Rosario Dawson Tapped for Blumhouse's Next Paranormal/Possession Based Franchise

We live in the day and age where franchises are born even before the first chapter of said franchise is finalized. Blumhouse Productions has announced a new horror franchise entitled Incarnate. Brad Peyton will be direction while Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight, I, Frankenstein) is set to star and Rosario Dawson (Death Proof, Sin City) is in negotations to co-star. 

The story from Blumhouse: “An unconventional exorcist with the ability to tap into the subconscious of the possessed who meets his match when a 9-year-old boy is possessed by a demon from his past."

 

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY Gets TWO Sequels in 2014. Say What?

If there was one franchise that you could slap with the title "Cash Grab" Paranormal Activity would be that film. From the get-go, the franchise made it clear it that it was not about creating solid horror films, but creating easy money sources. I put them on the same level as the Scary Movie franchise. If there is any proof of these statements, this would be it:

Paramount Pictures and Blumhouse Productions have announced that they will be releasing not one, but two sequels to the spooky ghost franchise in 2014. This news come after we recently found out that there will be no spooky ghost story this Halloween. What they are going to do is release a Latino spin-off (really?) under the Paranormal name on January 3rd (it was originally titled OT: Oxnard Tapes but they changed the name to Paranormal Activity: Marked Ones) and will be releasing the official sequel, Paranormal Activity 5, on October 24th.

So there you have it, the spookiness resumes, just a year later than expected.

- Rg Lovecraft

Sinister (2012) - A Review

 

“Once you see him, nothing can save you.”

Oh Scott Derrickson and Blumhouse Productions, we meet again. Once again, you’ve lured me into your traps and have successfully devoured yet another slice of my horror soul, one that I will never see again. 

Sinister is a film that I have put off seeing for a quite a while. I’m not a huge fan of this style, I often think that its scares are cheap and its storylines are moronic at best, but I decided to give it an unbiased shot. I hate close-minded horror viewers and I try not to be one. I always love when I can watch a horror movie by a director/production company that I have previously disliked, or avoided, and they are able to make me change my opinion. That’s a sure-fire way to make me a lifelong fan. So last night, I ponied up to a 2 hour viewing of Sinister and here I am, writing this review once again convinced that I need to trust my gut instinct. 

Now, I know a lot of people are huge fans of this film. I will say that I went into this film excited to see it and ready to give it a genuine shot. My views may not be very favorable in this, as a lot of it is venting and expressing personal opinion. If you do not want to read something like that, please do not read past the break. If you want to know my thoughts, I’d love to hear yours as well. I do my best to foster an open minded environment on this blog, so I felt the need to present this warning to anybody who may be a fan of this film.

THE PURGE: A Welcome Break from the Monotony of Ghost Stories from Blumhouse Productions?

Any horror fan who has gone to seen a horror film in their local theater in the past two months has inevitably seen the trailer for Jason Blum’s new picture, The Purge, directed by James DeMonaco and starring (big surprise) Ethan Hawke. If you’re not familiar with either name, Jason Blum (founder and CEO of Blumhouse Production) is responsible for supplying countless teenage boys with much needed jump scares to get their girlfriends into their laps for the first time. His list of credits includes Paranormal Activity (1 - soon to be 5), Insidious (1 and soon to be 2), Sinister, and The Amityville Horror: The Lost Tapes. I’m just such a huge fan.

Regardless, there may be hope. For me atleast. Look, I totally get why people enjoy these movies. I just don’t find them scary, I find them annoying, but I don’t want you to think I’m some biased asshole. I watch them, I just rarely find them good enough to warrant discussion.As mentioned before, I will review without bias and keep my own opinions from getting in the way of bringing you honest horror movies. Hell, I want to like them too, so it helps me as well.

Regardless, back to the main point, The Purge. Now, Blum did produce The Lords of Salem so I’ll give him some credit, but I am very interested in The Purge. My kind of horror is real. It’s gritty, it’s nasty, it’s rooted in reality and it could be happening down the street from you at any given time. That’s what scares me. While the basic premise of this film is based in fantasy land, it still hold the realism that I look for in movies which is “People are fucked up enough to do stuff like this. Someone could come to my house right now and do this to me if they really wanted to”. Love it.

Here’s the official synopsis: “In an America wracked by crime and overcrowded prisons, the government has sanctioned an annual 12-hour period in which any and all criminal activity-including murder-becomes legal. The police can’t be called. Hospitals suspend help. It’s one night when the citizenry regulates itself without thought of punishment. On this night plagued by violence and an epidemic of crime, one family wrestles with the decision of who they will become when a stranger comes knocking.”

Sounds pretty groovy right? I’d love to see Blumhouse break out of the supernatural that they seem so hellbent on sticking to, it’s just getting old. Atleast in my opinion. Regardless, you can check out the one sheet below and head here for the trailer. And as always, feel free to share your thoughts. I love to see what other folk are thinkin’.

- Rg Lovecraft