January 6th

The first week of January boasts the best title of the month, EDEN LAKE.  Finally had a chance to see it thanks to this DVD and I loved it.  Expect a review in a bit.  Not for the faint of heart.

Don’t know much about the other three, except that Eliza Dushku drops her top in THE ALPHABET KILLER for WRONG TURN director Rob Schmidt.

January 13th

The Man Eater series breaks into 2009 with YETI.  I’ve seen almost all of this series and none are good, but a few watchable in the best drunken way.  Cough, CROC, cough.  I love me some cryptozoology, though, so I’m bound to be an eventual victim of YETI.

In anticipation of the remake, which I think looks like a blast and I’m bummed I’ll likely miss in theaters, the original MY BLOODY VALENTINE gets a special edition DVD that seems not to skimp on the materials.  Haven’t heard of HIT AND RUN.

MIRRORS (review) may prove to be the make or break point of Alexandre Aja’s career.  I’m a fan of HIGH TENSION and in love with THE HILLS HAVE EYES, but his remake of INTO THE MIRRORS is as much a mess as the Korean original.  Not worth picking up.

January 20th

No one asked for BOOGEYMAN 2, so the Universe delivers a BOOGEYMAN 3.  SAW V (review) is the new low-point for the once pioneering franchise.  I haven’t seen REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA, Darren Lynn Bousman’s ‘rock opera’ musical, nor have I heard too high praise for it, but I will eventually get to it.  I’m a big fan of Anthony Stewart Head, so I’ll stomach Bousman’s grungy style to see Giles once again.

Perhaps, though likely not, better known by its native Norwegian title FRITT VILT, COLD PREY is a slasher title I’ve heard good things about for a while now.

I liked the first VACANCY.  Don’t think its great by any account, but I like it just fine.  VACANCY 2, of course, was not necessary, but I’ll give it a shot because I have a crush on THE WOODS’ Agnes Bruckner.

January 27th

If I recall correctly, reader Sean almost a year ago mentioned how awful GUTTERBALLS was and I’ve yet to see or hear anything that contradicts his assessment.

SHARKS IN VENICE (review) is one of the most disappointing, misleading Sci-Fi channel movies ever made.

Die hards can grab their collector’s edition of REDNECK ZOMBIES.

Closing out the month is the oh-so-cleverly titled SINGLE BLACK FEMALE.

Netflix’ing the Month:

1. EDEN LAKE
2. COLD PREY
3. MY BLOODY VALENTINE
4. REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA
5. VACANCY 2
6. THE ALPHABET KILLER

Not much to say other than enjoy Part Four of Horror’s Not Dead’s 2008 Retrospective.  Wasn’t a bad year, but now that all the major titles are in it, it wasn’t, as I like to say, good sex.

Part 1: January to March.
Part 2: April to June.
Part 3: July to September.
Part 4: October to December.
Part 5: Events.
Part 6: Awards. (coming)

Directed by David Hackl, 2008
Written by Patrick Melton & Marcus Dunstan

Due to an obscene obligation to see every horror movie that comes out theatrically within the first week of release, SAW V has the honor of being the first of the SAW films I’ve seen in theater.

Due to the obscene awfulness of SAW V, it now also has the honor of being the last of the SAW films I see in theater.

End of review.

Theatrical Trailers and Clips

• SAW V – Clip
• LET THE RIGHT ONE IN – Red Band trailer
• HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT – Trailer
• THE UNBORN – Trailer

Studio News and Attachments

• Paul W. S. Anderson is writing a RESIDENT EVIL 4 as well as a present-day remake of THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY.  Everyone wonders why to both.
• John Hillcoat’s adaptation of THE ROAD bumped from this November to an indeterminate point in ‘09.  Insert Sad face here.
• For those few still possibly interested despite the non-hype, the official site for REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA has a full list of theaters that’ll be exhibitting the rock opera.
• Milla Jovovich joins the cast of long ago video game adaptation CLOCK TOWER.

Remakes

• HELLRAISER gets another French director attached to it, this time MARTYRS director Pascal Laugier.
• Certainly not horror, but geek enough to mention the fresh depressing news: Brett Ratner is directing CONAN.
• I know she has her devotees, but I’ll confess to only having seen one movie with Tiffany Shepis in it.  Either way, she has kicked up a blog about her experience on the remake of NIGHT OF THE DEMONS.
• Johnny Depp reboot of DARK SHADOWS on the fritz.

Indie, Foreign and Random News

• Larry Cohen to direct PETER, a movie about a weight loss addict, a weight loss drink and some insanity.
• Rob Zombie is hosting AMCs Fearfest once again.
• Winners from the official competition at Sitges announced, Jennifer Lynch’s SURVEILLANCE beats out LET THE RIGHT ONE IN for Best Motion Picture.

Non-Theatrical Trailers and Clips

• VACANCY 2: THE FIRST CUT – Trailer
• COMING SOON – English sub trailer

Last Week in Horror I realized that the studio horror future is looking grim.  No, not talking quality, talking quantity.  I haven’t come across a new, full trailer for a theatrical studio picture in weeks now.  I’m sure that will change in October as, THE WOLFMAN, FRIDAY THE 13TH, MY BLOODY VALENTINE, and, well, a million other remakes will probably all have their trailers attached to SAW V.

Anyways, on to the tidbits.

Last Week in Horror found no shortage of minor announcements, but enough of which excite me in earnest.  In the world of TV, Goyer and “TREK” vet Braga sell an intriguing hour long series premise to ABC, HBO renews the proven cool “TRUE BLOOD” and Sci-Fi orders full the unproven “WAREHOUSE 13″.

A few pieces of remake news, though nothing mind blowing.  And then we get to one of the juiciest nuggets of the week that I think may be a beacon of great things to come.  Two outfits have teamed up to finance four films from a quartet of rising independent filmmakers.  I’ve only seen a few of their earlier films, but all four are names I’ve only ever seen associated with positive buzz, so to know they have a new house over their heads is very cool.

Oh, and does anyone else find this innocent picture of Earth during a solar eclipse as ominous as I do?

Last Week was a standard seven days for genre news. No breaking headlines, no juicy bits of intrigue. So instead of the normal pre-jump sum, I would like to express how many smiles I got out of an exchange in the latest Apatovian flick FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL in which 3 others dissect the stupid, stupid, stupid plot of a terrible movie that the fictitious actress Sarah Marshall made the jump from TV to Film for. A movie about a cell phone that kills people, which Sarah Marshall (played by the beloved ’round these parts Kristen Bell) begrudgingly justifies signing on to by saying, “Well, it seemed right for my career at the time.”

Oh PULSE, how shitty you are.