By Naomi Creason, Sentinel Reporter, June 21, 2011 The Sentinel - cumberlink.com
With "Twilight" (finally) ending next year with the second part of "Breaking Dawn," there may be a chance for vampires to get some redemption and earn their way back into the horror genre.
Vampires have always been a safe villain to cast in a movie, but we're seeing plenty of overkill in movies and TV shows when it comes to the bloodsuckers. Given that "The Vampire Diaries," "True Blood" and "Being Human" are doing so well on the small screen, I doubt we'll see any less vampires in the future.
However, after Sweden's "Let the Right One In," we may finally get to see some vampire entertainment that doesn't necessarily revolve around pretty (and sometimes sparkly) people. There's movement going ahead on the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" reboot as well as the action-horror "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," but it's two other movies with potential release dates next year that could add a little bite to the genre.
There was news yesterday about some screenplay work on "The Passage," which is set to be directed by Matt Reeves, who directed "Cloverfield" and "Let Me In." Reeves' movie didn't differ too much from the original Swedish movie, but critics loved it nonetheless. Given Reeves' handling of "Let Me In," it bodes well that "The Passage" could also be something worth watching.
I'm not as enthusiastic about the plot of "The Passage," which follows the cliche of a scientific experiment gone wrong and the eventual horde of vampires, who can apparently read minds. However, Reeves was able to make the "found footage" and monster movie genres into something interesting with "Cloverfield," so I'm willing to see what he does with this.
The other vampire movie that seems like it will be worth more than a "vampire movie" label is an untitled one to be directed by Jim Jarmusch, who made "Coffee and Cigarettes" and "Broken Flowers." If combining Jarmusch with vampires wasn't odd enough, he also managed to assemble an amazing cast with Tilda Swinton, Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska. Swinton rarely takes bad roles, and Fassbender and Wasikowska already proved they work well together in "Jane Eyre." There isn't much information about the movie other than it will be set in Detroit and Tangiers and will be a "crypto-vampire love story" (yeah, I don't really know what that means either), but the pairing of director and cast alone will make this something to look out for in either 2012 or 2013.
While there's still more than a little unknown about these projects and more vampire movies on the horizon, I think I'll be happy with leaving the likes of "Twilight" behind me and watch something that may actually reinvent the horror movie villain.
What do you think of these new vampire movies? Will vampires get their edge back or will "Twilight" overshadow the movie monster? Leave a comment or email me at ncreason@cumberlink.com.
Cumberlink
With "Twilight" (finally) ending next year with the second part of "Breaking Dawn," there may be a chance for vampires to get some redemption and earn their way back into the horror genre.
Vampires have always been a safe villain to cast in a movie, but we're seeing plenty of overkill in movies and TV shows when it comes to the bloodsuckers. Given that "The Vampire Diaries," "True Blood" and "Being Human" are doing so well on the small screen, I doubt we'll see any less vampires in the future.
However, after Sweden's "Let the Right One In," we may finally get to see some vampire entertainment that doesn't necessarily revolve around pretty (and sometimes sparkly) people. There's movement going ahead on the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" reboot as well as the action-horror "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," but it's two other movies with potential release dates next year that could add a little bite to the genre.
There was news yesterday about some screenplay work on "The Passage," which is set to be directed by Matt Reeves, who directed "Cloverfield" and "Let Me In." Reeves' movie didn't differ too much from the original Swedish movie, but critics loved it nonetheless. Given Reeves' handling of "Let Me In," it bodes well that "The Passage" could also be something worth watching.
I'm not as enthusiastic about the plot of "The Passage," which follows the cliche of a scientific experiment gone wrong and the eventual horde of vampires, who can apparently read minds. However, Reeves was able to make the "found footage" and monster movie genres into something interesting with "Cloverfield," so I'm willing to see what he does with this.
The other vampire movie that seems like it will be worth more than a "vampire movie" label is an untitled one to be directed by Jim Jarmusch, who made "Coffee and Cigarettes" and "Broken Flowers." If combining Jarmusch with vampires wasn't odd enough, he also managed to assemble an amazing cast with Tilda Swinton, Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska. Swinton rarely takes bad roles, and Fassbender and Wasikowska already proved they work well together in "Jane Eyre." There isn't much information about the movie other than it will be set in Detroit and Tangiers and will be a "crypto-vampire love story" (yeah, I don't really know what that means either), but the pairing of director and cast alone will make this something to look out for in either 2012 or 2013.
While there's still more than a little unknown about these projects and more vampire movies on the horizon, I think I'll be happy with leaving the likes of "Twilight" behind me and watch something that may actually reinvent the horror movie villain.
What do you think of these new vampire movies? Will vampires get their edge back or will "Twilight" overshadow the movie monster? Leave a comment or email me at ncreason@cumberlink.com.
Cumberlink
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