Movies
‘At the Mountains of Madness’ – Guillermo del Toro Shares Never-Seen CGI Test for Unmade Movie
As most are aware, Guillermo del Toro was at one point knee deep in a film adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s 1931 novella At the Mountains of Madness, which of course never came to fruition. The project’s origins date back to 2006, and the plan was for the film to be a rated R affair with a big budget and both Tom Cruise and James Cameron on board to produce.
The would-be H.P. Lovecraft adaptation essentially tells of a disastrous Antarctic expedition that encounters unspeakable horrors after discovering ancient ruins.
Several studios ultimately ended up passing on the big-budget project, spelling the end of del Toro’s Lovecraftian dreams. But we’re still asking ourselves… what could have been?
We may never know, but Guillermo del Toro has at least taken to his just-launched Instagram account this week to share some never-before-seen test footage from the project!
Del Toro captions the footage, “All CGI test for a rig – ILM [Industrial Light & Magic] for At the Mountains of Madness (a decade ago) never-before-seen.”
The footage runs 25-seconds long and shows an explorer in the mountains (of madness) being attacked by a tentacled beast, and it can certainly be described as “Lovecraftian.” The monster splits open and reveals a humanoid form within, before unleashing its long tentacles and swallowing up the doomed explorer. It’s a small but delicious taste of GDT going full HPL.
At the Mountains of Madness may be no closer to reality but Guillermo del Toro has brushed up against H.P. Lovecraft in his new Netflix series “Cabinet of Curiosities,” which features two Lovecraft adaptations. A few of the other episodes are of the Lovecraftian variety as well, particularly the Panos Cosmatos-directed “The Viewing,” which will totally melt your mind.
In his most recent comments about the At the Mountains of Madness project, del Toro had noted that his vision has evolved over the years, and a new script would have to be written.
View this post on Instagram
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.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.