I love 'em. You love 'em. Horror movies are among the most lucrative, if critically disdained, of genres. The summer may be halfway over but there are still plenty of horror films scheduled for the rest of 2011 to satisfy us all.
I've written about several of these movies already, but as their releases draw closer, I am getting more and more excited to see them. Of course, it will be hard to top Insidious, the exceptionally creepy film from James Wan and Leigh Whannel (Saw), though I have high hopes for what's left on the 2011 schedule.
First up is the Guillermo del Toro produced remake of the 70's TV movie Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, starring Katie Holmes; Guy Pearce and newcomer Bailee Madison about a couple who move into an inherited farmhouse only to find they aren't its only inhabitants. The original starred Kim Darby (the 1968 version of True Grit) and Jim Hutton and freaked out my little sister to no end. Scheduled for an August 26th release, Don't Be Afraid... already has my Dear D terrified just with the trailer:
Then there's a remake I actually think is worthwhile, Fright Night, starring Anton Yelchin (Star Trek); Colin Farrell; Toni Collette; Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Kick-Ass); David Tenant ("Doctor Who") and Imogen Poots (28 Weeks Later) in a story about a young man who thinks a vampire has moved in next door. The original 1985 movie was campy fun, but the R-rated remake looks to be a more earnest, violent and gorier tale.
And there's Final Destination 5, the latest in the series about Death tracking down people who were supposed to die in a tragic accident, but escaped thanks to a vision experienced by one of the intended victims. I saw the original movie on a particularly bad date and have struggled to overcome the stinky vibes that experience left. On closer examination, I enjoyed the 2nd film but found the additional sequels silly and gratuitous. Of course, I saw the last one with my angel Matty and we laughed our asses off, so this one may well be just as hilarious.
And then there's Kevin Smith's curiosity, Red State, which has seen limited releases in several cities, but is scheduled to go wide this fall. Reviews so far have been mixed, though I am certainly curious to see what has been described as a "Political Suspense Horror" movie.
Almost finally, there's Joss Whedon's long-delayed and much-anticipated The Cabin in the Woods. I tried my best to find a trailer or some footage from this film, but it's been kept so tightly under wraps, there's nothing out there to share. This says one of two things to Uncle P: It's either terrible or brilliant. I guess we'll need to see it when (and if) it's released to judge for ourselves.
Truly finally, there's Darren Lynn Bousman's (Saw II; 111; IV and Repo! The Genetic Opera) 11-11-11, starring the adorable Final Destination 2 star Michael Landes in a tale about a mysterious entity who is apparently bent on the destruction of mankind.
As always, I'll give you my opinion on each of these films if and when I see them. D and I are scheduled to see Captain America tomorrow night and I hope to see Cowboys & Aliens this coming weekend, so there are plenty of movie reviews on the horizon here at The Revenge. I hope you stop by to read what I have to say. And I also hope to have pics from my Chicago adventures up soon (I just have to unpack the dang camera).
Stay tuned for my usual nonsense,
More, anon.
Prospero
I too was afraid of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark when I was a kid, even after they told us not to be. I'm curious to see if I can follow their instructions this time. I never saw the movie again, so... Thanks for the blog. Otherwise I wouldn't have known about the remake.
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