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Universal Thinks the Monsters Films Are Failing Because They’re “Horror”…

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The Mummy 4

I’ve been truly excited to see the return of Universal Monsters to the big screen, especially now that the studio is thinking mega-franchise with them. But then I saw Dracula Untold, which is the first in the new series. It was so bad that I’ve turned against the ambitious plan. If they can’t even get that right, how are they going to create a new monster mash with Frankenstein, Van Helsing, The Invisible Man, Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, and even The Mummy?

In one of my previous rants, I referenced how The Mummy films worked because they weren’t about The Mummy, but Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz’ characters. This also sort of turned the franchise into action films, as opposed to horror. Honestly, I think it works, so long as it isn’t forced (which is what happened with the third Mummy).

In regards to horror vs. action, THR held a roundtable in which Universal Pictures chairman Donna Langley reveals plans to take the horror out of the Uni Monsters. His reason? Check out this insulting answer…

“We’ve tried over the years to make monster movies — unsuccessfully, actually,” admits Langley. “So, we took a good, hard look at it, and we settled upon an idea, which is to take it out of the horror genre, put it more in the action-adventure genre and make it present day, bringing these incredibly rich and complex characters into present day and reimagine them and reintroduce them to a contemporary audience.”

I actually agree with the surface of Donna’s thought (see below), although it’s not as simple as “it failed because it was horror.”

Van Helsing was directed by mega-CGI hack Stephen Sommers, and The Wolfman was a behind-the-scenes mess that eventually landed the lackluster Joe Johnston as a director instead of the great Mark Romanek. And how about Gary Shore’s piece of crap Dracula Untold? That was clearly an attempt at action, which failed miserably. It feels like blaming horror is a copout, or an excuse to push “monsters” into the action subgenere.

It’s unfortunate that the execs think the reason that their Universal Monster movies are failing is because they’re horror. They’re failing because they keep making bad decisions, hiring bad directors, and using way too much CGI. The top brass at Universal are showing more and more how they don’t understand us horror fans at all.

With that said, maybe they should turn them into action films? It’s clearly where they’re comfortable. They know how to made absolutely terrible movies that are successful…

To go back to my earlier thoughts, I actually prefer these to be big-budget action films like the 1999 The Mummy. I just don’t want that to happen because they’re forcing the issue, which is what it sounds like they’re doing. I don’t find the original Universal Monsters all that frightening anymore, and prefer something along the lines of Indiana Jones Meets Frankenstein than another The Wolfman. I just don’t appreciate being told that our genre doesn’t work – what doesn’t work is their decision making skills. They need to grow some balls and pick out of the talent pool who isn’t going to just render everything in a computer….

van helsing

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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SCREAMBOX Investigates UFOs and Extraterrestrials: Several Documentaries Streaming Right Now!

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As someone who is obsessed with UFOS (or more recently known as UAPs) and the concept of extraterrestrials, I love a good documentary. Sightings have been on the rise since the 1940s, with the atomic bomb seemingly acting as a catalyst for new visitors. But what are these UFOs/UAPs? Is there an explanation or are they simply beyond our explanation? Why are they here? Who are they? How much do our governments know? The questions are endless and so are the documentaries that attempt to uncover the secrets behind decades of sightings and alleged confrontations.

Whether you’re a seasoned viewer or new to the rabbit hole, there’s always a handful of interesting documentaries to get your neurons firing and leave you with sleepless nights. SCREAMBOX is investigating with the addition of several docs, all streaming now on the Bloody Disgusting-powered service. Here’s the breakdown:

Aliens (2021): Beam into this unidentified streaming documentary for a glimpse into Extraterrestrial life. Aliens are hypothetical life forms that may occur outside Earth or that did not originate on Earth.

Aliens Uncovered: Origins (2021): Before Area 51, hidden deep in the desert, the military discovered a hidden gem that helped them create Project Bluebook.

Aliens Uncovered: ET or Man-Made (2022): The crash of Roswell wasn’t meant for New Mexico. In 1947, a neighboring state had 3 major sightings that were swept under the rug.

Aliens Uncovered: The Golden Record (2023): In the late 70s, the US government launched a message to our distant neighbors.

Roswell (2021): This high-flying documentary examines the July 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Theories claim the crash was actually that of a flying saucer, but what is the truth?

Also check out:

The British UFO Files (2004): Since the 1940’s the British Government has been investigating the Flying Saucer phenomenon. High-ranking military and government personnel, speak out for the first time, offering unique eyewitness accounts and inside information.

Alien Abductions and Paranormal Sightings (2016): Amazing Footage and stories from real people as they reveal their personal encounters of being abducted by Aliens.

And do not miss Hellier (2019): A crew of paranormal researchers find themselves in a dying coal town, where a series of strange coincidences lead them to a decades-old mystery.

These documentaries join SCREAMBOX’s growing library of unique horror content, including Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, Here for Blood, Terrifier 2, RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, The Outwaters, Living with Chucky, Project Wolf Hunting, and Pennywise: The Story of IT.

Start screaming now with SCREAMBOX on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, and Screambox.com.

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