Director M. Night Shyamalan has partnered with Jason Blum of Bloomhouse Productions in order to produce a self-financed, low budget project he had been keeping under wraps. The film, called The Visit, is intended as a return to his earlier work and to productions outside the ‘traditional’ studio system.

The Visit concerns a brother and sister visiting their grandparents’ isolated Pennsylvania farm. Eventually, the youngsters discover the seniors are keeping a dark secret and it quickly becomes apparent to the children they may not be going home.

The Visit was written, directed and self financed by Shyamalan and shot near the director’s Pennsylvania home. The partnership with Blumhouse Productions allowed for a first-look arrangement with Universal and the company specialized in low budget genre pictures. Blumhouse’s most recent successful production was Ouija.

M. Night Shyamalan produced the film with Blum and Marc Bienstock, with Steven Schneider and Ashwin Rajan executive producing.

Universal Pictures has set September 11, 2015 as the release date.

Prison guard Jordy comes up to a girl at a sorority house, saying that he’d like to secure their doors and windows as a precaution, even if Carroll was already caught. She lets him in, and he suggests that they start in a room at the end of the hallway.

Jordy tells the girl he has studied the house a lot, and pulls out a bag that he threw up there earlier. He calls it his “kit”, and says that it is important to have the right tools. He has been planning this for a long time, and lunges at the girl.

Denise (real name Emma Hill) and the two “gay” neighbors (real names Jacob Wells and Paul Torres) arrive at a house with Claire’s son Joey. She has told Joey that they are on an adventure, and his mother said not to call her.

Hardy is introduced to agent Deborah Parker, the new lead in the investigation. The old lead has been moved off the case for leaving Hardy alone with Carroll in the interrogation room, which led to Hardy breaking three of Carroll’s fingers.

Parker is questioning Hardy about his past when they are informed that there has been another murder. They arrive at the sorority house to find that 3 girls have been killed. The killer was very sloppy, and they are able to determine that is was Jordy based on all the fingerprints.

It was a strong weekend for Wreck-It Ralph as the Disney animated feature brought in half a million during its opening frame. However, before we get to that some house cleaning from last week.

We missed out on an opportunity to celebrate Argo‘s rise to the number one spot last weekend. Ben Affleck’s film had a solid debut, but it was on the low-end of expectations. In the weeks following, Argo has been holding incredibly well for a movie that is playing on so many screens. Culminating in finally taking the top spot last weekend in an otherwise weak weekend.

How did it do this weekend? Well since it wasn’t number one again you will have to wait to find out. The winner this weekend was Wreck-It Ralph, another Disney animated feature that proves there is still some magic left in the mouse house proper. Coming out with nearly $50 Million, Ralph managed one of Disney’s biggest animated openings. Of course even those lofty numbers pale in comparison to the PIXAR average, but from the studios that brought us Home on the Range, this is great business.

A&E is setting up a new series that will serve as a prequel to Hitchcock’s classic Psycho. The new show, Bates Motel, will attempt to tell the tale of how young Norman went from mama’s boy to psychopathic killer and the show has just cast its Norma Bates.

The news comes from Deadline which is reporting that academy award nominated actress Vera Farmiga is set to take on the role:

[Bates Motel] examines the twisted relationship between serial killer-to-be Norman Bates and his mother Norma. Farmiga will play Norma Louise Bates who is described as passionate, and compelling, a smart, multidimensional character who is always capable of surprising us. The Universal TV-produced Bates Motel has a 10-episode straight-to-series order for a 2013 premiere.

Between Bates Motel and Hannibal, it looks like TV execs are very interested in using the TV format to explore the unexplored pasts of some of cinema’s greatest killers. Hopefully the long form nature of a TV series will provide a better venue to tell these tales as opposed to prequel movies that have thus far been very uninspired.

The good news is A&E does have faith in the show as they already ordered it straight to series with out the need for a pilot. So it will have more of a chance to tell its tale sans the ratings pressure that Hannibal will feel over at NBC.

Keep tuned to The Flickcast for more news from the impending series as it gears toward production.

Nicholas Cage is a strange film entity. He has developed a manic energy that can be harnessed into compelling work by the right filmmakers. Of course in the hands of the wrong filmmakers he is just all over the place in a crazy mess.

Usually a good sign of what type of Cage performance you are going to get can be found in the supporting cast around him. Deadline has scored the first look at some stills from his newest movie complete with a few of his fellow cast-mates:

The movie written and directed by Scott Walker revolves around Alaska’s most notorious serial predator Robert Hansen (Cusack), who in the span of 12 years abducted more than 24 women, flew them into the Alaskan wilderness, and hunted and murdered them. Hudgens plays the one teenage victim who escaped, and Cage plays the Alaskan State Trooper who finds her on the street — together they work to bring Hansen to justice.

Sounds a little like Kiss the Girls, but given the true story angle and Alaska setting this should stand well enough on its own. What is most interesting about this film is the almost against type roles for both Cage and Cusack. This could be a nice change of pace for both actors.

Bryan Fuller, the creative mastermind behind Wonderfalls, Pushing Daises and choice episodes of Heroes and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, might very well have two new shows on the air next season. We already told you about his two new projects likely to hit screens this season.

Now we are getting word from EW that the already greenlit Hannibal series will have a cable-esque 13 episode season one:

Hannibal, which has received a 13-episode series order, features Lecter solving crimes with empathic FBI profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy). For the first time, viewers will spend quality time with Lecter while he’s at large and before the world knows his secrets, working side by side with a similarly brilliant man who is destined to catch him.

What we have is Alfred Hitchcock’s principle of suspense — show the audience the bomb under the table and let them sweat when it’s going to go boom. So the audience knows who Hannibal is so we don’t have to overplay his villainy. We get to subvert his legacy and give the audience twists and turns.

Sounds mighty interesting. If Fuller and company can pull of this tight rope we might have a pretty great show on our hands. Fuller is certainly very capable, but this year will see him tackle two very well known properties. It will be interesting to see how he handles each one.

Now that The Hunger Games is such a huge success, it makes sense that Relativity Media will be focusing more of their media campaign for the horror film The House at the End of the Street on Games star Jennifer Lawrence. That tactic is pretty evident in the brand new trailer for the film just released.

In it, Lawrence is front and center as Elissa, daughter of single mom Sarah (Elisabeth Shue) who have come to small town America looking for a fresh start. Of course, things don’t go as planned and unexplainable events begin to happen, Sarah and Elissa learn the town is hiding a terrible secret: most of the people in the house next door to them were murdered.

As they learn more, things spiral out of control and they end up in mortal danger. Of course they do.

Actually this sound (and looks) like a pretty good premise for a horror/thriller. And let’s be honest, Shue and Lawrence make quite the mother/daughter team.

Check out the trailer after the break. Look for The House on the End of the Street to hit theaters on September 21.

Alberto Iglesias is a fantastic composer. He has two Oscar nominations under his belt, and now that he is getting higher profile work it wont be long before this Spanish composer gets a win. His most recent score is for the spy drama Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy, starring a who’s who of the best British actors working today.

The music for a thriller like this is essential in selling the mood and tension. A great score can be all the difference a movie like this needs to really breakout. So it is with great excitement that I take a listen to the Iglesias’ music, knowing that if he nails it this could be one of the best scores of the year.

My first reaction to this score is that it’s simple, piano heavy tones are perfect for a hard boiled spy thriller. I appreciate the minimalist approach which really heightens the moments of suspense in the score. The music is also not afraid to get big and exciting, most notably on the titular final track. There is a great since of intrigue in this music, really capturing the vibe you what to hear in a movie such as this.

If you’ve been the star of one of the most successful film franchises of all time and now that’s over, you might want to consider trying to go in a different direction with your career. If you’re Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, that’s kinda what you’ve done with your upcoming film The Woman In Black.

In the film Radcliffe plays a lawyer who travels to a remote English village and discovers that the ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals. The horror thriller is a remake of a 1989 TV movie which was adapted from a play which, itself, was adapted from a novel by Susan Hill. You follow all that? Good.

We’v got a new trailer for the film to share with you today. In it, Radcliffe does his best to overcome the notion that he should just pull out his wand and blast the ghost with his magical powers. Does he succeed? You be the judge.

Check out the trailer after the jump. The Woman In Black is set to hit theaters on February 3rd of 2012.

Everyone may have had their sites set of things they knew about like Amazing Spider-Man and Game of Thrones this year at San Diego Comic-Con, but one film that managed to turn tons of heads (that managed to get into the panel) was Francis Ford Coppola’s newest vampire/witchcraft based film, TWIXT.

Starring Val Kilmer and Elle Fanning, the film takes the world of Vampires and Witches that modern audiences know all too well and gives it an old spin. Here’s the premise.

A writer with a declining career arrives in a small town as part of his book tour and gets caught up in a murder mystery involving a young girl. That night in a dream, he is approached by a mysterious young ghost named V. He’s unsure of her connection to the murder in the town, but is grateful for the story being handed to him. Ultimately he is led to the truth of the story, surprised to find that the ending has more to do with his own life than he could ever have anticipated.

If Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang taught us anything, it’s that Val Kilmer as a failed anything is much more entertaining and believable than a successful Val Kilmer.m The only unfortunate part of the trailer is the pacing, and how the visuals tend to linger, which would be impressive if they were shots and visual aesthetics that we haven’t seen countless times before.

Judge for yourself and take a look at the trailer after the jump. TWIXT hits theaters later this year.

Let’s get this out of the way in advance: I’m a fan of actor, personality and bongo player Matthew McConaughey. Even though he’s been dipping in the romantic comedy well too much for the last several years, I’ve always thought he had an edge that needed to be explored.

Looks like I’m getting my wish with his upcoming film Killer Joe. In fact, not only does McConaughey look like he’s continuing to return to better, more challenging, roles the film also marks another directing effort for one of my favorites, William Friedkin. So, win win.

The film, written by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award writer Tracy Letts, tells the story of a Dallas detective who is also a hired killer. Talk about conflicted. Check out the synopsis below and a cool clip for the film after the jump:

When 22 year-old drug dealer Chris (Emile Hirsch) has his stash of drugs stolen from him by his mother, he has to come up with six-thousand dollars quick, or he’s dead. Desperate, he goes to the trailer-park to see his father, Ansel (Thomas Hayden Church), and he lays out the plan. Chris’s mother, who everyone hates, has a life insurance policy that would clear up his debt and make them all rich. The problem is that Chris’ mother is very much alive.

Enter Detective “Killer” Joe Cooper, a hired hit man with the manners of a Southern gentleman, who will do the job – for an upfront fee, that Chris and Ansel can’t pay. Just as Joe is about to leave, he spots Dottie (Juno Temple), Chris’ innocent younger sister. Joe makes Chris an offer, he’ll keep Dottie as sexual collateral until the money is collected and his fee can be paid. Chris reluctantly puts his debt ahead of his sister and agrees to Joe’s demand.

The concept of the insane upper-class citizens is one that has gone to the wayside over the past few years. There are some great films that incorporate the plot twist, such as Swimming with Sharks, but most insane antagonists in film tend to be members of the unwashed and broke.

That’s where Nick Tomnay’s The Perfect Host comes in. Based on his original 2001 short, The Host, the film takes the classic hostage tale and spins it around. Here’s the official synopsis.

Warwick Wilson is the consummate host. He carefully prepares for a dinner party, the table impeccably set and the duck perfectly timed for 8:30 p.m. John Taylor is a career criminal. He’s just robbed a bank and needs to get off the streets.

He finds himself on Warwick’s doorstep posing as a friend of a friend, new to Los Angeles, who’s been mugged and lost his luggage. As the wine flows and the evening progresses, we become deeply intertwined in the lives of these two men and discover just how deceiving appearances can be.

David Hyde Pierce takes on the role of Warwick, which is great seeing as how Pierce has been stuck with the fumbling, British comic relief for so many years. It will be nice to see him try out “nut case” for size.

Check out the trailer after the jump, and catch The Perfect Host on demand on May 27th and in theaters on July 1.