UK Contest: Win 'The Curse Of Sleeping Beauty' on DVD (& a TV Series on the Way!)

This 2016 re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty is probably most comfortably categorized as horror, so while there are fantastical things to see in this film and more than your average dose of magic, just keep in mind that it's considered "good viewing for Halloween".

We admit we haven't seen this yet and our impression is that it was darker and scarier than Vampire Diaries or Twilight but perhaps this parallel is why this film has had so much publicity.

Over the next 13 days Horror Talk are holding a contest to give away a copy of the upcoming DVD, being released October 24th:

With a bright young cast (including Gregory Peck’s grandson, Ethan), gorgeously sinister design and more than a touch of gothic terror, The Curse of Sleeping Beauty is for anyone who enjoyed Maleficent, The Vampire Diaries or The Twilight Saga. 

Thomas Kaiser (Peck) inherits an ancestral mansion that has been in his family for generations - only to learn that he has also inherited an ancient curse stemming back to the Crusades. Forced into his new role as “protector” - the guardian appointed to keep the evil demons in the house at bay - Thomas must unravel the mystery of the house, while struggling to awaken the beautiful Briar Rose, held captive in a terrifying netherworld seen previously in his dreams.

YOU CAN ENTER THE CONTEST HERE.

While this movie clearly falls under the category of 'off-beat films', it's received a lot of attention this past year, enough to make people realize this take on Sleeping Beauty can't be as easily dismissed as you might think for a genre film.

It also turns out, there's a TV series coming, though it's not clear how much of it will explore metaphors via fairy tales like the movie. The director does have a soft spot for fairy tales it seem, though, so for those who love shows like Penny Dreadful and American Gothic, this one might be one to watch for.

Here are some excerpts from an interview with the director, Pearry Teo, by Fangoria, telling us more about the movie, his fairy tale explorations and the upcoming TV series:

Filmmaker Pearry Teo, whose credits include DRACULA: THE DARK PRINCE and THE EVIL WITHIN, has created a visually stunning reimagining of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale with THE CURSE OF SLEEPING BEAUTY. 

...Scripted by Teo and Josh Nadler from the comic book by Everette Hartsoe, it’s set in a sinister world where neither the conscious nor the unconscious can be trusted, blending Gothic and cultural legends to depict the ancient struggle between good and evil. 

FANG: THE CURSE OF SLEEPING BEAUTY constantly toys with reality and the subconscious dream realm. In creating this world, did any scenes stem from your own dreams or nightmares?
TEO: It would be very selfish to say that, because it really came from the dreams of everybody who worked with me. From my director of photography Christopher C, Pearson to my production designer Alessandro Marvelli, we all put a little bit of our dreams and nightmares into it. There were definitely elements I’ve experienced myself that I worked with my team to bring to life, like sleep paralysis and things like that, but the dreamscapes in this movie were definitely a collaborative effort. 

FANG: Is there a sequel or further continuation of the story in the works?
TEO: XLrator has been very supportive of this film, and about wanting to see the audience’s reaction before we consider a follow-up. It was a very risky film, because it’s not so much of an in-your-face horror movie; we were trying out new things, blending genres that most people wouldn’t think go together. To do something horrific with a story that was popularized by Disney was a very chancy move for us, but I can definitely tell you there will be a TV series. We already have an idea of what those details will be. 

FANG: Can you tell us anything about that?
TEO: Yes. The idea is that in a TV series, I can explore the fact that sleep is such an intriguing subject—it’s borderline spiritual. It’s where people experience their own subconscious, so we want to explore more of the cerebral realm and how it manifests the darker subconscious. If we were to do a series, without giving anything away, each episode would explore different dream worlds and tap into different dream cultures. Watching SLEEPING BEAUTY, you can see that we tapped into the Arabic realm with the djinn and all that stuff, so what’s going to happen when we start expanding further? Every culture has their own nightmares, so it’ll be very interesting to try and blend them all. We all have different stories to tell about dreams, and I don’t think that has been explored very much. 

FANG: Would you consider reimagining other classic fairy tales and giving them a genre makeover?
TEO: Yes, I actually have a book that is being republished called BEDLAM STORIES, written by Christine Converse from a story I created. It’s set in an asylum in the 1920s, and it’s about two little girls who have wild fantasies and delusions—it’s Alice and Dorothy. Putting those characters in that setting was really fun. SLEEPING BEAUTY is more like PAN’S LABYRINTH and SILENT HILL, but this one is more HELLRAISER. It’s definitely Clive Barker kind of stuff.

You can read the rest of the interview, with more behind-the-scenes information (and possibly some scare-spoilers) HERE.

And in case you haven't yet seen the trailer, here it is:

Good luck to our readers!

Live Action 'Aladdin' Looks to Guy Ritchie To Direct

Disney unused poster concept art by John Alvin

It's not official yet, but it's official enough that people know the deal is legitimately being worked out: Guy Ritchie, director of the Sherlock Holmes movies with Robert Downey Jr. is in negotiations to direct the Disney live action version of Aladdin, titled Genie.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

Dan Lin, who was a producer on the Holmes movies for Warner Bros., is producing what Disney touts will be an ambitious and non-traditional take on Aladdin via his Lin Pictures banner.  

John August wrote the script for the live-action version, which sources say will keep many of the musical elements of the original. 

Still to be determined is the approach to the Genie, which to this day remains closely associated to Williams' singular and defining performance. 

Also, part of the non-traditional aspect of the project is the studio's intent to make it non-linear, a move right out of the Ritchie playbook.

Ritchie is also known for Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, which use a similar non-linear approach to narrative, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Ritchie's current project is slightly more in the vein of directing a fantasy. He's in post production on Warner's King Arthur.

Article: "Out Of the Bottle" (aka I Have An Article in La Vie Sirene's Genie Issue Today!)

Scheherazade by DrawingNightmare

Look! Joy Siren made very kind noises about my article idea and found room to sneak it into Siren Life, aka La Vie Sirene, today. Even though my title - "Out Of the Bottle" had already been used by another lovely writer, hopefully you still get the idea... It's all about genies this month, except my article is more fact than fiction... 

The image at the head of the post is of Scheherezade, one of my favorite female fairy tale characters. She was strong, resourceful, resilient and her weapon was stories (including those about genies). Scheherezade was a 'bomb girl' of a different kind and she would have related to the struggle I discuss in the article very well.

You can read the whole article HERE and scroll back through the month for lots of information, stories and whimsy on genies (as you might imagine, our favorite Jeannie is a regularly featured).

Big thanks to Joy Siren for making room for my unusual little article.

Enjoy!