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Ryan Reynolds may have mad skillz as Green Lantern, but his luck has run out in Rodrigo Cortes' Buried. The actor stars as an American contractor working in Iraq, who is attacked by insurgents, and wakes up to find himself buried alive. Yahoo Movies premiered a second trailer for the horror-thriller, and you can check it out with us after the jump.

The clip shows snippets of Reynolds communicating from his underground prison, with nothing but a lighter and a cell phone to aid him. The voices we hear on the other end of the phone calls he frantically makes guarantee that his escape won't be an easy one. Will he make it out alive before time runs out, or is Lionsgate going to be a total Debbie Downer? We'll find out in a limited theatrical release on September 24, and a wide release on October 8.

So it looks like we have the age old, "Is this a horror film or a thriller film?" thing going on with Buried. Sure, it's not supernatural horror or graphic gore, but it's horrific in that it portrays someone buried alive in the middle of the desert with a cell phone and little time. The film almost feels like a modern twist on The Cask of Amontillado. What say you dear reader -- will this one be horrific enough to get your butt into the theater, or are you waiting for something like L.A. Zombie instead? Perv.

Honestly, I did not see this coming. Sure, the Saw franchise has been around for a lot longer than I think any sane person predicted it would be, but once part seven was announced I really believed they'd just go the distance and churn out a decade worth of Jigsaw. It looks like that's not fated to be. IGN has the exclusive debut of the Saw 3D (the title card looks like they've dropped the silly "The Traps Come Alive" subtitle) teaser trailer and it makes it pretty clear that this will be the final Saw film.

Granted, announcing a final film in a highly profitable horror movie franchise is not exactly an ironclad promise that the franchise will end. So if I were a betting man, and I am since I have poor impulse control, I wouldn't be too eager to lay down money that this will indeed be the last time we see a new Saw movie. Producer Oren Koules would appear to be taking the opposite bet, however, as he also told USA Today that, "It's time to stop. We have told the story we wanted to tell, and this is going to be a great farewell."

Read the rest of this post and watch the trailer over at Cinematical.

Blood Creek, Directed by Joel Schumacher, 2009

I make no secret of the level of animosity I feel toward Joel Schumacher. His butchering of my favorite comic book hero of all time is more than enough to solidify his admission to my shit list. But Blood Creek's plot description alone provided enough enticement for me to set aside my contempt and give it a spin. I'm so glad I did because I loved the hell out of Blood Creek. In the late 1930's a Nazi agent is sent to a Virgina farm to find a Viking rune stone of enormous power. But when he does find it, he becomes something even the Third Reich can't control. Flash forward seven decades and the area around that same Virginia farm becomes notorious for missing locals. One such missing person returns home to employ his brother for a mysterious mission; a raid on that farm. What they find there is something more horrific than they could have ever imagined.

I harbor a bilious displeasure with the fiasco surrounding the changing of the guard at Lionsgate. The petulant, childish pettiness of incoming CEO toward the former head of the studio lead to several great films getting dumped into a handful of dollar theaters in an effort to bury them. Blood Creek, like The Midnight Meat Train, was one such film and, as much as I enjoyed The Midnight Meat Train, I liked Blood Creek even more. The story is fascinating, the horror elements are not only effective but also unique, and Michael Fassbinder shines as the undead Nazi. The kills and the gore elements are also fantastic as is the overall atmosphere. I highly recommend owning this artifact.

The two major genre picks up from this past Sundance film festival were Splice and Buried, the former going to Warner Brothers, the latter to Lionsgate. Any time an indie flick makes it big is a cause for celebration, but I always get a little concerned when a studio buys up a small horror film from the festival circuit. When it came to Splice, the concern was over news that Vincenzo Natali had been called back to the editing room to do some tweaking. As it turns out, the re-edit was only marginally shorter and had nothing to do with censoring content.

Buried's alterations, on the other hand, involved reshoots. That's not exactly something you want to hear when talking about a film that takes place almost entirely from within the confines of a coffin, as the first fear that jumps to mind is the studio adding in more out-of-the-ground material because they think audiences won't like the idea of it being all from inside a coffin. We'll have to wait until September 24th to know what changes were actually made to the film, but in the mean time Lionsgate have eleviated some of my fears with the unveiling of their new poster for the film. It's a huge relief to see marketing materials that are original and not just Photoshopped stills from the film.

Check it out in full over at MTV.

If After Dark left you hungry for more post their Horrorfest 8 Films To Die For series, then get ready for the thrice produced After Dark Originals (ADO) -- eight films which are expected to be released in September, in cooperation with Lionsgate and NBC Universal's Syfy. All the films have been handled by After Dark from concept, to script and through final editing (shot in the US or Bulgaria) -- with seven of the eight films are currently in post-production and the eighth slated to start production this month.

The ADO series spans the genre and your mission if you choose to accept it is to check out the first installment which includes Husk, Fertile Ground, Scream of the Banshee, Prowl, The Task, Re-Kill, Seconds Apart and 51. You'll recognize a few names in the bunch: Brett Simmons, whose short film Husk enjoyed the Sundance spotlight a few years ago, Seven C. Miller of Automaton Transfusion notoriety and After Dark friend Adam Gierasch (Autopsy). "The writers and directors in our After Dark Originals line are outstanding. We are excited to showcase their work and to give a home to all this fresh young talent that we will continue to develop over time", says After Dark Films owner and CEO, Courtney Solomon.

So far, I'm looking forward to seeing Miller's Scream of the Banshee -- mainly because Lance Henriksen is in it and I'm a little obsesso for his movies. Anything else catch your eye in this new lineup? Given their reputations (Lionsgate for dumping films to meet contract obligations, SyFy for making some films of dubious quality), does this new partnership fill you with hope or dread for After Dark's future?

I've been following the exorcism flick Cotton for what feels like an eternity. I like demonic possession films in general and have been intrigued by the cinema verite style this film supposedly possesses--plus it's got Eli Roth on board as a producer, so there are now at least three things that make it worth keeping an eye on.

Late yesterday afternoon, Variety reported that the film has finally found distribution. Venerable horror house Lionsgate has won the war to acquire the film (reportedly multiple studios were interested in the title), and the first thing they've done with their new toy is change the title. The film is no longer Cotton--it's The Last Exorcism instead. I'm not a fan of the name change--Cotton certainly doesn't tell you anything about the film, but The Last Exorcism is pretty on the nose.

Directed by Daniel Stamm, The Last Exorcism is a faux documentary-styled feature about disillusioned minister Cotton Marcus, who lets a film crew record his final exorcism. I probably don't have to tell you that lots of crazy stuff is going to happen in front of the cameras...

Lionsgate hasn't even hinted at a release date yet, but when they do we'll pass it along.

Dang, someone at Lionsgate really delved into the vault for this one. Hell, I even saw this flick during its Philadelphia theatrical run in 1986 ... and then promptly forgot all about it. I vaguely remember there being a slick car. The film at hand is called The Wraith, and it's about an spirit(?) from another dimension who visits a small town to wreak vengeance on some murderous assheads. He does it in an ostensibly futuristic sports car, if memory serves.

Initially rated R but released as PG-13 after some trims, The Wraith does boast a pretty colorful cast: Charlie Sheen, Sherilyn Fenn, Nick Cassavetes, Randy Quaid, and (woo hoo!) Clint Howard are all involved somehow. Written and directed by Mike Marvin (whose filmography includes deliciousness like Hot Dog: The Movie and Hamburger: The Motion Picture, with a Six Pack to wash it down), The Wraith is nobody's idea of a cult classic -- and yet I'm very curious to give this flick a re-visit.

According to DVDActive, Lionsgate will unleash The Wraith on March 2, and the DVD (no blu-ray to speak of) will come with interviews, featurettes, and a Marvin commentary. Oh, and according to Dictionary.com, a wraith is "an apparition of a living person supposed to portend his or her death." I hope that's not a spoiler.

Our Horror Squad pal Mike Bracken tweeted yesterday that Lionsgate has announced April 27 as the DVD release date for the long-awaited The Descent Part 2. What, you actually expected LG to release this one in theaters? After the "releases" they put together for Midnight Meat Train, Horsemen, Blood Creek, and Train? Not bloodily likely. Unless it's a Saw sequel or a festival pick-up (like Buried), our old friend Lionsgate seems to have forsaken the horror genre. (And if you're holding out some hope for Cabin Fever 2, don't. It's abysmal.)

Or maybe The Descent Part 2 just sucks eggs? The flick was released theatrically in France last October, and in the UK in December. The Independent gives the flick 2 out of 5 stars, but our pals at the genre blogs seem a little more enthusiastic: Dread Central gives it three knives out of five, Brutal as Hell goes 4 out of 5, and Quiet Earth goes all the way up to 8.5 out of 10.

All I know is that I adore the original as much as Peter Hall hates it, and if the follow-up is at least half-decent and entertaining (kinda like Halloween 2 and Jaws 2) then I'll be a happy guy. Oh, but the DVD cover is kind of a mess. I've included a piece up top, but check out DVDActive for the full pic.

The past two weeks created a fever-pitch buzz over who was at fault in the Conan O'Brien/Jay Leno Tonight Show hosting duties feud and how it would all turn out. Well, now that it's over (for the most part, Team Coco still doesn't have a job officially lined up), the collective conscience that is Hollywood must have realized that their was a new void in entertainment rivalries and decided to conjure a new one up. The unfortunate winners/victims? Saw VII (Lionsgate) and Paranormal Activity 2 (Paramount).

Just a few days ago Paramount announced that it would not only be going after the Halloween marketplace with an October 22nd release date, but that it would be hiring Saw VI director Kevin Greutert to direct the (unnecessary) sequel. Lionsgate didn't take too kindly to news that the studio who beat them at the box office last Halloween was posing themselves to do it again this year - and with their latest director, no less - so they decided to exercise an option in Greutert's contract that basically said "It's up to us whether you make your next movie at Lionsgate or not". In case the existence of this post wasn't clue enough, Lionsgate decided to reel him back home.

So the one-time director of Paranormal Activity 2 has just replaced the one-time director of Saw VII (part V's David Hackl) due to the whims of the studio. All of this arrives with principal photography just two weeks away on Saw VII, which really makes Lionsgate look like bad guys in this feud. I'm glad the guy who made the worst Saw film is now off the project (Lionsgate contractually must find him another gig, however), but shuffling/stealing directors a matter of days before production begins on the first 3D Saw film certainly makes it look like there is zero quality control being exercised over there.

Sundance isn't exactly known for its championing of horror films so much as it is indie-cred movies must people will, in all likelihood, never see, but a few horror titles always crop up at the annual Park City film jamboree. Vincenzo Natali's Splice and the Butcher Brothers' The Violent Kind are both playing at the festival, but the first horror movie to get acquired this year looks to be Buried.

If you happen to be on Twitter and follow a bunch of film geeks, it was hard to avoid people's enthusiasm for the Rodrigo Cortes'-directed, Ryan Reynolds-starring flick about a man kidnapped in Iraq and buried alive. Well now there's some official news to fuel the fan buzz: Lionsgate has just purchased the North American rights to Buried. It doesn't look like they have a release date planned yet, but given the hype for the film, some of which you can see below, hopefully it won't stay stabled for long.

Neil Miller from Film School Rejects: "BURIED was an intense little thriller. Reynolds is top-notch. It's a rivveting flick, all the way to the end."

Drew McWeeny of HitFix: "BURIED stopped me cold. That gets reviewed first tonight."

Steve Weintraub of Collider: "Buried was as good as the buzz. Awesome movie. Great direction. Ryan reynolds was amazing."

And of course, our very own Scott Weinberg to keep things in perspective: "To those who went mega-ape-shit for BURIED last night, I say this: see more movies."