Saturday 31 January 2015

Arrow video presents "A Comedy of Terrors" on UK BD & DVD

Arrow Video is delighted to announce the latest addition to its roster of Vincent Price movies with the UK Blu-ray and DVD this Feb, with the release of Jacques Tourneur’s "The Comedy of Terrors". The 1963 horror-comedy classic, featuring an all-star ensemble cast including genre greats Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone.
 
Price plays Waldo Trumbull, a perpetually inebriated, down-on-his-luck undertaker who has struck on an interesting way to boost business – by hastening the deaths of those whom he buries. When landlord Mr. Black (Basil Rathbone - "Sherlock Holmes") threatens to put him out on the street for falling behind with the rent, Trumbull, together with his reluctant and bumbling assistant Felix Gillie (Peter Lorre - "The Raven"), hatches an ill-advised plan to “kill two birds with one stone”, so to speak…
 
Also starring fellow genre legend Boris Karloff ("Frankenstein", "The Mummy") and directed by Jacques Tourneur, who also gave us such horror classics as "Cat People", "I Walked with a Zombie" and "Night of the Demon". "The Comedy of Terrors"  is a gleefully macabre tale which bears many of the hallmarks of the master filmmaker’s earlier works, whilst adding a healthy dash of humour to the proceedings. Careful – you might just die laughing!
 
This new edition boasts a bumper crop of bonus features such as an hour long archive interview with Vincent Price in which the actor reflects on his career and an audio commentary with historian David Del Valle.
 
Full details are as follows.
 
Special Features
· High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the feature, transferred from original film elements by MGM
·Original Mono 2.0 audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
·Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
· Audio Commentary with Price historian David Del Valle
· Extensive archive interview with Vincent Price
· Whispering in Distant Chambers: The Nightfall of Jacques Tourneur – a specially-commissioned video essay by David Cairns, which charts the career of director Tourneur
· Richard Matheson Storyteller – an archive featurette on The Comedy of Terrors writer
· Original Theatrical Trailer
· Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper
· Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Chris Fujiwara, author of Jacques Tourneur: The Cinema of Nightfall, illustrated with original archive stills and posters.

Pre-order the UK BD/DVD combo pack from Amazon.co.uk



Wednesday 28 January 2015

Indie horror "North Woods" gives the gift of gore in new clip

Macabre Pictures and Flowtac Entertainment are giving viewers the gift of gore in the latest clip from North Woods. The preview features a bloody surprise gift-wrapped specifically for one unlucky recipient.
 
 
 
The clip accompanies the launch of a new Kickstarter campaign for the indie horror film. They're looking to raise $2,000 to finish the movie. Backers can get autographs from stars Lynn Lowry (Shivers) and Debbie Rochon (Tromeo and Juliet), a DVD of the completed film, their name in the credits and more in one package for as low as $18.

Support the film by donating now on the Kickstarter Campaign Page.

Scream queens Lowry and Rochon star alongside director Chris Moore. Inspired by the likes of Phantasm, The Evil Dead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Eraserhead, Moore also co-wrote the script with Jason Kasper.
 
North Woods is a motion picture of unrelenting terror. It will be unleashed in 2015.

You can also view the teaser trailer on YouTube.
 
Visit North Woods on Facebook, Twitter and Kickstarter for more information.



 

"The Butchers" - US DVD review.

Steven Judd’s “The Butchers” is out now on DVD in the US and distributors Uncork’d Entertainment were nice enough to send me a screener copy to review.
 
A group of people on a long distance bus journey get their ride cut short when the bus breaks down close to an offbeat roadside attraction. Venturing inside for help they find no sign of the owner, only his grotesque collection of waxworks which appear to be based on real life serial killers.
 
As night falls, they find that these waxworks may have a life of their own, as they find themselves being picked off by the likes of Jack the Ripper, John Wayne Gacey and Jeffrey Dhamer, to name but a few.
 
Directed by upcoming director Steven Judd, and starring Damien Puckler (TVs “Grimm”), the film is basically another take on the old “House of Wax” and I can’t help but wonder if the 1988 film “Waxwork” might have been an influence here, which also featured murderous waxworks attacking unwitting visitors.
 
The film is fairly low budget, but proves relatively entertaining. I found the Aunt May character, as played by Mara Hall (TV’s "Grey’s Anatomy") to be highly amusing and it was kind of fun seeing all these historical serial killers squaring off against each other as they try to sort out who’s turn it is to kill the next victim.
 
The film is out now on US DVD and can be purchased from Amazon.com
 
 
 
 

Sunday 25 January 2015

Frank Frazetta's art available on shirts from Fright-Rags

Influential horror/sci-fi artist Frank Frazetta's works have appeared on countless comic books, album covers, novels and more. Fright-Rags shirts can now be added to that list, as the horror apparel purveyor has launched pre-orders for its Frazetta collection.

 


The Frazetta collection's officially-licensed shirts each feature a different piece of the Comic Book Hall of Famer's fantastical art, showcasing his timeless and captivating imagination. There are three designs, each limited to 300 pieces and available on unisex shirts, girl shirts or zip-up hoodies.
 
The Frazetta limited edition box set is also available. It includes the three shirts, along with an exclusive fourth tee and an 11x17 poster, in a collector's box. Only 200 box sets exist.
This collection is up for pre-order on Fright-Rags.com. Due to their limited nature, the items may sell out during the pre-order period. The Frazetta collection will begin shipping in late February.
 
Fright-Rags also recently released new designs inspired by Day of the Dead, C.H.U.D., The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Escape from New York, among others. Browse the online store for a complete list of designs.

Pre-orders for these designs are live on the Fright-Rags website



Friday 23 January 2015

Argento's "Tenebrae" - out now on UK BD/DVD

Dario Argento's "Tenebrae" is widely regarded to be one of the director's best films. Shot between "Inferno", his 1980 follow-up to "Suspiria", and his personal favourite film of his, 1985's "Phenomena". "Tenebrae" is his 1982 return to the giallo subgenre and is out now in the UK on a special edition BD/DVD combo pack.
 
This infamous video nasty updated the classic Giallo blueprint for the gorified 80s, courting controversy and drenching the viewer in crimson arterial spray.
 
A razor-wielding psycho is stalking the horror writer Peter Neal, in Rome to promote his latest work, Tenebrae. But the author isn't the obsessive killer's only target, the beautiful women who surround him are doomed as one by one, they fall victim to the murderer's slashing blade...
 
Will fiction and reality blur as fear and madness take hold? Watch in terror as by turns the cast fall victim to the sadistic imagination of Dario Argento, Italy's master of horror.
 
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
-Newly remastered High Definition digital transfer of the film
-Presented in High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD
-Optional original English & Italian Mono Audio tracks
-Optional English subtitles for Italian audio and English SDH subtitles for English audio for the deaf and hard of hearing
-Audio Commentary with authors and critics Kim Newman and Alan Jones
-Audio Commentary with Argento expert Thomas Rostock
-Introduction by star Daria Nicolodi
-The Unsane World of Tenebrae: An interview with director Dario Argento
-Screaming Queen! Daria Nicolodi remembers Tenebrae
-A Composition for Carnage: Composer Claudio Simonetti on Tenebrae
-Goblin: Tenebrae and Phenomena Live from the Glasgow Arches
-Brand new interview with Maitland McDonagh, author of Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento
-Original Trailer
 
The case also contains a reversible Sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx and an exclusive collector booklet featuring writing on the film by Alan Jones, author of Profondo Argento, an interview with cinematographer Luciano Tovoli and an appreciation of the film by director Peter Strickland, illustrated with original posters and lobby cards.
 
Buy the UK BD/DVD combo pack from Amazon.co.uk
 
 



"Ejecta" - UK DVD review

Director Chad Archibalds sci-fi thriller “Ejecta” is out on UK DVD this month from Signature entertainment, who were kind enough to send me a screener copy to review.
 
The film stars character actor Julian Richings (Cube, Shoot em Up, Wrong Turn) as William Cassidy. A reclusive man , living out on a remote farm, who claims to have been visited by aliens many times over the years.
 
He is visited by a UFO investigator/conspiracy theorist chap named Joe (Adam Seybold – Exit Humanity), who wants to interview him about his experiences for his blog. But as they sit and chat, they witness strange lights in the sky and something appears to crash into the woods behind his farmhouse.
 
The next thing we see is Cassidy being interrogated by military scientists at a remote government installation, whilst soldiers are searching his farmland. As he is questioned, we then see through flashbacks the terrifying events that subsequently happened following the crash, which lead up to his capture by the military. But are they prepared for what’s going to happen next?
 
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this film when I sat down to watch it, but was presently surprised. Richings isn’t exactly a “name” actor, but should be familiar to genre fans through his work on various horror B-movies and action films (he was the guy who got ‘diced’ during the intro to “Cube” and was one of Paul Giamatti’s henchmen in “Shoot ‘em Up”) and always puts in a strong performance.
 
The film managed to keep me entertained throughout, so I consider it a success, and looked like it had a larger budget than it probably did. However, the constant flashing backwards and forward between the events on his farm and him being interrogated by the military did have me a little confused as to which order the events happened, which only became clearer near the end. Plus a lot of the film is like a ‘found footage’ movie, with the events at the farm being shown through Joe’s camcorder or the soldiers headcams.
 
If you’re a fan of the "X-files", "Dark Shadows" and those other sci-fi TV shows about aliens and the unexplained you’ll probably like it, but if you’re looking for an action or straight up horror, this probably won’t be your cup-of-tea.
 
The DVD is a bare bones release without any supplemental features.
 
"Ejecta" is out now on UK DVD from Signature entertainment.
 
Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk



Wednesday 21 January 2015

Glasgow Frightfest - Films revealed

FrightFest celebrates it's 10th year at Glasgow Film Festival with three World, two European and six UK premiere attractions!
 
The shocktacular line-up starts on 26th February in sumptuous Hammer-style with the UK premiere of the Edgar Allan Poe based "Eliza Graves" featuring an all-star Hollywood cast, including Kate Beckinsale, Ben Kingsley, Jim Sturgess and Michael Caine.
 
Friday’s fearsome line-up kicks off with the European premiere of "The Atticus Institute" followed by the World Premiere of "The Hoarder". Next up is the riotous "Wyrmwood", the zombie black comedy full of catastrophic carnage and over-the-top splatter. The 9pm slot goes to "88", a glorious, gory and fast-paced homage to cult exploitation revenge thrillers. This is the World Premiere for April Mullen’s most graphic film to date. Rounding off the evening is the European Premiere of "The Asylum".
 
Getting the Saturday programme off to a nerve-jangling start is the UK premiere of the much anticipated and very disturbing "Clown", produced by Eli Roth. This is followed by FrightFest’s popular retrospective slot which this year is Mario Bava’s "Blood And Black Lace", one of the most influential genre movies of all time. Next up is the World Premiere of "The Woods Movie" – a behind-the-scenes exclusive reveal to everything you ever needed to know about how ‘The Blair Witch Project’ was produced, shot and marketed to become a groundbreaking blockbusting classic. This has been directed, edited and scripted by Russell Gomm, who is a long-serving member of the FrightFest TV crew.
 
Saturday evening unfolds with the Flemish film "The Treatment" and FrightFest is pleased to present the UK Premiere of this harrowing serial killer thriller. FrightFest unleashed the Spanish sensation [REC] onto unsuspecting audiences in Glasgow 2008 and the organisers are delighted to host the UK Premiere of Jaume Balagueró’s "[REC]: Apocalypse", the shattering visceral conclusion to the global horror phenomenon. And to end the FrightFest carnival of carnage is the UK premiere of the creepy, brain-freezing "There Are Monsters".
 
Glasgow Frightfest runs from Thursday, February 26 and until Saturday, Feb 28
 
For more information about Frightfest Click Here.

For more information about these and other films at the Glasgow film festival, and to buy tickets, Click Here.

"It Follows" - UK trailer and poster art revealed.

The new UK trailer and Quad poster artwork have just been released for Writer/Director David Robert Mitchell's new chiller "It Follows", which comes to UK cinemas in Feb.
 
After a date and seemingly innocent sexual encounter, 19-year-old Jay is left with an inescapable sense that someone, or something is following her. Jay and her friends team up to try and find ways escape the traumatising horrors that are always right behind them.
 
 
 
 
The breakout film from the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, It Follows is a suspenseful, beautifully shot, horror film that takes old, tired horror clichés and puts a smart, culturally relevant spin on them whilst maintaining a timeless class that the horror genre hasn't seen for a long time.

Teen sex, suburbia, murder, and nightmarish demons all take on a new layer of substance and style. Writer/Director David Robert Mitchell reminds us why these horror fundamentals are used so often and shows his peers how it's done.

The film is released to UK cinemas Feb 27th.

 

Tuesday 20 January 2015

"No Good Deed" in March!

Coming to UK DVD in March from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Terri (Taraji P. Henson) is a devoted wife and mother of two, living an ideal suburban life in Atlanta when Colin (Idris Elba), a charming but dangerous escaped convict, shows up at her door claiming car trouble.
 
Terri offers her phone to help him but soon learns that no good deed goes unpunished as she finds her and her family embroiled in a dangerous game of survival.
 
Idris Elba (TV’s “Luther”, TV’s “The Wire”, Pacific Rim, and the "Thor" films). Taraji P. Henson (Think Like A Man, TV’s “Person Of Interest”, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button) star and is Directed by Sam Miller (TV's "Luther", "Spooks").
 
The film is released to UK DVD March 23rd.
 
View the trailer on YouTube.
 
Pre-order the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk

Monday 19 January 2015

Anchor Bay to release "Fear Clinic"

Fear Clinic, the latest excursion into unrelenting terror will be released to disc in the US on February 10th and in the UK on March 23rd by Anchor Bay Entertainment.
 
Based on the critically acclaimed and fan favourite 2009 FEARnet.com series. When trauma-induced phobias begin to re-emerge in five survivors a year after their horrifying tragedy, they return to the “Fear Clinic”, hoping to find the answers they need to get cured.
 
Dr. Andover (Robert Englund), the doctor who runs the clinic, uses his “Fear Chamber” to animate their fears in the form of terrifying hallucinations. However, the good doctor soon begins to suspect that something more sinister may be at work, something that yearns to be more than just an hallucination...
 
Co-written by Hall and Aaron Drane, the highly anticipated shocker stars horror icon Robert “Freddy Krueger” Englund, Fiona Dourif, Angelina Armani, Thomas Dekker, as well as Stone Sour and Slipknot lead vocalist Corey Taylor in his acting debut, and is directed by Robert G. Hall (Lightning Bug, Laid to Rest, ChromeSkull: Laid To Rest II).
 
With blood-chilling special effects by award-winning FX creators Robert Kurtzman and Steve Johnson, Fear Clinic will take viewers on an unforgettable journey into the very soul of terror itself.
 
Bonus features to be announced.

View the trailer on YouTube
 
Pre-order the US DVD from Amazon.com
 
Pre-order the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk



Saturday 17 January 2015

"No Reasons" - New Trailer released!

Director Spencer Hawken has just unveiled the new trailer for his forthcoming thriller "No Reasons", which is due out later this year. The film revolves around a missing schoolgirl and her parents efforts to find out what's happened to her, which sees them uncovering the seedy underbelly of London's criminal vice world.
 


Lucinda Rhodes (Fall of the Essex Boys), Marc Bannerman (TVs East Enders), Roland Manookian (Rise of the Foot Soldier) and Lorraine Stanley (Made in Dagenham) star alongside Daniel Peacock (TVs The Comic Strip Presents, Teenage Health Freak), Vicky Michelle (TVs Allo Allo) and Anna Karen (TVs On the Buses, East Enders), in roles that you wouldn't normally associate them with.
 
The film should be hitting festivals from May, with a UK release provisionally scheduled for the end of the year.

Friday 16 January 2015

"Scar Tissue" - on UK DVD this Feb.

Sterling Pictures is pleased to announce the UK release of the brutal, nightmarishly twisted thriller SCAR TISSUE, which comes to UK DVD this February.

Detective Sam Cross (Charity Wakefield – Sense & Sensibility, The Raven) never got the chance for revenge. Twenty years ago, her sister became the last victim of serial child killer Edward Jansen, moments before he was shot dead by a police SWAT team.

But now, decades later, he's back…

Luke Denham (Danny Horn - Doctor Who) is a normal guy living a normal life until he wakes up one morning to find a mutilated corpse in his bathroom. When the police find Jansen’s DNA all over the crime scene, Luke and Sam are thrown together on a mission to uncover the truth and stop the long-dead psychopath who stalks and taunts them. SCAR TISSUE is a shocking, gripping and stylish thriller from the producer of The Seasoning House that reminds us how the past can be impossible to escape – evil leaves its mark.

A Sterling Pictures production, the film also stars Shaun Dingwall (Doctor Who, Rock & Chips), Helen George (Call The Midwife), Tom Rosenthal (Friday Night Dinner, Plebs) and screen legend Kenneth Colley (most famous for playing Admiral Piett in the original Star Wars trilogy). Original music for SCAR TISSUE is composed by Mark Ayres, famous for his work on Doctor Who in classic era of the 80s, and more recently as part of the reformed BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
 
SCAR TISSUE – available on UK DVD from 16 FEBRUARY 2015
 
Pre-order the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk
 
 
 
 

"Ejecta" - out on UK disc Jan 19th

The unnerving and ever-present question of whether we are truly alone in the universe is finally answered in the intriguing sci-fi horror EJECTA, starring Julian Richings ("Cube", "Shoot Em Up") - which is available on DVD, BD and digital platforms January 19th.

 
 
Checkout the clips below...
 
 
 
 
 

Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk

Buy the UK BD from Amazon.co.uk




"Hunting the Legend" finally arrives on UK DVD

You might remember last year I ran several features for this film, which was originally due for release last July. Well, there was a slight problem and it's release was shelved. However, it seems the film now looks set to come out in Feb from Image.
 
There’s something out there…something that hungers for flesh…something that kills.
 
5 years after his father was mysteriously slaughtered while out hunting, Chris Copeland enters the Alabama woods on a mission of revenge. Accompanied by a handful of his friends, he is fearless, foolhardy and oblivious to the terror that awaits them all.
 
As they become lost in the dense and desolate woods, they smell blood, and the haunting sense of fear soon overtakes them. They are about to discover, perhaps too late, that the difference between the hunter and the hunted can be as thin as a strip of flesh.
 
"Hunting the Legend" comes to UK DVD on the Image label of RLJ Entertainment this February 9th.  
 
Pre-order the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk

"Phobia" comes to UK DVD

TERROR WAITS for those who stay home.  I mean, when you’re losing your mind, what else have you got to lose?  Your friends, your loves, your fears?
 
Jonathan is trapped and afraid.  Unable to leave the house since his wife died, he can’t function outside the safety of his own four walls – and then those walls start closing in. 
 
Unable to tell reality from delusion and under assault from ghosts of the past, his dread and self-loathing escalate, giving birth to an onslaught of twisted, waking nightmares. 
 
Are these murderous visions all in his mind… or is he the victim of a very real and almost unspeakable evil?  Time – and a brutal, bloody body count – will tell.
 
Phobia comes to DVD on the Image label of RLJ Entertainment this January 26th
 
Pre-order the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk

Wednesday 14 January 2015

Horrorpunk Festival at the Adam & Eve, Birmingham

Bristol-based label Graveyard Calling and Birmingham-based label Undead Artists presents the first Travelling Morgue Horrorpunk Festival; a day of monster-themed music.
 
Headlined by German horrorpunk heavyweights Jamey Rottencorpse & The Rising Dead (their first UK show!) and UK bubblegum-horror-surf-punk legends Zombina & the Skeletones; with support from 7 of the best UK horrorpunk bands.
 
The event takes place on Saturday 4th April at the Adam & Eve in Digbeth, Birmingham.
 
Tickets are available now for £10.
 
 
Full line-up:

Jamey Rottencorpse and the Rising Dead
Zombina and the Skelentones
Army of Walking Corpses
Gravedale High
Headstone Horrors
Thirteen Shots
Trioxin Cherry
Lupen Tooth
The Bloodthirsters

 
 
 

"The Walking Dead" - Back on FOX (UK) in Feb


For those of you pining for more of "The Walking Dead", which has been on hiatus over Xmas, you'll be pleased to know that Series 5 resumes on Monday the 9th of Feb on FOX TV (UK). The night after it premieres in the US on the AMC network.
 
Here's a trailer showing what's to come...
 
 
For more information, visit The Walking Dead UK Facebook  and Twitter pages.

PLEASE NOTE, UK and Non-US fans of the show are advised NOT to subscribe to the American pages run by AMC, as these frequently post spoilers about the show ahead of its UK showings. So to avoid spoilers, stick to the UK sites run by Fox.


Monday 12 January 2015

"The Town that Dreaded Sundown" coming to UK cinemas.

Coming to UK cinemas this April. Based on a terrifying true story,  director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon ("American Horror Story") makes his striking feature debut with this shrewd remake of the seventies horror of the same name, inspired by the unsolved murder spree that took place in the American border town of Texarkana in 1946.
 
Set in a world in which the original film exists and is very much part of popular consciousness, "The Town that Dreaded Sundown" picks up 65 years after a masked serial killer terrorised the small town, when the brutal ‘Moonlight Murders’ suddenly begin again. Texarkana’s quiet streets are plagued by a masked maniac who bears a striking resemblance to the same Phantom Killer who wreaked havoc decades before. Is it a copycat crime? Has somebody seen the original film too many times, or is it something even more sinister?
 
A lonely high school girl, with dark secrets of her own, may be the key to catching the murderer in this reveting collaboration between the producers of the hit series “American Horror Story” and the blockbuster “Paranormal Activity” franchise.
 
Starring Addison Timlin (TV’s “Californication”), Travis Tope (TVs "Boardwalk Empire"), Gary Cole (TVs "West Wing" and "Desperate Housewives" ) and Veronica Cartwright ("Alien", "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"), the film is released to UK cinemas April 10th from Metrodome.

Saturday 10 January 2015

"Grace the Possession" - A UK DVD review.

Released this month to UK VOD and DVD, “Grace the Possession” tells the tale of young Grace (Alexia Fast – Jack Reacher). A somewhat introverted girl, who was raised by her devout Catholic grandmother (played by horror veteran Lin Shaye).
 
She has decided to leave home to go to college, much to her Grandmother’s disdain, who fears she will be tempted into “sin” by her hedonistic college co-eds. But Grace just wants to be a normal teenager and starts to make friends and begins to get involved in the college party lifestyle.
 
But then strange things start to happen, weird hallucinations, nightmares, strange marks on the skin, then she starts suffering from blackouts, which results in her grandmother picking her up from the hospital and pulling her out of school. Convinced she’d been getting up to no good, she forces her to start regularly attending church again. But whilst the grandmother comes across as an overly protective zealot, as the hallucinations and blackouts become worse, we find there might be a reason for her overtly religious, protective nature.
 
For the most part, the film is shot from a ‘first person perspective’, showing everything from Grace’s point of view, so it sort-of has a slight ‘found footage’ style to it, but nowhere near as shaky.  Plotwise, the film remains fairly interesting, as we’re never too sure whether Grace is just ill and her Grandmother is making things worse by insisting she just prays, rather than get medical help. Or whether there is something demonic/spiritual going on until you get near the end.
 
That being said, it does tread the same sort of ground as “The Exorcist”, “The Possession” and similar other films about demonic possession. But if you like those sorts of movies, then you should like this.

"GRACE: THE POSSESSION" arrives on Digital HD in the UK January 5 and on UK DVD January 19 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
 
Buy the UK DVD at Amazon.co.uk

 

Friday 9 January 2015

"Awake in the Woods" gets worldwide distribution deal

"Awake in the Woods" is set to thrill horror fans worldwide! Shami Media Group, Inc., a distribution, marketing, and media leader in worldwide film distribution, recently acquired the film and has set a official release date of May 19th 2015.

The film tells the story of how the Woods in Marion N.Y. have a past. Locals are creeped out just by driving by, most fear going near them while some swear by the story and believe the legend of the Marion woods. Hunters report unusual activity, hikers describe chilling experiences , parents warn their children to avoid the woods, and the lucky few who survive the woods alone have all gone insane.
 
When a young girl Madelaine (Madelaine Kemp - "A Fight For Survival") does not heed her parents warning, she goes missing in the woods. Three friends Ronnie (Theresa Galeani - "I Am Legend"), Derek (Keith Collins - "Gravedigger","The Jersey Devil"), & Tucker (Nicholas Boise - "A Fight For Survival") decide to document their search for the truth. What they witness can't be explained. In the end only one is left wandering, Awake In The Woods!

The film is directed by, Nicholas Boise
Shami Media Group is led by film veteran Bob Shami who has been in the film distribution business for over 15 years. Their movies are currently found in retailers such as, F.Y.E., Best Buy, Tower, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Sears, Kmart, MVD, Walmart, Target, Frys, Baker & Taylor, Red Box, iTunes and Netflix. They will now be adding "Awake in the Woods" to their catalogue of outstanding films.
 
"Awake in the Woods" is set to be released worldwide on May 19th 2015.
 
 

Wednesday 7 January 2015

"Treehouse" to get US release.

Director Michael G. Bartlett's TREEHOUSE branches into US cinemas and on digital this February.
 
Called "A modern day 80s horror classic" (Dread Central) and a "Masterpiece in suspense" (Quiet Earth), director Michael G.Bartlett's acclaimed Treehouse plays for a week, beginning February 20, at the Arena Cinemas in L.A. It will also be available on Digital.
 
Synopsis : After chasing a mysterious shadow figure into the woods, a young girl disappears and is later discovered by two teenage brothers, trapped inside an old treehouse in the woods. Together they must battle an unimaginable evil that is trying to get in.
 
The film was released to UK DVD last year (you can read my review of the UK release HERE). Treehouse will finally see a stateside release both theatrically and on VOD Feb 20th from Uncork'd Entertainment.
 
View the trailer on YouTube.
 
 
 

"North Woods" new teaser clip released.

Macabre Pictures and Flowtac Entertainment have released an eye-popping new clip from North Woods, their forthcoming motion picture of unrelenting terror. In the 5-minute scene, a game of hide-and-seek turns deadly.
 

"North Woods" will be released later this year and stars scream queens Lynn Lowry (The Crazies) and Debbie Rochon (Tromeo and Juliet). The film is directed by Chris Moore, who co-wrote the script with Jason Kasper. They were inspired by Phantasm, The Evil Dead and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Follow the film on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date.

View the trailer on YouTube

Jamie Kennedy is "Buddy Hutchins" this March!

Named one of Wicked Channel's Top 25 Films of 2014, "Buddy Hutchins" features Jamie Kennedy (Scream, TVs Ghost Whisperer) as you've never seen him before!
 
Buddy Hutchins (Kennedy) is just a regular guy doing his best to support a wife and two kids. A recovering alcoholic, Buddy hasn't had a drink for the better part of a year, but it turns out the only reward for his good behavior is a failing business and a cheating wife.
 
Throw in a ruthless bounty hunter and an hot-tempered ex, and Buddy's already short fuse is about to blow. Pushed over the edge and armed with a chainsaw, Buddy Hutchins is out for blood.
 
Starring Jamie Kennedy (Scream, Tremors 5, Son of the Mask), Oscar Nominee Sally Kirkland (The Sting, JFK), and Sara Malakul Lane (Kickboxer : Vengeance, Scouts vs.Zombies).
 
Written and Directed by Jared Cohn (Jailbait, 12/12/12). Buddy Hutchins is released to US DVD and VOD this March from Uncork'd Entertainment.
 

Tuesday 6 January 2015

"The Calling" comes to UK DVD and HD VOD

Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon leads an all-star cast in the thrilling murder mystery film, THE CALLING, which will be available on Digital HD February 2 and DVD February 16 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
 
Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef (Susan Sarandon) leads a quiet life with her mother (Ellen Burstyn), her painkillers, and an occasional drink. But when she checks on an ill neighbour, she stumbles upon a gruesome murder that shatters her peaceful existence. With the help of a fellow detective (Gil Bellows) and a transfer cop (Topher Grace), she unearths a series of similar killings across the country.

When a local priest (Donald Sutherland) suggests a link to an ancient ritual, Hazel focuses her search on a religious madman with a deadly higher calling. Based on the novel by Inger Ash Wolfe, it’s a journey to the shadowy landscape between faith and fear.
 
Directed by Jason Stone, THE CALLING was written by Scott Abramovitch, based on the novel by Inger Ash Wolfe. It was produced by Abramovitch, Randy Manis, Lonny Dubrofsky and Nicholas Tabarrok. Executive producers are Jonathan Bronfman and Christine Vachon.
 
Thriller fans can go deeper inside the dark mystery of the film with the chilling bonus featurette, “Divine Intention: Making The Calling,” giving a unique look at the making of this highly original new serial killer murder mystery.
 
Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk
 
 

Monday 5 January 2015

"Ninjas vs Monsters" comes to DVD in the UK & US.

The Blair Witch Project's Eduardo Sanchez presents Ninjas vs. Monsters,  out this January in the UK and February in the US!
 
From director Justin Timpane and executive producer Eduardo Sanchez (director of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, LOVELY MOLLY, and EXISTS), comes this action-packed thrill ride as a group of loveable wise-cracking Ninjas take on an army of monsters in a small American town, to save mankind.
 
Dracula has called upon legendary terror - The Werewolf, the Mummy, Frankenstein's Monster, and a coven of Sexy Witches - to defeat the Ninjas, who are fresh from their battles in the recent prequel film Ninjas Vs Vampires.
 
This time the Ninja heroes have supernatural powers of their own to boost their awesome high-kicking, kung fu skills, leading to an epic non-stop showdown.
The film premieres on DVD, BD and VOD January 26 in the UK from Left entertainment. The UK BD also contains the prequel film "Ninja's Vs Vampires".
 
The film is also released in the US on February 6 on DVD (Ninjasvs.com) and VOD (Uncork'd Entertainment).
 
Pre-order the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk
 
Pre-order the UK BD from Amazon.co.uk
 
For more info on the US release visit http://www.ninjasvs.com/
 
 

 

"Desecrated" - US DVD review.

Rob Garcia’s directorial debut “Desecrated”, starring Michael Ironside and Haylie Duff, is out on US DVD this month, courtesy of  Uncorked entertainment and I managed to get a sneak peek at it..
 
Young heiress Allie McClean (Haylie Duff) and her teenage friends decide to spend the weekend away at her father’s remote country house. The place is being looked after by the caretaker, Ben (Gonzalo Mendez), a former US Marine, who used to own the land the property is built on. But is now employed as a live-in watchman, to keep away squatters and burglars.
 
The other teens think he’s a bit odd, but pay him no attention. But when members of the group start to go missing, they begin to suspect Ben might have had something to do with it. Not least when they discover what this former marine has been doing to wayward trespassers…
 
For the most part, the film is your typical low-budget “teens in peril” sort of film, but proves to be a notch above its contemporaries. Most of the cast are regular working actors, from various US TV shows, so actually know how to act. The plot remained relatively engaging throughout, even though it did get a little disjointed towards the end, with the last survivors running in and out of the house all the time.
 
Plus it also benefited from the inclusion of Michael Ironside (Starship Troopers, Total Recall), who always puts in a commendable performance.
 
Overall I quite enjoyed it and considering it’s the directors first full length feature film was actually mightily impressed.
 
The film is out now on US DVD
 
Buy the US DVD from Amazon.com
 
 
 

Thursday 1 January 2015

Favourite Horror Films of 2014

Now that the New Year is upon us, here's a list of some of my favourite films from 2014.




"Deliver us from Evil" - UK disc review

If you’re looking for something dark to chase away the last remnants of festive cheer now that Xmas is over and done with, then “Deliver us from Evil”, which comes to UK disc Jan 5th from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is just the ticket.
 
The film stars Eric Bana (Star Trek, Hannah) as New York detective Ralph Sarchie, who finds that a recent string of cases he’s been involved in are inextricably linked. The connection being that the perpetrators, or their spouses, all served together in the military.
 
Uncertain of what would cause these previously decorated soldiers, or their partners, to suddenly commit acts of wanton violence or murder, he is then approached by a priest, father Mendoza (Edgar Ramirez) who tries to convince him that demonic forces are at work.
 
Initially, Sgt Sarchie is unconvinced that these recent crimes have been the work of the devil. But as he starts to dig a little deeper, he finds that the former servicemen may have indeed uncovered something sinister when they were fighting in the desert and now they have to find the last remaining members of their unit before they can kill anyone else…
 
Supposedly based on a true story (it isn’t), the film was directed by Scott Derickson, who also gave us “Sinister” and “Exorcsim of Emily Rose” and comes across as an effective mash up of “The Exorcist” with those “Law and Order” or CSI cop shows. So it comes as no surprise to learn that the film was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, who’s the man behind a number of those programs and actually has the feel of one of his cop shows.
 
Usually I’m not much of a fan of ‘Supernatural’ type thrillers, basically because as a life-long atheist I struggle to take them seriously. However, as this particular film got going I found myself being strangely intrigued and actually really enjoyed it. Eric Bana is aptly cast as the tortured cop who isn’t ready to believe that there’s “real” evil in the world and actually proves to be an effective dark and brooding thriller.
 
Extras on the disc include a directors commentary track, a making of feature and a stack of trailers for other Sony Home Pictures films.
 
The film is out on UK DVD and BD from Jan 5th.
 
Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk
 
Buy the UK BD from Amazon.co.uk