Welcome back to “Horror Happenings!” This week, updates on the sequel to The Conjuring, including a subtitle and what that means, a documentary about late producer Debra Hill and more! Let’s see what’s going on in cinematic scary stories…
James Wan Directed The Conjuring 2: The Endfield Poltergeist to Hit Screens on June 10, 2016
This week in horror news kicked off with some major news about the follow up to The Conjuring, the 2013 summer smash horror hit. We learned recently that James Wan will return to direct the sequel and now The Hollywood Reporter is saying that the title of the movie will be The Conjuring 2: The Endfield Poltergeist and will hit theaters on June 10, 2016. A quick Google search for “Endfield Poltergeist” reveals that this was a ghost encounter taking place in Endfield, England in the late 1970s and was investigated by Ed Warren.
Halloween, The Fog, Escape From New York Producer Debra Hill Documentary Announced
On Halloween, I wrote a piece about the late producer Debra Hill for Nerdist, remembering her for all of the, I would argue, underappreciated work she did not only in her career but especially in her relationship with horror master John Carpenter. Hill co-wrote and produced Halloween, The Fog, Escape from New York, Halloween II and Escape from LA with Carpenter and yet she is rarely remembered by horror fans for her contributions. This week it was announced that a feature length documentary about Hill would be created.
According to the press release,  “Filmmaking team DPYX (Marcy Boyle and Rachel Holzman) will write, direct and produce The Debra Hill Documentary, a feature documentary about the late, legendary filmmaker. Lotti Pharriss Knowles of Weirdsmobile Productions will executive produce. This will be the first film about Debra Hill, and by telling her story, the filmmakers hope to preserve an important piece of the empowering history of women in Hollywood.”
Insidious Chapter 3 Moves Its Release Date
A press release regarding the feature film directorial debut of Saw and Insidious franchise co-creator and screenwriter Leigh Whannell, Insidious Chapter 3, will hit theaters a few weeks later than planned. The film will now be coming to cinemas on June 5, 2015. The popular low-budget horror franchise has released a creepy poster and an ominous teaser trailer over the past month, the teaser revealing that the film is, in fact, a prequel! Something that up until recently was not widely known. Insidious Chapter 3 stars Dermot Mulroney, Stefanie Scott, Lin Shaye, Angus Sampson and Leigh Whannell.
M. Night Shyamalan Returning to the Horror Game on September 11, 2015
In a bit of controversial news, Universal Pictures via Blumhouse Productions will be releasing the new, top-secret M. Night Shyamalan thriller The Visit in September of 2015. Deadline reports that Shyamalan self-financed the film and shot it on location in Pennsylvania. Shyamalan came out of the gate with a bang, writing, directing and producing the box office smash and Academy Award nominated film The Sixth Sense starring Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment and Toni Collette. Shyamalan went on to write and direct Unbreakable and Signs but began to fall out of favor with critics with his film The Village. The Lady in the Water was a big flop and his name has been synonymous with “twist endings” and ridiculous “How did this get made and with Mark Wahlberg?” — I’m looking at you, The Happening — concepts. He’s now known for big studio movies like The Last Airbender and After Earth, films that audiences and critics alike have panned but have both gone on to make hundreds of millions of dollars at the global box office somehow. Deadline is reporting that The Visit is a return to the smaller thrillers of earlier in Shyamalan’s career.
Horror happenings was good this week. I’m excited for the next Conjuring and Insidious. Clarke it sucks you’re no longer doing the bloodcast, I caught the last episode.really enjoyed it,you and Ryan are great.