Trailer Trash MASH, Spooky Edition: Creepy First Trailers for ‘The Fourth Kind’ and ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’

Halloween is quickly approaching and movie studios are getting their fright-fest flicks and trailers ready for release. My two most-anticipated horror movies set to be released, one this fall and the other next year are hands down The Fourth Kind and A Nightmare on Elm Street. One is a completely original terrifying story of alien abduction based on actual events, while the other is a remake of one of the most legendary characters in horror cinema history. And based on their first official trailers, they both look really, really good.

First up we have The Fourth Kind. This sci-fi thriller stars Milla Jovovich as a psychologist who “unwittingly discovered some of the most disturbing evidence of alien abduction ever documented.” The most interesting thing about this film is that it is a “fact-based thriller” based on an ongoing unsolved mystery in Alaska, where one town has seen a large number of unexplained disappearances during the past 40 years. The trailer even makes mention of this, using Jovovich as herself to explain that the film is a “reenactment.

“A UFO sighting is referred to as an encounter of the first kind…When evidence is collected, it is known as an encounter of the second kind…Contact with extraterrestrials, is an encounter of the third kind… The next level, abduction, is the fourth kind. This encounter has been the most difficult to document… Until now.”

I consider myself a horror buff with a pretty strong stomach. Horror flicks involving torture and serial killers don’t bother me at all. The thing that gets my goat are films based on actual events involving demonic possession or alien abduction. Obviously The Fourth Kind is centered around the latter, so this trailer really freaked me out. It’s a really disturbing premise and trailer, and a film that I am thoroughly looking forward to scaring the crap out of  me.

The Fourth Kind hits theaters on November 6th.

Next up we have another remake of another American horror legend. Rob Zombie has been having his way with Michael Myers over the last several years, then last year Jason was reborn in the 2008 Friday the 13th. But that’s understandable becasue those killers don’t have a personality or even talk in those films. They both wear masks and approach their victims in an eery silence. What sets Freddy Krueger apart is that he is a villain that is all personality, charisma and wit. He penetrates the dreams of his victims, using their deepest, darkest fears against them. The great Robert Englund first brought the character to creepy life in 1984 with A Nightmare on Elm Street followed by seven sequels spanning nearly 20 years of entertaining movie goers.

As Mr. Englund is now in his early 60′s, his menace would ultimately be lacking in any sort of Freddy remake. So who do the studio suits turn to? Mr. Jackie Earle Haley. Most of you know Haley from his brilliant portrayal of Rorshach in Watchmen, and I have no doubt that he will be the perfect successor to Robert Englund. What’s also interesting about this remake is that it’s not being released during the weeks leading up to Halloween as one would assume, rather in April of next year. That’s interesting because it’s 1) Produced by Michael Bay and 2) It’s a franchise that has the most potential to make a lot of money, compared to Jason and Michael Myers. If it was released on October 29th, it would be white noise with Saw  32 and all the other Halloween horror movies being released within a three-week span. But if they release it in April, suddenly there’s a high profile horror franchise remake with a charismatic villain that we haven’t seen for six years. Studios are thinking $$$$$$$. So without further ado, check out the first official trailer for A Nightmare on Elm Street.

What Do You Think? Discuss.