Paramount Pictures is thanking Paranormal Activity fans for their devoted support by including their names in the credits of the film’s upcoming DVD and Blu-ray editions. The supernatural thriller first opened in limited release with a series of midnight screenings across the nation’s college towns. A savvy marketing campaign urged moviegoers to go online and demand that the film be shown in their respective cities. In addition, promotional spots depicted the micro-budgeted ghost story as the most frightening picture ever made by showcasing movie audiences as they recoiled in fear during videotaped screenings. Paranormal Activity is now on its way to conjuring up a $100 million boxoffice.

Amy Powell, Paramount’s Senior Vice President, Interactive Marketing, says:

The success of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY would not have been possible without the million-plus fans who went to the ParanormalMovie.com official website and demanded the movie in their home town. They demanded the movie and they got it. So now we are giving them credit where credit is due.

Fans looking for a little bit of gratitude can register their names at ParanormalActivityProject.com by noon on Monday, Nov. 9. Release dates for the DVD and Blu-ray editions of Paranormal Activity have not yet been announced.

Encouraged by the success of its online slasher flick My Super Psycho Sweet 16, MTV Films announced this week that it will spill more blood with the eight episode web-series Savage County. Directed by newcomer David Harris, Savage County centers on a group of teens who have run out of booze and out of luck while partying in hillbilly country.

MTV Films describes the web-series this way:

On the last weekend before prom, a mismatched group of high school kids heads to a remote pond to drink beer and hang out. When the beer runs dry, the conversation turns to daring Patrick, the runt of the group, into knocking on the door of the Hardells – the reclusive family that owns the land the pond is on. Patrick takes up the dare, knocks on the Hardells’ door and finds himself staring down the barrel of a shotgun. When Patrick’s friends come to his defense, the oldest Hardell is killed in the shuffle. Scared and guilty – the teens flee the crime. When the rest of the Hardell clan finds the old man murdered, they seek out vengeance. One-by-one, the teens are hunted down by Orry, the sexually oppressed mute, Willard, the long-haired wildman, and Kasper, the cold-blooded family leader.

Savage County stars Mimi Michaels (Boogeyman 3) and is produced by David Gale (Aeon Flux) and Craig Brewer (Black Snake Moan). The film was shot in Memphis for a reported $250,000. It’s set to air in February 2010.

Nathan Fillion stars on ABC’s rom-com detective series “Castle” as a mystery novelist who aids a NYPD homicide investigator in solving odd murders. I watched a couple of episodes from season one and found the show to be a little too cutesy for my taste. The show is now on season two and it has reclaimed my interest (it’s on my Netflix queue now) with a recent Halloween inspired outing featuring Fillion in Serenity captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds’ old brown-coat duds. If you’re a “Firefly” fan, the following clip is gonna put a big smile on your mug and inspire you to send bags of smelly turds to the Fox executives who made the decision to cancel the space western after airing only 11 episodes.

“Firefly” met its doom in 2002. Series creator Joss Whedon provided closure for fans three years later with the insanely awesome feature film Serenity. Whedon, of course, is the creator of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel,” “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” and the new Fox sci-fi drama “Dollhouse,” starring Eliza Dushku.

Fillion’s sci-fi/horror cache includes “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” Slither, and the truly horrific “2 Guys, a Girl, and  Pizza Place.”

A genuine eight-legged freak was discovered in the jungles of Central America. It’s name is Bagheera kiplingi and it is a vegetarian jumping spider. As big as a pinkie nail, the Bagheera feeds on the leaf tips of acacia shrubs. It must, however, maneuver around and defend against the ants that patrol the acacias.

Researcher Christopher Meehan of Villanova University in Pennsylvania says:

This is really the first spider known to specifically ‘hunt’ plants; it is also the first known to go after plants as a primary food source. Most of the big spider text books almost outright claimed there are no herbivorous spiders. It’s on par with the flying pig in terms of novelty.

"Atkins Is So 5 Minutes Ago," Said the Spider

As you may know, Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures are remaking the 1981 fantasy adventure Clash of the Titans. The new film stars Sam Worthington (Avatar, Terminator Salvation) as Perseus, Liam Neeson (Batman Begins, Phantom Menace) as the mighty Zeus and Ralph Fiennes (Red Dragon, Harry Potter) as Lord of the Underworld Hades. Potential poster art has been circulating the web all day. I can’t begin to express how excited I am over this film. I am rocking a homemade toga and sandals as I write this. But, I digress. Check out the new art:

Clash of the Titans is set to hit theaters on March 26, 2010.

If you missed the Warner Brothers press release, this is it:

BURBANK, CA, April 24, 2009 – Principal photography will begin on April 27 on Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ epic action adventure “Clash of the Titans,” being directed by Louis Leterrier (“The Incredible Hulk”). The film stars Sam Worthington (“Terminator Salvation,” the upcoming “Avatar”) and Academy Award® nominees Liam Neeson (“Taken,” “Schindler’s List”) and Ralph Fiennes (the “Harry Potter” films, “The English Patient”).

In “Clash of the Titans,” the ultimate struggle for power pits men against kings and kings against gods. But the war between the gods themselves could destroy the world. Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus (Sam Worthington) is helpless to save his family from Hades (Ralph Fiennes), vengeful god of the underworld. With nothing left to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus (Liam Neeson) and unleash hell on earth. Leading a daring band of warriors, Perseus sets off on a perilous journey deep into forbidden worlds. Battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts, he will only survive if he can accept his power as a god, defy his fate and create his own destiny.

Leading the international cast is Australian actor Sam Worthington as Perseus, the mortal son of Zeus, king of the gods. Worthington will next be seen in this summer’s “Terminator Salvation.” Liam Neeson takes on the role of the mighty Zeus, and Ralph Fiennes plays the role of Hades, god of the underworld, who feeds on human fear. Rounding out the cast is Gemma Arterton (“Quantum of Solace”) as Io, Perseus’ mysterious spiritual guide throughout his journey; Mads Mikkelsen (“Casino Royale”) as Draco, who takes up his sword to join Perseus’ quest; Jason Flemyng (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) as Acrisius, a one-time king-turned-hideous beast; and Alexa Davalos (“Defiance”) as Andromeda, a princess doomed to lose her life if Perseus does not succeed.

Based on the 1981 film of the same name, written by the late Beverley Cross, “Clash of the Titans” is directed by Louis Leterrier from a screenplay by Phil Hay & Matt Manfredi (“Aeon Flux”), story by Travis Beacham (“Dog Days of Summer”) and Hay & Manfredi. The film is produced by Basil Iwanyk, who produced the drama “We Are Marshall” for Warner Bros. Pictures, and Kevin De La Noy, who last served as an executive producer on the studio’s blockbuster “The Dark Knight.” The executive producers are Academy Award® winner Richard D. Zanuck (“Driving Miss Daisy”), who most recently collaborated with Warner Bros. on the comedy hit “Yes Man,” and Legendary Pictures’ Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni and William Fay, who have teamed with the studio on such hits as “The Dark Knight” and “300.”

The behind-the-scenes team creating this mythical spectacle includes director of photography Peter Menzies, Jr. (“The Incredible Hulk”); production designer Martin Laing (“Terminator Salvation”); editor Vincent Tabaillon (“The Incredible Hulk”); Academy Award®-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (“Topsy-Turvy,” “The Dark Knight”); Oscar®-nominated visual effects supervisor Nick Davis (“The Dark Knight”); Oscar®-nominated prosthetics supervisor Conor O’Sullivan (“The Dark Knight,” “Saving Private Ryan”); Academy Award®-winning special effects and animatronics supervisor Neil Corbould (“Gladiator”); and Academy Award®-winning makeup and hair designer Jenny Shircore (“Elizabeth”).

“Clash of the Titans” will begin filming in studios outside London and will later shoot in various locations in Wales and in the Spanish Canary Islands, predominantly on Tenerife, off the coast of Africa. Further aerial work is set to take place in the diverse locales of Ethiopia and Iceland.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, “Clash of the Titans,” to be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Word from the American Film Market is that horror scribe Kevin Williamson has returned to write a new Scream trilogy for Dimension Films. Scream 4 will see the return of Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Araquette. Williamson, who is at work on the screenplay, told MTV:

It’s going good. I’ve gotta finish that baby. The fourth one is an ensemble…It’ll take place right now, 10 years later, and it’s going to take place in [Sidney Prescott’s hometown of] Woodsboro. We’ll have our three main characters, and we’ll be introducing several more.

A synopsis, however, was made available at AFM. It reads:

The horror series that reignited the genre and grossed more than $500 million worldwide is back! From Kevin Williamson, creator of the original Scream trilogy, the new film sees the return of cast members Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette along with a group of new stars, who can all hopefully stay alive long enough to figure out the new rules to this one-of-a-kind horror franchise!

Williamson set the horror genre on its head in the late ’90s by creating smart and verbose teen characters in films such as I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Faculty, and the original Scream series. He is currently a producer/writer on the CW teen bloodsucker hit “The Vampire Diaries.”

Wazzzzz Up?

No word yet on whether director Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street, Last House on the Left) will return to the fold.

Every day can be Halloween at Clatto Verata. So, it is in that spirit that I post the following Halloween pics of celebs who have at some point been in a horror flick.

Audrina Patridge (Sorority Row) as a Genie.

Keep Wishing

Jessica Alba (Machete, The Eye) as Dora the Explorer.

Admit It. You Want to Explore Your Pants Right Now.

Eliza Dushku (Wrong Turn, The Alphabet Killer) as a zombified Bonnie of Bonnie & Clyde fame.

Stick'em Up

Mickey Rourke (Sin City, Angel Heart) as … actually I think this is just Mickey Rourke after falling into a tub of cocaine.

Careful Mickey! That Blonde Is Gonna Snort You!

Bai Ling (“Lost,” Chain Letter) as … the Lady-Boy who killed David Carradine in Thailand.

Tubuku Is Not In Bai's Vocabulary

Holly Madison (Scary Movie 4) as the Queen of Hearts.

Is Holly a Secret Juice Newton Fan?

James Gandolfini (Fallen) as Homer Simpson.

"Doh! I Still Can't Figure Out That Sopranos Ending!"

Rutina Wesley (“True Blood”) as a Pirate Wench.

Rutina's Got Da Pirate Booty! Oh No, I Didn't!

Jessica Lowndes (Autopsy, The Haunting of Molly Hartley) as Sexy Referee.

When 90210 Bombs, Jessica Can Work at Foot Locker!

Ashley Greene & Kellan Lutz (Twilight) as some kind of Peacock and Gay Superhero in Sneakers, respectively.

Twilight Zone

AnnaLynne McCord (The Haunting of Molly Hartley, Day of the Dead) as Bored Batgirl.

"This Sucks"

Alyson Hannigan (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) as a Kangaroo with Baby Roo.

This Photo Makes Me Feel Bad About Spanking It to Alyson

Can’t sleep? Then check out award-winning filmmaker Drew Daywalt’s Bedfellows:

Overture Films announced today that production had begun on Let Me In, director Matt Reeves’ (Cloverfield) highly anticipated remake of the  2008 Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In. The film is being shot in New Mexico and stars Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road) and Chloe Moretz (500 Days of Summer) in the lead roles. Simon Oakes, President and CEO of Hammer Films, says:

This project is very personal to Matt as it is to the many passionate fans of the original story. The brilliance of that story deserves to be seen by audiences on a wide scale and we are excited that the pieces are in place to make that a reality.

Let the Right One In is based on the best selling Swedish novel Lat den Ratte Komma.

The folks at HollywoodReporter.com announced today that Paramount Pictures is looking to produce a sequel to its supernatural hit Paranormal Activity. Shot for $15 thousand by first-time director Oren Peli, Activity has already scared up $85 million domestically. Can the studio summon similar interests in a sequel? Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman seems to think so. He states:

Our team will come up with the right creative and marketing approach to make sure that we benefit from a sequel.

You know what would benefit me? Getting rid of hand-held horror. Paranormal Activity features a likable and talented cast (newcomers Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat), a scary/fun story, and some of the most creepy images committed to film. But, all that shaky-cam action makes me want to puke. I know the film aims to create a real-time vibe for its audience, but is it really necessary to jerk the camera during every frame? I have starred in many of my family’s home videos and not once have they looked like they were shot by a Parkinson’s patient. Am I alone on this?

The Top 5 List of hand-held horror flicks that made me physically ill:

5. District 9

Aliens come down to earth and get treated like black people. Smart and action packed. I was sick an hour in.

4. Seventh Moon

This flick has Amy Smart, engaging folklore , creepy zombies, an exotic location (China) and … Amy Smart! Unfortunately for me, it’s directed by Eduardo Sanchez, aka Mr. Blair Witch.

3. Cloverfield

Interesting concept. Flashy effects. Brilliant poster. Produced by J.J. Abrams (Lost). I got sick 30 minutes in.

2. The Blair Witch Project

Groundbreaking marketing campaign. Believable actors. Super creepy scenes. I loved the story. Vomited in parking lot immediately after.

1. Paranormal Activity

When the camera is on the tripod in the bedroom, this movie is freaky good stuff. When it’s in Micah’s hands, it’s vertigo city.