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Lights Out Director Shares Original Script Treatment with Alternate Ending
All things considered, 2016 has been a pretty good year for theatrical horror. The Witch delighted fans of slow burn psychological horror, while films like The Shallows reinvigorated the survival horror sub-genre. The Conjuring 2 managed to be a sequel almost as good as the terrifying original, and The Purge: Election Year was perhaps the series’ best entry to date. Another big success both critically and financially this year was Lights Out.
Based on a terrific short film that went viral a few years back, Lights Out was expanded to feature length by director David F. Sandberg, who wrote and directed the original short. While Sandberg didn’t ultimately get final script credit for the feature – that went to Final Destination 5 scribe Eric Heisserer – Sandberg did write up the original treatment for the movie. The majority of Sandberg’s plot was retained in the final draft, but one thing that was notably altered was the ending.
In the final film, mentally troubled mom Sophie (Maria Bello) commits suicide in order to save her family from the demonic spirit of Diana, whose existence is directly tied to Sophie’s. This upset many people when the movie first came out, as some interpreted the ending as a message that those with mental illness would be better off killing themselves. At the time, Sandberg pushed back against that reading of the ending, and insisted that his original version was different.
Now fans can find out and judge for themselves, as Sandberg recently took to Twitter to release his original treatment for Lights Out. Here’s the tweet in question:
For the curious, here's the original treatment I wrote for Lights Out. A lot changed but a lot also stayed the same: https://t.co/XA2liuxegQ pic.twitter.com/Q4VNce9hiP
— David F. Sandberg (@ponysmasher) November 9, 2016
For those seeking the TL;DR version of what’s different about the ending, in Sandberg’s treatment, Sophie is instead mistakenly killed a police officer, and it’s heavily implied that her young son Martin has now absorbed the curse of Diana. The full text is very much worth reading though, for any curious fans.
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Netflix Releases First BTS ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ Footage
It’s been three long years since Netflix unleashed the bloody, but enjoyable Fear Street on its platform. Released in a tryptic fashion, the streamer broke up the story into three episodes, each taking place in a different decade which by the finale were all tied together.
Now, the streamer is in production for its sequel Fear Street: Prom Queen which brings the story into the 80s. Netflix gives a synopsis of what to expect from Prom Queen on their blog site Tudum:
“Welcome back to Shadyside. In this next installment of the blood-soaked Fear Street franchise, prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school’s wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider is unexpectedly nominated to the court, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of ’88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.”
Based on R.L. Stine’s massive series of Fear Street novels and spin-offs, this chapter is number 15 in the series and was published in 1992.
FEAR STREET: PROM QUEEN IS NOW IN PRODUCTION 🩸 Welcome to Shadyside High. We're gonna have a killer time. pic.twitter.com/jDl0zRa2CH
— Netflix (@netflix) April 30, 2024
Fear Street: Prom Queen features a killer ensemble cast, including India Fowler (The Nevers, Insomnia), Suzanna Son (Red Rocket, The Idol), Fina Strazza (Paper Girls, Above the Shadows), David Iacono (The Summer I Turned Pretty, Cinnamon), Ella Rubin (The Idea of You), Chris Klein (Sweet Magnolias, American Pie), Lili Taylor (Outer Range, Manhunt) and Katherine Waterston (The End We Start From, Perry Mason).
No word on when Netflix will drop the series into its catalog.
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Live Action Scooby-Doo Reboot Series In Works at Netflix
The ghosthunting Great Dane with an anxiety problem, Scooby-Doo, is getting a reboot and Netflix is picking up the tab. Variety is reporting that the iconic show is becoming an hour-long series for the streamer although no details have been confirmed. In fact, Netflix execs declined to comment.
If the project is a go, this would be the first live-action movie based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon since 2018’s Daphne & Velma. Before that, there were two theatrical live-action movies, Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), then two sequels that premiered on The Cartoon Network.
Currently, the adult-oriented Velma is streaming on Max.
Scooby-Doo originated in 1969 under the creative team Hanna-Barbera. The cartoon follows a group of teenagers who investigate supernatural happenings. Known as Mystery Inc., the crew consists of Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Shaggy Rogers, and his best friend, a talking dog named Scooby-Doo.
Normally the episodes revealed the hauntings they encountered were hoaxes developed by land-owners or other nefarious characters hoping to scare people away from their properties. The original TV series named Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ran from 1969 to 1986. It was so successful that movie stars and pop culture icons would make guest appearances as themselves in the series.
Celebrities such as Sonny & Cher, KISS, Don Knotts, and The Harlem Globetrotters made cameos as did Vincent Price who portrayed Vincent Van Ghoul in a few episodes.
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BET Releasing New Original Thriller: The Deadly Getaway
BET will soon be offering horror fans a rare treat. The studio has announced the official release date for their new original thriller, The Deadly Getaway. Directed by Charles Long (The Trophy Wife), this thriller sets up a heart racing game of cat and mouse for audiences to sink their teeth into.
Wanting to break up the monotony of their routine, Hope and Jacob set off to spend their vacation at a simple cabin in the woods. However, things go sideways when Hope’s ex-boyfriend shows up with a new girl at the same campsite. Things soon spiral out of control. Hope and Jacob must now work together to escape the woods with their lives.
The Deadly Getaway is written by Eric Dickens (Makeup X Breakup) and Chad Quinn (Reflections of US). The Film stars, Yandy Smith-Harris (Two Days in Harlem), Jason Weaver (The Jacksons: An American Dream), and Jeff Logan (My Valentine Wedding).
Showrunner Tressa Azarel Smallwood had the following to say about the project. “The Deadly Getaway is the perfect reintroduction to classic thrillers, which encompass dramatic twists, and spine-chilling moments. It showcases the range and diversity of emerging Black writers across genres of film and television.”
The Deadly Getaway will premiere on 5.9.2024, exclusively ion BET+.
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