News
‘Spooky Empire’ Returns to Orlando This Halloween Weekend
As you might imagine, we freaks here at iHorror tend to be huge fans of horror conventions. After all, where else can a horror lover meet their favorite stars, buy awesome memorabilia, hang out with like-minded maniacs, and watch kickass independent horror films in a single weekend? On that note, Spooky Empire is preparing to bring its infamous blood-soaked hijinks back to Orlando, FL this Halloween, and we’ve got the skinny on who and what you can expect to see there.
First off, here’s a tip from a long-time con attendee. If at all possible, get there when the event starts. Spooky Empire’s events draw thousands of horror fans from both in and outside the state of Florida every year, and the crowds only seem to increase in size with each passing Halloween. Getting there early will give you time to park, gather up your belongings and/or loved ones, and get inside before the lines for the biggest stars have gotten huge.
As for which genre stars Spooky Empire attendees can expect to meet this time out, the list is incredibly varied, and is likely to please just about every segment of the horror fanbase. First off, Neve Campbell and Skeet Ulrich – Sidney and Billy respectively – will reunite at Spooky Empire just in time to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Scream. While the passing of Wes Craven has made this somewhat of a bittersweet milestone, the late director is likely to get a fond remembrance from the two actors.
Also attending Spooky Empire is film and TV legend Burt Reynolds, star of such films as Smokey and the Bandit, Boogie Nights, Deliverance, and Striptease. One could argue how tied to the horror genre Reynolds is, but this is Burt freaking Reynolds. When Burt Reynolds says he’s willing to appear at your con, you say yes sir. Of course, those wishing to spend time hobnobbing with legends more directly tied to horror can feel free to say hi to people like zombie godfather George Romero, Candyman star Tony Todd, and director/actor/make-up virtuoso Tom Savini.
If one wishes to engage in a little bit of the ol’ ultraviolence – or at least have a spirited discussion about it – Spooky attendees can rub elbows with A Clockwork Orange and Halloween (2007) star Malcolm McDowell, share some quality time with Danny “Machete” Trejo, or perhaps have an encounter with the Warlock himself, Julian Sands.
Those who wish to see what some of their favorite child stars have grown up to look like can head over to see Pet Sematary’s Miko Hughes, or perhaps chat with The Shining’s twin terrors Lisa and Louise Burns, who are rumored to want to talk to you forever, and ever, and ever. Although not all former kid stars in attendance began life giving us nightmares, such as Child’s Play hero Alex Vincent, and the child cast of legendary musical Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
If all those names aren’t enough to entice you to get your Spooky on, maybe you’ll be excited to meet much of the cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, or the non-Jerry Dandridge leads of Fright Night, or The Devil’s Rejects’ Bill Moseley and William Forsythe, or voice of “The Cryptkeeper” John Kassir. Seriously, if you love horror, have the financial means, and choose not to attend Spooky Empire, what the heck is wrong with you?
Spooky Empire’s Ultimate Horror Weekend 2015 takes place for the first time at the beautiful Hyatt Regency on International Drive in Orlando. The event is being held from October 30th-November 1st, meaning you can actually spend your Halloween night with tons of fellow fans. Tickets and VIP Packages are on-sale now.
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Movies
‘Evil Dead’ Film Franchise Getting TWO New Installments
It was a risk for Fede Alvarez to reboot Sam Raimi’s horror classic The Evil Dead in 2013, but that risk paid off and so did its spiritual sequel Evil Dead Rise in 2023. Now Deadline is reporting that the series is getting, not one, but two fresh entries.
We already knew about the Sébastien Vaniček upcoming film that delves into the Deadite universe and should be a proper sequel to the latest film, but we are broadsided that Francis Galluppi and Ghost House Pictures are doing a one-off project set in Raimi’s universe based off of an idea that Galluppi pitched to Raimi himself. That concept is being kept under wraps.
“Francis Galluppi is a storyteller who knows when to keep us waiting in simmering tension and when to hit us with explosive violence,” Raimi told Deadline. “He is a director that shows uncommon control in his feature debut.”
That feature is titled The Last Stop In Yuma County which will release theatrically in the United States on May 4. It follows a traveling salesman, “stranded at a rural Arizona rest stop,” and “is thrust into a dire hostage situation by the arrival of two bank robbers with no qualms about using cruelty-or cold, hard steel-to protect their bloodstained fortune.”
Galluppi is an award-winning sci-fi/horror shorts director whose acclaimed works include High Desert Hell and The Gemini Project. You can view the full edit of High Desert Hell and the teaser for Gemini below:
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Movies
‘Invisible Man 2’ Is “Closer Than Its Ever Been” to Happening
Elisabeth Moss in a very well-thought-out statement said in an interview for Happy Sad Confused that even though there have been some logistical issues for doing Invisible Man 2 there is hope on the horizon.
Podcast host Josh Horowitz asked about the follow-up and if Moss and director Leigh Whannell were any closer to cracking a solution to getting it made. “We are closer than we have ever been to cracking it,” said Moss with a huge grin. You can see her reaction at the 35:52 mark in the below video.
Whannell is currently in New Zealand filming another monster movie for Universal, Wolf Man, which might be the spark that ignites Universal’s troubled Dark Universe concept which hasn’t gained any momentum since Tom Cruise’s failed attempt at resurrecting The Mummy.
Also, in the podcast video, Moss says she is not in the Wolf Man film so any speculation that it’s a crossover project is left in the air.
Meanwhile, Universal Studios is in the middle of constructing a year-round haunt house in Las Vegas which will showcase some of their classic cinematic monsters. Depending on attendance, this could be the boost the studio needs to get audiences interested in their creature IPs once more and to get more films made based on them.
The Las Vegas project is set to open in 2025, coinciding with their new proper theme park in Orlando called Epic Universe.
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News
Jake Gyllenhaal’s Thriller ‘Presumed Innocent’ Series Gets Early Release Date
Jake Gyllenhaal’s limited series Presumed Innocent is dropping on AppleTV+ on June 12 instead of June 14 as originally planned. The star, whose Road House reboot has brought mixed reviews on Amazon Prime, is embracing the small screen for the first time since his appearance on Homicide: Life on the Street in 1994.
Presumed Innocent is being produced by David E. Kelley, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, and Warner Bros. It is an adaptation of Scott Turow’s 1990 film in which Harrison Ford plays a lawyer doing double duty as an investigator looking for the murderer of his colleague.
These types of sexy thrillers were popular in the ’90s and usually contained twist endings. Here’s the trailer for the original:
According to Deadline, Presumed Innocent doesn’t stray far from the source material: “…the Presumed Innocent series will explore obsession, sex, politics and the power and limits of love as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.”
Up next for Gyllenhaal is the Guy Ritchie action movie titled In the Grey scheduled for release in January 2025.
Presumed Innocent is an eight-episode limited series set to stream on AppleTV+ starting June 12.
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