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Horror News Network’s Best Horror Movies of 2019: Christine’s Top 3 Picks

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SPOILERS AHEAD…

It’s that time of year again where we here at Horror News Network like to pick our top horror movies. Being tasked with a “Top Three,” for 2019, a year where there was no shortage of horror, was not easy. However, after doing so, I noticed the one commonality amongst these films is that they all featured relatable and strong characters.  When characters are brought to life, and fans can connect with them and are actually invested in their well-being. This makes the film scarier, more enjoyable and the viewing experience more worth the time. To detail my choices, I may disclose some spoilers, so beware and enjoy. read more

‘Ready or Not’ Finishes in Sixth Place in Weekend Box Office Race

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Despite all of the hype and positive word-of-mouth and critical reception, Ready or Not wasn’t completely ready to dominate the box office this weekend, finishing in sixth place in what has been a particularly underwhelming season for horror films.

Ready or Not brought in a total of $7.5 million over the 3 day weekend, and $10.5 million since its debut on Tuesday night.  Fox Searchlight tried their best to capture audience attention before the weekend began (and Ready or Not is their widest release ever with 2,855 screens), but the film couldn’t muster enough momentum after the early start, even with the highest Cinemascore for a horror movie this summer (B+) and a current score of 87% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.   Ready or Not may find a larger audience on home video platforms, but the bride as “Most Dangerous Game” tale (which surprisingly avoided the scrutiny of President Donald Trump and others, even though it bears many similarities to the recently cancelled Universal film, The Hunt) will be lucky to end its cinematic run with anything north of $25 million. read more

‘Scary Stories’ Finishes in Fifth Place; ’47 Meters Down: Uncaged’ Debuts in Sixth Place at Weekend Box Office

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Lionsgate’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark fell a reasonable -52% in its sophomore frame for an estimated $10 million at the weekend box office. The much-hyped film from director André Øvredal and producer Guillermo del Toro brought its domestic cume to $40.2 million, the second best showing of the summer for a horror film (trailing Annabelle Comes Home) so far.

Internationally, the film added another $5.6 million for an overseas total that now sits at $14 million.  Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark will open  in more international markets over the next few weeks, further increasing the film’s bottom line, which should be able to bring in over $60 million domestically for a world-wide total somewhere in the vicinity of $100 million. read more

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

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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

‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ Gets New Poster Before August Release

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Creeping into theaters next month, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark has a new poster right from Lionsgate that features the terrifying Jangly Man. Check it out below!

The film is set in America during 1968. Change was blowing in the wind… but seemingly far removed from the unrest in the cities is the small town of Mill Valley where for generations, the shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large. It is in their mansion on the edge of town that Sarah, a young girl with horrible secrets, turned her tortured life into a series of scary stories, written in a book that has transcended time — stories that have a way of becoming all too real for a group of teenagers who discover Sarah’s terrifying home. 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

Press Event for ‘Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark’ Unleashes New Trailer and Some Disturbing Footage

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With the buzz about Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark growing daily, a special press event was held today at the Roxy Cinema in New York that featured the latest trailer, two short clips from the film, and a Q&A session with writer/producer Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water, Pan’s Labyrinth) and director André Øvredal (The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Troll Hunter).

Before the scenes or trailers were shown, Mr. del Toro addressed the attendees. He talked about discovering the books when he was younger and how he first fell in love with the incredible illustrations of Stephen Gammell before being won over by the stories. He made it clear that when he was first approached about being involved with Scary Stories, he did not want this to be an anthology film; “anthology films, while great, are only as good as their best story and as bad as their worst”, said del Toro, while director Øvredal agreed and said that working on this film, “was a dream come true”. They also both discussed the importance to them of making a PG-13 movie, “something to scare the whole family”. read more

‘Scary Stories’ Director Cody Meirick: The Horror News Network Interview

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2019 is shaping up to be quite a year for Alvin Schwartz and Stephen Gammell’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark book series.  Not only is the much loved (and maligned) series from the 1980’s being adapted into a major motion picture by producer Guillermo del Toro and director André Øvredal, but months before the adaptation’s release (August 9), fans will be able to learn the real “story” through Cody Meirick’s documentary, Scary Stories.

Horror News Network got a chance to speak to Meirick about his new film and his love of the source material in this exclusive interview. read more

CBS Films Releases a Scary Trailer to Watch on YouTube for ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’

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The one thing everybody remembers is that-despite being aimed at children- Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark novels never pulled any punches when it came to graphic descriptions of horror. And even worse, Stephen Gammell’s gnarly illustrations are forever burned into the minds of any horror kids who grew up in the eighties and beyond! The series is finally being adapted into a movie, and today’s new trailer proves that the franchise hasn’t lost any of its edge in the transition from print to screen! read more

Check out ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ Superbowl Spot Compilation

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Between the quarters of the Patriots’ sixth Superbowl win were four teaser trailers for the upcoming horror feature Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark which is scheduled for release on August 9 this year.

Based on the popular book trilogy written by the late Alvin Schwartz, Scary Stories synopsis tells it is set in 1968 America. Change is blowing in the wind… but seemingly far removed from the unrest in the cities is the small town of Mill Valley where for generations, the shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large. It is in their mansion on the edge of town that Sarah, a young girl with horrible secrets, turned her tortured life into a series of scary stories, written in a book that has transcended time—stories that have a way of becoming all too real for a group of teenagers who discover Sarah’s terrifying tome. read more