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I thought Roshiq's choice was solid, though the story is a bit thin for a feature length film.
Bwind's outline was a solid film, but we needed more twists and turns. Argento always keeps us guessing. The homage names were a bit much- Argento wouldn't do that. He exists in his own world. Alky did a fine job given the focus of his task. |
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Like I mentioned, I'm not very familiar with giallo films so I looked them up on wikipedia. My basic understanding was that they are generally erotic, gory detective/whodunit stories so that was was what I went for with my entry. Hopefully I make it through to the next round and get something I'm a little more familiar with. |
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Thanks NE. |
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Now, for the reason I didn't make this challenge in time: Ash :) I knew what I wanted to do, and I was searching for the music I wanted to use...It was to be a 'reverse' zombie type story (just for something different) where the guy fell in love with a girl, but didn't know at first that she was a 'sentient zombie'...She was slowly turning but still possessed most of her faculties, as her 'zombification' began to progress, it became too obvious, the guy figured it out...He decided he wanted to be a zombie too, so she wouldn't have to deal with it alone...She wouldn't turn him because she didn't want him to deal with what she was dealing with...So, he bit HER instead...It worked, and he was slowly turning (think: I, Zombie)...Anyway, the girl just continued to deteriorate until he realized she would soon be gone...He became bitter and angry because she was given this fate, and didn't deserve it...So...He started biting people...Soon the whole town was turned...I wasn't really sure this was 'Romero-ish' enough, but I figured it wouldn't hurt him to try a slightly different angle at this point. My plan was to write it as a story, adding the music parts where relevant and adding a youtube link to each song so that everyone would know what was going on, if they weren't familiar with the music...The baby just wouldn't let me get it all together...He wouldn't even let me concentrate on it...This, of course, is normal for a baby, and it's also the reason that I was afraid I wouldn't be able to enter this contest in the beginning (I believe I said something like, "I won't be able to concentrate and spend time on 'essay type' challenges" or something close to that). Anyway...I had fun, this was an excellent idea for a competition, V...Kudos to you :) And I have to say that I am AMAZED by the entries I've seen here...I knew you guys were awesome, talented, smart, creative and all that, but DAMN!...I truly mean it...You guys have seriously impressed me, for REAL...ALL of you. So, since I'm the only one who didn't make this challenge in time, I accept my elimination humbly and graciously...Carry on, guys and good luck to all of you :) I gotta make dinner now while Ash is napping...He doesn't nap for very long, but at least I had time to type this out. |
That sounds like a great idea.
I know I'm not a judge and it only adds to my competition, but I vote Rayne gets a slight extension to get this in. It would be a waste of talent if you don't let her. |
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Waiting on Grades from 2 more Judges, but 3 of them have turned in their verdict for Rayne.
She gets a pass...ergo, she can still thump out her entry for this round based on the idea/premise she panned out...within the next 24 hours. (Its acceptable taking her hospitalisation into consideration and because 2 more Judges are yet to send in their Grades) or She will get a pass for this round, and move into the next round. Either way, its up to Rayne now. |
SCOREBOARD AFTER ELIMINATION ROUND #2
Once again, its a very close battle for elimination this round too. Two Finalists found themselves right in the danger zone, and only a tiny + differentiated between advancing and elimination. First things first, the Judges are unanimous in their decision to give Rayne a Pass into the next round, taking her hospitalisation into account. So she moves on. And now for...the grades :- The winner of ER #2 is... CHRONOGRL - with a solid overall Grade of A-! Second Place goes to... FERRETCHUCKER - overall Grade B+! Third Place goes to... ROSHIQ - overall Grade B! Fourth... BWIND22 - overall Grade B-! That leaves us with two Finalists who stood on the verge of Elimination... Alkytrio666 and The Flayed One! Flayed had a C+ and a C, Alky had a C+ but a C- as well... Alky scored a B+... Flayed scored a couple of B minuses... Alky had a D... and that means... Sorry Alky, you did a wonderful job in this round as well, but you stand eliminated from HDC Idol. Tough luck, my friend. The Flayed One moves on with an overall grade of C+, barely inches away from Alky's C. Elimination Round #3 starts within the next 24 hours. |
Whew! I was sweating that one.
Sorry to see you go Alky. Good game. |
Sorry to see you go, Alky; I know that you've been pressed for time.
Congrats to all!! |
another close & sad elimination! Alky..you have already proved yourself to us in this competition, we'll miss you in coming rounds.
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Wow! Second place? I'm amazed. I was expecting to be near the bottom. Thanks judges, and well done everyone else. Tough luck Alky, but you did do well.
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I was feeling pretty bad about my entry, but I had to put something out there due to deadline.
Sheesh, my the skin of my teeth after taking it all home the previous round is not good. I hope I don't disappoint next round. Congrats, Chrono and everyone else. Alky, you put up a great fight and I know you're really pressed for time to. I look forward to competing with you in the next contest we're both in. |
Hey guys, this was fun! Thanks for the good sportsmanship, and the best of luck to all of you.
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ELIMINATION ROUND #3
I welcome all Finalists to the third Elimination Round of HDC Idol. Each round will result in the elimination of ONE of you until we reach the Final 3, who will advance on to the Grand Finale stage of HDC Idol. Your third Challenge is a challenge, in every meaning of the word. It is a common one for all six of you, and it can be a real test of your intellect. Choose a movie from the 1950s, 60s or 70s and turn it into your version of a 2009 remake. Points to Note :- - You have to mention the original's script outline, and possible tweaks you might be doing in your remake. - You have to mention your casting for the various roles. - You have to mention filming locations, if you have any specific ones in mind. - You can elaborate on your film crew, if you think a particular member (music director, cinematographer, script-writer) should be a part of your remake. - You have to outline your marketing strategy - including viral, if any. Mention how you would convince lovers of old horror movies to come and watch your remake. Grades will be given out, and the worst Grader will be out of HDC Idol. Also, if you do not answer your challenge within the stipulated time, you are automatically eliminated from HDC Idol. Again, we may have more than one Finalist eliminated in Elimination Round #2 itself. Of course, the fittest will survive and continue on. You have 48 Hours to do your research and post your entries (either on here or in a PM to me). Best of Luck!! |
I have mine shortlisted to 3, but I wanted to ask.... Is there any way we can get an extension of 3-4 hours on the deadline? I have a very busy Saturday and I work until 11 on Sunday (which is a half hour after the deadline.) so I'm not sure when I'll have a chunk of time to write mine up until after work Sunday. It's possible I'll be able to fit it in sometime Saturday maybe, but if the deadline could just be a few hours later, I could plan on submitting it after work on Sunday and that'd be very helpful.
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Given the nature of this Challenge and since it is straight Elimination, I will extend the deadline to 72 hours, instead of the usual 48.
Take your own time compiling the comprehensive answers, Finalists. |
Thanks! That helps a ton!
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JAWS (2009)
Directed By: Joel Coen Ethan Coen Produced By: Steven Spielberg J. J. Abrams Music By: John Williams (Original) Hans Zimmer (Revised) Starring: Hugh Jackman as Martin Brody Gary Oldman as Matt Hooper Bill Pullman as Quint Laura Dern as Ellen Brody Malcolm McDowell as Mayor Larry Vaughn Distributed By: Universal Pictures Original Plot: The peaceful town of Amity Island is disturbed by a killer Great White Shark who seems to eat anything and everything in it's way. After an autopsy confirms a shark killed a young woman, the Town's police chief, Martin Brody, is determined to keep the people of his town safe and becomes paranoid, leading to public fear and apprehension. Fearful that the town will lose money with the tourists terrified, the Mayor decides to try and keep it all quiet and discredits Brody and makes the person who did the autopsy lie. A week later, a young boy is attacked and killed by the shark and his mother places a $3,000 bounty on the shark. This provokes many amateurs to try and catch the shark, and a professional, Quint, asks for a $10,000 reward. Brody brings in marine Biologist Matt Hooper who proves that a large tiger shark that has been caught is not the culprit, and also discovers a dead victim under water. After the shark kills again, the mayor hires Quint and he, Brody and Hooper go out to sea, hoping to kill the shark. After several encounters, the shark eats Quint and sinks the ship, only to be blown up by Brody who shoots a pressurized tank in it's mouth. He and Hooper, who was under the water, then swim back to shore. Alterations in Remake: - The shark itself would be largely CGI, save for a few close shots in the finale. - The bounty for the shark would be $13,000, with Quint asking for $20,000. - A scene similar to the helicopter scene in Jaws 2 would happen towards the end. Another group of shark hunters, who antagonize Brody and Quint throughout are after it and chase it in a helicopter in a fast paced scene, firing into the water. The shark disappears. As the Helicopter is searching, they come across the Orca, and hover above it, shouting down at Quint. The shark jumps out of the water, grabbing the helicopter and pulling it down. One of the occupants climbs aboard the Orca. -He and Quint have a brawl which results in him punching Quint, who falls down, only to have the shark emerge and drag him under. -The man from the helicopter dies when he has a grenade, ready to throw at the shark, when the shark rams the boat, causing him to fall of backwards into the water, where the grenade explodes. This causes the boat to start sinking. -In the scene where Brody's son almost dies, Ellen sees the shark and erratically runs and dives into the water to help. She succeeds in saving her son but is herself dragged away by the shark. -The final scene would remain largely the same, however the tank would get into it's mouth because Hooper resurfaces and sees the shark attacking Brody. he throws his dive knife at it to attract it's attention, then taking his suit of and pushing it into the shark's mouth when it attacks him. He then swims back to Brody who shoots the shark. -Whilst out at sea, Brody sees the severed left arm of Ellen, wearing her wedding ring. -Certain bits of dialog would be updated for the time. -The Orca would be a slightly more modern boat than the original -There would be hints throughout the film that Brody is in fact bordering on insanity. -The shark would be 29ft instead of 25ft. Additional Information -The film would be filmed on the island of Martha's Vineyard, as was the original. -The levels of gore would be mostly the same. -The score would be largely the same as the original, however certain pieces of incidental music would be different. -A lot of the suspense of the original would be intact. Marketing -Posters reminiscent of the original. -A website supposedly made by Quint about shark hunting. -A viral video of a news report of a shark attack on Amity Island As for convincing lovers of the original to come and watch it, it would be mainly down to the above and whether or not it convinced them. |
It was a fairly slow night at work so I got a lot of this written up while I was there and then just put the finishing touches on when I got home.
I’ll start my entry by saying that I don’t agree with remakes in general. Once a film has been done, it should be left as is because that’s the director’s artistic vision and film is art. Remaking Night of the Living Dead is comparable to an artist repainting the Mona Lisa. No matter how good the remake is, it’s going to pale in comparison to the original. Modern day remakes show a complete lack of creativity and exemplify the studio’s pursuit of the almighty dollar over supporting the artistic vision of up and coming filmmakers that actually have original ideas. The only reason I can see for studio’s remaking classics is that they know it will sell. My general sentiment is that if a remake must be made, then they should be focusing on remaking films that can be improved upon, not the ones that are near perfection to begin with. Okay, with my disclaimer out of the way, let’s get on with the show… I had my shortlist of three films, Rosemary’s Baby, Phantasm and Eaten Alive. I scratched Rosemary’s Baby because I believe it falls in to the category of an already classic film that is near perfection and therefore I did not feel it could be improved upon. Some of you are probably aware of my distaste for Phantasm and while I do feel it could have been a cooler film with better casting and gore FX, it is still considered by many to be a classic just as it is so I wouldn’t want to do wrong by it’s fans. That leaves me with Tobe Hooper’s Eaten Alive as the film I’ve decided to remake due to the fact that there is plenty of room for improvement here, largely due to the low budget the original was filmed on and vast special FX improvements since it was filmed. |
EATEN ALIVE
Plot Outline of Original- Judd is the rambling, one legged, bible-thumping owner/operator of the Starlite Hotel, a run down roadside motel in the American deep south. In the swamp behind his hotel, Judd keeps a large African Crocodile. A local hooker, Clara, rejects a customer, Buck, request to do her in the pooper and gets herself kicked out of her brothel. She seeks shelter for the night at the Starlite Hotel, where Judd takes exception to her line of work. He mutilates her with his pitchfork then feeds her, still alive, to his pet crocodile out back. A family of three checks in with their dog. The dog quickly becomes Croc food. The family bickers amongst themselves, apparently trying to top Judd in the “crazy” department. The father, Roy, is killed with a scythe and tossed to the Croc. Judd then focuses his attention on the mother, Faye, but before he can finish her off, he’s distracted by the little girl, Angie, screaming. Judd takes a break on assaulting Faye long enough to chase Angie around until she ends up ditching him by hiding underneath the hotel. Judd goes back inside where he binds and gags Faye. Clara’s father, Harvey, and sister, Libby, show up looking for Clara with the local Sheriff & the brothel Madame. Libby wanders off by herself to look for her sister while Judd launches a scythe attack on the others before tossing them to his Croc. Buck, who got rejected by Clara the hooker at the start of the film, picks up a woman at a local bar and brings her to the Starlite Hotel for some sex. Judd ends up tossing Buck in the swamp to his Croc, but Buck’s woman takes off, and ultimately flags down a car and escapes. Libby stumbles upon Faye, who is still bound and gagged and unties her. Just as the two women are about to flee the room, Judd appears and quarrels with Faye as Libby retrieves Angie from beneath the hotel. As Judd battles with Faye, the Croc decides to help himself to some more chow, but mistakenly bites the hand, or should I say head, that feeds and drags Judd in to the swamp for a midnight snack. His wooden peg leg floats to the surface and that’s the last we see of him. Faye, Libby and Angie escape. The end. Plot changes in the Remake- Since Crocodiles are not found in the Louisiana Bayou, my first change would be switching the location of the film to the southern tip of Florida, in the Everglades where Crocodiles are found naturally. This location switch would lend credibility to the premise and realism to the film. Since I’m switching the location, I’d do away with the sound stage settings they used in the original and shoot this film on location, which could ultimately lead to a different name for the hotel as well depending on what the location scouts can find. For the most part, the characters were great and I wouldn’t change much there with the exception of the family that checks in and actually seems to be just as crazy as Judd. I think I’d normalize them a bit to make them more identifiable for the viewers, especially the father. I’d probably do away with Judd’s peg leg to give more credibility to the chase scenes. And the only other character change would be that I’d raise the age of Angie from 8-9 to about 15-16. Instead of just one Crocodile in the swamp, I’d want to the remake to have several, maybe up to a half dozen or so. Since they are native to southern Florida, this would not be far fetched but would allow for a more terrifying experience for the viewers and victims alike, never knowing where the next attack might come from. Not to mention that it’d be gruesomely cool to see the Croc’s ripping their victims apart as they fight for a chunk of meat. The other major plot point I’d change would be letting Judd survive at the end of the film. This would open the door for sequels and also enhance the creepiness factor as viewers consider the possibility that this guy could possibly be out there somewhere, still operating some backwater motel and feeding his patrons to the Croc’s out back. The other main opportunities I see for improving this film are in the areas of plot and Special FX. I’d certainly get someone to rewrite the script so there’s more depth to the story and bring in someone with a lot of experience with creature FX to enhance the realism of the crocodile and the kills scenes. I would steer clear of CGI except in very small doses here or there. While the general plot would remain the same, I do believe that better writing with attentiveness to subplots could really help. I’d also have the rewrite focus on giving us a little bit more of Judd’s backstory since we know so little about this fascinatingly warped character. (More on the FX artist and writer selections can be found in the Crew section of my answer.) Casting- Judd (Hotel Owner)- Bill Moseley (I think he’s perfectly capable of filling the creepy southern redneck with murderous tendencies role.) Roy (Family Father)- Nicky Katt (Under-rated actor that would fit superbly in to the role of a well meaning father that mistakenly leads his tourist family in to the middle of nowhere.) Faye (Family Mother)- Gabrielle Anwar (Solid actress, sexy, believable in positions of vulnerability.) Angie (Family Child)- Natalia Dyer (An unknown actress, but she looks the part. I think a teen in distress is less predictable than a younger child so I upped the age of this character a bit) Libby (Hooker’s Sister)- Michelle Rodriguez (Strong, smart, and looks enough like Jessica Lucas that they would be believable as sisters.) Clara (The Hooker)- Jessica Lucas (Young, sexy, vulnerable. A perfect first victim.) Harvey (Hooker’s Father)- David Zayas (Good actor, has the “regular joe” look, Latino so he’d be believable as the father of Clara & Libby.) Sheriff Martin- Cheech Marin (He’s been in some cool roles lately and think he’d fit in well here as a Hispanic sheriff that lends a little comedic relief to the film before he gets offed.) Miss Hattie (Brothel Madame)- Sharon Stone (A fine actress, fully capable of playing the sultry, sexy, middle aged woman role) Buck (Southern Sleaze ball)- Robert Englund (I’d bring him back to let him reprise his role from the original. There’s no reason Buck needs to be a young man and since he played the part so well in the first one, I see no reason to replace him in the remake. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”) Crew- Director – Eli Roth Writer – Eli Roth, Steve Niles Special FX – Tom Savini (for the gore), Roy Arbogast (for creature FX), Connie Brink (for any CGI) All other Crew positions are of less importance than those mentioned above and I’d feel comfortable leaving them in the hands of the fully capable director. Music, editing, set decoration, cinematography, etc… were not poor in the original so as long as someone could be found to replicate or update what is in the original, those areas would be fine. Marketing- Posters – I’d go with a series of posters… 1 - Depicting a creepy, rundown motel surrounded by dark swampland on a desolate road with a ‘Vacancy’ sign with one of the letters burned out. 2 - Depicting a dark swamp with the eyes of a crocodile barely visible above the surface of the water. 3 - Depicting Bill Moseley as Judd behind the check-in counter of a run down motel wearing a creepy grin. Print Ads – The print ads would mimic the poster campaign. TV – I’d want the trailers to sell the cast, specifically Judd since he’s the central character here, but also Buck, the hooker, the unwitting tourist family and the crocodiles. I’d like to see a lot of fast editing of chases scenes, crocodile attacks and Judd, to let the viewers know it’ll be a fast paced gorefest. I’d also insert a one-liner or two from Judd or Buck to let them know they’ll be in for just a hint of comedy mixed in to their terror. Viral – 1 - Mock missing persons news reports from the south Florida area, including interviews with proprietor of a local motel named Judd who claims he doesn’t know anything about the missing folks, but cautions viewers that the swamp can be a dangerous place, especially at night. 2 – Mock news reports interviewing families with loved ones that have seemingly vanished off the face of the Earth. In regards to luring in old school horror fans, I’d make sure all the marketing pointed out that this is a remake of Tobe Hooper “video nasty” cult classic and also make sure the ads all inform that the films stars Robert Englund and Bill Moseley, both considered modern day horror icons. I’d also be sure to advertise the fact that Tom Savini is heading up the FX department and that Eli Roth is directing. Those are 4 big names in the horror world and when you add in the fact that we’re remaking a video nasty and giving it a modern spin, I think that be enough to tempt the diehard horror fans in to coming out and seeing it. |
Original Film: I BURY THE LIVING (1958)
http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/2...ackpin1ge2.png Remake: BLACK PINS OF DEATH Tagline: Witness the bizarre coincidences that are happening at the Immortal Hills Cemetery. Original Plot Synopsis: Robert Kraft (Richard Boone) is the newly appointed chairman of a committee that oversees a colossal cemetery….the Immortal Hills cemetery; where prominent citizens have the opportunity to reserve their final resting places. The cemetery is so large that a map is kept in the cemetery office displaying the grounds and each grave site. Filled graves are marked by black pins and unoccupied but sold graves are marked with white pins. New to the position and unobservant, Kraft accidentally places a pair of black pins where they don't belong, only to discover later that the young couple who had bought the grave sites in question died in an automobile accident soon afterward. Under repeated tries, he finds that every time he places a black pin over an unoccupied grave, someone dies. This knowledge scares him, and yet some character is around to convince him to try it again to make sure. Thus he's caught up between his conscience and the fear he might be going insane. Kraft slips into deep guilt and depression and believes he is cursed, while the cemetery caretaker (Theodore Bikel in a heavy Scots accent) knows more than he's telling. Meanwhile, it then dawns on him that if he can kills people by sticking black pins into the map maybe he can bring them back by substituting white pins. In finale, Robert goes running through the cemetery and sees that all the recent graves have been opened and the bodies are gone. His plan worked! But is it too late? Positive remarks of the original movie: 'I Bury the Living' is a good example of a 50s low budget genre movie. Though there was very limited budget for the film and few filming locations and no special effects whatsoever, but this was largely made up by the creepy atmosphere and well-written dialogues. The blackly humorous undertones are sublime and the monotonous camera-work adds a great deal to the tension. Overall, it was a uniquely dreamlike horror picture. I Bury the Living is a psychological attack on the mind and the slow demise into despair and guilt. Reasons behind the remake: First of all, I need to clear that for a remake I didn’t like to go for a horror movie of those golden decades of cinema that already has a historical impact in the genre or has a strong fan base that even can’t bear the news like “___ decides to remake ‘___’, one of the classic horror gems/all time great horror movies ever made!” and create a bad impression to the ardent horror fans in it’s very initial stage of filming. So I was looking for a 50’s/60’s or 70’s horror film that has the following 2 qualities:
Alteration in the storyline for the remake (Contains SPOILER for the Original film): We’ll try not to put any major changes till the end as the creepy atmosphere, compelling background score, strong characterization carries the original storyline quite nicely which was simple but very effective. Especially the nightmarish visions of Robert like how the plot map continually grows bigger and bigger and some of the weird montage/super-imposition sequences that happen. Another vital interesting thing was about the cemetery map, the more the camera focuses on the map, the more it starts to look like an abstract drawing of a face glaring out at the viewer…try to maintain the same quality in the remake. But the scene where the police officer asks Robert to put a pin on the map to capture a fugitive criminal dead while he was hiding in another country...I think it’d better to delete this part as it sounds quite funny. Now the most important part…the ending. Many viewers have expressed some disappointment with the ending of this film. The ending has Robert trying to right his wrongs by "reversing the curse". When he replaces the black pins with white, there are several close-ups on the graves of the deceased that clearly show the ground rising from underneath as if a corpse was rising. Now from here the ‘remake’ will greatly differ from the ‘Original’. According to an online source the “original script” of the of I BURY THE LIVING had an ending that shows Robert was to have locked himself in the caretakers shed which was suddenly surrounded by the walking corpses of all the people he had killed by sticking black pins into their grave markers. They do not attack but stand patiently outside calling for him to join them. Richard's grief is so great at having caused their deaths that he dies of a heart attack. But that ISN'T the way it ended, rather it shows the caretaker…Andy McKee was the main culprit who killed the dead ones actually. So at the ending of the remake I like to go with that ‘original script’ but definitely with some alteration like after finding the graves opened and absence of his victim’s corpses Robert will return to the office and locked himself inside by shutting down the windows and the front door under a massive fear of confronting with ‘them’; as if the white pins are also proving to work reverse. Then he’ll first hear some footsteps outside as if they are coming towards the office and after a while it’ll be like ‘they’ are trying to coming inside by breaking through the windows and the door. Here will be some close up plus long shot scenes of Robert (with the map behind him in the wall) which will be shot in a way that can portray an attack on his mind and the slow his demise into despair and guilt that eventually result in death by a heart attack. I don’t like to show the corpses outside the room in a zombie style as I have no intention at all to turn this supernatural as well as psychological thrill ride into a zombie flick at the end. After the death when Robert’s body is lying on the floor the camera will be focus from the up to his body and remain same there but after while the morning comes and more or less every other important characters will be shown in the room around Robert’s dead body and trying to figure out what was happened there last night? The Doctor declared it was a heart attack and the caretaker, Andy tells that he was knocked several times at the doors & windows to call Mr. Robert but he didn’t answer, Andy thought that perhaps he already left the office. But later when others (his girlfriend-Ann and the priest-Jess) came in the morning & looking for him as he didn’t returned home last night then they breakdown the door and find him dead and called Lt. Clayborne (the police). The movie will end when Jess (the priest) see a black pin that has already pinned into the map just at the Robert’s preserved place of grave and when he showed that to the others then Andy McKee..the caretaker who is trying to put the map on the wall (it was lying on the floor as if somehow it felled down) will reply (something like this) “perhaps Mr. Robert… himself… put that there…to finally prove the things that he was saying about the pins and the map!” Mainly the ending will be left for the viewers judgment, like whether the things that happened last night with Ribert were real or just a series of Robert’s mental breakdown or insanity that caused his death!?! This will remain mystery. (continue...) |
Cast & Crew:
Rufus Sewell as Robert Kraft Robert Englund as Andy McKee Marley Shelton as Ann Craig Bruce McGill as George Kraft Paul Giamatti as Jess Jessup Jeffrey Wright Lt. Clayborne Director: Brad Anderson Screenplay: Bruce Joel Rubin Cinematography: Gary B. Kibbe Executive Producer: John Carpenter Music: David Julyan Marketing: There will be some limited premier shows on some major cities of US for Black Pins of Death especially for the old school horror fans where they will get the chance to enjoy the original movie I bury the living just before the remake’s premier. That means there will be back to back shows of both the original & the remake. So that they can compare & judge whether the remakes has some improvements or not. And I think if this premier shows become a success then the positive reviews, news and comments of the viewers and critics on different websites, magazines and TV will definitely able to grab the attention of old movie lovers, which make them convinced to at least give it a watch. As a viral campaign, there will be some mock/fake news at some newspapers plus TV about the temporary close down of the Immortal Hills Cemetery for some unknown/confidential reasons that the authority doesn’t like to disclose. At the bottom of the news (both on newspaper & TV screen) there will be a web site address www.immortalhillscemetery.com which will just look like the cemetery map from the movie with a close view. Every plot of the grave will be named after the different site options like Home page, about the story, cast & crew, related links etc. And when someone open the site his/her curser of mouse will turned into a black pin within the screen of the site. In the release of 2-disc Special Edition DVD of Black Pins of Death, there will be also both versions (original & remake) of the film on the discs. |
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I agree completely. I chose Jaws simply because I had some ideas I think could work, I do not think it should be remade. |
ferretchucker- the idea of remaking Jaws is not a terrible one, but enhancing the bigness of things by 20% isn't quite grounds for a remake. I think the problem here was that your respect for the source material got in the way of perceiving imperfections. The rival shark hunters were a good idea because Jaws' main problem is that the human drama, outside of the excellent bonding scenes with the main cast falls flat. Consider the motivations for these rival hunters. Maybe one of them is an ex-lover of Ellen Brody's. Or if Malcolm McDowell's your mayor, maybe he has a good reason for keeping the beach open, one besides tourism. The germ of a good idea is present. Also, perhaps look into an older, more interesting actor for Quint. Harvey Keitel has toughness, intellect and sensitivity to add dimensions to the old salt that are unexpected.
Bwind- Brilliant! This is definitely a film that could endure a remake and it would invigorate the original. I love this movie, but I can definitely see how it could bare a modern treatment. With a more creative viral marketing campaign, this one could be a fun, cult contemporary cult hit. Roshiq-Creative choice. I'm not too sure what updating this movie does for it, but I like seeing out of the box thinking like this. |
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Ferret- Agreeing with the Doc on this one. The solution of "we'll add CGI and everyone will come see it!" is one of the worst things about remakes of horror movies. Some of the casting seems off to me as well. Additionally- this doesn't seem like a likely Coen Brothers project. This was an average effort.
Bwind- You get major kudos for your diatribe about remakes. I couldn't say it any better myself. I also like your ideas for updating the script. Setting it in Florida is a perfect choice, and I like the emphasis on a grittier more realistic approach. However, in south Florida you are far more likely to have a mayor of Cuban ancestry than Hispanic. High marks from me. Roshiq- Really an excellent choice for a remake, if done right. One major quibble right from the start though- in this day there would be no map with pins on it- it would all be computerized. If you can get past that, you have some excellent ideas. There are some missteps at the end, IMO. Why not have some brief shots of zombie like creatures? They could be explained as Robert's visions, and could be very scary. Too much explaination at the end. Just show the priest finding the black pin on Robert's location and end it there. Really excellent research on your part though, including finding the original script and deciding to go with the original ending. An excellent if flawed enffort. And for all of you- enough with the "fake news reports" kind of marketing. It's tired and old already. |
Elimination Round Entry
Personally, I am of the opinion that remakes are generally surperfluous unless they do one of the following:
With my proposed remake, I plan to do at least two of those things when I pitch my remake for… MATANGO, or ATTACK OF THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE (1963) Original Script Outline: The story is framed by the off-screen narrative of the sole survivor of a failed pleasure cruise. From him we know the story: A group of affluent tourists and their Skipper go off on a vacation yacht trip (not unlike Gilligan’s Island’s three hour tour and, coincidentally contains both a Professor AND a Skipper) when they run afoul of rough weather and crash on a seemingly deserted island. The characters are actual characatures: A Professor, his Assistant, a Movie Star, a Writer, a Skipper and First Mate. While stranded, they discover the remains of a research ship covered with mysterious mold and captain’s logs indicating “mysterious happenings.” Above all, they know that, no matter what, they should not eat the mushrooms on the island. Eventually, it’s found that there is no food on the island, so they wind up eating the mushrooms, resulting in hallucinations, deformity, and insanity, attempting to convince the non-eaters (or, metaphorically, the “innocents) to eat the mushrooms. The overlying themes are Temptation (the players turning into modern-day Lotus-Eaters), indictment of drug-abuse (a relevant theme in the 60s), and changes mores in the younger generation in Japanese culture. Matango is also somewhat a precursor to Slashers (sexual people who succumb to their appetites wind up ultimately being destroyed). Of course, our narrator escapes to tell the tale… From within a hospital. Remake Script Outline and Changes: To make an obvious nod to the original, we will entitle the movie The Matango Project, ironically titled by its characters within the film. Instead of a group of hapless victims, we will remove the obvious Gilligan’s Island metaphor and morph our characters into purposeful visitors of this wilderness: A documentary film crew who are there to study a rare strain of the Cordyceps Fungus. The frame of the movie will still be from the sole survivor, piecing together his team’s documentary footage to plead his case to his doctors and employers that he did not kill his team and using the bits and pieces of his documentary to frame his innocence. Unlike the original movie, this film will be ground in “reality,” taking actual documentary footage to frame its introduction to both the audience and the on looking doctors within the frame of our narrative. Five documentary filmmakers are stranded in Irian Jaya attempting to do research on this fungus. Instead of finding an abandoned research vessel, they find an old and abandoned research camp with notes in an unidentified and unreadable language. What they DO find is stop-motion footage: (We will need to secure the rights to either this footage or similar footage to create the fungus horror metaphor that we are about to reveal): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCOQ0VU24xw The above clip shows an ant infected by the Cordyceps Fungus. It becomes crazy, erratic. Its fellow colonists drag its body and abandon it away from the tribe so as not to infect its inhabitants. Then, finally, the fungus bursts through the ant’s head. Adding horror to this clip is the silence surrounding it. If you haven’t figured it out yet, this is what our characters have to look forward to. When one of them becomes ill, the remaining four are left to decide what to do – isolate the subject? Call for help and abandon the work? As the sickness begins to take effect, the primal side of humanity begins to come out: Can and should they isolate each other? Can they honestly abandon their team members? Also, in a nice modern twist, the fungus is spread by an explosion of the head and possible transmition of the fungus into open orifices. Talk about a nice splatter addition! Instead of the themes touched upon in the original film, The Matango Project will instead focus on more modern themes: Environmental horror (how our greed and need to invade nature can lead to our devise; how the environment has evolved to attack not just insects, but homo sapiens as well), man vs. nature, and man vs. The Machine (there is the undertone of complete this project to secure “funding” and satisfy the corporate backers of this documentary). Cinematic Changes: Also unlike the original movie, we will shift the third-person directorial focus to the first-person shaky cam perspective. While some critics might say that this medium has been done, The Matango Project will aim to reinvent how the first-person cinematic narrative has been executed with the added construct of the nature documentary. Our characters are professional photographers and will take first-person shooting to a new level with gorgeous, sweeping nature shots of the terrain intermixed with well-framed still shots and, of course, the first-person shaky cam. Where the original film was shot in the South Pacific, The Matango Project will be shot in Irian Jaya, the northwest tip of Papua New Guinea. The reason for this location is that the Cordycepts Fungus is actually found here and this is still an incredibly remote and isolated location. In short, The Matango Project will not only re-envision the viral horror of Matango, but also the shaky, first-person narrative film technique. (Continued) |
Elimination Round Entry Part II
Cast and Crew:
Director(s): Eduardo Sánchez, who proved that he can capture raw human emotion and insanity in Altered, also proved that he can handle the first-person narrative (in Blair Witch Project). For the sweeping panoramic nature shots, he will collaborate with Alastair Fothergill, director of “Blue Planet.” Writer: Eduardo Sánchez, brought in again for his experience with Blair Witch and Altered. Cast: For the cast, I would like to hire mostly unknowns (or lesser-knowns), to emphasize the “found” element of this footage. Also, to emphasize the “reality” of the documentary, the characters will be named after the actors playing them out. Wentworth (“The Professor”): The Matango Project is Professor Wentworth’s baby. He is a research scholar with a PhD and multiple nature documentaries under his belt. He is out living his dream – Filming the Cordyceps Fungus while being heavily financed by an unnamed corporate investor. Professor Wentworth will be played by Scott Wentworth, whose role in Diary of the Dead proves that he can be the self-preserving mentor under pressure. Not exactly a protector, but not a pure victim either. Aaron: Aaron is our hero and sole survivor. He frames the narrative through which we see this film. He is the direct report and assistant of The Professor, who experiences conflict when he sees that this project is going downhill. How can he reason with the one whom he considers his mentor? For this role I would like to cast Aaron Douglas who, within his role on Battlestar Galactica has shown that he can play loyal follower, but also incensed leader. Alanna: Alanna is the young, innocent film crew member and nature-lover. She is the love interest of Aaron and also the film’s paradigm of innocence (very much like her original Matango counterpart). Aside from her innocence, she also needs to be a believable threat when she is overcome by the virus. For this role, I would like to cast Alanna Chisholm who, in her role in The Chair, showed that she can go from innocent victim to deranged psychopath in the course of an evening. Kim: Kim is the toughened outdoorsy adventurer film crew member, lending a slight foil to Alanna’s innocence. She is tough and hardened and the first person to suggest the abandoning of her fallen and falling comrades. She has had experience in documentary filmmaking before and seems to be most in-tuned with the dangers that nature has to offer (as opposed to Alanna’s flighty more simplistic nature sympathizer). Kim seems the first person to understand their peril. For this role, I would like to cast Kim Blair, the Odysseus-like ARMY homecoming daughter in Mulberry Street. No stranger to horror, she proves that she can act tough in even the most outrageous situations. Jake: Jake is the more stereotypical documentary crew member – one part environmental activist, three parts hippy stoner (a nod to the anti-drug themes of the original, but not a central piece to his character nor of the plot). Jake is the one in the film who, jokingly, refers to their excursion as “The Matango Project;” the rube naming their fate. Jake is the first character to become ill from the fungus. For this role, I would cast Jake Muxworthy who, in Borderland, showed that he can play the smart but loose party boy but sober up quickly to become panicked, paranoid victim. Marketing The Matango Project will be pitched and marketed as a revisioning of the original. Fans of the original will not be turned off as this is not a carbon-copy, but rather a modernization of a cult classic with revised themes and cinematic technology. In terms of viral marketing, we will create two fake websites: One is the personal website of Wentworth, chronicling and listing all of his “previous projects” (licensed actual documentary footage) with a blurb about his “current project.” The second website will be of a similar site: Planet Discovery, the environmental corporation funding this expedition. There will be various documentary footage in particular, footage showing the exploitation of nature for the cause of science (but pitched as “intellectual”). There will also be mention of their “current project.” |
Holy crap, Chrono- that documentary footage is chilling. A truly plausable, harrowing premise for a horror film. You knocked it out of the ballpark, IMO. As to the marketing- why not actually sponsor some new research into this fungus? Your film could in fact become NEWS.
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The first time that I saw that footage I was horrified and memorized at the same time. Even rewatching it, it just makes me SHUDDER. I'm glad that you like it. And thanks for the feedback. :) I agree with the Marketing - I think it's the one part of my pitch that's SERIOUSLY lacking. I was just exhausted when it came to that part... I really like the idea about sponsoring more research and having more actual documentary clips re: this fungus and other subtle predatory parts of nature (check out the stop motion fungus takeover of Planet Earth: Jungles: Growing Fungi). I really like the spin of natural horror juxtaposed with sensationalized fictional horror. Also, the concept of nature evolving and finding a way to combat its biggest natural threat - Us - is both petrifying, science fictional, but grounded in truth. I like the idea of an environmental horror film ACTUALLY gaining news based on its sponsored documentaries - Great way to spread awareness of the film AND environmental issues. |
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Otherwise, we should go for a remake with the same time period of the original one.:D Quote:
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Thanks to NE & Doc for your precise comments and suggestions and kudos to Chrono for come up with a pretty brave and great project. Now just for fun I like to tell you the idea that I though at first after getting the challenge. :D Though _V_ precisely mentioned to choose a movie from the 1950s, 60s or 70s, but I dared to outlined a film that consists 3 remakes of each decades. Something like Bava's Black Sabbath but instead of having 3 independent short horror stories this film (which I even titled as The Unusual) would have 3 short-length remakes of 3 different films of 50's, 60's and 70's. Like from 50's there would be a short length remake of I bury the Living, from 60's there would be a S.L. remake of Diary of a Madman or The Skull (I was bit confused to choose between this two) and finally from 70's there would be a remake of British horror The Asphyx (a pretty interesting story). And these 3 tales would be told by an old man to his nephew regarding his personal favorite horror films of his time and as the nephew haven't seen those movies yet so he just visualized those stories with present day's scenario. The selection of movies was primarily based on the synopsis that I have read on different movie sites. Anyways, as I haven't seen before or have no chance to see right now the above selected movies from 60's & 70's so I didn't finally make myself convince enough to go for the remakes of such movies that I even haven't seen at all! Moreover, it would be 3 times more pressure for me to answering the challenge that way. But luckily I found Albert Band's I Bury the Living divided into 8 parts on youtube and loved it for a remake.:) |
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I'm going to take a major risk here. Seeing as how I've been taking risks throughout the competition, some turning out better than others, I'm going to have to follow my heart again and do what I originally set out to do.
I thought about this long and hard. I'm remaking not only a masterpiece, but an Asian movie which has been overdone as of late and could bring the backlash of a lot of people. I'm also doing more of a re-imagining than a straight remake, which might bring the wrath of the judges as well. Nevertheless, I'll do what I feel gives me the best shot of moving on. Kwaidan Directed by: Jim Jarmusch Written by: Chuck Palahniuk Original Plot (as taken from IMDB): This film contains four distinct, separate stories. "Black Hair": A poor samurai who divorces his true love to marry for money, but finds the marriage disastrous and returns to his old wife, only to discover something eerie about her. "The Woman in the Snow": Stranded in a snowstorm, a woodcutter meets an icy spirit in the form of a woman spares his life on the condition that he never tell anyone about her. A decade later he forgets his promise. "Hoichi the Earless": Hoichi is a blind musician, living in a monastery who sings so well that a ghostly imperial court commands him to perform the epic ballad of their death battle for them. But the ghosts are draining away his life, and the monks set out to protect him by writing a holy mantra over his body to make him invisible to the ghosts. But they've forgotten something. "In a Cup of Tea": a writer tells the story of a man who keep seeing a mysterious face reflected in his cup of tea. Changes in the remake: I'm going to set the film in the American pioneer days along the Oregon trail. I'm keeping the titles and basic plots of the stories the same, with the exception of Hoichi the Earless. In “Black Hair,” a Wyoming frontiersman leaves his Native American wife to move west to California to marry a rich business mans daughter. He becomes miserable, and returns to his true love in the cabin in Wyoming to discover that she is no longer who she used to be. His once beautiful wife has died and become possessed by the spirit of the woods to bring her vengeance to him. In “The Woman in the Snow,” two aspiring miners get lost in a snowstorm in Montana. When they bed down for the night, they are visited by the spirit of a beautiful snow woman, who cannibalizes the elder. She agrees to spare the youngers life if he never speaks again. Years later, the young man has struck gold and made it big in San Francisco. He opens a bank, and engages himself to a beautiful Irish immigrant. Right before their wedding night, he tells her the truth of what happened all those years ago. Little does he know that his wife is the snow woman in disguise, come to test his vows. Hoichi the Earless will be changed to “Margaret's Tale.” In the story, Margaret is a young blind daughter of a family heading west with a beautiful singing voice. She hopes to sing in California and help support her family while they try to make a new life. They get caught in a snowstorm in the mountains, and many of them die. Out of food and starving, one night Margaret is lured into the woods by a gentleman who offers her food for her and her family in trade for song. When she arrives, there are groups of people in cabins awaiting her. After she sings many songs, they give her hot food and direct her to give it to her party but not inform them of where it came from, lest there be no more. After several nights, Margaret is followed into the woods by a young man who has eyes for her. He discovers her singing to the ghostly spirits of the Donner party, whom have been feeding them the meat of other wayward travelers in exchange for entertainment. In “A Cup of Whiskey,” we see a young business man drinking and being merry in a saloon. When he peers in his glass of whiskey, he sees the face of a Spanish conquistador. Shaking it off, he drinks it down and continues to celebrate. Flashing back, we see the conquistador employing native slaves to mine gold, and then murdering them and taking all they produced. While the man tries to sleep, the ghost of the conquistador haunts him and tells him he has wronged him. The man tries to fight off the ghost, driving himself to insanity. In the final moments, we see all the wrong the young man has done to others as he slowly puts a gun into his mouth. Cast: Mickey Rourke – Husband (Black Hair) Monique Curnen – First Wife (Black Hair) Reese Witherspoon – Second Wife (Black Hair) Jeffrey Donovan – Young man (Woman in the Snow) Bryce Dallas Howard – Snow Maiden (Woman in the Snow) Maggie Gyllenhaal – Margaret (Margaret's Tale) Michael Wincott - Gentleman (Margaret's Tale) Guy Pearce – Young Businessman (A Cup of Whiskey) Joaquin Phoenix - Conquistador (A Cup of Whiskey) Campaign: For posters, I would do one for each separate story. No words on the poster, just a picture to create the feeling of desolation and loneliness I want to convey to the movie goer. For TV campaigns, I'd rely heavy on the learning channels to recount supposed ghost tales of the pioneer days and do my best to have interviews with people who had pioneer ancestors tell what their grandparents told them of the hardships. For viral, I'd encourage all comers to retell their American heritage ghost stories that they've learned from pioneer days, and publish a magazine to be sent to all subscribers for free. I'd insert versions of all four tales told within the pages of the periodical, trying to invite realism and a sense of heritage to the stories that we're telling. I'll also try to use as little FX as possible. I want all four of these stories to be as dialogue and atmosphere driven as possible. If I can stray from using CGI at all, I will. |
Well, I like it very much, Mr. Flayed. I think horror films set in the American old West is an underused choice, one that has a lot of potential. I'm a big fan of Jim Jarmush and I think he would take to this project, especially in light of his film Dead Man. He's also done episodic films as well. Great choice.
Chuck Palahniuk I'm not so sure about. He's pretty modern in his focus and I'm not sure if this would be a good project for him. Kudos for bringing in the Donner Party story. Why there hasn't been a major motion picture made of this episode is beyond me. I also like your ad campaigns. People are fascinated with the old West and with ghost stories as well. Cable channels are rife with shows that would welcome your sponsorship. With the exception of Chuck Palahniuk, an excellent offering. |
Joe Lansdale, not Pahlaniuk.
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So I FINALLY caught up with reading all the entries.
Ferret - Fantastic action sequences, but, out of curiosity, why Jaws? And what other movies were you considering? Bwind - I've never seen Eaten Alive, but that sounds fantastic! Roshiq - I've never seen I Bury The Living, BUT NOW I WANT TO. Holy CRAP what a great movie to adapt if done properly. And despite NE's qualm about the pins, I can imagine a secluded and not technologically-savvy cemetery not having it all computerized. I think that the pins work and are REALLY well-used. :D Flayed - "Margret's Tale" is my favorite of all of them. Simpletly phenomenal. I WANT TO SEE IT! To All: Bwind mentioned the other movies he was considering remaking... What were your other choices? Just curious. I mulled over remaking The Incredible Shrinking Man but for the purpose of making it thematically relevant to today's political climate. Glad I didn't. lol Quote:
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I think I chose Jaws because I love the film, and though I wouldn't want it to be remade, I've always wondered what it would be like if it was made a bit later, mainly around the time that my favorite film came out, Jurassic Park. How would it differ? Faster or slower paced etc. Also, the day before I got the challenge, me and my Drama teacher were discussing Jaws. I did briefly consider The Birds but decided against it. Jaws came to my head straight after and then I just went with it. |
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And Flayed, the rest of my feedback: Good use of Kwaidan. Jarmusch might not be the man for the job on this one, but he's a creative enough choice. I think what might be good for viral marketing and has worked before in antho films would be choosing a different director for each of the four ghost stories. I like the other things you're doing for viral marketing, to help enhance the Americanness of the whole thing. |
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