on video just yet.

So this year FEARnet is doing it again -- only this time it's a movie that did have a (rather insultingly) limited theatrical release. Like, VERY limited. Yes, gore-fans, Ryuhei Kitamura's adaptation of Clive Barker's The Midnight Meat Train may very well be viewable in your own living room -- at this very moment! (If you get FEARnet on your cable box, that is...) Last year Catacombs was also made available on the FN website prior to its DVD release, but we don't know if that will be the case on Meat Train. Lionsgate has yet to announce a DVD date for the film, so anything could happen.

Best of all, unlike Catacombs, I've already seen and have strongly recommended this particular horror movie -- and I certainly wouldn't sneeze at the source material either. For our earlier reports on this strangely controversial little horror flick, check here, here and here.

Here's a tip to all my writer friends: If you cook up a basic yet amusing idea about an article that ties in to an upcoming holiday .... don't wait to write it! The interwebs are full of smart writers who can hatch that very same idea all by themselves, but in this case it was my good pals at FEARnet, so I only kicked myself twice. Anyway, what with Mother's Day on the way, FN's Gabrielle DiPietro and Joe McCabe came up with a crackin' Top 10 list of MILFs (Moms I Like to Fear), which you can enjoy right here.

And since FEARnet (like most quality horror sites) is run by folks who actually know what they're talking about, this list has a solid handful of surprises in there. Of course Mama Bates earns a spot, and I'd be flipping out if Mrs. Voorhees didn't get a mention -- but kudos to the FEARnetters for including ... well, I don't want to spoil the fun, but these are NOT all obvious choices. My favorites are #7, #6, #2, and #1, but that 'honorable mention' pick is as hilarious as it is appropriate. Here's a fun question, though: Who did Gabby and Joe leave out? It's a fine list to be sure, but there's LOTS of other "horror moms" out there...

So far we've seen the usual types of promotional materials for 30 Days of Night, also known as "the Alaskan vampire movie," which will be the second feature from Hard Candy director David Slade, and which stars Josh Hartnett and Danny Huston. You can check out a trailer, photo gallery, and teaser poster to whet your appetite for the film's autumn release. However, Ghost House Pictures, a company started by Sam Raimi that specializes in low-budget horror films, is planning some slightly different 30 Days of Night marketing that might prove quite entertaining.

Bloody Disgusting is reporting today that Ghost House is working with FEARnet, the website and video-on-demand channel devoted to horror, to create some short films related to the 30 Days of Night source material. 30 Days of Night was originally a graphic novel series authored by Steve Niles. The movie's plot touches on only a portion of the adventures in the books, so there's plenty more material to adapt. The cast and crew behind the movie won't be involved in these short films -- they'll be directed by Victor Garcia. Instead of Alaska, the shorts will be set in that traditional haven for vampires, New Orleans. Bloody Disgusting wasn't specific on the number of shorts to be made, and I can't find any information about the films on FEARnet yet. We do know that the shorts will be available online -- my guess would be on FEARnet's site -- as the feature's October 19 release date draws closer. While I don't usually get very excited about posters and find most trailers reveal too much plot for my taste, I'm always up for watching a good short film, so I'll keep an eye out for these shorts.

If all you know of Wishmaster is a bunch of lame-o sequels, I might recommend that you give the original flick another shot. It's not exactly a modern classic or anything, but it's a fun enough horror flick, packed as it is with crazy kills, colorful actors and a head baddie who's pretty darn creepy. (Plus, heck, it's not every day you find a horror flick that co-stars Freddy, Jason, Candyman AND the voice of The Tall Man!) And the original is actually kinda dark and spooky, whereas the sequels got progressively stupider.

Directed by K.N.B. co-founder Bob Kurtzman (which guarantees some gooey gore), Wishmaster earned just under $16 million during its 1997 theatrical run but has gone on to earn somewhat of a cult following among the gorehounds of the world. One cannot say the same thing about Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies, Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell or Wishmaster 4: The Prophecy Fulfilled -- mainly because none of the sequels earned a theatrical release, but also because nobody really likes 'em.

But if you're a fan of the Master and you'd like to celebrate his 10th birthday in style, you can head on over to FEARnet.com and pick through their new sub-site that's been dedicated to all things Wishmaster-y. It's there you'll find behind-the-scenes videos, interviews with cast and crew members, storyboards, photo galleries and all sorts of geeky little gizmos. Plus you can register to participate in a June 1 online chat with Goremaster Bob Kurtzman AND win a bunch of blood-soaked prizes, which you can then show off to all your friends who'll probably think you're insane.

Fans of the Saw series will definitely want to pop on over to FEARnet for a quick second. That's where you'll find the first pair of on-set pics from Saw 4 ... plus we've been given just a little dollop of plot synopsis! Turns out that the Saw 4 story-line will continue with poor Jeff (Angus MacFadyen) as he tries to rescue his trapped daughter from inside another one of Jigsaw's death-filled dungeons. (And yes that audio tape does come into play!) Heck, who knew the Saw flicks would turn out to be a bona-fide soap opera?

The pics don't deliver any of that patented Saw stickiness, but you will get to see director Darren Lynn Bousman on set with actor Lyriq Bent, who will be returning for his third Saw soiree. Beyond that, we don't know a heck of a lot about Saw 4. New to the series are Feast writers Partick Melton and Marcus Dunston, and that should certainly add some new flavor to the series. But I prefer being kept in the semi-dark on these flicks. I actually didn't know what was coming in the Saw sequels, and I kinda like it that way. As expected, Saw 4 will hit screens right before Halloween. Domestically, the first one did $55 million at the box office. Part 2 made $87 million and Part 3 hit $80 million. Not bad for a trilogy that probably cost less than $35 million to produce.

While most fans were preoccupied with whether or not Sam Raimi would be continuing the Spider-Man franchise -- and it seems that that neither Toby Maguire or Raimi can make up their minds on that question -- the director has been focusing some attention on his plans for "multi-platform" projects, which of course means projects that have components designed for the Web, cable and other non-theatrical arms. A few weeks ago, Chris had news about Raimi's collaboration with FearNet (a horror site created by Sony, Lionsgate, and Comcast) for a seven part online series through his own Ghosthouse Pictures. Now, Ghosthouse is premiering some web films of their own, on their own site.

There are four shorts in total, and the subject matter includes the usual chestnuts of standard horror films, such as the bimbo and the babysitter in peril. Not to mention a surprising amount of skin snatching. The directors for the shorts are Ben Ketai, Toby Wilkins, John Coven, and Peter Logreco, and Ghosthouse seems to be keeping both Ketai and Wilkins busy, since they are working on the FearNet projects as well. There are five more films promised on the Ghosthouse site, but no word on when that is going to be, or whether Raimi has any intention of making his own short for the site, or how deep his commitment to multi-platform filmmaking will go in the future. Considering the amount of rumored Raimi projects on the horizon, I doubt he is going to have the time to focus on much else.

Director Sam Raimi, best known for such films as The Evil Dead and the hugely successful Spider-Man franchise, is expanding his repertoire as a content creator and entering into production on several projects for multi-platform horror/thriller site Fearnet. According to Variety, the versatile Raimi will produce at least the first two projects for the site which was launched five months ago by Sony, Comcast and Lionsgate and potentially may produce more down the road -- including a possible feature-length project. The projects, which Raimi will produce with partner Robert Tapert via their Ghost House Pictures company, will be broken into seven segments, or "webisodes," with each segment having a running time of five to seven minutes.

The webisodes will be supported by ads and will be available across multiple platforms supported by Fearnet, including on-demand cable, streaming Internet video and mobile phones. The first project out of the gate for Raimi and Fearnet will be Devil's Trade. The horror/thriller, scripted by Ben Ketai and directed by Toby Wilkins, concerns three teenagers who end up being cursed after they buy an item off the Internet and is expected to premiere in June. The second project, also scripted by Ketai and based on the Steve Niles graphic novel, will serve as a prequel to the feature film 30 Days of Night, a Ghost House/Columbia Pictures horror/ thriller about vampires who go to a small, isolated Alaskan town to feast during the long winter but run into a sheriff with other ideas.

The second project will premiere in advance of the film's planed October release and will tell the story leading up to the vampire's journey to the town and also provide some hints to the storyline of the film. Once the first two project get off the ground, Fearnet and Ghost House will continue their relationship a produce more projects because, according to Tapert: "We've seen the digital space grow exponentially in the last few years, and Fearnet presents us with another opportunity to expand our goal in providing original content to the horror community."