Based on a true story, it tells the story of the Campbell family, who move to upstate New York and soon discover that their Victorian home has a dark history. In fact, it was a mortuary! And the owner’s son was a clairvoyant who served as a sort of demonic messenger, helping spirits to cross over.

Ok, I’m seriously never going into my basement again. Directed by Peter Cornwell, “The Haunting in Connecticut” stars Virginia Madsen (is it just me, or does she only play wives and moms these days?), Kyle Gallner and Elias Koteas. Will you be seeing this movie?

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It tells the story of a gang who, after kidnapping and brutalizing two young women, unknowingly end up staying at a vacation home belonging to the parents of one of the victims. Stars Sara Paxton, Monica Potter, Tony Goldwyn and Martha MacIsaac.

“The Last House on the Left,” Clip 1: 

More after the jump…

“The Last House on the Left,” Clip 2:

“The Last House on the Left,” Clip 3:

“The Last House on the Left,” Clip 4:

“The Last House on the Left,” Clip 5:

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The series, based on the 1987 feature film which starred Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer as witches, will follow three young witches realizing their powers. Price will play Joanna, a shy, hardworking reporter for the local newspaper. Jaime Ray Newman (whom I remember as Kristina Cassadine on “General Hospital”) has been cast as a fellow witch. No word on casting for the third witch.

But wait … “Lipstick Jungle” hasn’t been formally canceled yet. In fact, there’s a huge fan base hoping it manages to avoid the axe. As I understand it, if “Lipstick” is resurrected, her role as Victory Ford would take precedence for Lindsay Price (though she would make a really great witch!).

Any thoughts on this? Since “Charmed” ended a couple years ago, TV has sort of been lacking in the witch category.

NBC Photo: Andrew Eccles

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I had the opportunity to talk with Joss Whedon, creator of “Dollhouse” and many other shows and movies, including “Firefly” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (which I’m just watching for the first time, and loving it). And I can’t leave out the smash-hit musical internet series, “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.”

“Dollhouse,” which airs on Fox, Friday nights at 9 p.m., revolves around a futuristic lab (the “dollhouse”) where various people (the “dolls”) are implanted with false memories and skills in order to complete assignments. When the assignments are done, their memories are wiped clean until the next assignment.

One of the dolls, named Echo (Eliza Dushku), is starting to become aware of what’s happening. At the same time, someone on the outside is trying to get close to Echo, possible to bring the Dollhouse down.

I’ve watched the first two episodes, and while I’m not completely hooked on the show at this point, I’m hooked enough to keep watching.

There’s been so much hype around the show (because it’s Joss Whedon, for cripes sake), so I think people are expecting it to be this phenomenal series right off the bat. But shows usually don’t work that way. They need time to build, especially Joss Whedon shows. I think that was the case with both “Buffy” and “Firefly,” which created enough stir to be made into a feature film called “Serenity.” 

Read on for his thoughts on rewriting the “Dollhouse” pilot, working with good people, a resurgence of “Dr. Horrible,” and yet more comic book chapters for “Buffy.” 

Jane: How does “Dollhouse” differ from your earlier shows?

Joss: I think this show definitely went through a tougher process, tough in a different way than the other shows. It’s probably most similar to “Angel,” in the sense of what we had in our minds about “Angel” was ultimately different than what the network did. Our version was a little darker, and in this instance, it wasn’t so much a question of reworking the show as it was a question of reworking how we get into it. There were definitely some differences of opinion about what was going on and what we were going to stress in the show.

Jane: What was involved in rewriting the pilot? 

Joss: The original pilot explained everything that happened, but came at it very sideways. [Fox] said let the audience see an engagement, so they understand that every week, she’s going to go to a different place and be a different person. That part was simple enough. It was my idea to do a new pilot, because once I was clear on what it was they needed – which I planned to provide in the show anyway — it seemed like a no-brainer to give them something they could get behind more.

Jane: You’ve said the sexual aspect of the show makes some people nervous.

Joss: Part of the mandate of the show is to make people nervous. It’s to make them identify with people they don’t like and get into situations they don’t approve of, and also look at the heroic side of things and wonder if maybe they were wrong about what motivated those, as well. So we’re out to make people uncomfortable, but maybe not our bosses so much.

Jane: The nature of the show is a bit dark, but even with the first two episodes, you can tell it’s going to be humorous, too.

Joss: There’s a lot of fun and humor in it, too. It doesn’t have the inherent silliness that both “Buffy” and “Firefly” had, or even “Angel.” This has to be a little bit more grounded in order for it to play, or it would become campy. With vampires and spaceships and horses, we had more leeway to be a little less realistic in how we plotted things. But humor is a part of the show all over the place. We have really funny actors, and these situations do become absurd. Besides, we would get really bored if we didn’t.

Jane: How did the concept of “Dollhouse” come about?

Joss: There’s the story of lunch with Eliza (Dushku), where we were talking about what kind of stuff she should play, and I thought she should play lots of different things. Then this show happened. Beyond that, I’m very interested in concepts of identity –what is our own, what’s socialized, can people actually change, what do we expect from each other, how much do we use each other and manipulate each other, and what would we do if we had this kind of power over each other? In our increasingly virtual world, self-definition has become a very amorphous concept, so it’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot.

Jane: You’ve done so many different types of projects. Where do you find your inspiration? 

Joss: Ultimately, it’s the story and the people I’m working with. I’ve gotten pretty good at putting together a group of people, both in the writing and acting, who are not just really gifted and delightful to learn from and to watch, but are just good people to be around. Creating an environment that is fun and safe and creative is difficult and enormously important.

Jane: What do you think about the Friday night timeslot?

Joss: Honestly, I really do see the opportunity there. It’s about growing a fan base, both for “Dollhouse” and for “Terminator” [which precedes it at 8 p.m.]. I think “Terminator” is a remarkably good show, and the kind of show that makes sense to be paired with “Dollhouse,” so I feel great about that. Plus, I get to see all these posters with Summer [Glau] and Eliza together, and that’s just too cool.

Jane: Can you talk about “Cabin in the Woods,” your feature film coming out next year?

Joss: Ultimately, it’s my take on the classic horror movie. Which means that it’s a classic horror movie, but we also have something specific to say about it – in a different way of saying it than we’ve seen before. I think after everyone sees it, they’ll love it so much that there will be no more need for movies. That’s how it’s going to be.

Jane: Any updates on a “Buffy” movie?

Joss: Nobody has ever broached the subject from the studio side. I think everybody is busy working, so I think that it probably won’t happen. That’s my guess, but I never know. The landscape changes constantly, but until somebody who has millions of dollars asks me that question, the answer is pretty much the same.

Jane: And what’s up with “Dr. Horrible”?

Joss: That’s another case of everybody being very busy, but we are definitely committed to the idea of Dr. Horrible reappearing somehow.

Jane: You’ve said you won’t do a comic series for “Dollhouse,” but are you going to do a season nine for “Buffy”?

Joss: We’re slogging our way through season eight, but we definitely have a season nine in mind. We’ve talked about doing more “Serenity” comics, and we’ve even talked to Dark Horse about a potential for some “Cabin” tie-ins. “Dollhouse” is the least visually oriented of all of these, and therefore, lends itself the least to being a comic. But comics are in my blood as much as any other medium.

 Images: Copyright and trademark, 20th Century Fox Corporation

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At any rate, “Taken,” the movie about a teen being sold into slavery, and “The Uninvited,” about a ghost terrorizing a young woman,” were tops at the box office this weekend. Well, with goofy “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” wedged right in the middle. Here’s the rundown from Box Office Mojo:

• Taken, $24.71M
• Paul Blart: Mall Cop, $13.87M
• The Uninvited, $10.32M
• Hotel for Dogs, $8.63M
• Gran Torino, $8.23M
• Slumdog Millionaire, $7.62M
• Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, $7.58M
• New in Town, $6.74M
• My Bloody Valentine 3D, $4.47M
• Inkheart, $3.72M

Image: Taken, TM and copyright, 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved.

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Here’s the scoop: The night she arrives at the remote Collingwood lake house, Mari (Sara Paxton) and her friend are kidnapped by a prison escapee and his crew.  Terrified and left for dead, Mari’s only hope is to make it back to parents John and Emma (Tony Goldwyn and Monica Potter).  Unfortunately, her attackers unknowingly seek shelter at the one place she could be safe.  And when her family learns the horrifying story, they will make three strangers curse the day they came to … the last house on the left.

Check out the official site of "The Last House on the Left," and after the jump, watch the trailer. It’s creepy!

Image: Rogue Pictures, 2009

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It tells the story of Tom (Jensen Ackles), who returns to his hometown on the tenth anniversary of the Valentine’s night massacre that claimed the lives of 22 people. Instead of a homecoming, however, Tom finds himself suspected of committing the murders, and it seems like his old flame (Jaime King) is the only one will believes he’s innocent.

Directed by Patrick Lussier, “My Bloody Valentine 3D” is rated R for graphic brutal horror violence and grisly images throughout, some strong sexuality, graphic nudity and language. It hits theaters Friday, Jan. 16, 2009. Check out the official site, and the trailer below:

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Starring Odette Yustman, Meagan Good, Cam Gigandet and Gary Oldman, The Unborn tells the story a young woman’s past, a curse that dates back to Nazi Germany, and an evil that awaits us all. The film debuts on January 9, 2009, and is rated PG-13.

The most striking thing about the trailer are the scenes of what appear to be possessions, and the fact the malevolent “baddy” appears as a child, which makes it all the more scarier. Also in the trailer, Odette Yustman’s (Cloverfield, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story) performance as the embattled young woman who must fight for her soul seems more than exciting..really really scary actually. As a matter of fact, the trailer itself is chock full of creep.

Gary Oldman’s role as Sendak is sure to be a hit, and I’d choose to see the film just to see him. The official movie web site, www.theunbornmovie.net has a terrifying “after-hours” version of the trailer, and a haunted photo gallery. The film comes courtesy of writer/director David Goyer (Blade: Trinity, The Invisible, Batman Begins).

Images Copyright 2008 Universal Studios

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Ghost Hunters International, which had attracted nearly 2.3 million viewers, is greenlit for a Season 2.

On the heels of all this good news, Ghost Hunters: New Generation is a new series that features a group of college students, led by seasoned investigators, who will play Scooby and investigate haunted hot spots around the country and the world. No word yet on when this will air, but the series has been ordered.

Of course, none of this is possible without the fan base and huge ratings. Ghost Hunters has been one of the most popular cable shows since it began in 2004. The series stars Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, who began when all this when they led TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society).

The original series has also been extremely popular with females and younger viewers. Perhaps it’s that Rhode Island charm these two guys deliver, along with the chilling cases they tackle each week.

Catch new Ghost Hunters International episodes on January 7, 2009.   Ghost Hunters Season 6 debuts in March 2009.

Image © 2008 NBC Universal, Inc./SCI FI Channel Photo: Chris Kontoes

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In a recent Celebreality interview, Tanedra talks about the stress, tears, and winning! She says she thinks she was “losing her mind” for a while.

The whole season was full of intensity, frustration, mind-melting horror scenarios, and courage, all on the part of the wonderful contestants. The final two contestants left standing were Michelle and Tanedra on the season finale, which aired December 14.

After the amazing bootcamp, judgment, and training from horror director James Gunn (Dawn Of The Dead), acting coach John Homa, and SAW actress Shawnee Smith, the ultimate winner, Tanedra, gets a starring “breakout” role in SAW VI, and joins the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jennifer Love Hewitt as the latest breakout Scream Queen.

So what do you think? Should Tanedra have won, and would you like to see her on the big screen in SAW VI?

If you think you have the makings of being a horror Scream Queen, head over to www.star-tv.com and upload your most chilling scream. Congratulations to Tanedra and all the other screamers!

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