First up is Crimson Peak, directed by modern visual master Guillermo Del Toro(who also co-wrote the script) and starring Mia Wasikowska as Edith, a 19th century writer who is swept off her feet by mysterious nobleman Sir Thomas Sharpe(Tom Hiddleston) and upon marrying him, goes off to live in his remote mansion with his sister Lucille(Jessica Chastain).
Turns out the house is holding some deadly ancient secrets and Edith happens to be attuned to ghosts, which makes the whole situation turn sinister in a snap. Del Toro clearly adores classic old fashioned story telling and by mixing gothic terror into his special bag of imagination, is promising to bring us a rather elegantly upgrade to popcorn fare,to which I say "more butter,please!":
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For a more family friendly crowd, the concept of Goosebumps as a major motion picture is not too bad. Jack Black plays a fictional version of real life author R.L.Stine, whose series of horror books for kids has made him a household name.
In this film, Stine has a cute teenage daughter named Hannah(Odeya Rush) who attracts the interest of Zach,(Dylan Minnette) the new kid in town who has just moved in next door. When Zach and a buddy of his sneak into the Stine residence, they wind up unleashing the entire library of the writer's rogues gallery and must use their knowledge of the books in order to save the day.
While this is not my cup of tea, it ought to be fine fearsome fun for pre-teen audiences and their folks, some of whom no doubt grew up on this particular brand of terror tales. A little hokey horror can go a long way and Goosebumps is certainly proof positive of that:
As Max and her pals try to survive the pitfalls of their slaughter happy setting, she also gets a chance to bond with her mother, so to speak. When a major change to the original story occurs, Max and company must work together to find a way to reach that happy ending for themselves,not to mention return home.
This movie will be released in a limited run this October and be available on home video by November, which is sort of a shame. Based on the trailer alone, this really seems to be a fun ride and having TV horror stars such as Farmiga(AHS:Coven) and Nina Dobev(The Vampire Diaries) in the cast is smartly savvy.
Hopeful, TFG will get some of the media attention that It Follows received earlier this year and gain a wider audience that would be more than willing to get old school with this:
And finally, we have Vin Diesel as The Last Witch Hunter. His character is named Caulder, a man cursed to immortality in order to fight evil magic practitioners as part of his vendetta to avenge his family.
Aided by a priestly order run by Michael Caine and with Elijah Wood on board as Caulder's newest assistant, a scheme to bring about the end of days by a coven in New York City must be thwarted. Caulder out and out hates witches, so teaming up with Chloe(Rose Leslie), whose dreamwalker powers are needed to save the world is not an easy thing for him to handle.
This does sound silly but hey, who am I to deny anyone some Vin Diesel supernatural warrior action? Could be a good time had by all yet I think I'll wait for a cable or Netflix viewing here:
All in all, we do have a good selection of fear films to choose from(especially if you avoid the latest Paranormal Activity sequel; time to give that a rest, guys!) but if you prefer to have some horror movie hijinks at home, that's fine as well. For once, it can be a real trick or treat to sample a taste of terror either on your couch or at the multiplex:
Love the sound of Crimson Park. I want to see it!
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