HORROR TEN SPOT: My Most Anticipated Summer Genre Movies (Part 1)

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

So we’re right on the precipice of the 2011 summer blockbuster season, and it’s no secret most of the major tent-pole outings this year, like most, revolve around mega-franchises, comic book adaptations, videogame films and monumental sequels. However, if those films aren’t exactly your brand of booze, but you still want to see epic-in-scale, larger-than-life entertainment…what’s a mofo to do? How about all us hardened genre heads, can CARS 2 and THE HANGOVER PART 2 really sate our ever-growing bloodlust? I think not. That’s why I’ve taken it upon myself to preview, and even rank in order of priority, my most anticipated summer genre films of the year. Trolls, apes, sharks, vampires, aliens, mysterious monsters…here’s my must-see list of summer genre films 2011!

MINOR SPOILERS BELOW!

#10. THE TROLL HUNTER (André Øvredal) 

Despite my man Eric expressing tepid feelings, there’s still something about André Øvredal’s genre-tinged Norwegian mockumentary THE TROLL HUNTER that piques my interest. Now, I’ve never really been a troll guy, but when done right, I love the pseudo-doc format made popular in the 90s with THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. For those in the know not, TROLL HUNTER follows a coterie of students in Norway that vet and suss a series of mysterious bear slayings, only to find out something much more otherworldly is responsible. Namely, TROLLS. What draws me in most from the footage I’ve seen so far is the solemn tone and austerity with which the subject matter is treated. This isn’t a campy, schmaltzy, over-the-top kind of film…it’s cinema verite approach seems like a refreshing counterbalance to your typical summer slate. THE TROLL HUNTER opens June 10th.

#9. RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (Rupert Wyatt) 

Asinine title aside, what’s not to dig about Andy Serkis in a high-tech ape getup? Determined not to let Tim Burton’s 2001 debacle dissuade me, one of the major reasons I’m down to check out Rupert Wyatt’s RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES is the fact it’s set in San Francisco. Petty I know, but it’s my home city, and I never tire of seeing those rolling hills, trolley cars and monumental bridges onscreen. I love that shite! As for the story itself, it’s an origin tale about genetic engineering and the dire consequences that lead to full-scale simian uprising. My one real hope is that Freida Pinto and Isabel Lucas remain in their luminescent human form, it’d be a shame if they’re morphed into a 3-foot hirsute shit-slinger. Brian Cox and John Lithgow on the other hand, I’d love to see those two badasses match villainous wits and bring little Jamey Franco to his knees. RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES opens August 19th.

#8. APOLLO 18 (Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego) 

While I am a fan of the mockumentary format, I’m a bit more cynical when it comes to these found footage movies. I don’t know, they often just feel too contrived to get into. However, there’s something about Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego’s APOLLO 18 that fascinates me. If you’re unfamiliar, the film is purported to be about a real NASA mission to space that was eventually canceled in the 70s. Dimension head Bob Weinstein has claimed that “we didn’t shoot anything. We found it. Found baby!” While I hardly buy that, I am down to see what the Spanish born Gallego has to offer. If you’ve seen the trailer for the film, you know it has a grainy, low-fi look that, when contrasted with the high-tech gadgetry of NASA itself, creates a cool otherworldly vibe we don’t often associate with outer-space pictures. I don’t know, it looks trippy, sensational, and the mystery revolving around the whole thing has me invested.

#7. FINAL DESTINATION 5 (Steven Quale) 

Ever the guilty pleasure, the newly minted trailer for Steven Quale’s FINAL DESTINATION 5 actually looks pretty decent. Sure these movies are dopey beyond belief, fraught with stilted acting and stultifying dialogue, but if wildly inventive fatalities are your thing, the FINAL DESTINATION series is one to behold. This time out, good ol’ death gets its vengeance when a slew of youngsters survive the collapse of a suspension bridge. I know these films are little more than goofy time-passers, but I quite enjoy posting up in bed late-night and watching how absurdly profligate the set pieces continue to be. Let’s be honest, a large part of the appeal of horror films isn’t necessarily to be frightened, but to watch the misfortune of others. And in the age of reality TV, we long to see, in a sadly detached and voyeuristic way, people suffer. FINAL DESTINATION offers that en masse. See the fifth installment of the franchise August 12th.

#6. SHARK NIGHT 3D (David R. Ellis)

The dude brought us SNAKES ON A PLANE, FINAL DESTINATION 2 and the inferior CELLULAR, now David R. Ellis’ is back in action with unabashedly derivative SHARK NIGHT 3D. As if JAWS 3-D wasn’t a cautionary tale, I can only hope Ellis goes the Alexandre Aja (PIRANHA 3D) route and revels and rolls around in the camp and kitsch. Just crank her to volume ten! If you missed the gist, a band of seven vacationers retreats to the Louisiana Gulf for a little R&R. There, they become predictably attacked by a school of fresh water sharks. Not much else you need to know, save for the fact Sara Paxton looks fine as hell in an underwater cage. Sure to be silly fun, I always love some B-level aqua-terror, and with Ellis’ checkered resume, I can’t help but have a morbid curiosity as to how this will turn out. SHARK NIGHT 3D opens September 2nd (hey, it’s before the solstice, get off me!)

CHECK OUT THE ARROW’S TAKE ON THE 2011 GENRE SUMMER SEASON HERE!

STAY TUNED FOR PART 2!

Source: Arrow in the Head

About the Author

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Jake Dee is one of JoBlo’s most valued script writers, having written extensive, deep dives as a writer on WTF Happened to this Movie and it’s spin-off, WTF Really Happened to This Movie. In addition to video scripts, Jake has written news articles, movie reviews, book reviews, script reviews, set visits, Top 10 Lists (The Horror Ten Spot), Feature Articles The Test of Time and The Black Sheep, and more.