Connect with us

News

“Meg” Author Tells iHorror: Movie “Will be edge-of-your-seat scary!”

Published

on

Author Steve Alten who wrote the novel turned ultra-budget shark movie “Meg,” starring Jason Statham is excited for its release in 2018, and he tells iHorror so far it’s everything he imagined his book to be.

“Filming completed in New Zealand and China in mid-December;” Alten said. “I have not seen any footage other than what has been posted on Instagram but I understand everything looks amazing.”

There is a resurgence in popularity with sharks having an appetite for humans recently, with “The Shallows” taking a chunk the size of $119 million out of the box office last summer.

“Meg” was first published in 1997 and spawned a series of sequels. The shark is based on the factually documented prehistoric fish called a Megalodon, a huge shark capable of taking down a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

In the book, Jonas Taylor witnesses one of these creatures while on an expedition, but upon his return to shore his claims are considered fantastical since he is the only one to have survived.

Reading the book

Taking an interest in the sea, Taylor becomes a paleontologist and is asked to help recover a Chinese submersible at the bottom of the ocean, where coincidentally a Megalodon is also trapped, but manages to escape, making it to warmer waters and fresh meat.

Alten says he hasn’t seen any footage from the film since it wrapped, but, “it will be edge-of-your-seat scary.”

Of course, every shark movie after 1975 has some pretty big huaraches to fill, but “Meg” looks to be taking the concept to Jurassic levels.

“First and foremost,” Alten told iHorror, “this is not just a shark, it’s a Megalodon, the most fearsome predator in the history of the planet…which just happens to be a prehistoric version of a 70-foot Great White.”

Making the movie based on the book.

“Add to that the best special effects houses in the business, a $150 million budget, great script, an international cast of top stars…led by the perfect guy to play Jonas Taylor, Jason Statham.” Alten says.

Originally Eli Roth was signed to direct “Meg,” but for reasons even the author can’t explain, Roth left the project for Jon Turteltaub (National Treasure) to helm. But should there be any sequels, Alten says he’d like to see Roth bring his vision to one of them.

“I can’t say much on the Eli Roth situation other than I have great respect for Eli as a director and the decision had nothing to do with his abundant talent both behind and in front of the camera,” said Alten. Plus, he’s into sharks for all the right reasons. I am crossing my fingers that he will direct another adaptation of mine.”

Warner Bros. has taken on the distribution rights and will release the film March 2018.

As far as the film’s action-star lead working in the water-logged setting and through grueling hours of huge oceanic locations, Alten says Statham is pretty happy.

“Jason is really into the role!”

Jason Statham takes on "Meg."

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

Published

on

Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Movies

Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

Published

on

In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

News

Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

Published

on

Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading