Movies
Mark Smith Talks Untitled Paramount/Platinum Dunes Feature
A few weeks back it was announced that Paramount had set up an untitled horror project penned by Mark L. Smith (Vacancy, The Hole 3D) with Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form along with Room 101’s Steven Schneider (Paranormal Activity, Area 51). The project was kept under wraps, so we caught up with Smith to see if we could get any nuggets of info out of him.
Bloody Disgusting: The Variety article announcing this project states that Paramount is keeping the logline “under wraps”, but that it’s in the vein of “I Am Legend”, “Aliens”, and “The Descent”. Doesn’t get much cooler than that! What else can you tell us about the story and how you became involved in writing it?
Mark L. Smith: “I was playing around with something post-apocalyptic, and Steven Schneider gave me a nugget of an idea involving some genetic work gone terribly wrong. So I took part of his idea and combined it with the world I wanted to explore… and we ended up with this story.”
Bloody Disgusting: How has the experience been working with BOTH Platinum Dunes and Room 101 on the project? Both companies are known for high caliber horror films, how are the creative juices flowing?
“They’ve all been great to work with. Platinum Dunes knows exactly what audiences want, and how to deliver it. And Steven and I have been developing the story together for well over a year, so we’re pretty much always on the same page creatively. He and I are actually doing several projects together right now that are all over the spectrum genre-wise.”
Bloody Disgusting: Have you guys been talking to any directors about this yet, and if so which ones? Do you personally have a “dream” director in mind for it?
“They haven’t officially gone out yet, but I know several directors that have approached the producers… don’t think I’m supposed to say who though. And yes, I’ve got someone I think would be perfect… and he’s interested, so we’ll see if I get lucky.”
Bloody Disgusting: You’re quickly becoming a name in horror, what attracts you to the genre? What are some of your favorite films?
“I love the visceral reaction you can create with horror films… nothing beats being able to really scare someone. I do it to my kids all the time… they hate me. As far as favorite films… is JAWS considered a horror film? I’ve heard that debated, but for me, that set the bar… I love a slow build in horror/thrillers, where you have time to really get invested in the characters, rather than have them just be “victims in waiting”.”
Bloody Disgusting: You’ve written the thriller Vacancy and the children’s horror film The Hole, what makes this very different from those?
“It’s a little more sci-fi and thought provoking. There are also a lot of twists and turns in this story as opposed to a Vacancy, where a couple is trapped in a motel room, or The Hole where a pair of brothers find a bottomless pit in their basement that holds their darkest fears. Those were a little more straight-forward. This new one taps into some different emotions.”
Movies
‘Werewolf By Night 2’? Michael Giacchino Says It’s Being Talked About But “Everything Takes Forever”
It was Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino who sat in the director’s chair for Marvel’s Disney+ Halloween special Werewolf by Night back in 2022, which was released in both throwback black & white as well as full color. But are we ever getting a sequel?
Giacchino tells Screen Rant in a new chat this week that he remains hopeful.
“We’re talking about it,” Giacchino explains. “Everything takes forever to do. There’s a lot of planning that has to happen. Everything has to fit in a particular place at a particular time.”
He adds, “So, nothing moves as fast as we’d like it to. But I hope one day that you will be sitting there watching another Werewolf by Night. That’s my hope.”
Inspired by horror films of the ’30s and ’40s, Marvel Studios’ Werewolf by Night takes place on a dark and somber night as a secret cabal of monster hunters emerge from the shadows and gather at the foreboding Bloodstone Temple following the death of their leader.
In a strange memorial to the leader’s life, the attendees are thrust into a mysterious and deadly competition for a powerful relic—a hunt that will ultimately bring them face to face with a dangerous monster.
Meagan Navarro wrote in her review for BD, “The MCU kicked the horror into overdrive with Werewolf by Night. The nearly hour-long feature presents as a classic horror movie, dropping viewers into the middle of a secret world of monster hunters. Film composer Michael Giacchino directs the special, penned by Heather Quinn and Peter Cameron. Giacchino focuses on evoking the classic horror vibe to assist in the initial worldbuilding. The events play out in monochrome, save for the vibrant red glow of the Bloodstone. Cigarette burns and film grain get added for that retro look. The rules of the hunt get relayed to the cutthroat candidates by way of reanimated dead, albeit in a much campier and family-friendly way via animatronics.”
“Aside from the aesthetics, Werewolf leans heavily into the mysterious,” Meagan continued. “The black and white cinematography more than sets the retro vibe; it allows the feature to remain accessible to a wider audience even as it lets its monsters and monster hunters spill plenty of blood. Toss in a Jack Pierce-inspired beast with practical application, and you’ve got a modern superhero story with a classic Universal Monsters makeover.”