The Last Horror Blog: 'Friday the 13th' Seeks New Jason, 'Mr. Mercedes' Cas…

First Casting call for Friday the 13^th goes live – it’s been eight years since Jason Voorhees last stalked horny teens at Camp Crystal Lake – but the madman might be sharpening his machete for another slaughter.

Platinum Dunes is set to make a new film sometime this year – and if everything comes together as planned, filming could be starting sooner rather than later. How soon? How about March?

In preparation for the film, which is supposed to be sort of a retelling of the origin of Jason, the first casting call has gone out. If this description sounds like you, and you live in the Atlanta area, this could be your big break:

[YOUNG JASON] – Male, Caucasian, 12 years old ONLY SEEKING IDENTICAL TWINS W/ TV AND FILM CREDITS. MUST BE UNDER 5 FOOT. NO EXCEPTIONS. Lengthy and awkward. A dark, ominous child, who has severe psychological issues. Must have a very electric and expressive face (you will be painting the scene with your facial expressions), as this role does not speak. YOUNG JASON will grow into the pyscho-killer JASON. SUPPORTING ROLE. MUST BE ATLANTA BASED.

The new film will be helmed by The Crazies’ Breck Eisner. Will it actually come together after all these years? Who can say – but at least this news is a step in the right direction.

Brendan Gleeson headlines adaptation of Stephen King’s Mr. Mercedes – AT&T’s Audience network has announced the cast for its upcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s novel Mr. Mercedes – and In Bruges star Brendan Gleeson is set to headline.

Gleeson will tackle the role of Bill Hodges, a retired detective brought back into the action when a vicious killer begins sending him taunting letters. Turns out the killer has ties to the biggest case of Hodges’ career – and it’s up to him (with the assistance of his high school-aged landscaper and a young woman with social anxiety) to thwart the madman before he can strike again.

Here’s the rest of the cast:

Harry Treadaway (Penny Dreadful) as Brady Hartsfield

Kelly Lynch (Magic City) as Deborah Hartsfield

Jharrel Jerome (Moonlight) as Jerome Robinson

Scott Lawrence (Avatar) as Detective Peter Dixon

Robert Stanton (Mercury Rising) as Anthony “Tones” Frobisher

Breeda Wool (Unreal) as Lou Linklatter

Justine Lupe (Francis Ha) as Holly Gibney

Ann Cusack (Nightcrawler) as Olivia Trelawney

Mary Louise-Parker (Weeds) as Janey Patterson

Holland Taylor (The Truman Show) as Ida Silver

Mr. Mercedes was the first book in a trilogy. The 10 episode series will debut in 2017 exclusively on AT&T U-Verse, DirecTV, and DirecTV Now.

Watch Robert Englund don the Freddy makeup one more time – A few years ago, people paid a lot of money to go to an event to see Robert Englund don his infamous Freddy Krueger makeup for what was billed as “the last time ever”. And for the most part, it appears as though Englund wasn’t messing around with the claim – but if you missed being there, fear not – a new documentary takes us behind the scenes to capture this momentous moment in horror film history.

Nightmares in the Makeup Chair was mostly filmed during the weekend event – and features Englund reminiscing while Robert Kurtzman transforms him into Freddy Krueger.

The film is slated to play the festival circuit later this year, but I’ll bring you more information about this hotly anticipated documentary when a DVD/VOD release date is revealed. Until then, watch the trailer below.

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New trailer for Emerald Isle horror flick Nails debuts – When one thinks of Euro-horror, we often reminisce about films from England, France, Italy, and Spain. However, during the past few years Ireland has made some seriously great genre flicks – a trend they look to continue with the release of Nails. Have a look at the new trailer (below the official press release) and see what you think.

Fantastic Films and Kaleidoscope Film Distribution announced today that the new Irish horror film NAILS will have its World Premiere as part of the Audi Dublin International Film Festival (ADIFF), which runs 16-26 February, 2017.

This intense and claustrophobic thriller centers on a happily married track coach and mother, Dana Milgrom, who’s survived a near-death car accident only to find herself paralyzed and trapped inside her own body. Forced to communicate via an artificial voice program and hooked to a breathing machine, she becomes convinced that a terrifying presence called “Nails” exists inside her hospital room. No one believes her – not even her own husband and doctors, who think she’s experiencing a mental breakdown.

In the vein of recent films like THE BABADOOK and UNDER THE SHADOW, NAILS is part of a new wave of horror that puts female characters and their emotional lives at the center of the story. The film was financed with support from Bord Scannán na hÉireann / the Irish Film Board.

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Horror on the Horizon

February keeps the frights coming with the wide release of Rings this weekend, which finds The Big Bang Theory’s Johnny Galecki coming face to face with the deadly videotape from the previous films. Mostly, I’m just impressed he can find a working VCR – it’s 2017, for cryin’ out loud.

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If you’re lucky enough to live in a market that gets access to limited releases, you can also check out Don’t Knock Twice and Eloise this weekend.

Things are quieter on February 10 – but at least there’s John Wick 2 to keep us happy. It’s not horror, but lots of people will die violently. Good enough for me.

If you’re in New York and LA, you’ll also be able to check out Havenhurst – which features performances from Julie Benz and scream queen Danielle Harris.

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Horror on Home Video

There’s a deluge of new releases headed your way on home video over the next two weeks – but unfortunately, most of them are low budget filler.

February 7 does bring us a 4k version of John Wick – just in time to get you ready for the sequel. It also sees the release of Penny Dreadful: The Complete Series, which collects all three seasons of Showtime’s sumptuous horror crossover spectacular.

If you’ve got a vampire lover on your Valentine’s Day shopping list, picking up Stakeland 2 on the February 14 might be a good idea. If that doesn’t work, you can also grab Oscar nominee Arrival.

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