Horror Takes the 1 & 2 Spots at the Box Office

I thought, for sure, that "Saw 3D" was going to disappoint. With "Paranormal Activity 2" storming into the theaters last week, I was positive that it would win the week again and the entire "Saw" franchise would go out with a pathetic wimper... well, it didn't. It didn't put up Paranormal 2 numbers, but it did yank in around $22.5Million and win the weekend. "Paranormal Activity 2" dropped almost 60%, to $16.5Million and "Red" was third. "Jackass 3D" held fairly strong at almost $8.5Million and came in 4th. Sure, it's Halloween and everyone's looking to check out scary films, but it's great to see horror take the number one and two spots. Funny that they're both sequels, though. I guess that doesn't bode well for us aspiring screenwriters, huh? Once again, the only successful horror films are sequels, franchises and stories with built in audiences. Sweet. Anyhow, let's take a closer look at "Saw 3D".

There are definitely a few things to note about this release. It is, supposedly, the last installment in the series, it's in 3D and the marketing of the film didn't even mention the story or plot of the rest of the "Saw" franchise. Did you notice that? Basically, it just showed the "Saw" logo, mentioned that it was the "final chapter" and then promoted the crap out of the fact that it's in 3D. Generally speaking, one could assume that that means that they weren't looking to attract a new audience... they just wanted people who've seen the other "Saw" films. Juxtapose that with "Paranormal Activity 2", where they mentioned the previous film and discussed the plot. Truth be told, "Paranormal 2" had the leg up going into this little battle. They were the surprise hit of last year and everyone and their dog knew about the film and, on the other side, "Saw" was on its 6th film last year and that film sucked ass... tough mountain for "Saw" to climb going in to this year, but it did overcome. It won the weekend and did it respectfully. Way to save the franchise, 3D technology.

So, horror's one and two this week. Great. However, we all know that horror's domination won't last for long. There are three films set for wide release on Friday, none of which will interest the horror hounds. You have "Due Date", "For Colored Girls" and "Megamind". Really, the next film that may be of interest comes out on November 12th, which is the alien invasion film, "Skyline". Even though it may be of interest to genre fans, it may get slaughtered at the box office... I don't know, we'll have to wait and see. I hope it doesn't because I've been calling for a resurgence in alien films for a while... and I'm currently starting up on a sci-fi related script. "Skyline" is a huge underdog, but I'll be rooting for it.

So, no surprise, tomorrow brings a thin week for horror on DVD, but there are some good looking indie's coming out. So, stay tuned...

Horror Kicks Ass at the Box Office

Honestly, I didn't see that coming. In fact, I don't think anyone did. "Paranormal Activity 2" delivered. Not only did it deliver, it won the weekend with ease. Further, it drew North of $40Million, which makes it the highest-grossing opening for a supernatural horror film... ever. "Hereafter" was the only other film to open this weekend and it didn't do quite as well. With all due respect to Clint Eastwood, Paranormal 2 will probably flicker out fairly quick and "Hereafter" will stick around for a while. Sure, they're both supernatural films, but they're completely different audiences. Parents are going to "Hereafter", their kids are going to "Paranormal 2". In any case, let's take a closer look at Paranormal 2...

When it was announced, I thought we were going to have another Blair Witch 2 on our hands, I really did. Now, why didn't we? I think there's a couple of things to look at, the first being the most obvious - "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2" sucked. No question, it was just bad. Having said that, that doesn't necessarily mean it should open as poorly as it did. As we all know, bad movies can open well. What I think is the most intriguing thing is that "Blair Witch" abandoned it's 'found footage' look when it came to the sequel. They put a decent budget behind it, around $15Million, and went out and made a traditional film, based on the original. Juxtapose that with "Paranormal Activity 2", where they kept with the 'found footage' style, as the sequel revolves around a family that sets up security cameras because they think they're experiencing a bunch of break-ins, and they kept the budget low. Paranormal 2 only cost $3Million to make. Morale of the story? Even though you can do more, sometimes you should just stick with what works... or, in this case, what worked. The good news for us indie filmmakers is, this is a style that's now worked for various films and it's a look that you can easily emulate on a meagre budget. As long as 'found footage' films and horror mock-docs sell, micro-cinema filmmakers have something to hang their hat on.

Now, next week brings the opposite side of the spectrum, when "Saw 3D" comes out. The original "Saw" was a small film, but its now spawned a mind-blowing 7 installments. The last few have been a bit lack-lustre, but they're hoping to reboot the franchise with an all-out 3D version. Also interesting to note that Cary Elwes is back... I'm not sure in what capacity, though.

I'll look forward to seeing how it does. Until then, enjoy Halloween week! Always a good week for horror fans...

Just Out - Paranormal Activity 2 Trailer, Plus Some Festival Updates

Let's just start this post off with the hottest trailer that's been uploaded in the last 24 hours... the trailer for "Paranormal Activity 2". Be among the first to check it out...



I have no idea of what direction they're going with the actual film, but I really like the way they've kept with the 'found footage' theme for the trailer by incorporating what looks to be surveilance camera footage. I was ready to get all negative, but I do like what they did... having said that, let's see how the movie turns out.

Anyhow, to the point of today's post, what's getting embarassing is how poorly I've maintained the film festival section of the site. I'm always preaching about how important the festivals are, yet I don't update that portion of the site. Ironic, maybe. Embarassing, definitely. So, each week, for a while, I'm going to pick a festival, talk a bit about it, then update their listing in the festivals section. Today, I'll do two, Shriekfest and Fright Night Film Fest.

It's the final call for entries for the 10th Annual Shriekfest Film Festival, which is being held in L.A. from September 30th - October 3rd. Shriekfest will accept shorts, features, screenplays and more, just head over to their site to read all about it. The main goal of Shriekfest is to help support indie film, indie filmmakers and screenwriters in the horror/thriller/scifi/fantasy genres and, for that, we salute them.

This is the 6th Annual Fright Night Film Fest, which takes place in Louisville, KY. They're doing some big things and have some great guests, including: Roger Corman, Tyler Mane, a Fright Night reunion, a Dawn of the Dead reunion, Night of the Creeps... unfortunately, the deadline for film submissions has passed, but they doesn't mean you can't attend. Also, we're going to be doing an interview with Ken Daniels, the director of the fest, soon. So, look out for that.