First up, we have our very first official teaser trailer for André Øvredal's SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK. Okay, a few things, first of all, I am ridiculously stoked for this movie. I'm already obsessed with Guillermo del Toro (as any proper horror fan should be) and will watch anything with his name attached to it, but the fact that he's teaming up with the director of TROLLHUNTER and THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE to bring us an adaptation of one of my very favorite YA series is pretty damn exciting. Even if the film might be aimed towards younger audiences, I am still very excited to catch this one in theaters.
However, I have to say that the trailer has made me a little…scared? I didn't think horror movies scared me anymore — every now and then a jump scare gets me, or I feel tense, but outright actual terror is something a jaded genre fan like myself rarely feels anymore — but this movie contains the one thing that really gets under my skin: spiders. Or, at least, the hint of a spider. That shot of the girl looking in the mirror as a tiny…something…pokes its way out of her cheek is one of the most horrifying images I've seen in a long time. I read the original novels, but I'm guessing my brain naturally blocked that segment out because it knew I wouldn't be able to sleep at night with the thought of a spider crawling around in my face rolling around in my subconscious. I mean, I had nightmares for a week after watching THE BEYOND for the very first time.
Needless to say, I'm still going to see SCARY STORIES, but oh man, I just know that scene is going to unnerve me. Maybe I could follow it up with DORA AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD. That looks super cutesy and family friendly and not at all like it's going to force me to install a nightlight or fumigate my apartment with the strongest pesiticides known to man. Plus, it has Danny Trejo voicing an animated monkey named "Boots". I mean, who could turn that wild little tidbit down.
There's also a brand new trailer for James Gunn's upcoming BRIGHTBURN, a superhero movie flipped on its head and turned into a horror story about a little boy blessed with powers who chooses to use his newfound gift for evil — a.k.a. the plot of Joe Hill's "The Cape". Yes, I will voice my opinion about this till the end of time.
There's also a trailer for the upcoming flick THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN, a historical retelling of how Webster's dictionary was written starring Sean Penn and Mel Gibson. Whatever your take on the two leads happens to be, there's no denying pairing up these two powerhouse performers might actually lead to an interesting story. It just depends on whether or not you choose to separate art from life.
There's also new peeks at upcoming films like THE CONVENT, THE TOMORROW MAN, EL CHICANO, THE SILENCE, and more!
Next up, we have TV trailers! This week brings us new snippets showing CHERNOBYL, EUPHORIA, KILLING EVE Season 2, CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA Part 2, THE PROTECTOR Season 2, QUICKSAND, MARVEL'S RUNAWAYS Season 3, YOU VS. WILD, SPECIAL, NEON GENESIS EVANGELION and PENNYWORTH.
Obviously, the best trailer of the week award goes to SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK, the first official look at Øvredal's adaptation of Alvin Schwartz's infamous bone chilling reading material. Told in what will seemingly be an anthology format, it will be interesting to see how a group of teens face their fears in order to save their lives as seen through the eyes of the man who delivered one of the most tension-fueled flicks of the past decade. I still remember seeing JANE DOE at Fantastic Fest back in 2016 and watching gleefully as everyone around me squirmed in their seats. The girl next to me kept covering her eyes and nearly gagging in repulsion to some of the movie's more graphic scenes. Based on this memory alone, I'd say August 9th, 2019 can't come soon enough.