With only a matter of weeks before the much anticipated fourth installment of the Scream series hits theaters. the buzz just keeps on growing.
"Scream 4" hits theaters on April 15, 2011.
Last night, Entertainment Tonight (ET) did a short, behind-the-scenes segment on the upcoming slasher film, showing a small tidbit on what went on both in front of and behind the camera.
"Scream" veterans David Arquette and Courteney Cox Arquette return to Woodsboro for the fourth time. But will they make it to the next one?
The segment features exclusive interviews ET did with the original three Scream veterans (Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox Arquette) as well as newcomer Emma Roberts.
Emma Roberts is just one of the newcomers to join the "Scream" family in the upcoming sequel from Wes Craven.
It also shows quite a few scenes from the movie that could or could not be spoiler material. Could Sydney, Gale or Dewey be the killer? What lies in store for the newest additions to the Woodsboro family?
You be the judge. Watch the video and tell me what you think.
The official website for the movie is currently up and running, so check that out too!
After watching the video, look below for a spoiler section. I found an interesting clue while watching the video. So, if you’re feeling spicy, watch the video and read below for a possible spoiler.
—-Spoiler Alert—-
During a part of the video, you’ll see a scene where Gale Weathers (Cox-Arquette) seems to be stabbed by Ghostface. But, the scene cuts away before we see what REALLY happens.
Though, if you look at the interview her and David Arquette did while in costume, you should be able to notice a pretty nasty looking stab wound on her neck…
…Could that mean Scream 4 is the end of the road for Gale Weathers?
As much as I love speculation, I guess we’ll all just have to keep biting our nails until April 15.
Director Patrick Lussier and the Weinstein Company have just recently released Drive Angry and after a disappointing stint in the box office, they are now moving forward with plans at two big horror franchise reboots: Hellraiser and of course, Halloween 3D.
While I’m sure both films are going to generate a lot of buzz, I think the biggest news is (and has been) on the latter of the two.
The news about the three-dimensional trip to the sleepy town of Haddonfield originally broke during the opening weekend of Rob Zombie’s sequel to the remake, Halloween II.
"Halloween II" was released on August 28, 2009.
Mr. Zombie’s sequel earned close to a pitiful $7 million in its opening weekend and that prompted the studio to examine quick options for a rebound. Originally planned for a Summer 2010 release, Halloween 3D was set to be directed by Lussier and scripted by him and his fellow Bloody Valentine 3D partner Todd Farmer.
According to the two filmmakers, they presented a script to the company and were then told that there were no plans to make the film anytime soon because they didn’t want to rush it.
And I agree.
For once, I agree with the Weinstein brothers. Now is not the time to rush a film like Halloween 3D into production. The film series has too much prestige behind it to put one out just to make a quick buck so people forget about H2.
Co-owners of Dimension Films, Bob and Harvey Weinstein.
But just because the project shouldn’t be rushed, doesn’t mean we all can’t start thinking about the film now. As a matter of fact, I think it is 100% necessary that we talk about the future of the Halloween franchise now. It is crucial to plan ahead that way we can ensure we as viewers are never again tortured with anything like Zombie’s sequel.
If there DOES have to be another Halloween made and if it DOES have to be in 3D, there are some concerns I have and rules that should be followed in order to ensure that nobody’s expectations are hurt and that nobody’s money is wasted at the theater.
Dimension Films has owned the rights to the "Halloween" franchise since 1995.
Keep ’em low
The first, and perhaps the biggest, responsibility lies with fans of the Halloween films. While it is not clear what plot the film will take, the only thing for sure is that it will be 3D. So, what does that mean to all of you Michael Myers fans?
It means that you need to keep your minds open but your expectations very, VERY low. Do not expect greatness from this movie. Do not expect cinematography and style similar to John Carpenter’s original. Movies made in 3D are made for just that reason: to show off the technology. 3D is a novelty and as long as that is accepted, there should be no misunderstandings and everyone can just have fun watching Michael Myers slice and dice right in front of us.
Keep it simple!
This one goes out to the studio. It is important to realize that in order to never repeat history, we must learn from it. So, in order for Dimension films to learn from the past, the company must NEVER make another film like Halloween II again.
How can they do that?
Easy. Keep it simple!
While "H2" was terrible, a Michael Myers slashfest like the one above would do much good in a 3D environment.
The best way for the studios to cash in on the technology while promoting the Halloween franchise is to just stick to basics. Fans of the series (or at least the ones with common sense) already know that the movie is going to be nothing more than a way to show off the 3D technology by exploiting the franchise. Pretending that the film is going to be the best Halloween ever with the best plot is a huge mistake and a blatant lie.
The biggest concern I have is the best advice I can give to good ol’ Harvey and Bob (Weinstein): stick to basics when it comes to the plot. Strip the film down to its frame and go back to the idea that made the first one so good.
What made the first film so good was the simplicity of it. It was about an escaped mental patient that stalked and murdered babysitters on Halloween…nothing more. He was a psycho in a white William Shatner mask that grabbed a knife and went trick or treating.
If I were making the film, for example, I would suggest making the plot almost identical to the original film but have no underlying story. There would be no curse, no sister, no motive. I would set the film in modern times to keep the story fresh and updated (no need to reinvent the wheel like Zombie tried to do). The focus would be on the town, the holiday and the history of Michael Myers.
I would have a group of cliche teenagers getting drunk and partying on Halloween. Then, I would have said teenagers get murdered in very gruesome ways by Myers.
Because, like I said, I would know going into production that the film is only being made to capitalize on the 3D craze. So, I’d keep the plot simple and make a good old fashioned horror flick out of it.
Now, I’m not saying I would be skimpy on the suspense and creativity. I am just saying I would not pretend the movie had a deep plot. I would make it a slasher movie that takes place on Halloween. That is all.
So, while I know I am not going to be the one in the director’s chair for the new Halloween, I hope that whoever is takes this advice and makes a film that is fun, exciting and uses the technology well. There is no need to go for the good with this one. Just make it a fun 3D experience that is unique, scary and so bloody that it flies off the screen and hits our glasses.
Around the metaphorical water-cooler, some co-workers and I recently discussed the surge of 3D movies that have been made over the past few years. We were talking about all of our previous theater trips and how a good majority of the films we saw were in the third dimension. And, it got me thinking: Is Hollywood just recycling a short-lived fad from the 70s and 80s or is the new technology making this the future of movies?
During the 1970s and 80s, there was no such thing as digital or 1080p. High Definition was not even a thought. When people wanted to go see a movie at the theater, they went and they saw a movie the old fashioned way: film stock with standard definition. The only variety movie-goers saw in that time period was when the 3D technology made its first appearance into the mainstream.
While the technology had a place in cinema since the 1950s with films like the original House of Wax (The film that gave Vincent Price the name “King of 3D”) and It Came From Outer Space, it was not used a lot until the 80s. Movies like Friday the 13th: Part 3, Amityville 3D and Jaws 3D were just a few of the horror films that were well-received among movie-goers. In this era, people had to put on the cardboard glasses with the red and blue tinted lenses.
But when it proved to be a costly and unnecessary novelty, it stopped being used. And those ridiculous glasses faded away.
But that was then.
Now, actual film has been replaced to make distribution cheaper. This, in turn, makes it cheaper to capitalize on the more advanced 3D technology.
This has made the movie viewing experience so much more different. Because a lot of theater companies have completely gotten rid of film as a whole and have converted all of the screens to being HD ready, the return of a now updated, reinvigorated 3D experience was almost inevitable.
So, what does this mean for modern horror?
It means that soon, very soon, we will all be “treated” to a heavy dose of scary stuff in the third dimension. It means that movie studios are attempting to take horror back to the campy, novelty style of the 80s. Most of the films slated to make the jump to 3D are either remakes or sequels that include:
-Silent Hill: Revelations 3D
-Piranhas 3DD (hehehe)
-Halloween 3D
-Dracula 3D
-Underworld: New Dawn 3D
-Re-Animator 3D
…Just to name a few.
So with the list of upcoming 3D horror flicks continuing to grow, the question still looms: Is this just an updated version of an old fad, or is the new technology paving the way for 3D to take over screening rooms forever?
Better late than never, but I finally have my first “Fan Film of the Week.” And, it’s setting the bar pretty high for the rest of them.
Coming all the way from New Jersey is the short film, Halloween Season. The film was written and directed by 28-year-old independent filmmaker Chris R. Notarile of Blinky Productions, Inc.
Halloween Season follows a very simple plot format but that is what I feel makes the film work so well. There is nothing complicated about it that could possibly take focus off the cinematography and style Notarile uses.
Photo courtesy of Chris R. Notarile and Blinky Productions, Inc.
The film tells the story of a young woman, Julie, that is stalked by Michael Myers after she and her boyfriend Bill purchase their Halloween costumes from a local shop. Myers spots the couple, follows them to Julie’s house and waits for the perfect time to strike.
While this story seems very simple, that is what I love about it. There are no fancy bells and whistles watering down what Notarile is trying to do. That was, in my opinion, what was wrong with the seven sequels that ruined the franchise. Michael Myers was given too much of a story and it ruined the feel of the first movie.
Season is not like that. This is just a straight Halloween fan-film that goes back to the greasy roots that made the first film great.
Before Michael Myers was a disturbed, long-haired redneck boy with a thing for his mom, he was just a man in a mask; a psycho that broke out of the looney bin, grabbed a knife and decided to go “trick or treating” in his old neighborhood. That is what I remember about Carpenter’s film and that is what I liked the most about Notarile’s vision.
Photo courtesy of Chris R. Notarile and Blinky Productions, Inc.
Notarile was able to not only make a good, high-quality short, but he also made a genuinely good horror film. It is only just over fifteen minutes long, but it uses every single second to establish the type of plot and suspense that is necessary for any film to be cohesive.
To me, this movie proves that a budget in the millions is not needed to make a good horror movie. All it takes is passion, knowledge, a vision and the necessary resources to bring that vision to life.
Notarile said Halloween Season took a couple of hours over the course of two days to shoot and it was filmed entirely in his home state of New Jersey.
“We shot the pumpking patch opening on Monday and the rest of the movie on that Friday,” Notarile said.
The film stars Magdalena Crujeiras as Julie, Chase Coleman as Bill and Kevin Lennon as the iconic Michael Myers.
Notarile said Crujeiras was a last minute casting decision that ended up paying off in the end.
Photo courtesy of Chris R. Notarile and Blinky Productions, Inc.
“Magdalena is a sweet heart,” Notarile said. “She was the last person cast for this project… There were some scheduling complications with someone else who I orignally wrote the part for and she couldn’t make it. So, I combed the internet and found Magdalena and she was gracious enough to come out, read for the part and ultimately do it.”
While Crujeiras was a new addition to the film, both Coleman and Lennon have previous experience working with Notarile and have developed a friendship with him.
Coleman said he has worked with Notarile before and is currently on board to star in one of the director’s upcoming projects. Speaking of his experience with Notarile, Coleman said he enjoys working him because of his passion and his openness to new ideas.
“Chris is a very talented film maker. He has a vision and is always focused on getting what he sees when making a film,” Coleman said. “Although, through that, he is still open to an actor’s point-of- view and how he or she sees a character and what that character wants.”
Because Notarile writes roles with certain actors in mind, he said he approached Coleman for the role of Bill because he knew the actor was a fan of the Halloween series.
Photo courtesy of Chris R. Notarile and Blinky Productions, Inc.
“Chase is awesome. I’ve known him for about a year now and he is a closet comic geek,” said Notarile. “So when I asked him if he wanted to get killed by Michael Myers, he was all for it.”
Coleman, a professional actor for five years, said his favorite moment in filming was working with Crujeiras during the scene inside of the costume shop.
“She’s a great actress and really fun to play off of when experimenting with the different scenes,” Coleman said.
Notarile’s initial popularity on the Internet is credited to a fan-film he posted on his website in 2005; it was called Friday the 31st (Michael vs Jason). He said once he posted the short on his site, he knew that he had a shot at success.
“I loaded Friday the 31st onto my website and within a few hours, my site crashed due to exceeded bandwidth,” Notarile said. “I was immediately forced to upgrade my site and I ended up putting all my videos on YouTube as a sort of ‘safety.’ It was then I knew I was onto something.”
Since then, Notarile said he has written, produced and directed close to 150 films.
Photo courtesy of Chris R. Notarile and Blinky Productions, Inc.
Notarile plans on filming a second installment in the Halloween Season series, but he said it will not be released on until it is closer to Halloween.
“I do plan to make a second chapter to Halloween Season,” Notarile said. “It will just be a new story in the time line, set a year later. And I won’t start filming until the actual season is upon us, so you will have to wait until October to see it.”
