Connect with us

News

“Meg” Author Tells iHorror: Movie “Will be edge-of-your-seat scary!”

Published

on

Author Steve Alten who wrote the novel turned ultra-budget shark movie “Meg,” starring Jason Statham is excited for its release in 2018, and he tells iHorror so far it’s everything he imagined his book to be.

“Filming completed in New Zealand and China in mid-December;” Alten said. “I have not seen any footage other than what has been posted on Instagram but I understand everything looks amazing.”

There is a resurgence in popularity with sharks having an appetite for humans recently, with “The Shallows” taking a chunk the size of $119 million out of the box office last summer.

“Meg” was first published in 1997 and spawned a series of sequels. The shark is based on the factually documented prehistoric fish called a Megalodon, a huge shark capable of taking down a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

In the book, Jonas Taylor witnesses one of these creatures while on an expedition, but upon his return to shore his claims are considered fantastical since he is the only one to have survived.

Reading the book

Taking an interest in the sea, Taylor becomes a paleontologist and is asked to help recover a Chinese submersible at the bottom of the ocean, where coincidentally a Megalodon is also trapped, but manages to escape, making it to warmer waters and fresh meat.

Alten says he hasn’t seen any footage from the film since it wrapped, but, “it will be edge-of-your-seat scary.”

Of course, every shark movie after 1975 has some pretty big huaraches to fill, but “Meg” looks to be taking the concept to Jurassic levels.

“First and foremost,” Alten told iHorror, “this is not just a shark, it’s a Megalodon, the most fearsome predator in the history of the planet…which just happens to be a prehistoric version of a 70-foot Great White.”

Making the movie based on the book.

“Add to that the best special effects houses in the business, a $150 million budget, great script, an international cast of top stars…led by the perfect guy to play Jonas Taylor, Jason Statham.” Alten says.

Originally Eli Roth was signed to direct “Meg,” but for reasons even the author can’t explain, Roth left the project for Jon Turteltaub (National Treasure) to helm. But should there be any sequels, Alten says he’d like to see Roth bring his vision to one of them.

“I can’t say much on the Eli Roth situation other than I have great respect for Eli as a director and the decision had nothing to do with his abundant talent both behind and in front of the camera,” said Alten. Plus, he’s into sharks for all the right reasons. I am crossing my fingers that he will direct another adaptation of mine.”

Warner Bros. has taken on the distribution rights and will release the film March 2018.

As far as the film’s action-star lead working in the water-logged setting and through grueling hours of huge oceanic locations, Alten says Statham is pretty happy.

“Jason is really into the role!”

Jason Statham takes on "Meg."

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

News

Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

Published

on

Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

Published

on

The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

Published

on

Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading