Hatchet 3 Gets a Trailer, Release Date

At last, we have a trailer for Hatchet III, the continuing tale of the deformed, swamp-residing, seemingly impossible-to-kill serial killer Victor Crowley — and it looks…pretty much the other two movies. But that’s a good thing, I guess. The first film, at least, is a cult classic, and hopefully this new entry in the franchise can recreate its magic where Hatchet II couldn’t. We’ll find out soon enough, as Hatchet III has a new release date in the heart of the summer blockbuster season: June 14. As of now, it’s opening only in New York and Los Angeles on that day, but I imagine it will expand into a few other cities at some point.

Hatchet 3 Gets a Trailer, Release Date

At last, we have a trailer for Hatchet III, the continuing tale of the deformed, swamp-residing, seemingly impossible-to-kill serial killer Victor Crowley — and it looks…pretty much the other two movies. But that’s a good thing, I guess. The first film, at least, is a cult classic, and hopefully this new entry in the franchise can recreate its magic where Hatchet II couldn’t. We’ll find out soon enough, as Hatchet III has a new release date in the heart of the summer blockbuster season: June 14. As of now, it’s opening only in New York and Los Angeles on that day, but I imagine it will expand into a few other cities at some point.

Ready for Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 2?

The fairy tale-themed Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters did solid but unspectacular business at the box office in the US — about $55 million on a $50 million budget — but overseas it has raked in more than $150 million, so you know what that means? It’s sequel time! Producers are gearing up for the continuing adventures of the witch-hunting brother and sister, although it’s unclear whether the main talent will return. Director Tommy Wirkola’s focus right now seems to be on making a sequel to his cult hit Dead Snow, while stars Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton are busy in their own right, so it remains to be seen if they can fit Hansel & Gretel 2 into their schedules. It could be that they had sequel clauses in their contracts, so they may very well be obliged to return, but if not, it may not matter, since you have to wonder if all the people who watched the first film did so for the stars or for the witch decapitations.

Bates Motel Is a Hit

Bates Motel delivered big numbers for A&E on Monday night, with 4.6 million viewers, including 2.4 million in the coveted 18-49 age demographic. That’s the channel’s highest ever for that adult demo for a drama series premiere. Season debuts (and finales) tend to receive the biggest numbers for any TV show, however, so we’ll see how the Psycho-inspired series holds up over the course of its 10-episode first season. If you missed the first episode, you can watch it online on aetv.com.

…

Read Full Post

New This Week: Come Out and Play, Dark Feed, Hellgate, Ghost Storm, Shadow People

There are no wide horror/suspense theatrical releases this week, but Come Out and Play and A Resurrection get limited theatrical runs, while home video releases feature Dark Feed, Hellgate, Ghost Storm and Shadow People.

…

Read Full Post

New Scary Movie 5 Poster Looks As Bad as the New Trailer

I’ve been something of an apologist for the Scary Movie films. To me, only the second one really missed the mark, and not even that one approached the awfulness of the Jason Friedberg/Aaron Seltzer series of parodies that have cursed the cinematic landscape over the past decade: Date Movie, Epic Movie, Disaster Movie, Meet the Spartans and Vampires Suck. (Granted, Friedberg and Seltzer wrote some of the original Scary Movie, but they shared those duties with four other people.) But based on what we’ve seen so far of Scary Movie 5, it could rival the worst of Friedberg/Seltzer. 

The Call Dials Up a Big Audience at the Box Office

When I saw The Call in a local theater that's usually almost empty and was surprised to find it nearly half full, I wondered if that would be an indication of it over-performing at the box office. Turns out that was exactly what happened. Predicted by experts to earn in the $10 to $12 million range, the Halle Berry thriller earned a robust $17.1 million, good enough for second place behind the much bigger-budget Oz The Great and Powerful. The film's success could be due to the fact that it appealed to demographics not represented in most of the rest of the top 10 (or 20, for that matter): women, minorities and the 40-plus crowd. Additionally, unlike some films, it's concept is simple (a 911 operator tries to save a kidnapped girl calling from the trunk of a car) and easy to convey in advertisements, a fact that some studios seem to overlook. 

Read Full Post

TV Movie Highlights of the Week: Chernobyl Diaries, The Bay

This week, a pair of notable horror movies from 2012 make their TV debuts: Chernobyl Diaries (Saturday, March 23 at 10:00 PM ET/PT on Cinemax) and The Bay (Sunday, March 17 at 10:00 PM ET/PT on Epix).

…

Read Full Post

911 Is No Joke: The Call Movie Review

There’s junk in the trunk in The Call — and by “junk” I affectionately mean Abigail Breslin, trapped in a car trunk by a serial killer. It’s up to 911 operator Halle Berry to save her before she ends up “berried” in a shallow grave. Read about it in my review of The Call.

…

Read Full Post