Howdy, horror folks! Welcome back to my weekly horror hook-up; a one-stop spot for all the horror movie and TV news of the week, from casting news to trailer debuts, reviews, interviews and more. Basically, if it’s in horror and it’s worth knowing, I'll round it up here for your convenience.

This week was a BIG one for horror, including some major updates on the genre's most beloved franchises. First up, RIP Jason Voorhees. For now, at least. I have no doubt he will rise again in true Voorhees style. Paramount's Friday the 13th reboot is officially dead in the water after a lengthy, troubled pre-production. But now that we've got the sad news out of the way, let's get to the "Holy Shit!" stuff. Blumhouse and Miramax are finally moving forward with their new Halloween franchise and they've recruited Pineapple Express helmer David Gordon Green to direct and co-write the script with Danny McBrice... and it's all got John Carpenter's blessing (He might even do the music!). McBride has even offered some updates on where the film fits into the established franchise mythology.

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Image via Dimension Films

There's also finally forward motion on the long-discussed The Strangers 2, which I had honestly completely given up on. Bryan Bertino returns to pen the script, but Johannes Roberts (The Other Side of the Door) will step into the director's chair. Plus, updates on Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria, Jeremy Saulnier's Hold the Dark casts up, and more.

For all the horror news we’ve already covered on the site, you can click through the links below. Then, check out other genre highlights from the week, including the latest episode of Collider Nightmares, and finish it all up with a rundown of the week in horror movie trailers. Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to sound off in the comments with your thoughts, questions, and other horror musings.

NEWS

REVIEWS

‘A Cure for Wellness’ Review: Gore Verbinski’s Horror Film Is Sick with Ambition

INTERVIEWS

‘Life’ Producers on Their Terrifying Zero-G Thriller

Danny McBride Reveals Where the New 'Halloween' Fits in the Myers Mythology

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Image via Compass International

By far the most exciting horror news of the week is that George Washington and Joe helmer David Gordon Green has been selected to direct Blumhouse's Halloween reboot from a script he wrote with Danny McBride. Carpenter is all-aboard for the Eastbound & Down duo's take on the material, teasing that he might even come on board to write the music. Except... it's not exactly a reboot. Is there such thing as an un-reboot?

Speaking with Cinemablend, McBride revealed that the new film wasn't a remake, but a follow up to Carpenter's first two films in the franchise.

"You know, it's not a remake. It's actually, it's gonna continue the story of Michael Myers in a really grounded way. And for our mythology, we're focusing mainly in the first two movies and what that sets up and then where the story can go from there."

For those worried that Green and McBride would bring their humourous antics to the slasher classic, fear not. McBride says Halloween will be a "straight-up horror" film with an aim to get back to the simple scares of the first film

"Green and I are definitely going to [do] a straight-up horror. Halloween has always been one of my favorite movies of all time. There's a simplicity and an efficiency to that first one that I think allows the movies just to be scary as hell. And so Green and I, our approach is to get back to that."

'The Strangers 2' Is Actually Happening, but Bryan Bertino Won't Direct

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Image via Rogue

I thought the expiration date was long past on this one by now, but the long, long, long-developed The Strangers sequel is finally happening at BLOOM studios. The Other Side of the Door and 47 Meters Down helmer Johannes Roberts will take over at the helm for original writer-director Bryan Bertino, who penned the script for the sequel with Ben Ketai.

Per the press release, The Strangers 2 follows a family whose road trip takes a turn when they arrive at a secluded mobile home park and after the power goes out they decide to hunker down for the night in a borrowed trailer. Under the cover of darkness, three familiar masked psychopaths pay them a visit to test their every limit.

Casting is underway for the horror sequel, with an aim for a US-based shoot in the summer.

“I am truly scared every time I think of the original The Strangers movie, it is my favorite horror film of the past 10 years," said BLOOM's Alex Walton.  "The screenplay will immediately satisfy any fan of the original and I’m confident of a growing audience for this genre around the world.“

Producer Mark Lane states “The Strangers redefined the home invasion genre by perfectly combining character and terror in a way that we rarely see. This is a sequel that has been eagerly awaited and we are delighted to deliver it to the fans.”

Mia Goth Says Luca Guadagnino's 'Suspiria' Isn't a Remake

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Image via International Classics

Please movie gods, let us see footage from Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria sooner than later. Last week, we learned that the long-developed revamp of the horror classic had already wrapped filming, and this week brings quotes from star Mia Goth, who says that Suspiria won't be a remake, but it will be visually stunning.

Here's what the actress told Bloody Disgusting,

“Well what I can say about that is I think people are going to be really pleasantly surprised to realize that it’s really not a remake at all. I think people are going to be really shocked. It’s a nod of the hat to Dario Argento and his version of ‘Suspiria’, but we really do take it to a completely different place... Luca’s got a real eye for aesthetic, like he’s a really tasty person, like he really knows what he wants and I think it’s going to be visually stunning."

Goth stars in Suspiria alongside Dakota Johnson as Susie Bannon, Chloe Grace Moretz as Patricia, Tilda Swinton as Madame Blanc, and a cameo from the original's Jessica Harper as Anke.

'Eyes of My Mother' Director Nicolas Pesce Has Already Wrapped His Follow-Up

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Image via Universal

Nicolas Pesce made an exceptional feature film debut last year with his chilling, intimate, and striking black-and-white horror drama The Eyes of My Mother. I've written about it ad nauseum on the site by now, but it was a true throwback psychological horror with a slightly nastier modern edge and it cemented Pesce as a filmmaker to watch.

Fortunately, we won't have to wait long to see what he does next, because Variety reports Pesce has already wrapped his next film, the psychological thriller Piercing. Based on Ryu Murakami’s 1994 novel of the same name, the film stars Christopher Abbott as a family man who hits the road under the guise of a business trip with the intent of murdering a call girl. His plans are thrown for a loop when that call girl (Mia Wasikowska) turns out to be a mysterious and alluring young woman capable of holding her own.

That cat-and-mouse dynamic sounds like a thriller, but it's this part of the original novel's Amazon synopsis that convinced me this material is a perfect fit for pesce:

"[Pierced] explores themes of child abuse and what happens to the voiceless among us, weaving a disturbing, spare tale of two people who find each other and then are forced into hurting each other deeply because of the haunting specter of their own abuse as children."

Piercing also stars Laia Costa, Maria Dizzia, Wendell Pierce and Marin Ireland.

'Light's Out' Director Releases Feature-Length Commentary for Free

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Image via Warner Bros.

Last week, Lights Out director David F. Sandberg was bemoaning the lack of special features on the film's Blu-ray release when a fan suggested he record his own commentary track. Lo-and-behold, a mere matter of hours later, the director uploaded a full feature-length commentary for the film online. Talk about getting shit done!

Lights Out executive producer and star Lotta Losten joins Sandberg for the recording, which includes easy instructions right off the bat for how sync it up with the film.

You can check out the full commentary on Soundcloud or listen in the embed below. Enjoy!

Jeremy Saulnier's 'Hold the Dark' Lands Starring Trio

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Image via HBO

After Blue Ruin, I thought I couldn't be more excited to see what Jeremy Saulnier did next. Then he made Green Room. Suffice it to say that at this point, wherever Saulnier leads, I will follow. Next up he's leading to the Netflix Original film Hold the Dark and he's just landed a leading trio of actors. Jeffrey Wright, Alexander Skarsgard, and James Badge Dale have joined the Alaska-set adventure thriller alongside previously announced cast members Riley Keough and James Bloor.

Per THR, Hold the Dark "adapts the book by William Giraldi and is set in a remote Alaskan wilderness in which wolves have taken and killed children. A wolf-expert biologist is called in to investigate, but finds himself in between a secret-harboring mother, who disappears, and her husband, who goes on a maniacal spree when he returns from Iraq and learns of his son’s death. White, cold snow runs red with hot blood."

Wright will play the biologist, Keough will play the mother, Skarsgard will play her husband, and Badge Dale will play the detective who wants to catch him. The film is eyeing a march stat-of-production in Alberta, Canada.

 

Fede Alvarez Launches "Bad Hombre" Production Banner

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The director behind the Evil Dead remake and last year's surprise horror sensation Don't Breathe has launched a new production company, and he's given it a real cheeky name. Alvarez has teamed with Good Universe to form Bad Hombre, "a content company that will produce films across the horror, thriller and sci-fi genres."  Alvarez will lead the creative side of Bad Hombre with long-time collaborator Evil Dead and Don't Breathe screenwriter Rodo Sayagues hired on as an executive to curate a genre slate.

“These are great times for original ideas and quality storytelling in the genre arena,” said Alvarez in a statement. “That’s why I couldn’t be more excited about Bad Hombre and the prospect of supporting fresh and exciting voices in genre filmmaking.”

I was not a fan of Don't Breathe, but Alvarez is a passionate and driving force in genre filmmaking right now, so I'm definitely excited he's putting that power behind fostering new projects and voices. The only downside is now I'm going to think of Trump anytime they make a movie, so it's kind of a mixed bag.

App Horror Is So Hot Right Now

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Image via Lionsgate

As if signing onto social media isn't stressful enough these days, it looks like studios are getting into the app horror genre. I gotta say, I'm surprised it took so long for this to take off. I remember talking to Franck Khalfoun about his app horror i-Lived waaay back when Maniac came out and thinking, "Oh boy, this is going to be a thing." But it turns out Khalfoun was just way ahead of the trend. Since then, there was the silly but fun thriller Nerve but not much else until this week, when two separate studios locked down app-based horror scripts.

Paramount Pictures has acquired the pitch Gasp for Jennifer Gibgot and Adam Shankman's Offspring entertainment, Mario Celaya will write the script with American Horror Story's Jessica Sharzer supervising and co-producing with Gibgot and Shankman. Per Deadline, the triller is of the Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct model, following a female detective who goes undercover to catch a killer who is murdering women he meets on a dating app. While on the job, she starts to fall for one of the cleared suspects, only to realize he may actually be the killer.

Meannwhile, over at Sony, the studio has picked Teddy Tenenbaum and Minsun Park's spec /reddoor for producers Barry Josephson, Liz Bassin and Jim Wedaa. Deadline says the story in the vein of The Ring meets Ready Player One and follows a young journalist who discovers a new app game he's reviewing has the ability to kill the player once they've entered the game world. Once inside, the journalists has to find a way to stop the game before he and his sister become its victims.

Collider Nightmares: ‘Friday the 13th’ Reboot Dead; ‘Suspiria’ Remake Update

 

Trailer Trash: All the Week's Horror Trailers, For You're Viewing Convenience

IT COMES AT NIGHT

Director: Trey Edward Shults

Cast: Joel Edgerton, Riley Keough, Christopher Abbott, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Carmen Ejogo.

“A father will stop at nothing to protect his wife and son from a malevolent, mysterious presence terrorizing them right outside their doorstep.”

WE GO ON

Directors: Jesse Holland and Andrew Milton

Cast: Clark Freeman and Annette O'Toole

WE GO ON tells the story of one man’s quest to find out if there is more out there after we die. Paralyzed by his fear of dying, Miles Grissom (Clark Freeman) offers a cash reward to the first person who can show him a ghost, an angel, a demon – anything that can prove that we go on after our deaths. He narrows the responses down to three viable candidates – a scientist, a medium, and a worldly entrepreneur.  Along with his fiercely protective mother (Annette O’Toole), he embarks on an adventure that will spiral into an unthinkable nightmare.

BEDEVILED

Director: The Vang Brothers

Cast: Saxon Sharbino, Brandon Soo Hoo, Kate Orsini, Jordan Essoe, Carson Boatman

A group of friends download a Siri-like “App” which, at first, seems like a harmless way to get directions or a restaurant recommendation. But the sinister nature of the App soon reveals itself. The App not only knows each person’s deepest, darkest fears, but is able to manifest these fears into the real world to literally scare the kids to death.

 

One girl, Alice (Sharbino), survives, but what happens if the App goes viral? BEDEVILED is a terrifying tale of technological fiction which someday may become our reality.

WISH UPON

Director: John R. Leonetti

Cast: Joey King, Ryan Phillippe, Ki Hong Lee, Mitchell Slaggert, Shannon Purser, Sydney Park, Kevin Hanchard, Sherilyn Fenn

Twelve years after discovering her mother’s suicide, 17-year-old CLARE SHANNON (Joey King) is bullied in high school, embarrassed by her manic, hoarder father JONATHAN (Ryan Phillippe) and ignored by her longtime crush. All that changes when her father comes home with an old music box whose inscription promises to grant its owner seven wishes.

While Clare is initially skeptical of this magic box, she can’t help but be seduced by its dark powers, and is thrilled as her life radically improves with each wish. Clare finally has the life she’s always wanted and everything seems perfect - until the people closest to her begin dying in violent and elaborate ways after each wish. Clare realizes that she must get rid of the box, but finds herself unable and unwilling to part with her new-and-improved life - leading her down a dark and dangerous path.

THE SOUND

Director: Jenna Mattison

Cast: Rose McGowan, Michael Eklund, Christopher Lloyd, Richard Gunn

KELLY (Rose McGowan) is a writer and a skeptic of the supernatural. As a specialist in acoustic physics she uses low frequency tactile sound-waves to debunk reported paranormal activities for her online blog. When presented a new case of a supposedly haunted subway station Kelly sets off to uncover the truth behind the hoax that involves a 40-year-old unexplained suicide. Her investigation takes her deep into the abandoned station where her skepticism is tested. As Kelly ascends into the depths of the metro’s darkness she is confronted by an unforeseen evil. In the vastness, she must face her own haunted memories to find the truth and surface back into the light.

 DAVID LYNCH: THE ART OF LIFE

Directors: Jon Nguyen, Rick Barnes, and Olivia Neergaard-Holm

David Lynch: The Art Life is infused with Lynch’s own art, music and early films, shining a light into the dark corners of his unique world, and giving audiences a better understanding of the man and the artist. We’re invited into and given a private viewing of Lynch’s compound and painting studio in the hills high above Hollywood, as he retells personal stories from his past that unfold like scenes from his films. Strange characters come into focus, only to fade again into the past, leaving an indelible mark on Lynch, the artist.

We become witness to the fears, misunderstandings and struggles that Lynch overcomes, and along the way meet the various people that have helped to mold him. It became evident early in Lynch’s life that he views the world differently, absorbing its shadows and weaving a dream-like tapestry for audiences worldwide to become tangled in.

This film is dedicated to Lynch’s youngest daughter and serves as a personal memoir from father to daughter. By pulling back the curtains on an icon the film hopes to uncover the individual: David Lynch.