Editorials
Previewing One of the Most Exciting Halloween Seasons in Horror History
Strap yourselves in. The next two months are going to be AWESOME.
When does the Halloween season officially begin? Is it when all the big stores start putting out their Halloween stuff? Maybe it’s when General Mills unleashes their Monster Cereals? If you’re asking me, the season officially kicks off proper in September, giving us two whole months to fully embrace the spirit of the season.
And between September 1st and October 31st of this year, oh boy do horror fans like ourselves have a whole lot to look forward to.
Whereas some years provide us with little to no new horror in the weeks leading up to Halloween, the 2017 season is jam packed with awesome, kicking off with a bang thanks to Andy Muschietti’s IT. Headed to the big screen on September 8, the new adaptation is one the most hotly-anticipated horror movies in many years, and all signs point to it doing Stephen King’s novel the terrifying justice it has long deserved. All signs also point to IT smashing box office records, which is needless to say going to be huge for horror.
Hitting the big screen just one week later, on September 15, is the mysterious mother!, the brand new horror film from the Oscar-nominated Darren Aronofksy. We know almost nothing about the film, which stars Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem, but it’s drawing favorable comparisons to Rosemary’s Baby and we can be pretty sure that we’re in good hands with Aronofsky at the helm. After all, the last horror film Aronofsky made, 2010’s Black Swan, was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards!
Another big source of big screen excitement this Halloween season is Jigsaw, the return of the Saw franchise that’s headed to theaters on October 27. It’s the eighth film in the series, and the first new Saw sequel in seven years. There was a time when Saw movies were a Halloween tradition, so it’s pretty exciting that the tradition is being restored so many years after the final nail was seemingly hammered into its coffin. How the hell is Jigsaw back? Personally, I can’t wait to find out.
On the small screen, a host of new horror movies look to potentially outshine this year’s theatrical offerings. First up, sequel The Houses October Built 2, arriving on September 22, should be the perfect film to get us all into the Halloween spirit. Like the first film, it looks to be a virtual visit to the most extreme of haunted attractions.
Also in September, Hush and Ouija: Origin of Evil director Mike Flanagan’s Gerald’s Game will premiere on Netflix on Friday, September 29. The film is of course an adaptation of Stephen King’s 1992 suspense thriller, a novel that was previously considered to be unfilmable. King himself recently called Flanagan’s film “horrifying, hypnotic and terrific,” so it sounds like Flanagan has done right by the horror master with this one. Flanagan is himself becoming a master of horror, so new projects from him are always exciting.
Several of our favorite franchises are being revived this Halloween, including the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Directed by Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury (Inside), Leatherface will hit DirecTV on September 21, followed by a proper VOD roll-out on October 20. This one is a prequel to Tobe Hooper’s original classic, telling the origin story of the Gunnar Hansen iteration of the hulking, chainsaw-wielding brute. You could argue that such a film is unnecessary, but hey, I’m always happy to have a horror icon back.
Speaking of which, everyone’s favorite killer doll is also coming back, with Don Mancini’s Cult of Chucky being released direct to home video on October 3 – along with the Unrated Blu-ray, DVD and Digital release, the complete 7-film Blu-ray collection is being released same day. The new film, a direct sequel to Curse of Chucky, sounds absolutely bonkers, and we’ve got a good feeling that Mancini is going to blow some minds with this one. The fact that he’s remained the franchise’s architect after all these years is a true gift to us all.
Oh and there’s also fourth franchise installment Victor Crowley, going on tour in October, and Happy Death Day, releasing Friday, October 13!
Of course, movies are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this year’s Halloween season thrills and chills. In the world of television, “American Horror Story: Cult” premieres on FX September 5, the hit series’ seventh season exploring the horrors of a post-Trump America. Then, FOX’s “The Exorcist” returns for its second season on September 29, pitting Tomas and Marcus up against a brand new evil. On October 22, “The Walking Dead” kicks off all-out war with its eighth season.
Just in time for Halloween, Netflix’s “Stranger Things” premieres its entire second season on October 27. Halloween weekend binge party, anyone?
And let’s not forget “Fear the Walking Dead,“ returning for Season 3.5 on September 10, and “Channel Zero: No-End House,“ premiering September 20!
As for the third season of “Ash vs. Evil Dead,” we assume at this point that it’s been bumped to 2018. And that may be for the best, as the schedule is already so packed.
What are YOU most looking forward to this Halloween season?
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
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