“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:

“The Purge 3”: New Story Idea or the Return of a Familiar Face

Frank Grillo, star of The Purge: Anarchy, is rumored to be returning for the third installment of the franchise, The Purge 3. John Squires reported for Dread Central that the next film should not have the actor return. Grillo played “Sergeant”, a well-prepared hero with weapons, a spectacular car that could challenge the Bat mobile, and enough bent up anger that never allows him to be sidetracked from his revenge mission.

Squires seemed pretty confident with his opinion about not including Grillo in The Purge 3; however, I definitely see the pros and cons of including him and not including him. I understand wanting to bring the Sergeant back because his character and Grillo’s performance was incredible. Sergeant saves a mother and his daughter just as they are about to be killed, anything and everything is legal during a certain time frame, on the “holiday” known as The Purge. Even though Sergeant rather work and survive on his own, he still accepts a small group of random strangers to join him on this bloodbath of a day.

Sergeant is a fan favorite character that some may be extremely upset if he is not present in the next sequel. The Purge 3 without Grillo acting in it will permit for a completely new storyline and allow for more creative freedom. The Purge and The Purge 2: Anarchy have completely different story concepts. Bringing Grillo back would interrupt the cohesiveness of featuring various actors and introducing distinctive plotlines.

I would enjoy seeing Grillo return and see Sergeant in the Purge environment again. On the other hand, the franchise began with singular story concepts and I would rather see the franchise stay loyal to their initial roots and create new characters and stories. The concept of the franchise allows for endless possibilities of how individuals in the movie world could handle the Purge holiday. The lack of creativity or possible ideas should not be an issue for the future of the franchise.

In the meantime, catch up and watch the trailer for The Purge 2: Anarchy:

We will get to see how it all plays out, if Grillo returns or it is a completely new concept, when The Purge 3 is released on July 1, 2016.