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‘Crawl’ Director Alexandre Aja: The Horror News Network Interview

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Alexandre Aja quickly established himself as a household name in horror with 2003’s High Tension, and he continued to make his mark on the genre with such releases as The Hills Have Eyes remake, Piranha 3D, and Horns. His latest film, Crawl, debuted in theaters on July 12th, and this Florida hurricane, alligator attack story thrilled both fans and critics alike. To mark the debut of Crawl on home video, which is now available on Digital and Blu-Ray, Mr. Aja spoke with Horror News Network to answer some of our questions about his filmmaking process and some of the unique steps required to bring a film like Crawl to the silver screen. read more

‘Crawl’ Blu-Ray: The Horror News Network Review

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Director Alexandre Aja’s Crawl is finally coming to Blu-Ray disc and DVD on Tuesday, October 15th. The film- which was produced by the legendary Sam Raimi- made a splash in theaters this past July, earning over $89 million against a $13.5 million budget and netting great critic and fan reviews along the way. Paramount Pictures have released a disc that contains a great transfer and solid special features, making Crawl a must-buy title for fans of the genre.

Crawl is a very strong entry in the storied category of aquatic monster movies. Ever since Bruce the shark first popped out of the ocean in Jaws, filmmakers have always been trying to recapture that distinct sense of dread that comes with the mystery of what lies beneath the surface of the water. Aja has found the perfect monster to rekindle interest in this fascinating sub-genre. The alligator shares many of the same predatory qualities as great white sharks, but with one major caveat: they can wreak a lot of havoc on land as well! Crawl‘s pacing is perfectly aligned with the rising of the water throughout a Florida hurricane, and the viewer can’t help but feel a lurking sense of dread along with each progressing establishing shot where the sea level is just a little bit higher. There are few films out there which capture the terror of an aquatic predator like Crawl does. read more

Buy / Wait / Rent: October 2019 Blu-Ray Releases

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We sift through the new release heap so you don’t have to!

Welcome to Horror News Network’s Buy / Wait / Rent, a monthly article devoted to the most highly-anticipated horror releases on blu-ray. Here you will find the best home video releases of each month, along with our opinion on whether each film is a must-own on the first day of release, something you should wait to buy until it goes on sale, or something you’re better off renting for a one-time watch. And now, on to the notable new releases of October 2019! read more

‘Crawl’ Stays Afloat at Weekend Box Office

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Crawl took advantage of the lack of head-to-head competition this weekend to hover near the surface and finished in fourth place with an estimated $6 million at the weekend box office.

Crawl’s take dropped a respectable 50%, and the alligator starring jump scare factory only slipped once place, down from its debut in third place last weekend.  The Alexandre Aja film also has managed to play well with audiences over the course of the week, and the total box office sum is already over $23 million in the United States, with an additional $9.9 million from overseas markets (with Indonesia and Malaysia leading the way).  Crawl should continue to bank horror dollars until August, (when four horror films are slated to be released) and it has an outside chance of hitting $40 million domestically. read more

‘Crawl’ Swims Away With Third Place at Weekend Box Office

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Alexandre Aja’s creature feature Crawl latched onto third place at the box office this weekend with an estimated total of $12 million, becoming one of the many horror films this summer to snag a high spot on the countdown despite underwhelming returns.

Paramount’s Crawl entered a crowded swimming pool this weekend with Annabelle Comes Home and Midsommar (both continuing to make decent, but not great money at the box office), and further divided the amount spent on individual horror films.  Many industry insiders predicted a bigger debut from Aja’s alligator rampage, but the top heavy summer box office of 2019 struck again, siphoning the majority of the funds into only two releases (Spider-Man: Far From Home and Toy Story 4).  While super-hero stories and family-friendly films are not direct competition for horror films, it appears that they are limiting the amount spent on them, with parents and baby-sitters deciding to bring children to “sure things” rather than finding entertainment for themselves at the cineplex. read more

‘Annabelle Comes Home’ Takes Fourth, ‘Midsommar’ Shines Bright in Sixth Place at Weekend Box Office

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With a glut of horror releases (let alone all of the releases) this summer, it has been hard for any film to sustain momentum at the box office.  This weekend was no different with a film predicted to dominate the box office (Annabelle Comes Homes) falling short of expectations and a new entry (Midsommar) further adding to the logjam at your local cinema.

WB’s Annabelle Comes Home dropped into fourth place with an estimated $9.8 million, dipping  an expected 52% in its second weekend. The film’s domestic total now stands at $50 million, which is certainly good for any horror film, but the figure is below Conjuringverse expectations.  Annabelle Comes Home currently ranks third in the Annabelle series, $34 million out of second place. Internationally, the film is performing better and added over $20 million overseas for a total of $85 million, which equates to a worldwide total of $135 million.  Again, these numbers are admirable for a horror film, but with increased horror competition next week, expect Annabelle Comes Home to remain in 3rd place in what has become the most profitable series of horror films of all time (and be sure to check out our review right here). read more

Horror News Network’s Summer 2019 Movie Preview Guide

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After a rather lackluster spring, studios are ready to start churning out horror films for the starving, sweating masses this summer.  At least eight films in the horror genre are slated for release in June, July, and August this year (a slight increase from year’s past) in hopes that one or two can capture the attention of movie-goers who are already worn out by sequels and mega-budget action and sci-fi epics.

Horror fans have a lot to choose from this summer; everything from classic 1980’s remakes (Child’s Play), another entry from the ever-popular Conjurverse (Annabelle Comes Home), giant critters with a taste for human flesh (Crawl, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged), Ari Aster’s creepy follow-up to last year’s critical smash Hereditary (Midsommar), and a host of supernatural and survival horror originals. read more

Upcoming Horror Movie Previews from the Staff of Horror News Network (Video)

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With the barrage of scary movies set to release in 2019, Christine Caprilozzi, Larry Dwyer and Mark McCurley of Horror News Network discuss each of the ones they’re looking forward to from the trailers that have premiered so far.

Discussed in this video are The Lodge, IT: Chapter 2, Crawl and Midsommar.

Which upcoming horror films are you looking forward to?

Check out the video below and be sure to Like, Comment and Subscribe!

Official Trailer Arrives for ‘Crawl’

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As if hurricanes weren’t frightening enough, Paramount Pictures upped the ante by adding a killer alligator in the official trailer for their upcoming feature Crawl. The preview exploded on the scene and has racked up almost 6 million views in just over 24 hours.

Based on a screenplay by brothers Michael and Shawn Rasmussen, Crawl is directed by Alexandre Aja with Sam Raimi as a producing partner. The film stars Kaya Scodelario, Barry Pepper, Ross Anderson, Anson Boon, Morfydd Clark, and Annamaria Serda. read more

Sam Raimi to Produce & Alexandre Aja to Direct ‘Crawl’ for Paramount

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The folks at Paramount Pictures are looking to follow up their tremendous success story with A Quiet Place by fast tracking another dark thriller movie… and they’ve hired two horror heavyweights to make the project a reality!

Deadline reports that Sam Raimi will produce and Alexandre Aja will direct a new film called Crawl for Paramount. According to their report, the movie will be about, “a young woman who becomes trapped in a flooding house during a Category 5 hurricane and must battle against Florida’s most savage and feared predators.” read more