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HORROR HAPPENINGS: R.L. Stine’s FEAR STREET Movie Coming, Update on THE SHINING Prequel

Hey there, horror friends! Here’s hoping you had a lovely week and were lucky enough to pay a visit to New York Comic Con where  Nerdist’s own Dan Casey was holding down the fort with lots of crazy interviews (and even an appearance from yours truly, moderating the From Dusk Till Dawn panel for the El Rey network). There was lots of exciting news this week regarding upcoming movies we can expect to hit the big screen, so let’s get to it!

R. L. Stine’s Fear Street Series Following Goosebumps to the Big Screen!

First thing is first: in case you missed it, stop everything you’re doing and watch our latest and greatest Nerdist Presents starring the one and only Jack Black and Malik Forte in “The Bumps Gonna Goose Ya“:

With Goosebumps hitting theaters on the 16th, it’s little to no surprise that it was recently confirmed that another beloved horror series penned by R. L. Stine will be making its way to the big screen: Fear Street!!!

According to The Wrap, 20th Century Fox and Chernin Entertainment will be bringing the books to life. The Fear Street series has 100 titles to its credit and released its most recent installment this month. The stories revolved around a mysterious town, Shadyside, Ohio, and lots and lots of teen angst. Oh yeah, and MURDER!!! They appeared to be aimed at teenage girls and were one of my favorite things as a young horror-loving gal. There is no official release date or additional details confirmed, but you can bet that we’ll keep you updated faster than you can say “Simon Fier.”

Screenwriter and Producer James Vanderbilt Gives Update on The Shining Prequel Overlook Hotel

I don’t necessarily think that prequels are a bad idea. Granted, they can end up be completely useless like the 2011 movie The Thing or they can end up being completely bad-ass like Rise and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. So call me cautiously optimistic and most definitely intrigued by the planned Warner Bros. prequel to the Stanley Kubrick film The Shining. Penned by The Walking Dead and upcoming series Damien scribe Glen Mazzara, we’ve been hearing buzz about the movie for what feels like a while with no firm details officially announced.

This week, James Vanderbilt gave an interview to Collider and discussed the potential plot of the movie, which is slated to be directed by One Hour Photo director Mark Romanek. In addition to expressing enthusiasm for Romanek’s take on the film, Vanderbilt also clued fans in on what not to expect from the project, saying, “You want a real filmmaker like Mark doing it… Honestly I think people will really be excited about it, because it’s not like ’20 Years Before The Shining!’ I don’t want to give too much away about the story but the way [screenwriter] Glen [Mazzara] cracked it and the way Mark has sort of cracked it, it’s completely its own film, which I think is super smart. It’s not like, ‘When Scatman Crothers was young, he…’ it’s not that.”

You know what this sounds like to me? A period piece—and I am totally fine with that. I think when it comes to bouts with the supernatural, especially in such a tech savvy world, a little trip back in time does wonders for the imagination. Plus, the more distance from the Kubrick classic, the better and I actually would like to see some of the previous residents of the Overlook.

But what about you? Is The Shining a cinematic precious and should never be touched again? After all, even Stephen King himself recently returned to that world with his novel sequel Doctor Sleep. Tell us if you’re excited for Overlook Hotel and a Fear Street movie in the comments!

Featured Image Credit: jdelgado via deviantART

Clarke Wolfe writes Horror Happenings for Nerdist every Sunday. You can follow her on Twitter @clarkewolfe.

 

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