Tuesday 31 January 2017

Official trailer released for THE CHAMBER - in UK cinemas Mar 10

The official UK trailer for the claustrophobic suspenseful thriller THE CHAMBER has been made available by STUDIOCANAL. 


Starring Johannes Kuhnke, Charlotte Salt, James McArdle, Elliot Levey, and is written and directed by Ben Parker (feature debut).   


THE CHAMBER will be released in cinemas on 10th March 2017, and on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital Download 20th March 2017.

Noir ghost chiller “DIANE” prepares for launch

Independent writer/director Michael Mongillo (THE WIND, WELCOME TO EARTH and BEING MICHAEL MADSEN) has wrapped production on the supernatural thriller DIANE, a tale of extreme obsession and drastic consequences. 


In DIANE, Afghanistan War veteran Steve’s lasting injuries and regrets plunge him into a daily soulless routine until the body of a beautiful singer, Diane, is discovered in his backyard. Steve takes a photo of her corpse with his cell phone before reporting the murder and he becomes obsessed with the dead woman’s image. Now a prime suspect, Steve is scrutinized by the police, hassled by Diane’s widower, and attacked by self-righteous neighbors. Before long, the malevolent ghost of Diane weaves a dark spell in Steve’s psyche that leads to strange and startling revelations.


DIANE is my favorite of the films I’ve directed,” says film maker Mongillo. “With DIANE I achieved what I set out to do with the fewest compromises yet. I’m confident that moviegoers will find DIANE an emotionally honest and intellectually satisfying movie. I am so proud of the work of my long-time collaborators, especially star and executive producer, Jason Alan Smith (BEFORE I WAKE), who delivers a gut-wrenching performance.” 


As he begins submitting DIANE to international film festivals and prospective distributors, Mongillo says, “I am looking forward to audiences all over the world discovering DIANE. My goal, in addition to directing something entertaining and deeply unsettling, was to create an honest work about the human condition. Horror has always served as a backdrop to telling character-driven stories and all the best ghost stories are actually tales of atonement, and that’s DIANE in a nutshell.”

View the trailer below...





MOGGY CREATURES launches crowd funding campaign

Following the hugely successful trailer launch last Halloween, the filmmakers behind practical FX creature feature MOGGY CREATURES have announced an Indiegogo crowd funding campaign to help fund production of the anticipated horror project and grow their fan base.


For those who contribute to the campaign, director Scott Frazelle and his team are offering super fun perks. Do you want your very own, limited edition Moggy action figure? Perhaps a Moggy Muggy for your morning coffee? Or get the Ultimate Litter Box with you and your favorite kitty kat. Other perks include digital & DVD copies of the completed film, Moggy shirts, and VIP set-visit experiences!

Check out all the perks, and follow the campaign for updates through February on the MOGGY CREATURES Indiegogo page today.

Horror star Sadie Katz (House of Bad, Blood Feast) leads MOGGY CREATURES, which follows Michael and Anna, a troubled couple who take in a stray cat hoping to rebuild their marriage, only to have the pregnant animal spawn evil monsters!

MOGGY CREATURES hails from writer/producer Frazelle.

Visit the crowd funding page: https://igg.me/at/moggycreatures

Visit the film's Website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.  

View the trailer on YouTube.

Monday 30 January 2017

Face of 4 (short film) - A Review

Film maker and photographer Alexander Azzi recently got in touch to tell us about his short film “Face of 4”, which is currently being submitted to the festival circuit and I was asked to give it the once over.

A man wakes up to find himself chained to a chair in a dark, empty room. On the desk in front of him is a box containing several dice and a cryptic note, warning of dire consequences of what will happen if he rolls a 4.

Unfortunately, as his only means of escape is by rolling the dice and hoping they all avoid the 4, he faces an agonising decision and it seems it’s not just his life he’s gambling with…

Rather reminiscent of the “Saw” films (well, the first one anyway), the film relys heavily on atmosphere and tension, rather than gore, to set the tone and is fairly effective in keeping the viewer on edge. Clocking in at just over 14mins, it isn’t overly long, though whether you’ll enjoy this will depend on your love of psychological dramas.

For more info visit the film's Facebook page.  

The film is currently being submitted to the festival circuit, view the trailer on YouTube below...



HorrorCon UK confirm SID HAIG as first special guest

 
HorrorconUK have announced the first special guest to be attending this years convention will be none other than Captain Spaulding himself, Sid Haig.

 

A well known genre actor, having starred in Rob Zombie's "House of 1000 Corpses" and "Devils Rejects". His other credits include "Hatchett 3", "Laid to rest" and the cult films "Aftermath" and "Galaxy of Terror".

More guests to be announced soon.

HorrorCon UK 2017 takes place at the Magna Centre, Sheffield, 13-14 May 2017.

For more info visit http://www.horrorconuk.com




Roger Corman's DEATH RACE: 2050 - on UK Disc March

A delirious blend of high-octane action, razor-sharp political satire and full-throttle mayhem, Roger Corman’s Death Race 2050 arrives on Blu-ray and DVD on 20th March from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and on digital download from 6th March. 

The highly anticipated reboot of the cult classic Death Race 2000, the Universal 1440 Entertainment original production straps viewers into the driver’s seat of the ultimate auto showdown, a blood-splattered no-holds-barred virtual-reality show that gleefully pits hardened road warriors against each other — and their audience. Exclusive bonus features reveal how filmmakers transformed the deadliest competition on wheels into a hair-raising, savagely funny game of life or death.

Legendary filmmaking icon, Roger Corman, is back with his most outrageous film yet in this sensational, action-packed and darkly humorous reboot of the original Death Race 2000! It’s the year 2050 and America is controlled by an all-powerful corporate government ruled by The Chairman (Malcolm McDowell). The masses have been brainwashed with violent virtual-reality entertainment. The event of the year is the Death Race, in which a motley crew of violent drivers compete in a cross-country road race, scoring points for shamelessly running people over and driving each other off the road. The reigning champion and fan favorite, Frankenstein (Manu Bennett), who’s half-man half-machine, wants to take the crown, but his rebel spy co-pilot threatens his legacy.

Produced by Roger Corman, the king of cult classics, Roger Corman’s Death Race 2050 stars Manu Bennett (The Hobbit) as Frankenstein and Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) as the Chairman. The cast also features Burt Grinstead (“NCIS”), Marci Miller (Viper), Folake Olowofoyeku (The Beaver), Anessa Ramsey (Footloose), Yancy Butler (Hard Target) and Charlie Farrell (Cantar). 

BLU-RAY AND DVD exclusive BONUS FEATURES:

The Making of 2050 – This featurette goes behind the scenes of Roger Corman’s Death Race 2050 to explore why, over four decades later, the original Death Race 2000 has been remade, including what made this project appealing to cast and crew, what changes have been made, and what fans of the original will still love. Discover the movie magic behind the deaths, stunts and of course — the cars! Includes interviews with stars, director G.J. Echternkamp and Corman himself.
Deleted Scenes
Cars! Cars! Cars! – Go on the set with the drivers of Death Race 2050 as they introduce their one-of-a-kind killing machines: Frankenstein and his Monster, Perfectus and his Piece of Art, Tammy and the Tank, Minerva and her Sound Box and ABE.
Cast Car Tours
The Look of 2050 – An insider look at how the film’s visual style came together, including how shooting in Peru helped set the tone of the picture and how the costumes became stars in and of themselves.

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

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

Director Chris Smith talks about the UK prem of DETOUR

Ahead of the UK premiere of his latest film DETOUR at Horror Channel FrightFest Glasgow, Chris Smith tells us the importance of FrightFest, his love of ‘film Noir’ and  his hatred of reality TV… 


FrightFest has premiered all your genre movies CREEP, SEVERANCE, TRIANGLE, BLACK DEATH, except GET SANTA obviously. Is this positioning an important part of the rollout process for you?

Firstly let me apologise for being away for so long and thank you for having me back. I wrote ‘Get Santa’ because I'd just had a son and was feeling like I wanted to do something that he could watch in the next 15 years. I expected the film to take a year to come together but it ended up taking four years. My son was by that time old enough to come to the premiere with a few of his class mates.

Back to the question, Frightfest is extremely important, not just to me personally, because it's always an honour, but it's important to the birth of the film. The Frightfest audiences are the first people to see it, the first to comment on it and it's nice that they're such committed fans. Putting a film out there, freeing it from the confines of the edit suite is exciting, but also scary. Frightfest, because of the audiences passion and knowledge of genre, make the process what it should be, fun. 

What was the main inspiration for the DETOUR script? Many have commented on its multi-narrative SLIDING DOORS-style vibe. Complicated to write the two sides of one story?

‘Sliding Doors’ and ‘Run Lola Run’ both came out the same year.  I must admit I was never inclined to watch ‘Sliding Doors’, but I know that, like ‘Run Lola Run’, it deals with the concept of different destinies being forged by blind change. Though actually neither of these films were an inspiration for ‘Detour’, which came about by chance.

It was early 2007 and I had just finished writing ‘Triangle’ and was in LA trying to finance it. I'd liked the film ‘Disturbia’, which had been a big hit and so for about three months Hollywood was trying to make Hitchcockian thrillers. An exec came to me and said she'd like to cook up a modern version of ‘Stranger's on a Train’. I think my brain was so wrapped up structurally from writing ‘Triangle’, that instead of two characters deciding to murder each other's wives, I cooked up one character, seemingly facing two destinies, based on one moral choice: To kill or not to kill? 

Was it complicated to write? Certainly not in comparison to ‘Triangle’ but it offered different challenges. I was really keen for the characters to shine through more than I'd achieved in Triangle, and this is tricky because you're asking the audience to question the narrative, rather than simply immersing them in a classical structure, and then you're also hoping they feel empathy for the characters. That is the main challenge for any film that makes you aware of the film making process.

DETOUR is full of film noir references, from the HARPER poster on the wall to the clip from the 1945 B movie classic DETOUR by Edgar G. Ulmer. What is it about the film noir idiom you like?

I've always loved Film Noir. I think it is, or rather was, the cornerstone of indie cinema. These are films often made often on the cheap and yet always brimming with colourful characters, taut story lines, and scenarios where a happy ending feels impossible, instead of inevitable. 

The film that has always had the biggest effect on me is Fritz Langs' ‘The Woman In The Window’. My film ‘Detour’ is arguably more influenced by that, than the Ulmer movie that we reference in the film and borrow the title from. That said, both films contain a character who crosses a line and finds that the forces that drove him there, and the company he now keeps, will never let him free again.

A great cast of new and up-and-coming stars – Tye Sheridan, Bel Powley, Emory Cohen. You certainly know how to pick them, Eddie Redmayne in BLACK DEATH for example. Is it a knack?

Liam Hemsworth got his first role in ‘Triangle’ also. Is it a knack? I don't know. To me if you can't see that those actors are talented you're in the wrong job. When I got the audition tape from Liam Hemsworth I literally walked it around the office with my jaw dropped showing people. It was so glaringly obvious this boy was a movie star. It was the same with Eddie and all three of the leads in ‘Detour’. 

Tye Sheridan's performances in ‘Joe and Mud’ were electric. Emory Cohen lit up every scene he did in ‘The Place Beyond The Pine’s’. With Bel Powley it was a little different because I met her having seen nothing. The rumour mill was reporting that she was fantastic in the film ‘The Diary of a Teenage Girl’ but none of us had seen it The casting director loved Bel and the financier was happy to cast her on what he had heard, so I met her blind. We got on immediately; I thought she was so cool, funny and smart that I basically cast her on the spot. 

Great chemistry between the three leads - was it there from the beginning, or did it evolve gradually?

It was there from the beginning I think but the little choices we made in prep helped it along. We scheduled well so that we did all of the scenes in the house first; just me and Tye and Stephen Moyer. That gave us a real foundation so that when Emory and Bel joined the film, at the end of the first week, we were already working like a well-oiled machine. This gave me more time to concentrate on them, but their instincts were so good that there was very little in the way of notes.

Great solid anchors by Stephen Moyer and John Lynch too, whose maturity contrasts with the young cast on purpose?

Absolutely. They're the grown-ups but they still have their own problems and in some way are more immature than the younger characters. I think they're both great in the film.

DETOUR was shot in South Africa. How was filming there? 

It was shot mainly in South Africa but we also spent a week shooting in LA and Las Vegas. I love South Africa, it's a wonderful country, with great crews and so it was a no brainer to shoot it there to help with the budget. It also looks just like California. 

You’ve said the lighting owes a lot to Edward Hopper’s paintings? Can you elaborate?

Me and my designer joke that all feature films are either Edward Hopper or Carravagio. Film-makers use either artist as their inspiration, either consciously or unconsciously. With Hopper the emphasis is on framing and production design. With Carravagio the emphasis is on using practical lighting and contrast. This film is a Hopper.

It’s a film you want to watch again the moment its finished to see if you can catch all the clues and mis-directs you didn’t see the first time? Do you consciously like to manipulate your audience?

I'm a huge fan of Kiarostami. I'm drawn to film-makers that make you question the film-making process. Lars Von Trier is another I greatly admire.  Everything about film-making is fake and the film-makers' job is to make you forget this, but there's pleasure in being reminded too because it makes you engage in an entirely different way. 

I can't watch reality TV. It's ridiculous. The one thing it's not is reality. You see survival programs where someone is walking across the Sahara desert. Is he going to make or die of thirst? Give me a break! Behind the camera there's 20 camels packed full of water for him, the camera crew, the sound man, the medic, the fixer, the camel shepherd and the camels. There's probably a helicopter standing by.

I like stories where we acknowledge this deceit and try to make a feature. If you still feel tension when you are simultaneously acknowledging the artifice of the process, then I think you're doing something good. 

And finally, what’s next for you?

I'm working on a horror movie about a serial killer called The Judas Goat and a thriller called ‘The Undertaker’. Hoping to shoot either of them by the end of the year.



DETOUR is showing at the Glasgow Film Theatre on Sat 25 Feb, 4.30pm as part of Horror Channel FrightFest Glasgow 2017. 

For more info on this and other films visit http://www.frightfest.co.uk


SUN CHOKE premieres Mar 9 on SHUDDER

AMC Networks’ expertly curated premium streaming video service SHUDDER continues its mission of bringing new premieres and exclusives to casual and hardcore fans of horror and suspense by announcing the exclusive 9th March UK release date of Ben Cresciman’s unnerving, kaleidoscopic gem SUN CHOKE.

As Janie (Sarah Hagan) recovers from a violent psychotic break, she is subjected to a bizarre holistic health and wellness regimen designed, and enforced, by her lifelong nanny and caretaker (Barbara Crampton). But when she develops an obsession with a stranger, Janie's buried demons begin to surface.

Starring horror icon Barbara Crampton (REANIMATOR, FROM BEYOND), this stylish psychological thriller and festival favourite showcases an equally spell-binding performance from Sarah Hagan (FREAKS & GEEKS, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER) and can be enjoyed exclusively on SHUDDER from March 9th. 

To sign up or learn more about Shudder, visit www.shudder.com

Saturday 28 January 2017

Iko Uwais stars in HEADSHOT - In UK cinemas Mar 3rd

A full tilt, all out revenge thriller, about an amnesiac in a race against time to piece back his identity before a crime lord executes the only person he can trust in the Mo Brothers HEADSHOT, which comes to selected UK cinemas this March.

A man (Iko Uwais) is discovered, left for dead on a beach, with a gunshot wound to the head. After months in a coma, he is nursed back to health by young student-doctor Ailin. 

Realizing that the man is an amnesiac, Ailin renames him Ishmael. But when Ailin is kidnapped by a gang of dangerous criminals led by enigmatic crimelord Lee, Ishmael suspects his true identity is closely tied to these people.

Determined to save the woman who rescued him, Ishmael has no choice but to confront his past. But every violent confrontation that Ishmael encounters brings him closer to a dark realisation, as a lethal personality begins to awaken within him.

Acclaimed Indonesian genre directors Timo Tjahjanto and Kimo Stamboel, aka The Mo Brothers (Macabre, The ABCs of Death), have crafted a truly thrilling and innovative action film, with a superb set-up – the hero knows who the enemy is, but doesn’t know exactly why, and on top of that he himself is a powder keg about to explode. It’s as if Jason Statham was starring in a Bourne film directed by John Woo.

Packed to the gills with action and no holds barred violence, with the star of The Raid movies in full-tilt fighting form, this is Crank meets The Bourne Identity for a new generation of action fans.

Checkout the trailer on YouTube

HEADSHOT, is released to selected UK cinemas 3rd March from Arrow films.

 

Friday 27 January 2017

Pet (Dominic Monaghan) on UK DVD and Digital March.

Coming to UK DVD and Digital this March from Signature entertainment...

This haunting, psychological horror follows Seth, a lonely man working in an animal shelter. His monotonous routine is broken one day when he bumps into Holly, a girl from school who he soon becomes obsessed with. However, when she rejects his advances, Seth’s obsession reaches a terrifying new level, with Holly hiding secrets of her own.

Helmed by Award Winning director Carles Torrens (Apartment 143, ABCs of Death 2.5) and starring Dominic Monaghan (Lord of the Rings trilogy), Ksenia Solo (Lost Girl, Black Swan) and Jennette McCurdy (Between, Sam & Cat), Pet is a dark and disturbing love story asking how much you could sacrifice in the name of love?

Signature Entertainment presents Pet on Digital 6th March and on DVD 13th March.

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

 

Thursday 26 January 2017

British zombie film DARKEST DAY comes to US VOD

Brit indie zombie film "Darkest Day" will be getting a VOD release in the US this may. The film was released in the UK back in 2015, but has only just made its way stateside and is being released by Wild Eye Releasing.

Directed by Dan Rickard, who also plays the lead role. A young man wakes up on a beach with no memory of how he got there. He discovers an empty city ravaged by a deadly virus and those infected attacking all in their path. 

After befriending a small group of survivors, it soon becomes clear that the army is hunting them for the secret to a cure, and the group is forced into a dangerous fight for freedom against both the military and the monsters.

The US release will be slightly shorter than the current one available in the UK and Europe, as the director has re-edited a number of extraneous dialogue scenes to improve the pacing (and having seen both versions, the shorter US release actually flows much better).

View the trailer on YouTube

"Darkest Day" is released to US VOD May.

Tony Denham joins indie horror "Missing In Greenwood"!

Well known UK actor Tony Denham (The Football Factory, We Still Steal the Old Way, In The Name Of The Father) joins Hood Up Films & H Block Production’s “Missing in Greenwood” which is currently filming.


The indie horror, which is filming in the West of Ireland at the moment, tells the story of five friends go for a break to an isolated forest in Greenwood, where they get more than they bargained for. Together, they must stick together through the night if they are to going to survive as what tracks them isn't at all what it seems.

Tony Denham will play the role of Patrick Cullen who is the father of a young man Mark Hutchinson (Paddy) who has been missing for some while.

The film is written and directed by Stephen Patrick Kenny (The Pigman Murders, Captive) and also stars Paul Faherty, Seamus Curran, Michael Corcoran, Rachael O’ Connor, Thomas McCormick, Bernie Coen, Donncha Kearney, Jessie O’ Regan, Stevie Greaney and Damien Pugh. 

"Missing In Greenwood" has signed with a distributor and will be released later in the year.

For more please follow the films Facebook page and HoodupFilms.com






Watch the first five mins of SADAKO VS KAYAKO - Available exclusively on SHUDDER now!

Riotously fun Horror film face-off SADAKO VS KAYAKO is out now exclusively on AMC Network’s premium streaming service SHUDDER (you can read my review HERE).

Watch the ghoulish first five minutes of the film now: 


Hideo Nakata’s Ringu and Takashi Shimizu’s Ju-On: The Grudge are known worldwide as two of the most terrifying and groundbreaking horror films ever made. To this day, horror fans debate: “Which of the two is truly scarier?” and “Whose curse is stronger, Sadako’s or  Kayako’s?” No one ever thought that these questions would get answered, let alone think that we would ever see these infamously horrifying demons face off. At long last, Sadako vs. Kayako brings Ringu’s and The Grudge’s two forces of evil into the ring for the ultimate grudge match.

Responsible for this franchise-blending is director/screenwriter Koji Shiraishi, who is known for creating unconventional spiritual and supernatural scenes in films such as The Curse, Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman, and the Kowasugi series. Now, he brings the characters from Ring and The Grudge back to the big screen as he delivers viewers a wildly fun, tongue-in-cheek thrill ride that finally answers the question: whose curse is stronger?

SADAKO VS KAYAKO is available now exclusively on shudder.com

PERSONAL SHOPPER starring Kristen Stewart - UK quad released

Writer/director Olivier Assayas (Clouds Of Sils Maria) returns with PERSONAL SHOPPER, an ethereal and mysterious ghost story. Checkout the new UK Quad Poster, which has just been released, below...


Kristen Stewart stars as Maureen, a young American living in Paris and working as a high-fashion personal shopper to the stars. She is also a spiritual medium, and grieving the recent death of her twin brother, she haunts his Parisian home, determined to make contact with him.

PERSONAL SHOPPER received its World Premiere as part of the Official Selection at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, where it was met with 5 star reviews and critical acclaim. Assayas was the recipient of the festival’s Best Director award. The film went on to screen as part of the Toronto International Film Festival, the New York Film Festival and the 60th annual London Film Festival. 

View the trailer on YouTube

The film will be released in UK cinemas on March 17


DAY OF RECKONING - on US VOD Jan 31

From the creators of "JeruZalem", "Tales of Halloween" and "BIG ASS SPIDER"! Film Financier and Distributor Epic Pictures announced the VOD and digital release of "Day Of Reckoning" across the US and Canada on January 31st. 

Written by Gregory Gieras, (BIG ASS SPIDER!), and directed by Joel Novoa (God’s Slave). Fifteen years ago, the world suffered a horrific global disaster when millions of demon-like creatures ascended from the bowels of the earth, swarming the entire planet, and feasting on mankind for one full day. Now due to a lunar eclipse they have returned for 24 hours to purge the earth’s population. One family will battle against the odds to not only save themselves but to also seal the breach.  

Who will survive this “Day Of Reckoning”?

Starring Jackson Hurst (NCIS: Los Angeles, Scandal, Drop Dead Diva) and Heather Comb (Ray Donovan). Other notable cast members include Hana Hayes (Insidious: Chapter 4, To the Bone),  Jay Jay Warren (Night of the Living Fred, Maron), Raymond Barry (Training Day, Born on the Fourth of July), Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, We Are Still Here), Nick Gomez (The Walking Dead, Dexter), and Randy Vasquez (Shameless, Acapulco H.E.A.T).

"Day Of Reckoning" hits VOD in the US and Canada Jan 31st. 

View the trailer on YouTube.

TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE Kicks Off Fright-Rags' Video Series

Many genre fans have vivid childhood memories of the striking artwork and titles that adorned the horror section at their local video store. Fright-Rags taps into the collective nostalgia with the first in a planned series of releases paying homage to the VHS era. 


The series launches with one of the films that defines the home video era: Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Richard Hescox's memorable artwork features Sally's wide eyes watching over a haunting rendition of Leatherface.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre box set features the design on an exclusively T-shirt and a collector's box, plus a sheet of VHS stickers and custom microwavable popcorn. It's limited to 300 sets. Hoodies, baseball tees, and ringer tees featuring the artwork are available separately.

"This cover taunted me as a kid," explains Fright-Rags founder Ben Scrivens. "It was equally scary as it was mesmerizing, and it led me to rent the movie and ultimately fall in love with it. We had the pleasure of working with Richard Hescox to be able to release this design, and I couldn't be more thrilled.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - Video Series is on sale now at Fright-Rags.com. Quantities are limited and may sell out. 

Order yours from Fright-Rags.

Wednesday 25 January 2017

Gothic horror ‘THE EYES OF MY MOTHER’ in UK cinemas 24 Mar

Park Circus has today announced that it will release the critically acclaimed American gothic horror THE EYES OF MY MOTHER, directed by Nicolas Pesce, in UK cinemas on 24 March 2017.


Francisca (played by Kika Magalhaes in a breakout performance) has seemingly been unfazed by death from an early age - her mother, formerly a surgeon in Portugal, imbued her with a thorough understanding of the human anatomy. When tragedy shatters her family’s idyllic life in the countryside, her deep trauma gradually awakens some unique curiosities. As she grows up, her desire to connect with the world around her takes a distinctly dark form.

The hauntingly beautiful and shockingly original debut from filmmaker Nicolas Pesce fuses classic horror ingredients with gothic black-and-white imagery and was called the “discovery of this year’s Sundance” by Indiewire’s Eric Kohn, where it was in the Official Selection category as well as the BFI London Film Festival 2016. It has already received strong critical acclaim from Variety calling it “an exquisite waking nightmare” and Little White Lies who said it was “an extraordinarily assured debut.”  

View the trailer on YouTube.

THE EYES OF MY MOTHER will be released in UK cinemas from 24th March 2017


BLAIR WITCH - Brand new featurettes released

BLAIR WITCH, the terrifying return to the world of one of cinemas most iconic horror films, The Blair Witch Project, from horror visionary Adam Wingard, is out on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Platforms now.

If that hasn't wet your appetites, check out these behind the scenes clips...

Lisa


The House


Primal Fear


The Witch



Buy the UK BD from Amazon.co.uk 
 
Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk
 
 

SANTA CLARITA DIET - *New Featurette* - launches 3 Feb on Netflix

Take a trip to the lovely suburb of Santa Clarita. The all new featurette from the Netflix Original series Santa Clarita Diet, gives a peak inside the lives of the Hammonds - a mild mannered family on a collision course down a road of death and destruction. 


In Santa Clarita Diet, Joel (Timothy Olyphant - Justified) and Sheila (Drew Barrymore - Blended) are husband and wife realtors leading vaguely discontented lives in the L.A. suburb of Santa Clarita with their teenaged daughter Abby (Liv Hewson), until Sheila goes through a dramatic change sending their lives down a road of death and destruction...but in a good way.

Santa Clarita Diet is a Netflix production and is available globally only on Netflix on February 3, 2017.



Monday 23 January 2017

Alice Lowe Guest Curation on SHUDDER

Writer , Comedian and actor Alice Lowe has won acclaim as a sharp comedic mind in the likes of GARTH MARENGHI'S DARKPLACE and SIGHTSEERS, both of which live within horror, as well. No surprise then, that her first major turn as filmmaker is a provocative horor comedy winning intense praise. As Lowe's prenatal shocker PREVENGE nears release, the director and horror fan chooses her favorite films on Shudder.


Harlequin

 An appealingly unique curiosity.  I was sold as soon as I knew Bowie was intended for the lead role. The message is ambiguous: either Robert Powell is a sparkly Messiah, or a con man. And the imagery is somewhere between Bergerac and Godspell. It’s based on Rasputin apparently. But I see it as more of a spangly twisted Mary Poppins. It’s a strange paean to the death of the 70s. Or the death of patterned jumpsuits anyway. Part of a film trend for psychokinesis, some great period features in this film, including psycho-humming, an evil Chinese chequer board, and binocular-view screen effects. My favourite bit is the haunted kitchen floor stain.

The Lair Of The White Worm

I’m a die-hard Ken Russell fan, so I couldn’t not pick this. His imagery is nothing if not memorable. When Amanda Donohoe steps out from behind a tree in a white tricorn hat and shoulderpads, it’s like I’ve died and gone to cobra heaven. She’s a high camp Countess Dracula by way of Joan Collins. So unusual to have a woman in the predator role, and the film certainly doesn’t shy away from certain of her more surprising… attributes. This film gets a bad rap, but it’s clear that everyone’s having a lot of fun in it. I love Ken’s trademark psychedelia in the extended flashbacks and dream sequences. And there’s more imagination and flare in this than any of your standard horror fare. Some of it is entirely tongue in cheek (Capaldi’s bagpipes). But it fits in perfectly for me with the canon of British pagan/folk horror such as Wicker Man, American Werewolf, Blood on Satan’s Claw and Quatermass. It should also be noted for the birth of Hugh Grant’s iconic hairdo. A hairdo so pervasive that even Peter Capaldi has it.

Dearest Sister

Set in Lao, a ghostly horror, but one that is refreshingly unflinching in the brutality of its (mainly female) characters. To my Western sensibilities it invoked fairytale. Whether it’s psycho Cinderella or the twisted Ugly Sisters I’m unsure (the leads are undeniably stunning though!). It’s a psychological tale, claustrophobic and increasingly tense, as a young woman is sent to be the live-in maid to her cousin who is losing her sight. Regardless of the uneasy eerie moments, big themes are bubbling under the surface. Female rivalry, greed, jealousy, the corruption of money, consumerism, and the tensions in Lao between rural poverty and rich Western tourism. I loved that none of the characters are ‘nice’. They’re creatures of need and want, ready to take whatever opportunity for improving their own circumstance. As a viewer, your allegiances constantly hover and shift, the morality of the tale slipping out of your grasp with every twist and turn, just like Ana’s eyesight. So well done.

Scanners

Probably my first Cronenberg film (seen on TV as a kid), and it’s gripping and brilliant. Again, psychic powers. I suppose a trope in horror because of its cinematic cheapness: all you have to do is film someone staring hard at someone else. But Scanners goes the whole hog, and Dick Smith’s effects are literally mind-blowing.  Patrick McGoohan is masterfully Obi-Wan-like. And Michael Ironside is Jack-Nicholson-level mesmerising and demonic. On repeat viewing, what jumps out for me is the brilliant sound design. Which I guess is an essential part of the cinematic ESP arsenal. I think there’s something very satisfying about psychic powers. It must be every nerd’s fantasy that the reason you don’t fit in with the other muggles is your special powers. Which means people shouldn’t cross you as you might destroy them with your mind. Even if your body is puny. Cathartic viewing!

American Werewolf in London

A stone cold classic. If you haven’t seen it, you’re in for a treat. But one that you don’t deserve, because, why the hell haven’t you seen it? It’s a very useful example of a successful mix of horror and comedy, and as such often toted around by me in meetings! The transformation effects are definitive. The comedy so louchely brilliant. The pub scene sticks in the mind as iconic and still profoundly relevant for anyone currently taking a minibreak in the British countryside. And a dead best friend character? It shouldn’t work but it does. Agutter is divine. She lives near me. I don’t stalk her. Honest. And the ending. They manage to get pathos in there and suddenly the whole thing feels more heavyweight than you ever expected. Just a brilliant brilliant film. One of my all-time favourites.

American Psycho

Such a perfectly executed film, unusual in being better than the book in my humble opinion, and more and more seemingly prescient as time passes. You get the sense that Hannibal, Dexter and Wolf of Wall Street, maybe even Mad Men, owe a debt to this film, which renders a psycho cinematically palatable, nay, delectable. A film that casts horror as ice cold and illuminated rather than traditional blood red and darkness. There’s a scene in PREVENGE which without realising it is a homage to American Psycho, (it was more consciously influenced by The Apprentice if I’m honest… But plenty of stuff linking The Apprentice with Ellis’ novel.) A brilliant satire on the reptilian attitudes of our consumerist capitalist corporate society. Terrifying. But also an awesome comedy. Huey Lewis. Genesis. The business card scene. The scariest thing? It all feels like NOW.  Best Line: ‘Is that Donald Trump’s car?’

Let The Right One In

I knew this would be up my street as soon as it was trailed. It has to be one of my favourite films of the last few years, and again, a classic. It has its own pace, atmosphere and memorably idiosyncratic scenes. I felt like I was still in a snow town when I came out of the cinema. Soft, yet biting. Like a marshmallow with fangs. It’s a love story that thrives on contrasts. A young boy meets an ancient vampire. Very simple. Somehow fairytale and naïve. But brutal and dark. A bittersweet romance. Hansel and Gretel with vampires. When I think back to it, it has the same alien charm as the Man Who Fell To Earth or E.T. : Outsider reveals true self to lonely individual, lonely individual protects outsider from persecution from society. It’s a nice story! Afterall! In fact the girl is a saviour…

These films, and many others are available to stream now on SHUDDER

SHUDDER is a premium streaming video service, serving both the casual and hardcore fans of horror and suspenseful entertainment. Offering new premieres and exclusives every month with a wide library ranging from hard-to-find international and independent films to thrilling TV series to cult grindhouse classics to Hollywood blockbusters, SHUDDER has something for everyone.

Backed by AMC Networks, SHUDDER's growing library of expertly curated Horror, Mystery, Suspense, Supernatural and Dark Thrillers is available ad-free and for unlimited viewing on SHUDDER's sleek and easy to website, mobile apps for iOS and Android, Chromecast, Apple TV, and the Roku platform with a free one-week trial or £4.99 monthly/ £49.99 yearly membership. More platforms to be added soon.

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Horror Channel (UK) launches Sci-Fear season this Feb

 
No one will hear you scream on Saturday nights this February as Horror Channel launches a Sci-Fear Season with four ultimate science-fiction shockers, including the UK TV premiere of William Eubank’s inventive and stylish fantasy head-trip THE SIGNAL starring Laurence Fishburne. There are also network premieres for Christian Alvart’s Lovecraftian survival thriller PANDORUM, starring Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster, and John Bruno’s visually stunning chiller VIRUS, based on the comic book by Chuck Pfarrer, starring Jamie Lee Curtis, William Baldwin and Donald Sutherland. Plus there’s another showing of eXistenZ, David Cronenberg’s enigmatic body horror, starring Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Willem Dafoe and Ian Holm. The season runs from Sat 4 Feb to 25 Feb at 9pm.
 
Sat 4 Feb @ 21:00 – THE SIGNAL (2014) *UK TV Premiere


Nic (Brenton Thwaites) and Jonah (Beau Knapp) are MIT students engaged in an online altercation with the mysterious hacker ‘Nomad’. They get a lead on Nomad's whereabouts and, with Nic’s girlfriend Haley (Olivia Cooke), investigate an abandoned desert shack. Suddenly everyone loses consciousness, and Nic awakens in what seems to be a secret hospital. What’s going on? Where are Jonah and Haley? What is this ‘Extraterrestrial Biological Entity’ he’s being told about? And what does the mysterious Dr. Wallace Damon (Laurence Fishburne) want from them?


Sat 11 Feb @ 21:00 – PANDORUM (2009) *Network Premiere


Astronauts Payton (Dennis Quaid) and Bower (Ben Foster) awake in a hypersleep chamber with no memory of who they are or what their mission might be. While Payton stays behind to monitor the radio transmitter, Bower ventures out of the chamber into the seemingly abandoned spaceship. The men quickly realise that they are not alone, and that the fate of mankind hinges on what they do next…


Saturday 18 Feb @ 21:00 – VIRUS (1999) *Network Premiere


Caught in a typhoon, a tugboat commanded by Robert Everton (Donald Sutherland) comes across a mysterious near-deserted ship. Excited to find a vessel that could be sold for as much as $30 million, Everton and his crew board and prepare to move the craft, despite the warnings of sole survivor Nadia Vinogradiya (Joanna Pacula). When a malevolent alien presence begins killing off the crew, it’s up to steely navigator Kit Foster (Jamie Lee Curtis) to get the rest of them to leave before it's too late.


Sat 25 Feb @ 21:00 – eXistenZ (1999)


Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg, who has long been fascinated by the ways new technology shapes and manipulates us, is in familiar territory with eXistenZ; a futuristic thriller which combines elements of science fiction, horror, and action-adventure. eXistenZ is a new organic game system that, when downloaded into humans, accesses their central nervous systems, transporting them on a wild ride in and out of reality. A leader of the field is game designer Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh), but when she narrowly escapes an assignation attempt, she finds herself on the run with a marketing trainee (Jude Law) in a race against time as they try to prevent the pod containing the only copy of the eXistenZ game from being stolen. But what is the game, and what is reality?

There are also five further network premieres this month including TUCKER AND DALE VS EVIL, Eli Craig’s endearingly cheeky tribute to suspense and slasher classics, SAW IV, Darren Lynn Bousman’s bloodiest of the popular franchise, Peter Hyams’s museum monster-chaser THE RELIC, starring Tom Sizemore, John Erick Dowdle’s REC-inspired QUARANTINE, and Marcos Efron’s 2010 gripping remake of AND SOON THE DARKNESS, starring Amber Heard.

Fri 3 Feb @ 22:50 – SAW IV (2007)
Fri 10 Feb @ 21:00 – TUCKER AND DALE VS EVIL (2010)
Fri 17 Feb @ 21:00 – QUARANTINE (2008)
Fri 24 Feb @ 21:00 – THE RELIC (1997)
Sun 26 Feb @ 21:00 – AND SOON THE DARKNESS (2010)

TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138 / Freeview 70


Friday 20 January 2017

Sadako vs Kayako - Shudder Exclusive - A Review

The worlds of “The Ring” and “Ju-On : The Grudge” collide in “Sadako vs Kayako”, which is available exclusively through AMC’s streaming service Shudder UK this month.


 A couple of University students, Yuri (Mizuki Yamamoto) and Natsumi (Aimi Satsukawa), purchase an old video recorder from a second hand junk store to transfer some VHS tapes onto DVDr.

Unfortunately, the machine contains a VHS tape of the old Ring curse film and Natsumi inadvertently ends up watching it. Attempts to prevent the curse from taking effect go disastrously wrong, resulting in a hilariously botched exorcism, amongst other calamities. But the good news is, help is at hand.

A demon hunter named Keizo (Masanobu Ando), who specialises in vanquishing vengeful spirits, has a cunning plan. A high school student named Suzuka (Tina Tamashiro) has entered the cursed Saeki House, and the spirits within are now after her. So he figures if both girls enter the house and watch the tape, it will prompt both sets of evil spirits, Sadako (from the Ring) and Kayoko (from Ju-On) to appear and they will destroy each other.

I mean, what could possibly go wrong, right?

Now, to my shame, I’ve only ever seen the first Ring movie and have never seen any of the Ju-On films, so wasn’t sure what to expect from this, but was pleasantly surprised. If you liked “The Ring”, “Ju-On”, or any of those Japanese supernatural horrors, then you’ll love this, which will also have you laughing at the juxtaposed scenes of black humour. But don’t be fooled into thinking this is a comedy, this one is bound to send shivers down your spine.

"Sadako vs Kayako" is available from Jan 26, exclusively on Shudder UK.

View the trailer on YouTube






Fright-Rags' ALFRED HITCHCOCK Collection On Sale Now

In the history of cinema, few figures are held in higher regard than Alfred Hitchcock. The Master of Suspense is responsible for countless classic films that still thrill audiences today. Fright-Rags is proud to present the Alfred Hitchcock Collection.


The collection consists of four new shirts: Nathan Thomas Milliner's design features references to many of Htichcock's works, Justin Osbourn pays homage to Psycho's iconic shower scene, Abrar Ajmal conjures up The Birds, and Christopher Franchi will give you Vertigo. Osbourn's art is also available on hoodies and baseball tees.

The Alfred Hitchcock Collection is on sale now at Fright-Rags.com. All four designs are in stock and ready to ship, but quantities are limited.

Fright-Rags has such sights to show you throughout 2017, including releases from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Goosebumps, The Thing, An American Werewolf in London, Dawn of the Dead, Madballs, and more.

Buy the Alfred Hitchock collection at Fright-Rights.Com