The classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood gets a reworking for the new supernatural romance Red Riding Hood, in theatres on March 11. As part of the SXSW Film Festival Special Events, a screening of Red Riding Hood will premiere at midnight on the 10th, with director Catherine Hardwicke in attendance. Will this be a fantasy love story gone right, or a sad attempt to capture the successful Twilight film recipe?
Given the success and fanatical following of young adult supernatural romance Twilight, Red Riding Hood looks to be box office gold. In the same vein as Twilight, young love in a fantasy world (and some cross-species dating), the gothic re-telling of the popular fairytale looks to be a smart move for Warner Bros. Studios. And how can it go awry with director Catherine Hardwicke at the helm (in case you didn’t know, she directed…that’s right….Twilight).
Amanda Seyfried plays main character Valerie, a young red-cape-wearing innocent living in a medieval village terrorized by a werewolf. Valerie braves the displeasure of her family and falls in love with an orphaned woodcutter, who may or may not be a werewolf. Sound familiar? Not quite the traditional fairytale, in which Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother are swallowed whole by the wolf and a huntsman rescues them by cutting open the wolf’s gullet.
Seyfried brings plenty of teeny-bopper popularity to the film, as she is ‘riding’ high on recent film successes like horror/comedy Jennifer’s Body, and sappy romance Dear John. There’s no question she’s hot in Hollywood right now. Adding acting punch to the film are Gary Oldman, Virginia Madsen and Lukas Haas.
Looks to be visually stunning, with Valerie’s eye-catching red cape and hood set against grey and stark backgrounds. With plenty of atmosphere, and the classic love story with supernatural element twist, this movie looks to be worth a watch. Especially if you’re a 13-year-old girl who owns at least one “Team Jacob” t-shirt.
