Freddy vs. Jason Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Okay, maybe the 1988 horror flick Night of the Demons isn't exactly a classic. Especially if you consider that it didn't even make it to Matt's list of Cool Horror Films of the '80s. But when has fan indifference ever stopped Hollywood from doing a remake? Shock Till You Drop is now reporting that casting has been finalized for the update of Kevin Tenney's horror-comedy hybrid. According to Shock, Diora Baird (Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning), Shannon Elizabeth and Monica Keena (Freddy vs. Jason) have all signed on the dotted line for the remake, with Mother of Tears scribe Adam Gierasch at the helm.

If you aren't familiar with Night of the Demons, here is a quick primer: Ten teens in the tradition of "stupid teenagers in danger" films everywhere decide to have their Halloween party at an abandoned funeral home called Hull House (get it? It's like Hell...spooky). After performing a séance, a demon is awakened that possesses the party hostess, and then it's only a matter of time until they are offed in a variety of gruesome ways. Shock's sources claim that Elizabeth will take over the role of the possessed party hostess, Angela, and I can only guess that the other two will be adding to the body count. Demons was originally scheduled to begin shooting last spring, but the production will now begin mid-September in New Orleans

Well, it has been a long time since I first saw the original film, so maybe I'm overestimating the quality. But I can't help think it would be for the best to keep this flick a fond memory rather than a crappy update, how about you?

You can't keep a good monster dead. Bloody Disgusting is reporting that New Line Cinema is "actively developing another Nightmare on Elm Street movie." Bloody Disgusting broke the news nearly two years ago that New Line was planning a prequel to the horror series that began in 1984; as Scott Weinberg posted, it would have covered "the back-story of the pre-dead Freddy Krueger, his unseemly relationship with numerous small children, and the neighborhood parents who strike back ... thereby creating an undead boogeyman who'll haunt them for the next 8 movies." Robert Englund, who played Freddy Krueger, and versatile director John McNaughton were attached to the project.

Those plans have reportedly been scrapped. Instead of an origin story, like the recent Halloween "re-imagination" perpetrated by Rob Zombie, the new Nightmare will be ... something else. New Line is throwing around ideas, apparently, without anything being locked down. Of course, with the ongoing writers' strike, they can't write anything down or have any writer pitch them anything. I imagine a roomful of bedraggled execs, some of whom have never seen any of the Nightmare movies, sitting around a big table, drinking stale coffee, and trying to come up with a new story line. "Can we send him into space in the future? How about if he terrorizes a big city? What if we do it from the POV of a bunch of kids with video cameras?"

In related Freddy Krueger news, Bloody Disgusting's source at New Line says that there are no immediate plans for a sequel to Freddy vs. Jason. Note: the emphasis is on "immediate," which sounds to me like they're putting this on the back burner and maybe allowing a few more years to pass before resurrecting the deranged duo.

Depending on your point of view, this is either very good or very bad news. Shock Til You Drop is reporting that the much-discussed Friday the 13th update will not be a remake of the classic 1980 flick. According to sources, writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift (Freddy vs. Jason) will not be re-writing the original story. Going one step further, Shock reports that the flick would not be an origin story of any kind. Instead, Shock reports that the film will take place, "somewhere between parts two and four". As any horror fan knows, the story of Jason Voorhees and his reign of terror at Camp Crystal Lake is one of the cornerstones of 80's horror, and the thought of a remake had plenty of fans all up in arms. Texas Chainsaw Massacre director Marcus Nispel hopped onboard a few weeks ago to direct.

Just last week Scott had reported that there were still some details to iron out with the script; mainly how they were going to work around the fact that Jason did not really appear in the films until Part 2. As we all know, it was good old Mommy dearest doing the dispatching in the first film. If Shock's sources can be trusted then this means Nispel won't have to worry about how to work in the big daddy of slashers and his trusty goalie mask and they can just start fresh. Stay tuned for any official word on whether or not we will be seeing a "stronger, faster, better" Jason headed our way. Friday the 13th is set for release February 13, 2009.

For whatever reason, the other day my friend and I were watching Mission Impossible III. I had only seen it once in the theater, and remembered digging it, so we decided to throw it on the boob tube (in glorious HD) to take in another screening. During one of the many Tom Cruise jokes we were cracking ('Remember when this movie came out, and they said Cruise could run, like, 40mph?'), we started talking about what it would look like if the character of Ethan Hunt was brought into another franchise. I immediately thought it might be fun to merge the Bourne franchise and the Mission Impossible franchise -- ya know, make it so Ethan Hunt's next mission is to track down Jason Bourne (Matt Damon). For some reason (I dunno, maybe it was one too many birthday cocktails), I thought that would be a swell idea. Of course, my friend was adamant about James Bond also making an appearance; if only to pop into one scene to go, "Hey, I'm British." The Bourne Impossible 4: Things Get Tougher. Anyone? Anyone?

It was during that conversation where we began to discuss what other franchise cross-overs would look cool on the big screen. Of course, we already have a Freddy vs. Jason movie, and the Alien vs. Predator franchise is about to churn out another one of those flicks, but there have to be other characters that you'd like to see meet on screen for the first time. Heck, if it were up to me, I'd throw Superman, Batman and Spider-Man in the same film -- but make it a romantic comedy -- and work in a premise that has all three superheroes fighting over the same girl. Killer! Or, how about a film that teams up John McClane and Axel Foley? We could call it Die You Filthy Beverly Hills Cop. Oh man, I'm such a genius.

So, I ask you: Which franchise cross-overs would you like to see happen? And don't worry about which studio owns what, just have fun with it.

Just when you thought all signs were pointing toward Sam Raimi directing a big-screen adaptation of The Hobbit, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Columbia Pictures has picked up a high-concept action-adventure script for Raimi to produce (along with partner Josh Donen) through their Buckaroo Entertainment. No word yet on whether Raimi will also helm, but word is the project has definite franchise potential. Penned by Freddy vs. Jason scribes Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, studio is also looking to fast track the pic ... because it's just that awesome.

Based on the description alone, I guess you can say it's like Night at the Museum meets Shrek meets (insert a number of fantasy films here). Story centers on a cynical guy from New York who must travel to some mysterious far-off land, untouched by modern civilization, in order to help save a village and a princess from a bunch of evil fairy tale creatures. I'm thinking someone like Vince Vaughn (or, if they want younger, Jake Gyllenhaal) might be at the top of the "actors being considered" list. Surprisingly, even though the plot description was released, the title is being kept under wraps -- why, exactly, we have no idea. I mean, how much can a title give away? If Raimi does decide to direct, it could spell the end of his involvement with that other (something about a spider dude from Queens?) lucrative franchise.