Movies
‘Slash/Back’ – Alien Invasion Movie Compared to ‘Attack the Block’ and Acquired by Shudder
Aliens are headed to the arctic in the upcoming sci-fi invasion film Slash/Back, and Deadline reports today that RLJE Films and Shudder have acquired the film for U.S. release.
Directed by Nyla Innuksuk, Slash/Back is “expected to be released in theaters and on VOD/Digital before streaming on Shudder later this year.”
“It was a dream to make ‘Slash/Back’ alongside my talented teenage cast in one of the most remote and beautiful places on the planet and I am thrilled to be partnering with RLJE Films/Shudder to bring our quirky alien movie to a wider audience,” said Innuksuk. “We look forward to working with our new friends at RLJE Films/Shudder, fellow genre nerds who we feel really appreciate ‘Slash/Back’ and all its heartfelt horror love.”
In Slash/Back, “Maika and her ragtag friends discover an alien invasion in their tiny arctic hamlet, and it’s up to them to fight back. Utilizing makeshift weapons and their horror movie knowledge, the aliens soon realize that you don’t mess with the girls from Pang.”
Slash/Back stars Melissa Hood, Nalajoss Ellsworth, and Chelsea Prusky.
Nyla Innuksuk & Ryan Cavan penned the screenplay.
Innuksuk’s feature debut premiered at this year’s SXSW, where our own Trace Thurman reviewed the film. Thurman called it “a delightful throwback to ’80s gateway horror that errs on the side of sweetness in lieu of outright scares.”
The film hails from Mixtape VR, Scythia Films, Stellar Citizens, and Red Marrow. Producers are Nyla Innuksuk, The Witch producer Daniel Bekerman, Christopher Yurkovich, Alex Ordanis, Stacey Aglok Macdonald, and Ethan Lazar.
Movies
‘Abigail’ on Track for a Better Opening Weekend Than Universal’s Previous Two Vampire Attempts
In the wake of Leigh Whannell’s Invisible Man back in 2020, Universal has been struggling to achieve further box office success with their Universal Monsters brand. Even in the early days of the pandemic, Invisible Man scared up $144 million at the worldwide box office, while last year’s Universal Monsters: Dracula movies The Last Voyage of the Demeter and Renfield didn’t even approach that number when you COMBINE their individual box office hauls.
The horror-comedy Renfield came along first in April 2023, ending its run with just $26 million. The period piece Last Voyage of the Demeter ended its own run with a mere $21 million.
But Universal is trying again with their ballerina vampire movie Abigail this weekend, the latest bloodbath directed by the filmmakers known as Radio Silence (Ready or Not, Scream).
Unlike Demeter and Renfield, the early reviews for Abigail are incredibly strong, with our own Meagan Navarro calling the film “savagely inventive in terms of its vampiric gore,” ultimately “offering a thrill ride with sharp, pointy teeth.” Read her full review here.
That early buzz – coupled with some excellent trailers – should drive Abigail to moderate box office success, the film already scaring up $1 million in Thursday previews last night. Variety notes that Abigail is currently on track to enjoy a $12 million – $15 million opening weekend, which would smash Renfield ($8 million) and Demeter’s ($6 million) opening weekends.
Working to Abigail‘s advantage is the film’s reported $28 million production budget, making it a more affordable box office bet for Universal than the two aforementioned movies.
Stay tuned for more box office reporting in the coming days.
In Abigail, “After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.”
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