Movies
Shocking, Refreshing Director Attached to ‘The Orphanage’ Remake
Some truly shocking and very refreshing news came in this evening as it was announced that actor-producer-director Larry Fessenden has signed on to helm The Orphanage, New Line’s remake of the Guillermo del Toro-produced Spanish-language horror movie, writes the Hollywood Reporter. For those of you unaware, Fessenden is a champion of indie horror as he is the sole reason for The Roost, The House of the Devil, Wendigo, The Last Winter, I Sell the Dead and various other films. It’s also quite refreshing to see a studio take a chance on someone like Fessenden, who I’m convinced will do a remarkable job. Read on for more details and say your piece below.
Fessenden also has written the script with del Toro, who is producing the new film with Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson of Contrafilm.
The 2007 pic was directed by del Toro protege Juan Antonio Bayona and centered on a woman who, upon returning to the orphanage where she grew up, discovers that her son’s imaginary friend is the same person who terrorized her when she was a child.
Fessenden’s selection signals the out-of-the-box approach that del Toro and the studio are taking on the remake. They are eschewing another Spanish director to fill Bayona’s shoes, and they are not putting the project in the hands of a commercial/music video helmer.
Rather, Fessenden, repped by WME and Renee Tab at Artist Talent Management, is a filmmaker who has worked in the low-budget horror world for some time, making such movies as “Wendigo” and “The Last Winter” while appearing in pics like “I See the Dead.”
Del Toro and Fessenden know each other from the horror circuit, with del Toro’s admiration of the triple-hyphenate’s work leading him to handpick him for the directing gig; del Toro saw in him a filmmaker who understood the conventions of the horror genre and could execute a movie that would be as scary and disturbing as the original but in an American context.
Fessenden’s selection also continues del Toro’s predisposition toward mentoring up-and-comers or those on the fringe, as he did with Bayona and is doing with Andres Muschietti with “Mama,” set up at Universal.
The project is in search of a lead actress.
Grandma is back from the dead and ready to commit murder in Unholy Night, and our exclusive teaser debut gives a glimpse at some of the Christmas Eve carnage.
Unholy Night is set to make its World Premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival, where writer/director Michael Gabriele‘s horror short “Get Away” won the Gold Audience Award for Best International Short in 2023.
In Unholy Night, “Gino’s traditional family Christmas Eve turns into a bloody battle for survival when his long-dead grandma drops by and goes on a murderous rampage. Amid the chaos, Gino reunites with his ex and the dysfunctional duo must avoid his dead Italian relatives popping up all around the neighbourhood as they search for a way to get rid of these Yuletide revenants and survive his family Christmas.”
Marc Bendavid (“Dark Matter”), Shailene Garnett (“Shadowhunters”), Al Sapienza (“The Sopranos”), Ron Lea (“Orphan Black”), Toni Ellwand (“Hannibal”), Cristina Rosato (Mother!), Jacqueline Robbins (“A Series of Unfortunate Events”), and Joe Pingue (Antiviral) star.
Gabriele, making his feature debut, drew inspiration for his bloody holiday horror movie from growing up in an Italian family. “Unholy Night was crafted to deliver not only a captivating horror experience but also to serve as a poignant exploration of cultural complexities and the universal quest for identity and respect,” the filmmaker said in his director’s statement.
Unholy Night was produced by Gabriele alongside Jenna MacMillan of Club Red Productions and Jason Levangie and Marc Tetreault of Shut Up & Colour Pictures (Kids vs Aliens). Executive producers are Tina Carbone, Jef Burnham, Mike Chapman, and Fatima Hayward.
The chaos of an Italian Christmas Eve gets dialed up to a zany, violent degree in the new teaser and images below. Stay tuned for more on Unholy Night and more when Fantasia kicks off later this month.
You must be logged in to post a comment.