Horror-Comedy RENFIELD - on 4K Steelbook

Nicolas Cage’s hilarious horror comedy RENFIELD is being released in a collectable UHD Steelbook edition from 21 October by Altitude

Packed with laughs, splattery special effects, and featuring one of Cage’s most bugged-out and brilliant performances, RENFIELD is a ‘delight to watch’ (Collider), and a must for fans of ghoulish horror comedies like What We Do In The Shadows and Lisa Frankenstein.  

RENFIELD is available in a gorgeous Steelbook edition, with a host of extras including an audio commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes and more. 

Behind every great monster is an overworked sidekick: Nicholas Hoult stars as Renfield, the tortured aide to history’s most narcissistic boss: Dracula (Nicolas Cage). 

For centuries, Renfield has slavishly served Dracula by procuring his master’s prey and doing his every bidding, no matter how debased. But now, Renfield is ready to look for a new life outside the shadow of The Prince of Darkness, if only he can figure out how to end the toxic, codependent relationship…

SPECIAL FEATURES: 

- Audio commentary with producer Samantha Nisenboim, screenwriter Ryan Ridley & other crew members
- Eight deleted and extended scenes (17 mins)
- Alternate takes (3 mins)
- Featurette "Dracula UnCaged" about Nicolas Cage as Dracula (5 mins)
- Featurette "Monsters & Men" behind the scenes featurette of RENFIELD (12 mins)
- Featurette "Stages of Rejuvenation" about the transformation of Dracula (6 mins)
- Featurette "Flesh & Blood" about the splatter effects (5 mins)
- Featurette "Fighting Dirty" about the stunts (6 mins)
- Featurette "The making of a Deleted Scene" about Renfield's Dance (3 mins)
- Trailers & TV Spots

Pre-order the UK 4K UHD Steelbook from Amazon.co.uk

 

Funfair slasher THE MOUSE TRAP - Out now on DVD!

There’s a seemingly familiar face stalking the funfair in THE MOUSE TRAP, a horror chiller that’ll make you look at one of your childhood favourites very differently!

SYNOPSIS: It's Alex's 21st Birthday, but she's stuck at the amusement arcade on a late shift so her friends decide to surprise her, but a masked killer dressed as Mickey Mouse decides to play a game of his own with them which she must survive.

Directed by Jamie Bailey (What Lurks Beneath), THE MOUSE TRAP is written by Simon Phillips (Blood Harvest), who also stars as Mickey, the masked killer, terrorising a gang of friends late one night at an amusement arcade. There’s shocks and gore galore as Mickey dons his mask and goes on a rodent rampage.

With a trailer that’s already scored over one million views on YouTube, this is a horror film that’s sure to get everyone talking. If you enjoyed The Terrifier films and the Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey slashers, then this blood-soaked frightener will be just the ticket.

View the trailer on YouTube. 

Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk

Elizabeth Hurley stars in twisted tale PIPER - on Digital, Nov

Prepare to pay the PIPER in a fear-inducing new horror starring Elizabeth Hurley. This wickedly creepy fantasy from Anthony Waller (Mute Witness), tells a terrifying tale of children paying for the sins of their parents and following its acclaimed world premiere at FrightFest 2023 is now set for its digital bow from 101 Films this November.

Liz (Hurley) and her daughter Amy (Mia Jenkins) have relocated to a small town in Germany, but as they settle into their new life things start to take a dark turn… a local girl dies in horrifying circumstances and sinister events abound.

A dark secret from Liz's past has awoken the Piper, an evil entity from beyond who seeks redemption by taking the children of any parent who has done wrong… and Mia is in grave danger.

When Amy meets the kind and mysterious, Luca (Jack Stewart), could he be the key to saving her from the Piper’s clutches?

For a twisted take on a children’s legend that’s a parent’s worst nightmare let the PIPER play on.

Starring Elizabeth Hurley (Bedazzled, Austin Powers), Mia Jenkins (Hanna), Jack Stewart (Outlander), Tara Fitzgerald (Brassed Off) and Robert Daws (The Man Who Fell to Earth).

On Digital 18th November 2024

View the Trailer on YouTube.

 

Horror and Genre thrills at Leeds International Film Festival, November

Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF) has announced the full programme for its 2024 edition which includes UK premieres, new A-List and innovative new Festival strands showcasing the best in world cinema, retrospectives genre films and documentaries. LIFF is supported by the BFI National Lottery Audience Projects Award.

 

Established in 1987, Leeds International Film Festival is one of the largest annual film events in the UK and one of the longest, running for 17 days every November in venues across Leeds and West Yorkshire. Presenting over 250 features and shorts every year, with annual submissions of over 5000 from more than 120 countries, LIFF principally showcases and supports films from new and diverse filmmaking talent and which may not receive profile in the UK otherwise.

The 38th edition of the Festival will run from 1st to the 17th November 2024 at venues across the city including events and screenings at Everyman Leeds, Vue Leeds in the Light, Hyde Park Picture House and Howard Assembly Room. Tickets and passes are now on sale.

Fanomenon is the home at LIFF for fantasy, sci-fi, horror, dark comedy, cult films, the unclassifiable, and much more. Fanomenon opening film is the UK premiere of writer/director Yang Li’s Escape from the 21st Century which uses a dizzying array of special effects, and choreographs kinetic action that brilliantly integrates comic-book animation with magnificent martial art prowess. The Fanomenon closing film is The Killers, a wildly inventive and entertaining collection of four crime stories from South Korea.

Fanathon film marathons return for LIFF 2024 with Sci-Fi day on 2 November with four new features, including two UK Premieres - mind-bending sci-fi tale The A-Frame and U Are the Universe, screening as a UK premiere, a moving and comic story about an astronaut’s search for connection after he is left alone in space when Earth explodes. 

Day of the Dead is back on 9 November with four acclaimed new horror films from Belgium, Nigeria, Taiwan and USA showing at Hyde Park Picture House. Including the UK premiere of Else, smart and suspenseful The Weekend, hilarious dark comedy Dead Talents Society and Dead Mail, a surreal horror thriller that blends retro analogue aesthetics with a twisted tale of obsession, murder, and electronic keyboards. The ultimate all-night horror marathon, Night of the Dead returns with a new mix of wild films guaranteed to deliver plenty of thrills, gore, and chills. Screenings include the world premiere of Monkey’s Magic Merry Go Round, produced by Joe Swanberg, and Dark Match, an action-packed horror that puts a small-time group of ‘80s pro-wrestlers in a desperate battle for survival.

Previously announced as screening in the Fanomenon competition, showcasing mind-expanding new genre cinema will be: Niles Atallah’s modern queer fairytale Animalia Paradoxa; Ivana Gloria’s Chlorophyll; Thibault Emin’s mesmerising body-horror debut Else; Benjamin Pfohl’s cosmic coming-of-ager Jupiter; Yannis Veslemes’s psychedelic time travel horror She Loved Blossoms More; Pavlo Ostrikov’s post-apocalyptic Ukrainian sci-fi romance U Are the Universe; Joel Potrykus’s jet-black punk rock comedy Vulcanizadora.

Retrospective collection The Weird of Oz explores the wild and often groundbreaking scene of Australian new wave cinema from the 1970s onwards, expressing the growing pains of the country and garnering attention around the world. There’s highway adventures of Mad Max 2, Road Games and Stone; the hyperreal pop images styles of BeDevil and Razorback; vengeful nature in Lost Weekend and The Last Wave; individuals against the world in Celia and Wake in Fright. 

Visit the Official Website at https://www.leedsfilm.com/

Visit their social media pages...
https://www.facebook.com/leedsfilmfest
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Sinister crime thriller DARKGAME - Coming to Digital Outlets

The Movie Partnership is releasing the bloody crime thriller DARKGAME, starring Ed Westwick, to own on digital from 21st October.

Ed Westwick (Gossip Girl) stars as hardened Portland police Detective Ben Jacobs. His special unit works on locating to save the victims trapped in a game show playing out for the dark web to gamble on.

While the game masters play with the lives of their victims, Ben and the team are forced to seek the advice from a criminal adversary from their past. As the victims are killed one by one and Ben becomes part of the twisted games, time rapidly runs out before they could put an end to this Russian Roulette without further casualties.

Directed by Howard J. Ford (Escape, The Ledge), DARKGAME is brutally twisted and sure to keep you at the edge of your seat. Don't forget to vote for who you want to stay alive. 

DARKGAME will be available to own on Digital from 21st October.

 View the Trailer on YouTube.

Epic Sci-Fi Thriller ALIEN: ROMULUS - Available on Disc, December

The legendary ALIEN franchise gives birth to an all-new terrifying sci-fi horror thriller when 20th Century Studios’ ALIEN: ROMULUS arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and limited-edition steelbook on 2nd December.  

This truly terrifying sci-fi horror-thriller takes the phenomenally successful ALIEN franchise back to its iconic roots. While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young colonizers come face-to-face with the most relentless and deadly life form in the universe. 

Starring Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn and Aileen Wu, ALIEN: ROMULUS is directed by horror master Fede Alvarez from a screenplay by Alvarez and frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett. Ridley Scott, who directed the original ALIEN, produces with Michael Pruss and Walter Hill. 

ALIEN: ROMULUS  is the start of a new chapter with a brand-new story unlike any other Alien movie that came before it, featuring all-new creatures and characters that are “tense enough to grab you by the throat” (Owen Gleiberman, Variety). Fans can delve deeper into the ALIEN franchise with all-new exclusive bonus features, including featurettes with filmmakers Fede Alvarez and Ridley Scott, behind the scenes content, and extended and deleted scenes.   

Bonus Features

- Return to Horror: Crafting Alien: Romulus 

- The Director’s Vision – Discover how one of today’s greatest horror directors, Fede Alvarez, collaborated with master filmmaker Ridley Scott to craft a new, heart-pounding chapter in the Alien franchise.

- Creating the Story – Learn what inspired the story of Alien: Romulus and see the many easter eggs from previous Alien installments that you may have missed. 

- Casting the Faces – Meet the stars of Alien: Romulus as they take us inside the hearts and minds of their characters. Explore the parallels between Rain and the iconic franchise heroine, Ripley, and learn how filmmakers brought back a face from the past. 

- Constructing the World – Explore the massive, practical sets of Alien: Romulus that hearken back to the futuristic style established in the '80s, and get up close and personal with a hoard of practically built facehuggers, chestbursters, and xenomorphs. 

- Inside the Xenomorph Showdown – Experience the film’s climactic zero-gravity sequence from every angle as filmmakers break down what it took to make the moment spectacular. From sets and performances, to wirework, stunts, and VFX, see how it all came together. 

- Alien: A Conversation – A special conversation with Ridley Scott and Fede Alvarez for the Alien 45th Anniversary theatrical re-release. 

- Extended / Deleted Scenes – Check out scenes that didn't make the final cut. 

Pre-order the UK 4K UHD/BD Steelbook from Amazon.co.uk

Pre-order the UK 4K UHD/BD from Amazon.co.uk

Pre-order the UK 4K BD from Amazon.co.uk

Pre-order the UK 4K BD from Amazon.co.uk

FrightFest announces line-up for 2-day Halloween event

FrightFest announces line-up for 2-day Halloween event, with Daisy Ridley, Jane Horrocks & Brian Blessed amongst attending guests

Following the success of its spectacular 25th Anniversary August five-day event, the UK’s most popular genre film festival returns to the Odeon Luxe West End in Leicester Square. Taking over both screens on Friday 1st November and Saturday 2nd November, the Halloween special will feature nine premiere titles from six countries, spanning Europe, North America, South America and Asia, making it a truly spine-chilling display of global talent. Each film will be screened twice.

Opening the event is the UK premiere of Sam Yates’s MAGPIE, a darkly intense psychological thriller which thrives in its classic neo-noir atmosphere, eliciting tension that is seconds away from permanently snapping. Daisy Ridley delivers a tour de force performance as a neglected wife on the edge, and will be in attending the screening alongside her husband, actor Tom Bateman, writer/producer of Magpie.

The second film on the Friday is the UK premiere of PARVULOS, a thought-provoking, zombie ‘Lord of the Flies’, helmed by Mexican director Isaac Ezban, whose fantastic eye for gothic tableaux makes for a powerful and shocking treat.

The first day closes with the World premiere of Airell Hayes’ ADVENT, which charts one woman’s countdown decent into Xmas supernatural hell. Inspired by the terrifying true story of the blue whale game, this is a new kind of Christmas ghost story. Airell will be joined by the film’s stars including Nicholas Vince.

Saturday kicks off with the World premiere of THE BITTER TASTE, Guido Tölke’s outlandish tale of the undead. Watch out for full-bore gore, chainsaws, eye-grazing stunts and one of the best OTT scores by Clemens Damerau.

Then we have the UK premiere of ALIEN COUNTRY, a balls-to-the-wall, extraterrestrial invasion comedy, directed by popular Youtubers Boston McConnaughey, Renny Grames, who are planning to attend.

Up next is the UK premiere of THE DRAFT! a fist-pumping Indonesian body count terror which delights in honouring horror cliches while subverting them totally into a gruesome gore-fest.

This is followed by the UK premiere of TIME TRAVEL IS DANGEROUS, the Meta-universe comedy fantasy of the year from acclaimed writer-producer duo, the Shakespeare Sisters and co-written and directed by Chris Reading. The film stars British comedy royalty in Johnny Vegas, Sophie Thompson, Jane Horrocks, Mark Heap, and is narrated by Stephen Fry. Many of the cast will be attending including Jane Horrocks, Brian Blessed, Laura Aikman, Guy Henry, Brian Bovell, Ruth Syratt, Tom Lenk and Simon Killick, alongside director Chris Reading and producers Hillary and Anna-Elizabeth Shakespeare.

Also attending is Teddy Grennan, the director of CATCH A KILLER, which will receive its International premiere. Grennan has fashioned one of the most exciting neo-noir serial killer thrillers of the year, featuring breakout performances from Sam Brooks and Tu Morrow.

Completing the line-up is the UK premiere of Emma Benestan’s Cannes Critics' Week closer, ANIMALE, a shape-shifting horror drama that takes toxic masculinity by the horns.

Paul McEvoy, FrightFest co-director, said today: “What a perfect Halloween Treat we have lined-up for everyone this year. A wonderful movie mix-tape of nine exciting, exceptional, new and varied genre titles. There is something for every film fan along with an incredible list of guest attendees. This will be a sensational end to our 25th Anniversary banner year and we hope you all enjoy.”

Passes and tickets go on sale at noon on Saturday 5th October.

Prices: Two-day pass - £79 | Friday 1st  day pass - £33 | Saturday 28th Day pass - £59

Single tickets - £14.99

All tickets are subject to ticket costs.

LINE UP:

FRIDAY 1 NOVEMBER

OPENING FILM:  MAGPIE (UK Premiere)
(Times: Screen 1: 6.00pm, Screen 2: 6.30pm)

Director: Sam Yates. With: Daisy Ridley, Shazad Latif, Matilda Anna Ingrid  Lutz, Alistair Petrie, Hiba Ahmed. UK 2023. 90 mins.,

Synopsis: When Ben and Anette's daughter is cast in a film alongside glamorous movie star, Alicia, Ben is quickly drawn into Alicia's world. As he becomes more intoxicated with Alicia and their affair intensifies, Anette is left at home with the baby, pushed to her emotional limits and on the brink of psychosis.

PARVULOS (UK Premiere)
(Times: Screen 1: 8.25pm, Screen 2: 8.50pm)

Director Isaac Ezban. With: Farid Escalante Correa, Leonardo Cervantes, Mateo Ortega Casillas, Carla Adell. Mexico 2024. 118 mins.

Synopsis: A thought-provoking, slick and visually striking story about the lives of three young brothers tackling life in a post-apocalyptic, infected world, shot largely in monochrome tones, with flashes of colour for special moments. Living in a cabin in the middle of the woods the trio hide a dark, disturbing secret in their basement.

ADVENT (World Premiere)
(Times: Screen 1: 10.55pm, Screen 2: 11.30pm)

Director: Airell Anthony Hayles. With: Nicholas Vince, Mark Arnold, Rasina Pavlova, Cian Lorcan. UK 2024. 77 mins

Synopsis: When a young girl into urban legends unearths a supposed cursed advent calendar, she seeks to find out if the dark stories behind it are true as she opens a door each day in the build up to Christmas. Behind every door is a challenge that grows more disturbing as she starts to lose sight of who she is. As realities collapse, it seems she may have also brought her mother back from the dead.

SATURDAY 2 NOVEMBER

THE BITTER TASTE (World Premiere)
(Times: Screen 1: 11.10am, Screen 2: 11.35am)

Director: Guido Tölke. With: Julia Dordel, Nicolo Pasetti, Anne Alexander Sieder, Christiane Ostermayer. Germany 2024. 125 mins.

Synopsis: Five ways to die - one way to survive. After being captured by an undead countess and her cursed followers, Marcia, a retired pentathlete, must rely on her outdated and rusty athletic abilities to endure a terrifying hunt for human prey. Reluctantly she teams up with a mysterious, yet charming fisherman and an irritable cop in a suspicious alliance to increase her chances of survival against all the odds.

ALIEN COUNTRY (UK Premiere)

(Times: Screen 1: 1.45pm, Screen 2: 2.10pm)

Directors: Boston McConnaughey, Renny Grames. With: K.C. Clyde, Renny Grames, Charan Prabhakar, Rachele Brooke Smith. USA 2024. 96 mins.

Synopsis: Reeling from the news of an unexpected pregnancy, Jimmy, a wild and reckless demolition derby mechanic, and Everly unknowingly release an alien invasion in their small town. Now they must learn to work together in order to save each other, their town and evidently, the entire galaxy.

THE DRAFT! (UK Premiere)

(Times: Screen 1: 4.10pm, Screen 2: 4.35pm)

Director: Yusron Fuadi. With: Adhin Abdul Hakim, Winner Wijaya, Ibrahim Alhami, Putri Anggie.  Indonesia 2023. 84 mins.

Synopsis: Fight for your fate! Five college students embark on a weekend trip to an isolated cabin. Upon their arrival, a mysterious older man gives them a cryptic warning about staying there, and later, strange and weird events begin happening around them. Soon they learn they must survive a dizzying battle of wits against an all-powerful dark force that is seemingly undefeated.

TIME TRAVEL IS DANGEROUS (UK Premiere)

(Times: Screen 1: 6.20pm, Screen 2: 6.45pm)

Director: Chris Reading. With: Johnny Vegas, Sophie Thompson, Jane Horrocks, Mark Heap, and narrated by Stephen Fry. 2024 UK. 99 mins.

Synopsis: Real-life best friends Ruth Syratt and Megan Stevenson run a vintage bric-a-brac shop in Muswell Hill, London. Stumbling across a time machine, they embark on trips to the past to stock their emporium with quirky artefacts with no idea of the irreparable damage they're causing to the fabric of the universe. After one excursion too many, an interdimensional fissure appears and Ruth must free Megan from The Unreason, a monstrous netherworld where convoluted gaming is played for all eternity.

CATCH A KILLER (UK Premiere)

(Times: Screen 1: 8.45pm, Screen 2: 9.10pm)

Director: Teddy Grennan. With: Sam Brooks, Tu Morrow. USA 2024. 74 mins.

Synopsis: Otto and Lex are a pair of star-crossed lovers, who do the right thing but make the wrong decision and it costs them everything. When Otto is derailed on his way to becoming the city’s youngest detective, he stays in the police business as a bioremediation specialist cleaning up after a serial killer. With an uncanny knowledge of horror films and his natural born instincts, Otto and Lex crack the code to where the killer is going to strike next…now they  have just got to catch him.

ANIMALE (UK Premiere)

(Times: Screen 1: 10.40pm, Screen 2: 11.05pm)

Director: Emma Benestan. With: Oulaya Amamra, Claude Chaballier, Elies-Morgan Admi-Bensellam, Vivien Rodriguez. France 2024. 95 mins.

Synopsis: Nejma works at a farm where bulls are raised for sport. Against her mother’s wishes, Nejma wants to become the first female bull-runner, a dangerous ambition as many end up wounded or permanently disabled. After one bullfighting dare, she wakes up with a weird, enhanced ability to know what the bulls feel. Shortly afterwards a mysterious rogue bull appears at night to stalk and kill. To save the tourist season and dispel any rumours, all farms unite for a bull-hunt. But as her powers of perception grow, Nejma fears there may be a more supernatural angle to what's been happening...

Tickets available from http://www.frightfest.co.uk/

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