Coming from Live for Films

So, individual scare scenes are very scary and well done. The problem is that they don’t seem to add up to much. The film feels like a collection of horror set pieces strung together by…well, very little.

Coming from Twitch:

Laced with effective jumps and some genuinely atmospheric moments, The Ward is a somewhat uneven affair. While the early scenes, in particular, show some vintage Carpenter flair with the camera moving steadily, inexorably through a series of complex dolly and crane shots and long, slow push ins, the signature style becomes less pronounced as the film progresses and finally ends up in a place difficult to distinguish from any number of young up and comers’ work.

Coming from FearNet:

The Ward is still a step down from the director’s best efforts and it has a few “issues” here and there, but I don’t need a director to deliver a “classic” each time out. The Ward is a ’70s-style psycho-thriller that’s quick out of the gate, lean on the running time, and rather smoothly satisfying from start to finish.

The Ward is also cut down to its bare essence (it runs about 88 minutes all told), and doesn’t waste any time on superfluous character banter or narrative wheel-spinning. The cast of young ladies is quite excellent…

Related posts:

1. John Carpenter’s The Ward: More reviewsJohn Carpenter’s The Ward opens this friday in UK cinemas,...
   
2. D. Panabaker on The Crazies, The Ward & Renaissance GirlShockYa spoke to Danielle Panabaker about three of her upcoming...
   
3. 2010 Blockbuster Films: The WardBoth The Crazies (coming February 26) and The Ward (coming...
   

It seems Danielle Panabaker has snagged the 83rd spot on Maxim Magazine’s Hot 100 of 2010 list!

Katy Perry has been crowned the hottest woman alive because she is sexy and talented, according to Maxim’s Hot 100 List.

Rounding out the top ten are babes Brooklyn Decker, Zoe Saldana, Blake Lively, Megan Fox, Rihanna, Elisabetta Canalis, Olivia Munn, Kim Kardashian and Marisa Miller…

#81-90: Navi Rawat, Stacy Kiebler, Danielle Panabaker, Anna Paquin, Kylie Bisutti, Jessie James, Chelsea Handler, Daniela Ruah, Kelly Brook, Keeley Hazell

To see the full list go here: Just Jared

Related posts:

1. Danielle Panabaker – Maxim’s Hot 100 Scan!Hi everyone! I’ve finally updated the gallery with the scan...
   

Here’s part of a brand new interview coming from Killer Film. Danielle talks about The Crazies, The Ward, Weakness, Sky High, Mr. Brooks and Spider-Man rumors:

Danielle Panabaker is one of the busiest young actresses in Hollywood, and my interview covers the past, present and future for the starlet. The name might not be recognizable, but her resume sure speaks for itself.

Jason Bene: John Carpenter has decided to put down his XBOX long enough to direct his first film in almost ten years with The Ward. Can you talk about working with a true ‘Master of Horror’?

Danielle Panabaker: It was just such a pleasure and a delight. I was certainly intimidated and nervous going into it because he is the ‘Master of Horror’ and it couldn’t have been a better experience. He was so lovely. To work with someone who has spent so much time on film sets and wh has such a mastery of his craft is truly a great experience. I have so much respect for him. I feel very lucky and grateful that I got the opportunity to work with him.

Jason Bene: Can you tell us about your character in The Ward?

Danielle Panabaker: The Ward takes place in the 60’s and it’s about five young women in an insane asylum who start disappearing one by one. I knew one of the new patients and I go to the hospital and start asking questions. It’s about what happens to her and the other young women. She starts to explore a little deeper and asks a few questions.

Jason Bene: Friday the 13th was a huge hit for you, were you concerned about being in another horror remake so soon with The Crazies?

Danielle Pananbaker: I wasn’t. The scripts are from similar genres, but the scripts themselves are very different. With Friday the 13th you are working with such an iconic character and there is a very specific formula in terms of the Friday the 13th movies. Those are for a really specific audience and I think they [Platinum Dunes] did a great job of reaching that. With The Crazies, I feel like there are so many additional layers in terms of the social ramifications of what we are dealing with. The movie just has a broader appeal to a wider demographic of people. So, it was really for me about getting a great opportunity to work with some really talented people.

Jason Bene: What can we expect from you in the near future?

Danielle Panabaker: I did a small independent film called Weakness that I shot in New York last summer that I still haven’t seen yet, but I hear great things about. Hopefully that will be released sometime in the future.

Jason Bene: Sony pictures is talking about rebooting the Spider-Man franchise. You seem like you’d be a good choice to play Mary Jane Watson. Have you thought about trying out for that role?

Danielle Panabaker: I’m very flattered, thank you so much! Absolutely, I think the Spider-Man franchise is such a world reaching franchise and a role I would absolutely audition for.

To read the whole interview go here.

I’ve also updated the gallery with a very spoilerish The Crazies still, proceed with caution if you haven’t seen the movie yet!

Related posts:

1. Unlocking John Carpenter’s The WardI’ve updated the video archives with the ‘Unlocking The Ward...
   
2. Danielle Panabaker talks The Crazies and The WardDreadCentral.Com had the opportunity to chat with Danielle Panabaker, here’s...
   
3. The Ward: John Carpenter InterviewA french site called Canal+ has released an interview with...
   

Bloody Disgusting sat down with director Breck Eisner, along with stars Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell and Danielle Panabaker to chat about the remake of the classic George A. Romero thriller.

Co-star Danielle Panabaker, who plays Becca Darling in the film, went straight from battling Jason Voorhees to taking on the Trixie Virus in CRAZIES. But the young actress says she still doesn’t feel overloaded on the blood and guts. “Well, after THE CRAZIES I did [THE WARD] with John Carpenter, so I don’t think I’ve quite had my fill yet,” Panabaker laughs.

In the trailer for CRAZIES, it looks like Panabaker meets her end by being ripped out of the back of a car window in a car wash. “I can’t tell you that,” the actress says playfully. “You’re going to have to go see the movie.”

The car wash scene is one of THE CRAZIES’ biggest and most intense sequences, shot in multiple locations over three days. “That scene seemed to take forever to shoot,” says Panabaker. “It’s a combination of working in really wet circumstances, wet and cold and soapy and a lot of moving pieces, particularly being inside the car wash. We were shooting in an actual car wash so things break and you have to watch where you step and it’s slippery. It was quite an undertaking, but I think the ultimate result is it’s a really scary, terrifying scene.”

Panabaker adds that the car wash scene was far from the only intense moment she had on set. “The whole film is really filled with them. There’s a scene where my character’s strapped to a gurney and that was really difficult. You feel very vulnerable. You can’t go anywhere and everyone’s just moving around you. There’s a scene where our characters are hiding in a barn that was quite intense and frightening. There was plenty to go around.“

To read the whole interview go here!

More info about The Crazies and Danielle’s character, Becca Darling, can be found here.

The Crazies opens in theaters this Friday, February 26! (US, UK and Canada. To check more release dates go here.) The Los Angeles premiere will be held at the Vista Theatre later tonight so be sure to come back for image and video coverage!

Related posts:

1. Danielle Panabaker on The Crazies & WeaknessYet another interview! PopStar spoke to Danielle Panabaker about The...
   
2. D. Panabaker on The Crazies, The Ward & Renaissance GirlShockYa spoke to Danielle Panabaker about three of her upcoming...
   
3. Director Breck Eisner on The CraziesFearNet spoke to The Crazies director Breck Eisner on how...
   

Yet another interview! PopStar spoke to Danielle Panabaker about The Crazies (opens this friday!) and Weakness:

How bloody and gory does it get?  Does it earn its R?

Oh, yes, the movie definitely earns its R.  I did a film about a year ago, the remake of Friday the 13th.  That film had a lot of blood.  It was really grotesque and it was almost back to those films from the ’70s and ’80s, the horror films with the low budgets that were just blood squirting everywhere.  The Crazies doesn’t have that.  It doesn’t have that campy, “Eww, blood everytwhere, that’s gross!” thing going, but it’s still terrifying.  We definitely earn our R rating.  I think it’s more about how scary these people are, the infected people, the Crazies.  They’re terrifying, and what they do to people looks so real and authentic.  Watching this movie is so difficult because, despite the fact that I’d read the script and was there when we made it, it’s so scary.  There’s a scene in there where I really was concerned that Timothy might get hurt, because it’s grotesque and intense and scary.  It’s pretty hardcore.

What was the toughest moment for you?

I have to say, being strapped to a table is a little claustrophobic.  You can’t get up, and that’s scary.  I was actually strapped in and I had to hope that if a fire alarm went off that somebody would remember that I was strapped down to this table.  You’re going to ask why I’m strapped down, and it’s because the government has come into the town, the water has been tainted, people are turning into crazies, and they’re testing to see if Becca has become a crazy.  So I have to be strapped down because you never know, for protection, more than anything.

One of your next films is called Weakness (2010).  What’s that?

That was a really fun project for me.  It was with a theater director out of New York named Michael Melamedoff.  He wrote and directed it, and he’s such a wonderful individual.  I had a great time working with him and really collaborating with him.  It was on a much smaller scale than The Crazies.  We made Weakness for very, very little money.  It was more of a passion project and I was really excited to be working on it.  I was in New York for a month in the summer, saw some shows.  It was a great experience.  I haven’t seen the finished cut yet, but I can’t wait to.  I have a lot of faith in Michael as a director.  That will probably be on the festival circuit when it’s done.

You’ve also wrapped another horror movie, The Ward, directed by John Carpenter.  What can you say about your character?

She’s one of the patients at an institution, and the story is about six young women who are in this institution.  She’s probably the most promiscuous of the women.  She’s constantly flirting with the orderlies, and I think some of her deeper issues are seen through her acting out sexually.

This  is one of my favorite interviews so far, read the whole thing here!

More info about The Crazies and Danielle’s character, Becca Darling, can be found here.

The Crazies opens in theaters this Friday, February 26! (US, UK and Canada. To check more release dates go here.)

Be sure to check our Upcoming Events section -> for important dates this week!

Related posts:

1. Danielle Panabaker talks John Carpenter and Spider-ManHere’s part of a brand new interview coming from Killer...
   
2. Danielle Panabaker has got a bad case of The CraziesIESB.Net talked to Danielle Panabaker about The Crazies and The...
   
3. Danielle Panabaker talks The Crazies and The WardDreadCentral.Com had the opportunity to chat with Danielle Panabaker, here’s...
   

IESB.Net talked to Danielle Panabaker about The Crazies and The Ward. Pretty much the same as the last two interviews, but there are a couple of nice extras:

IESB: What made you want to get involved with The Crazies?

Danielle: I became involved with the film because I read the script and really liked it and thought it was really scary. And then, I got the chance to meet Breck and I was really impressed with him. He had a really specific idea of what he wants and he was really able to communicate well with me. Fortunately, I got hired to do the project.

IESB: Does the action kick in right away?

Danielle: One of my favorite things about this film is how quickly it moves. From the minute you sit down and the film opens, you can tell something is not quite right. Everything seems like it should be perfect in this quaint, small town, and it’s just not. People are a little off. There’s a very wholesome baseball game going on, but you understand that things are not quite right in the small town of Ogden Marsh.

IESB: Does this film rely more on all-out gore or does it go for the scares?

Danielle: That’s a great question. This movie is really terrifying. I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in other horror films that I think are certainly scary, but you know the scare is coming and you’re screaming at the characters in the film, “Don’t go there! Don’t do that!” The difference with The Crazies is that you don’t know what’s coming. That’s what makes it such a really enjoyable movie. You don’t know what’s around the corner and you don’t know who’s going to jump out and say, “Boo!”

IESB: Do you enjoy this type of physical work?

Danielle: I do actually enjoy the physical aspect of this kind of work. I think it’s really important for actors to remember to use their whole body. There’s a lot more that happens than just what’s going on in your face. I really enjoy it and I think it also contributes to my performance as an actor. The more I can get into it, the more believable it is.

IESB: When you work on something as intense as this is, do you like to keep things light between takes, or is it difficult for you to shake things off when you’re done?

Danielle: Between takes, I think it’s actually important to maintain the intensity and the integrity of the scene that you’re shooting. For me, it was helpful to stay in the moment and stay present in that, in order to give what was hopefully a very authentic performance. I think it’s better to stay in that head space while filming. During our off hours though, that certainly wasn’t the case. The thing about being in a very remote location is that the people you are working with, you’re working very intimately with, so it’s really fun because you make a lot of new friends.

IESB: You’ve been involved with the horror genre before, with Friday the 13th and Mr. Brooks. Is it something that you’re normally a fan of, or was it just these specific projects that were attractive to you?

Danielle: My parents were really conservative and didn’t let me watch R-rated movies growing up, and mostly not even PG-13, so I wasn’t actually really exposed to the genre until more recently. Particularly with the experience of working on Friday the 13th, I feel like I have such respect for these filmmakers and their ability to make a really good horror film. And, the reason I’ve done so many recently is because they are the kinds of films that people are going to see and that are getting financed. I really love working and I feel like I’ve been fortunate enough just to work, so working in these films has been great.

IESB: What can you say about The Ward and who you play in the film?

Danielle: It’s about six young women in an insane asylum. I play one of the women who is a bit more promiscuous and flirtatious. It’s certainly going to be scary, and it’s going to be really exciting to see what John does.

Read the whole interview here!

More info about The Crazies and Danielle’s character, Becca Darling, can be found here.

The Crazies opens in theaters this Friday, February 26! (US, UK and Canada. To check more release dates go here.)

Be sure to check our Upcoming Events section -> for important dates this week!

Related posts:

1. Danielle Panabaker talks John Carpenter and Spider-ManHere’s part of a brand new interview coming from Killer...
   
2. D. Panabaker on The Crazies, The Ward & Renaissance GirlShockYa spoke to Danielle Panabaker about three of her upcoming...
   
3. Danielle Panabaker talks The Crazies and The WardDreadCentral.Com had the opportunity to chat with Danielle Panabaker, here’s...
   

ShockYa spoke to Danielle Panabaker about three of her upcoming films: The Crazies (opening this friday!) The Ward and Renaissance Girl (sorta bad news for this one). Here’s what she had to say:

SY: You’ve got a thing for horror remakes don’t you?

[Laughs] Well, it’s been really great to be able to work and keep working. So, yeah, I guess I’m the horror remake girl right now.

SY: What scares you more, a slasher wielding a giant machete or an insanity-inducing virus?

I really loved working on Friday the 13th and it certainly has an ionic horror character, but to me, The Crazies is actually a lot scarier. It has more of a thriller aspect – I was sitting on the edge of my seat. I feel like with Friday the 13th you know Jason’s coming to get the stupid teenagers, but with this film you don’t know where the crazies are and who’s really crazy and how crazy they are. I think that this was actually scarier for me to experience because even having read the script, I knew exactly what was coming but it was still really scary.

SY: Can you tell me about your character?

My character Becca is a resident of the small town Ogden Marsh and she is still in high school, she has a high school boyfriend and as her after school job she works for Judy Dutton (Radha Mitchell) as her medical assistant and receptionist at her practice. So she is just a really good, wholesome, good-natured young woman.

SY: Were there any scenes that were particularly difficult to film?

There were a lot of scenes that were difficult to film. The scene where my character and Radha’s character are strapped into a gurney was really intense. It’s very difficult to be strapped to a gurney all day and a little claustrophobic and confining. The car wash scene was very difficult and collectively [it took] seven or eight days to film all of the different pieces of that and we were wet for a lot of it, we were shooting in really small confined spaces. We shot in an actual car wash so that was a really intense – you’re riding on the elements of an actual moving car wash: the soap, the water and then the crazies are attacking you from every angle and you really can’t see where they’re coming from.

SY: You’ve got The Ward coming up which sounds like a great film. Another horror movie?

It is, it is! It was actually a really great opportunity. I think one of the primary reasons I decided to do the film was to get the opportunity to work with John Carpenter who hasn’t made a film in probably about ten years, if not more! The man is not only an icon but such a gifted and talented filmmaker and I was so excited to get to work with him.

SY: Has filming wrapped?

Yes! We finished last September.

SY: Will we get to see a trailer soon?

I don’t know. Hopefully soon. I actually haven’t heard anything. I think John is probably finishing his cut right now and then from there hopefully there will be more movement. I think the movie will be great though.

SY: You’re going in the complete opposite direction with Renaissance Girl. Are you looking forward to doing a romantic comedy?

Yes! At this point in time I don’t know if the film is actually going to get made. I would love it if it could get made. The movie is so funny. I think it’s a really cool quirky script and yes, I would absolutely love the change of pace to do a romantic comedy.

SY: So what’s keeping it from getting made?

Money! I need lots of money!

SY: Oh, of course! Isn’t that always the case?

I think the film just needs to get financed.

SY: Do you know who’ll play the love interest?

I don’t. I don’t think anyone else has really been cast. I’ve been attached to that film for several years now and would really love to see it get made.

SY: Do you have a wish list?

No one really comes to mind. I think there would be a great opportunity for a young male lead. I think it’s a particularly difficult age range for men; it’s that cross from teenage into manhood. It would be a great opportunity to discover some really new exciting talent.

More info about The Crazies, The Ward & Renaissance Girl can be found here.

The Crazies opens in theaters this Friday, February 26! (US, UK and Canada. To check more release dates go here.)

Be sure to check our Upcoming Events section -> for important dates this week!

Related posts:

1. Renaissance Girl Pushed BackThe IMDB page of Renaissance Girl has been updated again....
   
2. Danielle Panabaker talks The Crazies and The WardDreadCentral.Com had the opportunity to chat with Danielle Panabaker, here’s...
   
3. Renaissance Girl Status & Release DateThe IMDB page of Renaissance Girl has finally been updated....
   

FearNet spoke to The Crazies director Breck Eisner on how he went about remaking a cult classic, and getting the blessing on the film from George Romero (creator of the original)  himself:

How did you get involved with The Crazies?

Breck Eisner: Michael Aguilar and Dean Goergaris – two of the producers – had a deal at Paramount.  They had optioned the rights to The Crazies directly from Romero, and had a draft written by Scott Kosar.  I was approached at that point.  The thing that really drew me was the fact that they optioned the story directly from Romero, which meant he was going to be an executive producer, and he supported the idea of remaking this movie.  That appealed to me.  I liked the script, although I had a somewhat divergent take on it, so I hired another writer, Ray Wright, to do a rewrite.  I really enjoyed the original movie and felt it was ripe for a reinvention.

What changed from that first draft of the script to what we will see on screen?

The first draft followed the structure of the original film a little more closely.  The original and the first draft both had this bifurcated view: the movie was half from the point of view of the military and half from the point of view of the townspeople.  I felt that by putting any of the movie in the military’s point of view, it turned the movie more towards action and less towards horror.  I worked with the writers and we excised the military’s point of view and focused on the point of view of the hero and the townsfolk.  I think it makes the movie scarier, and makes it a darker, more mysterious journey.

Do you consider The Crazies to be a zombie film?

It’s definitely not a zombie film.  That’s one of the things I like about it.  Obviously, when you say “Romero,” you associate his name with zombies.  When you see the TV ads, it feels like a zombie movie, if only due to the pure power of montage.  But zombies are – in theory – undead human beings who are decaying.  They all have a collective conscious.  They all want to eat brains or infect, and they all act as one.  The concept of the infected in The Crazies is that they all maintain some sense of their deep psyche.  They all act differently, and they may act out based on their own deep-seated desires.  That is what keeps it distinctly different from zombies.

To read the whole interview click here!

More info about The Crazies and Danielle’s character, Becca Darling, can be found here.

The Crazies opens in theaters this Friday, February 26! (US, UK and Canada. To check more release dates go here.)

Be sure to check our Upcoming Events section -> for important dates next week!

Related posts:

1. A Lengthy Chat with Director and Cast of The CraziesBloody Disgusting sat down with director Breck Eisner, along with...
   
2. Danielle Panabaker has got a bad case of The CraziesIESB.Net talked to Danielle Panabaker about The Crazies and The...
   
3. D. Panabaker on The Crazies, The Ward & Renaissance GirlShockYa spoke to Danielle Panabaker about three of her upcoming...
   

DreadCentral.Com had the opportunity to chat with Danielle Panabaker, here’s what she had to say:

Panabaker discussed why right now horror is the best film genre to be working in.

“Working on three horror films in a row wasn’t a conscientious decision for me actually,” explained Panabaker. “Right now, though, the horror genre seems to have better movies coming out these days, and I just responded to these three scripts when I read them. There’s a great quality to horror films today, and it’s just a different feeling when you’re working on a horror set. It’s a great acting experience.”

Panabaker spoke about how she connected to her character of Becca and what it was like collaborating with director Breck Eisner.

Panabaker said, “Becca is just your typical small-town girl. She’s very grounded and like any girl you’d see walking around in any of the places we filmed even. I wanted to make sure she wasn’t like a lot of the teenagers you see in horror films these days that you can’t stand or want them to get killed off. I wanted people to root for her.”

“We didn’t have a huge budget for The Crazies so I think the cast and the crew really banded together to make this work. Breck was great to work with; he gets so protective and involved with his actors. It was wonderful to work with him,” added Panabaker.

With The Crazies invading theaters next week, Panabaker chatted briefly about working alongside legendary director John Carpenter for his next thriller, The Ward.

“It’s still hard for me to believe I was in a John Carpenter movie,” explained Panabaker. “He’s such a great director who has always had a great vision for horror films, so to be a part of this project is amazing. It’s going to be an unbelievable movie. He really is an icon.”

More info about The Crazies and The Ward can be found here.

The Crazies opens in theaters on February 26, 2010. The Ward opens in theaters on September 24, 2010 (TBC).

Related posts:

1. Danielle Panabaker talks John Carpenter and Spider-ManHere’s part of a brand new interview coming from Killer...
   
2. Danielle Panabaker has got a bad case of The CraziesIESB.Net talked to Danielle Panabaker about The Crazies and The...
   
3. D. Panabaker on The Crazies, The Ward & Renaissance GirlShockYa spoke to Danielle Panabaker about three of her upcoming...
   

Both The Crazies (coming February 26) and The Ward (coming September 24)   are considered interesting 2010 material at the pictures. Especially the latter, and that’s no surprise. Not only is the cast leaded by Amber Heard and Danielle Panabaker but the director, John Carpenter, is a horror legend!

Here’s a small quote coming from WalesOnline:

Following on from a year of big hits (stand up Star Trek) and equally big misses (we’re looking at you GI Joe), Matt Thomas takes a look at what 2010 has in store at the pictures…

SEPTEMBER

Ben Affleck writes directs and stars in edgy thriller The Town (10th) while horror maestro John Carpenter flexes his shock muscles with return-to-form The Ward (24th).

More info about The Ward and Danielle’s character can be found here.

Related posts:

1. 2010 Toronto Film Festival – The Ward PremiereJust a few hours ago Danielle Panabaker attended the world...
   
2. Danielle Panabaker talks The Crazies and The WardDreadCentral.Com had the opportunity to chat with Danielle Panabaker, here’s...
   
3. Escape The Ward September 2010First news of the year! John Carpenter’s The Ward is...