Friday The 13th: Ashtray Dirt

Apologies for being quiet for a little while but here’s the latest round-up of stories that have been floating around the past 6 weeks…

To start, the first trailer for Gareth Edwards 2014 Godzilla has landed. A moody piece, its predominantly visual with little plot details given away (even though we’re all pretty sure we know what the story will be right?) but looks like it’ll wipe the floor clean of Roland Emmerich-related memories. The film has a UK release date of May 16th next year…

Insidious: Chapter 3 hasn’t started shooting yet but has had a release date announced of April 5th 2015. Leigh Whannell is reportedly on screenplay duties again, however it’s unclear as to whether or not anyone else involved with the first two films will be joining him or where the story will go…

Death Waltz Recording Co. will release the soundtrack to Slumber Party Massacre next year, with cover art by Luke Insect and sleeve notes from director Amy Jones…

A trailer has dropped for The Strange Colour Of Your Body’s Tears, the new feature from Amer director/writer duo Helene Cattet and Bruno Forzani. The film, which has been a festival darling, has no theatrical or home entertainment release date as of yet but that should change soon…

Eureka Entertainment have announced a few of their 2014 home format releases; Computer Chess (Jan 20th), Kiss of the Damned (Jan 27th), Wings (27th Jan), Roma (17th Feb), John Dies At The End (17th Feb) and Serpico (24th Feb)…

One Way Static Records latest release, the soundtrack to The Hills Have Eyes, is now up for pre-order from their website…

The new trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has dropped, with a hidden easter egg for the viral website Electro Arrives and a countdown to something. Sony have also announced today that two spin-off films focusing on Spidey’s foes Venom and The Sinister Six will be made, but no word of initial release dates yet…

Happy 10th Ashtray Dirt

A bit of a busy week this week thanks to a certain convention, but here we go! Cast additions have been announced for Adam Wingard’s new project The Guest which is currently in pre-production. Names attached include Maika Monroe (The Bling Ring, Bad Blood), Brendan Meyer and Alex Knight who will star alongside Downtown Abbey‘s Dan Stevens…

Ti West’s latest offering The Sacrament will have its world premiere at this years Venice Film Festival…

A new poster and short clip have dropped for James Wan’s Insidious Chapter 2. The very short, and sweet, footage (which you can watch over at IGN) looks like the film will continue to keep the creepy and jumpworthy tone of the original which is promising…

Dario Argento is apparently preparing an operatic version of Guiseppe Verdi’s Macbeth for the stage. Opening night is currently set at October 4th at the Teatro Coccia in Northern Italy with plans for the opera to be toured at other Italian theaters…

Arrow have announced they are releasing Larry Stewart’s The Initiation on August 5th…

Big news to come out of this years San Diego Comic Con was the confirmation by Zack Snyder that the sequel to the latest Superman film Man Of Steel would indeed see Superman face off against Batman, in a move that feels very reminiscent of Frank Miller’s cult classic graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns (an influence according to Snyder). Christopher Nolan will return as an executive producer alongside Henry Cavill as Superman, whilst Christian Bale has shot down any rumours of him appearing as Bruce Wayne (go here to watch the video of the panel crowd going nuts at the announcement). The film has a current release date of 2015…

Synapse Films have announced they are restoring the original negatives of 1980 slasher Prom Night for a HD release…

Director Robin Hardy has announced that he has found the missing The Wicker Man footage he had been searching for and a UK Blu-ray and theatrical release of a ‘final cut’ version of the film will happen this September (theatrical) and October (Blu-ray). Hardy announced that “StudioCanal contacted me last year in their search for the original materials that have been missing. I’m very pleased to announce that StudioCanal have been able to find an actual print of The Wicker Man, which is based on my original cut working with Abraxas, the American distributors, all those years ago. They plan, and this is the exciting bit, to actually release it. This version has never been restored before, has never been shown in UK theatres before, has never been converted to Blu-ray before. This version will – optimistically – be known as the Final Cut.”…

Fans were lucky to grab a peek at a teaser trailer for Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla remake at SDCC this week. Word is it looks amazing and Edwards and his team have done a great job so far but no footage has surfaced as of yet (or it has but has been taken down from YouTube). Shooting wrapped this week on the film which is released next year…

Scream Factory announced their latest release plans at SDCC, with the biggest coup being Nightbreed: The Cabal Cut for 2014. Other releases include John Carpenter’s Assault On Precinct 13 for November this year, Saturn 3 and Darkman for December this year and the 1982 version of Cat People for 2014…

Horror festival FrightFest have announced their short film programme for this August’s Bank Holiday weekend. The nine films, all worldwide premieres, will play at certain times ahead of certain films, details of which can be found on the website…

Joss Whedon confirmed at SDCC that the sequel to The Avengers would be called Avengers: Age of Ultron. Whedon also dropped the news that the characters Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch will also appear. The film will start shooting in London in March…

Lastly, New Zealand has banned the 2012 remake of Maniac, which stars Elijah Wood, from theatrical and home format release. The Kiwi response is that the first person POV style in which the film is shot makes it too graphic. Under the ruling, this restricts viewings of the film to festivals only….

Ashtray Dirt 9

Another week, another festival. This time it’s Fantastic Fest and the announcement that this years opening film will be Robert Rodriguez’ Machete Kills.

Leigh Whannell’s new horror effort Cooties is gaining a cast quick and fast. Co-written by and starring Whanell (Saw, Insidious), names attached to the project this week include Alison Pill (Scott Pilgrim VS The World, Milk), Rainn Wilson (The Office, Super), Jack McBrayer (30 Rock) and Elijah Wood who is also serving as producer. “The film begins when a mysterious virus hits an isolated elementary school, transforming the pre-adolescent children into a feral swarm of mindless savages. An unlikely hero must lead a motley band of teachers in the fight of their lives against the monstrous pupils.” Cooties is currently scheduled for an October 2014 release…

A small piece of concept art for Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla remake has dropped this week. Edwards has hinted that a big announcement will be happening at this week’s San Diego Comic Con, where a part-ride-part-museum tribute to Godzilla called Godzilla Encounter is being held…

It’s yet to be released in the UK, but rumours are that New Line have initiated a sequel to The Conjuring…

Another Day Of The Dead reboot is in the works, with Lati Grobman and Christa Campbell, two of the producers behind the recent Texas Chainsaw 3D, securing the rights…

Universal‘s Halloween Horror Nights have announced the 2013 remake of Evil Dead as the headling maze for this years event at both the LA and Orlando theme parks…

Ashtray Dirt the 7th

First up, today see’s the release of Ben Wheatley’s A Field In England. Available to buy on DVD and Blu-ray and in cinemas, the film will also play tonight on Film4 at 10.45pm…

Arrow have announced their latest Blu-ray releases for this month, The Car and Runaway Train…

The line up for this years Film4 FrightFest has been announced. Films playing include You’re Next, Curse of Chucky, V/H/S/2, Rewind This!, The Borderlands and We Are What We Are. The full line up and links to buy tickets can be found over at the official website…

You’re Next writer Simon Barrett and director Adam Wingard have announced they are prepping their next project, The Guest. Downtown Abbey star Dan Stevens has reportedly been cast in the lead role. The Guest follows an ex-marine who is taken in by another fallen comrade’s family until he becomes unwelcome in the new home. Shooting begins this summer…

For anyone concerned that Gareth Edwards would follow Roland Emmerich’s suit and not have his Godzilla breathe fire, these latest on-set pictures would hint otherwise…

Universal Halloween Horror Nights have announced their first scare house for this year’s Orlando events – Cabin In The Woods…

Enter The Dragon star Jim Kelly has sadly passed away after battling cancer. A skilled martial artist, Kelly went on to star in Black Belt Jones, Three The Hard Way and Black Samurai, but is best known for playing ‘Williams’ opposite Bruce Lee. Kelly was 67…

The latest trailer for James Wan’s The Conjuring has been released and features the real-life Perron family whose experiences inspired the film. Effectively creepy, it’s certainly a new way to market films ‘based on a true story’. The Conjuring is released August 2nd…

Ashtray Dirt The Fifth

First up this week comes some exciting news from the Film4 FrightFest camp. The poster for this years festival was unveiled this week with artwork by legendary artist Graham Humphreys, as were this years opening and closing films. Kicking off the festival will be The Dead 2: India (directed by Howard and Jon Ford) and closing the weekend festivities will be Israeli revenge thriller Big Bad Wolves (directed by Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado, the team behind 2011 FrightFest favourite Rabies). The festivals full line up will be released on 28th June…

Cineploit have announced their two latest Exploit releases for July. Exploit 03 is Thelema‘s ‘Ephemerol’, a tribute to David Cronenberg’s Scanners, and Exploit 04 will be Zoltan’s tribute to British cult film Psychomania…

A new TV spot for the latest James Wan (Saw, Insidious) release The Conjuring has arrived. The film, based on real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, promises a scary jump or two…

The Toronto International Film Festival have announced their plans for a multi-platform project based on the works of director David Cronenberg. ‘The Cronenberg Project’ will see a collection of some of the most iconic props on display from across the celebrated director’s filmography in a dedicated exhibition entitled David Cronenberg: Evolution. The Museum of Canadian Contemporary Art will also house an exhibition entitled David Cronenberg: Transformation. Whilst opening in Toronto, the exhibition should become the first TIFF curated piece to tour internationally, with dates apparently to be revealed at the end of the year…

The first poster for Insidious Chapter 2 has dropped, never before have baby walkers evoked such scares…

The latest vinyl release from cult soundtrack label Death Waltz Recording Co. is on sale now. The terrific score by Rob for the 2012 remake of Maniac is currently available on 3 vinyl editions…

First on-site pictures of actors Bryan Cranston and Aaron Taylor-Johnson have emerged from the set of Gareth Edwards (Monsters) Godzilla remake. Rumours are circulating that the film will bring more than just the giant famed lizard in terms of creatures with the latest press release from Legendary Pictures stating; ‘Featuring spectacular creatures, thrilling action, epic battles and a legendary monster, Godzilla provides the backbone for a monstrous merchandise offering for fans of all ages and enables compelling cross-category opportunities across mass and specialty’. Production on the movie has now moved to Hawaii and is slated for a May 2014 release…

Ashtray Dirt Vol 2

We’re kicking off this week’s news round-up with the latest piece of Carrie promo to be released, this pretty nifty motion poster. Whilst the tagline feels a little tacky (it’s more than a little overused now don’t you think?), the poster does give some nice glimpses into the remake’s take on the iconic prom scene. With Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore in the leads, we’ll have to wait until November to see just what director Kimberly Pierce has done with her take on the 1970s classic…

From one remake to another, as on set photographs of Gareth Edwards’ (Monsters) Godzilla remake spilt onto the net this week. Whilst not teasing a lot, we do get to see some destruction in what looks like a small fishing town and the possible evacuation of  children from their school. Rumours are circulating that the feature will show Godzilla’s roots in Japan before moving to the West although very little is coming out of the set at the moment…

Cult soundtrack label Death Waltz Recording Co. unleashed their new revamped website this week and announced their latest release, the soundtrack to 2012 remake Maniac, which will go on sale at some point in June…

Filipino director, writer and producer Eddie Romero passed away this week aged 87. A passionate campaigner for the arts and culture of the Philipines, Romero was named the National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts in 2003 and was very active with the country’s National Comission for the Culture and Arts. Romero’s career spanned over 60 years and included both Filipino (Agila, Manila, Open City and Kamakalawa) and American movies (Savage Sisters, The Passionate Strangers and Black Mama, White Mama)…

On set photographs have also found their way onto the web of an overgrown San Francisco, the setting for next year’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In), the film takes place 15 years after its predecessor Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and see’s the growing nation of genetically evolved apes threatened by a small band of human survivors…