Crystal Lake Memories is being filmed in multiple locations (Los Angeles, New York, Connecticut, and Vancouver). It is said to be the “definitive” look at the making of the Friday the 13th films. There plans to be over 100 cast and crew interviews (even from the cult TV series). The doc is written/directed by Daniel Farrands and produced by Thommy Hutson. Farrands and Hutson were also behind the documentaries His Name Was Jason, Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, and Scream: The Inside Story (which can be found on the Scream Five-Film Set).

The book Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th is also available on the Amazon kindle.

The film version of Crystal Lake Memories is set to be released later this year.

Source: Shock Till You Drop

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Heather O'Rourke in Poltergeist (1982)

More info on the Poltergeist remake as it comes in.

Synopsis

Six young tourists undertake “Extreme Tourism” by hiring a special guide who drives them into the city of Pripyat, the former home of the workers of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, but a deserted town since the disaster in 1986. After a brief exploration of the abandoned city, the group soon finds themselves stranded, only to discover that they are not alone…

Trailer

Cast

The Chernobyl Diaries stars Jesse McCartney, Jonathan Sadowski, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Nathan Phillips, and Devin Kelley. Written by Oren Peli, Carey Van Dyke, and Shane Van Dyke. Directed by visual effects man Bradley Parker.

Notes/Background

On Saturday, April 26, 1986, reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl Plant exploded, sending a plume of radioactive smoke into the air, which drifted over the nearby town of Pripyat as well as large parts of western USSR and Europe. Areas in Belarus and the Ukraine were contaminated. Reactor 4 was enclosed in a concrete sarcophagus to trap the radiation.

There is an area surrounding the plant, with a radius of about 19 miles, called the Exclusion Zone or “Zone of Alienation.” It is uninhabited, except for a few residents who have refused to leave. The area has largely reverted to forest and radiation levels are still high (the Ukrainian government considers it a wildlife sanctuary now). The zone will not be habitable for about 20,000 years.

The “Extreme Tourism” reference in the trailer for Chernobyl Diaries specifically refers to the practice of “Chernobyl stalking”, which involves tourists visiting the zone and all the abandoned installations/homes/schools inside Prypiat. One person who made this type of urban exploration popular was Elena Filatova. (you might remember her as the cool Ukrainian motorcycle chick who took photos of the zone and blogged about it).

Release Date

The Chernobyl Diaries will be released on May 25, 2012.

Borscht Corp, together with Severin Films and Intervision Picture Corp are presenting the rare screening of The Burning Moon at midnight, Friday the 13th. (Well, ok, that’s not technically Friday the 13th – look, just show up at the O-Cinema, 90 NW 29 Street, Miami, Florida, this Friday night).

The screening is free to the public and will be preceded by giveaways, exclusive/ vintage trailers selected by the staff of Borscht, and complimentary drinks (or as they put it: “free-flowing libations blessed by a Santeria priest.”)

You also get a poster and a copy of the new DVD release of The Burning Moon (and if a shot-on-cheap-video, 0-budget sickie like The Burning Moon can get a DVD release, then anything can!)

The poster is designed by artist Johnny Ryan (Blecky Yuckerella, Prison Pit) which glows in the dark! The night of the event will also mark the exclusive premiere of the song “Burning Mo0on” by Sleepwalking (a collaboration between ANR and Coral Morphologic).

Borscht Corporation

Based in Miami, Borscht creates short films and holds film festivals. The Borscht Film Festival shows films from local filmmakers, usually related to Miami. (To give you an idea, the short film The Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke tells the story of Luther Campbell (Luke Skyywalker) and the 2 Live Crew, followed by Luke becoming mayor, followed by a nuclear meltdown which turns Miami into a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Oh yeah, it’s modeled after La Jetee!

O-Cinema

O-Cinema is an independent cinema located in the Wynwood Arts District of Miami that shows first-run indie, foreign, art, and niche market films (like The Burning Moon). Right now they are showing Kill List.

The Burning Moon

The Burning Moon was an underground film from 1992 that made the rounds in conventions and tape trading circles. Shot on video (probably S-VHS or something), it’s the brainchild of Olaf Ittenbach, the German splatter director. As Zack Carlson of the Alamo Drafthouse once said of the movie: The Burning Moon is “an anti-human masterpiece. There’s zero doubt that director Olaf Ittenbach was destined to either make this film or rape wolves.”

Ittenbach himself stars as a junkie who babysits his young sister and feeds her two horrific bedtime stories: the first is about a serial killer who massacres a family; another is about a country priest who rapes and murders before going to Hell. It’s all in German, and one person on AICN compared it to Boardinghouse and The Ripper. But story doesn’t matter here – just the gore, which the film delivers in spades.

So if low budget underground gore cinema is your thing, show up at the Miami O-Cinema this Friday night and watch dudes get ripped apart in Hell while drinking some brew. (no, you’re the ones drinking the brew).

Silent Night

The Christmas horror reboot Silent Night will star Malcolm McDowell (Halloween 2007) and be directed by Steven C. Miller. Anchor Bay gets distribution rights in North America. Principal photography starts in May 2012 with a December 2012 release date. In Silent Night, local police look for a killer in a Santa outfit terrorizing a Midwestern town on Christmas Eve. McDowell will play the sheriff.
(source: Variety)

The Mummy

Universal reboots its Mummy franchise using writer Jon Spaihts (who wrote the upcoming Prometheus) and producer Sean Daniel, who also produced the 1999 film. That film, directed by Stephen Sommers, was a massive hit that spawned 2 hit sequels and a spinoff (The Scorpion King). Said Spaihts about the reboot:

I see it as the sort of opportunity I had with ‘Prometheus’: to go back to a franchise’s roots in dark, scary source material and simultaneously open it up to an epic scale we haven’t seen before.

(source: Variety)

Zombie Race Details

• Before the race begins, you get a flag belt, which represents your overall health. The belt contains a certain number of flags.
• The zombies chasing you try to take your flags away. If you lose all your flags, you’re toast, dude.
• Health bonuses are hidden throughout the course. Look for them.
• There will be man-made and natural obstacles to complete. Skip them and you don’t get any prizes.
• Make it to the finish line with at least one health flag intact.
• There are multiple routes to the finish line. Some are longer than others.

After the race, enjoy the apocalypse party!

Here are the current dates for the 2012 Zombie Race:

• May 5th and May 6th, 2012: Massachusetts (Amesbury Sports Park, Amesbury)
• June 2nd, 2012: Minnesota (Spring Creek Motocross, Millville)
• June 23rd, 2012: Indiana (Boondocks Farms, Knightstown)
• July 14th, 2012: Colorado (Thunder Valley Motocross, Lakewood)
• August 4th, 2012: Washington (Burntridge MX Park, Onalaska)
• August 18th, 2012: Missouri (Wright City)
• September 1st, 2012: Pennsylvania (Switchback Raceway, Butler)
• October 20th, 2012: California (Vail Lake Village, South Temecula)
• October 27th, 2012: Maryland (Camp Ramblewood, Darlington)
• November 17th, 2012: Florida (Revolution Off Road, Clermont)
• December 15th, 2012: Texas (Rusty’s Walnut Creek Ranch, Cedar Creek)

More Information

Official Site, Facebook Page, Zombie Horde Facebook

H/T to Brie and Joe!

Sober up! It's time for a remake!

According to Variety, both studios will share the costs of production and marketing, but Lionsgate will distribute it. The Leprechaun reboot is set to be released in 2013. There is currently no cast, writer, or director attached to the project.

The Leprechaun remake is part of a 2-film deal. Lionsgate and WWE Studios have previously gotten together on the horror pic See No Evil.

Since the WWE is involved, we are guessing we’ll see a wrestler or two in the film. Probably not The Rock (they’ll never afford him). Just possibly Triple H. As for who will be playing the new Leprechaun, your guess is as good as ours. We doubt Warwick Davis will want to come back.

For more, check out the article at Variety.

Update – 4/5/12

Variety reports that WWE wrestler Hornswoggle (aka Dylan Postl) will portray the Leprechaun in the reboot, now titled Leprechaun: Origins.

Leprechaun: Origins will be released in March 2013.