Title: The Thing Directed By: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen, Eric Christian Olsen, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Paul Braunstein, Trond Espen Seim, Kim Bubbs, Kristofer Hivju, Stig Henrik Hoff When you’re trying to live up to the standards, or perhaps exceed those set by John Carpenter’s The Thing, you’ve got your work cut out for you. While Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.’s version offers a nice thrill, it doesn’t come close to, well, replicating the elements that made Carpenter’s piece iconic. It’s 1982 in Antarctica. A team of Norwegian scientists travel across the snowy tundra trying to track a mysterious signal. Upon pinpointing the position of…

Opening weekend of the Matthijs van Heijningen Jr-directed prequel “The Thing” is upon us. Fans of the 1982 John Carpenter film have eagerly been awaiting, or dreading, the impending Universal prequel for some time. But before some of you flock out to the theaters to see it, maybe you should read on to find out more about the whole process of bringing this prequel to life on the big screen, along with the creature’s variously disturbing forms. At an Antarctica research site, the discovery of an alien craft leads to a confrontation between graduate student Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and scientist Dr. Sander Halvorson (Ulrich Thomsen). While Dr. Halvorson…

Read our exclusive interview with actress Kim Bubbs, who plays geologist Juliette in the upcoming sci-fi horror movie ‘The Thing,’ which is set to hit theaters on October 14, 2011. The film follows an investigative team as it discovers and studies an alien craft that lands at its research site in Antarctica. The film, which was directed by Matthijs van Heijningen, Jr., serves as the prequel to helmer John Carpenter’s 1982 movie of the same name. The actress, who has made a name for herself appearing on such television movies as ‘A Near Death Experience’ and ‘Her Only Child,’ discusses with us, among other things, why she was attracted to…

Title: The Ward Director: John Carpenter Starring: Amber Heard, Danielle Panabaker (‘Friday the 13th [2009],’ ‘The Crazies [2010]‘), Jared Harris (TV’s ‘Mad Men,’ ‘Fringe’) Trying to find a way back to where you came from is a recurring theme in the new Echo Lake Entertainment horror-thriller ‘The Ward.’ The film, which is horror legend John Carpenter’s first directorial effort in a decade, follows a troubled young woman who’s trying to remember what happened to her that lead to her being checked into a psychiatric hospital. ‘The Ward’ also disappointingly fails to live up to the director’s famous use of distinctive scare tactics, relatable characters and an interesting storyline. ‘The Ward’…

Are you a big fan of Halloween and The Thing? How about John Carpenter, for that matter? In honor of the release of his latest, The Ward, Carpenter will hold a Q&A session live on Twitter tomorrow, July 8th, via @ARC_Entertain. The event will go down from 2:00 to 3:30pm PST and will feature tweet replies as well as some video messages. Carpenter’s The Ward focuses on Kristen (Amber Heard), a young woman thrown into a mental institution. There she meets the other residents, Emily, Sarah, Zoey and Iris (Mamie Gummer, Danielle Panabaker, Laura-Leigh and Lyndsy Fonseca), some of whom have hopes to get out while, deep down, others know…

Danielle Panabaker is easily becoming one of my favorite actresses to interview, not just because she’s a nice and insightful person to talk to, but also because she tends to work on the kind of films I’m drawn to – horror films. And not just any horrors film, rather, pieces that offer a fun kind of scare. Back in 2009 she starred in the remake of Friday the 13th and then, last year, in one of my favorite films of 2010, The Crazies, and now she’s in John Carpenter’s The Ward. Panabaker plays Sarah, one of four patients Kristen (Amber Heard) meets when she’s unwillingly admitted to the North Bend…

Director John Carpenter and street artist Shepard Fairey have made some very special items for the Alamo Drafthouse and Mondo event for “They Live”. Carpenter shot a video for the event. In the video, Carpenter explains a bit about “They Live” and its “prescience with regard to a media-saturated culture”. He also reveals the poster made by Fairey for the event. The screening for “They Live” will be held at the Drafthouse on June 9. Fairey will be in attendance at the event. This is the first time the Drafthouse and Mondo have worked with Fairey, who became most associated with his Barack Obama “Hope”poster and “Obey” street art. The…

As a followup to the new movie trailer, Echo Lake Productions and North by Northwest Entertainment just released the official movie poster for the upcoming horror film “John Carpenter’s The Ward” by director John Carpenter (Escape from L.A., Vampires, They Live) and starring Amber Heard (The Rum Diary, Drive Angry 3D, Pineapple Express, Zombie Land), Lyndsy Fonseca (Nikita, Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall, Hot Tub Time Machine), Danielle Panabaker (The Crazies, Friday the 13th), Jared Harris (Sherlock Holmes 2, Mad Men), Mika Boorem (Ghost Whisperer, House M.D.) and Mamie Gummer (Twelve Thirty, The Good Wife). Synopsis: A thriller centered on an institutionalized young woman who becomes terrorized by a…

Echo Lake Productions and North by Northwest Entertainment just released the first official movie trailer for the upcoming horror film “John Carpenter’s The Ward” by director John Carpenter (Escape from L.A., Vampires, They Live) and starring Amber Heard (The Rum Diary, Drive Angry 3D, Pineapple Express, Zombie Land), Lyndsy Fonseca (Nikita, Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall, Hot Tub Time Machine), Danielle Panabaker (The Crazies, Friday the 13th), Jared Harris (Sherlock Holmes 2, Mad Men), Mika Boorem (Ghost Whisperer, House M.D.) and Mamie Gummer (Twelve Thirty, The Good Wife). Synopsis: A thriller centered on an institutionalized young woman who becomes terrorized by a ghost. Stay tuned to Shockya.com for the…

Universal has decided to change the release dates for several of its movies within the next year. One such film is ‘The Thing,’ which was originally scheduled to hit theaters on April 29, 2011. The new movie is the prequel to John Carpenter’s hit 1982 sci-fi film. It’s believed to focus on the discovery of the alien craft in Antarctica, which was featured in the original. The movie is being helmed by first-time director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., and production began last spring. To fill its space, the studio has decided to movie up ‘Fast Five,’ the fourth sequel in the hit ‘The Fast and the Furious’ car racing franchise….