Movies
‘The Crooked Man’ Spinoff is No Longer Happening, Per James Wan
The Conjuring Universe continues to grow with The Nun 2 and The Conjuring 4 on the way, but there’s one character no longer getting the spinoff treatment: The Crooked Man.
Director James Wan took to Instagram recently to share throwback photos of his scene-stealing The Conjuring 2 character, played by Javier Botet. The behind-the-scenes images give a closer look at Botet in character and the vibrant red hues of his pinstripe suit.
Wan got ahead of the inevitable question with the news that the long-awaited spinoff for this character isn’t happening, at least for the foreseeable future. Wan wrote in his post, “And no, unfortunately, the spinoff movie with this character isn’t happening. Outside of my control. But maybe one day.”
The post came with the reminder that The Crooked Man was all Botet and camera tricks, “I filmed him in slowmo and reverse playback — all old-school camera trickery.”
The Crooked Man sprung to life from a zoetrope and tormented the Hodgson family in The Conjuring 2. The character’s striking silhouette and nightmarish twist to children’s rhymes made it an easy standout for spinoff material.
The horror filmmaker had previously shared his plans for The Crooked Man spinoff ahead of The Conjuring 3, stating, “We think we have a really exciting story,” Wan told the site. “What we want to do, with The Conjuring universe, is we want each of our little offshoots to have a very different flavor, right? So, for example, Annabelle is the classic sort-of haunted doll subgenre. And with The Crooked Man, I would love to push it more down somewhat of that dark fairytale, and more whimsical, subgenre. I love the idea that, within the Conjuring universe, each of our little movies all have their own flavor, so that way they don’t feel like they’re the same films.”
While we may no longer get a spinoff for The Crooked Man, we can expect to see Valak next year when The Nun 2 is slated to hit theaters on September 8, 2023.
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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