Stephen King’s ‘Suffer the Little Children’ to be adapted by Bonfire Films.

Maine based collaborative team Corey and Haley Norman of Bonfire Films are set to bring Stephen King’s short story Suffer the Little Children to life with their latest film. Hardcore King fans will be familiar with the tale from his 1993 collection; Nightmares and Dreamscapes despite being initially published in 1972. Suffer the Little Children centres on a third grade teacher who starts to become suspicious that her young pupils are possessed. According to The Great Stephen King Universe, the tale has been described as an “effective chiller” as there is certainly nothing more terrifying that the destruction of innocence. Nightbreed actress Anne Bobby who has previously worked on Bonfire Films previous feature will star in Suffer the Little Children as lead character Ms. Sidley. Bobby ensures us that the movie is guaranteed to “scare the crap out of you” as it did her reading it.

The Hanover House filmmakers need our support to make this dreamscape a reality! The Norman’s require the help of the fans to achieve this fantastic project. Over on indiegogo they have set up a campaign with some must have perks on offer from signed posters to a copy of their short film Tickle to a name in the credits; there’s even opportunities to make a cameo in the film as a teacher (no dialogue role) and attend its eventual premiere. Other than donating, you can raise awareness by sharing the campaign page over various social media. Being given the rights to adapt the works of King comes full circle for the writing/directing team who originate from Portland, Maine just like the iconic author. There is no doubt that this is where some of the best American horror comes from.

Bonfire Films have achieved various awards for their work so far at horror festivals across the US including best short film, best feature film and best director.

http://bonfirefilmsonline.com/awards/

Find out more about how you can help Suffer the Little Children:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/suffer-the-little-children–3/x/8060452#/story

Check out my reviews for their previous work here:

The Hanover House (Feature)

Tickle (Short)

Natal (Short)

…

Hayley Alice Roberts

Hayley’s Horror Reviews.

Halloween Returns

Michael Myers is set to return in a brand new reboot of the Halloween franchise according to concequenceofsound.net. The iconic mad man is back in what sounds like a very intriguing plot line for hardcore fans of the series. Halloween Returns sees Michael attempt to stalk n’ slash a whole host of new victims including the child of one of his past casualties (potentially a character we’ve seen before?). Returns will also feature a cop who is so obsessed with the Myers case he even neglects his own daughter in the process; a role created reference to the beloved Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence) perhaps?

Weirdly enough after being left unimpressed by the Zombie remake and losing interest in the franchise, Halloween Returns could be the fresh blood the series needs in order to shake things up. According to the article, the film will see Myers on death row for his crimes which seems an unexpected direction to go in when dealing with one of horror’s most prolific slashers; but is interesting all the same. Of course being the unstoppable force that he is, Myers escapes placing two friends with their own personal vendetta against him in great peril.

In some ways resurrecting the franchise seems a little redundant however in the right hands, Halloween could possibly be safe and redeemed. Its been discussed that Marcus Dunstan of The Collector and SAW films is to direct and will also write along with fellow SAW collaborator Patrick Melton; not a bad choice, Dunstan did a great job with The Collection (2012) with some inventive ideas and visuals and the two are no strangers to the concept of franchise. The fans are owed an apology for Halloween: Resurrection (2002) and on a lesser scale the Zombie re-imagining. Personally I’d like a retcon where Laurie is still alive and Resurrection doesn’t exist however Myers return would therefore be problematic seeing as Strode killed him at the end of Halloween: H20 (1998)!

As the article says, Halloween’s mythology is so messed up its hard to work out the chronology as to whether Halloween Returns will be a standalone film or a sequel to either adaptation. The premise is promising and maybe Halloween Returns will provide the ultimate closure the series needs; much like how Curse of Chucky (2013) revived Child’s Play (however due to its success has spawned an upcoming sequel). Stylistically I hope Halloween Returns doesn’t attempt to replicate the grizzly, gory horror that’s prominent in modern movies and goes back to the roots of less is more, suspense and as little blood as possible. Its reported that Dimension films will be distributing the film which is again familiar for its horror/slasher brand.

What do you guys think? Should there be another Halloween film and what would you like to see from it?

Hayley Alice Roberts

Hayley’s Horror Reviews.

Twisted Twins go Plastic..!

Jen and Sylvia Soska are one of the hottest things about current horror, from grindhouse to body modification to WWE, the Twisted Twins have put their own unique and versatile stamp on the genre. Over the weekend they generated much excitement for fans with the announcement of their next directorial project titled Plastic;  just in time for the release of their latest WWE collaboration the action-packed Vendetta on June 12th in the US (UK DVD release is August 13th). An image of a script with a lipstick mark emerged online said to be written by Frank Strausser that simply screams female-centric horror.

As it stands, a brief teaser of the plot has been revealed:

“A celebrated Beverly Hills plastic surgeon risks everything to uncover the truth behind a crime, the disfigurement of an international pop star.”

If one things for certain, the Soska’s and surgical horror are the perfect fit after them stunning audiences in 2012 with American Mary. No doubt in the hands of Jen and Sylvia, Plastic will be a grizzly yet stylish effort. Can’t wait to hear more about the project. Plastic has to be the most exciting news in horror this year!

Keep updated with Plastic on the Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Plastic/1442681832700533?pnref=story

Hayley Alice Roberts

Hayley’s Horror Reviews.

RIP Betsy Palmer (1926-2015)

Sad news for the horror community was announced last night, as slasher icon Betsy Palmer passed away from natural causes at the age of 88.

Beginning her career in the 1950’s Palmer is best known to genre fans as the vengeful Mrs Voorhees in the original Friday the 13th (1980), the mother of classic killer Jason. Despite only initially taking the role to pay for a new car and infamously claiming “What a piece of shit! Nobody is ever going to see this thing.” Palmer eventually embraced her role as the deranged if not protective mother who went on a murder-spree, ridding Camp Crystal Lake of all its wayward teenagers in revenge for the careless death of her son. She reprised the role in a cameo for the sequel Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) and took part in documentaries including Camp Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th (2013) and Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006). She attended horror conventions and enjoyed meeting her fans who held a certain enthusiasm for the horror genre and her work in the Friday franchise.

With Pamela Voorhees, Betsy Palmer was responsible for bringing a memorable and shocking villain to life. Little did audiences know that the knife-wielding maniac was non-other than an unsuspecting, charming former Camp Cook. Palmer gave one hell of a performance switching from sweet-natured lady to all out psychopath at the turn of a hat. If it wasn’t for Palmer’s heart-pumping reveal during Friday the 13th’s finale it may not have reached the level of iconic status that it has. Mrs Voorhees helped lay the groundwork for more interesting roles for women in slashers, not just the final girl type or the vapid cheerleader who inevitably gets decapitated. Having Mrs Voorhees as the killer also contributed to Friday not just being a another Halloween knock-off.

 

Betsy Palmer was and always will be a horror legend that will be sadly missed by all her fans.

Her Legacy will live on.

RIP to an unforgettable woman of horror.

Hayley Alice Roberts.

Hayley’s Horror Reviews.

For more of my work on Friday the 13th and Mrs Voorhees, check out:

Halloween Month: Friday the 13th (1980)

The Top 6 Psycho Mom’s