I realize that headline might seem a little confusing, so here's a simple breakdown: Darren Lynn Bousman, the young filmmaker who co-wrote and directed Saw 2 and Saw 3, is about to start his third project for Lionsgate and Twisted Films. It's called Repo! The Genetic Opera and it sounds pretty wild. The Hollywood Reporter provides us with the scoop as well as this plot synopsis: "...set in the not-so-distant future where an epidemic of organ failures devastates the planet, killing tens of millions. As scientists feverishly make plans for a massive organ harvest, a multi-billion dollar biotech company, GeneCo manufactures salvation but for a price, offering easy organ payment plans."

The screenplay was written by Terrance Zdunich and Darren Smith, and is based on their stage play of the same name. Apparently Mr. Bousman fell in love with the script after reading it, and his backers approved the project after sitting through the director's 12-minute promo reel. Post-apocalypse? Plagues? Organ transplants? Count me in. If you're also among the intrigued, check out the official Repo! website.

Anyone who's seen Saw 3 knows that it'll be pretty tough to come up with a viable screenplay for Saw 4. Not saying it's impossible, but let's just say the incoming Sawmakers will have to pull a few fancy tricks ... and fast, since Saw 4 has already been scheduled for an October release date.

It's been widely reported that James Wan, Leigh Whannell and Darren Lynn Bousman participated in Saw 3 only out of respect for their deceased producer/friend Gregg Hoffman -- and while I'm sure the trio didn't exactly complain about their Part 3 paychecks, the guys probably have other things they want to do with their careers besides Saw 17, right? Right. Which is why Lionsgate is presently fielding ideas from a wide array of screenwriters, two of whom (according to Bloody-Disgusting.com) just released their very first horror flick.

Yeah, the two Project Greenlight knuckleheads who wrote Feast are (allegedly) among the running for the Saw 4 gig. Also known as Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, the pair have a variety of projects on numerous back-burners, but a Saw sequel has to seem sort of like a lottery ticket to guys like this.

Also, Feast is a whole lot of wet, splattery, gore-soaked fun. So there's that.

If there's one thing the media really loves to do, it's lump a bunch of barely-connected people into an ill-fitting group -- and then give that group a clever name. Whether it's The Rat Pack, The Brat Pack or The Splat Pack, I just get irked whenever a new "pack" makes it into the cultural lexicon. Oh, you're not familiar with that last one? Yeah, it's a moniker that's been given to a bunch of "new" horror filmmakers, one that seems to imply that these guys get together every weekend to smoke weed and watch Halloween 2 together.

According to a recent article in Time Magazine, one that seems to approach horror flicks the same way a prissy schoolmarm would approach some inappropriate comic books, the members of "The Splat Pack" are Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel), Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, The Descent), Alex Aja (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes), Rob Zombie (House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects), and James Wan, Leigh Whannell and Darren Lynn Bousman of the Saw trilogy. (Apparently Wolf Creek director Greg McLean was part of the original pack, although he goes unmentioned in the Time article, probably because he hasn't made much money yet.)

But what do these guys have in common, really, other than the fact that they all make horror flicks? I see Americans, Brits, Aussies and a Frenchman in the mix, and while some of the guys are fresh-faced and 20-something, guys like Roth have been toiling away in backstage anonymity for years. Plus, c'mon, Rob Zombie is 42 years old, so how exactly does he tie in with these kids? And why is it that Neil Marshall never seems to be quoted in these articles? Is he just included because his horror movies are ... GOOD? Apparently the Splat Pack label was created by Alan Jones of Total Film, and I'm sure the guy's an absolute expert on horror flicks -- but labels create limits, exclusions and oversights. And, ultimately, articles like this one, I suppose. (Either way, I bet Jones bangs out a book called The Splat Pack by the end of 2008.)

The UK's Christopher Smith (Creep, Severance) is young and horror-heavy, so why isn't he a member of The Pack? Shouldn't (Dawn of the Dead screenwriter, Slither director) James Gunn be one of the den mothers? Lucky McKee has made only two feature films (May and The Woods), but they're both downright excellent pieces of horror. Why's he not a member? Uwe Boll's done a bunch of horror flicks that could be accurately described as " laden with torture," so why not throw him an invitation? You want a guy who loves the word splat? Try Jake West, the guy who directed Evil Aliens. Plus I read another article a while back in which Jonathan Liebesman (Darkness Falls, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning) was considered a member of The SP! Now, if that guy can be considered some sort of "future of horror," I'll eat my hat.

The common themes among the Splat Packers are ... what? They all like horror movies, they don't shy away from intense chills, harsh themes or copious gore, and they're all carbon-based life forms, I guess. But really: Does anyone out there think the work of Eli Roth is even remotely similar to that of Neil Marshall? Does a Rob Zombie flick remind you of what was seen in, say, High Tension? I mean, if you're going to define a term, then define it. And as a big fan of just about all these movies, I just gotta scratch my head when I hear these guys lumped together in one basket.

And what happens when guys like Ryan Schifrin (Abominable), Adam Green (Hatchet), J.T. Petty (S&Man) Scott Glosserman (Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon), Jon Levine (All the Boys Love Mandy Lane) and Adam Mason (Broken) start to make their way up the ranks? Will we have the arrival of Splat Pack 2: The New Generation? Back in the late '70s/early '80s, did we need a goofy little heading to remember names like Carpenter, Hooper, Craven, Dante, Landis and Cunningham?

Ultimately, I have no real point. I'd just seen the phrase "Splat Pack" one too many times and felt the need to vent. Opposing viewpoints are welcome, as long as they agree with my own opinions.

If I were to approach you during a New Years Eve party and say "Hey, I bet there'll be a New Years Eve NEXT year, too!" -- you'd probably walk away very quickly, or ask me where the bar is. That's pretty much how I feel about this next piece of mini-news:

Saw 4: Next October.

Boasting a track record of consistency not seen since the halcyon days of the Police Academy series, the Saw flicks keep on arriving with remarkable tenacity. Whether or not this is a good thing is entirely up to you, of course -- but I don't see anyone holding a gun to the heads of the squeamish and forcing them to enjoy Jigsaw's evil schemes.

Most recent word is that Jiggy himself, Tobin Bell, has been signed "for five sequels," and also that the Sawmakers are presently scouring Southern California for a few new scribes. (Hey, you try coming up with six horrifically cinematic torture devices every dang year!) Apparently the fate of Saw 4 lies within the box office returns of next weekend's Saw 3 -- but considering that the first two films cost about $6 million combined and have grossed over $245 million around the globe, well, it doesn't take a brain scientist to figure out the math.

In related news, the Saw movies are not for children. Just sayin'.

Well, this is weird. For the bulk of my 30+ years on this planet, there's been no such thing as a "televised horror awards" presentation, and now, not 15 minutes removed from geeking out over the newly-announced Fangoria Chainsaw Awards nominations -- I come across the Spike TV Scream Awards nominations! Cool!

Now, with all due respect to Spike TV and their cool new concept, I gotta say the Fango Chainsaw noms are just a little bit cooler. But hey, there's no law that says the horror freaks can't hang their hat on TWO new awards presentations. Frankly I think we could use a few more enthusiastic celebrations of juicy genre filmmaking.

Anyway, the Screams seem to run a lot like the Chainsaws do: Check out all the categories and nominees (after the jump) and then head on over to SpikeTV.com and cast your own votes! This is particularly amusing for the horror nuts -- because we're nothing if not passionately opinionated on which horror flicks rock and which ones suck the proverbial egg. Spike TV broadcasts their Scream Awards on the evening of October 10th.

A few days ago, Slither-maker James Gunn mentioned on his MySpace page that his adorably splattery sci-fi horror rom-com was the receipient of four Fangoria Chainsaw Award nominations. My response was "Hey, cool. Where are the rest of the nominations?!?!?" And now, a few days later, here they are. Neat-o.

Although Fangoria has been doing their annual Chainsaw awards for over a decade now, 2006 marks the very first time the event will be televised, much to the delight of zombie freaks and slasher geeks all over North America. The event will be held in L.A. on October 15th, although the Fuse Network won't be airing it until the 22nd. (Which means if you want to watch the event "un-spoiled," I wish you luck.) Want to throw your own votes into the tally? Fine. You can vote right here, but only between September 1st and 13th (which is a Friday, mwaahaaa!)

After the jump you'll find a complete list of all the 2006 Chainsaw nominees, plus my own predictions on which flicks would win if the event were called Amazing Geek Weinberg's Horror Awards instead of The Chainsaws.

Yeah, so I dig the Saw movies. Sue me. But as part of a society that adores American Idol, professional wrestling, and NASCAR, I don't feel all that guilty about enjoying a few crafty little gore flicks. Anyway, Lionsgate and Darren Bousman are just getting their second Saw sequel underway up in Canada, and they were cool enough to drop us a brief but interesting plot synopsis.

Seems Saw 3 will deal with a sexy young doctor who finds herself kidnapped and forced to keep ol' Jiggy alive while another poor sap tries to escape from one of the Saw-Man's patented Nasty Dungeons. Good enough for me!

The cast of Saw 3 includes Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith (of course), as well as newcomers Bahar Soomekh (as sexy doc) and Angus MacFadyen (as poor sap). I still can't find word on if Dina Meyer's coming back, darnit...

Friends and readers alike always seem to be pretty surprised when I express my outspoken affection for the original Saw -- as if there's something wrong with being a passionate horror nerd who likes to spread the word on what he considers to be the finest in low-budget American horror flicks. My experience with the first Saw is a night I'll always remember: It was at Sundance, a good nine months before the flick would ultimately hit theaters. It was a midnight show that I (and a close pal) snagged some tickets for ... and we walked through some ridiculously cold weather to devour the movie. And I loved it. (My review of the original Saw is still the #1 most-read review at HBS -- by a very very large margin.)

So then the movie came out and I was very pleased to notice that I was not alone. Tons of hardcore gorehounds adored the movie just as much as I did. Cool. And then came the sequel, which I thought was also quite good -- if not exactly up to the standard of Part 1 -- and now, in addition to the last mini-report we filed, come a few new buzzings on Part 3: Series regulars Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, and Dina Meyer will be back, and they'll be joined by a few Saw newcomers named Bahar Soomekh (Mission: Impossible 3) and Angus Macfadyen (Braveheart). Plus the official site was just launched ... because Lionsgate is nothing if not fully adept at selling these flicks to their target audience. True, the site offers very little besides a new Saw 3 logo and a message board for the fans to rant on ... but sue me, I'm a fan. Some people get jazzed for X-Men or Harry Potter or Jim Carrey. Me, I dig the horror flicks.

Saw's second sequel with be directed by Darren Bousman, who I think did a darn fine job on Saw 2. Lionsgate has staked out 10/27 for the release date. Damn, I love October.

Here's what we know already: Darren Lynn Bousman, the young filmmaker who cut his teeth on Saw 2, will be returning to direct Saw 3, which will arrive in theaters this October. Already signed to return are writer/producers James Wan & Leigh Whannell, and actors Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, and Donnie Wahlberg.

And today JoBlo treats us to a few more Saw-bits, none of which are all that dazzling, but they're intreresting enough if you're a big geeky fan of the Saw series -- like I so definitely am. Looks like Saw 3 is scheduled to begin production in Toronto on May 1st, and the casting directors are presently on the hunt for "Lynn, a married mother in her late 30s who is kidnapped by Jigsaw" and "Jeff, a dad who has never recovered fully after his son died. It was an accident but he's never been able to forgive himself."

Seems the producers are looking for "name actors" for these roles -- but ones who (obviously) don't already have a gig lined up for May. More details as they become available.

A good parody is hard to spin beyond the here and now. Take "Weird Al" Yankovic, for example. The pop-music jokester has put out 11 regular albums since 1983, when the accordian-playing nice guy's spoof of The Knack's "My Sharona" (titled "My Bologna" and recorded in the men's room of his college radio station) started his career as a musician, comedic icon and food fetishist when it blew up on The Dr. Demento Show. However, every hilarious and unforgettable cut like "Eat It", "Like A Surgeon" and "Smells Like Nirvana" that hit was matched by fade-away tracks like the New Kids jape "The White Stuff" (an ode to Oreos), the Rocky III goof "Theme From Rocky XIII (The Rye Or The Kaiser)" or the misjudgment "Taco Grande" (a riff on Latin rough-boy Gerardo's only hit, "Rico Suave"). The secret to a successful parody is complex, involving a careful balance of picking a song that is big enough, worthy of a good-natured dressing down and most important, funny. The same is true with movies, and the latest in the popular Scary Movie series is a great example of what can go right and wrong with such an attempt.