Mr.HoRrOr's take on 2005's slate
2005 is upon us in 2 short months, and the slate is pretty large when it comes to what horror films are up for release next year. "Ring 2", "Saw 2", "The Devils Rejects", and "Cemetary Gates" plus 2 new installments of the "Hellraiser" series are among 2005's horror movie releases. Then theres films that we don't even know about that sneak under the radar and then surprise us.
The question is, will these films even hit theatres when scheduled? "The Devils Rejects" was moved back once, "The Ring 2" was originally scheduled to open this month, but was kicked back to this time next year. The 2 "Hellraiser" sequels were pushed back to a DVD release next year rather than this year, and "House of Wax", after one of the sets caught fire, was pushed back to early next year when it was originally slated for last month. Another question is, which of these films will live up to expectations? and The question for the ones which are sequels is, can they surpass their predecessors in most if not every aspect? "Cemetary Gates" stars Reggie Bannister, and is the story of an experimental tazmanian devil which has escaped, and now is running amok leaving a trail of bodies and blood in it's wake. "Boo", which will be released by the same company, revolves around a group of teens trapped in a haunted hospital on Halloween night. These two films don't have much pressure on them to break any records, or do better than the one before it, since they're relatively small movies, and the start of something, not the continuation. They are much in the same boat with "2001 Maniacs" and "Dead and Breakfast", two more small movies, that will hopefully see a nationwide release sometime soon (2001 Maniacs was picked up recently by a U.K. distributor). But for films like "The Ring 2", and "The Devils Rejects", being as good as or better than the one before is vital to everyone involved. However, Zombies sequel is more of a small movie like the first one was. But at the same time, it's being released on a larger scale whereas it will hit many more screens than it's predecessor with the success and cult following the original gained. "The Ring 2" is a total Hollywood movie. Which means ahead of "Saw 2", and "The Devils Rejects", it has the most pressure on it to be superior to the original, which grossed a total box office of 128 million+ on a budget of just 45 million. From early looks, it doesn't look like it will be better than the first in my opinion atleast. It's already been stated that we will see less Samara in this movie, and Daveigh Chase (Samara from the first film) isn't returning for the sequel. Not to mention the numerous scenes that rumoredly were cut from the film to create base material for a prequel. "The Devils Rejects" is another film to worry about. Part 1 left us with all sorts of questions, and it seems part 2 is taking a totally different direction,which seems to suggest that many of the questions left hanging at the end of part 1 won't be answered in the sequel. Hopefully that isn't the case. They also seem to have gone sort of western/horror with part 2. Western/horror is not really a genre mix we see often if at all. It'll be interesting to see how fans embrace the film due to that aspect. But luckily for Rob, this is a sequel. Fans are already familiar with all the returning characters, thus they will give it a chance. As opposed to if it was a first outing type of movie. "House of Wax" is another remake from the good people at Dark Castle. Horror fans often split on many of Dark Castles previous films. Some say "House on Haunted Hill" was good, some say it was okay up until the lame monster is revealed at the end. Some say "13 Ghosts" kicked ass because of the ghosts themselves, others say it was a fast paced,discombobulated, mess. and Then theres "Ghost Ship" which most think is only worth watching it's intro and then turning it off. Personally, I liked all 3 movies for different reasons, but "HOHH" is the best of them all. "House of Wax"'s story is similar to it's b&w predecessors jist. Creepy wax museum, something lurking in the shadows, creepy caretaker, etc. Sure it sounds interesting, but the jurys still out on whether or not casting Paris Hilton will kill any credibility this movie had. Paris Hilton isn't exactly liked by many, and rightfully so with her show "The Simple Life" by some act of god still being on television, torturing us all. Lastly, "Saw 2" and "Hellraiser 7 and 8". "Saw" was a unique flick, but many things need to be done in order to make the sequel a larger success. Due to it's box office success in it's opening weekend, it will more than likely get a larger screen number tally. But they can't just go with the same plot as the original, 2 more people waking up chained up inside a rusty, dirty bathroom. Nor can they have the peaks and valleys complex which part 1 had in spades. In other words, scenes where not much happens, then a few scenes later, alot happens. Jigsaw has to be more of a centerpiece and forefront man if a sequel is going to work and surpass the original. The "Hellraiser" series many will tell you is on life support at this point. After 1 and "Hellbound", many saw 3 as decent to subpar, and everything after that total disasters. Granted there are those who liked "Bloodline" and "Hellseeker", one of them being me, as I thought "Hellseeker" was a notch above 3-5, but the majority think this series is pretty much finished, mainly because Pinheads screentime has decreased drastically film by film. "Hellseeker" worked without Pinhead in it much IMO. But that was only because the story was intriguing enough on it's own. 7 and 8 deal with a website connected to the cenobites, and a cult that idolizes them. Both films sound respectively a bit interesting, and nothing could be as dreadful as "Inferno", the 5th installment. Hopefully, that quote reigns true when both hit DVD next year. A Bonus mention goes out to Romeros 4th installment of the "Dead" series entitled "Land of The Dead". The film has a great cast lined up which includes Tom Savini, Asia Argento, and John Leguizamo plus Dennis Hopper.
With it's large cult following, and Romero helming, this film should be good, and hopefully will cruise to a 20 million+ opening weekend when it hits theatres. That all depends on if the Romero fans, and "Dead" trilogy fans come out and support the film. Hopefully they do. With all these movies on the horizon, and a few less known about releases, one of which being "Hatchet" which Kane Hodders involved in, 2005 is looking like it will be a good year for horror and horror fans.
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