Tuesday 31 March 2015

"Curse of the Witching Tree" - A review

“Curse of the Witching Tree” marks the directorial debut of British film maker James Crow. Having previously written the indie thrillers "He Who Dares" (2014), "The Warning" (2012), and "Riot" (AKA GBH - 2012), his latest script has him taking the directors reigns himself, for this supernatural tale of ghostly goings on a remote rural farm.
 
Amber Thorson (Sarah Rose Denton), has just purchased a farm for herself and 2 children. Her husband is in the hospital, languishing in a coma with little or no chance of recovery and this farm had been their life-long dream. So this is her way of living out his final wish.
 
When her young son Jake (Lawrence Weller) is bullied into letting some of the lads at school hold a séance in the barn, it marks the start of a series of very strange events. Noises can be heard at night, shadowy figures can be glimpsed both inside and outside and they all seem to suffer from strange nightmarish visions about a hooded figure with a knife, particularly her teenage daughter Emma (Lucy Clarvis).
 
Seems the old farmhouse has something of a history, dating back to the middle ages, when the plague ran rampant and accusations of witchcraft were banded about quite freely. Ill fate has befallen many a person who has lived there over the years. Including the previous owners, which has caused the locals to joke about it being cursed.
 
But despite the mother insisting there are no such things as witches or curses, it seems there is definitely something supernatural going on, which threatens to endanger them all.
 
Also starring Jon Campling (Harry Potter, Jack the Giant Slayer), Dean Maskell (Green Street 3) and model Danielle Bux (that’s Mrs Gary Lineker to you and me) and produced by the lovely Lucinda Rhodes, who I’ve actually had the pleasure of meeting a number of times (who also produced forthcoming “No Reasons” and “Death Walks” and starred in “Fall of the Essex Boys” and “Dead Cert”), the film is basically your traditional old fashioned ghost story.
 
Despite its low budget, the director manages to make it look like it had more money than it probably did, making the most of its rural farm setting. However, whether you’ll like, this will depend on your love on ghost-stories and indie horrors.  I quite enjoyed it and there were some lines of dialogue that had me laughing out loud (though I should stress this isn’t a comedy), though its style was almost like watching a scary kids film, but with added swearing, blood and female nudity thrown in (the last one being particularly welcome).
 
So whilst this isn’t ‘quite’ “The Woman in Black” or “Sinister” (which it seems to borrow a few ideas from) if you like those sorts of movies you’ll want to check out this solid debut from director James Crow.
 
The film is released to DVD in the UK May 18th and the US May 19th

Pre-order the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk

Pre-order the US DVD from Amazon.com




"Beneath" - coming to UK DVD from Arrow

Coming to DVD and VOD from Arrow films this April, from the director of "30 Days of Night : Dark Days" Ben Ketai, comes the claustrophobic horror "Beneath".

Inspired by true events, a crew of coal miners becomes trapped 600 feet below ground after a disastrous collapse. As the air grows more toxic and time runs out, they slowly descend into madness and begin to turn on one another.
 
Checkout the trailer below...


 
 
 
The film is released to VOD outlets April 16th and on DVD April 20th.

Buy the UK DVD at Amazon.co.uk




Ghostbusters Musicless Music video is just hilarious!

And now for something completely different. Not 'strictly' horror related, but I came across this fan edited video of the theme to "Ghostbusters", which removes the music and uses its own sound effects.

The results are amusing to say the least...


 
Visit Mario Wienerriother's YouTube channel.
 
 
 
 

"Automata" starring Antonio Banderas - Coming to UK disc in May.

Coming to UK disc this May. Fast forward thirty years into the future where mankind is struggling to survive as the environment around them deteriorates, whilst technology thrives.
 
Antonio Banderas stars in this intense sci-fi action thriller as Jacq Vaucan, an agent for ROC robotics corporation, who investigates cases of robots violating their primary protocol: not to harm humans. What he discovers will have profound consequences for the future.
 
From the producers of The Expendables franchise and also featuring a great supporting cast, including Dylan McDermott (Olympus Has Fallen), Melanie Griffith (Hawaii Five-O) and Academy Award winner Javier Bardem (Skyfall).
 
Lionsgate UK Release "AUTOMATA" On Demand 27th April & Blu-ray and DVD 11th May, 2015.

View the trailer on YouTube.

Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk

Buy the UK BD from Amazon.co.uk




Monday 30 March 2015

"The Asylum" comes to UK disc this May

From director Marcus Nispel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday The 13th remakes) and the producers of Paranormal Activity and Insidious comes this gore-filled supernatural story of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll possession!
 
When a group of teens party in an abandoned building with a dark history, they find an old vinyl record that unleashes a dark spirit when played backwards. But is there something even more horrific and terrifying in their midst?
 
Starring Stephen Lang (Avatar), Kelly Blatz (Prom Night), and Brittany Curan (The Uninvited), "The Asylum" is a genre-busting evolution in teen horror. Having cut his teeth in big-name horror franchises, Marcus Nispel plays on the genre’s tropes to create something altogether new with "The Asylum". Bringing together the slasher, the supernatural, and the urban myth. That’s not to say it doesn’t deliver to what horror fans love most – scares, gore and nerve-shredding tension!
 
"The Asylum" comes to UK DVD May 4th from StudioCanal. A Blu-ray release is also available, exclusive to Zavvi.

Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk



Friday 27 March 2015

"The Town that Dreaded Sundown" - A Review

Coming to UK cinemas this April, this quasi-follow up of sorts to the old 1976 film of the same name, which was based on a series of real-life killings in Texarkana during the 1940s, updates the setting to the present day. The hooded killer, dubbed “The Phantom”, returns to the town to pick up where he left off all those years ago.
 
 
The first victims are a young courting couple, who are brutally attacked on a remote country lane by a masked assailant, whose motives and appearance match that of the original Phantom Killer.
 
Some of the older locals believe the original killer has returned, though the police think it more likely the work of a copycat, who’s basing his crimes on the old movie, rather than the original case. But as more and more people fall victim and the levels of violence start to escalate, the Police, Sheriffs office and Texas Rangers find they’ve got their work cut out for them, trying to unmask who this killer is before he strikes again.
 
Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (American Horror Story), it would be unfair to dismiss this as an unnecessary remake, even though it shares many common themes. Even having an inept police officer nick-named Spark Plug, and a scene where the killer murders someone with a knife tied to a trombone. But at its core, the film is essentially a retelling of the original murders, but tweaked for a modern day setting with a copycat killer. Excerpts from the original movie are also shown on TV during the film.
 
Whilst not overly gory, there’s a few scenes that certainly left me reeling. The film also has a good supporting cast, which includes Veronica Cartwright (Alien, Invasion of the body Snatchers) US TV actor Gary Cole (we all remember “Midnight Caller” don’t we?) and Ed Lauter, in what was sadly to be one of his final roles before his death in 2013.
 
Definitely one for slasher movie fans. Friday the 13th trivia buffs may wish to note that Jason’s appearance in the second film, with the cloth-sack mask, was based on this killer (before he got the hockey mask in pt3).
 
The film is released to UK cinemas April 17th.
 
 

Midsummer Nights Scream festival - Birmingham

Attention cult movie fans, 'A Midsummer Night Scream - From 42nd Street to Paradise' film festival will take place in Birmingham June 26th - 27th.
 
Spread across 2 venues, Friday June 26th experience a drive in movie theatre at The Rainbow Arena.
 
Cruise in or take a seat. The Drive-In will screen....

TERRORVISION (1986)
DEADBEAT AT DAWN (1988)
+ SHORTS + TRAILER TRASH
 
There will also be a VHS carnival, stalls and merchandise on sale. The event will also be followed by an after party (full details will be released by the organisers shortly)
 
On Saturday the 27th June, The Mockingbird Theatre at the Custard Factory will screen
 
VIOLENT NAPLES (1976)
THE WIZARD OF GORE (1970 Orig)
VHS FOREVER
 
Special guests include Norman J Warren (Dir "Satan's slave", "Prey", "Inseminoid") Mark Williams (Dir VHS Forever) together with artists Tom "The Dude Designs" Hodge and Graham Humphreys.
 
A weekend pass is available for both events, or tickets can be purchased separately.
 
For more info visit the event page of Facebook
 
Tickets can be purchased directly from TheTicketSellers website




Thursday 26 March 2015

Apocalypse Season hits the Horror Channel (UK)

The end is nigh on Horror Channel, as Saturday nights in April are taken over by rabid cannibals, zombie humanoids, mutant insects a deadly plague and monsters in the mist – in an Apocalypse Season which focuses on a world-ending selection of catastrophic classics.
 
Watch the promo on YouTube

Introduced by a zombie-busting Emily Booth, fans of the genre will be treated to the UK TV premiere of the Canadian seat-edged shocker "THE DAY" (Sat 11 April, 10.50pm), the Network premiere of Robert Rodriguez’s zombie exploitation epic "PLANET TERROR" (Sat 18 April, 10.50pm) and the network premiere of monster survival thriller "THE MIST" (Sat 4th April, 22.50pm), which is based on Stephen King’s novella.
 
Plus there is Stephen King’s mini-series "THE STAND", starring Gary Sinise and Molly Ringwald, which airs on Sat 4 April to Sat 24 April at 9pm. Completing the season Is "DAMNATION ALLEY", starring George Peppard and Jan Michael Vincent..
 
Horror Channel’s favourite queen of screams, Emily Booth, is also set to star in a post-apocalyptic horror thriller, SHED OF THE DEAD, directed by Drew Cullingham,  which will shoot later on in the year.

Emily said today: “I've always loved those bleak bold films that explore mankind's own destruction - it's a very potent theme so I'm really looking forward to our new Apocalypse season and more importantly introducing such amazing films like Planet Terror and The Day from a genuine ex RAF military base! Plus, I'm going to be appearing in a new UK zombie apocalypse film, but do I survive? Watch this space”.

TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138 | Freeview 70
 
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Arnie Zombie Trailer!!!!!

Arnold Schwarzenegger in a zombie film? It would seem so. Set in the American Midwest,  a disease that slowly turns the infected into cannibalistic zombies starts to sweep the nation. When the daughter of a widower, Wade (Schwarzenegger), becomes infected, he defies the quarantine orders to stay by her side during her transformation.


 
The film will be released later this year from Lionsgate.
 
 

Wednesday 25 March 2015

Girls and Corpses magazine 'Spring Outbreak' Issue

OK, I'm sure you're all familiar with 'Girls and Corpses Magazine', which regularly features on my news blog and yes, it does come across as a bit of a strange publication. But the latest 'Spring Outbreak' edition is shaping up to be the weirdest one yet. Ever heard of music producer Kim Fowley? Well, it was his ‘dying wish’ to have his cadaver on the cover of Girls and Corpses Magazine… and they were only too happy to oblige.
 
 
The iconic music record writer/producer and founder of The Runaways was a great friend of 'Girls and Corpses Magazine' and wrote and worked for them at dozens of events. He only had one request and that was “to be on the cover of his favourite magazine, Girls an Corpses", after he died.

Fowley’s corpse had to be put on the BACK cover, so the distributers wouldn’t kick them off the newsstands, but this is truly historic moment in publishing because it is the first time a corpse has been photographed in a body bag… with a fetish model… and put on a magazine cover… for Girls and Corpses.
 
This issue also features the last mad writings of Kim Fowley which are exclusively published in this diseased issue and it will make your head spin and pop off.

You can listen to Kim Fowley’s own words from his deathbed here on YouTube 

Also in the Spring Outbreak issue they explore deadly diseases that will end life on earth: Ebola, The Plague, The Flu and The Kardashians. Catch a tribute to Iwo Jima’s 75th anniversary with their Hazmat Hotties: RILEY STEELE, JILLIAN JANSON, RAVEN BAY and JODIE TAYLOR.
 
On the historic back cover, as promised, iconic record producer KIM FOWLEY’s body bag is unzipped with fetish supermodel JIN N TONIC. Also, a deadly photoshoot with PATIENT ZERO at a Biohazard Field Hospital with nurses IVY SHERWOOD and JEZAZBEL VESSIR.
 
Exclusive Interviews with: Rockabilly legend The REV HORTON HEAT; MOLLY DUNSWORTH (Septic Man, Hobo With A Shotgun), BIANCA BRADEY (Wyrmwood); metal band BLOODBATH; INCITE’s necro-erotic WTF music video; and GWYNETH PALTROW’s Toxic Shit and much, much more...
 
Order this diseased issue now from their Official Website
 
 
 

"Hooked Up" comes to UK DVD this April

Brace yourselves for a found-footage horror with a twist, as "HOOKED UP",  arrives on UK DVD from April 27th, courtesy of Signature Entertainment.
 
Following in the dark and twisted footsteps of found-footage classics like "The Blair Witch Project" and "Paranormal Activity", the horrors of "HOOKED UP" are delivered through the iPhones of Tonio (Jonah Ehrenreich) and Peter (Stephen Ohl), two young Americans who travel to Barcelona to party and meet women.
 
When Tonio and Peter befriend the flirtatious Noemi and Katia on their first night out partying, they escort them back to the house where things take an unexpected turn. The boys become trapped in the house and soon realise that the girls have a very different kind of party in mind - one the guests don't get to leave...
 
Director Pablo Larcuen (Orphan, Non-Stop) turns the found footage genre on its head in much the same way as distant cousin "V/H/S" did. Destined to become a cult favourite and arriving on a huge wave of anticipation amongst genre and tech fans, "HOOKED UP" brings an age-old tale of terror firmly and horrifyingly into the present.
 
Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk
 
 
 
 

Neil Cohen's zombie thriller "Exit Zero" - Out now in Paperback and Kindle.

Neil Cohen recently got in touch to tell us about his new Zombie novel "Exit Zero", which is out now on paperback and available for the Kindle.

Admit it, didn't you always think the zombie apocalypse would begin in New Jersey? When scientific research into curing both hunger and obesity goes terribly wrong, a fast moving plague is unleashed and sweeps across New Jersey.

The state is abandoned by the country and sealed off from the world. The victims have become horrific mutations of their former selves. The inhabitants are left to kill or to die. A soldier, a scientist, a detective, a mobster, a politician and a prepper, along with a beautiful yet dangerous woman from the Philippines, must come together during the first 48 hours of the outbreak and journey through chaos towards their only chance of escape on the Garden State Parkway-Exit Zero

For more info visit the official Website and Facebook pages.

Buy the book at Amazon.com (US)

Buy the book at Amazon.co.uk (UK)




Tuesday 24 March 2015

New stills released from "Poltergeist 3D"

Twentieth Century Fox are set to revive the terrifying classic tale with a fresh perspective in 3D this May, with the release of "POLTERGEIST". Checkout these new stills from the movie...
 






 
Legendary filmmaker Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, The Grudge) and director Gil Kenan contemporise the classic tale about a family whose suburban home is haunted by evil forces. When the terrifying apparitions escalate their attacks and hold the youngest daughter captive, the family must come together to rescue her before she disappears forever.

The film stars Sam Rockwell (Moon), Rosemarie DeWitt (Rachel Getting Married), Jared Harris (Mad Men), Jane Adams (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).

"POLTERGEIST" will be released in UK and Ireland cinemas on Friday 22nd May 2015.


Karen Lam's "Evangeline" hits US VOD and DVD

Uncork’d Entertainment will release the applauded spookfest  "EVANGELINE", starring "The 100's" Richard Harmon, on US VOD May 8, 2015, and on US DVD June 9, 2015.

Evangeline Pullman (Kat de Lieva) has just escaped her sheltered upbringing to reinvent herself in college. As she begins to break out of her shell, she attracts the attention of a violent fraternity leader (Richard Harmon) and his two cohorts. Beaten and dumped in the woods to die, Evangeline finds herself trapped in a supernatural nightmare, and she must choose between vengeance and redemption.

From director Karen Lam, "EVANGELINE" stars Kat de Lieva as the titular character with Richard Harmon (TV’s "The 100") and David Lewis ("Halloween Resurrection", "Man of Steel").

View the trailer on YouTube.

The film will be available to pre-order from Amazon shortly.

Monday 23 March 2015

New releases from Graveyard Calling...

Horror themed record label 'Graveyard Calling' are pleased to announce 2 new releases, which will be available shortly on Digital Dowlnoad and limited edition cassette
 
"Strange Shadows" - the latest EP from Nightcrawler, is a sonic tale of terror full of dark atmospheres. Inspired by the Italian Giallo & Horror cinema of the 80s. it contains 5 original tracks plus 4 remixes from Umberto, Alessandro Parisi, OGRE and Profondo Delle Tenebre.
 
Copenhagen-based synthwave artist Daniel Deluxe brings you dark, synth tales of horror with his release of "Nightstalker"! Be prepared for sounds of creatures that stalk the night, demons and monsters!
 
Preorder Nightcrawler Music - "Strange Shadows" for instant download of "Una Notte Violenta"
 
Preorder Daniel Deluxe - "Night Stalker" for instant download of "Exorcism"
 
The cassette releases are strictly limited to 50 copies each available, pre-orders are available now, release date: April 14th. Also prices have been dropped on all previous releases and merchandise.
 
For more info and to pre-order/download visit the Graveyard Calling Website


"Wind Walkers" - coming Autumn 2015.

Acclaimed director Russell Friedenberg’s latest feature, WIND WALKERS, has completed post and is primed for an Autumn 2015 release in both the US and UK.
 
A group of friends and family descend into the swamp lands of the Everglades for their annual hunting trip, only to discover that they are the ones being hunted. A malevolent entity is tracking them and they begin to realise that one of their party, Sean (Zane Holtz), may be possessed by something he has brought home from a tour of duty in the Middle East – a demon of war so horrible and deadly that even he is unaware of its devilish presence.

Or are they facing something even more unspeakable?  Is a legendary Native American curse about to unleash its dreadful legacy? Has the mysterious Wind Walker beast, thirsting for colonial revenge, returned to claim more souls?

With no place to run, the group, starved and consu
med with fear, must make a final stand – before madness and murderous mayhem consumes them all…

Writer/Director Friedenberg, who also has a starring role in the film, reveals: '“The experience of making Wind Walkers was incredibly rewarding and ridiculously difficult. The Everglades aren’t meant for humans. We shouldn’t have been there, and everything that lives there does it’s damndest to remind you of that. What thrives in the Everglades are things with cold blood, and all of them crave warm blood - namely yours”.
 
The film is a TriCoast Worldwide, Iron Circle Pictures and Sweet Tomato Films Presentation, in association with Ricou Browning Productions.
 
View the trailer on YouTube

For more info, visit the official Website, Facebook and Twitter pages


Sunday 22 March 2015

Hudson Horror Show 11 - June 13th - Poughkeepsie, NY

One for my American site visitors, if you're in the vicinity of Poughkeepsie, New York on June 13th, The Hudson Horror Show returns to the hallowed grounds of the Empire Cinema, South Hills 8 in Poughkeepsie, NY! 
 
Now in its sixth year and presented by Vinegar Syndrome and the B Movie Film Vault, Hudson Horror #11 is a 12 hour retro film festival, with all movies being presented from vintage 35mm films.
 
Show #11 features five full length movies plus dozens of retro trailers and ads, plus vendors selling horror related toys, t-shirts and more!  B Movie Film Vault will open the show with A MYSTERY MOVIE!  We don’t know what it is, but we know it will be good.  OK, maybe it will be bad.  But it's guaranteed to be fun, and it will off 35mm.
 
Vinegar Syndrome presents a very special screening of "MADMAN". While they have digitally restored this cult slasher for their beautiful new DVD/Blu Ray special edition (which they will have for sale at the show) they will be presenting an original release 35mm print of this long lost shocker! To make it even more special, "MADMAN" producer Gary Sales and Madman Marz himself, actor Paul Ehlers, will be in attendance to introduce the movie and do a live Q &A! 
 
Also being screened is Abel Ferrara’s rape/revenge flick Ms. 45, and the first Elm Street sequel "NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY’S REVENGE", which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
 
The show will close with a special 40th anniversary screening of Steven Spielberg's "JAWS"  No clean, digital restoration here, as in true Hudson Horror style they're presenting a beautifully weathered vintage 35mm film print.
 
The last show was a record setting advance sell out and tickets for this show will go on sale Saturday, March 28th, 2015 at 12pm E.S. T.  Advance tickets are just $31.00 for 12 hours of movie madness!
 
 
As always there'll be vendors selling toys, DVD’s, t-shirts and other merchandise.  Vinegar Syndrome will be set up selling copies of "MADMAN" and all of their other DVD’s and Blu Rays. 
 
If you are interested in being a vendor, or if you have a question about the show, email them at info@hudsonhorror.com.  The event takes place on Saturday, June 13th for more info, checkout the following links...

http://www.hudsonhorror.com/
http://www.bmoviefilmvault.com/
http://vinegarsyndrome.com/

Also follow the Hudson Horror Show on Facebook and Twitter.



"The Chair" - Behind the Screams feature

Checkout this 'Behind the Screams' feature for "The Chair", which is being produced by 'Girls and Corpses' magazine and stars, amongst many others, Zach Galligan (Hatchet 3, Gremlins, Waxwork), 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper (They Live, Hell Comes to Frogtown) and Bill Oberst Jr (Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies, Zombieworld).




For more info, checkout "The Chair" on Twitter


Friday 20 March 2015

"Insidious 3" - Official UK trailer released

eOne Entertainment have just released the full trailer for the UK release of "Insidious 3", which comes to UK cinemas this June
 

 
 
The darkest chapter goes back to the beginning.
 
This chilling prequel, set before the haunting of the Lambert family, reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead in order to help a teenage girl (Stefanie Scott) who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity.
 
The new chapter in the terrifying horror series is written and directed by franchise co-creator Leigh Whannell.

"Insidious 3" comes to UK cinemas June 6th.

For more information, visit their official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

 

Thursday 19 March 2015

"Horns" starring Danielle Radcliffe - out now on UK disc

Out now on UK BD and DVD, from master-of-horror Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha 3D) comes this supernatural, offbeat thriller starring beloved British actor Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter franchise, The Woman in Black) and the talented Juno Temple (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For).

Ig Perrish (Daniel Radcliffe) is accused of the murder of his girlfriend, Merrin Williams (Juno Temple). After a hard night of drinking, Ig awakens, hungover, to find horns growing out of his head; they have the ability to drive people to confess sins and give in to selfish impulses. Ig decides to use this effective tool to discover the circumstances of his girlfriend's death and to seek revenge by finding the true murderer.

Daniel and Juno lead an all-star cast with strong support from David Morse (The Green Mile, The Hurt Locker) and Heather Graham (The Hangover I & III, Boogie Nights).

HORNS is based on the dark fantasy novel of the same name from New York Times best-selling author Joe Hill (Heart Shaped Box) with a screenplay by Keith Burnin. Alexandre Aja, Riza Aziz, Joey McFarland and Cathy Schulman produce.
 
The film is available on UK DVD and on Blu-Ray. Blu-ray contains a slightly gorier cut of the film.
 
Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk (theatrical version)
 
Buy the UK BD from Amazon.co.uk (uncut version)
 
 
 

"BACKTRACK" (Nazi Vengeance) gets US DVD release

"BACKTRACK" (AKA "Nazi Vengeance"), a gripping new entry on the contemporary Brit horror scene, will be released in the US on Amazon Prime and Blinkbox through Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment on May 5 under the alternate title "BACKTRACK: NAZI REGRESSION".
 
It is also currently available in the UK on DVD and LoveFilm through Mandala Films under the title "Nazi Vengeance".
 
When 26-year old Ralph has recurring nightmares in German, he enlists the help of his psychic friend Claudia, to help unravel their meaning. She gives him a profound past-life regression, which floods his mind with memories of being a Nazi commando on a mission on the South Downs in 1940. In the hope of piecing together his previous life, Ralph, Claudia and two friends, go on a trip to the locations he saw in his regression. But what none of them realise is that the past Ralph is trying to find is now stalking them, and it plans to exact a terrible revenge on them for crimes committed nearly seventy years ago.
 
Written by veteran scriptwriter Mick Sands and directed by rising star Tom Sands, the cast includes Julian Glover (Game of Thrones - Star Wars Trilogy), Mark Drake (Wasteland), Sophie Barker, Rosie Akerman, Miles Jovian and Callie Moore.
 
For more info visit http://www.backtrackfilm.com/ 
 
Buy the US DVD from Amazon.com
 
Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk
 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday 18 March 2015

Girls and Corpses magazine present "Blood Rites"

Girls And Corpses Magazine present their first feature film release under the TomCat label, "Blood Rites", which comes to US DVD April 1st and on selected VOD cable outlets.
 
Heavily influenced by the Italian horrors of the late 60's and 70's by masters like Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci, "Blood Rites" is a macabre mystery of murder, drug use and the occult.
 
When a drug deal at an abandoned warehouse goes bad for young Nikki and Jason. Nikki finds herself trapped on an upper floor of the building with a vicious ex-military enforcer, a gunshot victim, a violent addict and his three hostages.
 
Leaving the building is not an option, as all the exits have been blocked, and somewhere in the darkness there's something with a taste for blood and a love of pain. But the bad guys are being stalked by something worse. For a great demon demands to be born from the fiery depths of hell and its faithful servant has planned a bizarre blood rite that will leave no vein untapped. Blood will flow. Hell is coming.

Directed by Dorothy Booraem, who co-wrote the project with Producer Chad Haufschild. This is the first in a series of horror DVD releases under the "Girls and Corpses Presents" banner, which will be releasing four acquisitions a year to coincide with each quarterly issue of the printed magazine. 

In addition to releasing on DVD and Blu-Ray, the company is in talks with major digital and online streaming companies to create a dedicated channel of content curated by the Girls and Corpses Team.

View the teaser trailer on YouTube

Buy the US DVD at Amazon.com

For more info on the magazine visit http://girlsandcorpses.com/

For more info on TomCats releases go to: http://tomcatfilmsllc.com/


 

"Insurgent" - in UK cinemas March 19th

INSURGENT, the next gripping action-adventure in the blockbuster DIVERGENT franchise, raises the stakes for Tris as she searches for allies and answers in the dystopian ruins of a futuristic Chicago.  

Tris (Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James) are now fugitives on the run, hunted by Jeanine (Kate Winslet), the leader of the power-hungry Erudite elite. Racing against time, they must find out what Tris’s family sacrificed their lives to protect, and why the Erudite leaders will do anything to stop them.  Haunted by her past choices but desperate to protect the ones she loves, Tris, with Four at her side, faces one impossible challenge after another as they unlock the truth about the past and ultimately the future of their world.
 
 THE DIVERGENT SERIES: INSURGENT IS RELEASED IN UK CINEMAS MARCH 19, 2015
 
Follow the film on Twitter and Facebook

Tuesday 17 March 2015

"The Remaining" UK DVD review

A group of wedding guests are forced to deal with a disaster of biblical proportions, in Casey La Scala’s “The Remaining”, which is out now on DVD and VOD here in the UK from Sony Pictures.
 
Whilst celebrating a friends wedding, the happy couple’s day gets plunged into total chaos, when over half the guests just suddenly drop dead. Rushing outside to look for help, they find whatever’s struck the party down, isn’t confined to their group. As they’re greeted by the sight of mass car pile ups and aeroplanes falling out of the sky.
 
But this is only just the start of their problems. Trying to find one of their missing friends, they suddenly get hit with freak lightning and hailstorms, as well as earthquakes and various other freak weather conditions.
 
Taking refuge inside a Church, it turns out the reason for these events is more biblical than scientific, as they discover the Rapture has occurred and Judgement day is upon them and for those still alive on Earth, the worst is yet to come….
 
Now, being a militant atheist I always have a hard time sitting through films that are based on biblical myths. On the one hand, the film was a very effective disaster movie, centring on what a group of survivors try to do in the wake of an unthinkable global catastrophe (which just happens to be the rapture). But on the other, the film does get a little preachy, particularly towards the end, which didn’t sit well with me. Indeed, this has lead to other critics accusing this of being a thinly veiled christian propaganda movie.
 
If you can put the biblical stuff to one side and treat this as a work of fiction (which, lets face it, it is) it is actually quite a good post apocalyptic thriller and features quite a good cast, including Alex Varga (Machete Kills),  Shaun Sipos (Texas Chainsaw 3D) and John Pyper-Ferguson (TVs Burn Notice, Caprica, The Last Ship). But many might be put off by the overtly religious sub-plot.
 
The DVD comes with a making-of feature, containing behind the scenes footage and interviews with the cast and crew and a deleted scene as extras and is available now from Sony Pictures.
 
Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk 
 
 

Monday 16 March 2015

"The Last Survivors" - Out on UK DVD 11th May

From the Producers of ‘You’re Next' and ‘The Guest’ comes "The Last Survivors". Out on DVD 11th May from Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment.
 
At the edge of an expansive barren valley, all that remains of The Wallace Farm for Wayward Youth is a few hollowed-out husks of buildings. Seventeen-year-old Kendal (Haley Lu Richardson - TVs "Ravenswood") can barely recall when the Oregon valley was still lush.
 
It’s been a decade since the last rainfall, and society at large has dried up and blown away. Kendal and the few others that remain barely scrape by, while dreaming of escape. When a greedy water baron lays claim to what little of the precious resource remains underground, Kendal must decide whether to run and hide or bravely fight for the few cherished people and things she has left.
 
Formerly known as "The Well", "The Last Survivors" is a thrilling adventure. Mixing post-apocalyptic action with classic western conventions. The movie is a beautifully shot film directed by production designer Tom Hammock and boasts an incredible performance from 20 year old Haley Lu Richardson.
 
Booboo Stewart (X-Men: Days of Future Past) and Michael Welch (Twilight) also star, with Chris Harding and Adam Wingard (You're Next, The Guest, V/H/S) producing and editing.
 
Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk




Sunday 15 March 2015

Short film "Survival Guide" available on Vimeo Mar 17

Canadian film maker Phil Connel will be releasing his short film "SURVIVAL GUIDE", which explores the threat of child abduction onto video on Tuesday, March 17th, to coincide with it's St Patrick's Day setting.
 
 
It’s St Patrick’s Day 1987 and a child abductor is at large in the neighbourhood. Locked out in the cold and face-to-face with shadowy strangers, Fleur, an 11-year-old girl guide, must make quick decisions about who she can trust.
 
Since its premiere at the Canadian Film Festival last year, "SURVIVAL GUIDE", directed by Phil Connell and written by Genevieve Scott, has travelled across the Atlantic and will have a worldwide free VoD release on Vimeo on St Patrick’s Day to coincide with the setting of the film and its world premiere anniversary.
 
"SURVIVAL GUIDE" is a suspense-filled coming-of-age story, ambitiously set in the 1980s, about the vulnerability of our youth, in particular girls, and how crucial trust and awareness is for children. It explores how fleeting events in a young person’s life can alter the course of  their actions and relationships almost immediately.
 
You can view the trailer HERE
 
The film will available on Vimeo from March 17th at https://vimeo.com/67779878
 
 
 

"Restoration" and "Bethany" coming from Gritworks.

Gritworks films, the production company owned by filmmakers James Cullen Bressack (pictured), who's recent production "Hate Crime" got banned in the UK, and Zack Ward (actor - "Resident Evil : Apocalypse", "Blood Lake", "Don't Blink")  is in the middle of back-to-back shoots for two new micro budget horror films.
 
"The first, "Bethany" stars Stefanie Estes as Claire, a woman who moves back into her childhood home with her husband. The abusive, traumatic memories of her mother return to haunt her — as her husband becomes busier with work, she finds herself in a fog of memories — as a small figure tries to reach out to her.
 
Bressack is directing the film, which also stars Ward, Shannen Doherty (Blood Lake), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Brodus Clay, Peter Jason, John Murray, Olivia Stiefel, Anna Harr and Ellen Gerstell.
 
The second film, "Restoration" centres on a young doctor who moves to a new town with her husband while she completes her residency. Things seem to be going well, as she and her husband, a contractor, renovate their home, and meet a fun couple next door. Things take a dark turn when they discover a diary buried within the walls of their house, and a terrifying spirit is awakened.
 
"Restoration" stars Emily O'Brien, Zack Ward, Adrian Gaeta and Sarah Ann Schultz. Ward also is directing the film.

For more information, follow James Cullen Bressack and Zack Ward on Twitter.


Friday 13 March 2015

"No Good Deed" - UK DVD review

Out this month on UK DVD and VOD, Sam Miller’s “No Good Deed” stars Taraji P Henson (“Karate Kid” remake, “Smokin Aces”) as a former Lawyer and housewife, who’s home alone with her 2 young children, when a passing motorist knocks on the door, saying he has car trouble and asking to use the phone.
 
Unfortunately, this turns out to be a ploy just to get inside, as the mysterious stranger, who calls himself Colin (Idris Elba - TV's "Luther"), is actually a violent criminal who’s just broken custody, killing both his guards in the process, and is looking for a place to hideout.
 
Initially, she doesn’t suspect anything and falls for his story about him being stranded. But as the evening draws on, and with no sign of the tow truck he apparently phoned for, she begins to suspect Colin isn’t all he seems and their lives are all in deadly danger.
 
More of a tense psychological thriller than a horror. It starts well, but then seems to slow down towards the end, though it has a few twists along the way which keeps things interesting.
 
The film is out now on VOD, with its DVD release following March 23rd. The DVD release also containing a making-of feature as an extra.
 
Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk




Friday the 13th merchandise from Electric Zombie


Friday the 13th doesn't have to mean you're doomed. Nostalgia-fuelled clothing company Electric Zombie is celebrating the cursed day with a host of new merchandise inspired by everyone's favourite hockey masked slasher.
 
The line kicks off with several new designs: a baseball shirt emblazoned with an all-over print of Jason's red and blue mask inspired by the Jason Takes Manhattan poster, a tee featuring a comic book-style rendering the maggot-covered Part VII Jason and a tee with a simple message for fans of Part IV: "Don't Be a Dead Fuck!"
 
Electric Zombie's fan favourite Jason Bond shirt - from the memorable opening of Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives - has been reprinted due to popular demand. This time, there's also a new "Power Glove" colourway that glows in the dark. Reprints of EZ's classic hockey mask tee and Jason Goes to Hell portrait design are also available.
 
Last but certainly not least, more Dead Heads are up for grabs. Each Madballs-style 4-inch rubber ball is styled to look like Jason's grotesque head, complete with removable resin masks. It comes in both classic and 8-bit variants, but there are only 5 of each. The first batch sold out in less than 2 hours, so you'll have to be faster than Jason Voorhees if you want one.
 
Limited quantities of Friday the 13th Part III, Part IV, Part VI and Part VIII posters from last month's drop are still for sale. These items will be available at 12:01am (EST) on Friday the 13th of March at TheElectricZombie.com. With nearly every look of Jason from the original Friday the 13th series represented, franchise fanatics will be well equipped for their next trip to Camp Crystal Lake.
 
Electric Zombie also offers apparel and prints influenced by classic wrestling, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ghostbusters, A Nightmare on Elm Street and many more pop culture favourites from the '80s and '90s.
 




Thursday 12 March 2015

JOHN SINCLAIR - BESTSELLING GERMAN HORROR SERIES PUBLISHED IN UK

JOHN SINCLAIR, Europe’s longest running pulp horror series, is to be published in the UK for the first time this month, in both E-book and audio-book format.
 
DCI John Sinclair works for Scotland Yard’s Special Division, an elite unit set up to investigate the most extraordinary cases. A battle-hardened veteran of Afghanistan, haunted by his past, his job takes him from Mexico and Egypt to small villages in Cornwall and Scotland. There he encounters impossible horrors beyond his wildest nightmares, from mad scientists and deadly cults to demonic curses and the walking dead…
 
John Sinclair is a modern reboot of Europe’s longest running horror series; launched in 1973, it has published over 1,900 episodes to date and sold over 25 million copies. Unashamedly rooted in the finest pulp traditions, these thrilling page turners combine spine-tingling horror with fast-paced, globetrotting adventure. Now for the first time, a series of brand new stories are being published internationally, as both eBooks and dramatised audiobooks:
 
Curse of the Undead
The Lord of the Death
Dr. Satanos
A Feast of Blood
Dark Pharaoh
The Vampire Graveyard
 
About the author: Gabriel Conroy was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1967. After finishing school, he joined the armed forces and was stationed in Germany for several years. Whilst travelling through Europe, he discovered his passion for writing. When he returned to the States, he studied Journalism at Los Angeles City College and UCLA, and currently works as a freelance journalist, writer and translator.
 
The John Sinclair eBook series is published 27th March, price £1.49 per eBook.

The first episode Curse of the Undead is published as an audiobook on the same day, with the following 5 episodes published every 2 months, price £4.99.

A day of free cinema at the Prince Charles cinema London

"Battle Royale" will be topping the bill in a day of free cinema presented by Square Enix in anticipation of the upcoming FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0 HD videogame.
 
 
Hosted by veteran film critic, videogame fan and Editor-In-Chief of empireonline.com James Dyer, the day will also see screenings of international hit "The Hunger Games", "Tomorrow, When the War Began" and cult sci-fi thriller "The Faculty". The free movie marathon will take place at the Prince Charles Cinema in the heart of London’s bustling West End, on Saturday 14th March.
 
FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0 HD follows the exploits of a gifted, heroic combat force with unique magical powers, who are thrust into the chaos of war with the fate of the world resting on their shoulders. They must overcome new challenges and hold on to hope in the face of brutal conflict, coming together to make a stand.
 
Continuing the theme, Square Enix will be screening a selection of classic movies in which gifted young people must endure the horrors of battle and survive in the deadliest of circumstances. Film times are as below;
 
1pm – The Hunger Games
3:30pm – Tomorrow, When the War Began
6pm – The Faculty
8pm – Battle Royale
 
Film lovers need only email type0@premiercomms.com to claim their free tickets and fend off the last vestiges of winter in the comfort of one of London’s top cinema destinations.
 
Those with tickets can tweet using #TYPEZERO to claim free refreshments on the day! Attendees will also have a chance to win exclusive goody bags themed around FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0 HD.