In this week’s installment of The Week in Horror, the remake of one of the darkest movies I’ve seen in a while, parts 5 and 1 of a fictional 80’s classic slasher (I’ll explain later), and a whole lot more!
Divisive 2022 Danish thriller Speak No Evil from Christian Tafdrup is heading to a remake from Blumhouse, according to Deadline. James McAvoy is slated to star in the project, which will be directed by Eden Lake and The Woman In Black‘s James Watkins.
In Speak No Evil, “a Danish family visits a Dutch family they met on a holiday. What was supposed to be an idyllic weekend slowly starts unraveling as the Danes try to stay polite in the face of unpleasantness.” It draws on vibes from movies like Funny Games, and its exceedingly dark turn will either turn you right on or right off, with little ground in between. You can check the original out on Shudder.
No details on the approach Watkins will take on Speak No Evil‘s remake, but Blumhouse and Universal plan to release it in theatres on August 9, 2024.
Joe Lynch of Wrong Turn 2 and Mayhem fame has a new Lovecraftian tale called Suitable Flesh which will premiere at Tribeca this June. The film stars horror legend Barbara Crampton and is based on Lovecraft’s The Thing on the Doorstep. Dennis Paoli wrote the script, and he’s definitely got experience with both Lovecraft adaptations and with Barbara Crampton, after having penned both From Beyond and Re-Animator.
In Suitable Flesh, “After murdering her young patient, a once-esteemed psychiatrist helplessly watches her life spiral into a nightmarish maelstrom of supernatural hysteria and gruesome deaths, all linked to a seemingly unstoppable ancient curse.” The film co-stars Jonah Ray, Heather Graham, Bruce Davidson, and Judah Lewis.
Alex Aja, director of Crawl and High Tension has a new project called Never Let Go, and Deadline reports that Halle Berry is signed on as the lead, joining Percy Daggs IV and Anthony B. Jenkins. The film is currently in production.
Never Let Go depicts “a mother (Berry) and her fraternal twin sons (Daggs and Jenkins) who have been tormented by an evil spirit for years and are convinced to never let go of their family’s protective bond. But when one of the boys questions if the evil is real, their connection is severed, triggering a terrifying fight for survival.”
Everyone’s talking Evil Dead Rise this weekend, but the original Deadite destroyer Bruce Campbell is already heading to his next Satanic pursuit in the form of the new Peacock series Hysteria! according to Variety.
In Hysteria!, “When a beloved varsity quarterback disappears during the ‘Satanic Panic’ of the late 1980s, a struggling high school heavy metal band of outcasts realize they can capitalize on the town’s sudden interest in the occult by building a reputation as a Satanic metal band, until a bizarre series of murders, kidnappings, and reported ‘supernatural activity’ triggers a leather-studded witch hunt that leads directly back to them.” Campbell will play the town police chief, Chief Dandridge “whose understanding of his community is put to the test after a disturbing series of murders, disappearances, and unexplained phenomena.”
The series co-stars Anna Camp, Emjay Anthony, Chiara Aurelia, Kezii Curtis, Nikki Hahn, and Julie Bowen. The premiere is to be directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts (Kong: Skull Island).
Finally, a pair of trailers for one of the more interesting horror projects this year, The Third Saturday in October. You might want to sit down while I explain this.
The Third Saturday in October is a double feature of two 80’s-set slashers from director Jay Burleson and Dark Sky Films, The Third Saturday in October Part V and The Third Saturday in October Part I. Parts 2-4 do not exist, and you’re meant to watch Part V first. The experience is meant to evoke the feeling of going to your local video store and only finding the fifth part of a horror series, watching it anyway, and then going back and finding the first one. It’s a quaint concept in the world where whole series are usually available on the same streaming service at the click of a button, but those of us real ones remember what it’s like to have to run back and forth from a video store.
In the first movie, “It’s October 1979. Ricky Dean Logan (Darius Willis) and Vicki Newton (K.J. Baker) lean on each other for support as they attend the execution of Jakkariah Harding (Antonio Woodruff), the serial killer who’d claimed the lives of their children. After Harding’s gruesome death by electric chair, Ricky and Vicki attempt to move on with their lives. They don’t get very far; Harding’s escaped death and targets a college football gathering as his latest slay ground. Ricky and Vicki may be the only ones who can stop him.”
Check out the trailers here for The Third Saturday in October Part V
And for The Third Saturday in October Part I!
