Entries by Sean McLaughlin

‘Locke & Key’ Receives Premiere Date From Netflix

December 4, 2019 /0 Comments/in , , , /by

Fans of the ever-popular author Joe Hill, who has multiple projects in varying stages of development, won’t need to wait long for their next fix.  According to Deadline, the supernatural mystery series Locke & Key, based on a comic book series written by Hill and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez for IDW Publishing, will premiere on February 7th, 2020 on Netflix.   The streaming service made the announcement on Wednesday, and was confirmed by Hill’s official Twitter account shortly afterwards (see below.) read more read more

Ormond Joins the Cast of ‘The Walking Dead: World Beyond’

November 25, 2019 /0 Comments/in , /by

As season 10 of The Walking Dead winds (or whispers, rather) to its mid-season finale, AMC remains busy building the TWD empire for years to come.  According to Deadline, the network has announced that Emmy winner Julia Ormond will join the cast of The Walking Dead: World Beyond, the second spin-off series for the cultural phenomenon that will also spawn a series of feature films in the near future.  Show-runner Scott M. Gimple will executive-produce, along with series veterans Matt Negrete, Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, and David Alpert. read more read more

Latest ‘Paranormal Activity’ Sequel Set for 2021

November 8, 2019 /0 Comments/in , /by

Found-footage fans rejoice!  As reported by Deadline, the hauntingly successful Paranormal Activity franchise is set for another sequel to be released in 2021, according to studio Paramount.  Blumhouse will once again be producing the film, which will be the seventh cinematic installment in the series.

It will be interesting to see where Blumhouse is going with the popular line of ghost films, as the last movie seemed to wrap up the ongoing story-line rather neatly.  Paranormal Activity has been known to incorporate the latest technological fads throughout its run, including HD security footage, Skype, video game consoles infrared and video conferencing.  The basis of the new version is anyone’s guess; as of right now, there have been no script or formal cast announcements.  Time travel and wormholes are just two concepts that have already been explored by the various writers and directors employed during its run (including original writer-director Oren Peli.)  To date, the six previous Paranormal Activity films have grossed an impressive $890 million worldwide on total budgets of only $28 million.  More Blumhouse horror magic on display. read more read more

Andrea Riseborough Added to Supernatural Thriller ‘Geechee’

November 4, 2019 /0 Comments/in , /by

The debut big-budget project from writer-director Dubois Ashong is really starting to take shape nicely.  Deadline is reporting that Andrea Riseborough (Mandy, Black Mirror) has agreed to a lead role in the upcoming feature Geechee.  She is the first one to be announced for the film, which is also the first wide-release effort from rookie Ashong (Where the Water Runs.)

Geechee tells the tale of Wren, a scientist that decides to abandon the city life with her son and settle in the remote islands off of the eastern coast of the US.  There she falls in love with the area and the residents, but soon discovers that potentially sinister forces and spirits are overtaking the world around her.  Co-producer Glendon Palmer is very supportive of the director’s vision.  “From treatment to script, Dubois has created a terrific supernatural thriller that is only elevated by the addition of the amazing Andrea Riseborough,” Palmer says. read more read more

Veteran Actor and Horror Legend Sid Haig Passes Away at 80

September 23, 2019 /0 Comments/in , /by

We at Horror News Network are mourning the loss of one of the great horror character actors ever, Sid Haig.  His wife, Susan L. Oberg, made the announcement on Instagram early this morning, revealing that he had passed away on Saturday, September 21st (screenshot below.)  The Fresno, CA native was 80.

Haig had a long and storied career in Hollywood, with nearly 150 television and movie credits dating all the way back to the early 1960’s.  For horror fans, he really began to hit his stride beginning in 2003, as he portrayed his most iconic screen character, Captain Spaulding, in Rob Zombie’s first feature film, 2003’s House of 1000 Corpses.  Zombie would go on to cast Haig in important roles in nearly all of his subsequent films, including House sequel The Devil’s Rejects (2005), the remake of Halloween (2007), and The Lords of Salem ( 2012).  Haig even reprised his role as Spaulding/Johnny Lee Johns for the upcoming film Three From Hell, which is due to be released on VOD in October.  Haig worked with the likes of Hollywood heavyweights from Lucille Ball to Robert Duvall, Pam Grier to Quentin Tarantino throughout his impressive career spanning six decades. read more read more

CT HorrorFest 2019’s ‘An American Werewolf in London’ Panel with David Naughton

September 19, 2019 /0 Comments/in , /by

On Saturday September 14th, CT HorrorFest 6 rocked the Naugatuck Events Center in Naugatuck, CT.  We were proud to present the An American Werewolf in London panel with the star of the classic horror film, David Naughton.  On the brink of the movie’s 4oth anniversary, staff journalist Sean McLaughlin had the honor of interviewing the veteran actor along with hosting an audience Q&A afterwards.

David Naughton played the role of David Kessler in American Werewolf, a young American attacked in the English countryside by a werewolf which leaves him afflicted with a bloody disease affected by the full moon.  The film earned a lot of praise from critics and viewers alike upon its release in 1981, and even an Academy Award for “Best Makeup” in 1982 given to legendary makeup artist Rick Baker. read more read more

‘IT: Chapter Two’ Scores Killer Thursday Night Box Office

September 6, 2019 /0 Comments/in , /by

America is still down with the clown.  Deadline is reporting that the much-anticipated continuation of the classic Stephen King novel, IT: Chapter Two, took home a Thursday-night haul of $10.5 million in around 3,700 theaters nationwide.  That figure is good for the second-best September horror opening in history.  Which film continues to hold the top spot?  The first IT from 2017, of course, which brought in $13.5 million.  New Line Cinema has to be very pleased that folks love being scared. read more read more

Netflix’s ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ Bring Back Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel

August 29, 2019 /0 Comments/in , /by

Looks like Netflix is bringing back yet another familiar face for the continuation of one of their most popular series.  Henry Thomas, who played the younger version of Crane family patriarch Hugh Crain in the streaming service’s critically-acclaimed show The Haunting of Hill House, will return on the next installment titled The Haunting of Bly Manor.  This news, along with the addition of Kate Siegel (who played older sister Theodora Crain) earlier today, was officially announced by series creator Mike Flanagan via his Twitter account over the last two days (see below.) read more read more

‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ Rakes in $2.3 Million in Preview Night Ticket Sales

August 9, 2019 /0 Comments/in , /by

Talk about starting off with a bang!  Lionsgate Films’ theatrical adaptation of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is off to a great start, pulling in $2.3 million in its Thursday night premiere run in just over 2,500 locations throughout North America.  Scary Stories faces strong competition in its opening weekend, with other strong debuts expected from Nickelodeon’s Dora and the Lost City of Gold and Disney’s The Art of Racing in the Rain also fiercely vying for teenage movie-goers.  The strong one-night ticket sales bodes very well for the film, which had garnered pre-release buzz in recent weeks among both the younger-skewing as well as hardcore horror audiences. read more read more

Remembering Rutger Hauer

July 25, 2019 /0 Comments/in , /by

Yesterday the entertainment world suffered a huge blow with the passing of Rutger Hauer at 75 years old.  The rugged actor was a Hollywood heavyweight, having starred in over 170 films and projects over a career that goes back to the late 1960s (including several movies currently in post-production.)  However, horror and sci-fans especially had a soft spot in their hearts for the actor.  His loss is certainly being felt already by movie fans around the world. read more