Incredibly, what some people thought they would get with an Omen prequel turned out to be better than anticipated. Maybe it’s partly due to a good PR campaign. Maybe not. At least it wasn’t for a pro-choice Missouri politician and film blogger Amanda Taylor who received a suspicious mailer from the studio ahead of The First Omen’s theatrical release.

Taylor, a Democrat running for Missouri’s House of Representatives, must be on Disney’s PR list because she received some eerie promo merch from the studio to publicize The First Omen, a direct prequel to the 1975 original. Usually, a good mailer is supposed to pique your interest in a film not send you running to the phone to call the police. 

“I was freaking out,” says the blogger who filed a police report about #TheFirstOmen PR. “My husband touched it, so I’m screaming at him to wash his hands.” The studio, for its part, regrets frightening anyone but notes that “most people had fun with it” https://t.co/9vq7xfD8kI pic.twitter.com/9KUMgvyG2Q

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) April 13, 2024

According to THR, Taylor opened the package and inside were disturbing children’s drawings related to the film that freaked her out. It’s understandable; being a female politician against abortion it’s no telling what kind of threatening hate mail you’re going to get or what might be construed as a threat. 

“I was freaking out. My husband touched it, so I’m screaming at him to wash his hands,” Taylor told THR.

Marshall Weinbaum, who does Disney’s public relations campaigns says he got the idea for the cryptic letters because in the movie, “there are these creepy drawings of little girls with their faces crossed out, so I got this idea to print them out and mail them to the press.”

The studio, maybe realizing the idea wasn’t their best move, sent out a follow-up letter explaining that it was all in good fun to promote The First Omen. “Most people had fun with it,” adds Weinbaum.

While we can understand her initial shock and concern being a politician running on a controversial ticket, we have to wonder as a film enthusiast, why she wouldn’t recognize a crazy PR stunt. 

Perhaps in this day and age, you can’t be too careful. 

This is some exciting news! Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters 1984, The Crow 1994) is set to star in the upcoming horror film titled Oswald: Down The Rabbit Hole. Hudson is set to play the character Oswald Jebediah Coleman who is a brilliant animator that is locked away in a terrifying magical prison. No release date has been announced yet. Check out the announcement trailer and more about the film below.

The film follows the story of “Art and some of his closest friends as they help track down his long-lost family lineage. When they find and explore his Great-Grandpa Oswald’s abandoned home, they encounter a magical TV that teleports them to a place lost in time, shrouded by dark Hollywood Magic. The group finds that they are not alone when they discover Oswald’s come-to-life cartoon Rabbit, a dark entity that decides their souls are it’s for the taking. Art and his friends must work together to escape their magical prison before the Rabbit gets to them first.”

Ernie Hudson stated that “I am excited to work with everyone on this production. It’s an incredibly creative and smart project.”

Director Stewart also added “I had a very specific vision for Oswald’s character and knew I wanted Ernie for this role from the start, as I’ve always admired iconic cinematic legacy. Ernie is going to bring Oswald’s unique and vengeful spirit to life in the best way possible.”

Lilton Stewart III and Lucinda Bruce are teaming up to write and direct the film. It stars actors Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters 1984, The Crow 1994), Topher Hall (Single Drunk Female 2022), and Yasha Rayzberg (A Rainbow in the Dark 2021). Mana Animation Studio is helping produce the animation, Tandem Post House for post-production, and VFX supervisor Bob Homami is also helping. The budget for the film currently sits at $4.5M.

This is one of many classic childhood stories that are being turned into horror films. This list includes Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, Bambi: The Reckoning, Mickey’s Mouse Trap, The Return of Steamboat Willie, and many more. Are you more interested in the film now that Ernie Hudson is attached to star in it? Let us know in the comments below.

Blumhouse hasn’t necessarily been batting a thousand lately. Their recent films Imaginary and Night Swim weren’t as well-received as they wanted. But that all might change in the near future because Bloody Disgusting is reporting that Blumhouse and Lionsgate are collaborating on a new Blair Witch Project….project.

The horror publication got the scoop fresh from CinemaCon today. The event takes place in Las Vegas and is the largest gathering of global theater owners in the country.

Chair of Lionsgate’s movie division, Adam Fogelson, made the announcement on Wednesday. It is part of a planned slate of movies to be remade taken from Lionsgate’s oeuvre.

“I have been incredibly fortunate to work with Jason many times over the years. We forged a strong relationship on ‘The Purge’ when I was at Universal, and we launched STX with his film ‘The Gift’. There is no one better at this genre than the team at Blumhouse,” said Fogelson. “We are thrilled to kick this partnership off with a new vision for Blair Witch that will reintroduce this horror classic for a new generation. We couldn’t be more pleased to be working with them on this and other projects we look forward to revealing soon.”

Blum added: “I’m very grateful to Adam and the team at Lionsgate for letting us play in their sandbox. I’m a huge admirer of ‘The Blair Witch Project’, which brought the idea of found footage horror to mainstream audiences and became a true cultural phenomenon. I don’t think there would have been a ‘Paranormal Activity’ had there not first been a Blair Witch, so this feels like a truly special opportunity and I’m excited to see where it leads.”

There were no details given as to whether the project will expand on the Blair Witch universe or reboot it entirely, but we will keep you posted as the story develops.