Editorials
Bloody Disgusting’s Summer 2018 Horror Movie Preview!
With Deadpool 2 (review) having just crashed into theaters this past Friday, and Solo: A Star Wars Story landing this Friday, there’s no question that summer blockbuster season is officially upon us. It’s not all superheroes or mega Hollywood features though; horror is staking a major claim in the summer season release schedule. From anticipated sequels, festival favorites, and even a few puppets, there’s something for all fans of horror. Here’s the summer movie preview to help you prepare:
Upgrade – June 1
There’s perhaps no better way to kick off the summer season than the latest by Leigh Whannell (Saw, Insidious). Set in the near-future where technology has pervaded nearly every aspect of life, technophobe Grey (Logan Marshall-Green) is forced to rely on an experimental computer chip named Stem when his world is turned upside down. A high-octane sci-fi action thriller injected with the humor Whannell is known for makes Upgrade (review) a perfect fit for its summer season release.
Hereditary – June 8
There’s no other horror film as highly anticipated as the latest from A24, and release is finally just around the corner. Following the Graham family as they uncover terrifying secrets about their family history in the wake of the death of their family matriarch, our own Fred Topel has called the film “psychologically and viscerally grueling,” while Trace declared that it “rewards your patience with nightmare fuel.” It sounds like one not to be missed.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom – June 22
Whether you loved or hated 2015’s Jurassic World, its follow up seems to be doing everything right to entice horror fans. Director J.A. Bayona has promised to take the sequel back to the horror roots of the original, and emphasized the practical effects-heavy nature of the film. And the reveal of Jeff Goldblum in the trailers is an instant win. Set four years after the events of the last film, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Clair (Bryce Dallas Howard) mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs when Isla Nublar’s dormant volcano roars to life. Emphasis on the dino action.
The First Purge – July 4
This tried-and-true summer staple of horror returns in prequel form, with the most appropriate release on America’s most patriotic holiday. Exploring the events that lead to the first annual Purge, we can expect that writer/series creator James DeMonaco will once again go right for the jugular of its political themes, especially if the ballsy marketing is any indication. While Frank Grillo won’t be returning, producer Andrew Form has promised a new badass protagonist worth rooting for.
Unfriended: Dark Web – July 20
Eschewing supernatural teen angst for something much, much darker, this Blumhouse sequel opts for terrifying realism when 20-something Matias brings home a used laptop to use for connecting with friends for a Skype game night. The original owner, however, is not only watching him, but willing to do anything to get it back. Our own Trace has proclaimed that this sequel is “brutal and downright cruel.”
Summer of ’84 – August 3 (limited)
From the minds that brought cult hit Turbo Kid comes an ‘80s set murder mystery with teenage friends on the case. Leaning heavily into nostalgia, Summer of ’84 seems to draw inspiration from the likes of The ‘Burbs, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and of course “Stranger Things.” Our own Fred Topel states that the “serial killer element means business,” while it hits the “sweet spot” of nostalgia.
The Meg – August 10
Is there anything more quintessentially summer than shark movies? Or in this case, a pre-historic 75-foot-long shark. The marketing has been killer (pun totally intended), and Jason Statham’s presence promises an action-heavy summer romp. While the PG-13 rating means we won’t get any shark carnage, I should probably remind you that The Shallows also had a PG-13 rating, and it was still a lot of tense fun.
Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich – August 17 (limited)
This gonzo reboot is heavy on the gore and offensive humor, that there’s no way in hell it would pass with an R-rating. With gonzo kills that could easily win the prize for best kill scenes in modern horror, it would be a shame to trim any of that out. Luckily, the Cinestate production team refuses to cut a moment out, and it will get released unrated. The downside means that theatrical release will be limited. That’s still a huge win for horror, though, this crowd pleaser should be sought out on the big screen (review).
The Happytime Murders – August 17
Proving that August 17 should be marked as a national holiday for warped, adult takes on puppets, this R-rated comedy revolves around a puppet cast of a beloved ‘80s show getting murdered one by one. The trailer shown at CinemaCon elicited strong reactions, with boasts that it would be an “instant cult classic.” The film stars Elizabeth Banks, Melissa McCarthy, Joel McHale, and Maya Rudolph, so heavy prominence on the comedy. But R-rated puppet murder sounds intriguing.
Slender Man – August 24
Sony Screen Gem’s release about the infamous creepypasta revolves around four high school girls as they attempt to debunk the existence of the thin, tall faceless figure known as Slender Man. When one of the girls goes missing, they realize that maybe there’s more fact than fiction to the lore. While the initial trailer indicated a by-the-numbers teen horror, it’s late summer slated release may hint there’s more to this creepypasta than meets the eye. The film stars Joey King (The Conjuring, Wish Upon) and horror favorite Javier Botet as the titular Slender Man.
The Little Stranger – August 31
Based on Sarah Waters gothic ghost story of the same name, this quiet haunter is set in the 1940s as a doctor is called to a countryside estate, where he discovers its inhabitants may be haunted by an ominous presence. Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Charlotte Rampling, Will Poulter, and Ruth Wilson, and directed by Lenny Abrahamson (Room), will likely lean heavily into the gothic moodiness of the source material. So far, not much has been revealed about the film, which means a higher potential that this release date isn’t set in stone.
Mandy – TBD
Nicolas Cage is a busy actor, and probably has about 50 films slated for release this year. So, if you must choose only one, make it Panos Comsatos’ latest. Set in 1983, Cage plays Red Miller, a broken man hunting down the religious sect who slaughtered the love of his life. From what we can tell, vengeance will be downright bloody. Our own Fred Topel has stated that Mandy is “an intense two hours,” and teases that “Cage could hold his own with Bruce Campbell, Gunnar Hansen and Chow Yun-Fat as chainsaw warriors.” There’s no set date yet, but RLJE Films has slated Mandy for a summer theatrical release.
Some movies are just so beloved that you can experience them through cultural osmosis without ever sitting down to actually watch them. From loving parodies to meticulous recreations of iconic scenes, memorable filmmaking lives on even after the curtains close on the silver screen. And when it comes to horror, few films can compete with the massive impact that Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining had on popular culture as a whole.
Whether or not you think the flick is a good adaptation of Stephen King’s seminal novel, 1980’s The Shining slowly but surely grew into one of the most influential genre movies ever made, inspiring everything from surprisingly heartfelt sequels to classic episodes of The Simpsons. However, not all The Shining references are created equal, and today I’d like to shine a light on six unexpected homages to Kubrick’s iconic film.
In this list, we’ll be focusing on references and Easter eggs that either came out of the blue or came from creators that you wouldn’t expect to be fans of this classic ghost story. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own favorite references to the Torrance family and the Overlook Hotel if you think we missed a particularly memorable one.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
5. A Nightmare on FaceTime – South Park (2012)
Regardless of the brand’s iffy reputation among former employees, the death of Blockbuster Video was a serious blow to fans of physical media. Of course, some folks were more affected by this than others, and South Park’s Randy Marsh definitely took things a little too far in the twelfth episode of the show’s sixteenth season.
Titled A Nightmare on FaceTime, the main plot of this 2012 story is a surprisingly faithful recreation of The Shining where Randy purchases an empty Blockbuster store and begins to go mad once he realizes that his investment may not have been a very good idea due to the rise of streaming and the now-defunct RedBox storefronts.
4. The Overlook Hotel Level – Ready Player One (2018)
I was never really a fan of Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One, so I viewed Stephen Spielberg’s divisive adaptation of the novel as an improvement over the source material despite having its own narrative issues. In fact, I actually prefer how Spielberg changed the story by removing several references to his own work and replacing a lengthy Blade Runner detour with an over-the-top homage to The Shining.
A CGI-heavy recreation of the film’s most iconic moments that feels like a big-budget ghost train ride set within the Overlook Hotel, this intense sequence is more of a recreation of the freaky aesthetics of The Shining rather than its mind-bending narrative. However, it’s still fun to see Spielberg make a heartfelt tribute to a filmmaker that was once his close personal friend.
3. IKEA Singapore Halloween Ad (2014)
It makes sense that commercials don’t typically borrow from the horror genre, as it might be a bad idea to scare away potential customers, but some references are just too much fun to pass up.
That’s probably why the publicists behind this Ikea ad from Singapore were allowed to turn their commercial into a genuinely unsettling recreation of Danny’s tricycle scene from The Shining. After all, nobody cares if your store is haunted so long as it offers late-night shopping hours and a large selection of merchandise that you can become lost in forever and ever…
2. The End of ‘Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality’ – Community (2014)
Community is no stranger to recreating iconic movie moments within the show, and the series had previously tackled horror tropes in episodes like the fan-favorite Epidemiology. However, the most laugh-out-loud moment on this particular list comes from a brief gag towards the end of the season five episode ‘Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality’.
The majority of this episode has nothing to do with scary movies, but there’s a brief subplot involving supporting character Chang and a possible encounter with ghosts that leads him to question his own existence. This subplot culminates in the episode’s hilarious ending where the camera zooms in on a black-and-white photograph of Chang in period clothing at some kind of celebration, just like Jack Nicholson at the end of The Shining.
However, the picture’s subtitle eventually reveals that it’s merely a conveniently placed keepsake from the ‘Old Timey Photo Club’.
1. The Overlook Hedge Maze Sequence – Zootopia 2 (2025)
Disney movies are pretty far removed from both the gruesome horror of Stephen King and the heady filmmaking of Stanley Kubrick, so I don’t think anyone was expecting the climax of last year’s Zootopia sequel to take place in an animated version of the snowy hedge maze from The Shining.
In this unexpectedly intense sequence, friend-turned-villain Pawbert Lynxley (an unhinged lynx cat played by Andy Samberg) chases our protagonists through a creepy labyrinth in a loving recreation of Jack Nicholson’s icy demise outside the Overlook Hotel. The actual ending here might be a little more child-friendly than what’s being referenced, but it’s amazing that the filmmakers were able to push the horror elements as far as they did – especially since the scene doesn’t really have anything to do with the rest of the movie.
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