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11-05-2010, 06:12 AM
It's nearly a week into November and there's still no news on the status of a 'Saw VIII.' Huh. Maybe they actually weren't kidding about 'Saw 3D' being the last of 'em.
Who knows how long the break from The Ongoing Adventures of Jigsaw and His Army of Secret Assistants will last, but one thing's for sure -- there is no way Lionsgate is giving up the Halloween weekend that has been oh-so kind to their finances for nearly a decade.
How exactly do you fill that big, Tobin Bell-shaped void?
Variety has the answer: you fill it with 'Dibbuk Box,' a horror film set to be directed by Danish filmmaker Ole Bornedal and produced by Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert through their Ghost House Pictures production company.
What we know about the film couldn't fill a thimble, but the brief synopsis on hand sounds refreshingly different from the 'Saw' franchise: "...the story of a family who acquires a box containing evil spirits and their quest to destroy it."
And... Are you ready for this? It's... "based on real events!"
In all seriousness, there's a pretty comprehensive website (http://www.dibbukbox.com/) detailing the history of the titular box, a wine cabinet that's apparently haunted by a Dibbuk, a spirit from Jewish folklore, a detached, wandering soul that was refused admittance to the afterlife and now wanders the earthly plain causing all sorts of mischief.
In the "real" Dibbuk Box story, there are tales of nightmares, hair loss, dead fish, weird hallucinations and all sorts of weird, great horror movie stuff. The history of the box seems to be a history of people obtaining it and desperately trying to get rid of it (unless the entire site is a ruse and if so, it's one helluva ruse).
In short: Yes, there is definitely the possibility of an interesting movie here.
The horror genre works in cycles and violence-driven films like 'Hostel' and 'Saw' are on the way out. As the success of the 'Paranormal Activity' films prove, supernatural threats may be in vogue next and, conceptually, 'Dibbuk Box' already feels like a part of this new horror wave. Are we ready for a decade of demons and ghosts and things that go bump in the night? At the very least, it'll be a nice change of pace.
Unless the success of the 'Paranormal Activity' films prove that "found footage" horror films are the next big thing, not necessarily supernatural threats. Hmm...maybe the family in 'Dibbuk Box' should be videotaping the spooky happenings around their newly obtained antique wine cabinet.
Ghost House doesn't necessarily have the most sterling track record when it comes to cranking out horror movies. For every gem like the wickedly demented, Raimi-directed 'Drag Me to Hell,' they produce a derivative, scare-free, teen-friendly bore like 'Boogeyman,' 'Rise' or 'The Grudge 2.' Perhaps the key is to give Raimi a little more hands-on control of the films under this banner. Heck, maybe the key is to let him direct all of the horror films under this banner now that he's free and clear of his 'Spider-Man' duties.
'Dibbuk Box' will fill your nightmares with Jewish mysticism by next Halloween.
Who knows how long the break from The Ongoing Adventures of Jigsaw and His Army of Secret Assistants will last, but one thing's for sure -- there is no way Lionsgate is giving up the Halloween weekend that has been oh-so kind to their finances for nearly a decade.
How exactly do you fill that big, Tobin Bell-shaped void?
Variety has the answer: you fill it with 'Dibbuk Box,' a horror film set to be directed by Danish filmmaker Ole Bornedal and produced by Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert through their Ghost House Pictures production company.
What we know about the film couldn't fill a thimble, but the brief synopsis on hand sounds refreshingly different from the 'Saw' franchise: "...the story of a family who acquires a box containing evil spirits and their quest to destroy it."
And... Are you ready for this? It's... "based on real events!"
In all seriousness, there's a pretty comprehensive website (http://www.dibbukbox.com/) detailing the history of the titular box, a wine cabinet that's apparently haunted by a Dibbuk, a spirit from Jewish folklore, a detached, wandering soul that was refused admittance to the afterlife and now wanders the earthly plain causing all sorts of mischief.
In the "real" Dibbuk Box story, there are tales of nightmares, hair loss, dead fish, weird hallucinations and all sorts of weird, great horror movie stuff. The history of the box seems to be a history of people obtaining it and desperately trying to get rid of it (unless the entire site is a ruse and if so, it's one helluva ruse).
In short: Yes, there is definitely the possibility of an interesting movie here.
The horror genre works in cycles and violence-driven films like 'Hostel' and 'Saw' are on the way out. As the success of the 'Paranormal Activity' films prove, supernatural threats may be in vogue next and, conceptually, 'Dibbuk Box' already feels like a part of this new horror wave. Are we ready for a decade of demons and ghosts and things that go bump in the night? At the very least, it'll be a nice change of pace.
Unless the success of the 'Paranormal Activity' films prove that "found footage" horror films are the next big thing, not necessarily supernatural threats. Hmm...maybe the family in 'Dibbuk Box' should be videotaping the spooky happenings around their newly obtained antique wine cabinet.
Ghost House doesn't necessarily have the most sterling track record when it comes to cranking out horror movies. For every gem like the wickedly demented, Raimi-directed 'Drag Me to Hell,' they produce a derivative, scare-free, teen-friendly bore like 'Boogeyman,' 'Rise' or 'The Grudge 2.' Perhaps the key is to give Raimi a little more hands-on control of the films under this banner. Heck, maybe the key is to let him direct all of the horror films under this banner now that he's free and clear of his 'Spider-Man' duties.
'Dibbuk Box' will fill your nightmares with Jewish mysticism by next Halloween.