Is Dead Island the Next Great Zombie Movie?

Could Dead Island follow in the footsteps of previous zombie video games House of the Dead and Resident Evil and make its way onto the big screen? The first-person shooter won’t be released for several months (either August or the holiday season, according to different reports), but when the cinematic, thrilling and dare-I-say touching trailer for the game was released online last week, it touched off an avalanche of attention (2.6 million YouTube hits and counting) that not surprisingly has Hollywood knocking.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters Arrives March 2012

Before Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter hits screens on June 22, 2012, it appears we’ll get a look at similarly themed mash-up Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, which Paramount has just scheduled for March 2, 2012. The movie stars Jeremy Renner (28 Weeks Later, The Hurt Locker) and Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace, The Disappearance of Alice Creed) as the fabled brother-sister duo who, years after escaping the clutches of hungry witches, are busying themselves as bounty hunters with a score to settle against the hags. Famke Janssen (The Faculty, House on Haunted Hill) will play the leader of the coven. And oh yeah, it will be in (yawn) 3-D. 

TV Movie Highlight of the Week: Area 51

Area 51 (formerly known as 51), one of the After Dark Originals that didn’t receive a theatrical release in January, is hitting the small screen this week, airing on SyFy on Saturday, February 26, at 9:00 PM ET/PT.

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Shelter Shelved

I was just thinking earlier this week about Shelter, the thriller starring Julianne Moore and Jonathan Rhys Meyers that, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com, was scheduled to receive a wide theatrical release on Friday, February 25. If that was the case, I wondered, why hadn’t I seen any advertising for the film? And why was there no official US movie website? (It’s already been released in the UK.)

Shelter Shelved

I was just thinking earlier this week about Shelter, the thriller starring Julianne Moore and Jonathan Rhys Meyers that, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com, was scheduled to receive a wide theatrical release on Friday, February 25. If that was the case, I wondered, why hadn’t I seen any advertising for the film? And why was there no official US movie website? (It’s already been released in the UK.)

First Trailer for Darren Lynn Bousman’s 11-11-11

Darren Lynn Bousman, director of Saw II through IV, Repo! The Genetic Opera and the upcoming Mother’s Day remake, has another movie coming out in 2011 — and unlike Mother’s Day, it seems like a safe bet that it will be released on schedule. That’s because the release date — November 11, 2011 — is tied directly to the film’s title, 11-11-11.

The Return of Intelligent Horror: Vanishing on 7th Street, Black Death, I Saw the Devil Movie Reviews

After the 700th movie about horny teens being chopped to pieces in a cabin in the woods, you tend to crave something more — like a brain (figuratively speaking). Thankfully, Magnolia Pictures and its genre arm Magnet Releasing have a trio of films coming out that challenge not only your gag reflex, but also your noggin. Read my reviews of Vanishing on 7th Street (February 18), I Saw the Devil (March 4) and Black Death (March 11) to find out why you should track them down either in theaters or on demand.

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Don’t Hold You Breath: Respire DVD Review

The direct-to-video horror movie Respire is built around the concept that if you inhale someone’s dying breath, you can cure disease and prolong life, but you might feel your life shortening as you watch it. Read about it in my review of Respire.

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Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark Picked Up for August Release

Consider it a valentine for horror movie fans everywhere. The Guillermo del Toro-produced Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, starring Katie Holmes and Guy Pierce, has found a new distributor, following its unceremonious release from Miramax’s schedule late last year. The new distribution and production company FilmDistrict, which recently snagged Insidious for an April 1 bow, has rescued the eagerly anticipated film and has targeted August 12 for a wide theatrical release.