News

Tales of masked killers and man-eating mutants are more associated with the world of film than literature, but if the success of horror writers like Stephen King and Clive Barker has taught us anything, it’s that a good story can transcend the limitations of a single medium. That’s why there are so many popular adaptations in the horror genre, with some of the most popular scary movies of all time having been based on existing short stories and novels.

With Eli Craig’s Clown in a Cornfield bringing Adam Cesare’s 2020 novel to the big screen this Friday, we’ve decided to come up with a list celebrating six horror movies that you may not have known were also adapted from books!

For the purposes of this list, we’ll be focusing on films with lesser-known literary origins, so you shouldn’t expect to see classics like Jaws,...

Charli xcx is one of the most famous pop stars in the world right now, but she's about to transition to the world of film with multiple projects currently in development. The most recent news regarding her budding acting career is perhaps the most exciting yet, as Variety reports that Charli xcx will star in and produce an upcoming film from the legendary Japanese horror director Takashi Miike, best known for films like Audition and Ichi the Killer.

Little is known about the story thus far, but horror fans know that Miike is famous for the graphic violence present in his movies. Audition is often ranked as one of the most disturbing horror movies of all time. Ross Evans (How to Save a Marriage) will write the script.

The Brat singer is also starring in and producing an upcoming A24 movie, The Moment, through her Studio365 banner. The Moment is...

Following the United States premiere of the new 2K restoration as part of New York City’s Japan Society over the weekend, Hideaki Anno’s first live-action feature-length film, “Love and Pop,” is headed to North American theaters for the first time via GKids.

The movie, based on the novel by Ryū Murakami, was originally released in 1998 but never had a North American release. The new 2K restoration will be “presented with technical adjustments made to its format,” since it was originally captured by consumer-grade handheld digital cameras. The film will be released at the IFC Center in New York City starting Feb. 21 and at the American Cinematheque’s Los Feliz 3 starting Feb. 23. Additional markets will follow.

“Love and Pop” is described, in the official release as “radical in its stylistic approach to teenage ennui, taking to the seedy streets of Shibuya with handheld digicams, distorted lenses and a barrage of unconventional camera angles.

Ryū Murakami’s cult 1990s Japanese horror thriller novel Audition is heading to the screen once again, courtesy of Speak No Evil writer Christian Tafdrup.

It is not hyperbole to say that Takeshi Miike’s Audition is easily one of the most memorable horror films of the 1990s. Miike is well known for his ultraviolent films, including Ichi The Killer and Imprint – the latter being an episode of the Masters Of Horror series deemed so gratuitously violent it was banned from broadcast, eventually surfacing on DVD. By contrast, Audition is a masterclass in restraint, the tension building to unbearable levels before its horrifying finale.

Based on the 1997 novel by Ryū Murakami and released on 1999, the plot follows Shigeharu Aoyama, played by Ryo Ishibashi, a lonely middle-aged widower who hatches a scheme to find a girlfriend by holding fake film auditions. Here he meets Asami, played by Eihi Shiina, a sweet,...

If you have seen the 1999 Japanese horror film Audition, you know it's a movie that means business. It's a bit of a slow burn, but once it gets going and heads towards its gruesome climax, you can't help but have to pick your mouth up from off the floor. It's one of those films that shouldn't be touched again because it's perfect as is but, this is Hollywood. Any film is in play for a new take, and it looks like it's Audition's turn to get the remake treatment.

Per Deadline, a new take on Takashi Miike's Audition is in the works, with a deal near to being closed for Focus Features, Hyde Park Entertainment, and Mario Kassar Productions to produce the film. What's promising here is that Christian Tafdrup, who directed the original Danish version of Speak No Evil, is co-writing the project with his brother Mads Tafdrup.

A new take on the cult horror classic “Audition,” one of the more influential modern horror films in the torture-porn genre, is coming to the screen.

Focus Features is nearing a deal to produce a feature adaptation of “Audition” based on the 1997 horror-thriller novel by Ryū Murakami, which was originally brought to the screen by Japanese master Takashi Miike in 1999 starring Ryo Ishibashi and Eihi Shiina.

Focus will produce the project alongside Ashok Amritraj’s Hyde Park Entertainment and Mario Kassar Productions, who have tapped Christian Tafdrup to write and direct the film. Tafdrup is the Danish director behind the original “Speak No Evil,” which was last year adapted into English by Blumhouse and Universal. Tafdrup is co-writing the script with his brother Mads Tafdrup.

“Audition” starts as a domestic drama of a widower who is holding mock auditions in order to find a new wife, only to discover that...

Danish filmmaker Christian Tafdrup brought the incredibly bleak film Gæsterne, a.k.a. Speak No Evil (read our review Here) into the world back in 2022 – and when the American remake was released last year, Tafdrup let it be known that he wasn’t impressed by the new take on his story, because it didn’t leave viewers traumatized like the original film did. Now, Deadline has revealed that Tafdrup is on board to direct a remake of director Takashi Miike’s dark and twisted 1999 Japanese film Audition… and we can probably rest assured that he’s not going to take it easy on viewers with his take on the material.

Based on a 1997 horror thriller novel by Ryū Murakami, Miike’s Audition was scripted by Daisuke Tengan and has the following synopsis: Widower Aoyama decides to start dating again. Aided by a film-producer friend, Aoyama uses auditions for a fake...

A true horror classic, Takashi Miike’s Audition is impossible to scrub from your brain even 26 years after its original release, and a fresh take on the tale is now in the works.

Deadline reports today that Focus Features, Hyde Park Entertainment and Mario Kassar Productions are “nearing a deal” to produce a new adaptation of Ryū Murakami’s 1997 novel Audition, which served as the basis for Takashi Miike’s movie back in 1999.

Christian Tafdrup, who directed the original Danish version of Speak No Evil that was remade by Blumhouse last year, is co-writing the new Audition with brother Mads Tafdrup.

Executive Producers include Cineverse’s Chris McGurk and Yolanda Macias.

Ryo Ishibashi and Eihi Shiina starred in Takashi Miike’s Audition. In the Japanese horror film, “A widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife.

Exclusive: Focus Features, Ashok Amritraj’s Hyde Park Entertainment and Mario Kassar Productions are nearing a deal to produce a feature take of Ryū Murakami’s cult 1997 Japanese horror thriller novel, Audition.

The novel was previously adapted into a 1999 Japanese film of the same name, directed by 2x Cannes Palme D’Or nominee Takashi Miike.

The latest take on Audition is being written and directed by Danish multi-hyphenate Christian Tafdrup who is co-writing with his brother and frequent collaborator, Mads Tafdrup.

Focus is producing alongside Hyde Park’s Ashok and Priya Amritraj and Mario Kassar for Mkp. EPs include multi-media, technology company Cineverse’s Chris McGurk and Yolanda Macias, author Murakami, and Joyce Jun.

L to R: Christian Tafdrup and Mads Tafdrup.

Before being remade in English by Blumhouse and Universal, Tafdrup’s original Speak No Evil earned 11 nominations at the 2023 Danish Film Awards, with Christian Tafdrup himself nominated for Best Film,...

Everyone in the anime community hails Hayao Miyazaki as the one director who writes women well. The female protagonists of Studio Ghibli films are role models for anime fans who are longing for great representation without any s*xualization.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was one of Miyazaki’s earliest films directed and written by him. Even the original manga was all his brilliant mind. The titular protagonist of the film is one of his most beloved too.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, directed by Hayao Miyazaki. [Credit: Toei Company]

The portrayal of Nausicaä isn’t black and white, she’s incredibly complex and seeks understanding rather than violence, despite living in a dangerous world. She values all living beings and her sense of adventure attracts the audience.

On the subject of Nausicaä’s appearance, Hayao Miyazaki talked about the distaste he has for the way Japanese...

Squid have shared a new song titled “Building 650,” the second preview of their upcoming album, Cowards. Stream it below.

With moody, yet punchy instrumentation, “Building 650” dips back into the dark comedy of lead single “Crispy Skin” with lyrics like, “Frank’s my friend/ He’s my friend/ We are friends/ There’s murder sometimes/ But he’s a real nice guy.”

Get Squid Tickets Here

In a statement, lead singer/drummer Ollie Judge said “Building 650” was inspired by the band’s first trip to Japan, where they arrived to play Summer Sonic 2022 just two days after the Covid travel ban had been lifted.

“Because of this we felt like some of the only tourists in Tokyo,” he said. “On the plane, I read In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami and watched Lost in Translation out of excitement and later decided to write lyrics about being an outsider visiting Japan,...

Every culture puts its own unique spin on horror tropes, with people from different times and places being frightened by different things. One of the most fascinating examples of this occurred during the 60s-70s in Italy, with a group of genre filmmakers collectively deciding that, to them, horror meant gory whodunnits with surreal visuals and blood that looked more like paint than corn syrup.

And while that initial Giallo movement has long since faded into obscurity (with modern audiences being less receptive to obvious dubbing and cheesy practical effects), there are still some intrepid filmmakers out there who are attempting to keep the spirit of the genre alive with neo-Giallo productions meant to remind us that horror movies don’t always have to be realistic. And in honor of these stylishly retro features, we’ve decided to come up with a list celebrating six modern-day Giallo flicks for your viewing pleasure.

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

If you are a horror fan then there is a big chance that you might have heard about the horror streaming service Shudder, and if you have its subscription you might be wondering what’s in store for you in October 2024. Don’t worry there is a host of new and old horror movies coming to the service in the upcoming month and we have listed the 13 best movies coming to Shudder in October 2024.

Hush (October 1)

Hush is a slasher horror thriller film directed by Mike Flanagan who also co-wrote the film with Kate Siegel. The 2016 film follows the story of a dead writer living in a remote house in the woods but when a masked killer appears in the window she must fight for her survival. Hush stars Kate Siegel in the lead role with John Gallagher Jr.,...

Regardless of their artistic merit, it’s understandable that it can sometimes be difficult for mainstream cinephiles to connect with movies about twisted bodies and grisly mutations. Obviously, this doesn’t mean that these films are any less deserving of praise – it’s just that not every critic has a strong stomach. That’s why it’s so satisfying to see a production like Coralie Fargeat’s satirical body horror flick The Substance get the recognition it deserves in spite of its disturbing mean streak.

And in honor of this Demi Moore / Margaret Qualley experiment wowing highbrow audiences worldwide, we’ve decided to come up with a list recommending six other arthouse body horror flicks for your viewing pleasure! After all, there’s no reason that fine cinema should be devoid of blood and malformed guts.

For the purposes of this list, we’ll be defining “arthouse” as any film...

Kevin Bacon is no stranger to the horror genre, having starred in hits like the original Friday the 13th, Tremors, Flatliners, and most recently, MaXXXine, the upcoming third film in Ti West's X trilogy. He counts himself as a fan of the genre and recently revealed to Film Updates that one of his favorite horror movies is the cult Japanese film Audition from director Takashi Miike, based on Ryu Murakami's 1997 novel of the same name.

Chatting with the outlet about the iconic film, Bacon revealed that he's always wanted to do an English-language version of the movie.

I really tried for a lot of years to to do an American version of it. We never really got it together. It was difficult for a lot of reasons. I was close [to making it] but we didn’t get it all the way. But that is a great movie. It would scare the shit out of [Debicki], who,...

Michele Civetta is the director of feature films “Agony” and “The Gateway” and music videos for Lou Reed, Sean Lennon, and Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros.

We came from a generation…

With aspirations of what cinema is as an art form, what it can do to provoke change, illuminate dreams of individual stories, and propel cultural narratives. Inspired by the American New Wave of Cinema, living under the banner of the Cahiers du Cinema auteur theory, a world where writers, directors, and producers created stories in the emerging screen revolution colliding between world cinema and the 90s independent film boom. Looking inside the cinematic kaleidoscope, imagining how to penetrate the dream factory, Kevin Turen was born to be a maverick as he surmounted this unpaved road for our generation of friends and filmmaking talent. As New York City Kids, we crossed the threshold into our professional years. Kevin helped out...

It is the perfect time to reflect on some of the essential works of filmmaker Hideaki Anno (b. 1960) in culmination with the recent release of his latest feature, “Shin Kamen Rider.” From his days as an animator to becoming one of Japan's most renowned directors working today, the postmodernist auteur has captivated and certainly polarized moviegoers with his unique line of work both in animation and live-action filmmaking. Taking influence from his favorite pieces of entertainment and his personal life experiences, Anno has become widely recognized for his extraordinary visual style, superb editing, and nonconformist approach to storytelling with the mental deconstruction and psychological examination of his characters. Anime fans likely know him best for his hit series “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” a show that has since then become a recognizable staple of Japanese media culture that would spawn numerous movies. Recently, he contributed as the screenwriter and producer of the spectacular superhero flick “Shin Ultraman,...

J-horror films, the Japanese chillers that swept the globe at the turn of the millennium, could guarantee two things – ghastly ghostly apparitions, and sleepless nights for the viewer. Among the pinnacle of J-horror are the Ju-on films, a trilogy of terror named after a deadly curse spawned when someone dies in the grip of a violent rage – all who come into contact with it are doomed! The J-horror genre proved so popular, and so scary, that numerous titles were remade for the US market, including Ju-on, which so impressed Evil Dead director Sam Raimi that he invited the director to helm two Hollywood remakes.

To celebrate the release of Arrow Video’s Ju-on: The Grudge Collection on Uhd & Blu-ray, here are six of the best scenes from the most terrifying J-horrors – watch if you dare!

Ringu (The Ring) – 1998

Based on the bestselling book by Kôji Suzuki, and directed by Hideo Nakata,...

Takashi Miike's 1999 Japanese horror film "Audition" recently earned the title of the scariest foreign horror movie of all time. The film tells the story of a faux audition held to find a new bride for a widower, and stars Eihi Shiina as the mysterious potential wife. Speaking with Asian Movie Pulse (Amp), Shiina credits "Audition" as "an extremely" important role for me." Indeed it was — prior to, Shiina's sole film credit was Isao Yukisada's 1998 drama "Open House," but the role of the psychotic Asami earned her international recognition. Amp reveals that the former Benetton model's road to "Audition" was similar to Asami's, sans the torture. What she thought was a simple meeting and deep conversation turned out to be a tryout for the lead role, much to her surprise. She tells Amp:

"I heard that Miike wanted to see me, so I thought to myself that I want to meet him.

Dates can go very wrong in horror movies. Carrie White's prom date with Tommy Ross goes up in flames before the last dance, in both Stephen King's novel "Carrie" and Brian De Palma's film adaptation. In Sean Byrne's Aussie horror movie "The Loved Ones," poor Brett doesn't even make it to his school dance after rejecting Lola, who hosts a macabre dance of her own. All grotesqueries of romantic relationships find screen time in the genre.

So when Takashi Miike signed on to adapt Ryū Murakami's 1997 novel "Audition," he picked up on its themes of voyeurism, sexism, and exploitation in the entertainment industry -- its leading man Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) holds a shady "audition" for his next wife, launching the story's events into motion -- but left its nastiest moments for the finale, long after audience is embedded into the mysterious allure of Aoyama's chosen bride,...

This article contains spoilers for the film "Audition."

Based on the 1997 novel by Ryu Murakami, Takashi Miike's 1999 film "Audition" begins as a light, sweet, delightful romantic comedy about a widower named Shigeharu (Ryo Ishibashi) who, as a means to look for a potential new girlfriend/wife, stages a fake acting audition. The idea is that Shigeharu and his friend would be able to talk to a great number of women in a single day, giving them an excuse to learn about them, size them up, and judge them worthy of a date. Like speed dating, just staged with a little bit of harmless (?) subterfuge. Shigeharu...

The post One Of Audition's Most Disturbing Moments Wasn't In the Script appeared first on /Film.

“I can’t put my finger on it but there’s something wrong with her.”

When writer Tony Rayns met Japanese director for one of the first times in the 1990s, he spoke to him about his incredible output per year, which sometimes ranged somewhere between six to seven movies. According to Miike, the answer was obvious for he liked to keep himself busy with his films through the year. Additionally, rejecting a producer’s proposal, especially for an interesting idea, was something Miike could (and probably still can) not do, and in the end the people involved would find the right time and right place in his busy schedule to work everything out.

“Audition” is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival

Interestingly, the year this encounter took place marks a significant milestone in Miike’s career. The Rotterdam Film Festival not only showed three of his movies – “Audition...

“I can’t put my finger on it but there’s something wrong with her.”

When writer Tony Rayns met Japanese director for one of the first times in the 1990s, he spoke to him about his incredible output per year, which sometimes ranged somewhere between six to seven movies. According to Miike, the answer was obvious for he liked to keep himself busy with his films through the year. Additionally, rejecting a producer’s proposal, especially for an interesting idea, was something Miike could (and probably still can) not do, and in the end the people involved would find the right time and right place in his busy schedule to work everything out.

“Audition” is streaming on Mubi

Interestingly, the year this encounter took place marks a significant milestone in Miike’s career. The Rotterdam Film Festival not only showed three of his movies – “Audition”, “Dead or Alive” and...

Stars: Christopher Abbott, Mia Wasikowska, Laia Costa, Marin Ireland, Maria Dizzia, Wendell Pierce | Written and Directed by Nicolas Pesce

Christopher Abbott and Mia Wasikowska star in Piercing, a deliciously dark psycho-sexual horror; the second feature from director Nicolas Pesce (The Eyes of my Mother). Adapted from a novel by Ryû Murakami (who wrote the source material for Takashi Miike’s Audition), the film is shot through with a jet-black sense of humour and a sensibility that recalls Steven Shainberg’s Secretary in more ways than one.

Abbott (It Comes At Night) stars as Reed, a new dad who’s first glimpsed psyching himself up to stab his infant daughter with an ice-pick, unbeknownst to his young wife, Mona, played by Laia Costa (Victoria). When a demonic voice from the baby informs him that he knows what he has to do, Reed tells his wife he’s off on a business...

Piercing doesn’t ever pull a punch. The title of writer-director Nicolas Pesce‘s adaptation of Ryû Murakami‘s novel of the same name couldn’t be more fitting. From its earliest images, audience members will know if this movie, which features visceral body horror, S&M, and cruel and ridiculous laughs, speaks to them. Pesce, who previously directed The Eyes of My Mother and will […]

The post ‘Piercing’ Director Nicolas Pesce on His Gnarly, Surprising Horror Mash-Up [Interview] appeared first on /Film.

To celebrate the release of the twisted giallo-inspired love story Piercing – in select cinemas from 15th Feb. 2019 and available on digital 22nd Feb. 2019 – we are giving away a limited edition quad poster. Crimson Peak’s Mia Wasikowska and future A-lister Christopher Abbott star in a slick and twisted love story from the minds behind cult classic shockers Audition and Afterschool, and the Netflix hit The Sinner.

This sly and stylish urban psycho-thriller is based on the novel by the Japanese horror scribe Ryû Murakami, whose book Audition was so memorably adapted for the screen in 1999). Produced by indie heavyweights Antonio Campos (Netflix’s The Sinner) and Sean Durkin, this is a surreal, unique and unforgettable film experience from writer-director to watch Nicolas Pesce.

“Genuinely surprising and unsettling” Little White Lies

“Darkly funny” ★★★★ The Skinny

Book tickets today: po.st/PiercingPCC

To win this limited edition Piercing poster, just answer the...

A marriage between the gorgeously disturbing imagery Nicolas Pesce delivered via his debut The Eyes of My Mother and the surreally warped sensibilities of Audition author Ryû Murakami definitely piqued my interest as far as the former’s adaptation of the latter’s novel Piercing. This psychological thriller concerns new father Reed’s (Christopher Abbott) need to briefly leave his wife (Laia Costa’s Mona) and the baby he can’t stop himself from wanting to stab with an ice pick in order to find a prostitute with which to cleanse his dark thoughts of murder elsewhere. Maybe he’s a serial killer or maybe this urge is the culmination of not yet having put metal into flesh. Either way, his carefully laid plans will inevitably go awry so our voyeuristically perverted Gods may laugh.

Let’s face it: watching Reed rock his screaming baby until it stops to stare...

Christopher Abbott and Mia Wasikowska in ‘Piercing’

After playing repressed or relatively stable characters in period dramas such as Damsel and Madame Bovary, Mia Wasikowska jumped at the chance to go to the dark side in Piercing.

She plays a disturbed escort named Jackie in Us writer-director Nicolas Pesce’s gory S&M horror/thriller Piercing, which opened today in Australia after premiering at Sundance.

Jackie turns the tables on Reed (Christopher Abbott), a married guy with a new baby who checks into a hotel and calls for an escort with murderous intent. A deadly game of cat-and-mouse ensues.

The Aussie actress initially was cast as Reed’s wife but was offered the co-lead a week and a half before shooting was due to start. “I had 24 hours to rethink the whole thing and decided to do it on a whim, before I had the chance to over-think it,” she tells If.

To follow-up his outstanding debut feature The Eyes of My Mother (review), writer/director Nicolas Pesce has tackled another horror project, this time adapting a novel from Japanese author Ryû Murakami.

Piercing stars Christopher Abbott as a man who decides, for reasons that aren't fully clear from the trailer, that he needs to kill. He decides the way to satiate his need is to plan it down to the most minute detail, book a prostitute, and then do the deed except that the woman who arrives for his night of merciless killing, played by Mia Wasikowska, has her own plans for how the evening is going to play out.

The movie also stars Laia Costa wh...

The creators behind AFI Fest 2018 have announced their Midnight lineup and it consists of films from all around the world. Also: an exclusive clip from Bonehill Road, A71 Entertainment's acquisition of the Canadian home video rights to The Ranger, and details on the Witch City Horror Film Fest in Salem, Ma.

AFI Fest 2018 Midnight Lineup Revealed: "Cam – Lola (Madeline Brewer of The Handmaid’S Tale) is a modern-day camgirl who makes her living through online private chats, but her world is about to turn upside down. Written by former camgirl Isa Mazzei, this thriller is one of the most surprising and intelligent films of the year. Dir Daniel Goldhaber. Scr Isa Mazzei, Daniel Goldhaber. Cast Madeline Brewer, Patch Darragh, Melora Walters, David Druid, Imani Hakim, Michael Dempsey. USA

In Fabric – A demonic dress haunts the lives of all that come into contact with it in this sexually explicit, phantasmagoric fever dream.

Over the course of 2018, the latest movie from The Eyes of My Mother filmmaker Nicolas Pesce, Piercing, has been making the festival rounds worldwide, and in just a few months, Pesce’s adaptation of Ryû Murakami’s novel will finally be making its way home for fans to enjoy for themselves. While at Fantastic Fest last month, Daily Dead spoke with Pesce about the process of adapting someone else’s material for his newest film, how Piercing is his tribute to giallo movies, and more.

Look for more on Piercing closer to its release!

I would love to start out talking about the material that you worked with here. I know Eyes of My Mother was your own thing, so what was different for you this time, in terms of working with somebody else's material?

Nicolas Pesce: I think that for good or bad, I decided very early on that...

Stars: Christopher Abbott, Mia Wasikowska, Laia Costa, Marin Ireland, Maria Dizzia, Wendell Pierce | Written and Directed by Nicolas Pesce

Christopher Abbott and Mia Wasikowska star in Piercing, a deliciously dark psycho-sexual horror; the second feature from director Nicolas Pesce (The Eyes of my Mother). Adapted from a novel by Ryû Murakami (who wrote the source material for Takashi Miike’s Audition), the film is shot through with a jet-black sense of humour and a sensibility that recalls Steven Shainberg’s Secretary in more ways than one.

Abbott (It Comes At Night) stars as Reed, a new dad who’s first glimpsed psyching himself up to stab his infant daughter with an ice-pick, unbeknownst to his young wife, Mona, played by Laia Costa (Victoria). When a demonic voice from the baby informs him that he knows what he has to do, Reed tells his wife he’s off on a business...

Just a couple of years ago, up-and-coming director Nicolas Pesce celebrated the world premiere of his debut feature, The Eyes of My Mother, at the Sundance Film Festival, and he’s now returned in 2018 with his follow-up effort, Piercing, a slick and stylized exploration of obsession and murderous intentions. Featuring memorable performances from Christopher Abbott and Mia Wasikowska, a savagely funny and surprising script from Pesce, who adapted Ryû Murakami’s novel of the same name for the big screen, and a neo-retro approach to both the score and visual style of Piercing, Pesce confidently proves here that when it comes to telling stories, he enjoys screwing around with viewers' sensibilities and expectations. And I am all about it.

In Piercing, we meet Reed (Abbott) who seems to be like every other struggling father and husband, except that he’s harboring a dark secret: in his teens, he murdered a woman,...

Mia Wasikowska and Christopher Abbott are set to topline the upcoming film “Piercing.” According to Variety, the pair has wrapped production on the psychological thriller directed by Nicolas Pesce.

Read More: Jack Nicholson to Star in ‘Toni Erdmann’ Remake

Based on Ryu Murakami’s 1994 novel of the same name, “Piercing” follows the story of a man (Abbott) who leaves his wife and daughter at home as he says he’s heading on a business trip. However, he checks into a hotel and calls an escort service with the intention of killing the unsuspecting call girl, played by Wasikowska. After arriving at his room, the seductive and enigmatic prostitute manages to hinder his plan of killing her.

Wasikowska is known for her work in such films as “Jane Eyre,” “The Kids Are All Right” and last year’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass.” Abbot has appeared in films like “James White” and “A Most Violent Year,...

A demonic femme fatale, who tortures her male would-be oppressor, made Takashi Miike’s vengeance tale the horrifying launchpad for an entire genre

Japanese film-maker Takashi Miike pretty well invented the genre of J-horror as it came to be understood with this shocking, scabrous, satirical movie from 1999; adapted by Daisuke Tengan from the 1997 novel by Ryû Murakami. Above everything else, it has something which makes it very different from the vast majority of horror movies – a female evil-demon figure who terrorises the male.

Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) is an ageing widower in the film business who hits on an underhand ruse for finding a new wife; he will audition for a non-existent female supporting role in a movie – which will attract the right kind of submissive, non-diva woman, whom he can let down gently and ask out on a date. This premise on its own would be enough for a smart comedy,...

Special Mention: C’est arrivé près de chez vous (Man Bites Dog)

Written by André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde, Rémy Belvaux and Vincent Tavier

Directed by André Bonzel and Benoît Poelvoorde

France, 1992

Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, and Benoît Poelvoorde set out to make their first feature film with little resources and little money. In the tradition of filmmakers who can’t afford much film stock, the trio settled for a faux-documentary-style approach – the result is a high-concept satire of media violence that would spoof documentaries by following around a fictitious sociopath named Ben as he exercises his lethal craft. While the cinematic tradition of presenting villains as suave, charming, attractive, and intelligent individuals is nothing new, Man Bites Dog was still ahead of its time. Much like the great Hitchcockian villains such as Joseph Cotten in Shadow of a Doubt, Ben is a man of action and ideas. He expounds on art,...

We chat to legendary producer Mario Kassar about the return of Carolco, its forthcoming sci-fi film Bot, Hollywood studios, and more...

First Blood. Total Recall. Terminator 2. For a generation versed in the major action films of the 80s and 90s, the Carolco brand holds a special place in the memory. Its distinctive logo became a byword for bold, often brash movies starring some of the biggest names of the day - not least Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Founded by producers Andrew Vajna and Mario Kassar in the 1970s, Carolco went from indie outsider to a company with the size and clout of a Hollywood major; the studio became famous - and infamous in some quarters - for its headline-grabbing deals. (Legend has it that, when Arnie signed up to make Terminator 2: Judgment Day, he was given a $17m private jet.)

At the height of its powers, Carolco was making smaller-scale,...

Almost 20 years after it closed, Carolco is back. CEO Alex Bafer tells us about its revival and a "very big" future sci-fi blockbuster.

At the height of its 80s and 90s powers, Carolco was one of the biggest independent film studios in Hollywood. Its distinctive logo appeared on some of the most successful movies of the era - the Rambo series, Terminator 2, Total Recall, Basic Instinct - but the studio also found a place for smaller-scale, unique films such as Angel Heart and Jacob's Ladder.

Then a combination of recession, a faltering TV and home video label and cinematic misfires - not least the infamous Cutthroat Island - saw Carolco file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December 1992. And with that, Carolco seemed to be finished.

On the 20th January, however, it was announced that the Carolco brand is back. A company once called Brick Top Productions has acquired the Carolco name,...

Well Go USA will launch Richard Gray's The Lookalike in Us cinemas and on digital HD on Friday November 7.

The dark comedy crime-romance stars Justin Long, John Corbett, Gillian Jacobs, Jerry O.Connell, Gina Gershon, Scottie Thompson and Luís Guzman.

Gray (Blinder, Mine Games, Summer Coda) is in post-production on the thriller Sugar Mountain, which stars Jason Momoa and Cary Elwes..

He's working with producer Mario Kassar on a new adaption of the Ryû Murakami novel, the story of a widower who, with the help of a TV producer friend, holds auditions supposedly for a leading lady as a cover to find a wife. The novel was adapted into a Japanese film in 1999.

.We.re thrilled to bring The Lookalike to audiences throughout the Us starting in November,. said Doris Pfardrescher, CEO/President of Well Go USA. .It.s a phenomenal film with extraordinary talent that seamlessly blends the elements of the thriller,...

Audition is one crazy Japanese film. If you haven't seen it yet, it's a you need to experience to believe. It's based on the 1997 novel by Ryu Murakami, and the story follows "a lonely widower who gets more than he bargains for when he puts out a fake casting call to find a new girlfriend." The events that follow are unbelievably insane!

The original film was directed by Takashi Miike, and it has gained quite a large cult following since its release in 1999. The new film will be directed by Richard Gray, and Deadline gives some details on the story saying that the "unlucky protagonist is Sam Davis, who lives alone with his son following the death of his wife seven years prior and is convinced by a filmmaker friend to stage the fake auditions. The former ballerina with a mysterious past he falls for is now named Evie Lawrence,...

This was inevitable. The premise of "Audition" is irresistible as a horror movie set-up. It's not only clever, it also does a tremendous job of commenting on just how casual the misogyny is in many horror films, from concept to execution to the marketing. "Audition," at least in the original Miike film, is about setting those scales right, delivering some magnificent horror to those who have earned it. I haven't read the Ryu Murakami novel that inspired the film that Takashi Miike made but I've seen that film theatrically three times, and all three times, it was amazing to watch the crowd while they watched the movie. It messed with them on a chemical level. If you haven't seen the film, it's about a guy who hasn't dated since his wife dies, and he ends up letting a friend, a film producer, put together a fake audition in which young...

Beloved horror cult gem Audition will be getting an English-language remake. Takashi Miike’s 1999 film–which doubled as a public service announcement about the potential dangers of piano wire–was based on a 1997 novel by Japanese author Ryu Murakami.

The new film will transplant the story to an American setting. It’s being produced by Mario Kassar, the iconic ’80s-era producer of films like Terminator and Rambo. It will be written and directed by Richard Gray, the Australian director who’s currently wrapping up Jason Momoa’s Sugar Mountain. Update: A rep for Gray confirmed his participating to EW, and...

The cult horror classic Audition, Takashi Miike’s breakout film from 1999, is getting the Hollywood treatment with an English language remake planned to shoot this fall.

Deadline reported Friday that the remake will be produced by Mario Kassar (Terminator, Rambo) and directed by Richard Gray (the upcoming The Lookalike and Sugar Mountain).

Miike’s film, based on a novel by Ryu Murakami, is about a man who puts out a casting call for a new girlfriend and finds the woman he selects is not all she appears. This adaptation falls into that nebulous territory of not strictly being a remake of the Japanese film but a new adaptation of Murakami’s story with an American setting.

And this of course is hardly the first cult horror film to fall under Hollywood’s purview. Last year the Spike Lee directed Oldboy, a remake of a South Korean film with just as many cringe-worthy moments,...

After the universal praise from critics and audiences of last year’s Oldboy, it was only a matter of time before someone attempted to remake Audition. Late Friday afternoon, Deadline reported that Ryu Murakami’s novel, made infamous by Takashi Miike’s 1999 film, would indeed be getting a Hollywood adaptation.

In this version, to be directed by Richard Gray (The Lookalike), Audition‘s unlucky protagonist is Sam Davis, who lives alone with his son following the death of his wife seven years prior and is convinced by a filmmaker friend to stage the fake auditions. The former ballerina with a mysterious past he falls for is now named Evie Lawrence, but otherwise details fall closely in line with Murakami’s best-seller.

Gray adapted the script and will tackle a fall shoot for Audition

The film is being produced by Mario Kassar (Terminator, Rambo, Basic Instinct)...

Mark Ruffalo (Avengers: Age of Ultron) recently mentioned that Marvel was still considering a new standalone Hulk movie, but when asked about the chance that movie be based on the "Planet Hulk" comic Ruffalo didn't seem to think that was the best option. "'Planet Hulkc' I don't think that's the way to go yet," he said. "I think you need more Banner. The whole thing is just him as Hulk, on a planet, fighting other gladiators." MTV Jason Bateman (Bad Words) will direct and star in an untitled FBI wedding comedy for Universal Pictures. David Bar Katz wrote the latest draft of the screenplay, no plot details were reported. Variety Terminator, Rambo and Basic Instinct exec producer Mario Kassar is assembling an English-language adaptation of Audition based on the 1997 novel by Japanese author Ryu Murakami and perhaps Takashi Miike's most appreciated film. The story centers on a lonely widower...

After remaining seemingly safe from Hollywood's remake machine for 15 years, Takashi Miike's cult thriller Audition has been snatched up for an English-language adaptation. Deadline reports Terminator and Rambo producer Mario Kassar is developing the new take on Ryu Murakami's 1997 novel on which Miike's 1999 film is based. Richard Gray (The Lookalike) will be at the helm of the film which will follow a lonely widower who decides to put out a fake casting call for a leading lady with the intention of using the set-up to meet a new girlfriend. However, one of the attendees turns out to be more than he bargained for. This time the film will follow a character named Sam Davis who has the hope of meeting a new lover, until he falls for Evie Lawrence, a former ballerina with a mysterious past. Gray also adapted the noel himself, and the plan is for the...

Takashi Miike’s stunning, creepy, brain-searing 1999 adaptation of Ryu Murakami’s novel Adaptation had such an impact here in 2001, we wondered whether it would be long before an American producer snapped up the rights to mount a remake. But as the years passed and nothing happened, we relaxed; the moment seemed to have passed. Now, though, Mario Kassar is plotting a Us-centric take on the tale.The original Audition, for those who have not seen it, found a lonely widower letting his movie producer friend set up a series of fake try-outs for young women to become his girlfriend. Unfortunately for him, the girl he selects – Asami – hides a steely, psychotic, creatively murderous nature and… Well, things go terribly wrong from there. Kassar, who helped shepherd The Terminator, Rambo and Basic Instinct into the world, believes the time is right for an American version of the story, which would switch...

Last year we listed our 5 Best & 5 Worst Horror Movie Remakes, and noted that Takashi Miike's "Audition" had "mercifully avoided the remake treatment." We spoke too soon. One of the handful of early films that put the filmmaker on the radar of genre enthusiasts, "Audition" is now going down the remake road. Deadline reports that producer Mario Kassar — the man who brought us, among other things, "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "Basic Instinct," "Showgirls," "The Doors" and "Rambo III" — is putting together an American redo of the movie that is based on the novel by Ryu Murakami. And for better or worse, there won't be any major changes, with the story (now set in the United States, duh) still following a widower who holds fake auditions in order to find a new mate, but meets his match with one unforgettable choice. And if you're hoping this is one that'll get stuck in development hell,...

With practically ever other popular J-horror over the past 15 years spawning some form of a Us remake it is quite surprising that Takashi Miike's art-house styled horror still remains untouched. That is of course until now, providing you bothered to at least read the headline! Producer Mario Kassar ('Terminator') is putting together the project and is eyeing an Autumn/Fall shoot with Richard Gray ('The Lookalike') at the helm. The remake will be based on the novel by Japanese author Ryu Murakami, as the original Asian version was too, but we're sure to expect little nods and homages along the way to filmmaker Takashi Miike's 1999 adapted effort....

Well, it took a surprising amount of years to get on Hollywood's "we need our own version of that" radar, but it's finally on its way. The 1999 Takashi Miike film Audition, which was based upon the 1997 novel by Japanese author Ryu Murakami, is getting the U.S. remake treatment!

Deadline reports that Terminator, Rambo, and Basic Instinct executive producer Mario Kassar is in the midst of assembling an English-language adaptation for us Westerners. The new Kassar-produced version is based on the original Murakami novel and will transplant the story to an American setting.

In this version, to be directed by Richard Gray (The Lookalike), Audition‘s unlucky protagonist is Sam Davis, who lives alone with his son following the death of his wife seven years prior and is convinced by a filmmaker friend to stage the fake auditions. The former ballerina with a mysterious past he falls for is now named Evie Lawrence,...