We were waiting for the official word on just what Prometheus will be rated, and while that hasn't comes just yet, some other good news has. Read on for the details.

During a Paris press conference (see the video below), Scott exclaimed some truly exciting news ...

“The cut that you’re gonna see in cinemas…it’s always the director’s cut, really,” Scott exclaimed before chatting up on the film’s run time. “I’ve only made a mistake once on cutting a film short — I won’t say what it is right now, because this is not the time — but I removed 17 minutes off a movie, and I didn’t ruin it, but it wasn’t [as effective]. In this instance, you got a pretty good version here, pretty good cut. We’re running at about — I think without the end titles, which normally run about four to five minutes — we’re running one hour, fifty-nine minutes and change. It’s very tight, it’s what it should be.”

Does that mean it's an R? Stay tuned.

Prometheus, starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Patrick Wilson, Logan Marshall-Green, and Ben Foster, will be in theaters on June 8th, 2012.

Synopsis
In the distant future two superpowers control Earth and fight each other for all the solar system's natural resources. When one side dispatches a team to a distant planet to terraform it for human colonization, the team members discover an indigenous race of bio-mechanoid killers.

Ridley Scott, director of 'Alien' and 'Blade Runner,' returns to the genre he helped define. With 'Prometheus' he creates a groundbreaking mythology in which a team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a thrilling journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.

Warner Brother's have found their leading lady to star opposite Tom Cruise in the adaptation of the Japanese novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, All You Need Is Kill. Read on for the latest details.

According to Variety Warner Bros. is in talks with actress Emily Blunt (pictured; The Wolfman, Five Year Engagement, Looper) to star in Doug Liman's sci-fi thriller All You Need Is Kill.

The flick is based on the graphic novel, whose story is in the vein of Groundhog Day with a twist: A soldier in a war against aliens finds himself reliving his last day over and over after being killed. Through the training and battles he experiences in these time loops, he becomes a better soldier.

More soon!

Novel Synopsis
There’s one thing worse than dying. It’s coming back to do it again and again...

When the alien Gitai invade, Keiji Kiriya is just one of many raw recruits shoved into a suit of battle armor and sent out to kill. Keiji dies on the battlefield, only to find himself reborn each morning to fight and die again and again. On the 158th iteration, though, he sees something different, something out of place: the female soldier known as the Bitch of War.

Is the Bitch the key to Keiji’s escape or to his final death?

Not sure why this is making the news rounds again as it's pretty old, but in any event, here we go again. Indomina Releasing will be releasing their Sundance catch, The Imposter at an undetermined date some time this July.

Directed by Bart Layton, the documentary had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January. “The suspenseful story of ‘The Imposter’ involves the disappearance of a 13-year-old Texas boy in 1994 who miraculously surfaces in Spain years later in the form of a man who may or may be the same person.”

Look for more on this one, including a review soon!

It's no secret that filmmaker Patrick Lussier is a favorite around the Dread Central offices and whenever a new project he's working on rears its head we are right there to do some digging on it. Read on.

According to Deadline David Ellison’s Skydance Productions has set Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island, Alexander) and Patrick Lussier (My Bloody Valentine 3D, Drive Angry 3D. to script an original science fiction adventure based on an idea hatched at Skydance. Unfortunately, they are keeping the idea close to the vest.

Not sure how Dread worthy this will all turn out but we'll keep an eye on things for you just in case.

Our friends over at Twitch have scored the first official trailer for Eron Sheean's indie thriller, Errors Of The Human Body, and have it right here for you free of any genetic defects! Dig it!

The cast includes Rik Mayall, Michael Eklund, Germany’s Karoline Herfurth, and Tomas Lemarquis. Sheean makes his feature directorial debut from a script he co-wrote with former Edinburgh Film Festival director Shane Danielsen.

Synopsis
Canadian scientist Dr Geoff Burton takes up a position at a new institute in wintry Dresden, Germany. His contribution to their most important project – a human regeneration gene-has the potential to make something miraculous out of a personal tragedy that has haunted him for years. Errors of the Human Body is about one man’s quest for redemption from his own disturbing past, set within the mysterious world of genetic engineering.

If you had the privilege of catching Xavier Gens’ The Divide during its limited theatrical release earlier this year, you’ll most likely agree that it is one of the more provocative genre films of this year.

Starring Michael Biehn, Milo Ventimiglia, Lauren German, Michael Ecklund, Rosanna Arquette and Courtney B. Vance, The Divide follows a group of survivors locked inside a basement after a bomb is released in New York but unlike a lot of post-apocalyptic stories, Gens’ exploration of the darkest elements of humanity proves that surviving the apocalypse isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and the lucky ones in this tale are the ones who died in the blast.

With The Divide finally heading home for its DVD and Blu-Ray release courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment this week, Dread Central recently had the opportunity to chat with Gens about his latest film and heard from the filmmaker about why this movie was unlike most other post-apocalyptic movies being made these days as well as more about the difficulties making the film and what’s coming up next for him.

Check out our interview with Gens below and make sure to check out The Divide once it hits DVD and Blu-Ray shelves everywhere later this week!

Dread Central: I’d love to start off talking a bit about the story; we’ve been watching post-apocalyptic movies for decades now and yet, I don’t know if I’ve seen once that has been quite as harrowing and visceral as The Divide; frankly, I don’t think I’d want to survive a major catastrophe now based on this and that seems to be part of the lesson here.

Xavier Gens: Yeah, we make it a point to show people that the ones who die early on were the lucky ones in this story. But I really feel like The Divide speaks volumes about where our world is, or at least where it was at in 2010 when we made it. When I first read the script, I saw The Divide as a slasher movie set inside a basement that had this brilliant political context wrapped up inside of it. Ever since the economic crisis hit, it seems like we’ve lost a little of our own humanity along the way so that’s what I wanted to explore- that loss of humanity and how these people trapped in the basement evolve into a micro-fascist society.

We don’t like to talk about it but as a whole, human beings are selfish by nature- we can’t help it; it’s who we are and when the world ends, it’s going to be that selfishness that will keep people alive. Or at least alive in terms of simple biology but if the world does end and you’re forced to live like the people in The Divide, I don’t know ‘alive’ any of them really were. A lot of movie glorify these kinds of events but I wanted to really explore the idea that if the world suffers some sort of major destruction, maybe you don’t want to be around to see what happens.

Dread Central: There’s a moment in the film when everyone trapped in the basement thinks that ‘salvation’ has arrived when they get discovered by a group of but I like how you give that moment a twist and go for tension and fear rather than hope for these characters.

Xavier Gens: Oh yes, those characters that come into the basement represent the worldwide government and what kind of hope and fear they can give people. When they arrive, you think that one thing is going to happen and all they want is to find all of the surviving children so that the world would have a chance to thrive in the future. There’s no hope for the rest of them and that’s something they all have to face early on. But when we reveal just what happens to the children, it’s not pretty either so it’s hard to say who is better off in the end- the children being tested on or the adult survivors left to fend for themselves.

Dread Central: I had interviewed Michael Biehn back when The Divide was getting ready for its theatrical release and he talked about how hard this shoot was on everyone, to the point where tensions were running high between everyone and it seemed like everyone was really at each other’s throats. How bad did it get for you as the director? Did you see your cast evolving like that as well?

Xavier Gens: Honestly, The Divide was not an easy experience for anyone involved. I mean, it was amazing to go through all of that with these brilliant actors but none of us had it easy making this movie. I pushed everyone but the entire cast really brought their best game with them. We did a lot of improv moments while shooting because I noticed that as we got further along in shooting, the cast became immersed deeper and deeper into this world and I wanted to just let them have free reign.

But the entire cast jumped right into The Divide head first and I’ve never had an experience quite like I did making this movie. There were a lot of tense moments because I think the way we shot and being down in that basement began to creep into everyone’s psyches as time kept passing.; I couldn’t be prouder of the performances everyone gave though- especially Milo. I know he went through hell on this; I called him our ‘lion in a cage’ because that’s how his temperament was while shooting. He was very intense because he really went deep into this role and I think maybe that scared some people on set but that’s just Milo wanting to give everything to this role; he was just totally ‘in.’

And I do think when we wrapped on The Divide that the entire cast all pretty much hated each other but that’s because the tensions were always running high. It had to be that way or there’s no way the movie would have worked as well as it did. Thankfully now that it’s been a while, everyone has made amends with each other and I think it’s the kind of stuff we can laugh about now.

Dread Central: Without giving too much away, can you discuss the direction of the film’s final act and the decision to go in the direction of an ending that was a bit of a downer rather than a happy one.

Xavier Gens: It was so important to me that I didn’t do a Hollywood ending for this movie; it would have never worked. The ending had to make sense and the reality is that there was no fairy tale waiting for these characters outside the basement; the world was destroyed and there’s not much hope out there to be found. It had to make a strong statement and I think it does just that.
There are also some biblical implications with our ending too but I won’t say too much more in case anyone who may read this hasn’t seen it yet.

But I’m a huge fan of Apocalypto and especially the ending because it is so strong; as you see the Spaniard boats arriving near the Mayans, you know that things aren’t going to end well for these people. It’s honest and that’s what you have to do- be true to your story and be honest with your audience.

Dread Central: So what’s coming up next for you then? I heard that you’re planning on working with Michael (Biehn) and his wife Jennifer (Blanc-Biehn) in the future on a few projects if all goes well.

Xavier Gens: I’m working on a couple of American films currently and there’s one I’m hoping we’ll begin this fall that will definitely be within the genre. But yes, I definitely do want to work with Michael again in the future though and we are developing a few things right now together along with Jennifer that will probably happen in the next year or so. They’re both such great people.

To get you geared up for the release of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition for Xbox 360 and PC, The Witcher interactive comic book is now available for iOS devices and Mac via Steam.

The comic tells the story of Geralt's contract for the werecat. In addition to the beautiful artwork and story featured in the comic, you can actually interact with the graphic novel to cast spells, fight enemies and even disrobe a buxom young maiden. If that's not enough of a reason to download The Witcher comic, you should know that it's absolutely free, so read on for more details!

From the Official Press Release
The Witcher Interactive Comic Book is available on iTunes for iPad and iPhone. Cast magic signs, battle monsters and dive deep into the intuiting storyline of this unique graphic novel.
The free comic book tells the story of the witcher’s contract for the werecat. But what are the true motivations of Geralt’s employers? As always in The Witcher’s universe there is no good or evil – there is only moral greyness.

Be sure to download the comic book for your mobile device and complete your Witcher experience, before you start playing The Enhanced Edition of The Witcher 2 on Xbox 360 and PC.
All Apple fans can also buy The Witcher for Mac computers via Steam.

For more information and to purchase The Witcher comic, check it out in the official iTunes store.

You will be able to purchase the classic House of the Dead 4 in its first ever console debut on PlayStation Network starting on April 17, 2012 for $9.99.

House of the Dead 4 will support PlayStation Move controls, and PlayStation Plus subscribers will enjoy some nice perks for downloading the game as well. In addition to unlocking a wicked PlayStation 3 dynamic theme and Goldman, Kate and James avatars, PlayStation Plus members will also receive a 30% off discount when purchasing House of the Dead 4. The low price tag sure beats spending endless amounts of quarters in the arcade, so get ready for the release and read on for more details!

About House of the Dead 4
Welcome to AMS headquarters, three years after the death of Caleb Goldman—the mastermind behind the creature infestations. All has been well since his death, but suddenly, an earthquake strikes and hordes of evil creatures infiltrate your home base. To make matters worse, an enemy from the past threatens massive nuclear destruction. Left with only your automatic rifles and a handful of grenades, you must escape the creatures and save the world before it’s too late!

Game Features

For more information on the game, check out the official House of the Dead 4 webpage.

Lollipop Chainsaw will release for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on June 12, 2012. The zany and sexy zombie slaying game will rock your gaming console, as you mow through zombie hordes and the zombie rock lords to save the day.

As if you really needed more reasons to buy Lollipop Chainsaw, preorder offers for the game are still available from major retailers including a costume inspired by Army of Darkness protagonist Ash. Hail to Juliet, Baby!

Preordering the game from Amazon, Bestbuy and Gamestop will allow Juliet to slip out her skimpy little cheerleading outfit and into something a little more comfortable. Read on for more details!

From the Official Press Release
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announces North American pre-order details for gamers who want to ensure their copy of Lollipop Chainsaw is reserved on launch day. Take a peek inside Juliet’s closet and pick the hottest outfit of your choice! Players who pre-order can customize the appearance of the sweet and sexy zombie-hunter, Juliet, with five unique looks. Juliet won't be in her birthday suit, but players have lots of options for how to dress her up to celebrate her 18th birthday! Check out the wide variety of character skins available with Lollipop Chainsaw pre-orders.

Amazon: Add Juliet to your pinup collection and pop cherries with Rockabilly!

Best Buy: Head bang with the Goth Girl outfit. Step into the Funk with Juliet’s golden Foxy Funk outfit.

GameStop: Become the original chainsaw master with the legendary Ash from Army of Darkness. Bonus for GameStop PowerUp Rewards members – Get insane with Jimmy Urine from Mindless Self Indulgence.

For more information on the game, check out the official Lollipop Chainsaw website.

That's right; Crysis 3 will be coming to PC and consoles in 2013. The hit sequel will run on the all new CryENGINE 3 to bring you some of the best graphics ever seen in any game--just check the demo for it below.

Crysis 3 will allow players to resume the role of the protagonist Prophet as he seeks revenge using the power of the Nanosuit technology. In addition to new suit powers, Prophet will also be armed with a high tech new bow and other alien weaponry that is sure to bring the pain down on that creepy invading alien force known as the Ceph.

Prophet will explore this new version of New York that has been transformed into a massive dome encased jungle known as the Seven Wonders. The game has promised to be more open-world or sandbox than ever before, and it's looking like the best Crysis game yet, and that's an impressive statement. So, read on for more details and hear what makes this already one of the most anticipated games of 2013!

About Crysis 3
The award-winning developer Crytek is back with Crysis 3.
Return to the fight as Prophet, the Nanosuit soldier on a quest to rediscover his humanity and exact brutal revenge. Adapt on the fly with the stealth and armor abilities of your unique Nanosuit as you battle through the seven wonders of New York’s Liberty Dome. Unleash the firepower of your all-new, high-tech bow and alien weaponry to hunt both human and alien enemies. And uncover the truth behind the death of your squad while reestablishing the power of human will in a rich story full of exciting twists and turns.

Crysis 3 is the ultimate sandbox shooter, realized in the stunning visuals only Crytek and the latest version of CryENGINE can deliver. Assess Adapt, and Attack starting spring 2013 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

For more information on the game, check out the official Crysis website.

What's up survivors? It's yet another awesome episode of Delamorte's Dungeon Of Deadly Delights, brought you every week by Jackalope Radio ... and of course, the almighty Dread Central! This week the undead hordes invaded the outside of our underground lair.

Hollywood F/X Master and co-host Thomas Surprenant returned safely with supplies. As fot our lovely Demoness, Amy Lynes? Well, we have to continue our search for her in the burned out wastelands.

This week we had a true survivor visit the show, and the interview was absolutely incredible and inspiring. Our guest was "The Walking Dead"'s IronE Singleton better known to fans as T-Dog! Now, I know a lot of people say that T-Dog has no real purpose on the show. Believe me, that is about to change! If you listen in, you will EXCLUSIVELY have the chance to find out T-Dog's REAL name, as well as what the future holds for the character. It's going to be a metamorphosis, that's for sure!

Our awesome producer, Todd Sheets, jumped into the coveted co-host seat when Thomas and yours cruelly spoke about Case 39, Arrow Films, Battle Royale, and The Cabin In The Woods!

Speaking of Cabin let me tell you fiends ... this movie rocks and I hope that the majority of you who hate the idea of pointless sequels and remakes have go and support this very original horror flick! Dare I say, it's truly a "Game changer!" Look for that and some zombie news reports strewn throughout the show for your safety!

Next week, the undead fun continues! Many of my fans know that I am a Head Of Promotion for the upcoming "Romero approved" remake, Night Of The Living Dead 2012. Along with "Apocalypse" Amy and Thomas we will have a special guest co-host, director and co-writer, Matt Cloude! If that wasn't enough, we speak to the "Ripley Of Barbras!" and I am so proud to have her - from Army Of Darkness, "Babylon Five", and of course, Tom Savini's impressive Night Of The Living Dead remake, the badass and beautiful, Patricia Tallman will be joining us!

For any of you in "Bruce Campbell Country", Amy Lynes and I will be at Motor City Nightmares in Novi, Michigan on April 27th through the 29th! This killer convention is run by Tommy Brunswick, and has an amazing line-up this year! Who you ask? Let's see ... P.J. Soles, Ken Foree, Tony Todd, Dee Wallace, Eileen Dietz, and Cleve Hall, just to name a few! It will definitely be a hellish good time!

Well, it's back to the Crypt for me. Thank you so much to anyone who have checked out the show for the first time directly from the best site in the world! And thank you Creepy for continuing to believe that our show rocks! Finally, Rest In Peace Wiliam Finley. Truly the greatest rock and rollin' killer Phantom of our time! For the rest of you monsters, we'll scare ya' later!

Dread Central and Jackalope Radio's presentation of Delamorte's Dungeon of Deadly Delights is brought to you by the following sponsors! Be sure to give them a visit!

The official Steph Sciullo website, along with Doug Bradley's Spine Chillers and clothing and apparel company Se7en Deadly. Be sure to listen live every Sinister Saturday at 11:00 pm ET/8:00 pm PT on Jackalope 105.

Listen in right here, right now by clicking below! Give it a second for the icon to load if it doesn't appear right away.

Step right up, kids, as we have nearly two dozen new images for you from the upcoming flick, Sound of My Voice! Settle in and get to clickin'. These pics aren't going to see themselves, ya know!

Sound of My Voice is a psychological thriller directed by Zal Batmanglij that was co-written by Batmanglij and Brit Marling. Along with Marling the cast includes Christopher Denham, Nicole Vicius, and Avery Kristen Pohl.

For more visit the official Sound of My Voice website and Facebook page, and look for it in theatres beginning on April 27th from Fox Searchlight (click here for dates and cities).

Synopsis:
Peter (Christopher Denham) and Lorna (Nicole Vicius), a couple and documentary filmmaking team, infiltrate a mysterious group led by an enigmatic young woman named Maggie (Brit Marling). Intent on exposing her as a charlatan and freeing the followers from her grip, Peter and Lorna start to question their objective and each other as they unravel the secrets of Maggie's underworld.

Here's something we haven't shown you in a while. Well, actually just since yesterday, but who's keeping track? That's right, even more images from Tim Burton's upcoming take on the classic television show, Dark Shadows, have arrived!

The ensemble cast includes Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloe Moretz, Thomas McDonell, and newcomer Gulliver McGrath.

Look for Tim Burton's Dark Shadows in theatres on May 11, 2012.

Synopsis
In the year 1752 Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England, to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass, and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet — or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy…until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Brouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire and then burying him alive.

Two centuries later Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles.

Also residing in the manor are Elizabeth's ne'er-do-well brother, Roger Collins (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter, Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz); and Roger's precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). The mystery extends beyond the family to caretaker Willie Loomis, played by Jackie Earle Haley, and David's new nanny, Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote.

For more info visit the official Dark Shadows website.

In the upcoming thriller The Fields, award-winning actress and comedienne Cloris Leachman portrays Gladys, a protective grandmother whose family is being harassed and threatened by a group of transients passing through her small town.

Directed by Tom Mattera and David Mazzoni, The Fields also stars Tara Reid, Joshua Ormond, Bev Appleton and Brian Anthony Wilson. On April 24th, the indie thriller comes home on DVD and in honor of its release, Dread Central had the opportunity to briefly chat with Leachman about her role in the project as well as more on her experiences working on the indie thriller and what other films the actress has coming up.

Dread Central: So how did you get involved with The Fields then?

Cloris Leachman: Well, I got involved the usual way- my manager brought me the script and since I’m originally from Iowa, the rural aspects of this story really interested me. I also really liked this role- there was no ego in it and she was a strong-willed woman who wasn’t written to be your typical overbearing mother character. She was stubborn but she had a heart too and her grandson was part of what kept that character very humanized.

Dread Central: In The Fields, the story uses the Manson Murders as a way to set up this eerie atmosphere in the story; did you follow what happened with Manson and everyone back then and is that something that affected your world at all when it was happening?

Cloris Leachman: Well, I never really felt my world impacted by the Manson Murders the way these characters were impacted; I do remember all the news reports and stories in the papers but it’s not something that affected me at all when it happened. It’s some pretty creepy stuff though when you think about it.

Dread Central: Can you talk a bit about your experiences making this film since I know it was an independent project with somewhat limited resources?

Cloris Leachman: Yeah, our shoot was pretty bare bones but it was a lot of fun to make this movie. When we got out into the farm house, it felt really natural and I settled in quickly. I really felt like that was my farmhouse, that was my kitchen and this was my real family that I was working with. It was wonderful. I felt at home in this world and loved making this movie.

Dread Central: Since you don’t necessarily do a lot of thrillers, did you have to change up anything with your approach while working on The Fields?

Cloris Leachman: I wouldn’t say that I had to change anything really. I mean- sure, I’ve done a lot of theater and comedy work in my career so it’s nice having that experience in your back pocket on something like this thriller; usually I’m keeping in mind pacing for laughs but on this, it was more about just keeping an overall steady pace as a performer.

I’ve studied the piano and I have found that music is very much like acting- it’s all about the different rhythms and getting them to sync up to make a melody. That’s how it is when you’re acting alongside other performers or with your director- everyone has their own rhythm so bring all of that together and do the best we can to make it a wonderful experience.

Dread Central: With The Fields coming out soon and “Raising Hope” doing so well on Fox, do you have any plans for more feature film work in the future?

Cloris Leachman: Absolutely; it’s pretty easy to balance television and movies so I like to keep doing both while I can. I’ve got a few movies coming out including Gambit with the Coen brothers and Adult World with Emma Roberts. I’m really excited to see how those turned out.

You just never know we someone with a camera will be laying in wait, but thankfully they're out there and when they score it can be pretty cool. Of course they can be absolute vultures too but that's an entirely different story.

Thanks to Pablo Hassan on Flickr we have our first look at Aaron Eckhart in Sony's I, Frankenstein! Check it out below.

Aaron Eckhart, Yvonne Strahovski, Bill Nighy and Socratis Otto star in the upcoming film.

I, Frankenstein was written and is to be directed by Stuart Beattie and is based on a graphic novel by Kevin Grevioux, co-creator of the Underworld franchise. Lionsgate will distribute the film in the United States, Lakeshore will handle international sales, and E1/Hopscotch will distribute in Australia. A U.S. release is slated for February 22, 2013.

No were not talking about the results of a late night visit to Taco Bell or even the after effects of a scorching case of herpes. What we have coming at us now is the latest in a long line of comic book adaptations. Read on!

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tommy Wirkola is attached to rewrite and direct Afterburn, Relativity’s adaptation of a sci-fi comic to which Gerard Butler is attached.

Wirkola is the director behind the 2009 Norwegian Nazi-zombie movie Dead Snow. Off that movie, Wirkola was hired for his English-language debut, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. That movie, which stars Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton, is set to open January 11, 2013.

Afterburn "is set in a future where solar flares have left half the world a ravaged wasteland filled with mutants and pirates. Buried beneath the ash and rubble are priceless artifacts and some of the world’s most valuable works of art – for which wealthy Americans will pay any price. The story centers on a treasure hunter who leads his team into the quarantine zone, braving rival bounty hunters, rogue armies, pirate gangs and deadly mutants along the way."

More as it comes.

The Cabin in the Woods is an uproarious, clever and insightful film, one that’s been released to acclaim from horror fans and critics alike, and whose genre-defying exploits have drawn comparisons to that last breakthrough genre-defying horror meta-commentary flick, Scream.

The comparison has been so ubiquitous, in fact, that folks are quick to label The Cabin in the Woods (review here) “the new Scream,” or “the Scream for a new generation,” or the like. But I think that label does a disservice to both films, because aside from one surface element of their respective premises (they’re both about characters that on some level realize they’re inside of a horror movie), they’re about as different as two horror/comedy meta hybrids can be.

Scream is an attempt at a genre deconstruction of the slasher film. In casual use, people generally think of the term “deconstruction” as the same thing as a “dissection,” but in academic terms it means something more specific: a deconstruction brings the ideals of the fictional subject into “the real world” to expose certain quirks or flaws. Scream is a horror film that takes place in the real world. Its central ‘joke’ was that serial killings don’t necessarily happen the way they do in the movies and if one did, we would spend half the time in awe of how much it was “just like the movies!”

The Cabin in the Woods, however, is more of a direct analogy. Rather than the real world, Cabin takes place in a sci-fi fantasy in which the events of the horror film are controlled by a program of society in order to appease an angry, evil force or god. The monsters hunting the characters in the woods is just half the story: it’s a high-tech front put up in order to keep society going, and Cabin conjures questions of free will and fate in its scenario. If Halloween was the horror film’s Superman, and Scream was its Watchmen, we might have to step out of the comic book analogy to come up with an appropriate one for Cabin: it is the horror film’s The Matrix.

There’s another aspect to Cabin that separates it from Scream, one that I think many will disagree with and might even take a little offense to. In any case though, I think it’s an idea worth thinking about and discussing:

The Cabin in the Woods hates the horror film.

This is ironic because Cabin was undeniably made by people who adore horror movies. Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard have been very public with their affection for the genre and have crafted a movie that’s a joy for the horror fan to watch and behold, but, intentionally or not, they’ve created a tale that harbors some pretty heavy implications toward the subject of the horror genre – and the people who watch them.

The contrived cabin murders scenario is, of course, a stand-in for the horror film, and the agency carrying out the illusion is a symbol for Hollywood: its leader is even listed in the credits as “The Director” (that was one helluva cameo by Sigourney Weaver, by the way). According to Cabin, the horror film is a literal modern-day human sacrifice to the gods: gods who are in this case a stand-in for the audience, or at least, their dark desires. The audience demands a ritual in which certain archetypes (including the Whore, the Athlete, the Scholar and the Fool) are slain for their amusement, saving only the Virgin for last: stray too far from the formula, the agents say, and they’ll face the wrath of the audience. Cabin climaxes with a stand-off between the Director and the two escaped survivors, Dana and Marty: Marty is the designated Fool and the Director insists he must be killed so that the audience is satiated and humanity is saved. However, they defy this notion, the angry god is unleashed, and human society apparently perishes.

The end of Cabin can be read a number of different ways. It’s both right-wing in how it champions the worth of the individual as well as left-wing in its insistence on equality: if we can’t all survive together, we ought to die together. But no matter how you slice it (no pun intended) the inference is clear. An even earlier meta-horror film, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, envisioned the horror film as a safe way for people to engage the dark side of human nature. In Cabin, however, the horror film is a way for society to avoid its darker nature, and if society needs it to survive, then maybe we ought to reconsider the worth of human society. It cuts deep.

Scream has been accused of hating the horror film, too, but I think they mistook its frustration for hatred. What Scream actually hated was the rut the genre had gotten itself into in the early 90s, a position the genre earned by devaluing itself. The horror genre had answered accusations of misogyny and questionable ethics by disowning its own artistic integrity: “who cares if every character that has sex, drinks or does drugs dies, it’s just a dumb movie, stop reading so much into it” was the straw man response, and it led to formulaic movies that audiences learned to avoid, and put the genre to its near death. Scream may be smug, but that’s because it tried to lead by example: here was a horror movie that wasn’t afraid to be “about something.”

Scream told us that like it or not, every movie says something, and The Cabin in the Woods definitely says a lot. It might be right, and it might be wrong, but it’s a film that’s uncompromising and mature enough to own up and face what it deems are some ugly truths. It may not be “the new Scream,” but that’s because The Cabin in the Woods is something new entirely, and it will hopefully carve out a place in the horror film canon all its own.

*** Scott Kessinger is the author of the book Scream Deconstructed: An Unauthorized Analysis.

Another flick regarding some rather pesky extraterrestrials is on its way and we've got your early word right here minus the prerequisite anal probe that generally goes along with this kind of thing!

According to Variety Voltage Pictures has optioned Alter, a sci-fi spec script from John and Thomas Sonntag, and set it up with Benderspink and Stephen L'Heureux.

The script centers on a team of scientists aboard a space station monitoring activity around a black hole when they receive a transmission showing their deaths at the hands of mysterious aliens.

A search for a director will be under way shortly. Look for more on this one as soon as we get it! In the interim you may wanna put on your tinfoil hats!

A whole bunch of goodies have come our way for The Collective and Bloody Disgusting Selects' latest acquisition, Exit Humanity. Look for it in stores and on VOD platforms June 19th. Dig it!

Starring horror icons Bill Moseley (Devil’s Rejects, House of 1000 Corpses), Dee Wallace (E.T., Cujo), Stephen McHattie (Pontypool, The Watchmen, 300), and new horror hero Mark Gibson, John Geddes’ post-apocalyptic Exit Humanity is a zombie saga that tells the tale of the ultimate battle of good vs. evil. Brian Cox provides narration.

Synopsis
How does a man deal with the loss of everything meaningful in his life, and the loss of mankind’s humanity amongst chaos and despair? Set in 1870’s Tennessee, Exit Humanity is the legend of Edward Young’s horrific and dramatic journey through an unexplainable outbreak of the walking dead to lay to rest the most important thing in his life, his son’s ashes. The bleak post-Civil War era backdrop highlights the severe divide that the United States was facing, and the true loss of hope that so many felt during this period in history.

Australian filmmaker Travis Bain is proud to announce that the first teaser trailer for his upcoming film, Throwback, has dropped online. The film takes a classic look at the Sasquatch legend, or as they call him Down Under ... Yowie!

Reports are a full trailer will follow in later this year and the movie itself is due for release in 2013. Throwback is currently in production in Cairns, Far North Queensland. To find out more visit the official Throwback website.

From the Press Release
Throwback is the second feature film from Australian writer/director Travis Bain. His first feature, Scratched was one of the four finalists in the 2005 digiSPAA Digital Feature Film Festival.

Two modern-day treasure hunters -- Jack (Shawn Brack) and Kent (Anthony Ring) -- venture into the remote jungles of Far North Queensland in search of lost bushranger gold. But their adventure goes terribly awry when they are threatened by a savage creature, a legendary monster known as a Yowie, Australia's answer to Bigfoot. Together with a female park ranger named Rhiannon (Melanie Serafin) and a burnt-out ex-homicide detective, Jack and Kent find themselves locked in a battle for survival as the territorial Yowie tries to ensure they never leave its domain alive.