The Following Renewed for Season 2

The Following has developed quite a “following” since its January premiere, so much so that Fox has renewed it for a second 15-episode season. The series, created by Kevin Williamson (Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Vampire Diaries) and starring Kevin Bacon as an FBI agent in pursuit of a serial killer/cult leader and his seemingly endless network of homicidal followers, has proven to be a steady hit for Fox, especially in key demographics and when taking into account DVR recording. While word of the renewal is good news for fans, I personally worry that the story is moving along at such a quick pace that it may burn itself out by the time it gets to 30-plus episodes — call it “the Heroes effect.” We’ll see how it turns out when The Following returns next year (or perhaps even this fall).

New This Week: ABCs of Death, The Silence, The Bay

This week, horror anthology The ABCs of Death and German thriller The Silence get limited theatrical releases, and home video releases are headed by the found footage films The Bay, the Italian zombie flick Eaters and House Hunting.

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Sinister 2 and Evil Dead 4 on the Way?

Exciting news couple of potential horror movie sequels, one seemingly more certain than the other:

• Mega-hot horror producer Jason Blum is reportedly working on a sequel to Sinister, making it the third of his low-budget (typically sub-$5 million) horror hits to expand into a franchise, following Paranormal Activity and Insidious, whose sequel hits theaters in August. According to Deadline, writers Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill are returning, although Derrickson may not direct this time around. Since the original film’s story wrapped up pretty tightly, presumably the story for the sequel will move to another family and a completely new cast. 

Last Exorcism 2 Fails to Scare Up an Audience

The Last Exorcism Part II scared up less than half the viewership of its predecessor in its opening weekend, earning an estimated $8 million at the box office over the past three days -- compared to $20.4 million for The Last Exorcism. Though it's certain to earn significantly less in its theatrical run than the first film's $41 million, the sequel was made on a relatively shoestring budget of $5 million or so -- as is the trend these days for horror movies -- so it will still easily rake in the profits.

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The Last One Should’ve Been the Last One: The Last Exorcism Part 2 Movie Review

As a general rule (that I just made up), you should avoid sequels to exorcism films (Exhibit A: Exorcist II: The Heretic) and sequels to found footage horror movies (Exhibit B: Blair Witch 2). Exhibit C is The Last Exorcism Part II, which is a double whammy in this equation. Read about it in my review of The Last Exorcism Part II, which opens today.

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The Last One Should’ve Been the Last One: The Last Exorcism Part 2 Movie Review

As a general rule (that I just made up), you should avoid sequels to exorcism films (Exhibit A: Exorcist II: The Heretic) and sequels to found footage horror movies (Exhibit B: Blair Witch 2). Exhibit C is The Last Exorcism Part II, which is a double whammy in this equation. Read about it in my review of The Last Exorcism Part II, which opens today.

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Stoker? I Hardly KNOW Her! Stoker Movie Review

Despite its Dracula-inclined title, Stoker isn’t a vampire movie — director Park Chan-wook already covered that with his last film, Thirst — but rather a thriller about the warped family dynamic that occurs when a man dies and his younger brother moves in with his widow (Nicole Kidman) and daughter (Mia Wasikowska). Read about it in my review of Stoker, which hits theaters in limited release today.

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Sons of Anarchy Creator Developing Demon-Hunting Series for FX

His biker drama Sons of Anarchy is the highest-rated show ever on FX, so it’s not surprising that the cable channel is eager to see what else Kurt Sutter has up his sleeve. It turns out his next big concept is a horror-action hybrid called Lucas Stand that’s about “a damaged former special ops soldier who has been chosen to traverse time and place to hunt down and kill Hell’s law-breaking demons.” Sounds interesting, if not terribly original — like a serious version of Reaper, or the short-lived late ’90s Fox show Brimstone. Lucas Stand is co-written by John Shiban, who wrote the two Rest Stop films and has an extensive TV resumé that includes Supernatural, The X-Files, Breaking Bad, Star Trek: Enterprise, Torchwood and Hell on Wheels and who co-created the X-Files spinoff The Lone Gunmen.

Kathy Bates to Join American Horror Story for Season 3

Although Bates Motel might be the more obvious choice, Oscar winner Kathy Bates (Misery) is joining American Horror Story for Season 3. Details are scarce, but according to TV Line, she will play Jessica Lange’s friend-turned-enemy when the series returns this fall.

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