Tidbits of TerrorAs per usual when it comes to the season, Summer 2012 was extremely light on horror news.  Now with Fall in full swing and October quickly approaching, things are gearing up again within my favorite genre.  Basically, expect the Tidbits to be flying out on a more regular basis for the rest of the year.  So, what’s on our menu today?

  • Any of you boils and ghouls out there who have the ability to watch FEARnet are in luck!  The channel has managed to once more snag the rights to Tales From The Crypt and will begin broadcasting the classic series this October.  The show will be slotted into a two-hour block on Mondays and Fridays from 10pm-12am (EST) and will also rotate out episodes through their VOD program.
  • After a very production collaboration on The Woman, director Lucky McKee and author Jack Ketchum are re-teaming on I’m Not Sam.  As before, McKee will write the screenplay alongside Ketchum as he completes the novelized version.  The plot centers mostly on two characters and has been described as a disturbing dark drama.
  • The John Cusask/Jennifer Carpenter-starrer The Factory is finally arriving on screens in the form of an appearance at L.A.’s Screamfest this year.  The Dark Castle Entertainment film was shot in 2008 and, outside of a screening or two, has been sitting on a shelf for the past three years.  Hopefully it has more to do with being a hard sell and not because it’s a steaming pile of shit.
  • STYD managed to pull a tiny bit of info out of Robert Rodriguez on the current state of Predator IV.  Don’t get too excited just yet though.  RR stated that while he’s had a few conversations with Fox about it this year, he isn’t sure where things stand on it currently given the recent regime change.  While I’m sure another entry with everyone’s favorite intergalactic big game hunter will arrive someday, I wouldn’t expect it anytime soon.
  • Philip Seymour Hoffman has zeroed in on his next directorial effort: the Black List ghost screenplay, Ezekiel Moss.  The Depression-era tale centers on a small town boy who befriends a drifter that might have supernatural abilities.  Hopefully this will turn out better than actor Vincent D’Onofrio’s foray into horror filmmaking.

  • While not strictly film news yet, we all know that most Stephen King novels will end up films eventually.  With that in mind, here’s the latest on the horror maestro’s next two literary efforts.  First up is Joyland.  Previously described as a slasher-esque tale set amidst a carnival, the book will hit shelves in PAPERBACK ONLY in June 2013.  Hard Case Crime is publishing the novel.  Next up is his Danny-centric Shining spin-off, Dr. Sleep.  That one will fly straight onto the bestseller list next September and probably get adapted in record time.
  • Darren Lynn Bousman continues to be a busy boy.  11-11-11 received a limited release last fall, Mother’s Day finally arrived back in the spring, The Barrens hits VOD and home video later this year, and The Devil’s Carnival is awaiting release.  Bousman will next go into production on The Devil’s Carnival II before taking a break.  He plans on tackling Abattoir and The Devil’s Carnival III post-vacation.  That’s one productive bastard!
  • I, Frankenstein has been pushed back from its initial February 2013 date to a mid-September release where there is currently less competition.  The film stars Aaron Eckhardt as patchwork Frankenstein creation Adam, who is caught in a modern day between two immortal factions.  Sound like Underworld?  It should, as it comes straight from the same creators.  Stuart Beattie is handling directorial duties this time out and the film also stars Miranda Otto and the always-welcome Bill Nighy.

 

Now let’s close things out once more with a bit o’ home video release info.  Roy Frumke’s classic Document of the Dead is coming to Blu-ray on November 13th, courtesy of Synapse Films.  The all-encompassing documentary on the making of Dawn of the Dead (1978) has remastered and re-edited into a brand new director’s cut.  You can only get it through Synapse’s official site and the printing is limited 1500 copies, so jump on that grenade ASAP if it’s something you want.

Shout!’s horror label The Scream Factory continues to make weekly announcements of upcoming titles that they have acquired.  The company recently issued fantastic special editions of Halloween II and Halloween III: Season of the Witch.  October’s slate sees two more slashers getting the royal treatment:  Terror Train and Tobe Hooper’s The Funhouse and November brings John Carpenter’s They Live.  Things get a little more obscure this December, with Death Valley and The Island hitting on the 11th.  Great stuff all around!  The most recent additions to their upcoming slate are Wes Craven’s Deadly Blessing (1981), TerrorVision (1986), The Nest (1988), Don Coscarelli’s Phantasm II (1988), and Renny Harlin’s Prison (1988).  While none of these have received dates yet, we have been gifted with the cover art for two of them (most likely January’s slate)….

Source | STYD, Dread Central, Bloody-Disgusting