Howdy folks! No matter what kind of horror or horror-adjacent content you’re into, this week pretty much had you covered. We got a couple of great trailers, some big announcements, and I finally got around to watching one of the most critically-acclaimed horrors in the last while.
Early in the week, it was announced that the new Gremlins animated series, called Secrets of the Mogwai, had not only secured it’s voice cast, including the talented Ming-Na and BD Wong, but it had also secured a second season order ahead of its premiere. That’s great news for Gizmo fans and a good sign that the folks at HBO Max are supportive of the prequel series.
Jordan Peele announced that he’s cast the lead for his next film, which is scheduled for release on July 22, 2022. Collider reports that Keke Palmer from Scream: The Series will join the cast of the filmmaker’s much-anticipated follow up to Us. Plot details remain under wraps but I’m sure it’ll shake things up just as much as that film and Get Out did.
Adam Wingard, fresh off wrangling kaiju for Godzilla vs Kong, announced that his next project is giving Face/Off a Face/Lift. The prolific horror director joins up with his longtime screenwriting partner Simon Barrett to produce a new film in John Woo’s Face/Off universe, making clear on Instagram that it won’t be a remake but a true sequel to the 1997 action classic. I can’t wait to see what the team comes up with, and since the original film has more than a toe dipped into the body horror waters, I think Wingard and Barrett will dive right in.
Speaking of remakes, Indiewire reported that Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim vs The World) would be giving a fresh coat of paint to the Stephen King-penned 1987 sci-fi horror, The Running Man, which originally starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s not very well-regarded and isn’t very true to King’s novella (written under his Richard Bachman pseudonym), but I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for the original. Weirdly enough, the book takes place only four years from now in 2025. It’s definitely a project that Wright’s been chasing for some time, as evidenced by this 2017 tweet where he was asked if he’d ever remake a film:
Michael Paszt’s fantastic documentary, Nail In The Coffin: The Fall and Rise of Vampiro, was nominated for Film Threat’s Award This! in the Best Sports Documentary category for 2021. We’re big fans of this doc over at BBP headquarters and couldn’t be happier to see it getting some much-deserved recognition. The awards will be handed out in a virtual ceremony on April 18, 2021 and you can RSVP for a free ticket here.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League cut is coming to HBO Max pretty soon, but he’s also got a new zombie…heist? film, Army of the Dead coming to Netflix on May 21, 2021. The film stars Tig Notaro and Dave Bautista, and the team dropped the first poster this week:
We got a couple of great new horrorish trailers this week. Disney’s Cruella, starring Emma Stone, presents a grown up take on the classic puppy-skinning villain. The first trailer hints at an origin story for the ruthless fashionista that takes place in the punk scene in 1970’s London. I’m cautiously optimistic about this one, though it remains to be seen how much actual puppy-skinning footage will make it into the film.
Of course, the big talk of the week was Thursday’s debut of the first trailer for Mortal Kombat, in all its (literal) heart-ripping glory. The trailer made waves throughout the internet, with fatality fans seemingly tearing apart every frame of the trailer for clues about their favourite characters. Even Psycho Goreman could be found drooling over a certain four-armed hunky boy:
I know I’m late to this party, but I finally caught the Brazilian horror sensation Bacurau this week and was blown away by it. It’s the story of a small remote village that’s under siege by external, imperialistic forces. It works remarkably as an action horror film but also as a metaphor for Western encroachment on traditional life. It’s also got yet another killer performance by Udo Kier, if you needed to be sold on it. It’s available to buy and rent on Google Play, iTunes, and from KinoNow.
For a slightly different change of pace, Marie Gilbert talked about the new zombie outing from Joshua Reale, Necropath. It sounds like a fun ride, though perhaps a little too gory (is there any such thing?) for our resident Horror Granny’s tastes. Keep a barf bag handy and strap in, if you’re willing to give this one a shot.
See you next week, everyone!
