Guillermo del Toro's 'Crimson Peak' lines up cast

One of the many projects Guillermo del Toro is undertaking is the haunted house horror film, Crimson Peak. He not only wrote the script with Matthew Robbins and Lucinda Coxon, but will also be directing this turn of the century ghost story/gothic romance.

Details on the plot are limited but del Toro told Deadline that the film can best be described as "a very set-oriented, classical but at the same time modern take on the ghost story. It will allow me to play with the conventions of the genre I know and love, and at the same time subvert the old rules."

This Legendary Pictures production has assembled quite the cast, including Emma Stone (The Amazing Spider-Man), Benedict Cumberbatch (Star Trek Into Darkness), and Charlie Hunnam, who is in del Toro’s most recent film, Pacific Rim. Stone and Hunnam will play the lead roles. Oscar-nominee Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) has also been recently added to the cast.. We know that she’s no stranger to horror since she starred in the surprise hit Mama, executive produced by del Toro.

Also, if you remember, a few years back del Toro was planning a scary reboot of the 2003 Haunted Mansion movie, based on the Disney theme park attraction. The plan was to give the paranormal ride a Pirates of the Caribbean counterpart. Although del Toro left that project, maybe he took some cool ideas from the development.

No release date has been announced but it is scheduled to begin shooting in early 2014.

-Larissa Mrykalo

'Mama' dominates weekend box office

We’re always extra happy when a movie about the paranormal does well at the box office, especially when it’s number one. The Guillermo del Toro-produced film Mama not only dominated this holiday weekend’s box office, it also took on such heavyweights as Mark Wahlberg (Broken City) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Last Stand).

Mama was made for a mere $15 million and it is projected to make $33 million through Monday’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The PG-13 rating and original story probably didn’t hurt either and it drew a large female audience.

Mama is the tale of Victoria and Lily, two young girls who were left abandoned in a cabin in the woods and raised by a mysterious presence until found 5 years later. Their uncle and his girlfriend fight to raise them and provide them with a normal life, but the creepy presence just can’t seem to let them go.

Were you a contributor to Mama this past weekend? What did you think? Were you sufficiently scared, did you cry, or both?

-Larissa Mrykalo

Guillermo del Toro joins forces with 'Ghost Hunters' for 'Mama'

According to a new press release from Syfy, the network's longest running reality series is kicking off its ninth season with two Hollywood investigations - and they'll be receiving some social media help from a paranormal pop culture director as well.

In the Jan. 16 episode, airing tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET, Ghost Hunters investigate the Sowden House, where Elizabeth Short (aka "The Black Dahlia,") was gruesomely murdered. They'll also be heading to Madame Tussauds Hollywood. Also worth mentioning is the fact that ghost hunter Britt Griffith was one of the lead actor's in the horror movie, The Black Dahlia Haunting - so that's a pretty cool synchronicity.

Then, at 10 p.m., Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth) will take over the @GhostHunters Twitter account for a live Q&A about Mama, the supernatural horror opening Friday which he produces.

Says the release:

Universal Pictures serves as the presenting on-air sponsor of the Ghost Hunters season premiere, showcasing the upcoming theatrical release of Mama. The film’s executive producer, Guillermo del Toro, will bring the Syfy audience exclusive content on Mama through a series of hosted wraps. These will lead up to an exclusive Premiere Imagination clip which will air during the premiere of Syfy’s latest original series, Ghost Mine, at 10 PM ET/PT.  

So tomorrow sounds like a big night for the GH gang. But if you think this is the first time del Toro and  TAPS have interacted, you'd be wrong. Just take a look at the clip below for a refresher when a really big paranormal investigator meets the plumbers.



-Aaron Sagers

Guillermo del Toro preps 'Dark Universe' flick- is it tied to 'Justice League'?

Courtesy DC Comics

One of the reasons I'm a big fan of Guillermo del Toro is that he's such a well-rounded nerd who loves the paranormal/supernatural in addition to sci-fi and super heroes. Obviously this is no shocker, but it's always a pleasure to hear he's working on new projects that combines those loves.

For instance, in a recent interview with IGN about Mama, which he exec-produces, del Toro chatted about his involvement with the DC Comics Dark Universe movie revolving around supernatural heroes. He said he's working on the outline and has found a "very, very good writer" for the screenplay that will pleasantly surprise fans.

The darker side of DC Comics is currently represented by a few titles, including Justice League Dark, a super team who deals in the supernatural. The team features Deadman, Zatanna, Madame Xanadu and Shade The Changing Man - along with Constantine (played by Keanu Reeves in the 2005 movie of the same name based on the Hellblazer comics). Another character who would be in the movie, and has received his own feature treatment in the past, is Swamp Thing - who del Toro calls a "rock star." The Demon Etrigan and The Spectre will also join in the action.

The director says that DC is feeling very confident with the film possibilities of its characters, especially based on their expectations for Man of Steel. Speaking of which, considering the timeline of this project, it will likely live or die based on the box office of the new Supes movie, as well as the success of the impending Justice League vehicle. Moreover, it would make sense for their to be a cameo from a JL hero in the Dark Universe movie to connect it to the larger DC-verse.

Check out the video from IGN after the jump.

Paranormal Pop Culture Winter Movie Preview

BY LARISSA MRYKALO

With so many cool looking movies coming out in the first three months of 2013, who can even think about the rest of the year yet? So instead of doing a 2013 paranormal movie preview, we're focusing in on winter time. While some might rock, and others stink like a zombie, there is no shortage of witches, zombies, aliens, ghosts and other unexplained goodies to heat things up until the temperatures rise.

Texas Chainsaw 3D
Jan. 4 (R)
Starring: Alexandra Daddario, Scott Eastwood and Tania Raymonde. Director: John Luessenhop.
Topping the box office after it opened last Friday, the new year has started out with the roar of Leatherface’s chainsaw. This is not so much of a rehashing of the original in 3D, but a continuation of the original Tobe Hooper story into modern times when a young girl inherits a relative’s Texas home, as well as its secrets. Die-hard fans may not be as satisfied as the casual audience member may be, but this new film in the series will no doubt elicit some cringes.

A Haunted House
Jan. 11 (R)
Starring: Marlon Wayans, Essence Atkins, Nick Swardson. Director: Michael Tiddes.
In this Paranormal Activity spoof written by Wayans, a couple enlist the help of a Chip Coffey type psychic and ghost hunters to help defeat a demon that's interrupting their home (and sex) life.