Fox Atomic hits!

Last Updated on July 27, 2021

A few weeks back, Fox Atomic invited a representative from
JoBlo.com to participate in one wild adventure: I, along with four equally excellent writers and a Fox Atomic wizard called Eric Lieb, was whisked off to London to visit the set of
28 WEEKS LATER AND Morocco for a few days on the set of
THE HILLS HAVE EYES
2. And while I certainly cannot comment on the flicks or how they’ll be once they hit the multiplexes, I can accurately state that, based on what I saw on both movie sets, us horror fans are in for some high-end mayhem of the nastiest order.

28 WEEKS LATER is being directed (as we speak) by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, he of a fine film called INTACTO and an Oscar-nominated short called ESPOSADOS. But don’t get too upset, infecto-fans, because you’ll be happy to know that the trio behind the original flick (Danny Boyle, Andrew Macdonald & Alex Garland) have their thumbs in the sequel pie, which I feel is always a good sign. During our two days on the set of 28 WEEKS LATER, we got to meet tons of infected freaks, sneak a peek at some gloriously gory footage (like: helicopter blades meet multiples craniums), and watch some of the prologue being shot.

Actors like Robert Carlyle and Catherine McCormack were hard at work, yet the coolest (and most forthcoming) folks were the anonymous types: The stuntpeople, the make-up folks, the costumers and the gore-slingers. Everyone involved on 28WL seems to hold the original flick in very high regard — and not just because the movie made a good deal of money. Based on the numerous conversations I had with a rather eclectic variety of filmmakers, these people are doing all they can to top 28 DAYS LATER — although if the flick’s “just as good” as the first one, I (and a bunch of other movie nerds) will be very happy indeed.

28 WEEKS LATER synopsis: “Six months after the rage virus has annihilated the British Isles, the US Army declares that the war against infection has been won, and that the reconstruction of the country can begin. In the first wave of returning refugees, a family is reunited — but one of them unwittingly carries a terrible secret. The virus is not yet dead, and this time, it is more dangerous than
ever.“

After two days in cloudy-yet-lovely London, our geek posse boarded a few planes and ended up in Ouarzazate, Morocco, which (believe it or not) is the home of the world’s largest production facility. Flicks like GLADIATOR, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, SAHARA and THE MUMMY were shot here, as was the HILLS HAVE EYES remake from a few months back. I had no idea what to expect from a filmmaking facility located in the middle of North Africa, but I sure wasn’t expecting anything like
this: Located smack-dab in the middle of a parched (yet beautiful) desert, the studio was pretty damn amazing. Here we got to chit-chat with numerous actors, producers, and technical gurus, all of whom seemed pretty damn enthusiastic about their little mutant sequel. And based on the FX work and the stunning makeup I saw on the set, it’s safe to say that the horror-heads will get a big, nutritious splatter-meal out of HILLS 2.

HILLS HAVE EYES 2 synopsis:
“The sequel to the 2006 horror re-make, “The Hills Have Eyes,” which grossed over $41 million at the domestic box office, is written by horror legend Wes Craven and Jonathan Craven and will be directed by Martin Weisz. The storyline follows a group of young National Guard trainees who are attacked by mutants during a training mission in the New Mexico
desert.“

Keep your eyeballs focused on
JoBlo.com/Arrow in the Head over the next few months and you’ll be treated to more goodies from both sets, be they in the form of pics, clips, interviews, or more aimless rambling from yours truly. Truth be told, I only agreed to do these set visits because I’m a diehard horror nerd, so trust me on this one, gorehounds: These flicks promise to be hard-R and entirely nasty all the way. HILLS 2 hits in March; 28 WEEKS in May.

Ah, and don’t forget: Starting today (Halloween of ’06) the
official Fox Atomic website will be overtaken, infected and utterly devoured by The Carnival of Lost Souls, which is where you’ll find all sorts of brand-new goodies relating to both WEEKS and HILLS. Click
right here to enjoy all the treats, PLUS some extra-slick footage from Fox Atomic’s upcoming TURISTAS, which looks pretty darn sick to me. And I mean that in a good way.