HDC Idol 2008-09

[alkytrio666]

Alkytrio666 - Wes Craven is making another low budget slasher. Think of possible casting options for the flick.

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At this point in the game, horror can no longer be played safe; Wes Craven knows this better than anyone. When he helmed Scream he essentially re-molded the idea of the horror movie. By casting a lot of hip, young stars and going for a kind of self-mocking tone, he took a big risk but came up with something huge.

However, by doing so, he also spawned a new definition to the genre which has gotten tired and safe. Countless knock-offs and insulting spoofs have been made, and many people already now look at Scream as something outdated; a lot of its cast never got farther than the 90s, and what was once a very original and surprisingly fresh idea now looks to some noisy.

In casting Wes Anderson’s newest slasher, the aging-process must be recognized and thought about, but the film also mustn’t come across as a gimmick or a re-trend. It is for this reason that the cast needs to be filled with both recognizable names but also contain some strong relatively-unknowns.

I have made the decision to fill these roles in a way many might consider backwards, but I believe will serve the film well: the major parts will be played by newer names while support will be given by more well-known actors.

Let’s face it: Scream may have been more gladly accepted for much longer if it had had some longer-lasting star appeal (someone like De Niro is immortal; David Arquette, not so much). However, in order to have the film pave new paths and begin another wave of originality it needs to utilize new faces for this generation.

The film will take a newer route and include both adult and teen actors. The teen-slasher has worn its welcome, and there are adults who may be interested in a horror film that hits closer to home, too. No one knows this better than Wes Craven, whose film Last House on the Left lay most of its power in the hands of the vengeful parents, not the kiddies.

The plot centers in on a mining town in Colorado, where everyone lives quite close to each other, every face is familiar. Mining is a father-son business there, and the family roots stretch deep. As people in workers start disappearing deep inside the caves, suspects pile up, but it isn’t until the twisty ending that the killer is revealed- an old, religious widow who lives by the church.

Without further ado,
The Cast:

Dusty King (Main Miner Boy) – Paul Dano (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0200452/ )
Already a recognizable face but still developing an acting style he can call his own, this would complete a kind of tri-film series; he will have played in a comedy, a drama and, now, a horror movie. With his believable and relatable (and these are key words) persona he would instantly gain the audiences’ trust and admiration, something which is important to make a horror film effective but rarely done right.

Jim King (Dusty’s Father)- Sam Rockwell (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005377/ )
Sam Rockwell has slowly but surely edged his way into Hollywood over the last few decades, and now he’s one of those actors with a recognizable face, though nobody really knows him by name yet. He’s subtle and natural, and the horror genre would fit him well; he’s used to darker roles, as he played one of the troubled outlaws in The Assassination of Jesse James in 2007. He would play the father to our protagonist, being both tough and quiet but also helpful and ultimately heroic.

Roxy Swinton (Dusty’s girlfriend) – Ellen Page (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467406/ )
Why? Because there is a good actress hiding under that hipster act, and its begging for something different and daring. Not only can she fill the comedic aspects so important to a slasher, but also the real dramatic parts. A significant other side-kick is important for these kinds of movies, and here is the girl to play her.

The Boss – Ed Harris (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000438/ )
It’s important to have a dislikeable character, one who we all wait patiently to be offed, and cheer when that time comes. Ed Harris has achieved a career status as a man who can sincerely play an asshole well. He’s gruff, sarcastic, and can often become inhumanly barbaric.

Linda Rowe (Old town lady/killer) – Margot Kidder (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0452288/ )
In an almost self-reflexive role, Margot would play the town eccentric, the seemingly harmless old lady who, as it turns out, just may have a few screws loose. She’s charming, but can also be ruthlessly comedic, poking fun at modern trends and routines. She hasn’t gotten a good role in awhile, but deserves a shot at something risqué yet fun, like this.

Besides these, most of the roles would be given to new talent, found by auditions. Wes has successfully broken in a lot of star power, and it is this talent that should be boosted both by a fresh take on the slasher film and a few willing stars in strong supporting roles.

[bwind22]

I just went through and read all the entries for this current round. This competition is really heating up. Excellent entries from everyone so far. Hopefully BR & Roshiq have time to submit.

[roshiq]

Originally Posted by _____V_____

ELIMINATION ROUND #2
- Roshiq - Frank Darabont enjoyed a lot of success with The Mist in 2008. Do you have an equally effective Stephen King short story in mind to be adapted into a movie screenplay?

Frank Darabont has become the premiere mainstream prestige interpreter of Stephen King; cause he adapts the stories about ordinary people under stress so beautifully, that attracts a greater portion of the viewing public. He emphasizes mainly the human part of the work over the suspense or horror. Like his latest adaptation of his mentor Stephen King’s short story The Mist (which he described…"one of Steve’s best ‘muscular’ short pieces”) where he focused the tension and highlighted the element of fear in order to explore how it forced people to behave differently. Moreover, the interesting thing is from The Woman in the room to even The Mist, Darabont’s all works on King stories more or less has an one common element and that is ‘imprisonment’.

Among the very few stories of one of the finest storyteller of the century-Stephen King, that hasn’t been have a Film or TV adaptation yet but I personally like to see its celluloid version by Darabont is The Reach. This short story by Stephen King first published in Yankee magazine in 1981 under the title "Do the Dead Sing?” the re-titled story was collected in Skeleton Crew in 1985.
The story follows an old woman named Stella Flanders who has lived her entire life in the Goat Island, Maine, which is separated from the mainland by the Reach…a body of water. In the story, Stella remembers the past, the present, the living that populates the island, and the dead that populate her memories. She becomes alarmed when she begins seeing visions of her long deceased husband, Bill Flanders. Bill keeps attempting to lure Stella across the newly frozen Reach, which last froze over in 1938. With her health rapidly deteriorating, Stella sets off to cross the Reach only to become lost in the snow. Frightened, she is soon surrounded by her husband and dearly departed old friends assisting her to the mainland. She is later found following the snowstorm on the mainland four miles from her home, frozen to death.

Darabont can make another masterpiece from it if he adapts the story himself like the way he portrayed his most critically acclaimed movies The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption.

Throughout King’s work, New England has played a vital role. It has lent its often gloomy atmosphere and harsh winters as unforgiving elemental characters in his frightening tales.
Death and dying is the predominant theme in “The Reach”. Stella Flanders’ reminiscences focus as much on the dead as they do the living, and it is the dead that give support to Stella when she is crossing the Reach. The realization that her illness is progressing creates the desire to cross the Reach, it is a metaphor for Stella’s desire to cross from one life to the next. When she becomes lost in the snow, her environment is described as otherworldly; she describes it as gauzy and grey thus setting the scene for the appearance of her long deceased husband and friends.
So, this time Darabont have the option to enrich his masterful skill of moviemaking by adding the Gothic touch of the story. In the story, King uses fictional Goat Island in Maine and its unforgiving winters as the ominous home for Stella Flanders and her familial community. King uses the Gothic element of foreshadowing by giving the reader glimpses of the illness that is advancing in Stella Flanders. When Stella attempts to cross the Reach and becomes lost, she likens herself to the damsel in distress; when the dead come to her aid, the supernatural characteristic strengthens the Gothic influence. King’s use of unsettling words to describe the island, weather, and events further evoke gothic standards. Therefore, when Darabont is going to put his pen for the screenplay of The Reach, definitely this would become something totally new and fascinating experience for his fans.

Though there’s news on the net that says Darabont is now actually very much interested to go for King’s one of the popular novel of Stephen King (that published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman) The Long Walk next, but I think The Reach is an appropriate short story that has been waiting for decades to be portray on the big screen by none other than Frank Darabont.

[ChronoGrl]

Originally Posted by neverending

Chrono- Brilliant. That's all.

Thanks!!

And good job everyone! :)

[ferretchucker]

Originally Posted by neverending

Ferret- Excellent. Nice twist having Evil Ash & Ash battling each other.

Thankyou sooooo much. I've been beating myself up all day with worry because I wasn't confident in it. That's really lifted me.

[_____V_____]

48 Hours are up, and all but one Finalist have submitted their entries.

Rayne is the only one missing out, because of a possible surgery/medical problem (she is in the hospital right now, as I know of).

I would like to request all Judges to send me their Grades, and their decision about Rayne - should she be eliminated for being a no-show, or take her serious medical problem into consideration and let her stay?

[bwind22]

Not to seem pushy, but is there any chance alky, Roshiq & myself could get a little bit of feedback from the judges on our entries? (Even just a brief sentence like the first 3 entries received?) I spent a lot of time on mine and am very eager to see how it was received considering that it's a sub-genre that's very unfamiliar to me.

[Doc Faustus]

Roshiq: Frank Darabont proved he could handle King work with strong emotional content with the Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption. Nice choice.
Bwind: Argento's work's usually a bit quirkier than this. I think it's played a little too straight. There are some good meta-giallo nods, but the names don't quite feel like enough.
Alky: Though of course, the emphasis should be on casting over plot, the plot still feels somewhat nebulous. I'm not sure what movie these people are running around in. Casting's solid for the most part, though. Margot Kidder's a great choice.

[The Flayed One]

Wot? No critique for Flayed:p

[ChronoGrl]

Originally Posted by The Flayed One

Wot? No critique for Flayed:p

NO CRITIQUE FOR YOU


:p