Movies
Jon Spaihts Says ‘The Mummy’ Will Have “Power to Terrify”
Writer Jon Spaihts is currently sitting on a very comfortable bed. His latest film Doctor Strange pretty much killed it at the box office this weekend and he’s got several projects ahead that are pretty much guaranteed to be big earners, such as Pacific Rim 2, Passengers, and Van Helsing. But it’s his work on The Mummy that has people interested as the last few iterations we’ve seen have been a bit more on the adventure side than horror.
Speaking with THR, Spaihts explains that he appreciates where those movies came from and how they presented themselves but that he has a different vision.
In ‘The Mummy’, I think we’re going to see the first Mummy film in the entire Universal canon with the true power to terrify. The earliest [Boris] Karloff and Bela Lugosi Mummy movies were scary in a small way, perhaps a dated way. They were almost parlor movies. Subsequent movies have been more swashbuckling. This one is going to have all of that action and adventure, but a legitimate power to terrify. I think that’s going to be the new experience of that film.
Related: ‘Van Helsing’ Screenwriter Talks the Tone of the New Film
As mentioned above, Spaihts is also working on the script for Van Helsing, which will be one of the films in the Universal Monsters Cinematic Universe, a franchise venture from the studio that will use the classic monster films as a basis for a Avengers-esque series of films. The studio is investing a lot of money and talent into these films, so it’ll be interesting to see how they play out!
The studio is launching its monsters universe, a series of interconnected monster films based on its vault of classic movies, with The Mummy, starring Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe. Directed by Alex Kurtzman, it is set to hit theaters June 9th, 2017. Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man and Bride of Frankenstein are among the classic creatures that will be included in the new universe, overseen by Kurtzman (Star Trek) and Chris Morgan (Fast & Furious).
Sunrise Films has announced the official North American release of William Bagley‘s horror comedy Hold the Fort, and it’s accompanied by an energetic new trailer.
Hold the Fort debuts on digital platforms on June 23.
In the film, “Lucas and Jenny think their life is finally coming together when the couple become homeowners. Little do they know that their new house comes with a big catch. Lucas and Jenny soon find themselves in a fight for their lives when they become trapped in a battle between their Homeowners Association and an onslaught of monsters from hell. The horror-comedy takes the timely concern of home-ownership and wraps this up in an entertaining action-packed thrill ride.“
Watch the new trailer below, which introduces one wild HOA gathering during an equinox. Things get bloody fast.
Chris Mayers (Adult Swim Yule Log), Haley Leary (“The Walking Dead”), Levi Burdick, and Julian Smith star.
William Bagley writes and directs, in addition to producing with Smith, Matt Dodd, Luke Williams, and Tim Reis (Adult Swim Yule Log).
Ahead of the release, Bagley said, “My goal with this film was to make a hilarious, fast-paced thrill ride while also telling a great story with heart. Hopefully, through all the blood, laughs, fights, and gags, you leave the film feeling inspired to tackle whatever life throws at you.“
Hold the Fort premiered at Fantasia last summer before going on to play FrightFest London, Toronto After Dark, and Beyond Fest.
I wrote in my review, “It’s an infectiously charming assemblage of jokes and monster vignettes bound together by a barebones plot with not much on its mind beyond delivering an entertaining time.”
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