Sam Raimi Confirmed as Director of ARMY OF DARKNESS 2!

Happy Sunday everyone! Seeing as last night was Halloween Party night of the year, I hope that most of you are still alive. I myself had a great night, playing some rock and roll for a party full of tipsy, costumed party goers. Tonight, I'll be seeing The Exorcist on the big screen, and I got to wake up to this wonderful tid bit of news!

It has been confirmed that Sam Raimi will be resuming his position in the directors chair for the return of his iconic Evil Dead franchise. While the news didn't come from Raimi directly, it did come from Fede Alvarez (director of this year's Evil Dead), and seeing as he's pretty much been adopted into the whole ED camp, it's safe to say that this is a reliable source. 

Fede took to Twitter and made the announcement in response to a fan asking if he'll be taking on directorial duties for the much anticipated sequel. His response: "Sam Raimi will!".

Well folks, it looks like this might actually happen.

HORROR NEWS - Bruce Campbell Confirms: ARMY OF DARKNESS 2 IS OFFICIAL!

Guys, guys. Guys. I just don't even know where to start with this one. It's like finally hearing that you've won the lottery or that you found your favorite shirt which was seemingly lost forever but it was really just behind the couch the entire time. But bigger than that. Much, much bigger. As horror fans, there are those days where it seems like the impossible has been made possible and that all your dreams have seemingly come true. Folks, this is one of those days.

I woke up today thinking "This feels like a good day, I think this is going to be the start to a great week", and after having a rather sub-par weekend (hope your guys was fantastic though!) which was spent away from the internet, I woke up today to come into work and find out this absolutely delightful piece of news: Bruce Campbell has confirmed not only that Army of Darkness 2 is OFFICIALLY happening but also that he, of course, will be coming back to strap on the chainsaw and brandish the boomstick yet again as our favorite bumbling hero, Ash Williams. 

I seriously have to fight off tears right now.

This weekend, at this years Wizard World Nashville Comic Con, he indulged the crowd with the following: "The last one was twenty-two years ago. I just haven’t been racing to do it. Sam Raimi is just a little bit busy making the biggest movies in Hollywood. I used to be busy. Now I’m not. That’s why I’m here. He then joked, “Ash would have to stop occasionally from chasing some deadite to catch his breath. Maybe we could do that, I guess. That would be exciting. Fight in a walker. That would be alright. Hit them with my cane. Fake them out, have a fake heart attack, distract a zombie. I like it.”

Now, if you have been following these rumors for the past however many years, you know that Bruce has teased us like the dirty little bitches we are, but this time it was no tease. When pressed on the matter, he went on to say, “Alright sir, the answer is yes.”

Yes. The answer is YES. Not maybe, not "I'm sure it's gonna happen sooner or later" but yes.

Occasions like this require the cheesiest of celebratory music. 

Guys, let's get drunk and cry together.

- Rg Lovecraft

Sam Raimi Is Determined To Get ARMY OF DARKNESS Off The Ground!

So we're starting the week off with some hugely tasty news from Bloody-Disgusting and Fede Alvarez! 

Friday night saw the opening of this years spooktacular Universal Studio's Halloween Horror Nights, and with the Evil Dead maze being a major attraction at the event, Fede Alvarez was walking the red carpet. He revealed to BD.com that not only is Sam Raimi interested in continuing his support of Alvarez' new ED franchise, he's going to be resurrecting his own.

That's right, my fellow Deadites, the rumors are true. Army of Darkness 2 (tentatively titled) IS happening and (according to Alvarez) Raimi is busy writing it! 

While nothing is official yet, we know that when Raimi gets his mind set on something (i.e. Drag Me to Hell) he gets it done. Now, we play the waiting game and see what comes first, Evil Dead 2 or Army of Darkness 2. 

Oh, glorious day.

POLTERGEIST Casting Moves Forward - Sam Rockwell in Running to Star

The reboot of Tobe Hooper's 1980's supernatural franchise is well on it's way with this juicy piece of news: Sam Rockwell (Iron Man 2, The Green Mile) is being heavily considered to star in the modern re-visioning of Poltergeist.

If he is cast, he will be starring opposite the already confirmed Rosemarie DeWitt. The project is being helmed by director Gil Kenan (Monster House) and is being produced by Sam Raimi and Nathan Kahane. 

Not much news other than that has been heading out of the camp, but as I'll be keepin' ya posted as it rolls in. 

- Rg Lovecraft

POLTERGEIST Reboot Moves Forward, MGM Partners with Fox 2000 for Distribution

Today it was announced that MGM has partnered with Fox 2000 for co-financing and distribution of the modern take on the classic ghost film Poltergeist. Production begins this fall and I've already shared that the reboot will be directed by Gil Kenan, but it is being written by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Robert Lindsay-Abaire (Oz: the Great and Powerful). Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert's Ghost House Pictures will produce. 

We've also got a synopsis, which seems to read exactly like the original: “In a revisionist take on the classic horror film, a family struggling to make ends meet relocates to an outdated suburban home and is confronted by an angry spirit who kidnaps their youngest daughter and challenges them to band together to rescue her from the clutches of evil.”

So, what are your thoughts?

 

This one has been on my list, and it’s one of those films that I would get strange looks at when I mentioned that I hadn’t seen it yet. “But you’re a huge Evil Dead fan!” friends would proclaim, “This is like Evil Dead 4!” others would say. While I agree with the first statement and I see where people come from when they make the second statement, I wouldn’t necessarily agree with the latter.

Drag Me to Hell was written by Sam and Ivan Raimi, and directed by Sam Raimi, the same force that brought us The Evil Dead and its infamous sequels. The Raimi brothers wrote it before Sam focused on creating the god awful Spider-Man franchise and it was released in 2009. I enjoyed it. It was a fun ride, entertaining and hilarious much in the same vein as ED, and overall a decent film.

Read on for the full review!

"Evil Dead" Will Eat Your Soul on DVD and BluRay July 16th!

This is the kind of news that makes my morning. The Blu-ray/DVD release of Fede Alvarez Evil Dead (you can read my review here) reboot will be coming our way on July 16th. No word yet on whether or not this includes the unrated cut, but I’ve got my fingers (and toesies) crossed that it is.
Special features include:

• Commentary featuring stars Jane Levy, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, Director Fede Alvarez and writer Rodo Sayagues (Blu-ray exclusive)
• “Making Life Difficult” - The Intense and Physically Exhausting Creation of the Film
• “Being Mia” - The Physical and Psychological Transformation into “Evil Mia”
• “Directing The Dead” - Director Fede Alvarez re-imagines a cult horror classic
• “Unleashing The Evil Force” - Exploring the origins and design of the new Book of the Dead (Blu-ray exclusive)
• “Evil Dead the Reboot” - Cast Rehearsals, Bruce Campbell, Deadites and more! (Blu-ray exclusive)

"Poltergeist" is Coming Back. Filming Begins in September.

They’re heeeeeeeere…. agaaaaain…..
 
Word broke a few days ago that the latest horror franchise to receive the reboot treatment will be none other than Poltergeist, the story of the Carol Anne Freeling and her families battle to rescue after hostile spirits suck her into a television set and take her hostage. 

The project will be helmed by Gil Kenan (Monster House, City of Ember), which I am honestly not that keen on, but it is going to be produced by Sam Raimi. This new installation in the mythos of Poltergeist will not be a remake though, it will be a continuation of the same universe, much like this year’s wonderful reboot of Evil Dead, moviehole.com reported ealier today:

Firstly, the Kenan-directed Raimi-produced reboot – much like the “Evil Dead” remake – exists in the same world as the previous “Poltergeist” films. So while it is a ‘reboot’ of the franchise, it’s also somewhat of a sequel – taking place years after the Freeling’s were ran out of town.
In one scene in the new film, the kids’ find some things behind the sliding panel in the attic. Yep, you guessed it – they find some of the Freeling’s possessions, intentionally left behind. There’s the Star Wars bed sheets (from Robbie’s room), a black-and-white TV set (why, of course!), and some Christmas decorations.

I’m excited about this bit of news. Readers of this blog will know that I am a big fan of remakes and reboots and Poltergeist is one of the great iconic films of our time. If Sam Raimi is involved, then I have trust.

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