Movies
Bret Easton Ellis Fantasizes ‘American Psycho’ Literary Sequel
With Lionsgate already prepping a new American Psycho feature (Dec. 8), author and franchise creator Bret Easton Ellis took to Twitter where he spent the past week talking up a potential written sequel as well. He has already made a demand as to who should take over as Patrick Bateman, so maybe his mind is racing with new ideas — or maybe he’s just a sarcastic fellow making a ton of jokes….
On March 10th he writes, “1:00 AM in L.A. and sitting at my desk finishing a script and suddenly I’m making notes on where Patrick Bateman’s now and maybe he could…” He continued: “Hmmm… Maybe I’ll call my publishers on Monday… But have to figure out what the structure is…”
The idea? It’s absolutely unclear if the author is JOKING, but if he is for real, inside you can read a slew of tweets gathered that tease a potential new tale for the psychotic Patrick Bateman. [Now is the time to play The Nylon Curtain on iTunes] “Flashback: Patrick as a teenager and then moves into college before he gets to New York and how Pierce & Pierce is forced by his dad to…”
“Definitely murders at prep school and …”
“Patrick at Harvard listening to The Nylon Curtain… maybe Nebraska… maybe Don Henley…”
“I would love Patrick dissecting Don Henley’s “Building the Perfect Beast”…”
“Patrick’s first killing would not have been at Harvard. It would have been before… it would have been his father’s mistress…”
“Patrick would hate Obama and for example, go into great detail about the Honey Badger fraudulence of #Kony2012 and he’d love Kim Kardashian.”
“How would Patrick Bateman deal with the notion of transparency? Or did he already deal with it in the original? Thoughts as I write notes…”
“Patrick would post pics of murdered girls on Facebook and either no one would notice or post “Fuck yeah” and that’s what I’m thinking about.”
“Patrick would talk about Adele and Kanye and KATY PERRY because “Firework” is his favorite song… and then he kills Katy Perry’s trainer…”
“Patrick’s iPad would start speaking to him… Telling him Adele’s cover of The Cure drove him to killing, well, just about everybody…”
“I’ve three pages on where Patrick Bateman is now and where he came from. The most violent scene is in a sorority where PB rapes/kills 12…”
“Patrick would go on a very long dissertation about Coldplay’s oeuvre… His favorite song being “Fix You”…”
“Patrick would complain about spotify and the cloud and tumbler…but he would find victims via Blendr while listening to Beyonce and O.A.R.”
Ellis goes on and on via his Twitter feed, with many of his ideas leading this writer to believe he’s JOKING. Ellis is a sly fox, so we’ll have to see where this heads, either way he’s an entertaining writer that also deserves to be read via Twitter.
The Bloody Disgusting-powered SCREAMBOX is home to a variety of unique horror content, from originals and exclusives to cult classics and documentaries. With such a rapidly-growing library, there are many hidden gems waiting to be discovered.
Here are five recommendations you can stream on SCREAMBOX right now.
At the Abigail premiere, Dan Stevens listed Norway among his four favorite vampire movies. “I just saw a great movie recently that I’d never heard of,” he told Letterboxd. “A Greek film called Norway, about a vampire who basically exists in the underground disco scene in ’80s Athens, and he can’t stop dancing ’cause he’s worried his heart will stop. And it’s lovely. It’s great.”
You won’t find a better endorsement than that, but allow me to elaborate. Imagine Only Lovers Left Alive meets What We Do in the Shadows by way of Yorgos Lanthimos. The quirky 2014 effort follows a vampire vagabond (Vangelis Mourikis) navigating Greek’s sordid nightlife circa 1984 as he dances to stay alive. Not as campy as it sounds, its idiosyncrasies land more in the art-house realm. Stylized visuals, colorful bloodshed, pulsating dance music, and an absurd third-act reveal help the existentialism go down in a mere 74 minutes.
With the recent solar eclipse renewing public interest in the astrological event, Bloody Birthday is ripe for rediscovery. Three children born during an eclipse – Curtis Taylor (Billy Jayne, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose), Debbie Brody (Elizabeth Hoy), and Steven Seton (Andrew Freeman) – begin committing murders on their 10th birthday. Brother and sister duo Joyce (Lori Lethin, Return to Horror High) and Timmy Russell (K.C. Martel, The Amityville Horror) are the only ones privy to their heinous acts.
Bloody Birthday opened in 1981 mere weeks before the release of another attempt to claim the birthday slot on the slasher calendar, Happy Birthday to Me. Director Ed Hunt (The Brain) combines creepy kid tropes that date back to The Bad Seed with slasher conventions recently established by Halloween and Friday the 13th – with a little bit of the former’s suspense and plenty of the latter’s gratuity. The unconventional set up helps it to stand out among a subgenre plagued by banality.
Starting in the late ’70s and throughout the ’80s, Italy built an enterprise out of shameless rip-offs of hit American movies. While not a blatant mockbuster like Cruel Jaws or Beyond the Door, 1989’s Alien from the Abyss (also known as Alien from the Deep) was inspired by – as you may have guessed from its title – Alien, Aliens, and The Abyss.
After a pair of Greenpeace activists attempt to expose an evil corporation that’s dumping contaminated waste into an active volcano, the environment takes a backseat to survival when an extraterrestrial monster attacks. Character actor Charles Napier (The Silence of the Lambs) co-stars as a callous colonel overseeing the illicit activities.
Director Antonio Margheriti (Yor: The Hunter from the Future, Cannibal Apocalypse) and writer Tito Carpi (Tentacles, Last Cannibal World) take far too long to get to the alien, but once it shows up, it’s non-stop excitement. The creature is largely represented by a Gigeresque pincer claw that reaches into the frame, giving the picture a ’50s creature feature charm, but nothing can prepare you for its full reveal in the finale.
Set against the backdrop of displaced Syrian and Palestinian refugees, What Is Buried Must Remain is a timely found footage hybrid from Lebanon. It centers on a trio of young filmmakers as they make a documentary in a decrepit mansion alleged to be haunted on the outskirts of a refugee camp. Inside, they find the spirits of those who died there, both benevolent and malicious.
It plays like Blair Witch meets The Shining through a cultural lens not often seen in the genre. The first half is presented as found footage (with above-average cinematography) before abruptly weaving in more traditional film coverage. While the tropes are familiar, the film possesses a unique ethos by addressing the Middle East’s plights of the past and the present alike.
Cathy’s Curse is, to borrow a phrase from its titular creepy kid, an “extra rare piece of shit.” The Exorcist, The Omen, and Carrie spawned countless low-budget knock-offs, but none are as uniquely inept as this 1977 Canuxploitation outing. Falling squarely in the so-bad-it’s-good camp, it’s far more entertaining than The Exorcist: Believer.
To try to make sense of the plot would be futile, but in a nutshell, a young girl named Candy (Randi Allen, in her only acting role) becomes possessed by the vengeful, foul-mouthed spirit of her aunt, destroying the lives of anyone who crosses her path. What ensues is a madcap mélange of possession, telekinesis, teleportation, animal attacks, abandoned plot points, and unhinged filmmaking that must be seen to be believed.
Visit the SCREAMBOX Hidden Gems archives for more recommendations.
Start screaming now with SCREAMBOX on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, and SCREAMBOX.com!
Looking for New Episodes of “Chucky” on Peacock? Here’s What Changed
‘Mountain Man’ – Joe Manganiello Will Battle Zombies in Upcoming Horror Movie
‘The Blair Witch Project’ – Original Stars Release a Statement Asking Lionsgate for Residuals & Recognition
‘Trap’ – Official Trailer Previews a Wild New Horror Experience from M. Night Shyamalan
‘Longlegs’ – New Teaser Video for NEON Horror Movie Is Soaked in Cryptic Eeriness
You must be logged in to post a comment.