When you think Chris Carter, you think spooky, right? Well, don't feel bad, most of us do. But as it turns out, Carter very well might have pulled a fast one and is already directing another film right under our noses -- and no, it's not X-Files 3. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Carter is already hard at work on a dark coming-of-age drama called Fencewalker, starring Natalie Dormer (The Tudors), Katie Cassidy (daughter to David), Xzibit (fresh from the set X-Files), Derek Magyar and Meckah Brooks.

So far there are very few details about the project, and reps for the actors and Carter have not confirmed whether or not the production was even underway (seems like an awful lot of effort for an indie drama, but who am I to judge?). Little is known about the story as well, but THR did say that it's "essentially a coming-of-age semiautobiographical character piece with no supernatural elements" -- well, you can't blame a guy for wanting to fight against type. Fencewalker was described as a "passion project" for Carter, who also wrote the script and independently financed the flick.

If you're familiar with Carter's M.O. when it comes to keeping secrets, then a covert project isn't exactly outside the realm of possibility. (Besides, if he's making a film about himself, why wouldn't he keep it secret -- he's a hush hush kind of guy!) Think about it, the man already managed to shock us once already this year -- what's one more surprise?

One of the very few good movies that Bob Clark can claim to have directed is the 1974 holiday chiller Black Christmas, a film that's been accurately cited as one of the original inspirations for what's now known as the American Slasher Renaissance. Long before Jason grabbed an axe, Freddy sharpened his claws and Mikey hacked his big sister to death, there was a sorority house full of kids who were hacked up solid over Christmas break.

And yeah, you heard about it a while ago: MGM & Dimension decided that the flick was worthy of a remake, so they hired the two-man filmmaking unit that is Glen Morgan & James Wong (aka the guys who brought you Final Destination, The One and Willard) and ogled a late December release date. The original Black Christmas starred Margot Kidder, Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, John Saxon and Andrea Martin. The new version features the likes of Michelle Trachtenberg, Katie Cassidy, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Lacey Chabert and ... Andrea Martin.

So I'm taking bets now, horror fans: Go watch the new teaser and then answer this question: Will this be one of those good remakes (Chainsaw, Dawn, Hills) or one of the other (Amityville, Fog, Wax) ones?

The last we heard about the casting of Lucy Ewing in the Dallas movie, Erik told us that the dreaded Jessica Simpson had held meetings with Sony about the part; at the time her biggest competition was Miss Lindsay Lohan. Basically, it was a choice between the two most overexposed people on earth who aren't named Paris Hilton. Now, though, it seems as if the power of Simpson's boobs and Lohan's freckles were not enough to get the role: Sony turned them both down. MWHAHAHHAAAA!

According to a story on US Weekly's blog (Yes, they have one. Who knew?), the role has gone to Katie Cassidy (7th Heaven, Click, When a Stranger Calls), who beat out both Simpson and (wait for it) "actress" Kristin Cavallari for the part. (In the name of all that is holy, please let this be a sign Cavallari's 15 minutes are coming to an end.) The best thing abut the US story is that anonymous studio sources told them Simpson didn't get the part largely because of her reputation: "Producers wanted to steer clear of the drama." Not only that, but JLo herself was reportedly opposed to Simpson (and, it must be said, all big stars) as well, because "She doesn't want a diva on the set." Aw. Both a new divorcee AND a diva? Poor Jess.

[via Hollywood Wiretap]

Horror movies are blowing up the box office, so of course now we're going to start getting remakes of all the old ones for which the rights are available. Oh boy oh boy! Coming soon are The Hills Have Eyes (easily the least objectionable of the bunch - Wes Craven, who wrote and directed the original, is producing) and When a Stranger Calls (originally made in 1979), and just added to the list is yet another Black Christmas.

The movie, a remake of 1974's slasher classic, has a rather winning premise. A killer spends some time making nasty, scary phone calls to a sorority house before ramping up the horror with a series of murders. (Needless to say, all this takes place over Christmas break. But why the hell haven't the chicks gone home? Ah well. Bygones.) Set to star is Michelle Trachtenberg, who earned her sorority girl stripes as the appropriately feisty and whiny Dawn on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Joining her in director Glen Morgan's cast are fellow TV graduates Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Katie Cassidy and Oliver Hudson; the movie will go into production later this month.

While this remake is likely to appeal to young horror lovers who are new to the story, I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that fans of the original are extremely displeased by this news.