The classic 1955 movie The Night of the Hunter was adapted from Davis Grubb’s same-titled novel, and we’ve learned tonight that a brand new adaptation is now in the works.

THR reports this afternoon that Scott Derrickson (Sinister, The Black Phone) will be directing the new take on The Night of the Hunter, with C. Robert Cargill (Sinister) writing.

Derrickson will write the script alongside Cargill, the report adds.

Cargill previews on the platform formerly known as Twitter tonight, “For those unfamiliar, Night of the Hunter was based on a novel that was *MUCH DARKER* than the 1950s would allow. Very excited about this project and thrilled we can finally talk about it.”

The Night of the Hunter follows a religious fanatic, con man and murderer who marries a widow, knowing that her deceased husband had hid $10,000 from authorities following a bank robbery. The widow’s young children are reluctant to tell him where their real dad hid the money as the man plots more sinister ways to find where to find the cash.

Peter Gethers will produce through his KramMar Delicious Mystery Productions, and Amy Pascal will produce through her Pascal Pictures first look deal with Universal Pictures.

In an article right here on Bloody Disgusting, Meagan Navarro called 1955’s The Night of the Hunter a “southern Gothic masterpiece,” adding that the Robert Mitchum-starring film is “a beautiful work of art as well as a chilling horror tale that has influenced many modern filmmakers.” That original movie adaptation was directed by Charles Laughton.

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There haven’t been all that many Easter-themed horror movies over the years, with most fans agreeing that Mick Garris’ Critters 2 still remains the definitive Easter horror movie.

It’s not the only one, of course, with the “Easter” segment of horror anthology Holidays being a personal favorite of mine. But the pickings for Easter horror are slim, to say the least.

The good news? A brand new Easter horror movie has added itself to the mix this week, with the indie effort Easter Bloody Easter now available for rental on VOD outlets.

The bad news? Well, it’s probably not very good. In fact, Geof Capodanno gave the film just 2 stars in his review for Bloody Disgusting, which you can read right here.

Geof writes, “You can tell the film is a passion project with a limited budget, and everyone is having a blast making it. While that is always commendable, it shouldn’t be used to excuse its inflated running time, pacing issues and abrupt tone-shifting. These flaws ultimately drag the film down from achieving cult classic status, which absolutely seemed to be the goal.”

But if you want to give this one a chance, you’ll find it on VOD outlets now!

Here’s the official synopsis: “The film follows Jeanie (Diane Foster), who, after discovering her husband missing and his car wrecked with blood and fur, embarks on a journey with her friend Carol to uncover the truth behind the town’s dark legend of the killer Jackalope — a shapeshifting human-rabbit hybrid that terrorized the area a century and a half ago. Now, Jeanie and Carol must team up with professional bunny slayer Megan to save their small Texan town — on the eve of celebrating “Easter-palooza” — and stop the Jackalope once and for all.”

From what we gather, the team is hoping that Easter Bloody Easter will launch a franchise, but that of course depends on how many people plunk down their money to check it out.

Do we have a new Easter horror franchise on our hands? Or will the Critters franchise forever remain the reigning king of that arena? Check out Easter Bloody Easter on VOD to find out.

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Christmas and Halloween reign supreme in terms of holiday-themed horror to the point that every other holiday pales in comparison when it comes to horror offerings. Easter does have a few selections to offer, but many of them don’t lean into any familiar holiday motifs. Then there are the horror films that get lumped in simply because the villain bears likeness to the Easter bunny. It can be slim pickings. That’s okay, though, because we really only need one solid horror movie to celebrate Easter with. One that isn’t afraid to spill some Easter bunny blood.

Critters 2: The Main Course is that definitive Easter horror movie.

Co-written by David Twohy (Warlock, Pitch Black) and director Mick Garris (The Stand, Masters of Horror), Critters 2 makes clever use of the holiday as a means to implement those remaining Crite eggs stashed away in a barn from the end of Critters. They’re discovered and sold to a shop in Grover’s Bend, to be painted and used in the town’s annual Easter egg hunt. The holiday is also an excuse for plucky hero Brad Brown (Scott Grimes) to make his return, having been laughed out of town between films due to his tales of man-eating aliens. In this sequel, he’s back to visit with his grandma for the holiday weekend.

Of course, those eggs hatch during the Easter egg hunt, leading to one fantastic sequence that sees the Sheriff, unamused about donning the Easter bunny suit in the first place, get a crotch full of carnivorous Critter babies. Brad and his buddy, resident town drunk Charlie (Don Keith Opper), might have once been the black sheep of Grover’s Bend, but their experience with the pint-sized monsters makes them invaluable when the proverbial shit hits the fan.

[Related] We Review New Easter Horror Movie ‘Easter Bloody Easter’

Luckily, bounty hunter Ug (Terrence Mann) returns to Earth with his partner Lee to destroy those Crites once and for all. While the first film had Ug pick an Earthbound shape straightaway, Lee had a more difficult time settling. Lee has a much easier go of it this time, nearly settling on Freddy Krueger before shifting into a Playboy playmate (Roxanne Kernohan) – including the freaking staple from the magazine’s centerfold. It’s a clever gag that always gets a laugh.

Between the hints of nudity thanks to Lee, and the dialed up gore thanks to the Critters spreading their carnage across town, Critters 2 feels harder than its PG-13 rating. The larger number of Critters means more humor, more feeding frenzies, and more special effects. On that note, Critters 2 unleashes a giant Critter ball that brings instant death to anyone in its path.

As the narrative shifts toward the widespread chaos of the Critters wreaking havoc, less time is spent on the motifs of the holiday. But it is very Easter appropriate that the townsfolk come together to take refuge in the church. And if we’re really stretching, you could argue that Charlie’s “death” and resurrection are apropos of Easter, too.

Really, though, the death of the Easter bunny punctuating one dangerous Easter egg hunt is worth the price of admission alone. Mick Garris’ feature debut, combined with the Chiodo brothers’ effects and a group of endearing characters we care about, come together to make Critters 2 one hell of a fun way to spend Easter Sunday – this year, next year, or any year.

Critters 2 is available for rental on Amazon, Vudu, and Apple TV.

Editor’s Note: A version of this article was originally published on April 22, 2019.

The post ‘Critters 2’: Still the Definitive Easter Horror Movie 36 Years Later appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

A brand new prequel with its roots in a 1970s classic, The First Omen will be released into theaters on April 5 by 20th Century Studios, and the studio is embracing the ’70s aesthetic with this latest round of marketing. Check out a retro trailer and retro poster art below.

This new retro-style trailer isn’t merely a past trailer with a ’70s aesthetic applied to it, as it also features some bits of new footage from the movie that we hadn’t previously seen. The period-authentic trailer hypes the film as “a film of psychological suspense… about an occurrence of earth-shaking importance.” It’s a damn good trailer, nailing that retro vibe.

Tickets for The First Omen went up for grabs today, so you can navigate over to Fandango or your favorite movie ticketing website to grab yours if you like what you’re seeing below.

In the film, “When a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.”

Nell Tiger Free stars in The First Omen.

The original 1976 horror classic, which starred Gregory Peck, Lee Remick and Harvey Stephens, followed an American ambassador who believes his five-year-old son is the Antichrist.

The franchise to date includes five movies and the short-lived television series “Damien.” It’s been almost 20 years since the franchise was last seen on the big screen with a 2006 remake.

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The next remake of a classic favorite is Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, a fresh take on the same-named dark comedy from 1991 that has received an official trailer today.

Iconic Events Releasing brings the remake to theaters on April 12, and Entertainment Weekly has debuted the Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead trailer this afternoon.

Watch the trailer below and read on for everything you need to know.

Nicole Richie, June Squibb, Jermaine Fowler, Ms. Pat, Gus Kenworthy, Simone Joy Jones, Donielle Tremaine Hansley, Miles Fowler, Iantha Richardson and Tyriq Withers star in the upcoming film, directed by Wade Allain-Marcus.

The new film ” follows 17-year-old girl Tanya (Jones), who plans to vacation in Europe with her friends before heading to college in the fall. But her mom (Ms. Pat) decides to go to a wellness retreat in Thailand, so Tanya is forced to stay home with her siblings. When — as the title suggests — their elderly babysitter (Squibb) unexpectedly dies, Tayna gets a job working for an ambitious woman named Rose (Ritchie). As she juggles work, family and a complicated romance, Tanya navigates adulthood at the cost of her last summer of freedom.”

The director tells EW in today’s preview piece, “Centering this story around this family was a no-brainer. Don’t Tell Mom has always been about becoming an adult before your time, and we know that’s true for all Black kids. Everyone involved in the film brought their A game — come for the laughs, stay for the heart, the vibe and the music.”

In the 1991 movie directed by Stephen Herek and starring Christina Applegate, “Five siblings are left alone all summer when their mom leaves town and the evil babysitter bites the dust.”

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