The story centers on a rural Texarkana town that was stalked by a serial killer in 1946. The maniac was never caught and in 2013, he comes back.
Timlin plays a young high schooler being raised by her grandmother who’s targeted by the mysterious killer. Tope will play a classmate who befriends Timlin’s character, and decides to make a documentary about the search for the killer.
The story follows a team of research students that discovers the secret to bringing subjects back from the dead — however, their actions result in a series of sinister consequences.
The Purge, which comes from director James DeMonaco, looks to be a fairly intense piece of work. While I have yet to see the film (something I’m fixing soon), I took the opportunity last week to hop on the phone with Max Burkholder (“Parenthood”), who plays young Charlie Sandin in the film.
In theaters June 7th, the film also stars Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Adelaide Kane, Edwin Hodge, Tony Oller, and Rhys Wakefield.
“In an America wracked by crime, the government has sanctioned an annual 12-hour period in which any and all criminal activity—including murder—is legal. The police can’t be called. Hospitals suspend help. It is one night when the citizenry regulates itself without thought of punishment. On this night plagued by violence and an epidemic of crime, one family wrestles with the decision of who they will become when a stranger comes knocking.”
Check out the interview below! READ MORE
By Erik Myers:
Writer/Director James DeMonaco’s Blumhouse and Platinum Dunes-produced The Purge (formerly Vigilandia), starring Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Max Burkholder, Adelaide Kane, Edwin Hodge, Tony Oller and Rhys Wakefield, hits theaters on June 7th. The film is produced by Jason Blum of Blumhouse (Paranormal Activity, Insidious, Sinister), Platinum Dunes’ partners Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form (The Amityville Horror, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), as well as Sébastien Kurt Lemercier (Assault on Precinct 13).
“In an America wracked by crime, the government has sanctioned an annual 12-hour period in which any and all criminal activity—including murder—is legal. The police can’t be called. Hospitals suspend help. It is one night when the citizenry regulates itself without thought of punishment. On this night plagued by violence and an epidemic of crime, one family wrestles with the decision of who they will become when a stranger comes knocking.”
BD Stringer Erik Myers caught up with Blum at the Stanley Film Festival a few weeks back and they discussed the themes behind The Purge as well as the film’s take on violence. They also catch up a bit on Insidious Chapter 2. Check it out below! READ MORE
Olivia Wilde (pictured above; Turistas, Tron: Legacy, “House”) and Mark Duplass (pictured below; Zero Dark Thirty, Safety Not Guaranteed have signed on to star in Reawakening for Blumhouse and Lionsgate.
The David Gelb (Jiro Dreams Of Sushi) directed film will be written by Luke Dawson (Shutter and Jeremy Slater (the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot). Jason Blum will produce through Blumhouse along with Mosaic Media Group.
In the thriller, “The story follows a team of research students that discovers the secret to bringing subjects back from the dead — however, their actions result in a series of sinister consequences.”
Definitely interested to see how this one pans out! READ MORE
By Erik Myers:
Universal and Blumhouse’s horror flick The Purge hits theaters on June 7. The film is an interesting twist on the home invasion trope. It takes place in a future America where one night a year, all crime is legal, and one well-to-do family led by Ethan Hawke become the unwitting targets of a merry band of masked murderers.
Such a concept can’t be rolled out without plenty of thought, but writer and director James DeMonaco is not in short supply of either. A self-described fanatic of crime lore and horror movies, this is the first major studio film DeMonaco has directed, but his long list of screenwriting credits includes the remake of Assault on Precinct 13 and Skinwalkers. The morning after the film’s premiere at the Stanley Film Festival, he sat down with Bloody Disgusting to discuss the film, America’s peculiar relationship with violence and the frightening performance of lead antagonist Rhys Wakefield. READ MORE
James Wan’s Insidious: Chapter 2 hits theaters via FilmDistrict on Friday, September 13th (Wan’s other summer effort, The Conjuring hits two months earlier on July 19th).
BD Stringer Erik Myers was onhand at the Stanley Film Festival in Estes Park, Colorado this past weekend and he caught up with producer Jason Blum to talk about the sequel. While they didn’t have a lot of time to chat, Blum remarked, “I saw it last week. There’s a rough cut of it, very cool. I think it does what a sequel should do. It brings back enough of the first movie so it doesn’t feel like a totally new thing, but there’s a ton of different stuff in it. And a lot of the mythology from the first movie… you’re going to get a lot of answers in the second movie. I’m looking forward to people seeing it.”
Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins, Barbara Hershey, Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson, Andrew Astor, Jocelin Donahue and Danielle Bisutti all star in the sequel.
I recently spent some time on the set of the film and can’t wait to report what I saw with you. Myers also has some coverage from The Purge at the fest that we’ll be posting over the next few days.
Jason Blum tucks another project under his belt. It’s interesting, I sort of feel like Blumhouse is entering a “Phase 2″ where they start casting a wider thematic net. I’m excited to see if The Purge lives up to its trailer and I’m VERY curious about the super-meta take on The Town That Dreaded Sundown remake.
So hopefully this project he’s putting together with Fast Five writer Chris Morgan continues that trend. For now I’ll call it Untitled Jasom Blum/Chris Morgan Sci-Fi. Per The Hollywood Reporter, it’s “a low-budget sci-fi movie project.” Morgan will produce with Blum but won’t write, those duties fall to Christopher Denham (writer of the unreleased Area 51; actor in Argo),
The film “centers on a group of students who invent a new technology with ramifications that go far beyond their control.” Both Blum and Morgan have deals with Universal, so it would likely fall there. But there’s no way of telling just yet.
If you dug Dark Skies then your wait until it hits home video is coming to an end. It arrives on DVD and Blu-ray (with DVD and Ultraviolet) on May 28th. Special features include feature commentary with Writer/Director Scott Stewart, Producer Jason Blum, Executive Producer Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Editor Peter Gvozdas as well as alternate and deleted scenes from the film.
The supernatural thriller directed by Scott Charles Stewart “Follows a young family living in the suburbs. As husband and wife Daniel and Lacey Barret witness an escalating series of disturbing events involving their family, their safe and peaceful home quickly unravels. When it becomes clear that the Barret family is being targeted by an unimaginably terrifying and deadly force, Daniel and Lacey take matters in their own hands to solve the mystery of what is after their family.”
The film stars Josh Hamilton, Keri Russel and J.K. Simmons. Head inside for the (small-ish) box art. READ MORE
Nicholas Hoult (pictured above; Warm Bodies, Jack The Giant Slayer) will be joining the new film from writer/director Gilles Paquet-Brenner (Sarah’s Key), Dark Places, based on the book by Gillian Flynn. He joins Charlize Theron and Chloe Moretz. He’ll play Lyle, “An awkward young man, Lyle is the treasurer of the Kill Club, the group investigating the case of the killing of the family of Libby Day (Theron).”
In the film, “Theron will play Libby Day, a woman who, at seven-years old, survived the brutal massacre of her family and testified against her brother as the murderer. Twenty-five years later, the Kill Club, a secret-society obsessed with solving notorious crimes, bring her to question and confront the truth of what took place that day.”
Next up is the remake of The Town That Dreaded Sundown, which adds Addison Timlin (pictured inside; “Californication”) to the cast. Per Deadline, she’ll play, “Jami, a girl who survives a copycat massacre at the film’s annual tribute screening and sets out to solve the mystery of who’s recreating the unsolved Sackhead murders, using clues from her own past.”
Ryan Murphy is producing with Jason Blum. “American Horror Story” director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon is handling the reigns. READ MORE
Writer/Director James DeMonaco’s Blumhouse and Platinum Dunes-produced The Purge (formerly Vigilandia) – came out swinging today with a new trailer, poster, some cool stills and a new synopsis! Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Max Burkholder, Adelaide Kane, Edwin Hodge, Tony Oller and Rhys Wakefield star in the film. I definitely like the intensity and the “what if The Strangers were legal” vibe!
“In an America wracked by crime, the government has sanctioned an annual 12-hour period in which any and all criminal activity—including murder—is legal. The police can’t be called. Hospitals suspend help. It is one night when the citizenry regulates itself without thought of punishment. On this night plagued by violence and an epidemic of crime, one family wrestles with the decision of who they will become when a stranger comes knocking.”
Directed by James DeMonaco (writer of Assault on Precinct 13 and The Negotiator), The Purge is produced by Jason Blum of Blumhouse (Paranormal Activity, Insidious, Sinister), Platinum Dunes’ partners Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form (The Amityville Horror, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), as well as Sébastien Kurt Lemercier (Assault on Precinct 13).
The Purge hits May 31st, 2013. Head inside for the trailer, poster and image gallery! READ MORE
You have to respect Jason Blum’s ability to play things close to the vest. Aside from Sinister 2 – which they only had to announce because Eli Roth tweeted about it – he only really lets you in on stuff when he’s ready to start shooting (which seems to be the case here). Blumhouse Productions has announced the start of production on their new film Scary House.
It stars Patrick Wilson (Insidious, Watchmen), Amy Seimetz (The Sacrament), Jessica Tyler Brown (Paranormal Activity 3) and Patton Oswalt (Young Adult) in what’s described as “a haunting slow burn inside a typical suburban home that may or may not be infested with supernatural forces.” The film will be directed by Scott Stewart (Dark Skies) from a script by Chad Hayes (The Conjuring).
In a way, the title leads me to wonder if they’re using something so general as part of some meta The Cabin In The Woods approach, but apparently not. It seems like they’re swinging for the fences to make the “ultimate” suburban haunted house movie.
Per the official synopsis, “After suffering a loss, Jonathan (Wilson) and Lindsay (Seimetz) and their young daughter Amethyst (Brown) move into a modest home in a quiet suburban enclave where they intend to mend their family back to normal. While Jonathan struggles with unemployment and Lindsay yearns for the man he used to be, the tensions between them worsen as things slowly start going wrong with the house itself. Unwilling to move out of the house and unable to suffer one more night of ‘things happening’, they consult paranormal expert Aleksandar (Oswalt) hoping to find solace. Instead, they find that they are living in their greatest nightmare.”
Head inside for more! READ MORE
Dark Skies, the slow burn psychological horror film starring Keri Russell, Daniel Barrett and Josh Hamilton hits theaters today from Dimension Films. Brad (Mr. Disgusting) wasn’t a fan. At all. I’ve also seen the film and, while I dislike it a bit less than him, I have to agree with the points he makes in his review. Most of the issues stem from the script by Scott Charles Stewart (who also directed).
“The film is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most boring features I’ve seen in years. Taking slow burn to an entirely new level, it traffics in some of the most cliche alien motifs out there, but also feels the need to eventually over-explain everything in one purging moment. After over an hour of obvious hints and weird occurrences (such as the birds scene from the trailer – as well as missing time, rashes behind ears, and unwatchable camera footage), the filmmakers decide to assault the viewer with an overly long explanation of occurrences.”
Click here to read the review in its entirety and – as always – make sure to write your own!
Hot off the success of Paranormal Activity, director Oren Peli embarked on his second outing behind the camera, Area 51. That was four years ago.
Isn’t it strange that the above paragraph could easily be the opening crawl for its own found footage movie? Of course, Oren Peli didn’t disappear. Paranormal Activity 2, 3 and 4 have since been released (he was involved with all of them to varying degrees). He’s had a big network TV show, “The River.” He wrote and produced The Chernobyl Diaries and he’s also a producer on Rob Zombie’s upcoming Lords Of Salem.
His producing partner on Area 51 (and the PA films), Jason Blum, recently had some massive success with Insidious and Sinister and is currently shooting Insidious: Chapter 2. Back in 2011 Blum went on record about the project and the duo’s very busy dance card seemed to be interfering a bit with its release, “Area 51′ is like ‘Paranormal Activity’. The additional photography for ‘PA’, we went back 50 times. The great thing about doing extra shooting for inexpensive movies is that the cost is low, so we screen and shoot and screen and shoot. Oren and I were pulled away from ‘Area 51′ a lot for the second ‘PA’. Once that came out, we ramped up on ‘Area 51′ again. I anticipate the movie will be mostly done in about three or four months.”
Those three or four months have come and gone. So… what do we know about the film? READ MORE
A few weeks back James Wan’s Insidious Chapter 2 held an open casting call for their biggest fan. Whoever could prove their fandom the best (via YouTube) would be personally selected by Wan, Whannell and producer Jason Blum to receive an all-expense paid trip for two to Los Angeles where he/she will get a walk-on role in the movie
While all of the submissions can be seen at the Insidious: Chapter 2 YouTube, it was 21 year old Michael James Grise who emerged as the victor. In the words of James Wan, “We sifted thru tons of entries. Everyone’s a winner in my book, but like Connor Macleod said, there can be only one.”
Additionally, Danielle Bisutti (pictured above; “Parks And Rec”) has been cast in the film, though the nature of her role is being kept under wraps. She joins Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins, Jocelin Donahue, Barbara Hershey, Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson, Andrew Astor and Grise in the cast. FilmDistrict will release Insidious Chapter 2 in theaters August 30th.
Head inside for Grise’s winning clip. READ MORE
Writer/director Mark Duplass (Baghead, Jeff Who Lives At Home) has successfully been branching out into acting with roles on Zero Dark Thirty and Safety Not Guaranteed. Now, (per Deadline) he’s going a step further with Mercy for Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions.
Pic is based on a Stephen King story, “Gramma”, from his “Skeleton Crew” collection. In the story two boys visit their grandmother only to discover that she’s a witch. Frances O’Connor, Chandler Riggs, Joel Courtney, Dylan McDermott, Shirley Knight and Chris Browning are also set star.
The Haunting in Connecticut‘s Peter Cornwell is directing from a script by Matt Greenberg. Jason Blum will produce with McG and Mary Viola from Wonderland Sound and Vision.
Want to be in James Wan’s Insidious Chapter 2? The film is currently shooting in Los Angeles and there’s a contest to find the biggest Insidious fan. The lucky winner, to be personally selected by Wan, Whannell, and producer Jason Blum, will receive an all-expense paid trip for two to Los Angeles where he/she will get a walk-on role in the movie
Here’s what you do! Log into the Casting Call and upload a video to the Official Insidious: Chapter 2 YouTube or Facebook Page that tells James why you are the biggest Insidious fan and deserve to be cast alongside stars Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne in the sequel. The contest closes on February 4th, 2013.
FilmDistrict will release Insidious Chapter 2 in theaters August 30th. The film stars Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins, Barbara Hershey, Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson, Andrew Astor and… you?
Head inside for a video from Wan, Whannell and Blum laying out the rules. READ MORE
Late last year we discussed the fact that MGM, who is also rebooting Carrie, is developing a remake of 1976 horror movie >The Town that Dreaded Sundown. Now it appears that Ryan Murphy (the creator of “American Horror Story”) spoke out about the project this evening at an “AHS” event in Hollywood. It seems that Alfonso Gomez-Rejon might be directing with Murphy and Sinister‘s Jason Blum producing.
“The original movie was based on five unsolved murders attributed to the Phantom Killer during three months in 1946 in and around the city of Texarkana on the border between Texas and Arkansas. Pierce shot large parts of the movie in and around Texarkana with extras recruited from local residents. READ MORE
Director James DeMonaco’s Platinum Dunes-produced The Purge (formerly Vigilandia) – a political/sci-fi slasher starring Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Max Burkholder, Adelaide Kane, Edwin Hodge, Tony Oller and Rhys Wakefield – now has an expanded official synopsis, though it doesn’t differ too much from what we’ve already reported on the film.
It reads, “If on one night every year, you could commit any crime without facing consequences, what would you do? In The Purge, a speculative thriller that follows one family over the course of a single night, four people will be tested to see how far they will go to protect themselves when the vicious outside world breaks into their home. In an America wracked by crime and overcrowded prisons, the government has sanctioned an annual 12-hour period in which any and all criminal activity—including murder—becomes legal. The police can’t be called. Hospitals suspend help. It’s one night when the citizenry regulates itself without thought of punishment. On this night plagued by violence and an epidemic of crime, one family wrestles with the decision of who they will become when a stranger comes knocking. When an intruder breaks into James Sandin’s (Ethan Hawke) gated community during the yearly lockdown, he begins a sequence of events that threatens to tear a family apart. Now, it is up to James, his wife, Mary (Lena Headey), and their kids to make it through the night without turning into the monsters from whom they hide.”
The film is being released by Universal from its deal with producer Jason Blum, who partners with Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes. Blum, Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form are producing with Sébastien Kurt Lemercier.
I actually kind of like this premise and hope they execute it well. The film will be purged onto screens May 31st, 2013.
Jessabelle, the new film from Saw VI and Saw 3D director Kevin Greutert and writer Robert Ben Garant (“Reno 911!”, A Night At The Museum) made an appearance at the American Film Market in Santa Monica today. Blumhouse (The Lords of Salem, Insidious, Paranormal Activity) is teaming up with Lionsgate for the project.
Sarah Snook, Joelle Carter (“Justified”), Mark Webber (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) Ana de la Reguera and Amber Stevens star in the film. Snook will play the terrified protag, while Webber will play her childhood friend who helps her uncover the truth about her family. The film is “about a girl who is forced to return to her father’s home in Louisiana when a car accident leaves her without the use of both her legs. What she finds there is a mystery surrounding her own birth and an angry ghost (named Jessabelle) that seems determined to destroy her.”
Head inside for the first image from the film! READ MORE
Last night I attended a preview of Jason Blum’s Los Angeles haunted attraction, “The Blumhouse Of Horrors”. While what I saw wasn’t 100% finished, it was certainly impressive. It’s not so much a maze as it is a building full of haunts, characters, magic and smoke. I took a guided tour, which is not a VIP thing, it’s how the attraction is meant to be experienced since your guides are pretty creepy as well. There’s a lot of cool stuff to see (and feel – I know BD alum Brian Collins even got zapped). There’s also a neat feature that had the claustrophobic in me absolutely reeling. If you live in LA, and are a fan of haunted houses, I certainly recommend it.
The Blumhouse of Horrors opens on October 4th and will be open to the public Thursday through Saturday throughout October. And it’s open the entire week of Halloween. Info and tickets are available on the official site. You can also follow the Blumhouse Facebook and Twitter for more info.
After experiencing the attraction I sat down with Jason Blum to talk about his inspiration for the experience and how he tailored it to fit the building’s unique space. We also talked about some if his upcoming films. Insidious 2 seems to be just a click away and the existence of Paranormal Activity 5 seems to be a given at this point. We also talk about Dark Skies and the Ethan Hawke-starring Vigilandia, which is now titled The Purge. Head inside for the interview, it’s short but sweet! READ MORE
Scott Charles Stewart’s Dark Skies kicked off production on August 3rd, and it looks like things went smoothly during the shoot as the film already has a release date of February 22, 2013 via Dimension. The film stars Keri Russell, Daniel Barrett, Josh Hamilton and Dakota Goyo.
Jason Blum produced the film through his Blumhouse Productions and Alliance Films and Dimension is onboard to distribute, we exclusively reported that the horror flick focuses on a 6-year-old boy who’s apparently been “marked” by an alien (living among us) for future abduction. It looks like it taps into some of the same themes of Fright Night, while also playing into child abuse (did the parents cause these marks on the child’s body?)
Yesterday we gave you the announcement that Jason Blum and Blumhouse were opening a haunted house, and now there’s a teaser that sets the tone for the experience.
Blumhouse’s Los Angeles-based movie production team is using its expertise in horror film production, storytelling, and movie set design to transform the Variety Arts Theater into a fully-immersive and chillingly intense Halloween attraction. The Blumhouse of Horrors will be open to the public Thursday through Saturday throughout October, and the entire week of Halloween.
Head inside to check it out! We’ve also included some more details (schedule and tickets etc..) in there as well. Also, you can follow the Blumhouse Facebook and Twitter for more news! READ MORE
Earlier in the week we got wind of the news that Jason Blum and Blumhouse were opening a haunted house, now we have the official word!
Blumhouse Productions, the multi-media production company behind highly-successful and terrifying movies like the Paranormal Activity franchise, Insidious and the upcoming Sinister, announced today (The Blumhouse Of Horrors), an innovative and frightening haunted house experience in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.
Blumhouse’s Los Angeles-based movie production team is using its expertise in horror film production, storytelling, and movie set design to transform the Variety Arts Theater into a fully-immersive and chillingly intense Halloween attraction. The Blumhouse of Horrors will be open to the public Thursday through Saturday throughout October, and the entire week of Halloween.
Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse said: “Blumhouse is passionate about telling scary stories in entirely new ways and we are taking everything we have learned from our film production experience to create a one-of-a-kind Haunted House in downtown L.A. We are excited to kick-off October with The Blumhouse of Horrors.”
Head inside for full details – including ticket prices and hours! Also, you can follow the Blumhouse Facebook and Twitter for more news! READ MORE
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