Tag Archives: horror movies

News

Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ Movie To Begin Shooting This Summer!

Image April 27, 2018 Patti PaulterGeist Leave a comment

And in one fell swoop of nostalgic glory in one day, 90’s kids everywhere are creaming their jeans. Not only did we get news that an Are You Afraid of the Dark movie is slated for a Halloween 2019 release, but that Guillermo del Toro’s vision for the beloved Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books seems to not be as “Cold as Clay” as we had perceived. As news came today via Deadline that the movie is being financed AND projected to be filming as early as this Summer in Toronto.

“Internally screaming”.

Guillermo del Toro is slated to produce the film along with a credit for co-writing the script alongside Daniel and Kevin Hageman. Sean Daniel, Elizabeth Grave, Jason F. Brown, and J. Miles Dale are also on the roster as producers for the Alvin Schwartz film adaptation with director André Øvredal (Autopsy of Jane Doe, Trollhunter) at the helm.

CBS Films and Entertainment One are co-financing the movie with Sierra/Infinity and E-One reportedly distributing the feature in Canada, U.K., Australia/New Zealand, Germany, Benelux, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland making it available to buyers for the first time at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. While in the USA, CBS Films will distribute the film through good ole’ Lionsgate.

Now excuse me while I go breathe into a paper bag as I can’t even get a grip on all this beautiful news at the moment. Stay tuned as we learn more about this already established (in my eyes) national treasure.

News

“IT” Writer Penning 2019 Release of “Are You Afraid of the Dark” Movie

Image April 27, 2018 Patti PaulterGeist Leave a comment

Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, I call this…

The Tale of the ALL THE NOSTALGIC SNICK FUZZIES.

Any kid of sound mind in the early ’90s will remember the all-important Snick line-up with the inclusion of what some consider, a children’s gateway to the horror genre, Are You Afraid of the Dark. The weekly 30-minute Canadian-based Nickelodeon program that told the tales of cigar-loving funhouse clowns and traumatizing grinning jesters’, is about as beloved as they come for us nostalgic horror aficionados; and the fuzzies are about to come crapping out of jeans come 2019 boils and ghouls. Come October of 2019, an Are You Afraid of the Dark movie is making a theatrical release!

According to Variety, Paramount set a Halloween release date for the 90’s Nick gem turned film with Stephen King’s IT writer Gary Dauberman along with horror vet writers Chase Palmer and Cary Fukunaga.

No details yet on what direction the movie will take as far as plot details, as we’re still in the early stages of development. However, this retro-lover of all things Midnight Society will have her eyes peeled and keep you updated!

The Are You Afraid of the Dark movie moves from the campfire circle to theaters October 11, 2019.

Image credit: Bloody Disgusting

Horror Nostalgia

The Rare “Child’s Play” VHS Screener Footage From 1989

Image April 21, 2018 Patti PaulterGeist 1 Comment

The ’80s were a grand decade for the little plastic nightmare known as Chucky and I think it’s fair to say, this era belonged exclusively to the slasher. From Freddy, Jason, to Michael, the 1980’s coined the word slasher and turned it into an unstoppable phenomenon. Between brilliant marketing from all those inducing ass-whoopings from calling 1-900 numbers to every kid on your block dressed up as Freddy; sporting a plastic garbage bag Ben Cooper costume on Halloween. The era of the slasher was a glorious time to be alive for horror fans. And in 1988, a small but fierce force entered into that iconic fraternity of slasher legends in the form of what looked like, a My Buddy doll from the seventh layer of Hell.

When Child’s Play opened in theaters back ’88, no one expected the pint-sized Good Guy to launch the kind of fanfare Chucky brought to the horror game. The movie made on a less than stellar budget of only $9 million ended up pulling in almost four times that amount worldwide upon its theatrical release and ended up spawning seven sequels over the past 30 years, including an upcoming Child’s Play series in the works!

Back in the glory days of the Polaroid cassette videotape, studios such as MGM would send out promotional VHS screeners of new releases to mom and pop video stores in an effort to get that movie lined up on their shop shelves. On a side-note, I remember the first time seeing Chucky’s face at my local one-stop rental shop Action Video and my seven-year-old self, fresh off a viewing of Dolls, was immediately impulsed to rent the little sucker. Not knowing a thing about it, and so glad I did.

Anyway, these VHS screeners sent out apparently also contained some extra promotional material intended to fancy up the marketing. In this case, a six and half minute promo of a stiff as fuck Chucky salesman breaking into a rap about his movie and the cheese is so delicious my friends. Also, you gotta appreciate the gangster aspect of good ole’ Chucky taunting both Freddy and Jason in this promo.