By MICHAEL GINGOLD
Supernatural and satirical fright films past are being translated to the page.
Joining the lengthy list of official novelizations he’s putting out via his Echo On Publications, author Christian Francis gave RUE MORGUE the scoop that he’s adapting Kevin S. Tenney’s 1986 cult fave WITCHBOARD. He also recently announced that he’s working on a tie-in book for Jake West’s 2009 horror/comedy DOGHOUSE, and gave us a few words on both.
WITCHBOARD, in which a college student (Tawny Kitaen) falls under the supernatural sway of the titular totem while her current and former boyfriends try to save her, joins the likes of the MANIAC COP trilogy, THE FIRST POWER, STRANGELAND, THE GATE, BENEATH PERFECTION (based on the original script for TREMORS) and others on Francis and Echo On’s slate. (It’s a big year for spinoffs of Tenney’s original, as Chuck Russell’s remake is coming to theaters August 15.) “WITCHBOARD is one of those underappreciated gems I keep coming back to,” the author tells us. “There’s a genuine eeriness to it that sticks with you. The mix of supernatural horror, Ouija paranoia and melodrama gives it a weirdly compelling charm that’s lacking in so many films. There’s something delightfully earnest about how seriously it takes itself, even when things get ridiculous. It’s not trying to be ironic or meta; it just fully commits, and I love writing that!”
In DOGHOUSE, a group of friends on a guys’ weekend trip to an isolated town wind up fighting for their lives against the local women, who have become crazed cannibals. “DOGHOUSE has always been one of my favorite horror/comedies,” Francis says, “along with AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, BRAINDEAD/DEAD ALIVE, THE FINAL GIRLS, FIDO and LITTLE MONSTERS. I was never much of a SHAUN OF THE DEAD fan; I’ve always found it too self-aware and a bit smug for my taste. DOGHOUSE, on the other hand, just goes all-in, and is way more in line with my tastes. It’s nastier, funnier and doesn’t try to soften the edges. Totally more my vibe. And Stephen Graham alongside Danny Dyer? Come on–absolute perfection. Writing their characters, hearing them speak the lines in my head, just keeps making me laugh out loud.”
Publication dates have yet to be set for WITCHBOARD and DOGHOUSE; you can keep up with all of Echo On’s books at its official website.
