October has arrived, and with it, a slew of Halloween film
releases to (maybe) look forward to. This year there are few actual horror
films, but there is a refreshing amount of family and kids films. In fact
looking at the upcoming releases, I may opt not to see any adult movies, but instead
stick to the kids movies. Halloween is always a fun time to go to the cinema
though, and so here is a list of all of the upcoming releases for Halloween
this year.
ParaNorman is
directed by Chris Butler- who worked previously on Coraline and The Corpse Bride
but for whom this marks a directorial debut. Amongst its many stars are actors
such as John Goodman, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Leslie Mann and Jeff Garlin
with Kodi Smit-McPhee (who starred in the 2010 US remake Let Me In) in the title role of Norman. ParaNorman is a 3D stop motion animated film and centres on Norman,
a young boy who, after his claims of speaking to the dead are disregarded by
his family and most others, must take on ghosts and zombies, with the help of a
small group of humans, in order to protect his town from a curse.
It is the first Halloween film I have seen this year, and is
thoroughly charming and visually captivating- I would recommend it to both
families and adults as one to watch before it leaves cinemas.
Like last year’s The
Cabin In The Woods, which starred Chris Hemsworth, House At The End Of Street is a small horror film which strangely
features a Hollywood star. Unlike that film, however, House At The End Of Street seems dull, unoriginal, and lacking. It seems
like an odd turn for Jennifer Lawrence who, after the 2010 Sundance hit Winter’s Bone and now the Hunger Games trilogy, could probably
have her choice of any role. The film also stars Elizabeth Shue as Sarah who
moves into a new house with daughter Elissa (Lawrence). When odd things begin
happening, the two discover that the house next door was once inhabited by a
family, until the daughter killed her parents, fleeing, so that Ryan (Max
Thieriot), the son is the lone survivor. When Elissa befriends Ryan, more
events begin to transpire.
House At The End Of
The Street is a horror/thriller
film, and while it has received mostly poor review from critics since its
release, it may make for adequate Halloween watching.
Somewhere in the world there is a Resident Evil factory
(probably in the same industrial complex as those for the Final Destination, Paranormal Activity and Saw movies) that keeps cranking out film after uninspired film. The
Resident Evil films seem to happen
out of habit now, rather than any real artistic drive or audience demand. Directed
by Paul WS. Anderson, the film stars Milla Jovovich as Alice, who must continue
her fight against The Umbrella Corporation and zombie attacks, although this
time Alice is hindered by some suburban antics, as well as the usual.
Zombies... infection... action... badassery... one liners,
you know the drill. This film is perhaps an entertaining couple of hours, and
appropriate Halloween watching, but not much else.
While I may be wary about some of the voice casting for this
film (yes I’m referring to you, Adam Sandler) it is challenged by my intrigue
of director Genndy Tartakovsy’s move into animated film direction. Tartakovsky
is the writer/director/producer behind animated series Dexter’s Laboratory and The Powerpuff
Girls, among others.
The film stars Sandler as Dracula, the owner of a human-free
resort for monsters, who must try to prevent his daughter from falling in love
with an unexpected human guest Jonathan (voiced by frequent Sandler
collaborator culprit Andy Samberg). It is another animated film to feature an
all star cast, including Steve Buscemi, David Spade, Selena Gomez, Molly
Shannon and Fran Drescher.
Perhaps neither as visually exciting or charming as Paranorman, Hotel Transylvania has the potential for family Halloween entertainment.
This is the long awaited feature film adaptation of Burtons’
own 1984 short film of the same name. Like the short film, it references the
1931 film Frankenstein, itself an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel.
It
is shot in black and white, using stop motion animation. Among the voice actors
are frequent Burton collaborators Winona Ryder, Catherine O Hara and Martin
Short. Frank Welker- one of the busiest voice actors in Hollywood, and the
voice behind such characters as Fred and Scooby Doo from Scooby Doo, countless
decepticons in the Transformers franchise, with 679 acting credits on imdb to
date, voices Sparky Frankenstein, to dog who dies, and whom Victor (Charlie
Tahan) attempts to bring back to life.
When Sparky dies, Victor is devastated,
and determined to get him back, by whatever means. After some scientific
experiments, Victor is successful in bringing Sparky back to life, but not
everything goes to plan.
Frankenweenie has all the visuals you would expect in a
Burton animated film, but perhaps more substance than some of his more recent
work such as the summer release Dark
Shadows or 2010’s Alice in Wonderland.
As well as this marking the lead up to Halloween, apparently
this October is also remake and sequel month. Like Paranormal Activity 3, the latest film is directed by Ariel
Schulman and Henry Joost. It takes place after the second instalment, and so
serves as a sequel (unlike the third, which is a prequel to the first and
second). The studio has tried to withhold as many plot details as possible, but
it will feature Katie (Katie Featherson) as she moves into a new home with Robbie-
now known as Hunter (Brady Allen) whom she had kidnapped at the end of the
second film. The film sees Katie’s neighbours become victims of strange
paranormal activity themselves, following their interaction with her and Hunter.
Like the previous films in the franchise, this is shot in a found footage style, using laptop recording and other such devices. Specifically designed as a Halloween film, and released just before the holiday, it is sure to serve its purpose, although it may not be everyone’s preferred viewing.
This month boasts a varied mix of theatrical releases, and
thus ostensibly something for everyone. However, while there is a definite high
quantity of films in cinemas over the next few weeks, the quality may leave a
lot to be desired. But whether you’re
looking for a fluff piece or some serious scares, while many of these films
won’t be in any critic’s favourites, you’ll get your Halloween fix.
