Cinematical

I know that Fox is all excited about their new line of direct-to-video B-movies, but surely they could dust off something better than freakin' , right? Directed by horror specialist and written by the horror-deficient , Lake Placid came and went in the summer of 1999, thereby proving that pretty much nobody wanted to see a giant croc horror flick* starring , and .

(The thing grossed just over $31 million before apparently selling like hotcakes on DVD; otherwise I wouldn't be reporting the impending arrival of a DTV sequel.)

According to , Fox is hoping that a giant croc horror flick starring , and will do some solid business. To those of you who might be worried that this franchise might be headed in the wrong direction, fret not: The director is , and after seeing what he did with , I'm 100% certain that he's the guy to helm a Lake Placid sequel.

Shot in Bulgaria, Lake Placid 2 will (of course) premiere on the Sci-Fi Channel some time this year before hitting the DVD shelves with an audible thud. And of course I'll be there to give it a rental.

( * Irony: When the horror fans got to the theater and sat down for Lake Placid, most were irked to learn that the flick was much more of a comedy than a horror movie.

Not a strong balance like Slither or Tremors (or even Eight Legged Freaks), but a smug little forced-banter-fest not at all unlike Kelley's TV scripts.)

One of my very favorite topics of film-related conversation would have to be that of the infamous "horror remake." Could be a J-horror re-imaganing, a revisit with truly classic material, or a quick-buck PG-13 junkpile that shames the name of its predecessor.

(Heck, I posted last March, and I even went as far as to bang out at my very own website!) Well, apparently the movie geeks over at are also big time horror nerds as well, because they've just posted their list of the 15 Best Horror Remakes.

OK, having just perused their 15 choices, I gotta say: I know it's got to be hard coming up with 15 really good horror remakes, but jeeeeez.

Just lower it to a Top 10 and get , and OUTTA there. And ..

. am I on crack or did the Premiere squad neglect to mention Cronenberg's AND Carpenter's ??

? I mean, good job on throwing some love towards , and the 1978 version of , but come on! You guys omitted the two best horror remakes ever made!

!!

(I'll include their full list after the jump, just to incite some discussion, but definitely check out before you dive in, you crazy gorehounds, you.

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Did you know that there's an Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films?

Yep, there is, and every year they hand out their very own awards! Known as " ," they pay homage to the very finest genre films of the last calendar year -- and I'm very psyched to share their picks with you. Fair warning, though: These Saturn guys take their stuff pretty seriously, and their nomination list is pretty darn thorough.

The winners of the 33rd Annual Saturn Awards will be announced on May 10 at a presentation hosted by Greg Grunberg and ...

Jeffrey Ross?

BEST SCIENCE FICTION FILM

Children of Men
D e j vu
The Fountain
The Prestige
V For Vendetta
X-Men: The Last Stand

(Children of Men should win this award by 15,000 votes.)

BEST FANTASY FILM

Charlotte's Web
Eragon
Night At the Museum
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Stranger Than Fiction
Superman Returns

(I'll go with POTC2, cuz you know how shameless I am where this series is concerned.

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BEST HORROR FILM

The Descent
Final Destination 3
Hostel
Saw III
Slither
Snakes on a Plane

(Solid nominees; obviously my vote goes to the female spelunking misadventure.)

BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER FILM

Casino Royale
The Departed
Flyboys
Mission Impossible III
Notes on a Scandal
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

(What a weird category. A Judi Dench drama comepeting against a WWI flick, a Scorsese crime drama, James Bond, Ethan Hunt and an arthouse horror flick?

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