hellraiser Tagged Articles at Cinematical

If your calendar from here to Halloween isn't already filled with candy-fueled bacchanals, come to Meltdown Comics' Sunset Blvd. location in Los Angeles on Thursday evening for an in-store appearance by Clive Barker, Chris Monfette and Ray Zone, who collaborated on a new comic book entitled Seduth. Barker, who previously worked on adaptations of his own work and original material in the medium, enlisted Monfette's help to come up with a new, original story, while Zone expertly rendered images for it – in 3-D, no less.

Barker's public appearance just days before Halloween seems remarkably appropriate given his career-long commitment to the 'dark arts': in addition to his work in comics, he's not only a renowned novelist, but a filmmaker, having directed Hellraiser and Nightbreed, and effectively created Candyman. Monfette, meanwhile, is also working on an adaptation of Barker's short story Down, Satan, and wrote an original script entitled Deep Cuts that is being shepherded into production by American Originals producer Jeff Katz. And Zone is the "King of 3-D Comics," with hundreds of credits as an artist and producer of 3-D print work.

Barker, Monfette and Zone will be on hand for a question-and-answer session starting at 6PM, and then the trio will sign copies of the book after 7:00. If you can't make it but want an autographed copy, click here to purchase one in advance, and check out Meltdown Comics' official site for driving directions and more information about the event.

"Listen to this!" A friend pressed the ringer on his BlackBerry, and it played the theme to The Omen, "Ave Satani" by Jerry Goldsmith, which he'd assigned to a particularly heinous client of his. Another friend had, for a time, assigned a relative the unforgettable score from Halloween as composed by writer/director John Carpenter himself. And I'm sure somewhere there is someone with the theme from The Exorcist, which was written by Mike Oldfield.

Ringtones aside, there's no denying that a deft soundtrack or score can ratchet up the tension in any movie, especially one that uses droning noises and other disturbing, almost subliminal effects that can slip past the viewer and straight into our brain. Some of my favorite spooky soundtracks sure to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end include the above, naturally, but there are a few that need some love as well.

Read the rest at Horror Squad!

Only a few days after Bob Weinstein announced a whole slew of upcoming projects based on existing franchises (including a new Scream trilogy, Spy Kids IV 3D, Halloween 3D, Scanners and Hellraiser), there's now talk that Summit Entertainment (aka Home of the Twilight Saga) may be interested in acquiring either The Weinstein Co. or MGM (both of which are currently trying to dodge buckets full of money woes). Not only that, but Deadline Hollywood also reports that the Weinstein boys have decided to shelve Halloween 3D for now since they felt the production schedule (one that had them shooting in November for an August release) was too rushed, though perhaps these talks of a merger also played a part in that decision. DH claims, however, that Weinstein plans to start Halloween 3D once director Patrick Lussier is free to shoot it (he's working on another film in January, so chances are H3D won't start until sometime in the middle of next year if it happens at all).

Instead of Halloween 3D, though, The Weinstein Co. will be re-releasing Halloween 2 on Halloween -- a move that's left most fans scratching their heads, wondering why they never released a film called Halloween on Halloween to begin with. Part of that reasoning was due to not wanting to compete with the Saw franchise, and when the first Halloween killed (no pun intended) at the box office in August, it was pretty obvious the Weinstein boys would once again try their luck then instead of at the end of October. I'd be curious to see if the re-release decision pays off, and kids looking for a theme and some uneven scares will crowd the multiplex instead of spray shaving cream all over their neighbor's brand new Mercedes. What do you think?

Meanwhile, we'll be keeping a real close eye on this Summit thing ...

Who knows what finally convinced Neve Campbell to return to the Scream franchise, but according to Variety (and Bob Weinstein), she'll join both Courteney Cox and David Arquette in a fourth installment set to begin production in April or May. This fourth installment will be the first in a new trilogy, and The Weinstein Co. is in talks with Wes Craven to helm at least the first film. No word on whether Campbell and the Cox-Arquette duo will stay on past the first flick or be hacked up five minutes in (I'd vote for the latter).

The Weinstein Co. have been battling rumors of money trouble for awhile now, letting go of employees and delaying films due to lack of funds and manpower. Now, though, Bob Weinstein says the company will be returning to some of the franchises that helped produce box office, and in addition to three new Scream films, they're bringing Robert Rodriguez back to write and direct Spy Kids IV in 3D, with production on that set to begin in March of 2010 (so much for Sin City 2 ...). Also on the agenda for Weinstein is a third Halloween movie in 3D, as well as remakes of Hellraiser, Scanners (in 3D), Short Circuit and American Werewolf in London. On whether Weinstein will be able to handle all these films without bankrupting the company or delaying release dates for years on end, Bob notes, " ... there is no question that financing is readily available to produce and market these films."

Guess we'll see about that ...

If I were a more superstitious person, I would start to think that Dimension's Hellraiser remake is cursed. It has been a long time since Clive Barker first signed on to help re-write his original story for the screen ... again, but here we are three years later and not a day closer to a finished product. The last anyone had heard was that Pascal Laugier (Martyrs) had signed up to direct. But, thanks to an update from Barker's Twitter feed, we now know that "Pascal Laugier is regrettably no longer on the Hellraiser remake. I think Martyrs is extraordinary, I don't know much more. I mean why would anyone tell me? I mostly discover these things here or through friends who still buy the trades."

The horror-remake has had a revolving door cast for a couple of years now, and Laugier isn't the first director to walk. Originally, the French directors Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury (Inside / A l'interieur) were supposed to be shooting Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton's script, but Bustillo and Maury soon left the film thanks to "creative differences." Laugier was supposed to be their replacement, and we might be back to square one now that rumors are swirling that Dimension has plans to commission an entirely new script as well.

After the jump: so, will Hellraiser ever get made? Plus some of my fantasy picks for a new director.

There's nothing quite like a father incensed with possible harm to his kid and fighting the odds to find and save her. But it's familiar. We've been there, and seen that. So, what would that be like with a French director who freaked out film festival audiences with Martyrs? The Hollywood Reporter posts that Pascal Laugier has been tapped to write and direct a new supernatural thriller called Details. Based on a short story by China Mieville, the film follows a dad obsessed with finding his missing daughter. However, this isn't a simple case of kidnapping -- she disappears after "stirring up dark forces." But if you want something more familiar, the man is also bringing us the Hellraiser remake.

In other news...

Are you ready? Hollywood is bringing us a romcom that will strap us in seats for a full month of romantic comedy! Okay, not quite, but The Hollywood Reporter does say that Lionsgate has picked up a spec by new writer Corinne Kingsbury called 31 Days of Larry. So far, we've got one lone word to describe it: "irreverent." Let's hope that doesn't mean a romcom starring Kevin James, as he's romanced by Adam Sandler. I'm a bit tarnished on the whole "Larry" on the big screen thing. (Not James, just anything that reminds me of that film.)

It is no secret that horror maestro Clive Barker has not had good luck lately with feature films. But to his credit, it hasn't made him bitter about seeing his work translated for the big screen. In an interview with MTV, Barker got the chance to weigh in on the upcoming remake of Hellraiser for Dimension Films -- and judging from his comments, he seems to be in a good place with the project. Barker told MTV, "I never get tired of revisiting [characters] if there is a good story to be told." He seemed genuinely excited about what he has planned for the story of a puzzle box from another dimension and the 'human pin-cushion'.

Back in February, Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton were hired to work on the re-write of the Barker-approved script. But the project had another setback when the French directing duo of Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo (À l'intérieur) left the project due to "creative differences." So for now it looks like Pin-Head and the Gang are without a director. Hopefully, Dimension can get the ball rolling on the remake, because I don't think Barker could take another disappointment at the box office.

After the jump...find out what Barker really thinks about PG-13 horror.

One of the most ferociously entertaining horror flicks of the past several years is Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury's Inside (aka A l'interieur), which will be hitting DVD a little later this year. We already knew that the Frenchmen had been tapped to direct the Hellraiser remake for Dimension, but the project recently got bumped back to 2009.

Now that the strike is over, the producers can take some steps towards getting the flick moving. To that end, horror-lovin' screenwriters Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton have been hired to help get the new (Barker-approved) Hellraiser ... raised. Genre fans will remember Marc and Pat from their debut flick Feast, plus they also joined the Twisted team last year when they provided the screenplay for Saw 4. (And yes, they also worked on Feast 2. And Saw 5. Oh, and Feast 3.)

According to Shock, the duo also have The Midnight Man in production with Dimension, so obviously the studio likes these guys. More word on Hellraiser, Inside, Saw 5, The Midnight Man, and the new Feasts as it becomes available.

The name Doug Bradley might not ring any bells right away -- except of course if you're a serious horror fan. Mr. Bradley holds the distinction of playing the immortal Pinhead in all eight of the Hellraiser films. So when I heard that A) the first four flicks in the series would soon be broadcast in Hi-Def, and B) I'd be able to share a few moments chatting with the British actor ... needless to say, I was more than interested. Below, we talk all things Hellraiser, and ask Bradley if he's involved in the new Hellraiser remake. (Regarding the Hellraiser HD marathon, it'll play on the Monsters HD network on October 27 and 28, beginning at 9pm on both evenings. Click here for more info.) And now on with the conversation...

Cinematical: Pinhead was your first role in a feature film. Did it ever occur to you that the character could go on to have this sort of shelf life?

Doug Bradley: Absolutely not..For two reasons: Firstly, in the first film I'd been paid union minimum rates for a character with no name completely in latex on screen for less than 10 minutes -- so I didn't think it was going to amount to much, but I was excited to play the part. The makeup was extraordinary and the film was so different than any horror film I'd known of. Secondly, as an actor you don't think like that and you shouldn't look at it like that. You should be focused on the work as work and not looking at it as a meal ticket or the next big franchise. If you had told me the first day I started on Hellraiser that 20 years later I'd be here (conducting this interview) and have the type of fans I have, I wouldn't have known what planet I was on.

Cinematical: Do you find that being known as a "horror icon" has prevented you from acquiring roles in different genres? Is there a downside to being a "horror guy"?

DB: I don't think being known as a "horror icon" has prevented me and I've never looked at it as a downside. I suppose if they're casting for comedies, they don't automatically think to themselves that guy who plays Pinhead in Hellraiser seems terribly funny. You have genre roles and genre filmmakers looking for you. I was a fan of horror films long before I even knew I wanted to be an actor, so I definitely don't look at this as a downside. I have no problem with being in this genre and I haven't found a downside. The fans are wonderful and everything is tremendous fun.

Sure, it's easy enough to find the up-side of the handsome hunks of horror film. Hunks are easy. They're (mostly) hot, with their nicely whitened teeth and their hair product-styled to perfection, their six-pack abs, their ... sorry, where was I? Oh, right. Hunks versus Slashers. Jeff and Monika have already brought you the hottest hunks and chicks of horror; guess who drew the short straw and had to pick the slashers? (Actually, I volunteered for this one, so I guess that says something freaky about me ... ) My mission: to determine the hottest horror slashers (at least, according to me). These are the bad boys of horror you just can't stop thinking about, the ones who keep popping up in your dreams ... or nightmares. Whether they slash with blades on their fingers, roque mallets, or your basic kitchen knife, these are the boys you don't want to bring home to introduce to the folks over Sunday dinner ... unless you want your family to be the main course.

Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates (Psycho) My mother always told me: Never date a mama's boy. Little Normie's devotion to his mother was sweet, sure, but his methods of showing it left a little to be desired. But you have to admit, there's something about a guy who might stab you through the shower curtain if the mood strikes that guarantees that you'll never be bored while getting ready for your big date night. Anthony Perkins' striking performance as Norman Bates set the bar for horror slashers for decades -- even after all these years, watching Psycho still sends shivers up your spine. (View the trailer for Psycho or go straight to the gallery!)

Doug Bradley as Pinhead (Hellraiser) Sure, all those nails stuck into his skull give new meaning to the word "hammered" -- not to mention making it a little tricksy to coordinate outfits for those hot dates to movie premieres -- but at least, in his own bizarrely twisted way, Pinhead had a sense of fair play. Of course, if you make the wrong choice, your evening is gonna go downhill in a hurry. There's nothing like giant fishhooks pulling your flesh 14 different ways to put a damper on date night. On the plus side, though, you're probably pretty safe being walked home after dinner by a guy who looks like he had a close encounter with a nail gun, on purpose. (View the trailer for Hellraiser ... or go straight to the gallery!)