By Edwin Pagán, for LATIN HORROR
Seems like 2009 is the year when our marketable Latina actresses are taking the plunge into the darker side of the industry's genre landscape. First we mentioned here [http://tinyurl.com/cs4set] that Salma Hayek is riding a leading role in Paul Weitz' CIRQUE DU FREAK as the bearded lady of sideshow fame, now another venerable talent, Zoe Saldana (VANTAGE POINT, THE TERMINAL, PREMIUM, GUESS WHO), is set to hone her cognitive powers in the haunted-house thriller, THE SKEPTIC, which was written/helmed by Tennyson Bardwell (DORIAN BLUES) and hits theater in a limited run on May 1st at the IFC Center in New York and elsewhere. The film also stars Tim Daly, Tom Arnold, Andrea Roth, Edward Herrmann, Robert Prosky and Bruce Altman. The project marks Bardwell's second feature outing.
The suspense thriller follows a skeptical lawyer (Daly) who moves into a haunted mansion after the unexplained death of his aunt seeking to gain an inheritance and soon begins to experience supernatural incidents that increasingly become more terrifying and can no longer be ignored. Daly's character turns to a local coy medium, played by Saldana, who takes him on a journey to discover the long-hidden unspeakable truth that threatens to destroy him.
View the trailer here --
http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/the-skeptic/trailer
The New York-based actress who hails from the Dominican stronghold of Washington Heights, has had a meteoric career starting with stints on LAW & ORDER and leading to a breakout role in CROSSROADS (2002) as Britney Spears' BFF. She later went on to star in DRUMLINE, CONSTELLATION, DIRTY DEEDS, and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, among others. In 2009, her calendar is full with such top shelf projects as the highly-anticipated J.J. Abrams' blockbuster, STAR TREK, in the role of the beloved communications officer UHURA, and in James Cameron's next experiment, AVATAR. She is also on deck with s slew of pending ptojects such as Christopher B. Landon's BURNING PALMS, and Neil LaBute's DEATH AT THE FUNERAL.
The acquisition and release of the THE SKEPTIC also marks a recent trend at IFC to explore inroads into the highly lucrative horror genre. IFC also recently acquired the Latin horror gem, DARK MIRROR [http://tinyurl.com/dm8dk7], that is set to have its broadcast premiere on May 6th. The development looks promising for horror-handed filmmakers looking for alternative venues outside Lions Gate. The film opens May 1st at New York City’s IFC Center, on May 8th at Spectrum 8 Theatres in Albany (NY), and May 15th at Los Angeles’ Laemmle Music Hall 3. The film will also have a three-month run on the network's 'In Theaters' video-on-demand platform.
