TRUE DETECTIVE - A Darkly, Cerebral Show That MUST Be on Your Radar

We are in a golden age of television. In today's world, cinema is crap and has been replaced by deeply intricate stories told over hour long episodes from the comfort of your own home (and at a fraction of the price). If there is one thing that shows like Twin Peaks, LOST, The Sopranos and Breaking Bad has shown us, it's that serialized television has become a new (and completely veritable) form of art and storytelling. 

Not only is television programming at it's height, but horror based television is seeing quite the renaissance. While there have always been shows that base themselves in the genre, i.e. The Twilight Zone, Tales from the Crypt, The X-Files, etc, I don't think you have enough fingers to count all the shows that are currently running in conjunction with each other at this time. American Horror Story, Hannibal, Teen Wolf, Bates Motel, The Walking Dead, Witches of East End, The Vampire Diaries; soon we will have the Rosemary's Baby miniseries and WGN's Salem, while there is talk of adapting The Exorcist and Scream for the small screen.

Now, does this necessarily mean that all of these are good shows? No. Far from it. Half of these series are shotty, generic horror pumped out for mass appeal, i.e. The Vampire Diaries, Teen Wolf and True Blood. I've read good things about Hannibal, yet couldn't get into it myself. I am a fan of Bates Motel, I will be tuning in on March 3rd, and American Horror Story is completely hit or miss for me. I loved the first half of the first season, the second season was perfect and the third season.... yeah, no. 

And then there is a new on on HBO, home to True Blood. Starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, True Detective, while not specifically a horror show, is proving to be one of the darkest and most cerebral things I have ever seen on television. I love it, and I think all of you will too. 

Told through narration and varied flashbacks, the story follows Detectives Hart (Harrelson) and Kohle (McConaughey) while they are hauled into interrogation regarding a homicide investigation that they headed up in 1995 in which a ritualistic killer would murder, pose and desecrate women's bodies in accordance to his sadistic religious practices and beliefs.

While the show aligns itself much more along the lines of the "true detective" genre of pulp fiction, the soundtrack, cinematography and general mood of the show reeks of horror based roots. It often has the same feeling of tension and displacement that David Fincher's Se7en had. I'm convinced that Cary Fukunaga took influence from the film for the aesthetic of the show. Much aligned with Se7en, the show's intro credit sequence in an interlaced dialogue of disturbing imagery and emotional duress, completely indicative of what the show has in store for you.

It will be following an anthology format, much along the same lines as American Horror Story. While I like this idea, it has been shown that it can be very touch and go for AHS, and it is my sincerest of hopes that while the cast of characters will change, the cast itself remains. I cannot stress enough how amazing Matthew McConaughey is in this show. Each episode he continually blows my mind, I didn't think the man was capable of such amazing and emotional performances. Harrelson also shows off some incredibly decent chops, so much so that I can barely look at the man's face anymore without feeling a mild resentment somewhere in my gut for the horrid display of character on Hart's part. These two carry the show, however without McConaughey the show would be a lost cause.

This show will bore it's way into your mind and into your psyche, just like any good horror should. It is gritty, dark and often times unpleasant, but I can't get enough of it. It embodies everything I love about the genre, and it isn't even part of it. It beautifully encapsulates the true nature of great slow-burners, from the use of tension to the perfect balance of violence.

I decided to settle in for a viewing because I wanted to see Fukunaga's work, considering he'll be taking up the IT mantle, and I got everything that I wanted and more. Plus, I have to say that I think King's work is in safe hands. Should you find yourself in need of something new and refreshing to watch one lonely night, make sure to check out True Detective. This show is not about the fear of what you may see, or what comes knocking on your door. It is the fear of the human psyche, and of what we are all capable of whether we are willing to admit that to ourselves or not. 

- Rg Lovecraft 

HORROR NEWS: More Word Trickles Down the IT Grapevine!

More word has come in regarding the eternally rumored revised adaptation of Stephen King's IT. It was announced some time ago that True Detective director Cary Fukunaga (pictured below) would be writing and directing the new adaptation, this time for the big screen. Apparently that's still happening, atleast according to Dan Lin, the film's producer, as he tells us here:

“Cary Fukunaga is writing and directing Stephen King’s It for me, and I’m really excited for that,” explains Lin. “So I’m hoping that’ll be his next movie after the indie he’s shooting in Africa. So I love what he did with True Detective. I think it’s a great sample for Stephen King’s “It.” So I’m really excited about that.”

From what I hear True Detective is a pretty damn decent show as it boasts an extremely impressive 9.4/10 stars on IMDB. That alone makes me want to hunker down for the pilot and see if Fukunaga has the chops to do this film justice.

Stephen King's novel that spawned a million childhood fears of clowns was adapted for the small screen as a 4 part mini-series in 1990, and starred Tim Curry as the eponymous IT, or Pennywise. The story follows 7 children, known as the Loser's Club, who encounter the otherworldly beast and battle for their lives, once in 1958 and again, when it returns to feed in 1985. 

While details are scarce regarding the script yet, it's not even clear as to whether or not Fukunaga has begun writing it, but Bloody Disgusting reports that it will be set in the "present day". Whether that means 1985 present day as in the novel, or 2014 present day, all I know is that I'm hoping and praying it means 1985. I'll be a mite upset if we see Stuttering Bill and Beverly sexting eachother. 

Big Stephen King News: "IT" and "Pet Sematary" Remakes on the Horizon

So this is amazing, wonderful, beautiful, fantastic, great, fucking baby-making kind of news. Several years ago, word was leaked that a remake of the early 90’s ABC IT miniseries was going to be re-made into a feature length, major motion picture geared for an R rating. After all, anyone who’s read that book knows how gruesome it actually is, turning into a mini-series for ABC was always something I wondered about.
Regardless, word was leaked, the film went silent and we haven’t heard anything about it, until now. A writer has officially been announced, David Kajganich (The Invasion) as well as a director, Cary Fukunaga (Jane Eyre). Also, Warner Bros. has agreed to a 2 FILM DEAL. This means that Fukunaga will really be able to explore the themes of childhood, friendship and the strange history of Derry in depth. Can’t you tell how excited I am?

Well, while I’m very excited about this bit of news, I’m more excited about this: Pet FUCKING Sematary. Now, I should have prefaced this earlier, but I am a HUGE Stephen King fan, and right beneath The Shining there is Pet Sematary. I’m talking the novels here, not the films. I thought the film adaptation of Pet Sematary was piss-poor. That book made me weep, that book hit on some extremely heavy themes of fatherhood, death and the horrid reality of having to let a loved one go, even if you feel they were taken from you way to soon. The film not only skipped each of these themes (pretty much entirely) they turned it into a silly zombie film that held none of the deep rich beauty that the book had. I recognize that the film is a classic, and I will never deny a classic it’s credit. It’s a classic for a reason but I personally do not, and probably never will, like it.

Now, to get back onto point, Paramount Pictures has commissioned Matthew Greenberg (1408) to pen the screenplay for the remake of Pet Sematary. Now, when news of this one leaked Paramount was bombarded by directors who wanted a chance to helm the classic, one of which being Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth) but (here’s where I get really, really excited) decided to go for none other than Mr. Alexandre Aja himself, due to his ability to work wonders with visceral, violent films such as Haute Tension and The Hills Have Eyes.

While there is not timeline (atleast not released) for either film yet, it looks like Aja could begin work on this project in the coming months, while IT could still be a long ways off. Either way, this is the kind of news that makes my day.

-Rg Lovecraft