Horror Squad, Horror Movies, News, Trailers, and More

Don't look now, but the Koreans are ready to hop on the "first-person shot on a camcorder" horror film gravy train with the release of Deserted House. Twitch brought us a look at the trailer (sans English subs, unfortunately) a few days ago. I'm torn on this one.

On the one hand, it's hard to judge a film by a trailer, particularly one where you can't understand a word of the dialogue. On the other, film is a visual medium and I can tell by looking at these images that this is basically Paranormal Activity fused with Ju-On: The Grudge. I've gone on record numerous times in the past decade complaining about how sick I am of Asian girl ghost films -- so the sight of an Asian girl contorting herself into a strange pretzel-like shape on a grainy camcorder image is enough to make me want to check out right then and there.

The film, which was directed by Lee Cheol-ha, has the following plot description (sorry for the mangled English in advance...):

n 42 years, 6 people have disappeared! 8 people have died! There have been 11 murders! Everyone is afraid of the deserted house with the ghosts. It is prohibited to enter if you are alive. But three deserted home society members and three filming team members enter the deserted house. They break the taboo of deserted homes and enter the world of spirits. But they disappear one day... And there is only a video they left behind...

I love that it's prohibited to enter -- if you're alive. If you're a corpse, enter at your leisure. No word on when this might turn up in America, or if it will at all, but we'll keep you posted. Hit the break for the trailer.

The question came up at a birthday party last night, "what's your favorite vampire movie." I've never spent any considerable amount of time considering my answer, but Dracula was the first film that popped into my head. Instead, for some unknown reason, I talked about how under-appreciated The Return of Dracula is (see it -- it's really good. Dracula terrorizes 1950's suburbia).

Why didn't I just say Dracula? I love Dracula. Maybe it's cooler to say Blade or The Lost Boys, but Tod Browning's Dracula is THE vampire movie. If you disagree, tell me if the costume aisle during Halloween has generic Keifer Sutherlands or generic Bela Lugosis on display year-after-year. There's a creepy old castle, wispy vampire brides, decrepit crypts, and an iconic, commanding performance from Bela Lugosi -- all of the things we've taken for granted by decades filled with copycats.

For this week's Horror Squad Movie Club, we're going all the way back to 1931, and the vampire movie that set the standard for every vampire move to follow -- Dracula. You can watch it now on Netflix Instant, and we'll be back on Monday with a raging, blood-soaked discussion post. Watch it with fresh eyes, and remember that the cliches of the vampire genre weren't always cliches.

Britain doesn't have very many contemporary horror regulars. In the days of Hammer Horror there were plenty to go around, but today? It's a rather limited pool and, oddly enough, funnyman Danny Dyer is probably the biggest name floating in it. I first took note of him in Severance, but since then he's gone on to do a number of genre pictures (my favorite being Jake West's Doghouse), with even more in the pipeline. The latest of his projects to get a trailer is Basement (which also stars Jimi Mistry of the quite cool thriller, Exam), a film about six friends who get trapped in a labyrinthine underground system as some part of an experiment.

The trailer reminds me a bit of The Hole, which is an effective little teen potboiler, but it looks like there's a more considerable threat lurking within Basement than just close-proximity teen angst. Check out the trailer below. And if you live in the UK, you can check out the film in theaters on August 20th and then on DVD/Blu-ray August 23rd.

In case it's not already abundantly clear, we kind of love film festivals around these parts. We wish we could go to all of them, but, sadly, we are (mostly) bound to our home towns by a general lack of sufficient funds to go to all the fests we wish we could. So instead of being able to afford to hop on a plane and fly to Toronto for the week of August 13-20, I'll have to settle for looking at the below lineup for Toronto After Dark and wish I could either A) teleport or B) not be poor. If you do live in or around Toronto, though, please go so I can watch vicariously through you.

If you told me just the plot for Detention, I think you'd find me on bended knee by the time you finished talking. From BD:

"The film follows a 17-year-old who is given detention on the night of her prom. Over the course of the night her friends are murdered by a fictional horror movie icon. It's said to be in the vein of Scream with elements of Back to the Future (time travel is involved) and classic John Hughes teen films from the 80's."

That's fantastic, no? Sure, it's not guaranteed to be amazing, but there is a lot of potential to be mined there if it's put into the right hands, particularly if the vibe is a bit more comedic than it is serious. Thing is, I'm not sure it is in the right hands. Music video director Joesph Kahn is set to direct Detention from a Mark Palermo script this August. I'd certainly rather see a high concept like that given to someone like Edgar Wright or even Dance of the Dead's Gregg Bishop, but the guy who directed Torque? At least he's got something to prove.

It doesn't help matters that Shock Till You Drop are reporting that the film is set to star Dane Cook. Yes, that Dane Cook. Given that it's about a high school prom, I'm guessing he's not playing one of the teens, but I still dread spending any time at the movies with him. There is one small saving grace, however, in the form of Josh Hutcherson. Again, it's unclear who he'll be playing, but I actually quite like the young Vampire's Assistant actor. I'm kind of bummed he didn't get the Spider-Man gig, but I'm glad to see he's already got more projects on the horizon.

Well . . . apparently they remade Night of the Demons. I'm not complaining, of course. The original is far from sacrosanct, but this just slipped right by me. I'm not surprised by any means, but it says something that such a notable (to me) film can go unnoticed amid the onslaught of remakes. It's all just noise at this point. The official Facebook page has a whole slew of information about it, including news of the October 15th premier screening in NYC.

On Halloween night, Maddie Curtis and her friends attend a decadent party at the notorious Broussard mansion – a place where 80 years ago the owner hung herself and six people disappeared without a trace. After the police shut down the party and chase away the guests, Maddie and her friends stay behind and discover a horrifying secret – that the mansion is home to a group of vengeful, blood-thirsty demons.

From what I can tell, it looks like it strays only slightly from the original film, but this time it has Edward Furlong. You can keep your doughy John Connor. I'll be watching it for Diora Baird. Probably more than once. The first one was an entertaining 80's splatter fest. It was low on scares, but high on schlock. I can't imagine that this one is going to be terribly different. Director Adam Gierasch doesn't have much experience behind the camera aside from this, so I'm not sure what to expect. His writing credits are somewhat lengthy and of . . . questionable quality.

The DVD hits retail on October 19th.

In other news, Edward Furlong is still alive.

Bob Clark. Genuflect when you say that name and may he rest in peace. Sure, he foisted a lot of crap on us over his career. I won't mention which ones, but a passing glance at his IMDB listing and you'll know what I'm talking about. However, he also brought us gems like Porky's and the ubiquitous A Christmas Story. Best of all, though? He crafted two of the my favorite horror movies ever. They were early in his career and the second one, Black Christmas, arguably kick started the slasher genre, for better or for worse. The flick still holds up as a terrifying tale. His crowning achievement, however, is Deathdream.

In the film, Andy Brooks is killed on the front lines of the Viet Nam war. Inexplicably, he returns home to his family mere hours after they are notified of his death. All is well, for a while, until Andy becomes murderous. He turns from shell-shocked soldier to bloodthirsty ghoul. The spooky flick takes its time, building up a slow dread as Andy's physical decay mirrors the disintegration of his family.

Fresh out of the Fantasia Film Festival, Fango reports that Stephen Susco, writer of the Grudge, has been trying to get the remake rolling for years now. I'd heard rumors here and there, but nothing concrete. Now it seems they have a director in Grace's Paul Solet. Naturally, the anti-war parable will be updated to reflect the events in Iraq, but it seems like it would be a seamless transition. The new working title is Zero Dark Thirty, which means nothing to me. Check out Fangoria for a detailed write-up.

Everyone's favorite big bosomed beauty with brainnnnns is coming back to television this September. Elvira (aka Cassandra Peterson) will be returning to the boob tube after 30 years with Elvira's Movie Macabre on THIS! Television. The show will be syndicated, which means it could pop up anywhere, most likely on a late-night spot or as part of horror programming.

Joe Bob Briggs did it, and of course Rhonda Shear, but no one put the pow in pun like Elvira. Hank Cohen, the CEO/Partner of Trifecta Entertainment confirmed that fans of the fiendish fatale will be treated to Elvira's tried and true snark and sass:

"Elvira will be every bit as relevant as the first day she burst onto the scene; a beautiful opinionated woman who always delivers just what her audience expects from her. At Trifecta, we take pride in bringing proven and trusted brands to the syndicated marketplace; Elvira is a time-tested and wildly successful brand unto herself and her new show perfectly exemplifies our strategy."

And what does the Mistress of the Dark have to say about this news? "All I can say is, it's about damn time!" Elvira said. Sounds about right. So it seems like we can expect more of the same from the lovely horror hostess: Elvira introduces a cheesy horror movie, makes fun of it, and flashes us a little cleavage, a wink, and a smile. If it's not broken, don't fix it.

Check out Elvira's site to see what trouble she's stirring up, and let us know if you'll be glued to the telly when she makes an appearance the weekend of September 25.

I hate to speak poorly about any vampire film that portrays the bloodsuckers the way I prefer -- you know, sucking blood and generally being total badasses -- but 30 Days of Night was never my thing. I am a big fan of the film series' inspiration, Steve Niles comic of the same name, and the story's concept should have translated to something great but I was left feeling indifferent. Fans of the series will be happy to know that it will continue on in 30 Days of Night: Dark Days, this time on the DTV circuit, and judging from the new red band trailer it seems to be just as well made as its predecessor.

Melissa George has been replaced by Kiele Sanchez as Stella, one of Barrow's survivors of the vampire massacre that took place a year ago. She has been spending her time traveling the world trying to convince others of the existence of the deadly creatures that took her husband's life. A group of other survivors recruit her to help them fight back, and this time the battle centers around the Queen of the vampires, Lilith (Mia Kirshner). Ben Ketai directs Dark Days and Steve Niles lent his talents to the script, which should appease fans.

The film is slated for a US DVD and Blu-ray release on October 5, and will make its way across the pond for a UK DVD/Blu-ray release on October 11. Let us know what you think of the trailer, which you can check out after the jump.

This really is turning out to be Hammer's big comeback year. Not only will we get the first theatrically released Hammer Film in ages when Matt Reeves' Let Me In sees release on October 1, but Titan Books is releasing The Art of Hammer: Posters from the Archives of Hammer Films that same month.

The hardcover book is the first-ever collection of Hammer movie posters, taken from their archives as well as from private collections, with notes by Hammer historian Marcus Hearn. The book, filled with photos of promotional materials from Hammer's entire history, hits retailers on Oct 26, 2010, just in time for Halloween.

Check out a couple of the cool posters featured within the pages of The Art of Hammer after the jump!