MOVIES
Daybreakers - 1/9This vampire thriller made the festival rounds last fall, and the buzz has been quite positive. With the perpetually angsty Ethan Hawke in the lead, it tells the story of a world overrun by vampires, in which both bloodsuckers and humans must find a way to survive. So basically I Am Legend with smarter vampires and more survivors?
The Wolfman - 2/12
The project everyone seems to be waiting for, including yours truly. I've been reporting on this thing literally since The Vault of Horror launched. Will it be an awesome reinvention of the Universal classic, or does the neverending stream of catastrophes associated with it indicate maximum suckage? Only one thing is certain: By contracting "Wolf Man" into one word, the character now sounds more like an accountant than a bloodthirsty monster.
Shutter Island - 2/19I always wanted a Scorsese horror movie, and at last I'm getting one. And you can call it "thriller" all you want, Paramount marketers, but this baby is a horror movie--embrace it! Marty has proven he can do it all: gangster pictures, musicals, period films, biblical epics, and now a fright flick. If only DeNiro and Pesce could make a cameo appearance and give Leo an old-school stompdown...
A Nightmare on Elm Street - 4/30
I've said it before, and I'll say it again--count me among the interested. Not a fan of the new makeup, but Jackie Earle Haley is a very promising Freddy, and I think this one may be a lot better than most expect it to be. Although after most of Platinum Dunes' previous remakes, the bar is not particularly high.
The Descent 2 - (release TBD)It's already been released elsewhere around the world, but we're Americans, so none of that really matters to us. Bottom line is, the highly anticipated sequel to Neil Marshall's superb film--voted here on The Vault as the finest horror flick of the past 20 years--will be coming to U.S. shores at some point in the new year.
Let Me In - (release TBD)
Sigh. I will not, repeat, NOT be going to see this sacrilege in theaters, as I do not wish to monetarily contribute to such a wrong-headed clusterf*ck of a remake. I will, however, be checking it out via other means at some point... How can you resist the perverse urge to see exactly how completely Matt Reeves and company will utterly violate the finest horror film of the 21st century?
Survival of the Dead - (release TBD)Not sure, but I'm thinking this will be going direct-to-video--that seems to be the progression that's been going on with Romero's latter-day zombie movies. Festival responses have been somewhat mixed, but I take that with a grain of salt, since I very much enjoyed both Land of the Dead and particularly Diary of the Dead. And this looks like it may be better than both of those. So what do I know?
Other stuff worth mentioning: Legion (lookout, killer angels!!); The Crazies (Romero gets the remake treatment); Season of the Witch; Piranha 3-D (carnivorous fish flying at your face!!); Saw VII (yep.... yep.)
P.S. Check out another great 2010 movie preview over at Monster Land...
TELEVISION
The Walking Dead (airdate TBD)
AMC, the people who seem to be at the forefront of quality TV series these days, bring you the anxiously awaited series adaptation of Robert Kirkman's fan favorite zombie comic book. I lost my enthusiasm for the book long ago, but I've long hoped that someone would have the good sense to adapt it to the small screen, so I'll surely be tuning in.
Dexter, Season 5 (September)Rita is dead. Debra is closer than ever to discovering her stepbrother's true nature. The FBI is sure to pick up on Dex's connection to the Trinity Killer. In short, life for America's favorite serial killer has gotten pretty messed up. It will be fascinating indeed to see how the guy will be able to go on, and if he will continue to indulge his "dark passenger". Plus, will he now be arguing with TWO ghosts instead of one?
True Blood, Season 3 (June)
HBO's vampire series picked up a ton of steam and a serious fan following with the second season, and a lot of people are waiting to see what will happen next. Eric will most certainly be making his play for Sookie, and speaking of the lovely Southern belle, will we find out what the deal was with that weird new power she discovered? Rumor has it we will also be getting werewolves (vamp vs. werewolf? hmmm...) and meeting the Vampire King of Mississippi.
NOVELS
The New Dead: A Zombie Anthology - 2/16A new zombie fiction collection? Count me in. There have been some good ones in recent years, and with contributions from the likes of Joe Hill, Max Brooks and Jonathan Maberry, this one looks like a keeper.
Pride & Prejudice & Zombies: The Graphic Novel - 5/4
With the rumored TV miniseries not coming until next year, this looks to be your fix for all things Jane Austen/ghoul related in 2010.
Ancestor: A Novel by Scott Sigler - 5/4
I thoroughly enjoyed Sigler's 2008 tome Infected--he's definitely one to watch. This particular project began life as a series of audio podcasts sold online last year to an extremely positive reaction. This is the first time it's appearing in printed form.
Under the Dome by Stephen King - 9/13The master of horror fiction's latest novel, first published last November, comes to paperback. I've had a love/hate relationship with the nation's most famous Red Sox fan since Four Past Midnight, but the author's return to supernatural horror does sound reasonably compelling.
Other stuff worth mentioning: Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton (those Anita Blake novels do seem to have a significant following...); Horns by Joe Hill; Abe Sapien: The Drowning by Mike Mignola; The Ghoul by Steve Niles & Bernie Wrightson (classic Swamp Thing artist, kick-ass!); Frankenstein: Lost Souls by Dean Koontz (the latest in Koontz' own take on the classic character)