Howdy, folks! It’s Sunday, which means it’s time for the horror haul, our weekly round-up and one-stop-shop for all things horror. This week in horror news,Joe Hillis throwing around some seriously intense praise forAndy Muschietti’sIT, calling the film one of the best horror movies ever made on par withThe ThingandJaws. I know, it’s a lot. Elsewhere,Wish UpondirectorJohn R. Leonettisettles the debate over whetherSteven SpielbergorTobe HooperdirectedPoltergeist, Paramount and Bad Robot push the thirdCloverfieldmovie to 2018,The Purge 4lines up a new director with the help of creatorJames DeMonaco, and AMC recruitsFear the Walking DeadshowrunnerDave Ericksonto developDavid Cronenberg’s novelConsumedto series.
For all the horror news we’ve already covered on the site this week – and it wasComic-Conweek so there’s a lot, you can click through the links below. Then, check out other genre highlights from the week and finish it all up with a rundown of the week in horror movie trailers. For more, be sure to hit upCollider Nightmaresor our round-up of thebest horror movies on Netflix. Thanks for tuning in, and sound off in the comments with your thoughts, questions, and other horror musings.
Interviews
Joe Hill Says ‘IT’ Is One of the Five Scariest Movies Ever Made
Though your hype levels forITcouldn’t be any higher? Well holdJoe Hill’s beer, because he just got into the conversation with some seriously strong words of praise forAndy Muschietti’s adaptation of the belovedStephen Kingnovel. In case you’ve somehow missed it over the last decade or so, Hill (King’s son) has become one of the most reliable and exciting voices in horror fiction with books like20th Century Ghosts, Heart Shaped Box,NOS4A2, and the hit comic seriesLocke & Key.
During a recent event, Hill spoke about the upcoming series adaptation ofLocke & Keyover at Hulu and he got to the subject of Muschietti, who recentlytook over directing duties on the pilot after Scott Derricksonhad to step down. Hill revealed that he caught a screening ofITa few weeks earlier, and not only did he like it, he considers it one of the scariest movies ever made; on par with classics likeJawsandThe Thing.
Here’s what he said:
“Andre’s adaptation of IT is one of the five scariest movies ever made. It’s tremendously humane, you love the characters in it, but it is just relentlessly terrifying. Only Jaws, The Exorcist, John Carpenter’s The Thing and Let the Right One In are scarier. It’s that good. It’s that brilliant.”
I mean, holy shit, Joe. Those are some strong words. I’m going to do myself a favor and not walk intoITexpecting a movie as good as the freakingExorcist, but between the early murmurs and Muschietti’s recent confidence he’ll be back for a sequel, it’s safe to say people are pleased with the film. Watch Hill lay down the praise in the video below.
Next ‘Cloverfield’ Movie Bumped to 2018
We’re going to have to a wait a bit longer to get the next installment in theCloverfieldseries. PerVariety, Paramount and Bad Robot have moved the sci-fi picture back a few months from its original October release date to a new spot on July 10, 2025. This is the second delay for the thirdCloverfieldpic, formerly titledGod Particle, which was originally scheduled to arrive in theaters on August 27, 2025.
Per the report, “The story, set in the near future, centers on a team of astronauts on a space station making a terrifying discovery that challenges all they know about the fabric of reality, all while desperately trying to fight for their survival.”
The film starsDavid Oyelowo, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ziyi Zhang, Elizabeth Debicki, Daniel Brühl,andChris O’Dowd.Julius Onah(The Girl Is in Trouble) is directing. The project has been in the works since 2012 and is designed to be the third part in the expanding Twilight Zone-esqueCloverfielduniverse.
John R. Leonetti Says Steven Spielberg Directed ‘Poltergeist’
The debate over who directedPoltergeisthas raged on for decades… well maybe notraged, the truth has always been fairly evident, but all the same, fans have enjoyed debating whether it wasTobe HooperorSteven Spielbergwho should get the credit for directing the 1982 classic. At the time, Spielberg said he opted to hand over the reins and focus on E.T. and in the years since, the cast have been a bit divided about the truth, some saying it was Spielberg, others saying Hooper shouldn’t be under-credited.Zelda Rubensteinlaid it pretty bare a few years back withAICN, saying, “I can tell you that Steven directed all six days I was there. I only worked six days on the film and Steven was there. Tobe set up the shots and Steven made the adjustments.”
But like she said, she was only there for a week. However,Wish UpondirectorJohn R. Leonettiwas there for the whole shoot, working as a cameraman, and in a visit to theShockWavespodcast, he pretty much settled the question for good. Spoiler: It was Spielberg.
“It was a very intense, very fun, very technical movie to work on. There’s a lot going on. And candidly… Steven Spielberg directed that movie. There’s no question. However, Tobe Hooper – I adore. I love that man so much…. Hooper was so nice and just happy to be there. He creatively had input. Steven developed the movie, and it was his to direct, except there was anticipation of a director’s strike, so he was “the producer” but really he directed it in case there was going to be a strike and Tobe was cool with that. It wasn’t anything against Tobe. Every once in a while, he would actually leave the set and let Tobe do a few things just because. But really, Steven directed it.”
So there you have it. Steven Spielberg directedPoltergeist, which you probably already knew in your gut, but now it’s settled.
‘The Purge 4’ Gets a Promising New Director
The fourth entry inThe Purgefranchise is headed in some new directors. PerTHR,Gerard McMurraywill directThe Purge 4, marking the first installment directed by someone other than creatorJames DeMonaco. The director made his feature debut earlier this year with the Sundance hitBurning Sands.
The fourth installment comes from Blumhouse Productions, Platinum Dunes and Universal, and though DeMonaco declined to direct, he remains involved in the project and helped pick McMurray for the gig. DeMonaco is also writing the script. Plot suggestions are being kept under wraps, but there have been reports the film may be subtitled The Island.
The producing team is full of franchise regulars: Blumhouse’sJason Blum, Platinum Dunes’Michael Bay,Brad FullerandAndrew Form, and DeMonaco’s longtime collaboratorSebastien K. Lemercierwill produce.
“I have not seen a film as confidently directed in a long time asBurning Sands, and I’m excited to see Gerard’s own expression of thePurgeworld,” said DeMonaco.
The Purge 4is scheduled to arrive in theaters on August 20, 2025.
Deadline reports thatDavid Cronenberg’s novelConsumedis being developed for a serialized drama at AMC.Fear the Walking DeadshowrunnerDave Erickson, who will depart the zombie series at the end of the 3rd season, is teaming withLuciferEPSheri Elwoodto adapt the novel as an hour-long drama series. Erickson and Elwood will co-write the script and showrun together. The project falls under the multi-year overall deal Erickson recently signed at AMC, which sees him leaving behindFTWDto develop new series..
Check out the rather lengthy synopsis below, via Amazon:
The exhilarating debut novel by iconic filmmaker David Cronenberg: the story of two journalists whose entanglement in a French philosopher’s death becomes a surreal journey into global conspiracy.
Stylish and camera-obsessed, Naomi and Nathan thrive on the yellow journalism of the social-media age. They are lovers and competitors—nomadic freelancers in pursuit of sensation and depravity, encountering each other only in airport hotels and browser windows.
Naomi finds herself drawn to the headlines surrounding Célestine and Aristide Arosteguy, Marxist philosophers and sexual libertines. Célestine has been found dead and mutilated in her Paris apartment. Aristide has disappeared. Police suspect him of killing her and consuming parts of her body. With the help of an eccentric graduate student named Hervé Blomqvist, Naomi sets off in pursuit of Aristide. As she delves deeper into Célestine and Aristide’s lives, disturbing details emerge about their sex life—which included trysts with Hervé and others. Can Naomi trust Hervé to help her?
Nathan, meanwhile, is in Budapest photographing the controversial work of an unlicensed surgeon named Zoltán Molnár, once sought by Interpol for organ trafficking. After sleeping with one of Molnár’s patients, Nathan contracts a rare STD called Roiphe’s. Nathan then travels to Toronto, determined to meet the man who discovered the syndrome. Dr. Barry Roiphe, Nathan learns, now studies his own adult daughter, whose bizarre behavior masks a devastating secret.
These parallel narratives become entwined in a gripping, dreamlike plot that involves geopolitics, 3-D printing, North Korea, the Cannes Film Festival, cancer, and, in an incredible number of varieties, sex.
Consumedis an exuberant, provocative debut novel from one of the world’s leading film directors.
