::gets on::

The Horror Channel, a week after the massive re-shuffling of structure and firing of countless site contributors, has made the announcement that it will remake Mario Bava's classic Gothic horror film, Black Sunday.  With all the horror remakes on the way, and so many fans complaining, it's interesting that a site trying to re-establish its trust would make such an announcement.

If you haven't seen the original, track down a copy as soon as possible and watch it.  The film has some bland, boring characters, but the opening rules, and Mario Bava (the other Italian horror great, after Dario Argento) has such a command of the atmosphere and camerawork that any problems become quibbles.  It's a stylistic masterpiece.

As for this proposed remake, I really can't help but be pissed off with Horror Channel.  The great idea about a pay-cable horror channel is that fans provide the money, so people can be creative without appeasing studio execs and boards of trustees.  But now, we see that one of their first ventures is to co-produce yet another . . . another remake?  The press package (this is not a subjective news article) ends with Horror Channel describing itself modestly as "the network of choice for Horror fans, filmmakers, authors and actors."

With output like this on the way, we can only wonder if that promise will be fulfilled.