Movies
Massive ‘Saw V’ Casting Update, HUGE Spoiler Alert!
One of the big surprises in all of the SAW films are the big casting reveals that appear when you see the film. Obviously, after four films, it’s expected that we’re going to see a rash of returning characters in Lionsgate’s Saw V, which hits theaters everywhere October 24th. What we’ve got for you inside is the FULL cast listing, which is going to leave some of you flabbergasted. So make sure you put those hard hats on and get ready for Spoiler City.
What Lionsgate has told us is that Julie Benz, Tobin Bell, Scott Patterson, Costas Mandylor, Mark Rolston, Betsy Russell, Samantha Lemole, Meagan Good, Laura Gordon, Greg Bryk and Carlo Rota all star in David Hackle’s SAW V. What they didn’t tell you is that we learn that Hoffman’s (Costas Mandylor) first name is MARK (big whoop) and that Erickson’s (Mark Rolston) first name is MARK (another big whoop). The real story is the “confirmed” returning cast, which you can reveal by highlighting the hidden text below. Beware of major spoilers. Also, note that the returned cast could be flashbacks, cameos or old footage.
Mike Realba – Fisk
Jeff Pustil – Bernie
Shiela Shah – Special Agent Cowan
Lyriq Bent – Rigg
Athena Karkanis – Agent Perez
Justin Louis – Art
Donnie Wahlberg – Eric Matthews
Danny Glover – Detective Tapp
Behar Soomekh – Lynn
Mike Butters – Paul
Niamh Wilson – Corbett
Angus McFayden – Jeff
Lisa Berry – EMT
Bill Vibert – Officer
Tony Nappo – Gus
Timothy Burd – Obi
Brandon McGibbon – Hank
Natalie Brown – Heather Miller
Sarah Power – Angelina
Cory Lee – Jasmine
The trailer for Ti West’s upcoming adaptation of A Christmas Carol raised a lot of eyebrows when it dropped earlier this week. While plenty of folks initially dismissed Ebenezer as a derivative project meant to cash in on the recent wave of unnecessary prequels that expand the backstory of beloved characters (such as 2023’s Wonka), Charles Dickens’ original novel already made a point of exploring Ebenezer Scrooge’s origins in detail – meaning that this new film is likely just a particularly faithful adaptation of the source material under a different name.
Couple that with the fact that the movie is being helmed by a genuine horror auteur and I think it’s safe to say that the latest iteration of the first modern ghost story is in good hands.
That being said, one detail that immediately jumped out at me during the brief teaser (other than a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it nod to Johnny Depp’s iconic bedroom death scene from the original A Nightmare on Elm Street) is the fact that many of Ebenezer’s ghosts appear to have been directly lifted from the iconic John Leech illustrations that accompanied the first edition of Dickens’ novel.
Here are a couple of stills from the trailer compared to the original artwork:
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in ‘Ebenezer’ and ‘A Christmas Carol’
The Phantoms in ‘A Christmas Carol’ and ‘Ebenezer’
Marley’s Ghost in ‘Ebenezer’ and ‘A Christmas Carol’
Mainly working with old-school wood and steel engravings that would later be transferred to print, Leech was instrumental in crafting the iconic look of history’s most influential phantoms – especially since Dickens is said to have been deeply involved with the creation of these so-called “comic illustrations.”
And since the novel is commonly said to have popularized spiritualism in Victorian England, much of the ghostly iconography that we still see in genre media to this very day (including some of Ti West’s previous films) can be traced back to the author’s partnership with Leech.
Ebenezer won’t be the first A Christmas Carol adaptation to borrow heavily from these designs, but I can appreciate how Ti West is incorporating an important part of horror history into his latest film.
Ebenezer will be available in theaters starting November 13.
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