Andrew van den Houten (director and president of production company ModernCiné) just sent out an email that’s sure to please fans of author Jack Ketchum (The Lost, Red). In it he revealed that the company’s preparing to start shooting their next film in a week, which will be none other than an adaption of Jack Ketchum’s Offspring. This will be their second adaptation of the man’s work, the first being the quite incredible The Girl Next Door. This time, van den Houten will be directing.
The 1991 book was re-released as a trade paperback last year via Leisure (buy it from us here!) and is an interesting choice for a film, as it’s actually a direct sequel to Ketchum’s Off Season. The books are both about a clan of cannibals that terrorize a group of yuppies. Both are creepy as hell, violent, and a little bit of a change from the smalltown horror people are used to from his last film adaptations. These are grisly stories, yes, but in a more fantastical setting.
Still, Van Den Houten’s no stranger to grisly horror flicks, as his last film (the quite good Headspace) proved. He’ll be producing with cinematographer William M. Miller and Robert Tonino, and the film will star the likes of Art Hindle (Invasion of the Body Snatches, The Brood), Pollyanna McIntosh and Eric Kastel (both previously in Headspace.)
Not only is this the second Ketchum adaptation by a proven production team, it’s the first screenplay that Ketchum’s actually penned himself! Very, very exciting news. I’ve said it before, but it’s so great to see the author finally get his dues. He’s been in the game for a very long time now and for him to get so much attention (not to mention with some truly fantastic films) is awesome in all kinds of ways.
Besides Offspring, ModernCiné also has a horror flick entitled Home Movie that just premiered at the Fantasia Fest in Montreal to much acclaim. Larry Fessenden doesn’t praise a film often. We last told you about the film here, and it must be good, as it was picked up pretty quickly for release this fall by IFC Films and Anchor Bay in the States, and by Allarco in Canada.
Expect to read much more on these two films in the future!