Arrow Video welcomes you to the delirious, diabolical and demented world of Álex de la Iglesia

ACCION MUTANTE, THE DAY OF THE BEAST and PERIDITA DURANGO make their 4K UHD debut in the UK this month in the stunning box set, LOVE, DEATH & APOCALYPSE: THREE FILMS BY ÁLEX DE LA IGLESIA from Arrow Video. 

Outrageous, absurdist, grotesque! Often hilarious, always stylish, and utterly unpredictable, the films of Spanish director Álex de la Iglesia are an exhilarating shock to the cinematic system.

Produced by legendary provocateur Pedro Almodóvar, de la Iglesia’s debut feature ACCION MUTANTE is a violent sci-fi black comedy set in a post-apocalyptic world where attractive people hold all the power and a terrorist group, who see themselves as mutants, take arms to rid the world of their superficial oppressors.

With his second feature, THE DAY OF THE BEAST (El día de la bestia) de la Iglesia delivered one of the greatest horror comedies of all time as a Catholic priest joins forces with a heavy metal fan, and the host of a popular occult TV show to kill the Antichrist on Christmas Eve. A critical and commercial success around the world, THE DAY OF THE BEAST paved the way for gonzo action-crime-horror

PERIDITA DURANGO, (aka Dance with the Devil) a Spanish-US-Mexican co-production based on a novel by Barry Gifford (author of Wild at Heart). Starring Rosie Perez (Do the Right Thing), a then little known Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) and James Gandolfini (The Sopranos), Perdita Durango is a twisted tale of love, guns, drugs, voodoo ceremonies, and refrigerated foetuses...

Making their UK debut on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray with a wealth of new and archival extras, Arrow Video welcomes you to the delirious, diabolical and demented world of Álex de la Iglesia. Not for the faint of heart!

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentations of all three films in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original lossless Spanish stereo, 5.1 and Dolby Atmos audio options for Acción Mutante
• Original lossless Spanish and English stereo 2.0, and Spanish 5.1 audio options for The Day of the Beast
• Original lossless English stereo 2.0, and English and Spanish 5.1 audio options for Perdita Durango
• Optional English subtitles for all three films
• Double-sided fold-out posters for all three films
• 9 postcard-sized reproduction art cards
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by film critics Kat Ellinger, Xavier Aldana Reyes and Valeria Villegas Lindvall
• Limited Edition Deluxe packaging with reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Heather Vaughan

DISC ONE: ACCIÓN MUTANTE

• Brand new audio commentary by film scholars Xavier Aldana Reyes and Kat Ellinger
• Archive audio commentary with director Álex de la Iglesia, writer Jorge Guerricaechevarría, producer Esther García, and production designers José Luis Arrizabalaga and Biaffra
• Brand new appreciation of director Álex de la Iglesia by film scholar José Arroyo
• Well-Done Baloney, an archive interview with director Álex de la Iglesia
• Bad Blood Costumbrism, an archive interview with writer Jorge Guerricaechevarría
• The F★cking Boss, an archive interview with actor Antonio Resines
• Some Crazy Sh★t, an archive interview with production designers José Luis Arrizabalaga and Biaffra
• Litres of Blood... Wonderful!, an archive interview with special effects artist Raúl Romanillos
• Archive interview with director Álex de la Iglesia
• Vintage “Making Of” featurette
• Behind the scenes
• Storyboards
• Music video
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery

DISC TWO: THE DAY OF THE BEAST

• Brand new audio commentary by film scholar Shelagh Rowan-Legg
• Clean Up Madrid, a brand new visual essay by film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
• Heirs of the Beast, an archive feature-length documentary
• Antichrist Superstar, an archive interview with director Álex de la Iglesia
• The Man Who Saved the World, an archive interview with actor Armando De Razza
• Beauty and the Beast, an archive interview with actor Maria Grazia Cucinotta
• Shooting the Beast, an archive interview with director of photography Flavio Martínez Labiano
• Mirindas Asesinas, a 1990 short film by Álex de la Iglesia
• Theatrical trailers
• Image gallery

DISC THREE: PERDITA DURANGO

• Brand new audio commentary by film critic Valeria Villegas Lindvall
• On the Border, an archive interview with director Álex de la Iglesia
• Writing Perdita Durango, an archive interview with writer Barry Gifford
• Dancing with the Devil, an archive appraisal by film scholar Dr Rebekah McKendry
• Narcosatanicos: Perdita Durango and the Matamoros Cult, an archive interview with Abraham Castillo Flores and Cauldron of Blood author Jim Schutze
• Canciones de Amor Maldito: The Music of Perdita Durango, an archive interview with composer Simon Boswell
• Shooting Perdita Durango, an archive interview with director of photography Flavio Martínez Labiano
• Theatrical trailers
• Image gallery

LOVE, DEATH & APOCALYPSE: THREE FILMS BY ÁLEX DE LA IGLESIA is released to UK 4K UHD September 23rd, along with a BD box set, from Arrow Video.

Mayhem Film Festival announces 2024 Short Film Programme

Mayhem Film Festival is delighted to announce the 18 films that will make up this year’s Short Film Programme. The festival will take place at Broadway, Nottingham on 17-20 October 2024.

Mayhem initially started as a single selection of shorts almost 20 years ago, and to mark the occasion, the festival will this year feature not one, but two Short Film Showcases. The 20th edition’s shorts line-up includes three UK Premieres, with work from filmmakers making their first appearance at the festival, as well as long-time friends of Mayhem. For the second year running, the team worked with The Nottingham Horror Collective’s Emily Malone to curate the programme. 

“There were so many excellent shorts we have expanded your opportunity to discover new talent and of course, established proponents of short, sharp shockers and surreal storytelling.”, said Chris Cooke, Mayhem Co-Director.

The 18 films from this year’s line-up are:

SHORT FILM SHOWCASE #1


WE JOINED A CULT
Dir. Chris McInroy, US, 4m10
The story of two friends who just wanted to play kickball.


SHE TALKS IN HER SLEEP
Dir. Paul Taylor, UK, 8m44
Dan and Faye appear to be like any other couple, but when Faye starts sleep-talking, her eerie, unconscious messages lead Dan to believe that something sinister is coming for them…


MATTA AND MATTO 
Dirs. Bianca Caderas & Kerstin Zemp, Switzerland, 10m16
In a dystopian world where touch is forbidden, Matta and Matto offer refuge to the lonely at Hotel Vaip. In the deceptive labyrinth of mind-bending rooms at their transient hotel, deepest desires are fulfilled and surpassed, but this comes at a price.


THE THAW [UK Premiere]
Dirs. Sean Temple & Sarah Wisner, US, 16m31
In 19th-century Vermont, a young woman's parents drink sleeping tea to survive the harsh winter, but an early thaw leads to horrifying results.


TRANSYLVANIE
Dir. Rodrigue Huart, France, 15m00, with English subtitles
Ewa is a 10-year-old girl living in a high building in a quiet town. She's an odd, lonely child and for good reason: she's convinced of being a vampire.


MAKE ME A PIZZA
Dir. Talia Shea Levin, US, 12m25
BORED HOUSEWIFE seduces HOT PIZZA GUY for free pizza, but is desire worth $29.99?


OFF CUTS 
Dir. Ben Steiner, UK, 3m55
Returning home to his pregnant partner, a man brings an unwelcome presence with him.


SHÉ (Snake)
Dir. Renee Zhan, US, 15m30, partly subtitled
When pressures mount on a tightly wound violinist in a London youth orchestra, her internal monsters take external form.


THE VISITOR [UK Premiere]
Dir. Tony Morales, Spain, 10m, with English subtitles
Alone in her home overnight, a young influencer's solitude is interrupted by an unexpected visitor.



SHORT FILM SHOWCASE #2


DREAM CREEP
Dir. Carlos A.F. Lopez, US, 12m34
A couple awakens in the night to sounds emanating from an unlikely orifice.


THE SIN - EATER
Dir. Kelly Holmes, UK, 17m
1852, Wales: a desperate young mother carries out a forbidden ritual to save the soul of her unbaptised dead baby, but is tricked into taking on a terrifying supernatural burden.


PERFECT CITY: THE BRAVEST KID
Dir. Shengwei Zhou, US, 6m19
A paper boy who is dreaming of a big iron knife hand chasing him, realises that his parents, whom he depends on most are actually that knife hand.


THE RAINBOW BRIDGE
Dir. Dimitri Simakis, US, 12m40
Tina and her elderly dog visit a mysterious clinic offering human-to-pet communication. However, they soon get more than they bargained for when two sinister doctors uncover a bond between them that transcends time and space. They might just be the key to something greater… but at what cost?


LULLABY
Dir. Chi Thai, UK, 14m43
A refugee is haunted by a devastating incident from her past.


POCKETMAN
Dir. Ericka Clevenger, US, 2m
A wedding is terrorised by a supernatural being who can steal things from pockets. Things escalate when the wedding party tries to get their stolen ring back.


STORM
Dir. Lena Tsodykovskaya, US, 8m
A couple wakes on a stormy night to find themselves trapped in the mechanisms of a horror movie.

TRIPTYCH
Dir. Sophia Ray, UK, 14m29
Provocative artist Margaux Kasser plans to destroy a Bosch masterpiece, claiming it's performance art. But the artwork conceals a dark secret from her past. A horrific reckoning is coming. Margaux must fight to escape her fate.


REEL [UK Premiere]
Dir. Rodrigue Huart, France, 4m12, with English subtitles
1857. Coutances. Two farmer girls find a smartphone in their field.

With just over a month to go before this year’s edition takes place on 17-20 October 2024, Mayhem have also announced they will reveal their full line-up on Thursday 18 September, with individual tickets set to go on sale at the same time.

Full Festival Passes remain available for £95, giving access to all films and events from this year’s festival. For more information, and to book passes, please visit...
http://www.mayhemfilmfestival.com 

For press enquiries, please contact the team at mayhemfilmfest@gmail.com

 

 

Paranormal chiller THE DESERVING - Available Digitally, October.

A mute serial killer finds himself being taunted by the ghosts of his victims in THE DESERVING, which comes to UK Digital outlets in October.

Exploring themes of guilt, redemption, and the cyclical nature of abuse, THE DESERVING follows a tormented, mute serial killer who is haunted by the ghosts of his victims and plans to end his life. His resolve is disrupted when a desperate walk-in client arrives, needing an urgent photo shoot.

Directed by S. S. Arora, who makes his feature debut, THE DESERVING stars Venkat Sai Gunda, Simone Stadler, and Kelsey Stalter. 

The film has already amassed a number of accolades, having won over fifteen awards including Best Feature at Athens IFF, Best Horror at Hallucinea FF, and awards at Humro Cinema, Portugal Indie Film Festival, and Rome Indie Film Fest.

THE DESERVING is released to UK Digital Outlets on the 1st October, courtesy of The Horror Collective. 

View the Trailer on YouTube.

Visit the official website at https://www.thedeservingmovie.com

 

 

Thriller UNIT 234: THE LOCKUP, coming to Digital

Overtime is hell for Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan: First Kill) in the tense, white-knuckle thriller UNIT 234: THE LOCKUP, which is released to Digital Platforms this month by Signature Entertainment.

After a shocking discovery of an unconscious man in a locked unit, the lone employee of a remote storage facility must fight to survive the night against a ruthless gang, dead set on retrieving their precious cargo - at any cost. 

Starring Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan: First Kill), Don Johnson (Knives Out) and Jack Huston (Kill Your Darlings), the film was written by Derek Steiner and directed by Andy Tennant (Fool’s Gold). 

View the Trailer on YouTube.

UNIT 234: THE LOCKUP is available on Digital Platforms 30 September. Distributed by Signature Entertainment

 

 

Terrifying new horror BEEZEL premieres at Grimmfest

BEEZEL, the terrifying new horror from the studio that brought you Terrifier, will have its UK premiere at Grimmfest 2024.

In this unsettling horror, told over six tumultuous decades, three unwitting guests of a cursed New England home stumble upon a sinister secret dwelling beneath its floors - an eternal witch with an insatiable thirst for the souls of the living.

A creepy chronicle of increasingly sinister legends and dark history, it offers a series of narratively linked vignettes, exploring the influence of an ancient evil upon several generations of the same family. 

Assembled from disparate types of “found footage”, the film presents its various and varied stories across multiple formats, from Super-8, to VHS, to the HD digital camera of a mobile phone, not simply suggesting the passage of time, but also the changes in how people record, interact with, and interrogate their own experiences through the years.

From the exciting creative duo, Aaron Fradkin and Victoria Fratz, of viral filmmaking sensation Social House Films (Val), BEEZEL marks a bold and unsettling new horror not to be missed.

View the Trailer on YouTube.

BEEZEL has its UK Premiere at Grimmfest on 3rd October at Odeon Great Northern. Visit the official website for more info and to buy tickets https://www.grimmfest.com/festival/

The film will be released on Disc and Digital formats January 2025.

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Horror titles from Blue Finch, available Digitally this month...

Blue Finch Releasing have 3 new horror titles released to Digital Outlets this month, in time for Halloween...

THE VOURDALAK

Lost in a hostile forest, the Marquis d’Urfé, a noble emissary of the King of France, finds refuge in the home of a strange family… 

An adaptation of Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy’s 1884 vampiric novella of Gothic Romanticism “La Famille du Vourdalak”, published 40 years before Dracula, THE VOURDALAK is a haunting gothic tale directed by Adrien Beau and starring Ariane Labed (Alps, The Lobster, Assassin's Creed), Kacey Mottet-Klein (Farewell to the Night, Happening), and Grégoire Colin (Beau Travail, 35 Shots of Rum). 

THE VOURDALAK premiered at Venice Film Festival where it was nominated for Best Film at International Critics Week.

View the Trailer on YouTube.

THE VOURDALAK is on Digital platforms 16 September 2024 from Blue Finch Film Releasing

 

LAST STRAW

LAST STRAW is a raw and relentless home invasion thriller starring Jessica Belkin (American Horror Story), Jeremy Sisto (Thirteen, Clueless) and Taylor Kowalski (Snowfall). 

Set over one night in a dusty roadside diner, LAST STRAW follows Nancy (Belkin), a young waitress working alone on the late shift. As a series of chaotic events spiral out of control, Nancy finds herself in a fight for her life when she is terrorised by a group of masked assailants. No one is who they appear to be, and with nowhere to turn, she must do everything she can to survive the night. 

LAST STRAW has played at genre film festivals around the world including Beyond Fest, Sitges and FrightFest Glasgow, and marks the directorial debut of Alan Scott Neal with a script by Taylor Sardoni.

View the Trailer on YouTube.

LAST STRAW is on digital platforms 23 September 2024  from Blue Finch Film Releasing

 

HOME SWEET HOME: WHERE EVIL LIVES

When pregnant Maria starts readying her fiancé’s family estate for bed and breakfast guests, something isn’t right; the power seems to be on the blink and strange noises become all too common. 

Determined to find the truth, Maria soon begins to realise that darker secrets than she could imagine are lurking in this house, and her soon-to-be-family’s past. 

A terrifying single-shot supernatural horror, HOME SWEET HOME: WHERE EVIL LIVES is directed by Thomas Sieben and stars Nilam Farooq, David Kross (The Reader, War Horse) and Justus von Dohnányi (Downfall, The World is Not Enough).

View the Trailer on YouTube.

HOME SWEET HOME: WHERE EVIL LIVES is on digital platforms 30 September 2024 from Blue Finch Film Releasing

 

Blumhouse's WOLF MAN - In UK cinemas, Jan 2025

From Blumhouse and visionary writer-director Leigh Whannell, the creators of the chilling modern monster tale The Invisible Man, comes a terrifying new lupine nightmare: WOLF MAN.

Golden Globe nominee Christopher Abbott (Poor Things, It Comes at Night) stars as Blake, a San Francisco husband and father, who inherits his remote childhood home in rural Oregon after his own father vanishes and is presumed dead. 

With his marriage to his high-powered wife, Charlotte (Emmy winner Julia Garner; Ozark, Inventing Anna), fraying, Blake persuades Charlotte to take a break from the city and visit the property with their young daughter, Ginger (Matilda Firth; Hullraisers, Coma). 

But as the family approaches the farmhouse in the dead of night, they’re attacked by an unseen animal and, in a desperate escape, barricade themselves inside the home as the creature prowls the perimeter. 

As the night stretches on, however, Blake begins to behave strangely, transforming into something unrecognisable, and Charlotte will be forced to decide whether the terror within their house is more lethal than the danger without.

The film co-stars Sam Jaeger (The Handmaid’s Tale), Ben Prendergast (The Sojourn Audio Drama) and Benedict Hardie (The Invisible Man).

WOLF MAN is directed by Whannell, whose previous films with Blumhouse include The Invisible Man, Upgrade and Insidious: Chapter 3. The screenplay is written by Leigh Whannell & Corbett Tuck, Lauren Schuker Blum & Rebecca Angelo (Dumb Money) and is released to UK cinemas January 2025.

View the Trailer on YouTube.