Some weeks this column might as well be called "The Bad and the Worse." Then there are weeks like this one, when the good news is actually pretty good -- honestly, there was more than I could fit into five slots. Two great franchises are reborn, two foreign films get American makeovers, and a director I slammed last week redirects himself. Impressive, Hollywood! You're still on Double Secret Probation, but keep up the good work!
| The Good |
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| Rank | Movie | ||
| 1 |  |
Alien Prequel Ridley Scott says he's on board for a new Alien film, which should send a little shiver down the spines of everyone who reads this column. The producers are excited; apparently they were going to make it with or without him, but with is definitely better. |
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| 2 |  |
Livid Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo (Inside), who are at the forefront of the new please-don't-call-it-torture-porn movement, are working on this spooky old house movie. It might not involve young women getting tortured to death... and if it does, at least it'll be classy. |
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| 3 |  |
Cold Skin David Slade (30 Days of Night) will be using some of that Eclipse money (see last week's -5 slot) to make this creepy, atmospheric horror movie with nary a vampire anywhere. Since "atmospheric" usually equals "has a brain," I'm willing to forgive him. |
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| 4 |  |
Phone The fact that it's a K-Horror remake is scaring away bloggers, but Ahn Byung-Ki's story of a haunted phone number (yes, really) was a solid piece of spookiness. And since he's directing the do-over himself, it shouldn't be dismissed -- let's at least wait for a trailer. |
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| 5 |  |
Predators "Remake" is officially a dirty word, so enter the "reboot." Robert Rodriguez, who makes good movies for kids and even better ones for adults, is set for this new entry in the much-loved franchise and promises there will be no hybrid "predaliens" or spy kids. |
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...and now for the bad. Be warned: It's pretty rank.
Please, please, please help me find a new name for this column! I will accept any ideas posted in the comments section below! Thank you, that is all.
David Wellington is a horror novelist whose latest book is Vampire Zero. He lives in New York City with his wife Elisabeth and his dog Mary, named after Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein.
