Fright Night
Blu-ray 3D | Blu-ray | DVD
DIRECTED BY: Craig Gillespie
WRITTEN BY: Marti Noxon
STARRING: Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Imogen Poots, David Tennant, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Toni Collette
DreamWorks Pictures
RELEASE DATE: December 13, 2011

By now we should all be familiar with the drill: whether we like it or hate it, Hollywood will and is remaking everything they can get their hands on, and that’s because people pay lots and lots of money to see them. So, knowing that, we might as well at least remain open to the possibility that every now and again a remake will be done properly (the Coen’s True Grit, for example) and in-turn, be worth our time and our money.

A good place to find remakeable properties appears to be the ’80s horror genre. Though the horror movies of that time are beloved by many, they’re not always exactly “good” and often ooze hints of the decade in which they were made, and so they do not age very well at all. With a little love and care and today’s technologies, however, a cheesy ’80s horror flick can be turned into quite the little terror. So when it comes to a remake of ohhh, say…Fright Night, for example, is said love and care and technology put to good use, or does another bite the dust?

Back in August Showtime announced that they would be airing a new dramatic series produced by Dreamworks Television based on Under the Dome, Stephen King‘s epic novel about the citizens of a Maine vacation hamlet forced to do battle with supernatural forces when their town becomes enclosed by a mysterious dome.

Now comes the news that comic book writer and Lost scribe Brian K. Vaughan has been hired to adapt the novel for the small screen.

Apparently it’s a big week for DreamWorks, and it’s only Monday.

With the animation side of the mega-studio teaming with Netflix for a new streaming deal, the studio proper is still looking to make a splash, as The Wrap is reporting that they have bought up the rights to Roald Dahl‘s beloved book, The BFG.

It would appear that something of a rebellion is underway by major movie studios who are usually expected to show off big and exciting things from their upcoming slate every year at San Diego Comic-Con. A growing number of said studios have declared that they will not be attending Comic-Con this summer, and others are still pondering whether the yearly geek mecca is worth their time and promotional efforts.

The New York Times is reporting that among the studios who have decided not to show up at Comic-Con this year are Warner Brothers, Walt Disney, DreamWorks, and The Weinstein Company. Even bigger might be Marvel — likely the most expected to show up and promote The Avengers — who is apparently still “on the fence” as to if they want to attend this summer’s convention.

We first heard of The 39 Clues in 2008 before the books even hit store shelves. Back then some thought the new series could become the next Harry Potter in terms of franchises with the promise of ten books, games to play online, multiple authors, and collectible cards that would help readers try and solve the mysteries of the stories, creating an exciting interactive element to the series. Not to mention the fact that Steven Spielberg, who had acquired and set up the project with DreamWorks, was said to be a possibility to direct the first an expected many movies.

Unfortunately for fans, things change a great deal over time. The ten books in The 39 Clues have been released and have sold very well for Scholastic Media — so well, in fact, that an eleventh book in the series, Vespers Rising, was also just recently released — but Mr. Spielberg is not the man that will be directing the movie.