TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Scare Diego unleashes terror as Comic-Con kicks off

Early arrivals at San Diego Comic-Con were treated to a preview night scream-fest as New Line Cinema unleashed exclusive footage of its most hotly anticipated horror movies.

Frankie Taggart (Agence France-Presse)
San Diego, United States
Fri, July 20, 2018

Share This Article

Change Size

Scare Diego unleashes terror as Comic-Con kicks off Attendees gather for preview night before the opening of pop culture convention Comic Con in San Diego, California, U.S. July 18, 2018. (REUTERS/Mike Blake)

E

arly arrivals at San Diego Comic-Con were treated to a preview night scream-fest Wednesday as New Line Cinema unleashed exclusive footage of its most hotly anticipated horror movies.

The Warner Bros-owned studio kicked off the evening at a packed downtown theater with an exclusive first look at It: Chapter Two and its terrifying antagonist, Pennywise.

There was also world-first footage from the upcoming Conjuring spin-off The Nun and a look at The Curse of La Llorona, a frightening myth from Hispanic folklore.

The two-part feature adaptation of It, Stephen King's 1986 novel, follows seven small town children who are terrorized by a killer clown.

While last year's It was tonally an homage to Rob Reiner's 1986 film Stand by Me -- another King coming-of-age story -- the second installment looks scary as hell. 

It: Chapter Two is set 27 years after the first film, and the Losers Club have grown up and moved away -- but a devastating phone call brings them back together.

The sneak peak gave the audience their first glimpse at the grown-up cast, which includes Bill Hader, Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy, in a reunion at a Chinese restaurant.

Director Andy Muschietti, who made the first film, promised the sequel, due for release on September 6, would be an altogether more terrifying prospect.

"It's going to be scarier, it's going to be more intense, so bring your adult diapers," he joked after the climatic jump scare provoked a cacophony of shrieks.

New Line also offered a first taste of The Curse of La Llorona, a story that barely needs any introduction in the Latin world, where it has struck fear into the hearts of generations.

Read also: Get your geek on: 130,000 head for San Diego Comic-Con

- Weeping apparition -

Coming to theaters on April 19 next year, it is inspired by a childhood story about a weeping apparition who drowned her own children and is now said to haunt waterways.

The film stars Linda Cardellini as the mother of two children in 1970s Los Angeles who are haunted by the Mexican folklore figure.

"You don't realize how much physical activity (there) is in making a scary movie and now I know that," said Cardellini, who appeared to get roughed up a fair bit in the footage.

The audience saw several clips of Cardellini's children being terrorized by the creepy, spectral figure, first in a children's home, then by a river and in the bath at home.

New Line saved its most talked-about upcoming release, The Nun, for its big finish, teasing the audience -- or scaring the living daylights out of them -- by bringing 20 or so spectral looking women in habits into the auditorium when no one was looking. 

The horror figure in the The Nun, the creepy sister Valak, was a last-minute addition to The Conjuring 2 but was so popular she ended up with her own spin-off. 

Fans were treated to an extensive look at the movie, with a Catholic delegation from Rome -- Taissa Farmiga and Demian Bichir -- variously beaten, whipped and buried alive by the shrieking demonic entity.

Due for its US release on September 7 and helmed by Corin Hardy (The Hallows), it also features a hanging and a giant snake emerging from a child's mouth, so it's possibly not one for a family outing to the movies.

The Comic-Con fan convention brings 130,000 visitors a year to San Diego, where they spend four days catching up on the latest movies and TV panels, collecting comics and dressing up as their favorite pop culture characters. 

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.