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NOT SO SCARY: Family Films from Horror Directors!

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Written by Dr. Jose

Imagine reading on Twitter tomorrow that Adam Wingard was helping write the next Pixar movie. Or seeing that Robert Eggers was directing a heartwarming family dramedy about an elderly couple. Or that James Wan‘s next project was adapting If You Give a Mouse a Cookie for the big screen. It might be a bit disorienting – these are horror directors, after all. The only time they should be associated with ‘warm fuzzies’ is if they happen to be describing the deadly space creatures from their next movie.

However, it’s actually not that strange for horror directors to dip their toes into family friendly waters, and in fact a lot of the big, established names in horror have done it – multiple times, for some. Perhaps filming blood and guts day in and day out gets boring. Or maybe they shoot softer stuff as a way to decompress. Or maybe – just maybe – they’re simply trying something new.

As for Wingard, Eggers, Wan, and the rest of the new generation of horror directors, they’re all still relatively new and just now making names for themselves. There’s still time for them to give the family stuff a shot – and who knows, sooner or later they just might.

Below I’ve compiled a short list of some of the “softer” works by some of horror’s more talked about directors. Some are familiar, others may surprise you. Have any to add? Leave a comment below!

amy-jones

A decade after writing and directing The Slumber Party Massacre, Amy Jones shifted her focus from driller killers to drooling canines. Along with John Hughes, she wrote the much-beloved ’90s family flick Beethoven. It proved to be quite the success – as of this writing, it has spawned four sequels.

chuck-russell

Chuck Russell wrote and directed two of the most memorable horror films of the late-’80s: The Blob and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. His penchant for pun-cracking weird-faced dudes who can defy the laws physics carried over into the early-’90s when he produced and directed the massive hit, The Mask.

gordonyuzna

Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna, the deranged duo who collectively brought us cult hits like Re-Animator, From Beyond, and Dolls, and who individually brought us films like Society, Return of the Living Dead III, and Castle Freak, joined forces once more to write one of the most successful films of 1989, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. (It beat out Back to the Future II, Ghostbusters II, and even The Little Mermaid.)

eberhardt

Speaking of the Honey franchise, Thom Eberhardt, best known for directing Night of the Comet and the underrated Sole Survivor, wrote the sequel, Honey, I Blew Up the Kid. But the horror connections don’t stop there: HIBUtK was produced by Slumber Party Massacre II writer and director, Deborah Brock, and Empire Pictures president, Albert Band!

carpenter

Is there anything scarier than a group of feisty senior citizens who want to break out of a retirement home and go on one last adventure before they kick the bucket? Less than a year after writing and directing one of the most successful and influential horror films of all time – Halloween, duh – John Carpenter tried something completely different by writing a few TV movies that were decidedly not horrific: the comedic Zuma Beach and the heartfelt Better Late Than Never.

lynch

David Lynch’s films are known for their unsettling subject matter, freaky surrealism, and general bat-shit craziness – which is why it’s so surprising that the director decided to make a G-rated Disney film in the mid-’90s. (That’s not hyperbole, by the way – The Straight Story is literally a G-rated Disney film.) While the film wasn’t a financial success, it was met with critical acclaim, winning 12 awards and 29 nominations – including an Academy Award for Best Actor.

john-hancock

It’s hard to conceive how John D. Hancock, director of Let’s Scare Jessica to Death – one of the great low-budget weirdo spook movies of the ’70s – could also direct one of the many beloved Christmas movies of the ’80s, Prancer. That is, until, you realize the little girl in Prancer is also named Jessica, and then it all makes sense. (I don’t know, I’m grasping at straws here.)

bob-clark

Speaking of Christmas, Bob Clark is probably best known for his two films Black Christmas and A Christmas Story. And while A Christmas Story is a family film to be enjoyed by those of all ages, Clark somehow made an even more family-friendlier film, the talking toddler film Baby Geniuses, which is clearly aimed at…well, actually I don’t know who it’s aimed at. It’s pretty bad.

craven

David Lynch wasn’t the only one on this list to dip his toes into Disney waters – horror maestro Wes Craven was also briefly on Mickey’s payroll when he directed an episode of the TV program Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, entitled “Casebusters”. But perhaps Craven’s best known diversion from the horror genre was his true story drama, Music of the Heart, starring Meryl Streep and Gloria Estefan.

winkless

Sometimes you just gotta go where the money is. After writing The Howling and directing The Nest, director Terence Winkless found himself some job security by directing over 40 episodes of The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, as well as their full length feature, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Ninja Quest.

tibor

After directing The Gate, Gate 2: The Trespassers, and the underrated I, Madman, Director Tibor Takács also found himself in the TV game: he directed Sabrina the Teenage Witch, which inspired the long-running television show (for which Takács directed the pilot episode). He followed it up by directing the sequel, Sabrina Goes to Rome.

tom-holland

In between writing some of the most fun and popular horror movies of the ’80s – movies like Fright Night, Child’s Play, and Psycho II – Tom Holland tore a page out of the Spielberg/Dante handbook and tried his hand at writing one of those “child in danger” fantasy movies that were becoming so widespread at the time. Despite being well-received, as of this writing, Cloak & Dagger has been Holland’s only attempt at such a genre.

hg-lewis

Sadly, the horror community lost one of its greatest and most important figures just a few weeks ago. Herschell Gordon Lewis, the Wizard of Gore himself, passed away in September – and with him went an era of goopy, sleazy, low-budget drive-in B-movie gold that was and is as important to cinema as French New Wave, New Hollywood, or any other cinematic movement over the last century. But it wasn’t all sex and splatter for ol’ H.G. Not long after directing Blood Feast and Two Thousand Maniacs!, Lewis directed two kid’s films: Jimmy, the Boy Wonder and The Magic Land of Mother Goose.

nicolas-roeg

Last but not least, we have Nicolas Roeg, director of the horrifying Don’t Look Now, and the equally-horrifying-but-still-kid-friendly The Witches. If you squint hard enough, you can find a few parallels between the films which makes it seem like not so much of a stretch that Roeg would’ve directed both films. But the graphic sex and violence in Don’t Look Now stands in glaring contrast to the ultimately playful and goofy nature of The Witches.

Honorable mentions: frequent Bob Clark collaborator Alan Ormsby, who wrote Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things, DerangedDeathdream, and Popcorn, who also happened to helped write Disney’s Mulan. And George A. Romero, who directed the authorized biography, O.J. Simpson: Juice on the Loose. And while it’s not necessarily a family film, it’s pretty damn weird.

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New Poster Reveal For Nicolas Cage’s Survival Creature Feature ‘Arcadian’ [Trailer]

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Nicolas Cage Arcadian

In the latest cinematic venture featuring Nicolas Cage, Arcadian emerges as a compelling creature feature, teeming with suspense, horror, and emotional depth. RLJE Films has recently released a series of new images and a captivating poster, offering audiences a glimpse into the eerie and thrilling world of “Arcadian”. Scheduled to hit theaters on April 12, 2024, the film will later be available on Shudder and AMC+, ensuring a wide audience can experience its gripping narrative.

Arcadian Movie Trailer

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has given this film an “R” rating for its “bloody images,” hinting at the visceral and intense experience awaiting viewers. The film draws inspiration from acclaimed horror benchmarks like “A Quiet Place,” weaving a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his two sons navigating a desolate world. Following a catastrophic event that depopulates the planet, the family faces the dual challenge of surviving their dystopian environment and eluding mysterious nocturnal creatures.

Joining Nicolas Cage in this harrowing journey are Jaeden Martell, known for his role in “IT” (2017), Maxwell Jenkins from “Lost in Space,” and Sadie Soverall, featured in “Fate: The Winx Saga.” Directed by Ben Brewer (“The Trust”) and penned by Mike Nilon (“Braven”), “Arcadian” promises a unique blend of poignant storytelling and electrifying survival horror.

Maxwell Jenkins, Nicolas Cage, and Jaeden Martell 

Critics have already begun to praise “Arcadian” for its imaginative monster designs and exhilarating action sequences, with one review from Bloody Disgusting highlighting the film’s balance between emotional coming-of-age elements and heart-pounding horror. Despite sharing thematic elements with similar genre films, “Arcadian” sets itself apart through its creative approach and action-driven plot, promising a cinematic experience filled with mystery, suspense, and relentless thrills.

Arcadian Official Movie Poster

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‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

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Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

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How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

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Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

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