Got a news scoop? Send it now! NEWS HUB AUGUST 2006 - ARCHIVED BACK TO CURRENT 'THE WICKER MAN' WANTS TO HANG ON YOUR WALL! Well, the poster, that is. Our friends at Warner Bros. PR department are giving us some advance posters for the upcoming thriller The Wicker Man for giveaway--plus possibly another goodie or two we can smuggle to some of ya! In the film, which is a remake of the 1973 British film of the same name, Nicolas Cage plays a reclusive sheriff who goes to search for his estranged daughter after she mysteriously disappears on a secluded island. When he arrives, he senses something more is amiss among the island's secretive residents as he starts to uncover a mystery involving strange sexual rituals, a harvest festival and possible human sacrifice. The Wicker Man is slated to hit screens on September 1, and the trailer is viewable at the official website. Want a poster? We want to send you one, but we'll only have a limited supply. Plus, we gotta make you sing for your supper, so just email us and answer this easy-assed trivia question: The same year the original film came out, remake actress Ellen Burstyn starred in what devilish horror blockbuster? (I really should be taken out behind the toolshed and soundly caned for providing such a no-brainer question, but never mind.) Now get to it, and good luck! 'SAW III' SMORGASBORD! By now it's old news that Saw III will be cutting serrated swaths through cineplexes come October 27, but the fine folks at Special Ops Media are giving us a tantalizing sneak peak at what's to come, starting with three promotional poster designs made specifically to tie in with a Halloween blood drive. For more information and to view the posters, click here. Moreover, the film now has a fabulously retooled official site, so be sure and check it out. Finally, the theatrical trailer, which was attached to the recent U.S. release of The Descent, is now viewable online as a streaming .wmv clip, in three sizes: SMALL MEDIUM LARGE Many thanks to Lindsey Stone for the heads-up! FRIDAY NIGHT FRIGHTS VIDEO RE-CAP! This past Friday evening, August 11, saw the second edition of Friday Night Frights play to a roaring success at the Movie Tavern in Denton, TX. All three Pit webmasters (including founder Rich Carlin) were onhand for the midnight screening of Tom DeSimone's 1981 classic Hell Night. Due to logistical difficulties beyond our control, Mr. DeSimone was not able to make an in-theatre appearance as we had previously announced, but the fan response remained extremely enthusiastic, especially as John Gray handed out a plethora of giveaway items, including Final Destination 3 DVD's, various T-shirts and posters.....and five lucky souls received Rob Zombie concert tickets! Our video editor friend Casey Corpier was in attendance and has put together a short presentation from the evening's events. Click here to view the video (.wmv format). Also check out Casey's collage from last month's Friday Night Frights with Lar Park Lincoln and featuring Friday The 13th, Part VII by clicking here. Many thanks to Casey for his efforts, and don't forget next month's installment of Friday Night Frights on September 8, when we'll be showing Fred Dekker's 1987 classic The Monster Squad with an appearance by Mr. Dekker himself! 'SIN-JIN SMYTH' THE MOST ANTICIPATED FOR 2007? IT'S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE! A new poll at Hot Topic is asking what's the most highly anticipated genre release for 2007, and Sin-Jin Smyth is among the nominees! Fellow Pitters, the job is fairly simple. Everyone needs to take the time and head over to the Spike TV Scream Awards Poll and cast a vote for Sin-Jin Smyth. Actually, they want you to select ten titles, so just make sure one of 'em is Sin-Jin, then feel free to participate in polls from some of their other categories. Best of luck to Ethan and the folks at Snap-Kick Productions for this potential shot-in-the-arm for their film! THE 'NIGHTMARE MAN' IS COMING! Quickie report here, but the up and coming Nightmare Man has a preliminary poster design. Check it out! As more details emerge regarding this interesting project, we'll make sure you're the first to know! '39' IS A MOST LUCKY NUMBER! Director Gary (Dead And Buried) Sherman’s controversial 39: A FIlm By Carrol McKane will make its New York City premiere as part of FANGORIA’s Monster Mondays screening series on August 7 at the Two Boots Pioneer Theater (155 East 3rd Street and Avenue A). Sherman, who also helmed such genre films as Raw Meat and Poltergeist III, will be on hand to introduce his film and conduct a Q&A with the audience. The gruesome fun begins at 6:30 p.m. In the shocking cinema verite-style serial killer drama, Carroll McKane (Martin Cummins of Poltergeist: The Legacy) is a man obsessed with new media. This obsession began as a way to document another of his obsessions, “changing things.” For the past 10 years, in front of his DVcams, this serial killer has “changed” 36 human beings into “debris.” Carroll has recently reached a new plateau in his life, one that is common to the pathology of most serial murderers: the “monster within” has to become his ultimate victim. But McKane is much too egocentric to either purposely make mistakes or face the possibility of becoming an unidentified, nameless and faceless footnote in criminal history. By using his self-professed skills as a filmmaker, he is making an autobiographical movie to tell the world about his crimes and document his demise. He has converted his horrific killing room and crematorium into a makeshift studio complete with lighting and numerous surveillance cameras. Here he records the murders of two more innocent victims and the torture of a prominent forensic psychiatrist (Lawrence MacGowan) he has kidnapped. Carroll's goal is to make the doctor his biographer as well as force him to be the killer of his final victim… number 39. Of 39, which was written by Larry (An Innocent Man) Brothers, Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro praises: “Sick! Really sick! And I loved it!” Bruce Sheridan, Columbia College’s Film School Chairman, predicts, ”The style of this film will be copied for years.” SCREAM FESTIVAL WANTS YOU !!! Rachel Belofsky, president and founder of SCREAMFEST LA Horror Film Festival and partner Stan Winston announced a call for entries for its 6th annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival and Screenplay Competition. The festival takes place October 13th – 22nd at the prestigious Grauman’s Mann Chinese 6 at Hollywood and Highland in Hollywood. “We are very excited to see our filmmakers and writers furthering their careers as a direct result from Screamfest. Several of the winning screenplays have been sold. The festival has secured representation for several filmmakers and they are now attached to studio projects," said Rachel Belofsky, the festival’s founder and president. “Three of our winners were afforded the opportunity to direct shorts for Ghost House Pictures, putting their work directly in front of Sam Raimi. This competition provides them the exposure they so richly deserve and gives audiences the chance to experience their work in a first-class setting.” Film entries are being accepted in the categories of Best Feature, Directing, Cinematography, Editing, Special Effects and Musical Score to name a few. In addition, there are special categories for Best Animation, Best Short, Best Documentary and Best Student Film. The normal deadline for film submissions is July 15th, with a late deadline of August 15th. Screamfest accepts film completed after January 1st, 2003. The deadline for screenplay submissions is June 15th, with a late deadline of August 15th. Founded in 2001, Screamfest is dedicated to discovering the new blood of horror and honoring the masters. This year’s festival sponsored by Monsters HD network, IFilm, Hot Topic, Inktip.com and Screenplay.com. For more information visit ScreamFest. Or you can contact Rachel Belofsky at (310) 358-3273. THE PIT NOW ON MYSPACE! With the success and popularity of Tom Anderson's web-based brainchild, the MySpace online social networking service, it was only a matter or time before Pit Of Horror took the logical step and set up its own page. Although the three webmasters Rich Carlin, John Gray and Petch Lucas each have their own personal MySpace page, it made sense to utilize the resource for its public relations functionability and to highlight the Pit's latest developments for potential new visitors. With the interactive "blog" feature, you can read about the Friday Night Frights events as well as glean information on John Gray's upcoming debut feature Job. And there is also a piece detailing the humble beginnings of the Pit and its evolution into a leading online horror resource. Just go to http://www.myspace.com/pitofhorror and feel free to request to be added if you already have a MySpace page of your own. We'll be happy to add you. Got a news scoop? Send it now!