Big screen adaptation of novel Horns in the works...

So, Mandalay Pictures is set to adapt Joe Hill's genre novel Horns--the darkly humorous and unsettling tale of hometown pariah Ig Perrish, who after a drunken night awakes to find he has spontaneously grown a pair of horns out of his forehead.

These horns compel those around Ig to confess their deepest, most awful truths and desires to him and at the same time, allow Ig to coax and manipulate those he encounters into realizing these sordid ideas.

Interesting concept and quite the enjoyable novel.

Shia LaBeouf is set to play Ig and is apparently going to be closely involved in the film's production.

I must say I am actually quite pleased with the casting here, LaBeouf fits my mental schema of Ig quite well. And though I've yet to see him really act to any extent that makes me believe he is capable of realizing the dramatic weight required for this role, as seen in the delightful LAPD mugshot above, he is quite attractive. Not exactly the same thing but hey, what can you expect from me?

The novel itself is full of black humour and some interesting plot points. And though it's not nearly as frightening as Hill's debut novel Heart Shaped Box, it is still quite a good read and a very well written addition to the world of literary pseudo-horror.

The book is as much a love story as it is anything else, so a lot rests on the casting of Ig's love, Merrin Williams. As I was reading it, I always kind of pictured Merrin as a Bryce Dallas Howard type, but Howard is a little old now, so I'm going to go ahead and say we can expect someone like Emma Roberts, or even Emma Stone to get cast here. Check back for more details on this as they emerge.

And I suppose I can't complete this post without briefly talking about Joe Hill. For those who don't know, as I didn't until I had finished reading both Horns and Heart Shaped Box, Hill is the son of horror master Stephen King.

As petty as this sounds, I had been so excited to have discovered a new and exciting horror author in Hill that I was disappointed to find out about the father-son connection. I don't know, I suppose I felt cheated in a way just because Hill had been marinating in blood and writing since he was a child.

And I suppose too that the struggling horror writer in myself resented him a little bit for undoubtedly having such a privileged upbringing so as to allow him to realize his dreams of following in his father's footsteps perhaps more easily and with fewer obstacles than people like myself encounter.

I think this is probably why Hill adopted a pen name rather than just putting the whole King factor out there, because he wanted to make things happen on his own and didn't want people to think these very kinds of things about him.

Anyways, this has no bearing on his work. Hill is an excellent writer. And I hope that this will be an excellent film. 

I am excited. Hornsy, even.

xoxo

D-bag

Quarantine 2...

So, as all of you know, Quarantine is one of my all time favourite horror films. Say what you will about it in comparison to REC, it's Spanish counterpart, but I maintain after multiple viewings that Quarantine is a well made, frightening and fun movie that measures up to it's foreign source material.

I am a huge fan of the handicam style of filmmaking, especially when used in horror. When used correctly, I think it's the ultimate way to bring the viewer along for the ride: think The Last Exorcism, Cloverfield and the aforementioned Quarantine.

Which is why I was so upset when I heard a direct to video sequel was in the works, set in an airport, that was not going to be shot in the first person perspective.

The REC films went off in a rather interesting direction, leaving many disappointed, and I fear that a similar fate awaits the Quarantine franchise. Regardless, here's the trailer:



If they manage to capture even a little bit of the pure carnage that was the last twenty minutes of the first film, I suppose I will not be entirely unhappy.

The trailer does not look altogether bad, and I must admit, I am actually a little excited. Sorry for the bootlegged trailer, but it's the only one available.

We shall have to wait and see I suppose. 

xoxo

D-bag