Movies
Today In Horror History: The Film That Killed ‘Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash,’ ‘Halloween III’ and An Epic Opening Massacre!
October 22 is an absolutely crazy day in horror history, as we begin with a look back to 2004. Yes, today is the 10th anniversary of the day The Grudge remake killed any chances of New Line Cinema bringing us Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash, a story we were very close to.
As it was told to me through sources close to the project, New Line, after the monster success of the 2003 Freddy vs. Jason, was working with Sam Raimi to bring Ashley J. Williams into the franchise sequel. Ash, best known from the Evil Dead films and Army of Darkness, was to leave S-Mart, lock on his chainsaw and battle both Jason Voorhies and Freddy Krueger of the Friday the 13th and Nightmare On Elm Street franchise, respectively. There was even a treatment that Bloody Disgusting still has the exclusive on.
Now, as it goes, there was allegedly a verbal agreement that was to be announced on October 25th, 2004. That was until Ramie’s Ghost House Productions’ The Grudge opened to nearly $40M, among $187M worldwide. That’s HUGE. He allegedly reneged on the deal (and didn’t inform anyone at New Line) by announcing he’d be remaking his 1981 The Evil Dead instead.
That was 10 years ago. And that’s crazy. Thank the heavens we have the Freddy vs. Jason Vs. Ash treatment to relish in. It would have been epic.
The lore of Freddy vs. Jason Vs. Ash and The Grudge‘s destructive force on Hollywood wasn’t the only thing to happen on October 22. In fact, horror fans were destroyed when they entered the theater in 1982 to see Halloween III: Season of the Witch only to discover Michael Myers wasn’t in it. I was 2 years old when Halloween III came out, so I couldn’t tell you the extent of fan rage, but I do know a lot of you still scream “fuck Halloween III“. You’re wrong, dead wrong, as Season of the Witch is one of the best Halloween-themed horror films ever made. Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, it was released by Universal and made $14M at the box office. It eventually would lead to The Return of Michael Myers in Halloween 4.
Also released on this day in horror history, Paranormal Activity 2, which released in 2010. I initially liked the movie, but it holds up terrible and is easily the second worst in the franchise. It was a monster success, though, as Paramount is currently developing a sixth film.
Lastly, and the most fun of the lot, is the 2002 Ghost Ship, one of Dark Castle’s awful awful remakes. While the film is absolutely garbage it boasts one of the greatest opening scene in cinema history. Watch below as an entire cruise line is decapitated…
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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