Nato – The Conjuring (July 19th, 2013, New Line Cinema)
Director: James Wan
It’s not often a director can win me over indefinitely and get me excited at the mere mention of his name, but James Wan successfully did that with Insidious, bumping his next film The Conjuring immediately up to the top of my most anticipated 2013 horror movies list.
Sure, he isn’t collaborating with writer Leigh Whannell as he usually does, instead with brothers Carey and Chad Hayes, but Wan’s unique visionary work on Insidious showed so much promise, my excitement solely stems from his inclusion. Yeah yeah, OK, Dead Silence was absolute garbage, but I’ll let one bomb go as a mulligan, and am hoping The Conjuring will cement Wan as a horror icon of our generation – I mean just look at Saw.
As a note, I’m aware Insidious Chapter 2 is slated for release the same summer, specifically on August 30th, 2013, but personally I’m more excited to see what Wan can do with different writers and a fresh topic. I’m still looking forward to more body-jumping horror and evil Darth Maul/Freddy Krueger hybrid demons, but The Conjuring just has me a tad more amped.
Remy – Horns (TBD, Mandalay Pictures)
Director: Alexandre Aja
There are three reasons why this movie is bound to be awesome.
One, it is based on the AMAZING horror story written by Stephen King’s son, Joe Hill. If you have not read any of his work, go read Heart Shaped Box right now, and be prepared to be terrified. Second, it is being directed by the brilliant Alexandre Aja, who’s hit ratio for horror films he has directed is in the high 90s (High Tension and The Hills Have Eyes, anyone?) and lastly, Daniel Radcliffe is in it. Sorry, but I got mad love for Harry Potter, and am stoked this kid is all about horror now.
Horns, by the way, is about a dude who starts growing devil horns. While there is SO much more to the story than that simple premise, that is all I will tell you out of fear of ruining your own viewing experience.
With Aja’s recent Maniac remake, it is clear to see the man is not slowing down, and I am stoked to see what he has done with the stellar source material here. Speaking of stoked….