Weekly Round-up: Ghostbusters, Penny Dreadful and more!

Many moons ago when Wise Words... first started, weekly posts of the world's latest horror news were the norm. After a slight hiatus (and admittedly, a change of mind), the news round-ups are back. Yes, they can be brief, repetitive and lacking a little substance but quite frankly, it's nice to get excited about upcoming projects, re-releases and many other anomalies that break out into our favourite genre. So without further ado, let's begin and pick out the best of last week's news.

'It Follows' picked up by RADiUS

Out of the festival circuit, either Sundance or Toronto are the places to be when it comes to horror. However at this years Cannes festival, a small, independent hit directed by David Robert Mitchell entitled It Follows, created a massive buzz. The film follows Jay, a 19-year-old girl whose Summer fun is shattered after an apparently innocent sexual encounter leads to frightening visions and extreme paranoia. The film has been heralded as both 'haunting and beautiful', and predicted to be 'one of the best indie horror films in over a decade', so it is no surprise that last week, It Follows was acquired by RADiUS, a Weinstein subsidiary. The film is reportedly set for a 2015 release.

'We Come in Pieces' debut

Last Tuesday, Trapdoor Pictures (comprising of directors/producers Ryan Spindell and Ben Hethcoat) released their latest documentary, We Come in Pieces: The Rebirth of the Horror Anthology Film. Featuring appearances from various horror directors and genre buffs, the very short documentary examines not so much what an anthology is, but why us fans love it. With a few great clips here and there (Creepshow, Twilight Zone: The Movie, Tales From the Darkside), We Come in Pieces is a great little love letter to the portmanteau form. See it in full below;



The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Re-release and DVD/Blu-ray
Last week saw the wonderful news that The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari will receive both a cinema and Blu-ray/DVD re-release, courtesy of Eureka! Entertainment's Masters of Cinema series. As the epitome of German Expressionism and deservedly thought of as an iconic masterpiece, we can all rejoice at the opportunity to once again witness this 1920s classic. The theatrical run will begin on the 29th of August at London's BFI Southbank and the dual format Blu-ray/DVD will be available from the 29th of September. 

Penny Dreadful renewed for a second series
Penny Dreadful, a series following a selection of gothic literary legends, has been picked up for a second season. Having been embraced by the public (hitting over 3 million viewers) and received rave reviews (although you can read my not-so-rave reviews here), it is no surprise that this latest horror show has been allowed another ten-episode run. We're a while off a release date however, so in the mean time, you can continue with the current series on Sky Atlantic, every Tuesday at 9.00pm. 
Ghostbusters theatrical re-release announced
The classic Ghostbusters turned 30 last week and to celebrate, it was announced that the much-loved film would receive a theatrical re-release late this Summer. On August the 29th it is reported that over 700 screens will exhibit a restored and remastered version of Venkman and co., and the fun doesn't stop there. A 30th anniversary Blu-ray will also be released on 16th of September, in addition to a first-ever Blu-ray release of Ghostbusters II, featuring all new discussions from Ivan Reitman and Dan Aykroyd. I feel so funky...

So that's it for the best of last week's news. Keep your eyes peeled for next week's installment and any delightful developments that lie ahead.