As a director, Marcus Nispel doesn’t have the best track record. After making his name by directing acclaimed music videos for the likes of Faith No More and Janet Jackson, his movie breakthrough came on the box-office success of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE remake. It was a film I got a huge kick out of (even with my love of Tobe Hooper’s original classic) but I appear to be in the minority. It made enough dosh to make Platinum Dunes a name to make genre fans shudder, going on to rip the heart out of previous glorious titles as A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, FRIDAY THE 13 and THE HITCHER.
Nispel on the other-hand, has seen his stock nosedive. His PATHFINDER and CONAN THE BARBARIAN remake barely made a dent their inflated budgets. He failed to replicate the success of the limb-lopping Leatherface, with the dire FRIDAY THE 13TH remake, which he collaborated once again with Michael Bay’s despised remake machine.
Now with BACKMASK, Nispel is back in the horror genre, for a film that has the following official synopsis, and the first set of (behind the scenes) stills below:
During a sex, drugs, and rock-fueled party, six small-town teenagers find an old vintage record and decide to play it backwards in order to listen for any subliminal/satanic messages. Lo and behold, a seemingly malevolent spirit quickly infiltrates the group, wreaking havoc as it moves from one body to another. Eventually, however, it’s revealed that the spirit in question is actually trying to convey a message….and that the real source of horror isn’t particularly paranormal, but rather something (or someone) much closer to home.
BACKMASK will star Brittany Curran, Gage Golightly, Stephen Lang, Kelly Blatz, Brett Dier, Nick Nicotera, Nick Nordella and Michael Ormsby. Currently shooting, it’s expected in cinemas next year.
Craig was our great north east correspondent, proving that it’s so ‘grim up north’ that losing yourself in a world of film is a foregone prerequisite. He has been studying the best (and often worst) of both classic and modern cinema at the University of Life for as long as he can remember. Craig’s favorite films include THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, JFK, GOODFELLAS, SCARFACE, and most of John Carpenter’s early work, particularly THE THING and HALLOWEEN.