Ben Foster wants to suck your blood |
|
Yes. It's the Season of the Witch – the time for things that go Boo in the Night....and at the box office!
Any credible 2007 Boo report must begin, not with October's Scarefest, but with the August 31, 2007, release of Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN, a re-imagining of John Carpenter's 1978 I DISMEMBER MAMA classic.
HALLOWEEN (August 31): Musician-director Rob Zombie (HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES, THE DEVIL'S REJECTS) re-invented HALLOWEEN for the 21st-Century. The original is the classic that gave the world iconic slasher-movie character Michael Myers, a mask-wearing butcher.
What Zombie delivers in his "violence pumped" remake is a HALLOWEEN that is half fresh and half dependent on the viewer's memory of the original.
The first half of Zombie's HALLOWEEN depicts Michael Myers' white trash upbringing that included a stripper mother and an affinity for animal mutilation. The movie's opening act reflects the originality that Zombie brings to the franchise. The second half is a different story: depending completely on Match Flickers' knowledge of the John Carpenter original. Those unfamiliar with the plot are likely to be clueless, asking themselves, "Who's that person?" and "What in the world is happening here?"
Reportedly made for $15 million, Zombie's re-make has been anything but the living dead at the Boo Office. Worldwide, HALLOWEEN has already grossed in excess of $60 million.
Of course, there 
Michael Myers hungers to serve you en brochette |
|
are fresh Boo flicks now playing at your favorite 'plex.
30 DAYS OF NIGHT (October 19): SPIDERMAN producer Sam Rami serves up this terrifying thrill-fest set in isolated Barrow, Alaska. In the extreme northern hemisphere, Barrow is annually plunged into near complete darkness for an entire month. After most of its citizens head south for the winter, blood-starved vampires take the town, using the month of uninterrupted darkness to feast on the locals that have remained in town. As the dark month wears on, Sheriff Eben (Josh Hartnett), and his wife Stella (Melissa George), are among those who try to survive until the break of dawn ends the vampires' blood-surge. Ben Foster, so good in X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, and 3:10 TO YUMA, scores again in this blood-draining horror tale. With a $16 Million gross, this was America's #1 Boo Office Attraction for the Weekend ending October 21.
TIM BURTON'S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (October 19): It's back – in yet another dimension. Fourteen years after its 1993 release, Match Flickers' favorite nightmare has returned – this time in Disney Digital 3D.
Wearing polarized 3D glasses, audiences will see Burton's cast of marvelously macabre ghosts and goblins up close and personal. Match Flickers will be transported into the three-dimensional epicenter of the haunted mansion-like environment of Halloweentown as its bored Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington attempts 
Gorge yourself on Gore at HORRORFEST |
|
to take over Christmas as a refreshing change of pace.
SAW IV (October 26): According to its publicity, SAW is the first Boo franchise to produce four flicks in a row. In a year top-heavy with sequels and three-peats, SAW IV's dubious achievement rings of inevitability.
As IV begins, Jigsaw and his scare-apparent Amanda are dead. Nonetheless, Detective Kerry turns up murdered. It is left to Detective Hoffman to deal with Jigsaw's gory remains, and to put together the pieces of yet another puzzle.
AFTER DARK HORRORFEST 2007 (November 9-16): For Match Flickers who enjoy their Boo post Halloween Night, this festival of "8 Films to Die For!" may just be your ticket. According to After Dark Films, Horrorfest is an annual celebration of the horror genre, showcasing flicks that run the gamut from Horror to Thriller to Supernatural. For $75.00, An All-Access Pass provides Match Flickers Guaranteed Seating for all eight movies, plus a Goodie Bag full of horror collectibles and discount coupons from prime purveyors of horror.
HORRORFEST represents one final seasonal chance to "gorge your-self on gore."
This year, HORRORFEST is booked into 350 theatres, nationwide, in the country's most popular cities. Among the eight new films included are THE DEATH OF IAN STONE, NIGHTMARE MAN, FRONTIERS, and MULBERRY STREET. As of this writing, the titles of the other four films had not been officially announced.
 email this column to a friend
|
| The Business of Show |
Every other Friday
Does advertising, public taste, or overindulged stars determine a movie's box office fate? Christoper Stone explores what's going on behind the box office.
|
| Christopher Stone |
Christopher Stone is the author of the international best seller Re-Creating Your Self. With Mary Sheldon, he co-authored three highly successful hardcover books of guided meditations.
He is a member of the Writers Guild of America, West.
|
| Contact |
If you have a comment, question, or suggestion, you can send a message to Christopher Stone by clicking here.
|
|
