“Rings” is a Sequel, Not a Prequel

Dread Central reported that Rings, the upcoming horror movie is not a prequel to The Ring franchise but it is a sequel. There was a rumor circulating claiming that the next film would be a prequel but the movie’s director, F. Javier Gutierrez, corrected the allegations.

Gutierrez said on Twitter, “Hey peeps. Rings is NOT a prequel,” he wrote, “the story takes place 13 years AFTER The Ring.”

Alex Roe (The 5^th Wave) was casted as the lead male role in Rings. Matilda Lutz, an Italian actress, has been cast as Roe’s character’s girlfriend.

The Ring franchise is based on hit movies from Japan. The American The Ring earned $249 million at the box office and The Ring Two made $160 million.

You can watch Rings when it premieres in theaters on November 13, 2015.

“The Walking Dead” Spinoff Series

AMC’s The Walking Dead is scheduled to have a spinoff series from the creator, Robert Kirkman. The new series was originally reported to be a prequel to the hit zombie show. However, Kirkman announced at a panel on Saturday at SXSW that the spinoff would initially start off as a prequel and show viewers how the zombie apocalypse began. According to IGN, Kirkman also said the show will eventually catch up to the original show and will not remain a prequel.

Kirkman told EW.com about the spinoff series, “not going to relate to the comics at all. From the beginning of the show one thing we’ve heard is, ‘What’s going on over here or there.’ So the intent of the new show is to expand that world and show another corner of the United States and what’s happening there.”

Kirkman also said, “Rick Grimes woke up from a coma and was like, ‘Oh, man, zombies, weird!’ We’re going to possibly see that unfold a little more in the other show. But I wouldn’t call it ‘prequel’ because the entirety of the show is not going take place before (The Walking Dead). It will eventually form a path running concurrently.”

The Walking Dead creator also stated that the spinoff show would have its own characters and situations making it unique and its own entity.

“Poltergeist” Remake Will Spook Sooner

From director Gil Kenan and producer Sam Raimi (1981’s The Evil Dead and 2002’s Spider-Man), the Poltergeist remake is haunting movie theaters two months sooner than expected, according to Fangoria.

20^th Century Fox initially had the remake slated for release in July, but decided to bump up the release date to Friday, May 22nd.

Aside from being released two full months earlier than anticipated, Poltergeist is also being released within two weeks of Focus Features’ Insidious: Chapter 3. The Insidious franchise has done well regardless of the time of year for their releases dates. Insidious: Chapter 3 will open on Friday, June 5^th.

Back in February, the first trailer was released for Poltergeist and created quite a buzz for being too similar to the original and for appearing to look great as a horror film.

I watched the trailer when it was first released and I enjoyed it. It looks great and does seem eerie, which is difficult to do nowadays for modern scary movies. I was not a huge fan of Insidious: Chapter 2 so at this point, I am looking forward to the Poltergeist remake over Insidious: Chapter 3.

Watch Poltergeist and that spooky clown at a theater near you on Friday, May 22^nd.

Check out the creepy trailer here:

“The Lazarus Effect”

The Lazarus Effect opened in theaters this past Friday, February 27, 2015. The film comes from the producer of other hits such as The Purge, Paranormal Activity, and Insidious. The movie stars Mark Duplass (The League), Olivia Wilde (House and Tron: Legacy), Evan Peters (American Horror Story), and Donald Glover (Community).

Based on some research, there does not appear to be an official website for the film. The only official page seems to be their Facebook page.

The only plotline given from their page for the thriller is, “The film follows a group of medical students who discover a way to bring dead patients back to life.”

The trailer gives the film hope that The Lazarus Effect will be a spooky tale. Unfortunately, reviews from Rotten Tomatoes and other news sites give the horror film negative ratings.

In it’s opening weekend, The Lazarus Effect earned approximately $10.6 million at the box office. The production budget was $3.3 million.

Here is to hoping the film is not as bad as the reviews say it is and delivers a frightful surprise for moviegoers.

Check out The Lazarus Effect trailer: