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Willem Dafoe Plays a Police Chief (Again) in ‘Odd Thomas’

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I fell in love with horror author Dean Kootz back in ’93 when my school principal called me to the office and told me the “subject matter was too adult for me.” Everyone was big on Stephen King, I was all Kootnz.

I was such a huge fan that one of the biggest disappointments in my life was the 1998 feature film Phantoms, which castrated one of the most chilling stories I read in my young life. After numerous Hollywood dumpers, Kootnz swore off feature film adaptations, at least until the past few years.

Gearing up for production in New Mexico later this spring and summer is Odd Thomas, a new Kootnz adaptation this time by Stephen Sommers. The only thing “Odd” is the directing choice, considering Sommers is responsible for debacles such as Van Helsing and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Sure, I loved Deep Rising, but 12 years hasn’t given me much to look forward to…

Ranting aside, THR has some good news as they’re reporting Willem Dafoe (Antichrist) is in talks to join the cast of the supernatural thriller that centers on a short-order cook named Odd Thomas who can commune with the dead, a secret only his girlfriend (Addison Timlin) and the local police (Dafoe) chief know.

The young man can also spot malevolent forces called bodachs, who feed on pain and portent imminent death. When Odd sees them in spades surrounding a stranger, he finds himself in a race against time to avert a catastrophe.

The movie, with a budget in the $20 to $30 million range.
Willem Dafoe in an awesome scene from ‘Boondock Saints’

Horror movie fanatic who co-founded Bloody Disgusting in 2001. Producer on Southbound, V/H/S/2/3/94, SiREN, Under the Bed, and A Horrible Way to Die. Chicago-based. Horror, pizza and basketball connoisseur. Taco Bell daily. Franchise favs: Hellraiser, Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Scream and Friday the 13th. Horror 365 days a year.

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George A. Romero’s ‘Diary of the Dead’ Getting New SteelBook Blu-ray Release

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The fifth installment in the late George A. Romero’s zombie franchise, found footage horror movie Diary of the Dead is getting a new SteelBook Blu-ray on July 2 from Lionsgate.

Lionsgate lets us know in a press release this afternoon, “This gruesome fright flick is only available at Walmart on SteelBook Blu-ray for the suggested retail price of $24.99.”

In Diary of the Dead, Romero continues his influential “Dead” series, this time focusing on a terrified group of college film students who record the pandemic rise of flesh-eating zombies.

Luiz H.C. wrote about the 2008 zombie movie here on Bloody Disgusting a few years back, calling it an underrated movie in Romero’s filmography. Luiz wrote, “Diary of the Dead is far from Romero’s greatest work, but it’s still worth watching after all these years.”

His article continued, “The subtext is still on point, the zombies are still scary and there’s no beating that chilling apocalyptic atmosphere. So, whether you’re a zombie enthusiast, Found Footage fan or just a casual horror hound up for some socially conscious thrills, I wholeheartedly recommend digging this one up. The revolution may not be televised, but if the late, great George A. Romero is to be believed, it might just show up online.”

“And I think that’s a relevant message for these troubling times,” Luiz added.

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