19 Tuesday Sep 2017
Posted in Horror Movies, Movies, Uncategorized
It Remains #1
It (2017) remained in the #1 position this week by taking in an additional $120 million. Since being released 2 weeks ago, the horror movie has reached $371 million in worldwide ticket sales. Although there has not been an official announcement on Chapter Two, bank on it. Chapter One’s production budget was $35 million. Apparently, clowns are popular.
12 Tuesday Sep 2017
Posted in Horror Movies, Movies, stephen king, Uncategorized
5 Things to Know Before Viewing IT
Spoiler Ahead…
11 Monday Sep 2017
Posted in Clowns, Horror Movies, Movie Reviews, Movies, stephen king, Uncategorized
It (2017) Slashes the Competition
Variety.com reports that It has had the 3rd highest domestic opening in 2017. Produced on an estimated budget of $35 million dollars, the movie raked in $117 million in the US, plus another $62 million abroad. It killed the competition.
Stephen King unleashed Pennywise on unsuspecting readers back in 1986 with his mammoth 1,300+ page turner It. The book spawned a mini-series but has been resurrected in a full-length motion picture. This has been one of the most highly anticipated movies that has taken several years to reach fruition. And it was worth the wait!
“Pennywise The Dancing Clown” cavorts deep within the belly of the town of Derry, Maine, feeding off the fears of children and teenagers. He entices kids with buoyant red balloons, promising “You’ll float, too.” Director Andy Muschietti delivers. It is every bit of scary as the novel—just in a different order. It should be screened in the movie theater so viewers may experience crowd reactions.
The film remains true to the basic premise of the story; however, scenes were updated to keep in line with the 80s. (The soundtrack is pretty rad, too.) The 2017 It is actually Chapter One. This R-rated, 135 minute movie introduces viewers to the cursed town of Derry, Maine, and the 7 teenagers who will tame the clown back into his hole. Spoiler: The movie jumps to 1988 as the starting point; whereas, the novel is set in the late 50s. Chapter Two will jump 27 years where these same teens are now successful adults summoned back to Derry for one last battle.
The sequel has been announced with Muschietti returning to direct. Bill Skarsġard’s performance as Pennywise was wickedly hair-raising. Start the petitions for him to reprise the role! Hopefully production begins soon so current audiences don’t have to wait 27 years to finally find out what drives It.
07 Thursday Sep 2017
Posted in Horror Movies, Movies, Uncategorized
Tags
It Debuts Tomorrow
Stephen King’s motion picture adaptation of his widely popular novel It arrives in theaters tomorrow, although the official release date is Friday, September 8th. The highly anticipated remake divides the 1300+ page book into two parts. Part one focuses on the seven children as they battle Pennywise. Part two jumps 27 years into the future with the same group going at it again. The production date and potential dates have not been released. New Line Cinema is sitting on this information; however, it is highly unlikely there won’t be a part 2. It’s just a matter of scheduling.
Filmed between $70-80 million dollars, the movie is sure to earn it back. Rated R and running 2 hours and 15 minutes, It has already raked in favorable reviews. In the end: We’ll all float, too.
21 Monday Aug 2017
Posted in Horror Movies, Movies, Uncategorized
≈ Comments Off on More Trailers for It Drop
Tags
More Trailers for It Drop
New Line Cinema has dropped more trailers for the highly anticipated reboot of Stephen King’s It. The trailers focus on the 7 tweens who comprise “The Losers Club,” the group of kids destined to rid the town of Derry, Maine of Pennywise.
The trailers can be viewed at the movie’s official website, http://itthemovie.com/.
It debuts September 8th. Remember: You’ll float, too.
18 Friday Aug 2017
Posted in Dolls, Horror Movies, Uncategorized
≈ Comments Off on Annabelle: Creation Released Last Week
Annabelle: Creation Released Last Week
The next movie in the Conjuring family was released last week. Annabelle: Creation, the second in the Annabelle storyline, has grossed $72 million since debuting on August 11th. The popularity of the movie may be attributed to the highly successful Conjuring family of films beginning in 2013 by James Wan. Wan’s films are produced on low budgets (hard to believe that $15 million is a low budget film!); however, they are incredibly profitable. For instance, consider these statistics: The Conjuring (2013) cost $20 million dollars and grossed $318 million worldwide; Annabelle I (2014) cost $6.5 million dollars while grossing $252 million dollars worldwide. Next up are The Nun and The Crooked Man. And this isn’t Wan’s only film franchise. He’s got the Saw films and Insidious. Even though Annabelle doesn’t rake in the most money, it makes enough to secure a third installment. Audiences are drawn to these horror films for various reasons. One is pediophobia, the fear of dolls.
Museum collections have dolls of all types. The oldest doll is made of stone and dates back 4,000 years. The toy doll industry grew 10% from 2015 to 2016 and comprises $2.88 billion dollars of the $26 billion dollar toy industry. Dolls are popular. They serve various purposes, such as teaching how to tend to babies. They also console children. But somewhere in their evolution, they became creepy.
The horror genre has lots of creepy dolls. Think Child’s Play, Puppet Master, and Poltergeist. In 1970, Masahiro Mori theorized that people didn’t like dolls because their minds could not reconcile the fake doll face with reality. The more realistic looking the doll, the more unsettling people felt about the doll. He called this the “uncanny valley.” See the chart for a better understanding. Basically, the more strange, or creepy, the face, the more uneasy people felt around them. This may explain while Wan changed the original “Annabelle” Raggedy Ann doll and decided to use a porcelain doll. The porcelain doll is creepier on the “uncanny valley” scale.
Film audiences love creepy dolls. If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, give Annabelle: Creation a try. In the meantime, read this excellent scholarly article about dolls: “The History of Creepy Dolls,” http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-creepy-dolls-180955916/.
16 Wednesday Aug 2017
Posted in Horror Movies, Marthasville, Paranormal, Uncategorized
≈ Comments Off on Marthasville–Yeah, I’m a Screenwriter, too
Marthasville—Yeah, I’m a Screenwriter, too
My writing career has taken many paths. In addition to writing blogs and legal motions, I write screenplays. Actually, my undergraduate degree is in Cinematography, back when we hiked across campus with our Super 8 cameras and spent our evenings in the audio booth splicing double tracks hoping to God they aligned with the video, which was shipped to Seattle for development. The days before video cameras and smartphones and computer software editing programs. And way before screenwriting software. (I now see retro typewriters are having a revival) Screenwriting was placed on the back-burner as I focused on other pursuits and mixed media art. Now, it, too, is having a revival. I have partnered with playwright Duane Willoughby to write horror movies.
Our first screenplay is tentatively titled Marthasville. I combines what we know best: comedy (Duane) and the paranormal (me). A family is brutally murdered in the late 60s. The small Georgia town is torn apart. Fifty years later the secret is released onto the town.
That’s all I can divulge at the moment. Watch this space for updates.
15 Tuesday Aug 2017
Posted in Famous People, Horror Movies, In the News, Movies, Pet Sematary, Uncategorized
≈ Comments Off on Is Pet Sematary Getting a Reboot?
Is Pet Sematary Getting a Reboot?
Talk has circulated since 2015 of a possible reboot to the cult-classic Pet Sematary (1989). The original generated $57 million in US ticket sales with another $26.4 million in rentals. It was profitable; however, some felt the adaptation of Stephen King’s novel lacked horror luster. Enter Juan Carlos Fresnadillo.
Fresnadillo co-wrote and directed 28 Days Later (2007), a horror/sci-fi hybrid. He was attached to the reboot in 2015 and remained with the project until 2017. Reports of character casting spread in 2016, with the hopes of getting “the best of the best.” However, IMDb.com does not even list a reboot/sequel/adaptation. Therefore, fans were on hold thinking that the project has been shelved … until last week.
Buzz about a reboot began last week. New Line Cinemas is releasing It (2017), another insanely popular Stephen King adaptation, on September 8th. Director Andrés (Andy) Muschietti is finalizing the first installment and is committed to the sequel, set to begin production in 2018. However, he has been dropping large hints—huge hints—that he would love to tackle Pet Sematary. His selling point: “We are true fans of [Stephen King’s] work.” Cross your fingers and your toes, Pet Sematary may get an upgrade. Stay tuned.
11 Friday Aug 2017
Posted in Famous Locations, Famous People, Horror Movies, Pet Sematary, Real Estate, stephen king, Uncategorized
≈ Comments Off on Pet Sematary House for Sale
Pet Sematary House for Sale
Although Stephen King has not lived in the house located at 664 River Road, Orrington, Maine, since 1979, the house plays a large role in the horror genre. King rented the house while he was a writer-in-residence at the University of Maine—Orono. The house sits along a busy highway, a negative for selling; however, it inspired one of King’s most popular novels Pet Sematary.
The 4 bedroom/3 bathroom house sits on 3 acres. Built in 1904 it features hardwood floors, custom built-in shelving, two fireplaces, and a spacious sunroom. It’s listed at $255,000.
King’s daughter, Naomi, had a cat named Smucky who was killed by a truck. The family buried the cat in the pet cemetery that borders the rear of the property. Inspiration struck and King began writing his book. The novel debuted in 1983 and became a best-seller. It was adapted to a film in 1989. The production budget was $11.5 million. Combined movie ticket and DVD sales total more than $83 million. It spawned a sequel.
Although the film was shot in Maine, a different house was used. King often states this is the book that scares him the most. Luckily, he does not remember the house as sinister or evil. Actually, he barely remembers the house…only the busy highway.
Log on to Zillow.com to view pictures. Hopefully, one of you purchases the property. It would make a fantastic bed and breakfast.
17 Monday Jul 2017
Posted in Famous People, Horror Movies, In the News, R.I.P., Uncategorized, Zombies
≈ Comments Off on Zombie Icon George Romero Has Died
Zombie Icon George Romero Has Died
George Romero turned zombies into box office magic in 1968 with his Night of the Living Dead. Mr. Romero succumbed to complications from lung cancer on Sunday, July 16, 2017. He was 77 years old. He loved attending horror conventions, and his fans adored him. He will be missed.
Check out some of the in-depth tributes from these publications:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-me-george-romero-20170716-story,amp.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/16/movies/george-romero-dead.html?_r=0
