Let’s face it, by the fourth entry in a horror franchise, things are usually getting a bit ropey. Jaws: The Revenge featured a psychic shark out for revenge, Leprechaun went to space and even the Alien series tripped over itself with the rubbish Alien: Resurrection. So, it’s probably not a good sign that Universal Pictures has decided to boot Insidious: Chapter 4 from its plum Halloween 2017 slot to January 5th, 2018, which seems like a release date for films the studio have decided they’re going to try their best to ignore.
Ordinarily, creator Jason Blum (and his production company Blumhouse), would have every right to be down in the dumps about this. But it’s unlikely that there’ll be too many frowns at the office today, as the slot has been given to another of their films:Â Half to Death.
Billed as a dark horror comedy, Half to Death has the intriguing premise of a college student trying to solve her own murder. Apparently, she’s set to repeat the same day over and over again until she figures out who’s trying to kill her and why. So, basically Groundhog Day but with a maniac on the loose?
Personally, I think this is a smart move by Universal. The Insidious franchise might have worn out its welcome, with the last instalment widely considered a step down in quality from the first two. Plus, giving a fresh IP with a good creative pedigree an opportunity to make an impact and spawn its own franchise has got to be tempting. Who knows, maybe we’ll be sitting here in 7 years rolling our eyes as they announce Half to Death 4: Quartered to Death?
