Children of the Corn

Best of the New Releases: Trick 'r Treat, The Children, The Thaw, Not Quite Hollywood
Okay, okay, you've had Trick 'r Treat bludgeoned into your conscious to no end lately. Well now is your chance to finally see Michael Dougherty's fabled film. I can't speak for what's on the DVD or Blu-ray, but the film itself is a wonderful tribute to all things Halloween. I saw it for the first time a week ago (review) and I'm already planning on popping in the Blu tonight.

This October's haul from Ghost House Underground isn't quite as large as the eight or so films they put out last year, but what they've lost in quantity they've made up for in quality (plus all four titles are available on Blu-ray). For starters we have The Children, a film I think can't be improved upon (review). Next up is The Thaw, a nice bit of eco-terror starring Val Kilmer and Aaron Ashmore about the discovery of a mammoth and the deadly parasites frozen inside it. Mark A. Lewis' film is basically a proposition of how to remake The Thing without remaking The Thing, but that's not entirely a bad thing considering how excellent the formula of frost-bound bio-horror is. I wouldn't call The Thaw a blind buy, but it's worth a look down the line.

Well this is an interesting turn. Just last week Scott wrote about how Dimension already had their heart/bank accounts set on a Halloween 3 to be written and directed by someone who wasn't Rob Zombie (yay!). Now less than a week later, Variety is reporting that director Patrick Lussier is set to deliver Michael Myers in the third dimension by fall 2010. If that's true, the My Bloody Valentine 3D director has a cramped schedule over the next year; last week it was also announced that Patrick Lussier was taking the wheel on Drive Angry, a 3D revenge film starring Nicholas Cage for Nu Image/Millenium films.

Obviously making two films in a year is not unheard of, but the Variety vouched Lussier Halloween 3D attachment sounds a bit dubious. For one thing, both Bloody-Disgusting and Dread Central are clarifying that Lussier is merely "in talks" with Dimension for the gig. So either someone has jumped the gun, most likely in a bid to move the project along, or Michael Myers stabbing the audience is a bit more concrete than it was no less than seven days ago.

And in related Dimension news, the very same Variety article says that Skeleton Key writer Ehren Kruger has been hired as the screenwriter for a remake of Children of the Corn, which is an entirely different project from the Syfy channel remake of Stephen King's short story set for release in the next few months. The popular trade magazine quotes Harvey Weinstein as saying, "Ehren wants to hit it hard. It's popular in Hollywood to say you re-envisioning a project but a lot of the time they're just carbon copying the original. We are bringing something new to the story."

Commence holding breath in 3...2...1...

Children of the Corn [Blu-ray]
The enduring classic, finally available in high definition. Variety sniffed: "Children of the Corn does have a few good scare scenes but special effects are surprisingly disappointing." Millions of fans (well, thousands) have disagreed over the years. The 25th anniversary edition features new, separate interviews with co-star Linda Hamilton and writer Stephen King, plus talks with the production designer and composer. Well-timed for harvest season.

Abduction
From the people who brought you Dreams of the Dead (see below): In rural New Jersey, they don't harvest corn, they harvest organs -- human ones. They also sell babies to "loving couples" and kidnap young women to sell as sex slaves. When the criminal gang unknowingly snatches a "popular Brazilian hip hop star," her bodyguard comes searching for his meal ticket.

Sick Girl
Teenage Izzy, orphaned and caring for her little brother, relieves her anxieties by torturing and killing hapless victims in the family barn. So maybe the school bullies should have picked on someone other than her little brother. Dread Central called it a "twisted slice of indie goodness," while Quiet Earth predicted: "This film [will] polarize its audience." The special edition from Synapse Films includes a "making of" mini-feature, bloopers and outtakes, and an interview with actor Stephen Geoffreys.

- Steve Niles, the already very busy creator of 30 Days of Night is likely to get a bit busier now that Universal has optioned his comic series Criminal Macabre. Interesting premise, "supernatural detective who doubles as hitman, taking out all the vampires, ghosts and other unsavory monsters who live among humans, hiding in the shadows by day and emerging at night." I just wish Neal "Prom Night '09" Moritz wasn't producing.

- Just a quick note that Anchor Bay will be releasing the Syfy paid-for remake of Children of the Corn on DVD October 6th. That's about two weeks after the network gives the world premiere on September 26th.

- Also confirmed for October 6th is the looong anticipated release of Michael Dougherty's Trick 'R Treat on both DVD and Blu-ray. Fangoria has a few details on what we can expect from the Warner Bros' presentation, including confirmation that writer/director Dougherty's commentary track will only be avaible on the Blu variety.

- Milla Jovovich would like to tell you that her new movie is super serious and super realistic. Except that it isn't. Still, the trailer for alien abduction flick The Fourth Kind is quite creepy. Plus, it's always good to see the Resident Evil gal when she's doing things other than riding motorcycles up buildings.