Surprise! Not only do we have Nicolas Cage's Renfield and Russell Crowe's The Pope's Exorcist getting big, splashy releases in theaters this weekend for the many horror-loving moviegoers among us, but Paramount Pictures has also entered the fray at the last minute. Their latest Organ Trail (not to be confused with old-school favorite PC game Oregon Trail) is actually getting a last-minute theatrical release this Friday - as in tomorrow. So be it. As luck would have it, we've got a trailer in case you don't have any plans this weekend.
The trailer takes us back to the late 1800s when the U.S. was being truly settled across its vastness well beyond the original colonies. People were hoping to find better fortunes as they made great treks across the nation that were, as we can see, almost hopelessly brutal. We know things will go south as soon as someone says, "We'll be safe in the valley." Spoiler alert: they were not safe in the valley. Bodies pile up, blood spills, and a deadly mystery unfolds in the wilds of America. Not exactly the game so many of us wasted hours playing in the '90s. The official synopsis for the film reads as follows:
“Abigale and her family fall victim to a ruthless gang while making their way across the Oregon Trail. As the only survivor, she will do whatever it takes to retrieve her one earthly possession, her family's horse, from the clutches of the bloodthirsty bandits.”
It certainly looks pretty compelling and well-made, plus Paramount is releasing it after all. We're talking about a major studio movie here. That leaves one to wonder why the theatrical release was announced so late. Admittedly, its commercial prospects are not great with the 11th-hour strategy. We'll see how it shakes out, though.
Michael Patrick Jann (Daybreak) is in the director's chair for this one, working from a screenplay by Meg Turner, marking their feature debut. The cast includes Zoe De Grand'Maison (Orphan Black), Nicholas Logan (Creepshow), Olivia Applegate (The Beta Test), Michael Abbott Jr. (The Death of Dick Long), Jessica Frances Dukes (Ozark), Cle Bennett (Jigsaw) and Sam Trammell (True Blood).
Organ Trail hits theaters this Friday. For those who would rather wait to watch it from the comfort of home, the Digital release is scheduled for May 12.
